I just remembered that the fourth season of Love, Death & Robots is out; it's on Netflix, ready for you to watch. One of the best series I've ever seen. If you haven't seen it, I don't know what you're waiting for. Leave this episode where it is; it won't escape you. Go to Netflix and watch the entire series, and then reread the episode.
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I, the magnificent, the wonderful, the magnanimous, the glorious, the most handsome, the most beautiful, the... I can no longer think of any adjectives synonymous with these words to describe myself. But the important thing is that, as someone like me, I'm now locked inside a cage, unable to do anything.
Isis: "Any ideas?"
Arthur: "We could say it wasn't us, but someone impersonating us."
Juzo: "They won't believe it, and if it were, they'd probably come after you."
Trini: "We can't run out of ideas to face our dilemma."
Sulli: "And if we lock ourselves in Marineford, we can ask Garp for shelter."
Trini: "That old man will only take advantage of us; we were better off facing Whitebeard, and it's all your fault." She said, pointing at me.
I'd like to protest, but my mouth is covered. I know this is all my fault, but that's no way to treat a hero. I didn't even kill anyone; all I killed were the ships, if you could even say I killed them. Even the guy I attacked with my sword is right next to me, also locked up, but alive.
They treat me worse than criminals, since at least they have a say.
Juzo: "Maybe if they let me go, they might leave them alone." Juzo was currently chained up, with Nemesis sandwiched between the chains; that way, he'd be weakened the whole time. Honestly, if Juzo hadn't gotten so overconfident and been so quick to take him down, he probably wouldn't have been able to defeat him. But that's not important, since the reality is that I did defeat him, period. No one's going to take that achievement away from me.
Trini: "Keeping you locked up here is the only thing keeping them from bombing us or launching an attack and destroying us as soon as we meet."
Sulli: "Besides, you said maybe, so there's no guarantee that what you said will come true; it's a mere possibility."
Trini snapped her fingers, making everyone look at her.
Trini: "Even if I don't like this, I think we'll have to listen to what he says, since we have no idea what to do or how to deal with it, even if it's just listening. So take the muzzle off so he can talk."
Arthur nodded. He approached me and touched the plate in my mouth, then transformed it into a steel bar.
Everyone stared at me, waiting for me to say something, but I didn't. And so a good while passed; as time passed, I saw Trini becoming more irritated by the situation.
Trini: "So... are you going to say something or something? I know you have something in mind to deal with this problem." It's true, I have something in mind that might work, but there it is, it might.
Dante: "You cover my mouth so I don't talk, but now you're asking me to do the opposite. What mood swings are you having? Are you on your period?"
Trini took a stick with a steel edge and started shoving it very hard into various parts of my body.
Isis: "Stop it, this isn't working." She turns to me. "Tell me, Dante, do you have anything that might work so we can resolve all of this?"
Dante: "I have something that might work, but you'll have to get me out of here."
*In Moby Dick*
Third-Person POV
Marco: "Father, we're almost at the place where Juzo's battalion fought the other pirates."
Thatch: "Does anyone know who they were?"
Whitey Bay: "According to what I heard, it was the Frenzy Pirates, but that doesn't matter now, does it?"
Barry: "Yeah, the important thing is rescuing Commander Juzo."
Whitebeard is there, listening to his sons discuss what they were going to do. He didn't take the situation too seriously, since he knew Juzo would be fine. That's why only Marco and Thatch, the commander, and a few members of their battalion came.
Marco: "It seems they didn't go that far." He was using his Haki to sense the nearest presences.
Thatch: "It seems they're on that island nearby..." He couldn't finish the word as he saw something that surprised him a little.
Not everyone was good at Observation Haki, so they used binoculars to see what was going on.
There, at the edge of the island, on a cliff, you can see the members of the heroes: Trinity, Arthur, Sullivan, and Isis. Further ahead was Juzo, still chained, and beside him was Dante.
But what was most surprising was what Dante was doing. He was raising a flag from one side to the other. Another detail was that the flag was white. Finally, if you tried to lip-read, you could understand what he was saying. "We surrender."
This was the most surprising thing for Whitebeard's crew, as they expected a battle against the group of heroes and potential allies. But it was just them and surrendering, something they hadn't expected.
From his seat, Whitebeard looked a little irritated as he sipped his alcohol.
*Transition moment*
Dante's POV
Right now, we're standing in front of some of Whitebeard's crew members. I have to admit, I'm pretty nervous. I recognized some faces, like Marco the Phoenix or Teach himself; in the future, he'll be the sinister Blackbeard. The rest, I have no idea; just pure NPCs. But they must be the ones on the hardest difficulty.
If a fight starts now, we'll most likely be slaughtered. So, as the leader and the one who caused this situation, I have to face the consequences.
Dante: "First of all, I want to apologize for the situation, since I attacked without thinking and seeing that they were his crew members."
Marco: "If you're so sorry, why did you release Juzo to us?"
Dante: "To guarantee that they won't do anything to us, after all, it doesn't change the fact that he'll harm Whitebeard's crew, so we can come to an agreement."
Thatch: "And what could that deal be?"
Dante: "I'll release Juzo in exchange for them not doing anything to my companions."
???: "So you don't count in that deal." A deep voice came from the Moby Dick, only to see a large figure jump out and land in front of Dante.
A great deal of wind and dust spread through the room. I felt the emotions of my companions. It was anxiety and anguish. In front of me was a giant man; he wore a pirate hat, with long blond hair, with a few gray hairs visible. In his hand, he held a naginata that perhaps only he could hold.
Dante: "If I don't count in that deal, they can do whatever they want to me in exchange for my companions being left unharmed."
Trini: "Dante, do you..." I didn't let her finish; I only had to look at her so she knew what I was doing and would remain silent.
Whitebeard: "Do you think that's how you can get away with it and be free of what happened?"
Dante: "I do." I said without hesitation, looking him in the eyes. He gave me a satisfied smile.
Whitebeard: "Fine, I accept your deal."
Marco: "But, Father."
Whitebeard: "I'm not finished yet." He said sharply. "Then join my crew." I stared at him for a moment.
Dante: "No," he said curtly. The room was filled with silence and disbelief. "I said you could do anything you want to me, not that I would listen to anything you say."
Again, silence. No one expected him to speak like that to the strongest man in the world.
Whitebeard: "Gurararararara." He started laughing, no idea why. "I admit it, brat, I like you, and you have courage. I'd let you go, but it wouldn't make me look good if I left and didn't do anything to you in return. The others would laugh at Whitebeard's pirates."
Dante: "So what are we going to do?"
Whitebeard: "Easy. If you can satisfy me in a fight, I'll let you go without any repercussions, okay?"
Dante: "Sounds good to me, Trini, Sulli, let Juzo go. There's no point in him staying chained up."
The two of them listened to me and let Juzo go.
Dante: "And you'd better move aside, since there's no telling what destruction will happen in this fight." I said as I watched Barbabkanca charge toward me with his Murakumogiri.
Trini: "I think it's the best idea so far," she said as she took off and hid with the others in the farthest part of the island.
Seeing my companions retreat, I couldn't dodge the naginata's blow in time, so I had to block it with the Fusion Sword.
I felt like the weight of 10,000 elephants collided with my sword; maybe I'm exaggerating, but that's what I felt.
From the impact, I was thrown from my position along with a piece of earth and other debris around me, only to fall almost halfway across the island. An island not very big, but not small either.
Dante: "That's what happened to me for not using Haki," I said, as it felt like the bones in my arm had almost burst. "I expected nothing less from the strongest man in the world. Neither do we have Haki, and he left me like that." At least the sword is still intact.
My spider-senses told me something was coming. I looked up at the sky only to see Whitebeard falling from the sky, his naginata ready for a vertical slash, the weapon having an almost invisible ring around it.
Dante: "Shit," I thought when I saw that.
Using Soru, I dodged the attack, but the shockwave still hit me. I saw the place where the weapon fell crack the air, as if it were breaking.
Whitebeard: "Why are you running away? This is a battle; he'll never be satisfied like this."
He's right. If I keep running away, I'll achieve nothing. All I can do is use 120% of my power.
Dante: "Okay, you asked for it, man; just don't regret it later." I said to give myself words of courage, since I didn't know if I'd survive this battle.
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A bit short, but I don't have much time; I hope the next chapter is longer.