アプリをダウンロード
7.22% One Piece: Dream of Immortality / Chapter 37: Shame of a Swordsman

章 37: Shame of a Swordsman

The weather took a turn for the worse. Snow rained down from the clouds and the wind howled like a terrible beast.

"This isn't looking good. It's starting to show signs of an incoming blizzicane out there." Dalton said.

"What the heck is a blizzicane?!" Usopp asked, frightfully.

"It's like a mix between a blizzard and a hurricane, but it's easily worse than the sum of its parts. Snow will pile up anywhere from 3 to 5 meters high and hail the size of cannonballs will be thrown around by hurricane winds. They happen about once every few decades here, but the last one was only 10 years ago. Very unlucky." Dalton explained.

"Your friends might be in serious trouble. Being exposed to the elements in this weather is deadly and trying to fly in winds like these will be nearly impossible." Dalton worried.

"Don't worry about them, Cabernet is a tough girl. If worse comes to worst, she can give shelter and warmth to the other 3." Although Cherry spoke confidently, she was somewhat worried. Cabernet was pretty stupid after all, she might decide to push onwards and end up crashing into the mountain.

"How long do these storms usually last? I do not have any time to waste..." Vivi asked, realizing she might get trapped here while a war rages in her homeland.

"The longest on record only lasted half a day, thankfully. If they lasted too long, no one could survive here." Dalton's words made Vivi sigh in relief.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

Someone knocked the door like their life depended on it. Dalton opened to see one of the militia members gasping for breath.

"What's wrong?" Dalton's brow furrowed, he didn't like how this day was going and felt it would be getting worse.

After the man caught his breath enough to speak, he spoke with a frightened look. "I-its Wapol! Wapol has come back and he's here in Big Horn!"

Dalton's face hardened. Truly this day could not get any worse, he wasn't sure if he could handle Wapol and his men by himself. Regardless, he would still try. He owed at least that much to his people.

He turned to Vivi, Usopp, and Cherry. "I have something to take care of, you may stay here if you wish."

He turned and left his home, knowing it may be the last time he ever see it.

Cherry looked at Usopp and Vivi. "Well? Do you think we should help out? Dalton looked like a man taking a step into his own grave just then. He's certainly been more hospitable than we can expect that fool Wapol to be."

"O-of course we should help!" Usopp stuttered.

"Hehe, you'll make for a fine warrior of the sea, Usopp. Bravery does not mean the absence of fear, but to stand up in spite of it."

Vivi gave a resolute nod, she remembered the way Wapol acted at the last Levely she attended. She was not keen on the idea of him regaining his abandoned throne.

Cherry smiled. "Let's go."

...

High up in the air, a winged ship was struggling to fly straight while being battered by tremendous winds.

Luffy was having the time of his life, but Sanji showed more concern. "Can you hold more steady, Cabernet? Nami isn't strong enough to take this jostling around." He asked delicately.

"The wind is too strong and it's getting stronger." Cabernet groaned. "I'll have to land before I crash."

"Back to plan A then? Luffy get ready, we'll have to hike the rest of the way." Sanji said.

Cabernet set down onto the ground. Once Sanji, Luffy, and Nami were disembarked, she transformed back into her human shape.

The wind was not so bad on the ground as the trees around them acted as a wind break. They stayed close to Cabernet as she naturally released a fair amount of heat from her flames.

Something launched out of the snow at them and was caught out of the air by Cabernet.

"It's soooo CUTE!" Cabernet squealed and she spun around holding a white rabbit as it struggled in her grasp.

"Oh, that would make for a good stew." Sanji noted. The rabbit stiffened and started to cry as if it understood him.

"Mm?" Luffy tilted his head.

Dozens of bear-like figures stood up out of the snow. They looked awfully angry, especially the one with a scar over its left eye.

"Polar bears?" Sanji suggested.

"BUNNIES!!! HAHAHAHA!" Cabernet charged into the bear-sized rabbits laughing, which caught them off guard. They prepared to attack the cackling woman.

The scarred rabbit swung wide at her, but she blocked it with a raised arm fairly easily. "OH?! You want to play with me?! Okay, I won't go easy on you!" Cabernet challenged.

"Go on ahead, Luffy. Cabernet and I will handle these rabbit-bears. Nami is you first priority, remember they every blow you deal or take will affect her as well!" Sanji stated and launched into the fray as well.

Most of the huge rabbits, or Lapins as they are know to the locals, were distracted by Cabernet's assault. Sanji fought defensive for Luffy to keep Nami safe.

The Lapins gave up on the direct confrontation, seeing that it wasn't going well. Instead they used their superior agility to move ahead of the group to employ an alternative strategy.

"They stopped chasing us, but what are they doing all the way up there?" Sanji wondered aloud.

"Hopping?" Luffy suggested.

The land above them seemed to shift downwards suddenly. A great deal of snow broke loose and accelerated towards them.

"Avalanche!" Sanji screamed in horror.

Cabernet didn't know what an avalanche was or why it was bad, but she could infer that the snow rushing down towards them was bad. She scooped up the other three and flapped her wings, bringing them off the ground.

The wind was just too fierce and the higher she rose the harder it became to remain aloft. She rushed over to a large boulder that the snow was moving around. However, the Lapins soon came surfing down the mountain on broken logs and attacked them once more.

...

Down in the town of Big Horn, Dalton face Wapol and his men. He had intended on taking Wapol by surprise, but he was intercepted by a swordsman he had never seen before who slashed him across the chest.

"Good job, Jaxin! Mahaha! This is how a real royal guard should be!" Wapol laughed.

Something flew towards Jaxin, but he easily batted it away. He looked to the source to find Usopp quaking in his boots.

"You wanna die?!" Jaxin seethed.

"Now, now. Why don't you pick on someone your own size." Cherry answered.

Jaxin was about to mock the 'little girl' who said that, but when he got a good look at her, he paused.

His heart filled to the brim with hate upon seeing her visage that was so similar to Dracule Mihawk.

"Oh, this will be good. I'll take you up on the offer, little girl. My king, please go on ahead to reclaim the castle from that witch, I will deal with these malcontents." He said venomously.

"Mahaha! Right, these hooligans are beneath me! Deal with them, then come join us at the castle, Jaxin!" Wapol galloped away on Robson, his furry hippo mount.

Jaxin launched himself at Cherry, brandishing his sword. Cherry drew her own sword to meet his in several ferocious clashes. She was a bit stronger and faster, but he had something else that allowed him to keep up.

When he gave her a light slash across the arm in one of their clashes, she asked him with a frown. "Do you use Observation Haki?"

"Oh, you know about Haki do you? Yes I do, since you're asking that must mean you don't, hm? This'll be easy then, haha!" Jaxin replied. "You eyes look just like that bastard, Hawkeye's. I'm going to enjoy humiliating you and cutting those wretched eyes out of your head!"

"Oh, was Hawkeye the one who gave you that wound on your back?" Cherry smiled mockingly. She knew what such a thing meant to the swordsmen of this world. She decided to rile him up as much as possible to gain an advantage over him.

Jaxin trembled with anger. "Enough talk!"

Vivi, Usopp, the wounded Dalton, the townspeople, and a shirtless Zoro (who had just wandered into town) watched the duel take place from the sidelines.


章 38: Humiliation

Cabernet, Sanji, and Luffy with Nami still on his back raced down the mountain on a log. This was the opposite way that they wanted to go.

They at least managed to fight off the Lapins that were attacking them, but their fortunes turned for the worse once again. Their log was hurdling straight towards an outcropping and was going to crash.

Sanji sacrificed himself to hurl the other three with all his strength backwards to slow their momentum.

"I'll go get Sanji. You take Nami up the mountain when the avalanche stops and I'll be right behind you." Suggested Cabernet.

...

At the bottom of the mountain in the town of Big Horn, a duel between swordsmen raged onwards.

Cherry had a number of cuts across her body while Jaxin had not yet been wounded. "Give up, girl. You're no match for me." He mocked as they took distance for a moment.

They charged once more, but this time Cherry did something Jaxin didn't expect. She reached her hand directly for his incoming blade.

At first he was delighted at the opportunity and naturally went to claim it. However, in a moment his Observation Haki sensed danger, so he pulled his sword back at the last instant and dodged.

'What did she do?' He wondered, seeing that nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

'Did I imagine it? Is her resemblance to Hawkeye making me jumpy?' This thought made him doubt himself. 'NO! She isn't Hawkeye! I'll show her the difference between us!'

Cherry was having a great time on the other hand. He was actually a decent opponent for her, his Observation Haki even detected her intent when reaching for his sword.

Suddenly a shout from one of the townspeople. "AVALANCHE! An avalanche is headed straight for us!"

The townspeople rushed to get out of the way of the coming mass of snow, but the two fighters didn't make any moves to evacuate.

"You're not going to run away, coward?" Cherry mocked.

Hail began to fall from the sky, mostly in small pieces but with some larger chunks mixed in. The blizzicane was getting started in earnest now.

Cherry and Jaxin clashed once more. Cherry kept trying to touch his blade, but he never let her do so. Suddenly, a hailstone the size of an apple cracked directly into Cherry's head, seeming to daze her.

"Chance!" Jaxin laughed evilly.

His sword slipped passed her defense and slashed across her chest.

Blood stained the snow. Jaxin laughed with mad glee at having cut the object of his hatred, or at least a proxy of it.

His laughter stopped when he saw that Cherry still stood firmly on her feet.

"This is all you can manage? No wonder you took a blade to your back despite calling yourself a swordsman, you can't even cut properly." Cherry said, seeming unfazed by the bloody wound.

"Let this be a lesson for you, Zoro. If your opponent tries to touch your sword, do not let them do so no matter what." Cherry instructed, turning her back on Jaxin.

"What the hell are you doing, idiot?! Don't turn your back on your enemy!" Zoro shouted.

It was already too late, however. Jaxin was already upon her, swinging his sword at her back with all the strength and rage he could muster.

Cherry did not turn to meet him and simply allowed him to slash at her back. The observers gasped in horror, but Jaxin's terrible smile faded and shifted to fear. He held his blade up to his eyes and they trembled. There was no wound left on Cherry's back. She quickly swiveled around to face him.

*BANG*

A gunshot rang out. Jaxin looked at Cherry and then at the bleeding hole in his stomach in disbelief as he stumbled backwards.

"Lesson number 2. You can hold yourself to whatever standards you wish, but do not ever assume that your opponent will fight you honorably." Cherry said, blowing the smoke off the end of her pistol's barrel.

Cherry suddenly rushed behind Jaxin and raised her sword. "Lesson number 3."

She slashed him across his back, giving him yet another mark of shame that will follow him forever.

"If you insist on sparing the lives of your enemies, at least do not spare their pride. Destroy a man's pride and he will never be a real threat to you again." She said, though that was more true when it came to cultivators than it did for the people of this world.

Cherry walked around in front of Jaxin who had slumped to his knees, his eyes were full of complex emotions. Anger, fear, despair, regret.

She pulled out a few black strands of her hair, wadded them up in her hand, and turned them into a powdery substance. She mashed her hand and the powder against Jaxin's forehead and he started to scream in pain.

"Oh, quit being a cry baby." Cherry admonished, finishing up her little 'parting gift' for him.

When she moved away, the observers couldn't help but giggle.

"What did you just do to me?" Jaxin asked, breathing heavily.

In large letters upon his forehead like a tattoo, the words "I'm a little bitch boy" were written.

Cherry didn't answer the little bitch boy's question. "The path of a swordsman isn't for you, friend. Following a path that isn't suitable for you is worse than going back to choose another. By the way, that avalanche is still coming. Better get a move on if you don't want to die."

This woke everyone out of their stupor and they moved to find shelter. Cherry helped Dalton to his feet and into a nearby building. Even Jaxin managed to drag himself to shelter. The avalanche slammed into the town about a minute later.

Cherry tended to Dalton's wounds, while he insisted she should be tended to first. She assured him that she was perfectly fine and not even bleeding any more.

Zoro asked Cherry a question. "What did you do to his sword?"

"I told you didn't I? Don't let somebody touch your sword. I ruined the edge with my devil fruit ability when he slashed me the first time. I have no doubt there are other devil fruit that can sunder weapons as well, so you should be mindful of that. Wouldn't want those pretty swords you got there to get ruined, would you?" She answered.

He figured that was a good point and made a note to be mindful in the future. His swords could not be easily replaced after all.

...

Luffy struggled to climb up the side of the mountain while Cabernet followed behind him, carrying Nami and Sanji respectively.

Wapol's group had caught up to them beforehand, but the Lapins blocked them as thanks for Cabernet digging them out of the snow. "You're too cute to die, silly!" She told them.

Hailstones smashed against the rock wall, threatening to hit them, but they had little choice but to press onwards and hope they wouldn't get hit.

Cabernet had to remove her flames to carry Sanji safely, so her body had lost its source of heat and had become more vulnerable.

After a few close calls, they barely managed to reach the top of the mountain. Luffy collapsed, unable to go any further, so it was up to Cabernet to carry all three the rest of the way. She dragged them along the final stretch and into the castle.

The castle was completely frozen over, even on the inside.

"W-what are you doing here, you bastard?!" A voice shouted.

Cabernet looked over to the source and saw a tiny creature with a hat over its antlers. It was attempting to peek around a corner, but the majority of its body was clearly visible.

"Are you Doctor Kureha? You're so CUTE! I mean, ahem, my friends need help." She gestured to the unconscious Luffy, Nami, and Sanji, desperately trying to keep a serious face.

The small reindeer, Chopper, was terrified of this monstrous woman, but his instincts as a doctor got the better of him. "I-I'll help them, but... YOU have to back away! Don't get too close!"

Cabernet backed away, but she looked so hurt by his words that Chopper felt his heart ache at his own cruelty. How could he treat someone like a monster after he himself had been on the receiving end of that kind of treatment? "Y-you can help me carry them inside, but I'm watching y-you..."

Cabernet was elated that the cute creature didn't seem to hate her, and started to help him carry the others into the warmer parts of the castle.


Load failed, please RETRY

バッチアンロック

目次

表示オプション

バックグラウンド

フォント

大きさ

章のコメント

レビューを書く 読み取りステータス: C37
投稿に失敗します。もう一度やり直してください
  • テキストの品質
  • アップデートの安定性
  • ストーリー展開
  • キャラクターデザイン
  • 世界の背景

合計スコア 0.0

レビューが正常に投稿されました! レビューをもっと読む
パワーストーンで投票する
Rank 200+ パワーランキング
Stone 23 推薦チケット
不適切なコンテンツを報告する
error ヒント

不正使用を報告

段落のコメント

ログイン

tip 段落コメント

段落コメント機能がWebに登場!任意の段落の上にマウスを移動し、アイコンをクリックしてコメントを追加します。

また、[設定]でいつでもオフ/オンにすることができます。

手に入れました