While Arch, Alonso and Kaf were capturing Lawless Tigria had been quiet for the most part. 'Seeing these soldiers get stronger and stronger everyday has really lit a fire within me!' Apollo thought a grin emerging on his face.
Although Apollo had now become general that didn't mean he slacked on his physical training, it just meant he diverted more of his time towards training his leadership skills. 'My brother entrusted me with this position so I should do my job properly.' Apollo pondered before moving towards a special area in the Training Camp.
Opening the door, Apollo witnessed around 20 strong capable soldiers, struggling to combat some scantily clad women. No matter how many times Apollo had seen this his shock hadn't reduced one bit.
Less than 5 minutes later the soldiers were defeated, the women seeming to have barely broken a sweat. "Oh Sir Apollo, are you here to train again?" One of the women asked approaching the giant of a man, well a giant in terms of normal standards.
"Of course, since my brother has learnt haki then naturally I will do so as will." Apollo grinned before taking off his heavy armour. He normally wore this where ever he went so during combat he wouldn't feel impeded but while training his haki the extra defence was a hidrance rather than an advantage.
Apollo's opponent was a quite tall blonde woman, who looked to be nearly 30 years old, she was one of the strongest Kuja tribeswomen in the Exchange program and had been Apollo's sparring partner for nearly a month now.
A fierce battle soon ensued. Punch after punch, blow after blow, whenever one of the woman's attacks landed on Apollo he'd feel a pain deep in his bones but this didn't deter him one bit, in fact it made him even more excited.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Attack after attack landed, while Apollo could barely retaliate. Eventually a punch shot towards Apollo's face which he managed to parry just as it was about to hit his nose. Seeing this as an opening Apollo then punched forward with all his strength hitting the woman square on the abdomen forcing her to take a few steps back.
"Not bad." She muttered before the battle continued, it was obvious that Apollo was at a disadvantage. After the constant beating the spar came to a close Apollo bruised all over. The man then fell onto his butt, breathing out heavily from the intense clash.
"I think I can feel the wall Arch spoke of." Apollo muttered as he opened and closed his hand. Haki was truly mysterious, from what Apollo knew of it it was simply a mysterious armour that was made up of the user's spiritual energy but that concept in and of itself was weird for Apollo.
'All I know, and all I've ever known is hard work brings about results. There's only 4 things which I could never beat with hard work, those being Arthur's will, Arch's talent, 4th's intellect, and Achilles' stubbornness. That last one is painful, after all I was meant to be the stubborn sibling.' Apollo chuckled before rising from his seated position.
He then put on his armour and left the Kuja tribeswomen, just because he was beaten up a bit didn't mean he could slack off. The day continued as usual for Apollo, he overlooked the army's training, sparred with some of the soldiers, and eventually had to do his military strategy training with George.
Like that Apollo's day came to a close. "Haa, the night is truly peaceful but I always yearn for the sun." Apollo sighed, even he would get tired after such a long day. A few seconds later Apollo went to sleep blissfully as the lights throughout Tigria turned off.
"DING! DING! DING!!"
A bell was sounded off extremely loudly. With a jolt Apollo's eyes exploded open. "PIRATES!!!" People cried as lights around Tigria turned on once again. Or so it seemed.
"The southern port!" Apollo said in shock before grabbing the sword at the side of his bed, luckily he always had the rule of being decently dressed while sleeping so he could run out at any moment.
'There's no time for my armour!' Apollo thought before jumping out the window of his room. It was extreme but it was efficient.
"THUD!"
Apollo landed on the road before rushing towards the port. His residence had been moved from the Palace ever since he became general, if not for that Apollo would have had no way of knowing about the pirate attack at least no until the alarms deeper into the country were rung.
Rushing through the streets, Apollo finally reached the southern border town 5 minutes later. The town was being burnt to a crisp as the soldiers stationed at the town hurriedly evacuated the civilians while trying to fight off the pirates.
Continuing to charge through the streets, Apollo had passed by many fleeing civilians, the fear of death clearly present in their eyes. In a few seconds Apollo had made it to the edge of the town where more than a 100 pirates were clashing with the soldiers of Tigria.
Corpses littered the ground, the battle raging on, as despair flashed in the eyes of the soldiers. They knew reinforcements would arrive soon, so they strived to hold on until then. "KAIZOKU!" Apollo screamed charging into the fray.
"GENERAL APOLLO HAS ARRIVED!"
They screamed, feeling reinvigorated as they continued the battle but just as everyone's passions ran high, a sudden chill descended on the area. An average sized man with a blue saber charged out of the crowd of pirates slaying at least 3 soldiers in one attack.
"Haha, you're all dead now that Captain Frost Saber has appeared!" One of the pirates chuckled, when a sword suddenly lopped off his head. "MEN NO MERCY!" Apollo commanded slashing through the opposing pirates.
The battlefield began to shift as pirates broke through the defensive line soldiers were forced to run after them so they wouldn't harm the civilians while the pirates began to use the corpses of some of the dead soldiers as shields.
It was clear that as time passed the pirates had the upper hand, but Apollo didn't falter, swing after swing brought him closer and closer to the pirates' ship, once he was there he would hold all the cards.
Just as he reached the edge of the pirates' defensive line, a saber slashed towards him as a chill spread throughout his body.
"CLANG!"
Apollo's sword clashed with frosty saber pushing him back a few steps. Before Apollo had any time to recover, the saber slashed towards him again, and again, and again. Step after step Apollo took back made his heart wrench further and further.
'I refuse! I won't be the weakest of the family!' Apollo raged, as the next saber slashed towards him.
"Schink!"
The saber slashed into his side, Apollo felt his insides begin to freeze but his objective had been completed. With the saber stuck inside him Apollo stabbed his sword forward towards the captain. Frost Saber was alarmed to say the least, immediately retreating after witnessing the attack.
Apollo then grabbed the saber out of his side and pulled it out before throwing it into the ocean. "M-MY SABER!" Frost Saber raged, but Apollo didn't care, charging towards the man his sword shot towards him.
This time Frost Saber was put on the defensive, as he continued to retreat, but this wasn't true for the rest of the soldiers. Although the reinforcements were minutes away the pirates had already finished their looting and were retreating back to their ship.
"Heh, seems like we've won." Frost Saber chuckled, he could always come back to this weak Kingdom another time to retrieve his Saber. "Who decided that!?" Apollo replied before dashing away from Frost Saber.
Seeing this Frost Saber sighed with relief before rushing towards his ship, the pirates' job here was done. On the other side Apollo had grabbed a torch before charging towards the pirate ship torch in hand.
"What the fuck is this oaf doing is he crazy?!" The pirates said in shock as Apollo continued his charge. Slash after slash, Apollo approached closer and closer his blade stained with blood. At this point less than half the pirates had boarded their ship with various barrels and treasures they had stolen.
Finally Apollo had reached their ship, when four bangs resounded. As the bullets hurtled towards Apollo the man simply shielded himself with his sword before pushing his way through to the ship. "And what are you going to do now oaf?" One of the pirates asked, Apollo was completely surrounded. Without a word Apollo slashed his sword uncaring about the incoming attacks.
"SCHINK! SCHINK! SCHINK!"
"PUCHI!"
Apollo had been cut at various point on his body, but he had also managed to behead a pirate holding onto a barrel. With the torch in hand Apollo stabbed it into the barrel before letting go, and jumping away as far as he could.
"I guess you idiots never bothered to check what you were carrying!" Apollo snarled his sword defending his front. "Wha-"
"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"
Explosions resounded on the pirate ship the barreling exploding in an instant as the pirates were blown away dead.
"REINFORCEMENTS HAVE ARRIVED!" The soldiers screamed as more of their comrades had flooded in, the pirates had no way to escape now.
Apollo on the other hand was barely hanging onto his life as he floated on the surface of the water. "H-aha, did I succeed?" Apollo asked, but there was no one around him to answer his sword was blown away after the impact but it had done its job of protecting him.
"I must be the most reckless of us 5." Apollo chuckled his eyes beginning to close. "Gen...... ollo....... ickly."