MARINES - A ONE PIECE story (ENGLISH) - Part I

CHAPTER XXVIII - The twelve chambers

Jorge was not lying : he really was as heavy as an anchor. Since Emmy was not a good swimmer, Jun, Igana and Soles had to pull the huge soldier on several meters before they reached the shore, where they hauled him up to dry land. Jun, hiding in the dark, took the time to observe the enemy fortress : it was made of stone and supported by a wooden foundation, almost looking like a natural structure. The entrance was through a huge gate guarded by a few Zodiac soldiers.

- Take care of him, Jun ordered her comrades, looking at Jorge. I'll take care of the guards.

The young woman liked to act alone, and although she was a skilled fighter, she knew she still had to prove herself to her comrades. She did not like taking on such responsibilities, but the three scholars lacked physical ability, and Jorge seemed to be thick as a brick. So she skillfully, discretely, came behind the guards. Without even drawing her blades, she knocked them out : it was a matter of hitting right between the shoulder and the neck, to stun without killing. With a discreet gesture, she called her comrades to join her. Soles and Igana carried the enormous Jorge, who coughed and spat as if he had drunk a large part of the sea. Together, they tied the guards firmly with the rope they had previously used to rope themselves and placed a cloth gag in their mouths. Hidden behind the rocks at the water's edge, these guards would not alarm their allies. Then, the young soldiers pushed open the enormous gate and entered the fortress.

The entrance opened into a vast, dark, and completely empty hall. A thick spiral staircase rose from there, and that was the only interest of this dreary room. Instinctively, Jorge used his powers to turn himself into a bear and sniffed the air with his big wet nose.

- I scent strange smells, he whispered. There's someone upstairs, no doubt about it.

- We're going to have to be discreet, Jun said, considering the large staircase. Once I get upstairs, I'll take care of eliminating the enemy as quietly as possible. We'll take it one step at a time, okay ?

The others nodded and followed her in her discreet ascent. As they looked up, the infiltrators could only discern the ceiling of the room above, and it was impossible for them to know how many floors they would still have to climb once the first enemy was eliminated.

The group climbed about a hundred steps and came to a doorway, which obviously led to the first floor. Luckily, the door was ajar.

- What a strange sign... Jun murmured as she contemplated the golden ornaments that adorned the wood.

- Two horns meeting, Soles observed. This is the mark of Aries, the first sign of the Zodiac cycle. Logical, since we are on the first floor.

- Do you think it's the weakest of the twelve, since it's at the bottom ? Jorge, anxious.

- There's only one way to find out, Jun answered, pushing the door.

...

Arthur had thought of climbing the rock face of the fortress but had given up the idea : they were tens of meters high, and the slightest fall would be fatal to them. Entering through this window did not inspire him confidence, but it was an easy way to go in. Discreetly, he glanced inside. It was a large room, with walls covered with maps, shelves covered with globes, scrolls, and dust. A person stood with his back to the window, seemingly placing dots on a planisphere. Suddenly, the man cried out in a high perched voice :

- No, no, no ! It's all wrong. I will do it again !

And, crumpling and scratching the paper, he turned back and left the room. It was the perfect opportunity for the three soldiers : Zell, using his expertise in carpentry, skillfully broke the lock on the window with his wood chisels, and the three apprentices rushed inside. The warmth of the place and the softness of the light warmed their shivering hearts, and they took a moment to enjoy the comfort of the room. However, a noise made them shudder, and they hurriedly leapt behind a shelf to hide. The man returned and was surprised to find his window open. He cuss and closed it somehow, shivering with cold, before covering his thin shoulders with a large woolen blanket. When he returned to his office, Arthur saw for the first time the strangeness of his physique : the lower part of his body was not human and consisted of the mechanical assembly of two branches of metal, so that his legs looked like sharp and prickly compass points. Zell glanced at him questioningly, and Arthur pointed to the exit door with a movement of his chin. When the man stood up again to rummage through his shelves, the three apprentices knew it was their only chance. They had to neutralize the enemy in a hurry and reach the top of the tower as quickly as possible, where the captain of the Zodiac had to be. As Arthur laid his hand on the pommel of his sword, a thick cloud of dust raised from the ancient scrolls their enemy was rummaging and tickled Zell's nose. He did his best to avoid the worst : he blocked his nose, squinted his eyes, and clenched his jaw, but it was not enough. He let out a huge sneeze that shook the shelves, and the enemy jumped so high he thought he was having a heart attack.

- Do you want me to die, you freaks ? And what the hell are you doing here in the first place ? he asked them, his hand on his chest.

His face, thin and emaciated, was white as snow, and his little mouth as dark as night. He raised one of his two steel legs, balancing on the other as if on a stilt and stared at them with a menacing look. As he was about to hit them, Arthur pulled out Excalibur to protect his comrades and the blades clashed. The enemy was powerful and dangerous, as evidenced by his strange metal weapons, but three against one they could defeat him with ease. As the enemy relentlessly pushed them back and attacked more and more, Haru urged his comrades to continue their ascent :

- This guy may be powerful, but I think I can handle him. Do not waste time here, stronger enemies might get in your way in the next floors, and we do not know how many more are left.

- How dare you treat me like this, you idiot ! replied the compass man.

Zell judged him for a moment with a look of incomprehension and then looked at his comrade.

- Are you sure ?

- Do not worry about me. Besides, I'm not alone, Daisy is with me. So hurry up !

The enemy rushed towards them, his long metal leg forward, but an arrow fired by the young archer flew and hit the wall, a few centimeters away from him.

- I told you, wading bird. It's me you're going to fight ! she declared, her eyes blazing.

Arthur and Zell thus left the large room in all haste, slamming behind them the door decorated with the symbol of Virgo.

...

- This is the control tower, do you copy ?! shouted a Zodiac henchman in the handset. We are under attack, I repeat, we are under attack !

But he got no answer, the central den-den mushi, hanging on the control panel, remaining deaf and dumb. He was the last conscious soldier in the room, and soon collapsed when the enemy struck him between the shoulder bones with a sharp, precise blow. Myr contemplated the bodies scattered on the ground, all unconscious.

- Sorry, guys, but I don't have time for small fry.

Although he had been weakened after his ship launch, his remaining forces had allowed him to reach this room with his moonwalk, sneak in quietly and eliminate the soldiers.

For a moment, he observed the gigantic plan hanging on the wall : the fortress was composed of twelve chambers, from Aries to Pisces, and surmounted by a thirteenth, the King's chamber. The control tower was on the same level as the eleventh chamber, which was Aquarius', through which he would have to pass to reach the enemy captain. Each chamber was equipped with a fixed, irremovable den-den mushi, with a signal so strong that it connected all the rooms of the fortress. By unplugging the system as he had done, he deprived the enemy of any communication. He pulled out his own portable den-den mushi from his pocket, and although the signal was extremely weak due to the storm, he managed to join the headquarters :

- Marineford, do you copy ? This is Vice-Admiral Myr. I think I'm going to need reinforcements...