Karp - Swordtism 008

When time resumed, and Mihawk had exited the System space ready to spar, something unexpected occurred. 

The sharp whistle of a high speed object flew through the air, it was one he was all too familiar with. 

Bright golden eyes going wide, Mihawk reacted quickly, and sliced at the cannonball heading his way. The lethal round split into halves, exploding harmlessly on the sand next to him. 

A spotlight was suddenly lit, illuminating his, and Elena’s figures, and from that ship at sea the moonlight reflected great white sails bearing the words: Marine. 

Seconds later an authoritative voice amplified by a den-den mushi microphone spread throughout the beach. 

“Hawkeyes! This is Captain Guile of the Marines. Your action of mercilessly cutting down others in Ferd Town, blinding an innocent lady, and murdering her guard in cold blood are an affront to Justice. Yield now, or face the might of the Marines.” A large, pale-skinned, muscular man in an officer's coat, with an outrageous flat-top blonde haircut spoke with an unyielding spirit, as if he truly was executing evil, and doing good for the world. 

Mihawk felt his cheek twitch, as he knew this wasn't going to be an easy opponent. Trying to explain himself now seemed pointless, as the ‘evidence’ had already been brought against him. The judges on Enies Lobby had a 100% conviction rate, and he wasn't eager to visit Impel Down anytime soon. 

“Hello!” Elena waved at the Marine ship, smiling. “If you want to spar, Guylol, you'll have to wait your turn, Hawkguy and I are in the middle of a match.” 

Back onboard the Marine cruiser, Guile let out a gasp of air as his thunder was stolen from him. This was his first big break since being promoted to Captain, as well as his first solo command. Right when he was going to retort, a pair of women-his colleagues-arrived behind him. 

One had a red beret on her head, a long blonde pony tail, and piercing blue eyes. The other wore a blue cheongsam beneath her officer's great coat, had rich features reminding one of a citizen of Wano, and had her brunette hair wrapped in white ribbons forming twin buns. Both women had outrageously thick thighs showcasing their powerful kicking power. 

The blonde woman wore a Lieutenant's stripes on her sleeves, whilst the brunette's marked her as a Captain. 

“She's an interesting one, I can tell she's a Devilfruit user. The beat from her wave just now carried an infectious melody. If she isn't an accomplice of Hawkeye’s, perhaps she could be recruited.” The blonde, pale-skinned Lieutenant-Cammy-analyzed in a serious tone. 

“This isn't looking good for a first mission. Headquarters won't be pleased if the other accomplice remains uncaptured.” The brunette-Chun Li-said in a standoffish tone, crossing her arms. 

“Rest assured, Inspector Captain Chun-Li, I have everything under control.” Guile confidently stated, hiding his panic by pulling out a comb, and maintaining his perfect hair.

“Is that Chun Li? I heard she couldn't catch one homeless man, where does she have the nerve to question our Captain.” An enlisted man who witnessed the byplay whispered to his friend. 

“Ahem-” Guile coughed into his hand, and was about to order his men to disembark, when a voice shouted at him from the beach. 

“Okay, thanks for letting us know your plan, Goo-IL, you're a really good guy! My name is Elena, I hope I get to spar with you sometime, you look strong.” The white haired, dark-skinned woman on the beach-Elena-waved at them with a bright smile. 

Then, with his hat pulled down, Hawkeyes grabbed her, ran to the back of a nearby shack, and disappeared into the woods. 

“...” Guile blinked his eyes in astonishment, realizing his entire conversation had been amplified by the den-den mushi. 

“They're getting away. It's too late to deploy the men, we have to go now.” Cammy said, then without waiting for further orders, jumped off the boat. 

Instead of sinking into the water, she rapidly kicked at the air, making a sort of popping noise. Executing one of the Six Powers-Geppo/Moon Walk-a series of special martial arts available to all Marine officers, she swiftly arrived on the beach. 

Not to be outdone, Chun Li gave guile a disparaging glance, then with a small grunt, followed in Cammy's wake, executing the same technique. 

Guile's outrageously tall hair shadowed his eyes for a second, and then an incredibly proud sense of Justice coated his heart. This commission was important to him, and Inspector Captain Chun-Li's report was something worth striving for…but more important than that, he must apprehend that dangerous criminal-Hawkeyes-so that no other women were blinded by his wicked blade! 

A swirling yellow energy coated his body as ki, and the energy of his Devilfruit coalesced around him. For decades, the power that was now his had served the forces of evil. Served the HATEFUL Rocks Pirates. Now. Now it would serve the forces of JUSTICE. 

Exploding off the ship with a mighty kick, the Bomu-Bomu no mi (bomb bomb fruit) eater, Captain Guile was in hot pursuit! 

Meanwhile at the forest behind the shack, Mihawk, Elena, and a bleary eyed Alex were running quite fast. The big hulking blonde had only had time to kiss his girlfriend goodbye, before tossing on a coat, and joining Mihawk in their mad dash to escape. 

“So I don't mind asking, but what's going on? Do we have a plan?” Alex asked in confusion, checking his gloves to make sure they were snug. 

“Alex, good to see you.” Elena patted him on the back. “I have no idea why we're under attack, but it's pretty exciting, no? Running like this reminds me of playing predator and prey in my homeland with the local wildlife.” 

Mihawk, meanwhile, had his mind racing. The response from the Marines had been quite quick, all things considered. It had been less than 48 hours since that random lady wanted to steal his eyes, and less than 12 since the raid on that manor. Their operating efficiency-when the right people made the call-was quite annoying. 

“Our opponents this time are quite troublesome. I can tell at a glance that the three of them are just as powerful as us, perhaps more-so.” Mihawk murmured, as knowing even one of the Six Powers was enough to alter the calculus of a fight. “That said, they've split off from the ship, meaning at this pace, we won't get surrounded, and fall to a hail of bullets whilst distracted. I suggest an ambush, one from a place that suits our strengths, but it must be nearby, because they are rapidly closing.” 

Seeing Mihawk's prolonged monologue, Alex rubbed his nose in surprise, as the dapper dressed man had never said so much to him at once before. “How about we lead them to that wrecked manor for a fight? We already know the layout of the place, and it's far enough away from town that no innocents will get caught up in the crossfire.” 

“Upon a large rock with no exit. If one of use loses or is seriously injured, we need an escape.” Mihawk shook his head, dismissing the idea. “What we need to do, is to seize a ship, otherwise more & more Marine vessels will arrive on this island, making hiding impossible.” 

“Of course there's a hidden exit Hawkguy, that place you found me in has a tunnel leading down.” Elena said, rapping her knuckles on the side of her head. “An elephant never forgets.” 

“At this rate, we'll reach the gate by the time those guys catch up to us. I don't know about you two, but I'm itching for a fight.” Alex confidently stated, dragging his thick thumb across his neck symbolising execution. 

“Yup, I want a fight!” Elena agreed. 

Mihawk sighed, pulling down the brim of his hat. Honestly, these two…it was like dealing with a hyperactive puppy, and a big aggressive teddy bear. That being said, the glimmer of challenge could not be hidden from his glowing golden eyes. 

“Agreed. We'll fight at the ruined manor. If things look troublesome, we'll escape through the hidden door in the basement.” Mihawk resolutely stated. 

Taking the lead, his special eyes easily pierced through the moonlit night, and the group of three eventually ascended the hill just outside of town. 

By the time they climbed that somewhat broken tower that the rope ninja had used as a platform, the trio of Marines had arrived. 

Slamming his messer into a stone block, Mihawk cut a sharp pose. His all black ensemble highlighted by gold thread gave off a noble feel, whilst his rich red interior'd robe, and the white feather plume on his hat waved in the wind, emanating an extraordinary aura. 

At this moment in time, he had already cut down Batman, and the hero vigilante, Zorro. That pair of recent life or death battles served to hone his instincts, and the barest hint of a murderous killing intent coated his form like a tight garment. Nothing so outrageous as Conqueror's Haki surrounded him, but that skill he had learned from Zorro-Blade Control-when manifested in a fantastical anime land like One Piece, gave him an otherworldly aura. This wasn't a fight to the death, but Mihawk would neither allow himself to be captured, nor would he abandon his crew. Gripping the hilt of his sword, he had resolved himself to become an enemy of the world so long as those ignorant people presented themselves to his blade. 

Standing to his right, the hulking form of Alex cut an imposing figure, and his battle intent was surging. The dedicated martial artist had begged & pleaded with the local authorities, searching everywhere for his girlfriend. It wasn't until he took matters into his own hands, cracking heads at bars, night clubs, and gambling houses that he had arrived at that bomb collar factory. If not for Mihawk, then Patricia would have already been defiled, and sold into slavery somewhere else. Knowing that the Marines were here to defend those scum…a blood hot boil burned through his veins. Furthermore, that cannonball had landed next to his house! If a stray shot had killed her…! All these things, real and imagined coalesced into his aura, and this fear, this rage, this need to protect, it gave him strength! On this day, the warrior Alex would stand side by side with his comrades, the law be damned. 

Elena, meanwhile, was getting psyched up. As the Princess of her tribe, her father and older brothers doted over her too much, never allowing her to truly challenge herself. Relying upon the kindness of animals & sea creatures, she had finally reached this strange land, only to be tricked by a mean man offering cake. Now, however, she had two new friends, and was all set to go on an adventure! Although Ahlux swore a little too much, and Hawkguy was a little sour at times, they were fun to be around. Hey, weren't those three pajama wearing guys here for a big fight? Things were looking up already! 

“This is your last chance, surrender!” Guile boomed, arriving in a flash of pale yellow explosions. 

“Alex, you take the big guy, meet strength with strength. Just be wary of his Devilfruit. Elena, the girl with brown hair is yours, I think you'll have fun against her leg techniques. As for me.” Hawkeye said, narrowing his eyes. “The blonde girl is mine.” 

“You've got it, Captain.” Alex said, then jumped off the tower, crashing downwards towards Guile, a serious amount of ki gathering around his elbow. 

“See you around, Hawkguy~” Elena winked, then cartwheeled down the stone block tower, meeting leg with leg. 

Mihawk didn't have to wait long as Cammy jumped up at him. 

Before she could make contact, he said something that stunned her in midair. 

“I destroyed a base belonging to Shadaloo, and a bomb color factory. Is this your so-called Justice?”

~~~~~

AN: In case you're in the dark, Shadaloo is the evil organization Bison founded to take over the world. TLDR, it was probably meant to be called Shadow, but I bet some Japanese guy mispronounced it back in the day-man I love Engrish-and the Japanese devs rolled with it. But that's just a theory of mine. BTW, how are we feeling on Swordtism? Because I've got like 5 other ideas that could fit into its time slot if it's just w/e.