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

CHAPTER CXXXVI - Freak Show

In the backstage of the Big Top, the opening song of the Freak Show was blaring, despite the screams of the crowd. In the auditorium, the excitement was at its peak. The children's eyes were shining with mischief, their parents' with curiosity : they were finally going to see these horrifying fairground beasts that everyone was talking about as the strangest monsters.

However, the freaks seemed far from being ready. With one strike of his long, powerful leg, Lonny "Long-Long" pushed back three clowns who were trying to drag him on stage by force. Behind him, his fellow freaks were standing together.

- We're not going ! he shouted at the clowns who were massing in front of them.

- Are you sure, you freak ? one of the officers asked, drawing his pistol.

The only answer he got was a sneer from the hybrid.

- Do it, shoot ! You know as well as I do that Pagliacci forbids it. If you kill his freaks, who will he send on stage ?

While the clowns were grumbling, Lonny couldn't help but gloat : since Rosa had told him her plan, he had been dreaming more than ever of escape and happiness. He had told the other freaks, his closest friends, and they had been excited to be his accomplices. The plan was simple : buy as much time as possible until the right moment. The infiltration of enemies into Festiland would soon plunge the island into chaos. All they had to do was to be patient.

So they stood in line, arms folded, refusing to go on stage. There was Chang and Eng, the Siamese twins whose skulls were sticked together, Annie the bearded woman, Wilson whose skin was so thick it looked like a lobster shell, and Koo-Koo, a girl covered in feathers.

- We are not going ! they repeated again.

- Didn't your boss order you to go after the intruders ? Wilson shouted at them with a defiant smile.

As the clowns began to lose their patience, the curtain rose once again.

- Well, well, well. Aren't these our dear comrades from the Supra Mostra ? What are such famous stars doing here ?

The Supra Nostra was, after Rosa's Oratorio and the Freak Show, the third attraction in the Big Top. The show, sublime, was led by a troop of artists, each one more impressive than the other, obeying the direct orders of Pagliacci. Their critical success and their uncommon gifts had given them the highest contempt of the beings they considered inferior. Led by Houdi the prestidigitator and Alexev the weightlifter, they rolled up to the freaks they hated. Shriek the sword swallower and Claudette, the fantastic acrobat, were following their companions closely. In the world of show business, they were the most popular stars, far more famous than the horrible freaks that everyone mocked.

- Well, laughed Houdi, pulling his top hat down over his head. So the freaks do not want to do their job. C'est dommage.

Lonny remained calm, arms crossed. He was determined not to be intimidated by his rival. But when he snapped his fingers and the huge Alexev stepped forward, the freaks couldn't help but be startled.

- Get away from my friends, you brute ! cried Lonny, kicking him.

But Alexev's body, all muscle and nerve, was as hard as steel. Quicker than he looked, he grabbed Lonny's leg and lifted him over his head without any pain.

- Hybrid idiot. Me lift 500 kilos. Me strong. You weigh nothing at all, idiot monster !

Then, giggling like a retarded child, the weightlifter swung his victim against the sea stone cage, where his spine vibrated as it hit the hard bars. The freaks rushed to their friend's aid, but Shriek and Claudette stepped in to push them away.