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

CHAPTER XV - The iron mines

When Vice-Admiral Myr reached the coast in the late afternoon, he was surprised to discover the pirates' ship completely empty. It was an imposing ship, whose deck was covered with cannons ready to fire on the enemy. The holds were full of weapons and food. Zeem Slayer and his men seemed to have prepared for a siege of several months. Yet they were no longer there, they had abandoned their ship. This was not a good sign, and meant that they had found, after so many days of fighting, how to infiltrate the island of cyclops. When Myr put together the pieces of the puzzle in his head, he understood the pirates' intentions and immediately tried to reach the young members of his team.

...

Jorge regained consciousness on the Seagull deck. It took him a few seconds to fully understand the situation, and then, panicked, he stood up on his legs. Haru, by his side, rubbed his numb neck. The floor was covered in bloodstains, and pirates of the Heavy Metal crew were lying, unconscious or in bad shape. Jun, a little further, had sat on Gully's head.

- Jun! Are you all right ? cried the young soldier.

The young woman wasgently wiping the blade of her knife, covered in blood. She was too, from head to feet...

- I am, she replied soberly. It's over. The ship is protected.

- But... You beat all those guys ?! On your own ?

- The priority is to get the princess back. You and Haru are the fastest, so hurry up and go looking for her. I'll tell Arthur, he'll probably be able to meet you on the way.

- But ... How about you ?

She breathed calmly and closed her eyes.

- I will protect the ship and Zell. He's still sleeping in Myr's room after all.

Jorge turned to Haru. The young woman looked at Jun, smiled, and then nodded.

- Let's go Jorge, she said with a wink.

They disembarked the ship in a hurry and Jorge transformed into a bear. He invited Haru to climb on his back to go faster, and they rushed through the jungle. The young woman clamped her ursin comrade with all her might, Daisy around her neck, as the wind was hitting her face. Jorge, agile and lively, leaped to dodge the roots.

- We're going to make it, we're going to save her, right ? he asked.

- Of course, we will, Jorge ! Justice will prevail !

Jun, who had remained on the ship, put her knife in her pouch. She observed the bodies she had sliced, beaten, crushed. Without further explanation, her nerves let go and huge tears flowed down her cheeks, washing the dried blood that stained her.

- I'm not weak ! she cried, her voice torn by a sob.

...

Arthur was running through the jungle, his hand on the pommel of his sword, Peck showing him the way. In this vegetation, the threat could come from anywhere, and the precedent night had shown him what kind of monster was hiding there. He startled when the Vice-Admiral's den den mushi, in his bag, began to ring. His concern grew stronger when he heard Jun's voice coming out. She explained the situation, the attack on Slayer, the abduction of Princess Gaya...

- This damn pirate took the princess into the iron mines. With such a hostage, he thinks no one will dare intervene. Jorge and Haru are on their way, you should meet them if you go to the peaks.

The young man's gaze turned to the high mountains, covered with perpetual snow. A large trail led there, where he could easily find his comrades. He mentioned the possibility of intercepting the enemy forces, but Jun warned him that Slayer was too powerful and too fast, and he had left with enough advance. It was definitely a waste of time.