Silver Raven

2 Heads are Better than One

Misty's body begins evaporating into the air. Shit, she's starting to get serious. Calm down, just use your observation haki and focus. All the air around me is covered in a thick mist, my mother is showing her devil fruit. To my right her sword materializes and swings towards me. I leap out of the way, narrowly avoiding the blade.

"To think that you were alive all this time." her voice echoes from all directions in the blinding fog. I keep my scythe up, ready to block her next attack. "You know, that day, I wasn't trying to kill you." A kick to my stomach, I block it with my arm and swing my blade around but she's vanished once again. "I was just trying to draw Shira out. I hadn't seen her in so long and she was cut out for the life of a pirate more than you were."

"Why do you act like you love her? She isn't even real, I'm just crazy!" I didn't realize how much my own words would sting until they left my mouth. She began materializing in front of me. With my emotions beginning to boil over, I decide to go on the offensive. I bring my curved blade around, aiming for her neck. 

Then, pain. A hot searing pain ripples down my back and a scream tears out of my throat. I stumble forward, passing right through the mirage. I plant the staff of my scythe in the ground for support, barely managing to stay on my feet. I slowly force myself to turn around, my back protesting with every movement. Misty stands behind me with a smug grin on her face and my blood dripping off the tip of her sword. I can feel warm liquid start to ooze down my back. Shit, it's deep.

"Like it? It's a new trick I learned." she boasts of her own power. "Wow, they really have done a good job of keeping you out of the loop," Misty speaks with mock pity. She doesn't attack again because she knows she's already won, I would probably die if I kept fighting. So now, she's just toying with me. If I want this to work, I have to keep stalling.

"What do you mean by 'keeping me out of the loop?'" I demand.

"I don't know." she fakes her innocence. "You should try asking your brother."

"Tag? Where is he?" I growl at her.

"Same place he's been for the past 10 years, dear." she offers me a cold smile. "Now, Ray, it's time for you to either bring Shira out or die."

"I don't need Shira to beat you!" I tell her, gaining back a little strength.

She lets out a genuine laugh. "That's ridiculous, look at you. You can't even stand on your own."

"You've always valued strength. Yet, you've failed to realize the ace up my sleeve. You aren't fit to call yourself a captain."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" she growls at me. "The only strength in you is Shira and I'd be delighted if you'd use her now."

"You're not much of a people person, mother," I say with venom in my tone. "So you wouldn't understand how strong a group of people are." She lunges towards me and swings down her sword. I block it but every muscle in my back is screaming for me to stop. With a free hand I take a pistol from my robe and fire a shot. The bullet lodges itself into her right shoulder and she hollers with pain.

"You ungrateful little- I'm going to kill you!" My legs give out from the blood loss and I collapse to the ground.

"You lose," I whisper weakly before Train and Jean come up from behind her. I watch while Jean stuns her with a punch and Train impales her with his blades.

"You did a good job distracting her while we were able to take out the rest of the crew," Bepo says while kneeling down beside me.

"You guys, were late." the words manage to croak out of my throat.