Chapter 9: Dusty's Fight For Freedom, Part Two

Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.

On the last piece of One Piece...

Devon arrived at the Silver Fox pirate ship and slaughtered anyone that came at him as Dmitri revealed his plan for Dusty to his captive fox. Now, Dmitri faces Devon after he declined partnership, while Dusty frees herself from her prison. Can Devon hold himself against Dmitri, or fall by the spear? Come aboard and find out!

Waves sloshed against the side of the boat as Devon and Dmitri stared each other down. The blonde swordsman gripped his blade, end outward and rushed at his opponent.

"TANKETETSU!"

As he swung his blade, Dmitri crouched and jumped high into the air. Devon's attack swept under the leaping spear man, missing the target.

"Huh?" Devon looked up and watched as Dmitri seemingly float through the air above him, "How the hell...did he dodge that?". The spearman landed on a large crate behind Devon and twirled his spear, "You're gonna have to better than that, Demon! I don't die so easily,".

The swordsman grunted and ran at him again, "We'll see about that!". Devon roared and swung his blade again, only this time, Dmitri blocked it with his spear shaft. With a smirk, Dmitri shoved his blade away and took a swipe at Devon's head. The Demon ducked and thrusted his sword, only to miss because his enemy dodged it.

"Too slow, Demon...," Dmitri taunted. The blonde swordsman growled and turned around. "If that's the case...," Devon paused, removed his jacket and tossed into a nearby bloodstained spot. He moved his arms around and grinned, "There we go...less restriction...,".

Dmitri spun his spear around again, and crouched.

"You're gonna be sorry you ever crossed my path, Demon...,"

"Same to you, shithead...,"

Kirsty ran as hard as she could down the path, following the two boys she treated from the clinic. She didn't believe them at first, but once she heard about a man with tattoo's and a fox girl, she knew what was going on. After making a quick stop to pick up her sai, the good doctor ordered the boys to show her where the pirates were.

"C'mon! It's not much farther now!"

As they rounded a corner, Kirsty finally caught sight of the pirate ship. The three of them stopped and Kirsty leaned against a rock to catch her breath. "You boys...," she looked at the little ones who led her here, "Go back to the village...and tell everyone to fortify their homes. We don't know what else they might do, so we need to be prepared,".

The two boys looked at each other, then back at her, "What about you?" they asked in unison. She waved them off and pulled out her three pronged daggers, "I can handle this...,".

"For your sake, I hope so, Doc...,"

"Hm?" Kirsty looked up at the boulder she was currently leaning against to see the man in black from earlier. "It's you! What are you doing here?" she asked. The man nodded to the ship, "Watchin' the Demon and the Spear fight...," he replied.

"Demon? You mean Devon's out there, by himself!"

The man chuckled, "No...the boy's with him,"

Kirsty's jaw hit the dirt and her eyes went beady, "AND YOU'RE JUST SITTING THERE WATCHING IT!" she shrieked. The man glanced down at her and crossed his legs, "That a problem?".

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK? YOU JUST CAN'T SIT THERE AND LET THOSE TWO GO AGAINST A WHOLE CREW OF PIRATES BY THEMSELVES!"

He raised an eyebrow, "If that's the case, you should go and help...,"

"What?"

"If I can't sit around and watch, surely you can't just stand around and yell at something for sitting around and watching," he explained, shrugging.

Kirsty opened her mouth to retort, but stopped. He had a point. The man smiled, "Hehe...,". Kirsty had only one thing on her mind at the moment as she ran off to help...

Who the hell is that guy...?

While she ran off, the man in black looked up, back to the fight just as Devon was thrown back by Dmitri's spear. He crossed his hands and brought them to his chin, a thoughtful look on his face Show me your power...

"Son...sonofabitch...,"

Devon doubled over and fell to the floor, holding his side. He could feel his warm blood ooze out of the gash that was created from the spear's tip. He could hear Dmitri getting closer with every heavy footstep.

Can't...move my arm. My gut's going numb...what the hell...

Dmitri's feet came into his view, followed by the feel of the jagged tip on the back of his neck. "I would kill you right now, Demon...but I'll just let the spear do that. See...I bet you're feeling numb right now?".

"So...w-what if I am...I can still kick your sorry ass," Devon spat as little drops of blood hit the wood. The tattooed man shook his head and nudged him, "I doubt that, highly, swordsman. See...this spear of mine is laced with a poison that numbs anything that it pierces...then, as it flows through your veins, it'll numb the rest of your body. When it finally reaches your heart...it'll stop in moments, and then you die. Nice way to go, eh?" he said with a smirk.

He turned around and walked away a few feet, "Well since you're going to die anyway...I'm going to go back into my quarters have a well earned good time with my woman...enjoy your final moments of life, Demon,".

As he walked back to the cabin, Dmitri failed to notice Kirsty climbing over the railing. The good doctor quietly slinked over to Devon and knelt beside him. "What happened to you?" she asked in a whisper. Devon coughed up more blood before turning to look at her, "Oh, I just got pricked by a needle...what the hell does it look like?" he snapped.

Kirsty ignored the snapping and moved his hand away to see the large wound. "Wow he really did a number on you, didn't he? It's ok, I can just stitch it up and it'll be good as new," she offered. Devon shook his head, "No...that won't work...,".

"What? Why not? It's no problem for me at all...," Kirsty replied.

"That's not it...,"

"Then what's the problem?"

"His spear was laced...I got poisoned...,"

Kirsty's eyes widened a bit, then smiled, "Is that all? Do you feel burning or numbness?" she asked, as if the news didn't phase her at all. Devon looked at her surprised, "Numbness...,". The doctor smiled and placed her hands on the wound, making him wince.

"Hey...you're makin' it worse,"

"Be quiet and let me work...," she whispered.

She stared at the gash, the blood dribbling down her fingers. Devon began to feel a tingling sensation and he looked down to see a faint glow around Kirsty's hands. Kirsty removed her hands and before his eyes, Devon's wound sealed shut by itself. He looked up at her and she gave him the peace sign.

"What the hell did you just do...,"

Dmitri entered the cabin to find that the cage Dusty was held in, was now empty. He growled softly and scanned the room, "Oh Little Fox...come out, come out, wherever you are...,".

He walked around and looked under the bed, in his chest and in his closet, but couldn't find one trace of her.

"I know you're here, Little Fox. Your Master wants to play with you. Obey your Master, Little Fox, and it'll be more fun...,".

"Master Dmitri...,".

He smiled, "Finally came to your senses huh?" he asked, turning around. His face was met with a scythes that were arcing downward to him. He was barely able to move out of the way of the curved blades.

Dusty dropped down from her hiding place on the ceiling, glaring daggers at Dmitri. "Still got a fiery spirit, I see, eh Little Fox? Good...," the tattooed man murmured as he advanced on her.

"It's only good for me, cuz you're gonna feel the burn from it, asshole," she spat, raising her scythes.

"Austin...get over here...,"

The small boy ran over to his big brother, slipping on some of the blood in the process. Kirsty looked over Austin and knew he was ok, but that wasn't on Devon's mind right now. "You still got the Dials?" he asked the boy. Austin nodded and dug through his bag.

"Dials?" Kirsty asked, confused.

Her question was answered when Austin pulled out a pair of small, pinkish conch shells. "Thanks, little bro...," Devon grabbed the shells and tossed one of them to Kirsty. She looked at the shell closely. It had dozens of little holes on the swirls of the front, and then she saw a small button on the back of it.

"What are these?" she asked, both confused and intrigued.

Devon glanced at her before taking a small hammer from Austin, "These are called Impact Dials, or Conches, depending on who says it. They absorb the damage taken from any enemy," he demonstrated by slamming the hammer hard on the conch. Kirsty watched as the conche shell was completely undamaged, and she could hear a low whistling sound coming from the holes.

The swordsman then turned the conch over and pointed to a tiny round bump on the back, "Press this button, and all the damage taken will be released, at least a hundred fold. Things like these can kill a man in one blast,".

Kirsty gulped and handed it back to him. "So...have you seen Dusty?". Her comrade raised an eyebrow, "She's here?". The doctor facefaulted, "Your kidding, right? If you're not here for her, why are you here?" she asked.

Devon jerked his thumb to Austin, "His fault...,".

Before anyone could say anything else, the cabin door behind them burst open and Dusty flew out of the cabin. She landed hard on the deck and slid over to the other two. "Dusty! Are you ok?" Kirsty asked, getting up.

The fox eared girl rose to her feet, "Oh, I'm just peachy, Doc...," she muttered. Kirsty crossed her arms at her, "Why is everyone being so sarcastic today?" she asked.

"D-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-S-T-Y!"

Dmitri stomped out into the open, dragging his spear behind him. The look on his face was nothing like Kirsty had ever seen before in her life. The fox girl grinned slightly, "Yesh, Dmitri?" she asked sweetly.

The tattooed man breathed heavily and Kirsty realized for the first time, that he had multiple cuts on his body. He lifted his spear and pointed it at Dusty, "You...will be mine...do you hear me!" he roared. Dusty pretended to clean out one of her furry ears before looking back at him, "Sorry, what? All I heard was a man whining and bitching...,"

Kirsty pulled out her sai, "I do hope all men aren't like this...just tell me when you're ready, Miss Fox,". Dusty blocked her way with one of her scythes, "No...this is my fight. I'm sorry I even got you guys got involved in the first place. If you guys interfere, he'll just come after you all again...and I don't want that...,".

"But Dusty...,"

"I said no, Doc. This bastard's going down here and now. When I'm done with him, he won't be able to hurt me or my friends for that matter...,"

She turned away from Kirsty and started to make her way to Dmitri, "You hear that, Dmitri! THIS ENDS HERE AND NOW!" she screamed.

Kirsty walked back over to Devon and Austin who both sat calmly near one of the piles of crates that was onboard. "Shouldn't we help her?" she asked quietly, taking a seat next to them. Devon slowly shook his head, "No...her problem, she's gotta deal with it...,".

A fierce gust of wind made it's presence known, blowing Dusty's and Dmitri's hair to the side. The two pirates stared each other down. With a growl, Dusty ran at full speed towards Dmitri and her opponent did the same.

Spear shaft met scythes as the two of the collided. The force of them collision sent a mini-shockwave outward. Kirsty could feel the vibration through the wood and the air. With a chuckle, Dmitri pushed hard against Dusty's weapons. He failed to see that the scythes were hooked around the shaft of his weapon. The fox girl smiled and pulled hard as she moved back, throwing Dmitri off balance.

Using the momentum and the surprise timing, Dusty planted her feet on Dmitri's chest and rolled onto her back, sending the man she despised for so long flying over her. His spear was freed of the scythes and he hit the hard wood post that was the mast with a loud crack.

Dmitri slid down and landed on his head while Dusty flipped over onto her feet. Kirsty let out a loud cheer and clapped her hands, "GO DUSTY!". Dmitri regained his footing and glared at her, "SHUT UP! NO HELP FROM THE IDIOT GALLERY!" he screeched.

"Hey, Dmitri...,"

"Eh?" he turned around just in time to see a glint of light before a sharp pain entered his shoulder. Kirsty, Dustin and Austin leaned to the side to see that one of Dusty's scythes had been thrown and now it was lodged in the spearman's left shoulder.

The owner walked up to him, a look of utter hatred on her face. Dmitri let go of his spear and held up his good hand, "N-now...w-w-wait, Dusty...we can talk about this...,".

He let out a small yelp as she swung the second blade into his right shoulder. She leaned in close to his face, "Ok...let's talk, Dmitri. You and me...never gonna happen. Me and the Silver Foxes...no more. If you come after me again...or I hear one word about you in any place near me...I will hunt you down and gut you myself," she grabbed his collar and pulled him closer, making the blades dig deeper into his flesh, "Do I make myself clear?".

Dmitri nodded weakly, "Yeah...sure, whatever you say, Dusty!". The two of them looked at each other for what seemed like hours before she finally pulled her curved weapons out of his body. He cried out and slumped to the floor.

She turned back and made her way to Kirsty and the others. "Why didn't you kill him? You know, he's gonna come after you...," Devon pointed out as he stood up to meet her. Kirsty looked at him, "You think so? He said he wouldn't anymore...,". The blonde swordsman crossed his arms, "I have a nagging in the pit of my skull that says that he'll try this again...," he glanced at Kirsty, "So you gonna help him out, Doc?".

The blonde woman shook her head, "No...I usually help everyone hurt...but even I draw the line,". A loud yawn made the two of them look back at Dusty whose eyelids were halfway shut. "So...tired...," she mumbled before falling forward. Devon and Kirsty caught her before she hit the floor.

"I guess we should get back huh?" he asked, taking one of Dusty's arms and placing it over his shoulder. Kirsty nodded, "Yeah...I gotta tell the villagers that's it ok to come out now...," she said, taking the other arm and slinging it over her shoulder.

The man in black walked onto the bloodstained boat after the others went back to the village. The boots he wore made squishy noises as he stepped in blood pools or on a piece of stomach. He stopped in the middle of it and looked around, observing the damage. He had seen the whole thing from beginning to end, and he wanted to see the 'arena' up close after the fight.

Given the reputations he had heard about the Foxes and the Demon, he was somewhat disappointed on how the battle went and ended, but he knew that would change. He walked around and felt something different underneath his feet. He looked down to see the jacket that Devon had tossed away during his bout with the spearman. He picked it up and watched as the blood gathered at the hems of the sleeves and body of the jacket fall to the deck like rain.

"Pip pip pip pip! What did you do?"

He looked back to see a group of three people, the same people that Devon had cut in front of back at the ferry hut. "I did nothing, Foxy...but I did watch the people who did this. One of them was one of yours I believe. Girl...about this high," he indicated the height with his hand, "with a pair of furry ears and a large furry tail?".

The woman with long, dark blue hair looked at the fat man, "You don't think it's...,". The fat man nodded and smiled slyly, "It is. Dusty Fox has finally come out of hiding! Do you know where she went, my boy?" he asked, walking up to the black clad man.

He looked down at him. The two of them weren't the same height, but they were a few inches off. "I got an idea, Foxy...but why? From what I hear, she doesn't want to be with you guys anymore...do you know why?".

The fat man, Foxy, rubbed his chin, "No clue...,". The stranger pointed to the slumped form of Dmitri, who was still alive, but lay very quietly in the same place, "He was obsessed with her. The men that served under his command made her do things she didn't want to do. She wanted to come to you, but they lied and told her that you were the one who said they could do it...,".

Foxy, the woman, and the large gorilla-ish man looked at Dmitri, then back at the man. "He'll get what's coming to him when he recovers...but I'd like to talk to Dusty! I have a right, as her oyabin! (1)".

The man sighed and shrugged, "Fine...but at least wait until morning? She's pretty wiped out...,". He made his way to the edge of the boat and was about to jump onto the beach when the woman grabbed onto his jacket sleeve.

"Hm?" he looked back, "Porche, leggo of my jacket...,"

She let go quickly and looked hard at him, "Why are you here...last we heard, you were on some big treasure hunt in the Grand Line...why are you here in the East Blue?" she demanded. He turned back and removed his hat, "Same as you...looking for something," he replied.

"Did you find it?" she asked him.

He grinned, although none of the three could see it, and put his hat back on, "You could say that...,". With that, he jumped back onto the sandy beach and made his way to the path leading back to the village.

Porche cupped her hands around her mouth, "AXE! WHAT DID YOU FIND!" she yelled. Her voice echoed through the air and the man in black continued walking.

A new crew... he thought, the smile still plastered on his face.

Kilnorc: Whew...long one again. I sorry, if the fight isn't what you expected...but hehehe...that's the way things go! Hope you guys have enjoyed, and I'll see ya later when I update!

(1) This is the japanese term, commonly used as the terms: Boss, Chief, sometimes Captain. Now ya know! hehehhe

ja ne!