Adventures in the Orange Town

Part 1 - Arriving in Orange Town

"Tsarna-san, we are arriving on the island, where Orange town is located", Anna said looking towards a small green dot.
"Orange Town - the villagers are mostly farmers, who make their living by trading with travelers. Did you know, that there is a pet store located on the island, where many pet companions are being sold to different people, but they cost a lot, I have heard. But in the end - it is a peaceful country!", Mazo added.
Anna and Mazo both wondered, what is our business on this island - there isn't anything particularly interesting to do there.
"Well, my friends, as a Schichibukai I must take some orders from the Government. I don't like it at all, but if everything goes according my plan, this position will get me closer to the Gorousei. They want us to investigate some crimes, where people go missing, on the island. It seems that something is going on here and our task is to gather information about the disappearances of villagers in Orange Town," Tsarna told Mazo and Anna.
"Hmph - this is easy. Why we have to do that? You just go into the town, say that you are a Schichibukai and the villagers will tell you all they know. Easy-peasy. Why must we always do the small tasks? Can't we just blow something up?!"
"I got your point, but it won't be that easy. There are still wounds, which haven't recovered after the "Emeral Eye" pirates went berserk on the island. And now - a pirate coming and asking questions...We will see how it goes..."

Zarna D. Phoenix, Anna and Mazo arrived in Orange Town - it definitely looked like a small idyllic place: a small town, where everybody knows each other, no crimes and friendly, peace-loving people. So it seemed on the outside... But that town had a dark secret, which Tsarna and his friends came to investigate.
"I think the best way to gather some information is to split up: Mazo and Anna, you both go to the market place and ask around there, but please, specially Anna, don't do it violently. As you both know, we are "friends" with the Government for now...so let us be friendly and smile..Hahaha"
"Don't worry, Tsarna. I will keep my eyes on Anna"
"You are keeping your eyes on me all the time, Mazo. I think you are just a perv..."
"Wha-?! I'm not! You are not ... my type ... anyways, even..." Mazo mumbled mostly to himself.
"Hahahahhahahaha - just K-I-D-D-I-N-G! Tsarna, what are you going to do, when we are playing a married couple with Mazo on the market place?"
"Hahaha..I'm going to drink some beer"
"Tsarna. You are seriously the one pirate in this whole World, who doesn't drink any alcohol..."
"Yeah, but ... whatever. I will gather information in the local bar, because only I can do some serious work in the bar. EXACTLY for that reason, that I don't drink"
"That's true. I would drink all of those people inside the bar under the table. And then they can't give us any information"
Mazo and Anna went to the market place and Tsarna made his way to the bar.


Meanwhile somewhere on the island...
"Boss, I got some information, that the Schichibukai Zarna D. Phoenix arrived on the island"
"Hmmmm - a Schichibukai? Aren't they the dogs of the Government?"
"What will we do about it?"
"Relax, you idiot. Firstly - they don't know anything about us. Secondly - we don't know why they are here for. Maybe they are just taking a vacation. But just to be sure. Summon Ao - I have a new task for him!"
...
"You summoned me, Zuko-san!"
"There is a Schichibukai on the island. I want you to spy on him and report to me, what he does and why he is on the island. If he puts his nose into our things, we must get rid off him. Get to it right away!"
Ao understood his task and left the hideout to make his way into the town, so he could begin his task.
"Report to Captain Mao, that we have some visitors on the island - he might be probably be interested in this kind of information"
"All right - I'm going to send the report right now!"

Somewhere on the Grand Line...
"Captain Mao - we got a report from Orange Town! The base there reports that the Schichibukai Zarna D. Phoenix arrived on the island!"
"Hmph..a loose dog of the Government. This is most interesting. Tell them to keep me updated about the situation over there. As you know, we have a very lucrative business going on over there and it would be a big shame, if anything happens to it"
"Understood, Captain! I will immediately report back to them to keep us updated!"


Back in Orange Town - On the market place...
"They just won't give us any information, stupid villagers!"
"Well, it is kinda complicated, but we just should keep on asking them...when you think about it, Anna, it isn't any big wonder that they don't trust us outsiders, because of their history..."
"Hmph! Come on, Mazo! We are HERE to HELP! We actually want to catch these criminal assholes, who are kidnapping the villagers. This is so stupid!!!"
"Anna, just relax. Let us just keep on asking ... maybe Tsarna has more luck in the bar. Drunk people are more talkative, I guess...Right, Anna?"
"What are you getting at by saying that, Mazo-KUN?!"
"Nothing, nothing..."

In the bar...
"You aren't from here, so you just wouldn't understand, what we got through at that time! And even when you are with the Government, it doesn't matter, because the Government didn't came to our help, when those bloody pirates were raiding our town, killing the villagers and looting everything! Everyone lost someone dear to him during that time. We are not trusting ANYONE, so get lost, you bloody pirate!"
"Aren't you just lying to yourself, sir? I understand, that you had a terrible past, but it doesn't have to do anything with me, does it? I can't speak for the Government and honestly, I even don't want to! Sir, I totally agree with you, that the Government was acting wrong not to come to your aid and help you all, when you needed it most! But aren't you having a problem right now? I'm here now! You still are losing people, who are dear to you, but you won't help me to get rid of the people, who are behind the kidnappings, because you are stuck in the past holding a grudge against anyone, who isn't from the island. Your blind rage doesn't let you see clearly now. I wholeheartly want to help the villagers, but I can't do that, unless you give me some vital information according to those disappearances. In the end, I have no right to judge you, but I still think, that you are making the wrong decision and by making it, everybody in town is going to suffer until there is no one left to suffer, because those criminals, whoever they are, won't stop until there is noone left to kidnap!"
"We don't need your help, pirate scum! Just get lost!"
Tsarna stood up and looked straight into the eyes of the barkeeper, he saw only anger and contempt reflecting from his eyes. But not everybody was left untouched by the speech which Tsarna gave - the barkeepers daughter, Sofia, heard it and she thought, that maybe Tsarna is someone who she can trust.

Tsarna had no choice other than leave the inn and hope, that Anna and Mazo had more luck on gathering information. He moved out from the bar and started to walk towards the market place to meet up with the others, but then suddenly heard a timid voice behind him..
"Excuse me, sir. Can I ... talk to you for a second?"
Tsarna turned around and saw a young girl standing, eyes looking on the ground. She was probably pretty scared to talk to a stranger. Then she continued...
"Can you bring back my mother, sir?"
Tsarna thought about the situation - she was probably the daughter of the barkeeper and heard his conversation with her father. She continues...
"I'm sorry, that my father was so rude, but the grown-ups here don't like outsiders because what all has happened here in the past. But I don't care about that - I just want someone to help my mother. Can You help her?"
Tsarna was looking at that young girl and understood the situation, he was thinking about his own mother for a second and then said: "I don't know, but if I will get any information about the kidnappers of your mother, I might have a chance to help not only her, but all the other people, who have disappeared, too"

The young girl looked at Tsarna, seeing that he was telling the truth and knowing, that he didn't lie about wanting to help all of the people. There was this 20-second long silence, then she started to tell, what she has seen - "One night I was not sleeping well, so I heard some strange noises outside the bar. It was spooky, but I wanted to see, where the noise is coming from. I saw two shadows disappearing into the forrest near my fathers bar. I was immediately thinking, that those people were up to no good, so I have been staying up more and have seen those same people roaming around the village more than once. It is very strange, because the villagers won't act like that. Then one night, I saw that three persons were dragging something large into the woods. The next day one of the grown-ups was missing again. I honestly think, that this grown-up was..."
Then suddenly a loud voice was interrupting the story of the girl...
"Sofia! What are you doing with the stranger there! Come here right now!" his father, the barkeeper, yelled.
Sofia looked at me for a second, smiled and turned around to walk towards her father.
"What a brave girl!" Tsarna thought. He turned around and thought about the information, which Sofia gave to him - could this information be linked to the disappearances or not: well, he didn't have anything else, so Sofia's story was worth investigating.

Near the market place...
Tsarna met up with Mazo and Anna.
"Did you both got any information about the kidnappings?"
"No, nothing at all! These people just don't trust anyone not native!"
"They are so stupid! I would like to beat some of them up and extract the information. Can I, Tsarna-saaaan, pleaseee??"
"Well, this could be a option. A option, which would make us kinda unpopular. So, let us stay "popular" for now, Anna? And besides, I think I might have some information"
Tsarna told the others Sofia's story and they agreed on investigate at night in the woods near the village, so that they maybe find some clues there. So, when it got dark, the three of them made their way into the forrest. Tsarna hoped that maybe they could spot some strangers moving around and spy on them. It even didn't take much time, until they saw two people, who appeared to be two strong-built men, walking suspiciously in the forrest. Tsarna, Anna and Mazo were tracing them, holding a safe distance, until those two people came to a meadow and the moonlight revealed two men wearing normal clothes, but both had something similar on them - a tattoo on the right shoulder, which Tsarna recognised.
"Hmmm, it's clear now. So they didn't left...Well, not all of them at least..."
"Who didn't left?"
"Let's call the chase off now and get back to the inn"
"Why?!?! Let's just catch those bastards, beat them up and then get some information, who they are, and so on. I just wan't some action, NOW!"
"No, Anna. We can't do that now. There is more to it. Did you both see the tattoos on them? This tattoo is the crew tattoo of the "Emeral Eye" Pirates!"
"The same pirate crew, who went berserk here on the island? Didn't they leave a year ago??"
"Well, appearantly not all of them. Some of them were probably left behind. It stinks to high-heaven...They are not up to no good! As you know, their captain, Mao "The Serpent" Lukong, has a bounty of 250 000 000 beli - he didn't get that bounty for nothing. He has his dirty fingers in anything, which is illegal. We must think carefully about our next move"

Tsarna, Mazo and Anna agreed to back off for now and report to the Government about their findings, so they started to walk back to the village...
"Hmmm - so they found out about us. This must be immediately reported to Zuko! I must probably get rid off those three troublemakers" Ao thinked to himself, hiding near the bushes, where the three were spying on the two men. Ao made his way back to their base and when he arrived there, he reported everything, what he saw and heard to Zuko.
"Well, well - so those dogs know that we are the Emeral Eye pirates. Then we must deal with them swiftly! Ao, take Tao and Yao with you and assassinate those three immediatly. It would be bad for our business, when they report back to the Marines, so you must get rid off them before the sun shines in the sky!"
"Yes, Zuko-san! Consider it done!"
Ao, Yao and Tao started to make their way to the inn to get rid off the investigators...


End of Part 1

Part 2 - Don't get assassinated, please?!

Tsarna and the others arrived in the inn, got into their room to talk about constructing a carefully designed plan, how to go on with capturing the kidnappers/pirates. The last known information about the "Emerald Eye" pirates originates from the Grand Line, so those criminals, who are still on the island, are probably for the most part normal recruits, but still - there has to be someone higher in charge of them.
"I think we should first find out, who is in charge here and after the findings, we should make decissions regarding the capture of those pirates"
"I agree, Mazo. Maybe we can handle them ourselves, but maybe we could do better with a little assistance from the Marines"
They agreed on trying to infiltrate the hideout of the pirates next night and find out who their leader is and then make further plans according to what they find out. Anna was kinda quiet all this time - this was a bit weird for Tsarna and Mazo to see, because she always was very talkative, when it came to planing something, instead she was looking a lot out of the window and writing something on a piece of paper. She put that on the table in front of us and the others looked, what she has written there:

"Hey, dummies. We are being watched, probably. I saw some shadows lingering outside our window. Did those suckers already found out about us - how the hell is that even possible?! What is our next move according to that information?"

They all kept chatting at the same time when reading Annas note, so that the creeps outside wouldn't think, that they might have been spotted. Mazo wrote:

"We should go to "sleep" and if they start something funny, we can confront them - I think that's how we could catch them, if something in fact is spying on us already. It kinda works for us - we could interrogate them and find out who their leader is + any other information, what we need to know for constructing a plan. This is a brilliant chance, so let us grab it!"

Tsarna said after reading Mazo's note "All right, enough planing for today. Let us go to sleep now, we can continue in the morning" and they all went to their beds and acted to fall asleep.


Ao, Yao and Tao were lingering outside. They saw and heard anything, what the three inside were talking about, but they didn't knew that they actually were spotted already. As Tsarna and the others went to sleep inside, they saw that as a chance to get rid of those "investigators". They quietly opened the window and one by one climbed inside the room through the open window. Each of them walked to one of the sleeping people, so they could coordinate their killing moves at the same time. They slowly took out their poison-daggers to slit Tsarnas and his companions throats. As soon as the daggers were out and they were ready to strike, the tree deeply and soundly "sleeping" people opened their eyes and surprised the assassins - their cover was blown, so they decided to scatter. Ao and Tao were fast enough to jump outside from the window, but Anna was fast enough so that Yao's escape route was cut off. "At least - some ACTION" she shouted and was ready to fight him. At the same time Tsarna and Mazo jumped out of the window to catch the assassins. They catched up to them behind the inn near the woods...

Still inside the inn's room, Anna started to fight with Yao. She already knew, that the dagger was probably poisoned, so she has to avoid all the attacks. Yao was not starting an attack, instead he was holding a distance, waiting for Anna to make the first move, so he could have a chance to wound her, which will lead to her death. But he did have one problem with that - Anna was known for using pistols/guns, when she was fighting. As he saw that Anna was taking out her pistol, he immediately leaped forwards to strike her, but she used the surrounding objects and kicked a chair towards the assailant - he didn't saw that coming and got hit in the legs by the flying chair and fell to the floor. He was on his feet a couple of seconds later, but it was still too late for him. "Stay put, asshole! Or you won't see the sun ever again!" Anna shouted. Yao had nothing to lose, so he tried his luck to make a run for it, but Anna was a good marksman, so a shot rang out and Yao ended up on the floor, blood covering his body and the floor near him - "What a waste of a bullet. Such a stupid move! I hope the others have more luck capturing one idiot alive"

The shot was also heard from Tsarna and Mazo behind the inn. "Anna took that one down for good. This is bad for the plan, because we need one to talk, so we can get the information about their leader and hideout, what we need!" Tao and Ao understood the situation well and that they can't just get away, so their only way is to fight. They started to build up their duo attack against Tsarna, using their swift movements and speed. Tsarna stayed still and took out his sword - he was waiting for their attack, so he can counter it. Ao and Tao were only meters away from Tsarna, when Tao suddenly saw Mazo next to him - Mazo used his right foot to kick him, Tao didn't have any time to respond with a counter-attack, so he stopped his run and jumped back. Ao was still continuing his attack to wound Tsarna with the poisoned dagger, so he would die in agony. Ao was max. one meter away from Tsarna and was ready to strike, but Tsarna suddenly used his drawn-out sword to block Ao's swift dagger strike. This fast movement came as a surprise to Ao, so he jumped five steps back and waited for Tsarnas attack.

Mazo blocked the dagger with his gauntlet and used his other hand to hit Tao in the stomach. This hit was precise and under the ripcage - Tao broke free from Mazo, but immediately fell to his knees and coughed up some blood. Tao tried to stand up, but it was no good, he couldn't, because the hit injured some of his muscles pretty bad. Mazo was ready to kick him unconscious, but Ao suddenly appeared behind Tao and used his dagger to stab him in the back - "Can't leave you alive, because you probably will reveal our hideout and our boss - DIE, you weakling!" Tao lost consciousness and fell to the ground face down, blood slowly covering the ground near him.

Ao was ready to strike Mazo - he was running towards him, but Mazo was also to kick Ao to the ground, but in the middle of Mazo's attack, Ao used his swift move known as "Sushu", which helped him to avoid Mazo's right punch and opened a opportunity to strike Mazo with his dagger and wound him. He used his dagger to hit Mazo, but he tried to avoid the attack using his skills, but sadly, it didn't help him completely: Mazo got wounded, it was a small wound on his leg, but sadly this was enough for the poison to take effect. Ao laughed: "Hahhahhahaha - well ,that is what is needed to kill one of you dogs!" Mazo felt the poison spreading and a weakness coming over him, so he couldn't move at all. Ao started to make his move to finish him off, but in the middle of his attack, he saw Tsarna jump between him and Mazo, so Ao stopped his attack. Tsarna looked at Mazo and said: "I'm sorry, my friend. He used a smoke bomb, so I couldn't see anything. Don't worry, I will beat him up right away! Anna and I will get you cured, I promise that, my friend!" Mazo replied: "Ughhhh....i-i-it o-okay.....Remember---y-you nee ... info ... don ... kill...." and he fell to the ground losing his consciousness. Tsarna looked at his friend, who was lying there and then at Ao, he said: "You gonna pay for what you have done. Using your smoke bomb took me by surprise, but I promise you one thing - YOU WILL DEFINITELY END UP ON THE GROUND, COUGHING UP BLOOD FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO MAZO!"

Ao just laughed and leaped towards me, using his agility and speed to make his movements unpredictable. Tsarna was just standing still, concentrating to foresee Ao's moves. Ao was almost five meters away, when Tsarna draw out his sword, took two fast steps towards Ao, surprising him with his swift movement, stopped moving 1,5-2 meters in front of Ao, looked in his eyes and used his Fenikkiru Sword Style - "Fenisanshin!" Ao did avoid the first strike, but there were two more coming his way, which he couldn't avoid: one hit him on his right shoulder, the second one left side of his stomach. He fell to the ground, spitting out blood. He wanted to stand up again, but couldn't move, he was partially paralyzed by the attack. "I must sacrifice myself! It's a shame it did come to this..." Ao took the dagger, which was lying beside him on his left hand, so he could use it to cut himself. As he was ready to poison himself, Tsarna kicked the dagger out of his hand and said "It would make me happy to see how you would take your own life, but we need some information from you, before you get what you are graving for!"

A moment later Anna met with Tsarna behind the inn and saw Mazo gaping for air. She was totally shocked and ran to Mazo. Tsarna told her what had happened and that she should carry Mazo inside the inn, while he would take care of Ao. Tsarna dragged him to the inn, to the cellar of the inn, used some clothing, what he found around there to tie him up and went to his room, where Anna has put Mazo in a bed.
"WHAT SHOULD WE DO ABOUT THAT?! HE IS GOING TO DIE!!!!!"
"Anna - he is strong and he isn't going die. I'm sure they got some kind of antidote for the poison in their hideout. We need to know where the hideout is as soon as possible. There is no time for making a report! Anna, go to the cellar - I tied that assassin up there. Please, find out just two things before you do what you have to do: where is their hideout and who is their leader, okay?"
"Gladly - I will not let you..or Mazo..down! I will have the information as soon as possible!" Then she left.

Tsarna looked at his friend, who was lying on the bed - Mazo was sweating a lot and the breathing went more quiet minute by minute. Tsarna went quickly out of the room and woke up the innkeeper to ask about someone with medical knowledge to have a look at Mazo. He was lucky, because the innkeeper had some basic medical knowledge, so he came and had a look at Mazo. He immediately saw, that the poison is spreading through his body pretty fast and gave him maximum of 12 hours to live, unless some antidote is consumed.

It took Anna like 30 minutes to return to their room. Her face had blood-splitters all over it, and her hands were pretty bloody. Tsarna looked at her and understood, that the assassin has "left the building". Tsarna couldn't care less about that, but he wanted the information, which was needed to help his friend - "Anna, did you get the information what I asked for?"
"First - the hideout is located behind the big stone on the meadow, who we saw those two men hours ago - you have to move the grass a little, so a passage to a underground hideout is revealed. Second - their leader is Zuko, a high-leveled crew member of the Emerald Eye pirates. He has a bounty of 33 000 000 beli on his head. That's all!"
"Thank You, Anna! You the the best, when it comes down to extract information. We have maximum 12 hours to save our friend, so we are going to make our move in a hour, when it starts to get brighter"
Tsarna and Anna made the preparations to raid the underground hideout. Their first objective was to get the antidote for Mazo, but probably they will need to fight against Zuko and his lackeys too.


In the underground hideout...
"Are Ao and the others back yet!?"
"No, Zuko-san. They haven't reported back yet."
"They know, what will happen to them if they disappoint me! They will die a horrible death!! Report to me as soon as they get back. They have taken too much time already, so they gonna be punished!! Understood?!"
"Yes, sir!"


End of Part 2

Part 3 - Get the antidote for Mazo! Quick!

Tsarna and Anna started to move as the first sunlight touched the ground in Orange Town. They moved hastly into the forrest and took the direction of the same meadow, where they saw the two suspicious men - as Ao told Anna, this is where the passage to the "Emerald Eye" pirates hideout is located. As they arrived on the edge of the forrest before the meadow, they saw two pirates standing in the near of a large stone, guarding something.
"That's the place! Let's move, Tsarna-san. We need to get the cure for Mazo as quickly as possible!"
"That's right, Anna! That is why we need to do this mission undercover, which means, that we can't risk the possibility, that Zuko gets the information, that we both have raided their hideout. We just don't have the time to fight him right now - the most important thing is to get the antidote and as you know, every second we waste here figting, increases the possibility, that we can't cure Mazo. As for those two guards standing over there: let us take them out quickly, but we need to do this the silent way, so we don't risk the change, that they alert the others inside the hideout. If that happens, the changes to save Mazo decrease rapidly by every enemy we must face..."
"Don't worry, Tsarna-san. I have already a plan how to do this quickly. There is one thing, which always works on those dirty pirates and that's some sweet-talk."
Tsarna understood right away, what is gonna happen now. They both moved, unseen from the both guards, behind the same large stone, where the guards stood near a large bush. Then Anna made her move - she went in front of the stone, so that the two guards saw her and asked, what she is doing here. Anna said with a sad voice, that she is lost and can't find her way out of the forest and she would be so happy, if the two "gentelman" could explain her, how to get back to the town. She was using her charm so good, that the two guards were so focused on her, that they both didn't notice Tsarna moving behind them from the other side of the stone and he used the handle of his sword to knock one of the guards, who was standing a bit further away from Anna, unconscious. As the other guard was turning around to see, what has happened to his partner, Anna made a swift move to knock him out too. Tsarna and Anna succeeded! Now it was time to move inside the hideout and carry out their objective, but before they did that, they agreed to strip the guards from their clothes and put them on themselves, so they wouldn't be recognised quickly. Now, dressed as the two guards, they moved the large bush a bit to the side and saw the entrance to the hideout on the ground. They opened it and climbed inside.


At the same time in the hideout...
"It is already day and those three bastards haven't returned, have they?!"
"No, Zuko-san. They haven't. But I'm sure, they will arrive shortly!"
"You idiot. They got defeated. They WERE average in assassinated people, but if the opponents discovered them, before they could carry out their mission, then they couldn't stood a chance. That Schichibukai, Zarna D. Phoenix, has a bounty over 200 000 000 beli... ... ...Bring me a den den mushi, I need to contact Captain Mao and ask him what we will do next!"
"Yes, sir!"

The pirate went and brought Zuko a den-den mushi, so he could contact the captain of the "Emerald Eye" pirates...
"Hello, who is that?"
"This is me, Zuko from the Orange Town"
"Yes, Zuko. How is the business there? I've heard, that some government dogs have shown up on the island. Have they been taken care of?"
"Captain Mao-sama. I think, we have a problem. We sent our three assassins to take care of them, but they haven't returned so far. I fear, that they didn't succeed on their mission and got defeated by the enemies. What are your orders, Captain?"
"Hmmmm...this certainly rises the risks of our business on the island. Well, it doesn't matter. Ao was killed, but I believe, that he didn't say anything to those dogs from the government. But just to be sure, I will send Ubuzu to take care of the problem. By the way, how far is our new doctor with the experiments?"
"He hasn't had a breakthrough yet, but he is getting closer and closer. Unfortunately, the subjects are still not dieing as fast as he wants them to die - they still might get a chance to get help to cure the poison. So, our new friend wants them to die instantly! If the poison is ready, it could be of good use to You, Captain-sama! Think about it - if some marines are foolish enough to try to attack You, You just need to use some of those poison bombs and they drop dead in a second!"
"All right - carry on the experiments! I hope, I get good news soon! Don't disappoint me, Zuko!"
"I won't, Captain Mao-sama!"

"So - Ubuzu, the vice-captain himself, is coming to help us out," Zuko thought to himself.

"Ubuzu-san. I need you to go back to Orange Town and give those scum there a hand - they couldn't get rid of that Schichibukai. But your main objective is to get our new friend, the doctor, out there - he might be of use to us."
"What about the others on the island? The Government probably knows about our business there already, because the assassins failed.."
"Well, that's a shame. But those fools over there are to blame for the situation and I want you to make them pay for that. I lost a good income from that island - selling those villagers as slaves. Kill Zuko and all the others there - don't leave anybody alive!"
"Gladly, Mao-kun!"


Back to Tsarna and Anna, who are already searching for the antidote inside the hideout...
Tsarna and Anna searched, but at first it was in vain, because they didn't find any clues about the antidote. Every minute, which ticked the clock further into the day, made them both worry more and more about their friend Mazo. After about 15 minutes, they come across a dark and bleak room with prison cells in it. As they moved further into the room, they noticed, that those cells weren't empty - there were people inside, certainly the kidnapped villagers. Tsarna moved closer to the bars and questioned the prisoners, if they knew, where Tsarna and Anna could find an antidote. There was silence at first, the prisoners only gazed back at Tsarna, their eyes empty and full of those dramatic experiences they had to endure. But then a female prisoner stood up and came closer to Tsarna and told him, that not far from here is the research room, where the prisoners have been taken many times before, so that a doctor can do experiments on them. She told, that many of the villagers didn't return to the cells afterwards. Given the facts, the poisons and antidotes are probably found in this room. Furthermore, she asked with a weak and sad voice, if they could help the prisoners to escape. Tsarna would have helped them instantly, but this was a bit more complicated situation - if he would free the prisoners right now, it will surely alert every pirate in the hideout. It was a dilemma for Tsarna, because he saw the condition many prisoners were in - many of them were seriously injured, some have already passed on, their bodies just rotting there.  Then Anna told the female, that they can't help them right now, but surely will come and help them as soon as possible. Tsarna added, that they need to assist a friend, who has been poisoned, but after they have succeeded doing that, they will come back and help them. Certainly, it wasn't easy for her to understand that, because of all the horrors, what she had to endure, but after some thinking, she agreed.

Tsarna and Anna moved in the direction, where the woman said, the research room is located. Coming closer and closer to their goal, they saw two more guards standing in front of a large door - this was probably the right room. The guards didn't recognise them - they thought that they were just two of them, because of the disguise. They asked, if they came to relieve them from the guarding duty. Tsarna and Anna nodded, but as they saw, that one of them was a woman, they started to become suspicious and asked, when did they arrived here. Tsarna told the guards, that they were new recruits and this is their first task - to guard the research room, betting everything on the information, that the prisoner has given him, that this is the research room. The two guards nodded and left, leaving Tsarna and Anna guard the room, which they wanted to find.
"We need to move fast, Anna. We can't take the change, that those two guards go and ask some other pirates, if there were some new recruits today, because then they find out, that they got lied to. Let's us just find the antidote!"
Anna nodded and they both moved into the research room.

As they both went into the room, the first thing they saw, was a dead body was lying on a table - it was cut open and the organs were taken out, the blood still dropping on the floor, creating a large puddle of blood under the table. On the left side of the room were two more cells, where some people sat and waited for death to come to them. Tsarna moved a bit more into the room and then he saw a large medicine cabinet, where different bottles were. Tsarna moved closer and saw a large black bottle, which had a hand-written label on it - it said "Poison HZ01 Antidote". It was the only one, which said "antidote", so Tsarna took it and turned around. He showed Anna the bottle and they both were ready to start their escape from the hideout, but then suddenly, a voice sounded behind the curtain on the right side of the room. "Who are you two and what you want with that bottle?" A man in a white coat appeared. As soon as his face was seen by Anna, she immediately recognised the man.
"Tsarna, that is "Hidokuta", the insane doctor. He used his patients for forbidden experiments in his home town - many of the people died as a result. So the Marines went to arrest him, but he suddenly disappeared. So, that's where he has been this past months! We can't let him continue his experiments on those poor people here!"
"Agreed, Anna! We must get rid of him or he will go on doing his dirty experiments on the villagers."
"Shololololololo. Two rats came to steal from me! I will put you both to sleep and cut your bodies open, when you both still are alive. I'm getting exciting at the thought of that!!! Sholololololo!"

Tsarna took out his sword and was waiting for Hidokuta to make his move. He didn't have to wait long - Hidokuta took out his two scalpels and made his move. He used his movement, which were a lot faster than Ao's. He moved swiftly, changing his directions on every step - those movements were so hard for Tsarna to follow. He just tried to focus and wait for Hidokuta to attack, so he could repel it and use his attack instead to damnify Hidokuta. Hidokuta used his confusing movements to come closer and closer to Tsarna, so he can use his weapons to cut me down. Anna was standing a bit further away and watched the fight - on her journey with Tsarna she has learned a fact about him: when he fights one vs one, then he doesn't want any assistance. "That's the Way of the Phoenix Sword Style, he always said," she thought. Hidokuta was only a few meters away from Tsarna, but he didn't use his sword to attack, instead Tsarna was just standing still and concentrating on his opponents attack. At least - Hidokuta made his move. He used his left scalpel to attack Tsarnas neck, but Tsarna saw this attack coming and used his sword to block it, but the enemy used his secret move, called "Fasiku" (Fast Strike) and the second attack came barely a second after the first and Tsarna just couldn't defend himself against it and it hit him on the right side of the stomach causing a deep almost 10 centimeters long cut. Tsarna jumped swiftly some steps back, increasing the distance with his enemy. He pressed with his left hand against the cut - it was deep and bleed a lot, but it wasn't fatal. "Shololololo..I'll cut you open like the countless worthless villagers!" Hidokuta laughed and started to make his second attack. He used his "Sushu" move to make his movements confusing and hard to predict. Tsarna held his sword on his right hand and was concentrating on the enemies upcoming attack. Hidokuta was a few meters away from Tsarna, when suddenly a shot rang out. The next moment Hidokuta landed on the ground, bleeding heavily from the backside of his head. Anna used his sniper skills to kill that insane doctor. Tsarna looked at Anna and started to say something, but he couldn't open his mouth, when Anna said: "Yeah-yeah, I know. Your honor and stuff. This fight would have taken too long, seriously! You were just standing there like a rock, Tsarna-san. And as you know, we are in a hurry. We need to cure Mazo! And it will take too long for me to drag your half-beaten ass out of here...". Tsarna replied: "Anna - you sure can shot accurately, with your pistol...and your mouth. Hahaha! I can't do nothing about my style, it takes some concentration in order to use my attacks correctly. But thank you, we sure need to hurry and that was the fastest way to get rid of that "Angel of Death"."

Tsarna and Anna used the same way to get back outside. The first part of the mission was a success - they got the antidote. Now they needed to make it quickly back to the inn and give Mazo the antidote and hope it will help him get better. So they were running towards the town...


Meanwhile in the hideout...
"ZUKO-SAN!!!!!! It's terrible! The doctor, Hidokuta....he is...he is...."
"WHAT ABOUT HIM?!! Tell me now!"
"He is...DEAD!"
"Wha-?!!! What happened?!"
"I don't know. I went to get the daily report about the progress in making the poison. But when I got into the research room, Hidokuta was lying there in his own blood. Shot right through the head!"
"Where were the GUARDS?!"
"There were none!"

Zuko ordered the pirate to get the last guards, who were stationed there. A bit later, he came back with the two guards, who were tricked by Tsarna and Anna. They told Zuko, that two new recruits came to relieve them from duty, so they went to have a beer. Zuko was so mad, that he took out his "Kaito" and the guards couldn't even take a breath, when they already fell to ground, dead. Zuko cut them both down. He was thinking about how disappointed his captain will be, if he will get the news about the incident. "So - that Schichibukai made his move against us. Does he think, that I will just stay here and do nothing about it!!!"  He gave the order for the men to gather in one hour in front of the hideout on the meadow. "The villagers will soon feel the pain, what they felt the time, when we first raided their town. We will destroy everything and everyone in our way!!"  Zuko was too afraid to report about Hidokuta's death to Mao, so he didn't do that for now. Instead, he wanted to get his revenge against Zarna D. Phoenix.


In the inn...
Tsarna and Anna arrived there pretty fast. They rushed into their room, where Mazo was lying on the bed, sweating and fighting desperately against the poison speading throughout his body. Tsarna took out the bottle and gave it to Anna, who opened it and aided Mazo to drink it. Now only time will tell, if the antidote will cure Mazo. "I hope we made it in time. Mazo has a strong will, so he will be allright, that I'm sure of! Anna, we probably should make our way back to the hideout, face Zuko, beat him and free all the villagers - as we promised them!" Anna looked at Mazo, then turned to Tsarna and agreed with him. They left the room to make their way back to the hideout, when suddenly the innkeeped came running towards them. "It's terrible!!! The hunters came from the forrest and reported, that the "Emerald Eye" pirates are back. They are gathering on the meadow...They will surely come to the village and destroy it again!!" Anna looked at Tsarna - they both knew, that the pirates will raid the village because what they have done. "Tsarna-san. The prisoners have to wait for now. Let us wait here for the enemy, beat them all up and then free the prisoners or else they have nowhere to return to, because the villages would be destroyed," Anna said. "Sounds like a plan, Anna!" Tsarna replied.

Part 4 - Showdown at the Town Square

Zuko and his followers were on their way to Orange Town. "We will make those villagers and that Schichibukai pay. Don't falter, men! We are high in numbers and there is only that Government Dog and his bitch. That male is still probably affected by the poison and he can't assist them in any way. The villagers won't fight, because they are scared shitless like always. We will just massacre them all to make amends to our captain, the Great Mao-sama!" And after a while, the town became visible to the bloodthirsty bunch of pirates. Tension was in the air from the upcoming clash between the Emerald Eye Pirates and the Schichibukai.

At the same in the Square, people were gathered. Just ordinary villagers, well, most of the villagers in Orange Town, and they were also waiting the pirates to arrive. They've had enought of this - the pain has grown deep inside, the loss of family members, kidnapped, many killed. The people just couldn't handle it anymore. So they made a resolution - to fight the pirates even if it means that they will perish along with the town: at least they made a stand in the end. "This is where everything will be decided, my friends. We don't stand back anymore and be afraid of those bloodthirsty and cruel men, who have come to our town, kidnapped our fathers, mothers, grandparents, sons, daughters...KILLING THEM! We don't want that anymore, we will decide the fate of ourselves right here and now! Nobody isn't going to help us," shouted one of the villagers - this cry of self-determination made everyone feel a bit stronger and they, even if they had to fight with basic equipment, were determined to make a stand. Meanwhile, they already saw some figures moving towards the town square - Mazo and his men have come!

As the townspeople were ready to go to their last battle, Tsarna appeared in front of them. He pulled his sword and slammed it into the ground, and he raised his two hands like blocking the villagers way. The people stopped their movement. "I admire you, people of Orange Town. You want to face those who have done you harm. You want to make amends for your relatives who have been kidnapped...But it won't matter to these scum who is coming here! They will just kill all of you and this is not what your kidnapped relatives would want! We have found them and after this is over, we will all go and bring them back! So please, I beg of You, do not make me to hit you unconscious! As long as I am able to fight, I won't let anyone of the villagers here risk their lives! Please - take cover now! DO NOT THROW YOUR LIVES AWAY AND GIVE IN TO THESE LOWLIFES WHO HAVE CAUSED YOU SO MUCH HEARTBREAK! " Tsarna shouted with all his might, he was being serious about every word which he said and it had an effect on the villagers. It seemed like they all came to their senses. They had trust in the Schichibukai - so a second later they already went running to the buildings nearby to take cover. Tsarna was standing alone on the Square, Anna joined him. "What a speech, Tsarna-san. You could become a mayor of this town instantly if you would like it. We are more than enough to deal with these scum who have hurt the people here and who have hurt Mazo. Captain, you just concentrate on Zuko, I will deal with the rest of these bastards!" Tsarna and Anna looked towards each other and nodded in agreement. They were ready for the invaders.

Zuko and his men made it into the town - it seemed empty. But there were two figures standing on the town square. Zuko and his men made it towards the square and recognised the Schichibukai. "So, here you are, bastard. You attacked our base and killed our doctor. Now we will kill all the villagers in this town. They have you to thank, Dog of the Government! MEN! KILL ALL OF THEM, NO ONE LIVES!!!"

As Zuko shouted this, the pirates started running towards Tsarna. As they were running towards him, shots rang out and two of them fell on the ground, another two shots rang and again - two bloody pirates fell dead to the ground. It made the other, almost 20 of them, stop and look around, where the shots came at. They were confused. And another two shots and it had the same result. And then they saw in the distance - Anna was holding two of her pistols, reloading them. They turned away from Tsarna and ran towards Anna. This was what Anna wanted. She alone is more than enough to deal with them. She will have no mercy because they did hurt Mazo, her brother.

As those pirates were busy dealing with Anna, Tsarna and Zuko stood in the middle of the square, facing each other. Tsarna was silent all the time, but then he pulled his sword out of the ground, where he slammed it before, looked towards Zuko and said "You have come to this town to kill all the villagers here. But I am happy to inform you that you won't hurt anyone here. The ones who will perish, are your comrades who are falling like rats while we exchange those words. And YOU, Zuko, who is the Leader of those scum on this island. I haven't felt this angry towards someone in a long time, but for you, I make an exception. Are you ready to for your fair pay for what you have done in this island? Ready or not, here I come!" As Tsarna was finished with his little speech, he made his move. The decisive battle has begun!

Tsarna ran towards Zuko as he pulled his two weapons, his pistols, from his waist and shot two shots towards Tsarna. But Tsarna has had training with Anna a lot while travelling the seas, so blocking two bullets with his sword, really wasn't hard for him. So as the bullets came flying, Tsarna reflected the first bullet away from him, seeing also that this bullet had something attached to it, a pinkish substance - probably some kind of poison: he had to be careful not to get hit with those bullets. But when he tried to block the second bullet, he felt something, when the bullet collided with his sword, which made Tsarna jumped backwards really quick - the bullet exploded! The jump backwards did help Tsarna avoid to get hit by the explosion, but two of the pieces of the bulled flew towards him and he couldn't stop them, so Tsarna got hit - one piece hit him in the stomach and one in the leg. Those injuries weren't life-threatening, but it still made him bleed quite a bit. Zuko was laughing as he has foreseen that Tsarna will use his sword to block the bullets and that is why he uses exploding bullets in one of his pistol and the poisoned ones in the second one. Tsarna has to be extra careful about the poisoned bullets, but he can't really block them also, because he doesn't know which bullet is which. But Zuko didn't account for one trait which the Schicibukai had - and that was his reflexes. Tsarna immediately saw that the right pistol was the one containing the poisoned bullets, because this gun shot after the left one, but the poisoned bullet has to be lighter and travels much faster as the explosive one, which was in Zukos left hand. Because Zuko shoots his pistols at the same time, Tsarna just has to reflect the first bullet which reaches him and dodge the second one, because this one will explode. Tsarna stood up, tightened his grip on his sword and ran towards Zuko - as soon as he made his first steps, another two shots rang out. Tsarna saw the first bullet flying and reflected it with his sword and then swiftly jumped towards, dodging the second bullet - his theory about the weight of the bullets was right! Zuko was too confident of himself and this was the reason he won't have a chance against the Schichibukai. As Zuko did realise that he misjudged Tsarna, it was already too late for him. Zuko was ready to make another two shots but Tsarna was already too close to him, so the explosion will hurt him too if he shoots the left pistol. So he was ready to shoot the poison bullet one, but as he was pulling the trigger, Tsarna swiftly moved to the right and the shot missed him. And Tsarna thrusted his sword towards, hitting Zuko in the stomach - he immediately coughed up blood and fell to the ground. Tsarna stood up and looked towards Anna - he saw her standing and smiling, 25 pirates were lieing around her. Tsarna was happy that it was over and started walking towards Anna, but Zuko was completely finished yet, he raised his head and the left pistol. He was ready to make his last shot and as he wanted to pull the trigger, he himself heard a shot and when he realised who shot, he already felt a pain in his left arm - he couldn't pull the trigger anymore and lowered his arm in pain, bleeding heavily. This fight is over.

Town Square - Winners: Tsarna and Anna. Defeat: Emerald Eye Pirate grunts + Zuko (33 000 000 bounty)