Chapter 11
A cannonball flew right at him. Castiel could see it flying through the air, straight as an arrow. It would blow him into pieces if it hit him. He probably wouldn't even feel a thing; it would be a quick and gruesome death.
It was only at that moment that others saw what Castiel did. And it only took the loud bang of a cannon being fired for them to turn and see it. While everyone else was scrambling to get into a defensive position, Castiel just looked at the cannonball flying at him.
The wind caressed his cheek as the cannonball passed by him and exploded behind him. Wood chips flew into the air as the Marines screamed in horror at being hit. What a bunch of wussies. That was all Castiel could think as he felt disappointed not to have been hit himself.
"Aim!" the captain yelled out an order, a stupid one, since the Marines hadn't even taken formation to aim their rifles yet. "Fire! Kill them all!"
A few shots rang out, but what could that do against the giant ship, which was now boarding theirs? Well, nothing; it probably didn't even leave a scratch. They didn't even have a target to aim at. What did the captain think they would hit?
Well, it was too late to think about it, as the enemy jumped from their ship right onto the Marines' ship. And the slaughter began. Castiel just lit up a cigarette, not even drawing his pistol, as Revolutionary Army members started beating them up.
And right before Castiel stood a big fish-man with yellow skin and white karate robes. He looked down on him as Castiel blew smoke at him. They just stood there staring at each other, neither of them moving an inch.
"Are you going to kill me?" Castiel asked straightforwardly.
"Surrender, and you will be left alone."
"Yeah, no."
Castiel couldn't have that, so he drew his pistol, and then he was kicked in the chest. Air escaped his lungs as he flew across the ship, crashing onto the floor, and then rolled a few times before being stopped by the railings of the deck.
Damn, it hurt like hell. But it was no different from a bullet wound. It didn't do that much damage to him. So he got up. He was way too used to getting up. He wished that one of these days they would just put him down for good, out of his misery.
A cannonball exploded next to him afterward, sending him rolling on the ground again. Guns rang out as the Marines tried to fight back against the far superior opponents. But why was nobody aiming their guns at him?
Pushing himself to his feet again, he walked up to pick up his pistol from the ground. And as he aimed to take a shot to get some attention, a metal pipe hit the back of his head. He looked back as he stumbled on his feet to see a blonde guy with a top hat standing there.
"Why the fuck are you using a metal pipe as a weapon?" That was all Castiel could think of before he was then hit by a Marine flying at him.
He didn't even realize he was by the doors that led to the staircase below the deck. He crashed through every step of the staircase. He could feel it in his bones, but he was still alive, since he could feel pain all over his body.
He pushed the dead Marine off himself and once again got to his feet. Like seriously, if that hadn't been a metal pipe but a sword, he would have been dead by now instead of just having a horrible headache. It didn't even knock him out.
"Warrant Officer, good. Very good!" The captain was hiding in here, it seemed. "You have to protect me. That is your job, after all."
"Yeah, and how do you suppose I do that?" Castiel asked as he took out a cigarette, though he didn't think a smoke would help much with the pain. "We are completely outmatched. And they are probably coming down here to take the prisoners away."
"Ha! Ha!" the captain laughed as spit flew out of his mouth. "Even better, let them come. I will show them who has all the power!"
Castiel rolled his eyes. He knew it was better not to even entertain this delusional idiot, but he just couldn't help himself and replied to him. Now he was stuck with him, as the captain held onto Castiel's arm without letting go, like a little girl clinging to her mother in fear.
He shook him off, but it didn't seem like the captain would let him go. Castiel just wanted to return to the battle, as he really thought that one more hit and he might finally get it over with. But instead, he was dragged to the cells where the prisoners were kept.
"We hold our last stand here. The reinforcements will come soon enough, and I have one last gift for these Revolutionary bastards."
While the captain spoke, Castiel looked around, knowing that there should be a Marine stationed here. It didn't take long to find him, collapsed by the wall, with a bullet in the back of his head.
"Oh, don't worry about that. This ungrateful bastard was trying to stop me. How dare he?"
Castiel knelt beside the Marine, took off his hat, and placed it over the Marine's face. At least in death, he didn't need to look at that damn ugly bastard. He didn't know why, but for whatever reason, he felt like he owed this Marine. So he would make sure the captain paid his due.
…
"What's wrong with my metal pipe?"
The question came out of his mouth as he looked at his weapon, and another Marine rushed at him. Sweeping his feet, he hit him in the face, and then, when he fell to the ground, he gave another good smack to his head to knock him out.
"It's stupid," Koala replied as she pushed one of the Marines overboard. "Anyway, let's go, Sabo. We need to free the prisoners before reinforcements come."
There were no longer any Marines bothering them, so she was right about that. Still, Sabo felt quite weird, as that guy had just taken a hit to the back of his head and shrugged it off like it was nothing. He saw Hack kick him and send him flying before, and then he stood back up. So Sabo didn't hold anything back on that Marine.
Well, there were bound to be some Marines who were built differently. So far on this ship, there were just a bunch of nobodies. They either hit the ground after a few blows or surrendered once they saw the fight turning against them.
But time was against them. Their informant had given them information on the transfer of dozens of prisoners who would become slaves to the World Nobles in the Ilisia Kingdom. They had a chance to intercept it before it was too late, so they took it.
Though it was risky, especially with Dragon on board. There was no way the World Government would let them be. And if they knew who was here, they would send all their forces to capture them. They didn't have the manpower to fight them all right now, so they had to hurry.
Koala and Sabo were the first to go down while the rest finished fighting the Marines on the deck. On the way, he found one of the Marines who had gone down the stairs, but where was the other one? The one he had hit?
Already predicting the answer to that question, Sabo went into the holding cells where the prisoners should be. And as expected, the Marine he was looking for was there, along with another one, and an ugly, barrel-like Marine captain.
"Ha. Ha." Spit flew out as he laughed loudly, seeing them come closer. Sabo knew him, a corrupted Marine, Captain Martin. They had their eyes on him for some time now. "You are too late, you damn pests of the Revolutionary Army. Take a good look at what I have here."
He was holding some kind of remote. Sabo's head snapped toward the prisoners, and he quickly recognized the bomb collars on them. That ugly, devilish thing shouldn't even exist. And to use it against those people, innocent or not, was just wrong.
"Ha. Ha. You must have realized what this is. One press of the button and all their heads go pop, nothing but red paste left behind. Ha. Ha." Sabo couldn't move; Koala was in the same position. They simply couldn't risk the lives of the prisoners. "Now kneel before me, you damn pests, and beg for forgiveness."
If it were only Captain Martin, Sabo was confident he could subdue him in time. Getting that remote wouldn't be too difficult. But the Marine behind him wasn't someone to take lightly. He was strong, and he would get in Sabo's way.
Even now, knowing that this was their last resort, he simply lit up a cigarette and took a long puff. The rest of the Revolutionary Army would soon come down, and there was no escape for them, yet that Marine was as calm as one could be.
"Sabo, what do we do?" Koala was ready to strike at Sabo's order, but he hesitated.
Looking at the prisoners, some even younger than him, he couldn't allow them to die like this. He knew they weren't innocent, but they at least deserved a fair trial, a fair punishment, a chance to live. And if he didn't do anything, it would all be taken away from them.
"What's the matter?" Captain Martin continued to taunt them. "Very well, I will give you another chance. Put these on, and I will let those parasites live."
Two collars, the same ones the other prisoners wore, were thrown at their feet. Sabo gripped his metal pipe tightly; he would have to risk it. He had to hit the remote out of his hands, catch it, and make sure the other Marine didn't interrupt him.
"You, girl, you're quite a cutie, aren't you? What about it? Put on the collar and become my slave, and I will let the others go. I even let your pretty boyfriend live as a fellow slave. Ha. Ha."
Sabo was about to move, knowing that if he didn't, Koala would. But then the other Marine drew his pistol at the same moment. His observation skills were as sharp as his body was strong. Yet there was no other choice; he would have to trust Koala to handle him until Sabo got the remote.
BANG!
A shot rang out, shocking Sabo and Koala, as the Marine Captain's head exploded into pieces. Then the Marine who killed his captain caught the falling remote and turned to them as he finished his smoke.
"There, catch it." He threw both the remote and his pistol. "Now, shoot me."
"What?" Sabo asked as he caught the pistol thrown at him.
Sabo couldn't understand what was happening before him. He turned to Koala, but she looked just as confused. The Marine simply dropped his cigarette and stomped on it as he waited for Sabo to shoot him.
"Come on, head, heart, doesn't matter," the Marine said. "If they find out that I was the one who killed this piece of shit, I will be done for anyway. So just do the dirty work, so my family can at least have compensation from my death at the hands of the Revolutionary Army."
Family? Of course, he had a family. Like everyone else. Sabo had almost forgotten. So this was how it was. Sabo nodded and aimed the pistol at the Marine. He took the shot, and the Marine collapsed to the ground in his own pool of blood.
"Let's go, Koala. We must free them and get out."
There was nothing else to do but do their job, the reason they came here. But he kept the pistol. It would be a reminder to him of who he was fighting against. He would never forget the Marine he met today.
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven chapters in advance, you can support me on Pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.