The Second Piece: Eternal Storm Part VI

Yaju: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO, MARINE GNAT???

Pace stands frozen. Yaju's words had perfectly encapsulated his dilemma. Would he ally with the Hugrema Pirates to give him a chance of survival? Drew's face had turned purple, and Pace knew that Yaju was right about her dying in a matter of seconds.

Yaju: TOO-

But before Yaju can snap Drew's neck, Pace swings his large blade toward his midsection. However, Yaju easily counters it with his sword.

Yaju: 'IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO, GNAT? YOU MIGHT AS WELL HAVE JUST LEFT HER TO DIE!'

Pace: No!

With a swift motion, Pace whips his weapon so that his big blade wraps around Yaju's sword. With a tug, he launches the small blade straight toward Yaju's chest.

Yaju: Wha-

Hugeo: YAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!

Having blasted himself back up the mountain, leaving a budding forest fire in his wake, Hugeo careens toward Yaju, magma fist at the ready.

With a piercing blade coming in on one side and a magma fist on the other, and with his hands full, Yaju is forced to think of a counter. Due to necessity, he drops Drew on the ground and counters Hugeo's fist with his free hand, while using his sword to block Pace's blade.

Yaju: THE PREY IS GROWING DESPERATE!

With Pace's weapon wrapped around his sword, Yaju moves his sword, and the momentum causes Pace to fly and slam into the ground.

Yaju: NOW FOR THE ENDING BLOW.

Hugeo is the only one left standing, but he looks very close to collapsing. His face is incredibly beat up, with one eye swollen and the other covered in blood. But the longer he could will himself to remain conscious, the longer they would have a chance of surviving.

Hugeo: AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH

Hugeo turns his entire body into magma, making him resemble a golem. He then rushes toward Yaju, still screaming.

Yaju: WHY WON'T YOU LEARN WHEN TO GIVE UP???

Hugeo prepares to unleash a full-force magma blast that was so hot it would disintegrate a normal person. However, Yaju was no longer in the mood to play games. And so he slashes Hugeo diagonally, from top to bottom.

Normally, this wouldn't faze Hugeo at all, as blades couldn't overcome his intangibility. However, he felt pain as though his body was the one being slashed. Giving a final groan, he falls to the ground, some parts of him magma and some parts human.

Hugeo struggles to hang onto consciousness, and most thoughts have left him. However, he knows one thing: that this man completely annihilated them. Ever since they entered the Eternal Storm, they just headed closer and closer to death. Is this what the Grand Line is like? Oh, what naive fools they've been.

But still, Hugeo refuses to give up.

Hugeo: ''Please....someone...something...save us. Please...let there be a...miracle...''

But nothing happens. It keeps raining, and Yaju walks over toward Hugeo.

Yaju: 'YOU'RE STILL NOT DEAD? YOU ALWAYS WERE ANNOYING.'

Yaju raises his sword, preparing to impale Hugeo. He closes his eyes and anticipates the inevitable.

Suddenly, the mountain explodes.

Hugeo quickly realizes what is happening as hot lava comes down onto their location. Suddenly, he realizes what he needs to do.

Hugeo: THANK...YOU!

Hugeo transforms into magma and spreads himself out as the lava comes down, swamping the summit and racing down to the forest below.

Cajin, having escaped down to the base of the mountain, watches the explosion in awe, then begins to panic. There is no way those pirates or the Marine could have survived that explosion. And they hadn't yet found the source of that noise...

Cajin sits down in a place where the lava wouldn't reach and begins brooding. Suddenly, he hears the sound of something headed towards him. He looks and sees a giant boulder coming toward him! Cajin leaps out of the way as the boulder rolls through the forest, crashing into several trees before coming to a halt as it hits a rock.

The boulder then begins dissolving, and Cajin is shocked to see the three pirates and the Marine, all heavily injured. The Marine only had superficial wounds, but seemed to have taken a concussion. Same for Drew, but her complexion made Cajin know she could hardly breathe. Issac had a great big gash in his chest, so big he was halfway bisected. And Hugeo...he was the worst of all. Not a visible part of his body wasn't damaged, and without proper medical care he had a good chance of dying.

Drew was the first to wake up. She struggles to remember what happened, and she suddenly realizes she is in Cajin's cave, next to the still-unconscious Pace, Issac, and Hugeo.

Drew: Gaaaah!

Cajin: Nice to see you're up. If you're capable of moving, would ya mind helping tend to your crewmates.

Drew looks at Issac and Hugeo, especially Hugeo, with pained expressions.

Drew: I-I can't believe...did you-

Cajin: I wasn't there. Was this the result of your battle with the Marine?

Drew: N-no...it was-

Cajin: Stop. Let's wait until the others wake up and you get your act back together.

Drew: How long have I been-

Cajin: Three days. I was starting to wonder if any of you would wake up!

And so the slog continues. Pace wakes up on the fourth day, and Hugeo and Issac wake up on the seventh day, still inebriated. They then tell Cajin about Yaju.

Cajin: I see...damn, I didn't even know those guys existed...and one was here, too...

Issac: Do you think Yaju survived that?

Hugeo: He survived my magma...it'll take more...to do him in...

Drew: What I want to know, is how did we escape? I only faintly remember something exploding...

Hugeo: The mountain...erupted. I thought quickly and I absorbed you guys...in my magma. Then, we just flowed with the lava...which I hardened...

Issac: You...are amazing, Hugeo.

Issac puts his head down, as the realization that his parents' killer was there hit him full force.

Drew: Issac...how exactly did you know Yaju? What did he do with your parents?

But Issac stays silent, unable to answer.

Hugeo: If Issac doesn't want to tell us...he shouldn't have to.

"Why did you save me?"

Pace, who hadn't uttered a word since he regained consciousness, was now at the forefront.

Pace: We're enemies! I failed my task up on the mountain...I should have died?

Hugeo: Yaju was going after you, too. Your death would not have done anyone a favor.

Pace: Yeah...but...

Pace then becomes embroiled in shame. This was the greatest failure he had ever seen. He wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for the pirates he had just tried to kill earlier. How could he show himself back at base, even if he did capture the pirates?

Meanwhile, the Hugrema Pirates are also grim. They had gotten a taste of the Grand Line, and were instantly annihilated. Were all these dreams of adventure a facade, their lives thrown away as soon as they ate those Devil Fruits?