Knives in the Dark [Historical]

Jinno had taken over the watch for the night, mostly to give the rest of the crew a proper rest for once. It wasn’t like they had seen anything but random floating debris and the occasional sea creature. There was hardly a force in the East Blue that could really make much of a match for him now, beyond that one Admiral and her sidekick at least, but they were sure to have more important things to deal with. The prince pulled back on the wheel, engaging the locked-heading mechanism to take a short break.

They couldn’t be too far from their next location now, though he hadn’t really picked up all the navigation skills he might need to really make an accurate guess. Really, his purpose was little more than to ensure the safety of his crew, and he had proven to be a mighty protector. Those who remained were mostly there for good. With the majority of their guests now safely home, they had only a few islands left before taking on the Grand Line to truly begin their journey back to Wano. He walked down from the helm and across the deck. Passing beyond the staircase leading down to the lower decks, he failed to spot the malicious red glint of a hunter, cowled in darkness.

His pace slowed to a crawl though, a sense of danger alerting every nerve to react. His hand moved to ready his blade as he turned and scoured the area. Clear. Did someone walk underneath maybe? With a sigh of relief, he almost managed to return to pacing if he hadn’t caught the glint of metal in the moonlight. Jinno responded purely on instinct, unsheathing Sea Fang to clash with the incoming attack. There was a skittering of claws on the deck behind as the young pirate turned to face his foe.

The creature before him could barely be called human, though it was about a man’s height if it weren’t hunched down like a beast ready to strike. Visibly muscular and clad in a shimmering cloak that seemed to bend the light around it, blending into the tufts of fur running up it’s clawed hands. Each gripping a wickedly sharp blade, stained a sickly green from the poison that seemed to drip from the edge. Its face was more akin to a rat than a human though, gnashing teeth and tattered ears with the narrowed red eyes, focused on its target.

The creature had a third blade, held tightly in its fittingly rat-like tail. A longer blade, similarly, coated in poison. While it didn’t wear armour, it wore some tattered pants bound to its agile feet with bandages and what looked to be thin sandals of some kind. Jinno felt a warmth across his shoulder, a small cut bleeding through his shirt in seconds. He hadn’t been fast enough. Out of options, he dropped into a more defensive stance as he thought over his options.

The winds had picked up as the two warriors faced each other down, bringing about heavier waves that began to rock the boat to wash seawater across the deck. Undeterred, the cloaked figure surged forward to continue its attack. Whip-like tail flicking around toward the prince’s blind spot as it rushed him with two rapid slashes from its remaining blades while advancing. Jinno parried again, having calmed himself to the point of sinking into the flow of combat. Imbuing his spirit into his blade to meet his foe head on.

He wasn’t allowed rest from that point though, after passing each other the assassin went to work. With the prince seemingly on the back foot while the poison did its work. Slowing every strike and dull his reactions to the point he was struggling to keep up let alone put up a counter-offensive.

The sudden shift in weather and sounds of violence overhead might just alert those below to what was going on. It wasn’t clear if any of them could match such a foe, but numbers were sure to aid them. If they could get to him in time.

Kanna had become a much lighter sleeper after the journey they had been through. Honestly, she hardly slept the required amount to be considered healthy, especially with the incredibly horrid conditions that encouraged her nightmares. In her current dream, she was separated from her crew and the only thing that remained was their ship. Heavily damaged as the ghosts from her comrades began to work chanting their hatred toward her for being unable to save them. What happened? What had she done? Where was the captain? Something was wrong and as they lunged to grab her, Kanna would awake from her sleep with a deep gasp.

The ship rocked violently from what Kanna could only assume was stormy waters, but she would take to her feet to check on the others. She was hardly dressed to be wandering around the ship, but her T-shirt and shorts were more than what she wore on a regular basis. Kanna had picked up an interesting habit of always having her weapons on her if she wasn't in her sleeping space. As she wandered beneath, Kanna would hear something above her that could only be considered a commotion. If there was something going on, then Jinno would need their help. It was better to be safe than sorry, after all. Kanna would take to a sprint before arousing Arthur from his sleep with the sound of her alert and screaming voice. "Arthur! Something is wrong! Wake the others! Up to the deck!" Before she had even begun to give orders, it seemed that arthur was already awake and in action while Kanna continued to go up.

She would hurry to the higher levels as quickly as a small woman being thrown around into the surrounding walls could. Kanna would let out a grunt every now and then as she pushed off the walls and rails surrounding the stairs. The prince would come into her view finally as the sounds of combat grew louder and clearer. Something was off about the way he moved and he was certainly less offensive with his movements than normal. Kanna would draw her blades and run straight into the thick of the fighting. She wouldn't allow this creature to harm her prince if she could help it. As she jumped into the fray, Kanna would take over blocking the attack from the rat man with a glare that could have killed him.

"The whole ship knows you're here and in 30 seconds, this area will be swarming with red cloaks. You can die here or give yourself those 30 seconds to run," Kanna would speak as she fought against the strength pushing against her own blade. Kanna could tell that a battle with him would be difficult, but she was hardly afraid of something like this. As proof of her words, the crew could be heard shouting and scrambling below. A few voices could be heard echoing in the stairwells providing clearer insight on how close they actually were.

Arthur woke with a start, managing to catch himself before reaching from the pistol he tended to hide nearby when he slept. “Go, I’m on it” The man snatched his side-arm and blade to then burst away to collect the rest of the crew. They’d be up on deck in moments, so safety was sure to come along with them.

From the state of the prince, they would need it. The dark furred assassin struck again and again, the glint of its corrupted blades glinting sickly green in the moonlight. Jinno was out of breath, and despite the temporary warmth flowing from the wounds inflicted there was a growing chill in his veins. It was fortunate that Kanna arrived when she did, managing to catch the feral strike just in time.

The rat-man bared its teeth, yellowed and sharp as its beady red eyes focused on the new threat while its whiskers twitched as if it was sniffing out the approaching crew. It wasn’t clear if it didn’t understand her words, or simply didn’t care, but it pushed on with the offensive. In a flurry of motion, the creature had whipped its tail around at startling speed at about neck height only for the prince to swiftly return to the fray, shifting Kanna out of harms way as he deflected the strike.

Jinno was in a bad way, that was clear. It seemed in the short conflict he had already been struck. Nothing fatal at least, though some of the cuts seemed deep. The prince seemingly needed someone else’s life to be in danger to bring out the true extent of his abilities as he pushed through the pain to lash out and get them some space. The rat man almost casually avoided the strike, dodging back to circle them as the torches and footsteps of their crew approached from behind. There was a lull in the combat, seemingly as the assassin decided how it would proceed. Kanna recognized the stance it held, as she had been learning it herself from Jinno. The rat man was from Wano?

“We need to get this thing off the ship” Jinno’s voice was strained, between laboured breaths as he struggled to stand. Every moment allowing the poison to travel through his system. “It’s dangerous.” Were words Kanna might not have expected. Jinnosuke had never shown any signs that he couldn’t deal with a problem before them, so what had him so uncertain now? They outnumbered the thing completely.

The answer might come when Arthur responded to the sight of the monster by firing on it the second it was clear of his comrades. Only for the rat to swat the bullet from the air and into the deck as casually as if it had swatted a fly. It didn't even pause it's pacing back and forth or bother to look. Instead focusing on Jinno, its eyes filled with malice for the prince.

It seemed that the rat man had heard her offer, but elected to ignore it as his whiskers twitched about. His tail would whip around into view coming at Kanna with startling speed and power. Thankfully, Jinno had made his move being far superior to her own skill and he would remove her from the situation saving her from the attack. As she was forced away, Kanna would shout, "Jinno!" in quite a reprimanding tone knowing that he was in no shape to continue fighting. She wasn't strong enough yet or fast enough. She wasn't able to protect him, even in his condition he was still saving her. Kanna would clench her teeth as she looked across to the rat.

The crew drew closer and Kanna's eyes would widen on their opponent. "Who are you?! Who sent you?!" Kanna would scream with an anger that she didn't quite understand. The thought of someone from Wano coming to their ship wasn't just a coincidence. She knew that it had to have some sort of direction and had to have a set of orders. It was a trained assassin in arts from their homeland, which meant that someone was out for their Captain's head.

Kanna would look to Jinno as he struggled to breathe and stand knowing that he was in a bad position. Kanna would reach for the prince to try and steady him with her support before hearing a shot ring out. Her attention would turn to the rat as it swatted the bullet from the air into the ship. At that moment, her body would tense as she looked between Arthur and the rat. "W-what do we do? How do we get it off the ship? M-Maybe if you go up it'll follow you. We could get it off the ship easier in the open. Can you make it?" Kanna would ask her friend as she clutched her sword in her grip harder than she had ever before.

Jinno didn’t want to belittle Kanna’s ability. In their journey so far, she had made leaps and bounds in her mastery of swordsmanship. But this foe was not one that she could face yet. Even if she sounded annoyed, she had to know that fact just as well as he did. If making his friend mad was the only way to keep his promise, then so be it. The prince gritted his teeth, scouring his mind for any way they could get out of this. For the moment their enemy simply paced, still pondering exactly how to proceed.

It didn’t answer of course, chittering to itself as it turned and walked away, as if to allow them room upon hearing Kanna’s plan. It welcomed the challenge, allowing the rest of the crew to move to the deck and begin working around to try and surround the creature to gain some sort of advantage.

“We have to fight it off…” His breathing had steadied, though there was little that could be done to stifle the pain radiating from the cuts inflicted. “Might be able to push it back, closer to the edge.” He took the first step forward, walking out from the circling crew while motioning for them to stand back. Though he knew Kanna was unlikely to heed this order. They had cleared the area mostly, with the rat man flanked on both sides, with Jinno standing in opposition.

“It doesn’t matter who sent him, they aren’t going to stop me.” Jinno was doing his best to hide his injuries, making sure every word was crystal clear even through the heavy winds. There was no plan of course, nothing but instinct could help now. He cast the sheath to his sword aside, forgoing tradition to grip his weapon with both hands. It was a form Kanna would recognize as a basic training stance, with the years of experience he had refining it to perfection.

An eruption of light and sound filled the air with the flash of lightning illuminating the stormy skies as the prince attacked. Taking the initiative in a straightforward, but immaculately performed strike. The rat man seemed ready, reading it with such ease it moved with apparent foresight to avoid the boy. Only to find it had misjudged his foe, with its unparalleled knowledge of combat proving to betray it. All presentwould have seen little more than a basic, if well performed, overhead strike. Only for the image of the young prince to fade, and his true attack revealed itself.

Even with his little trick, Jinno only managed to score a shallow wound across the creature’s side, his overhead attack being little more than a feint performed with such precision that the rat man fell victim to complacency. Such an amateur attack with its obvious tell could have been nothing else. It was a momentary victory, but it was proof that the rat was flesh and blood. It meant he could be killed. It was enough to bring cheers from the crew, though only Jinno was close enough to hear it’s wicked, chittering laugh.

The rat continued to ignore Kanna as it circled the room and eyed the lot of them down. She knew that this wasn't an enemy that she could take on alone and she knew that there was nothing she could do to help. Her tone was anger, but it wasn't Jinno that she was mad at. In all honesty, Kanna was angry with herself for still being so weak and burdensome. Soon, the creature would move to the deck as if it had heard what Kanna said and accepted her plan. Was it trying to tease them? Did it know that they couldn't match him? Who had sent him? Why was he so strong?

Jinno would tell them that they needed to fight it off as if Kanna didn't already know that. How? How would they get rid of it? As the lot of the ship circled the enemy, Jinno would step out motioning for the rest of them to stay back. Kanna, on the other hand, would step out of line ever so slightly with weapons at the ready. She would jump in if it would save her prince's life, but she was certain that she wouldn't be able to fight on her own. Jinno had to fight and she knew that he was putting on a brave face for the crew. He was hurt and there was no way the effects of whatever poison that had been gleaming from the opponents weapons had just worn off that quickly.

Jinno spoke as confident as ever saying that he wouldn't be beaten before tossing his sheath aside. In her many years of spending time side by side with her prince, she had never seen him so serious before. It had been a long time since she had seen him use such a basic stance. It was one that she was used to, but she was sure that Jinno's technique would be far superior to her own. He had spent time and time again honing his skills while Kanna watched. She was just a girl and a maid no less. She had never been trained on how to protect or fight until Jinno took it upon himself to do so. Still, all she could do was watch through the howling wind and thundering rain.

His attack would follow the flash of lightning across the sky. He would slash overhead only for his attack to reach the rat man. His side had been cut and his blood would drip from the wound. Although, it didn't look nearly as deep as Kanna had expected. He was bleeding and the cheers from the crew were enough to drown out her own thoughts. However, she wouldn't be seen cheering alongside them, but rather she would keep her eyes on her friend. What was going to happen now?

Jinno didn’t waste time celebrating, he could join his friends when this thing was dead and they were safe. His target darted to the side, twisting a blade in its wicked claw to holster it while near effortlessly ducking below the second attack. “Seen that one.” It snickered in a harsh rasping tone, chittering in apparent amusement as the prince followed on. Pushing through the burning in his muscles to lunge toward his fleeing foe. The cheers faded when the battle didn’t end, and the crew found themselves watching their Captain struggle against the assassin.

A series of rapid strikes that his foe weaved or deflected, eventually sheathing its second blade to keep only the black blade clasped in its tail. They squared off again, with Jinno keeping himself somehow standing despite the squall. The rat took initiative, using the abnormal striking method to catch the prince off guard. Its edge caught him this time, with Jinno managing to barely avoid losing an eye by retreating. He staggered back, ignoring the wound over his right eye in seemingly straight retaliation, seeing some opening that may or may not have been there.

Unfortunately, the assassin was ready to intercept the overhead strike between its hands. A technique Kanna had seen Jinno employ himself a number of times, but to see the tables turned with such ease was certainly a worry. It reacted swiftly, twisting the blade while trying to wrench it from the prince’s grip. He managed to hold on purely on instinct, only to be practically tossed across the deck to impact the side, disarmed and seemingly stunned from the pain.

There was little anyone could have done from that point; the rat man tossed the Moriyama blade aside and burst forward with speed towards the incapacitated samurai only to kick him the rest of the way through the shattered railing. Off into the dark and roiling seas, where the assassin quickly followed, leaping with no hesitation into what would have been certain death. Only to get their first sighting of a small sea-craft of some kind. Built for stealth, and having some form of propulsion built in, it seemed a small crew were already dragging the heavily wounded prince out of sight completely down a hatch at the back of the craft. They wore masks, reminiscent of the shinobi back in Wano. All but one of the figures descended, smaller than the others and wearing a plain fox-styled mask. It did little to hide the figures offensively orange hair. Soon they too were gone, and in moments the craft sank into the depths.

Just as she had feared the fight would continue and the rat man was more than formidable. He was holding off a man that she had never seen lose before. A prince from wano with only the greatest of sword masters to train him and somehow this rat was besting him. If he was from Wano like Kanna suspected, then he must have trained under someone incredibly strong to be able to take the upper hand. Who would want the prince dead? Why was this happening to them now? They hadn't even made it across the grand line yet. Jinno promised to take her home.

As the thunder roared and the lightning flashed, it was becoming obvious that something terrible was about to happen, since the fight was still under way. The longer this dragged on the more blades became obscured from vision and the more Kanna could feel her heart racing in her chest. Useless. She was useless and there was nothing that could change that fact. She was weak and had only been a burden to her prince. Now, he fought before her and there wasn't anything that could save him. As his eye was sliced, Kanna would let out a startled, quick scream before covering her mouth between her fingers and blade's handle.

Then, a disastrous technique would have a faint memory of Jinno flashing through her mind. She remembered the first time she had seen him successfully pull off that silly move he had been practicing. She had been so excited for him and she recalled a much younger looking boy excitedly asking if she had seen what happened. Now, it was being used against him and would throw him farther than Kanna would be able to reach in any certain amount of time. "No! Jinno!" Kanna would call for him, but her voice was drowned out by thunder. Her next order she hoped would reach the ears of Arthur, who was close by. "His sword! Grab it!" His sword? Why was she worried about something like that? Even as she ran after the rat, she would find herself tripping and slipping along the deck. Her slowed movement would prove to be the finishing of their captain.

She would reach the edge of the ship's broken rail as she peered down into the darkness where orange hair would reach her eyes. Their masks were like the shinobi of Wano, but why? What did they want with him? Panic would set in as Kanna would begin to scream. "Jinno! Jinno, you can't go! Give him back! Jinno, please!" Her voice would echo out over the crashing of lightning and carry along the thunderous boom of the storm. Her voice would crack and break as tears would fill in her eyes, but the rain would wash away any true hint of them escaping down her cheeks. As he disappeared below the hatch, Kanna would lunge forward only to feel hands and arms wrapping around her. "Let me go! They're taking him! We have to stop them! He promised! I-I have to.." Kanna's screams would turn into hoarse pleas until the sub sunk below the surface of the water.

"He's.. he's gone.. He can't be. This isn't right." She would struggle to speak as her throat tightened and her voice quieted. Her body would slump as sobs escaped her and she held her own weapons close to her. He had given her everything she needed to fight and she still wasn't good enough. Her friend. Her best friend. The only person she trusted more than anyone else in the world. He was gone and he took her heart with him. All she could feel was the saddened pangs of guilt and the encroaching anxiety of what they were supposed to do without him.

Arthur managed to catch both the lost sword and Kanna’s cloak before she could do anything rash, like jump overboard to follow their Captain. “You can’t save him if you die here! You need to calm down.” The oldest member of their crew peered into the hazy dark, catching the escaping submarine’s heading as best he could. His tone wasn’t angry, concerned perhaps, but he made sure that what he said wasn’t lost to the wind. He frowned, looking to the crew around him with a nod to get to work. “Not gone, not yet.” Arthur was often the quiet one among the Red Cloaks, more than capable as a warrior. “Sub that small isn’t going to be able to stay under long, won’t be able to travel too far from a base either. They’ll have a ship nearby for sure to get them back to the Grand Line.”

He offered the girl a hand, trying to pick up some of slack from their missing Captain. Without Jinno their offense suffered, that was obvious, but if Kanna was out of commission too then they would be lost. “We’re going to fix this. He’ll be able to hold out until we find him. Never seen the Captain break a promise yet, so he isn’t going to start now.” Should she take his offer, he helped the girl too her feet. “If you need some time, take it. I can take the helm until you’re ready.” It was up to Kanna of course, while there was never really an official distribution of ranks, Arthur was implying that it was her command now that the prince was missing. He hoped a solid plan might help, push aside her feelings for now to bring some focus.

“Doesn’t feel right holding this.” He noted as he examined the black blade of the Moriyama clan once there was a better sense of calm across the ship. Eventually he turned it to Kanna, holding the weapon by the flat of the blade “Maybe you should keep it for now."

"Damn it! Damn it.." Kanna would yell as she kneeled on the deck of the ship staring down into the dark waters below. She would wipe her eyes frantically with her arms not realizing that no matter how much she wiped her face the rain was sure to keep her face soaked with water anyway. Kanna would find herself attempting to pull herself together as Arthur spoke to her. Everything he said was right, but that didn't mean it hurt any less. She would clench her teeth as she slowly reached for her own weapons that had been abandoned at her sides. What was she doing? If there was anything that she had been taught, it was to never lose her swords. They were a part of her now and all she needed to saver her prince.

As Arthur extended a hand, Kanna would sheath her weapons and take hold. Her eyes wouldn't dare meet his own, but she knew that his words were more true than he knew. Since they were kids, he had never once lied or promised her anything that he couldn't follow through with. Her eyes would drift to the rain fallen sky as she took in the darkness and flashing of lightning above them. It was going to be hard to follow after them. Even if the submarine couldn't stay under long, the stormy seas were harsh on water floating vessels. Could they do it? What if they didn't find him? He didn't have his sword. He was beaten, poisoned, and alone. Could he survive all that and fight back? Arthur would express that she should take the time she needed, which would have her head turning toward the rushing of the crew around her. Were they waiting for her? Was she supposed to lead them? How could she? She couldn't protect their captain. Did they give him too much to worry about?

How was Kanna supposed to lead them after such a hard failure? What was she supposed to do? How could they trust her to do what Jinno had done? In the next moment, a familiar sword would be held out to her. Her eyes would wander the blade as dark as the first time she had seen it. Hesitantly, Kanna would reach out to receive the sword noticing how awkward it sat in her hands. It was much larger than one made for her. It was a bit heavier than her own. She was certain that this was the first time she had ever held his blade before and it was awfully cold. It wasn't as lively as when it was in Jinno's hands. It was almost as if she could feel its sorrow at being separated from him. Kanna would find herself pulling the sword in close to her chest before coming to the conclusion that she was definitely going to be a bit selfish.

As she took a deep breath and swept her rain soaked hair from her face, Kanna would stare out into the sea. "Looks like it's going to be a long night.. Whatever you do, don't lose that sub! We'll chase it to the Grand Line if we have to! We're going to get our Captain back and I won't rest until we do!"