Chapter 10: Goodbye, Punk Hazard! Our New Destination Is Clear!

I jumped down the corridor with Geppo, carrying Penni over my shoulder as I hopped down the corridor.

'So these guys work for the Underworld, huh?' I thought, glancing at the unconscious Penni. 'We really are embroiling ourselves in serious business, and we've only just entered the New World!...I really should have expected this...'

I finally saw light ahead and made it outside, shivering a little as I had discarded my jacket on the fire side of the island whilst I was fighting Ash. "Hey! Is everyone o...kay?"

I stopped as I saw everyone, my crewmates, Marines, and Caesar's subordinates, all sitting around eating together, laughing and joking.

"...Wha...? What is this situation!?" I yelled out in shock. "Have cats, dogs and mice all suddenly started breeding together or something!?"

"Ohhhh! Ellix!" Luffy waved. "You've gotta try this food Sanji made! It's really great!"

"I..." I sighed. "Right. Gotcha. Give me a second."

After the Marines gave me some Seastone handcuffs I used to tie Penni up with Cathy, I sat down and had some food. Apparently our alliance was still on, and we were celebrating, along with Caesar's subordinates who had come to learn the truth about their master and were turning themselves in. Not that I cared as long as I was eating and wasn't getting shot at. I also slipped into a light blue jacket with a red diamond pattern on the lower half so that I wouldn't stay cold.

"i see...so that's the reason." I took notice of Ash, who was eating next to a tied up Annabel who continued to thrash around and curse Marines under her breath. "Marines attacked and destroyed your entire town because a pirate docked there...but good god you can hold a grudge."

"Shut up!" She thrashed around. "I lost everything because of you people! EVERYTHING!"

"Maybe your sister shouldn't have tried to have a romantic relationship with a pirate." Ash mumbled under his breath.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" She obviously heard as she full-on threw herself at him, but she simply passed through him as she collapsed into the snow. I continued to just watch, feeling this was important somehow.

"We've lost a lot of men to a figure survivors would call 'The Marine Reaper'...I take it that was you?" She didn't respond to Ash's question. "Figured. I'm giving you a bounty as soon as I can. I'm on break at the minute right now."

"Be quiet." She muttered into the snow.

"Oh? Want me to stop talking? Not gonna like what I'm gonna say next?" Ash said. "The Marines you've killed? They've had families too. Sisters, like you. As well as brothers, mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, sons, daughters...you took them away from their families just like Marines took yours, and admittedly more, away from you. Feel good?"

"What do you know?" She responded angrily.

"Nothing. At least about loss." Ash admitted. "But I do know that not every single Marine is as evil as you think they are. The fact that you dedicate your life to hunting us down...what a painfully dull existence."

"...What!?" She hissed.

Ash forcefully pulled her out of the snow and glared at her as she glared back. "Now you listen to me, woman. You're not coming with us to Marineford today, but the next time a Marine sees you, they'll know who you are and they will fight you without the fear you've exploited all this time. So until that day comes...get yourself a fucking better reason to live other then taking out your petty rage on people who don't deserve it! I hate Marines like the one you described just as much as you do! I hate being compared to Sakazuki! But sailing around killing wildly without any regard won't bring them back and it sure as hell isn't going to fill that void in your heart! Quit wasting the life that was spared from that disaster! Do you hear me!?"

Annabel tried to keep up her angry glare, but her eyes filled with tears. "I don't...care about...your opinion...!"

"...You do." Ash said as his arm turned into ash, carrying her and carefully placing her on a seat. "Cook! Get her something to eat!"

"You didn't need to tell me tha-hey! Why is she crying!?" Sanji raged. "If you've hurt a woman you bastard I'll-!"

"Let it go, Sanji." I told him as I stood up. "She needed it."

"Tch..." He hissed as he made a bowl for Annabel.

"I take it you overheard that?" Ash asked.

"Hard not to." I said as I sat down next to him. "...This is weird, isn't it? Marines and Pirates being happy together."

"Hmph...it's unnatural, but not unpleasant...don't tell ANYBODY I said that." He warned.

"Lips are sealed." I assured him.

"...There's something I've been meaning to ask you about, Rokushiki."

I looked at him. "Really?"

"Yeah...never really been the right moment seeing as its been my job to capture you all this time." He mumbled. "You know a lot about Marines, you know Rokushiki, you even know a lot of history on Marines...why is that?"

I kicked my legs. "Well...someone taught me about them. And for a long time, I wanted to be a Marine."

"You?" He laughed.

"Yeah...but, someone else talked me into Piracy." I admitted.

"That's how it always goes." Ash huffed.

"Still, I didn't abandon Marine ideology entirely. I still like to believe I have a sense of Justice." I admitted.

"You? Using Justice?" Ash laughed. "Hilarious."

"I'm serious!" I glared. "I just...came up with my own sense of Justice."

"Really? What is it?"

"Gonna laugh at me again?"

"It can't be any worse then Absolute Justice." He spat.

I huffed. "I call it...Free Justice. A type of justice that allows you to decide who is truly evil and who is truly just, but not just for your own sake. You have to base your decisions on not only their actions and your perceptions, but those of others around you."

"...So, basically decide yourself?" He simplified it.

"...Pretty much." I admitted.

He chewed on a cigarette for a moment. "...I like it."

"What?" I gaped.

"Don't make me say it again." He sighed, standing up. "I think I'm going to try it. This Free Justice of yours."

"Ash..." I whispered.

He glared at me. "Next time we meet, Rokushiki Nightmare Ellix...I will capture you."

"You say that every time." I couldn't help but snicker.

xPunkxHazardx

We were now departing from Punk Hazard. The G-5 Marines were arresting Penni, Cathy and Caesar's subordinates, whilst we were now travelling with Law, Caesar and Annabel in tow. Also accompanying us was Kinemon, a samurai, and his son, Momonosuke, the dragon, who was actually just a kid who had eaten a Devil Fruit. Law had told us about his plan to topple the Yonko, Kaido, by first halting his line of mass produced artificial Devil Fruits, known as SMILES (Which I realised that Cathy had eaten one.).

I leaned against the wall outside the door as Law made a call with Doflamingo, the Shichibukai who was Kaido's main business partner for SMILES. I still had a grudge against him from back in the Marineford War, but I let Law do his thing. Apparently he wanted Doflamingo to resign as a Shichibukai by tomorrows newspaper. I ad no idea what he was planning with it, but I remained silent as he finished and all of us gathered around on Deck.

"Now we have to wait for tomorrows newspaper to see what his response is." Law explained. "From that, we can make our next move."

"What's the point of making him resign as a Shichibukai?" I had to ask.

"That title is something he's spent years building up to in order to manipulate it." He said. "The moment he resigns...the World Government will make the Navy rain down on him like hellfire."

"He's really hated that much?" Zoro asked.

"He's used the Shichibukai status to keep others off his back whilst building his own glory. With this, one of the foundations will come crumbling down." Law explained. "And then, we can begin our new plans of action-"

"Got it! We kick his ass, right?" Luffy asked.

"Wha-? No! We don't want to fight Doflamingo directly!" Law said. "If we destroy his SMILES, then Kaido will crush him, meaning we won't have to do anything!"

"Ehhhh? Really? That's boring." My captain pouted.

"B-Boring!?" Law cried.

"Guess we'll think about it later." He shrugged. "Sanji! Let's have dinner!"

"You got it. I'm making some sandwiches, and a whole lot extra for the lovely Annabel-chan joining us." The cook swooned.

"Is he...always like this?" Annabel asked me.

"Pretty much." I nodded.

"Oda, I had such a monstrous image of the Strawhat Pirates, but you guys are..." She seemed to be choosing her words carefully. "...Unexpected. I mean, your pet is the doctor?"

"I'm not a pet!" Chopper cried indignantly.

"Hey...hold on...!" Law tried to call out.

"Sandwiches is it? How lovely." Robin smiled.

"Ah, more of that chefs exquisite overseas delicacies?" Kinemon asked. "I look forward to partaking in it! Come along, Momonosuke."

"I don't like bread!" Law suddenly yelled, then seeming taken aback at what he just said.

At that however, I froze. "...What?"

"...What?" He echoed.

"How...how could you not like bread!?" I yelled. "Bread is the foundation of so many meals and snacks! How in the name of hell can you not like bread!? Bread was the first evolutionary step of proper meals! Bread is the simplest, yet the most filling food! Wars have been won with bread! Mankind was built on bread! How could you not like bread!?"

"I...just don't!" He gasped.

"Sorry about him." Nami said as she held me back. "He grew up as a baker, so bread is pretty important to him."

"I'll kill you!" I took advantage of the moment and yelled something overdramatic.

xPunkxHazardx

That night, I had finished a nice warm bath after the cold of Punk Hazard. Kinemon had kindly made us some samurai gear, so I had discarded my jacket and was trying on some black shoulder and arm pads with gold edges, as well as having a banner with the kanji 'Brave' on it flying behind my back.

Now normally, I would be in bed by this time, but I had a certain pervert to deal with, and for once it wasn't Sanji. No, this was the little brat Momonosuke, who was taking advantage of his young age to be a lecherous little shit around Nami And Robin...specifically Nami.

Now, obviously, I can't beat up a kid. But there is something I can do. As the little brat had wormed his way into the womans quarters, I gently opened the window and smirked maliciously.

"Sweet Dream." I coughed out a little black dream cloud that slowly floated over and into his head. I then closed the window. "Sweet dreams indeed..." I then happily went to bed.

The next morning I kept my samurai gear on as Kinemon as arguing with Zoro about Shusui. What I was more interested in though was his son, who came out onto the Deck looking quite pale.

"Morning Momonosuke." I hid my disgust expertly. "Sleep well?"

"He had nightmares all night." Nami said. "Really bad ones too."

"Really? Sorry to hear that." I lied.

"...Ellix."...Oh crap, Nami was boring a hole in the back of my head with a look. "You don't know anything about this, do you?"

"...Nope. Why would I?" I was sweating...

"The News Coo is here!" I thanked every single one of my luck stars as everything was interrupted with the paper landing on the Deck, all of us gathering around to read it.

"What does it say?" Franky asked.

Law picked it up and read it. "Heavenly Yaksha Doflamingo of the Shichibukai...has resigned."

Welp, guess we were fighting a Shichibukai...again.

Ellix's journey continues...in One Piece OC Arc: Dressrosa

And that's it! I've finally finished Punk Hazard! And it only took me 2 years!

Yeah, okay, that's not an achievement, but at least its finished now! Thank you to everyone who is still here after all this time, or is only now just joining us. Next up though, is an Arc that did actually take years to finish! Dressrosa! And let me tell you, a LOT is going to be revealed in that Arc.

So, until then, thank you all for reading!