Fire And Ice

Chapter 4: Hate

Whitebeard and Marco had decided to take a look on the island after seeing majority the crew had disappeared. Those who stayed on the ship had informed them that they had went to explore. Since there weren't many people left on the ship, Marco had convinced Whitebeard to search with him.

"It'll be good for you to go on a walk. Tigara is a pretty beautiful place, despite its atmosphere." Marco had said.

Once he had dragged Whitebeard off the ship, he walked the same path he and Ace had taken when they ran into Taiga for the first time.

Was he hoping she would make an appearance again? Perhaps. Why? Because he was interested. Shrouded in a veil of ice, a cold and mysterious aura. Beautiful, but nevertheless scary.

But never mind that. When the first division commander heard a scream, he instantly turned toward that direction. He and Whitebeard made their way towards the sound, and noticed that snow had started falling.

"That's strange." Marco mused. "Pops, I think our crew might in trouble."

"You're right." The captain rumbled. "Let's take a look and see what trouble my sons have gotten themselves into this time."

As they entered the scene, they saw the exact opposite of what they expected. Men laid scattered around the area, unconscious. Some's faces were pale, other's skin were blue. Ice encrusted bite marks that gushed with blood. Pillars of ice that shone in the light of the sun. Scratched and wounded, all of them.

And at the center? Taiga. Untouched. Unharmed. A blank and dull stare that looked out across the slaughter.

Marco's eyes widened, and without thinking, he took off towards Taiga, ready to attack. Taiga didn't move. Did she not see him coming? No, she could see. She just didn't move. She merely pushed a wall of ice out of the ground, blocking Marco's way. But before he collided with the wall, he stopped and looked down.

Ace had grabbed his foot. "D...don't." He croaked, breathing heavily. "We...no, I deserved it. So...don't do a thing. This is my problem, and mine only."

"Ace..."

A loud and deep laugh boomed from the edge of the clearing. "My sons' got themselves into some serious trouble, all right." The giant (A/N: Whitebeard's fcking huge if you didn't know) walked towards Taiga, each step shaking the ground like a mini-earthquake. His steps slowed to a stop as he towered before Taiga. Before he had a chance to speak, Taiga opened her mouth.

"Are you the captain?" She hissed.

The man's chest rumbled as he laughed again. "I am. Now may I ask what my sons have done to deserve this?"

She scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. "You can ask Ace. I want nothing more to do with pirates. So kindly leave before more blood has to be shed." She averted her gaze to the ground.

"Please." She whispered. "I don't want to shed unnecessary blood. I didn't want to do this. But they disrespected the most treasured place on Tigara."

"Are there any dead?"

"No. But-" she shook her head. "Never mind. Just leave."

"But what?"

"Nothing." She said, turning her back to the man. "Leave."

Laughter sounded again. "Hmm. Well, whatever they did, I apologize on their behalf. But I must ask, after seeing this scene with my own eyes. Would you like to join my crew? A daughter would be nice." Whitebeard offered.

Taiga laughed bitterly. "Me? A pirate? You must be delusional. I despise pirates. Every one of them. They took everything from me. I'll never forget what they did. Becoming one would be betrayal to my people."

She swept her gaze across the battlefield. "Do you want to know why I hate you people so much?"

"I do."

She swallowed hard. "I won't go into detail, but this was the civilization of my people until a pirate crew came seeking shelter. We gave it to them, of course. And we later realized that they had planted a bomb. But it was too late. The bomb had already exploded and set our village ablaze."

Taiga's body and voice trembled as she recalled the memories of that day. "The fire destroyed everything. Killed everyone. I didn't die because I was out of the village at that moment. But honestly, dying would have been better. I saw my entire village burn down, my people suffering. And the worst part? I saw my mother's face flood with relief when she saw I was safe. Yet I couldn't save her. The flames engulfed her before my eyes. I couldn't do a thing." She glanced at the pirate captain. 

"Now do you see why I hate you people? Kindness is offered, and they abuse it. They take everything. They leave nothing but mayhem and chaos in their wake." Taiga stood up abruptly, slapping a hand over her mouth. "Shit. I said too much. But there's your answer. Now get off my island." 

By the time she finished, the pirates were slowly regaining consciousness. They sat up, holding their heads and groaning, looking around and wondering what the fuck had happened. Seeing their captain and Marco standing face to face with Taiga, they automatically assumed he was about to fight her for revenge. So they cheered. 

"GET HER!"

"BEAT HER UP!"

Et cetera, et cetera. 

"QUIET!" The captain roared, slamming his staff on the ground, a gust of wind emitting from the force. "Again, I apologize for my sons' behavior. We'll be leaving soon. But my offer still stands..." 

"Taiga." She filled in. "And as for your offer, I'm afraid I'll have to refuse. I can't. I'll feel guilty, becoming the one thing that killed my people. So just leave. Please. Leave and never come back. I don't want anything to do with you guys anymore. I have to repair the ruins and clean this place up."

Whitebeard nodded. "Very well. Then we'll get going." He said, turning to his men. "Pick up the wounded, you guys. Get them on the ship. We're setting sail soon."

Taiga nodded as well in response. "Thank you. Take the crates. They'll be able to sustain you till you reach the next island." Pointing to the crates that had been dropped, she walked towards the shrine. She let the water run through her fingers, as she leaned against the fountain. She watched as the pirates exited the clearing, glaring at her as they left. 

Once they were out of sight, she used her magic to set everything back to how it used to be. The tigers fell into piles of snow, the pillars descended back into the ground, and snow once again began to fall. 

Humming, she sat before the shrine and prayed once again. 

Taiga, you've grown.

His voice flashed through her mind as she looked up. Another familiar face.

"Ar-Arctic?"

---

hahahahahaa more cliffhangers suck it

jk jk ily for reading but like im not super proud of this chapter??? Like its not terrible and its not that i dont think its good, i just feel like this chapter is a bit worse than the others? IDK? is it just me? 

adslkansdfoivnaoiefoac ok whatever ill try to write a better and longer chapter next time soz fam

vote comment follow? 

ty bb <3

                                 -Sylveresque