"Okay. You've got it all planned out?" Zeke asked. Both of them riding on a small boat. Heading towards a place that Leroy didn't think he'd be going back to ever again…
"Yeah…I've got it all planned." Leroy wore an outfit of mourning. He wore black slacks. Black Dress shirt with a waist coat. Sleeves rolled up. His Red Sash was wrapped around his head loosely.
He held a bouquet of spider lilies and peonies, and carnations. All Red, Orange and White.
"Move fast. Move quiet. Get in and get out. Theres reporters all over the place…" Zeke said as he rowed the boat closer and closer.
They were headed for Marine HQ.
"Only a Skeleton Crew is Left behind right now. Did a small scouting run." He said pulling a spy glass up to his eyes. Passing it to Leroy. The Captain looked through it and focused on his target.
"Okay….I'm ready…." Leroy breathed in. And out. Pangs of soreness and aches filling his muscles.
"Go." Zeke nodded.
Leroy was off! He needed to only go a hundred miles an hour to make it to the island in a second! His sash fluttering. Zipping by a watch tower guard. He slammed a fist! Knocking him out!
Landing on the ground. A dozen marines fell to the ground. Passing out from the quick jabs to their skulls in under a second before they could even understand what had happened!
Slinging his arm up. He swung from building to building! Like a money would from branch to branch. His hand zipping out and pulling him through the air to glide for a moment before slinging again and swinging through the air!
Letting go he flipped, zipped forward with a pull of his hand. And with a reeling in outstretched arm, he zipped to the top of the clocktower….Where the Bell to denote Victory or Death sat….
It surface was tarnished. An ornate and old sigil of the marines. When the logo was far more intricate and ornate rather than simplified.
"Ring it 17 Times…."
"Hey…Wait! Someone up there!" A Marine on the ground shouted to another. A Megaphone crackling as the man screamed into the receiver! "Attention! You are trespassing on Private Government Property! If you do not surrender now! Your life may be forfeit! This is you frist and only warning!"
"Whatever…" Leroy whispered to himself. He breathed deep. Fist tightening.
"I will count from 10!" The Marine began to count down.
Photographers all gathered around. Chatting and yelling to one another as all of them quickly began to shoot photos of the mysterious figure. "Wait think…I think thats…"
RING
Leroy slammed the side of his fist into the Brass Bell! Metal Reverberating!
"He's ringing the Bell!" A Journalist said.
RING! RING! RING! RING!
His fist slammed into it again and again! The metal shaking quaking.
RING! RING!
"Thats seven…Is he…Remembering?! Is it a pirate ringing the bell in mourning?!" Another wondered
RING RING RING RING RING
RING RING
"Twelve is Victory. It did that earlier. Thirteen is the End of a War…"
"But…Any more than that and it means-"
RING RING
"No…" All of the Marines suddenly stopped. Eyes looking up at the figure. There breaths hitching.
Leroy tightened his fist. And with one final slam! He rung the bell one more time! RING! The metal dented hard! The final call was monstrous as the moment the final vibration shook the sound out of the metal, the entire brass bell that was over centuries old-
Shattered!
"17…Thats…Thats for-" One of them whispered. Watching as the figure fell down. And landed in front of them. Eyes widening as they realized who it was….
"Decleration of War and Transformation…" Leroy said to himself. Coincidentally finishing the Marines Words.None of them attempted to Move. A crowd forming. Flash bulbs glowing as pictures were taken.
Leroy walked over a deep fissure into the ground. "You made it past the Scaffold…You will never be remembered for almost dying there. But for how you lived…Your deaths will carry us all on…"
He whispered to himself. Tossing the flowers into the chasm…Remeberance to Redbeard, Azar, All the Commanders and Pirates who died. "Thank you…All of you…"
Pictures were taken. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt. Pulling off his right sleeve. Then he undid the bandages to reveal a symbols and numbers across his arm and forearm and his hand.
A Message.
Pulling his biceps up. And holding his sash to his heart. The message could be clearly read.
On his Bicep, was the Number 1 and The Letter W X'd out.
From his below that. There was the operation 3y+1
An around went down and pointed to his forearm that said '48M'
And finally. On his Hand starting from his thumb were the letters, R, K₂,C,N, D. And on knuckle was 'E' and 'J' with 'RS 4EVR' on the back of his hand.
Or all together. 1W 3y+1= 48M. R,K₂,C,N,D,E,J RS 4EVR
Slowly. He tied his sash around his waist. Making sure it was taught. And then. He launched himself up in the air! Finally snapping every Marine out of it! "Sound the Alarms!"
"Quick! Call the presses! This needs to get out now!"
In almost record time. News was able to get out. The Presses red hot and printing the papers off as fast as they could! New Loos, Delivery Owls, Mail Dolphins. All of them scattered through the Ocean and Delivered it! It was on the Front Page of every New Paper!
Every island got it…
The Title was Simple: NOTORIOUS PIRATE, RED SASH LEROY DECLARES WAR WITH MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE!
That was what Kale had seen.
And it got to every single Red Sash.
"No way…" Kirk sat on long grass on the edge of a beach. Wearing a swimming bottoms and a bikini top. His smile widened. He had heard the news of Azars death. He cried for hours. Thinking about how hurt Leroy was. None of the new s had confirmed or denied if Leroy was Safe! All the was known was he was there after his Attack of Styx!
"I get it…Yeah. Yeah. I get it! Okay! If thats what we have to do!" He said a smile filled tears spread across his face
"What?! Leroy…LEROY?!" Dezzi stared with wide eyes. They sat in a sterile white room like a doctors office as they read the titled. Their face scrunching as they tried to figure it out… "Wait…Uhhh…Oh! Okay! Aye aye Capn!"
Noir stood out on a beach. In a simple white tee and black pants. He solemnly took drags from his cigarette. When is concentration was broken! The news paper smacked against his head! "Ah what the- oh…My god…"
He lifted it up. Seeing the image across the front and title. He quickly put it together what all the numbers meant. "Alright. I hear you loud and clear…!"
"What the hell…This idiot…Agh!" Calliope reeled her head back. Moving the paper around to read the message fully "I'm an Engineer not a Fuckin' Cryptoflower or what ever the fuck! Oh! Oh! I get it!" She slapped her forehead. Sitting in the middle of a metal room filled with tables and papers.
"Pshhh. Clever as always!" Jeanne said. Taking a drag from a joint. She didn't even need to read it all to figure it out instantly. She was floating on a tug boat out in the middle of the ocean.
"Mahaha! What wondrous news…" Eddie laughed. He sat in a building. Like a small room or apartment. "It doesn't matter how long. In only the short amount of time we spent together. It was more wondrous and filled with joy that in my over century of living…It may have been only a few months. But it felt like it was longer than even the time I spent with the Sonorous…!"
"You are truly metal." Eddie set the paper aside and played a hard deep bass power cord!
"Hihihi…Captain you as creative as they come…" Raven said. Sitting at long wooden table filled with books. Around her with hundreds of bookshelves! Filled end to end in tomes! "Seems a bit complicated though. But I'm sure even Masamune can figure it out…" She chuckled.
"So. Explain it to me one more time?" Zeke asked as the rowed away. They were headed to Cyprus.
"Simple. 1W, is one week. Crossed out. Because we were supposed to be separate for a week on Desmare. But now we can't. 3Y is Three Years. Plus 1 means 4 total. Just incase no one gets confused how long it is with over thinking…Like Jeanne."
"48M, is 48 Months From Now. The Exact amount of time we'll be separate. The Letters on my knuckles are the first letter of their names. With K with a smaller number like squared meaning two K's. Kale and Kirk. RS4EVR is Red Sash Forever. And the 4 is yet another reminder just how long. 4 years. .4 of a decade. What ever. Its all the same."
Zeke tilted his head back. Chuckling deeply. "So you have 4 Years. 4 Years not 1 Week, to get stronger, and reunite with your crew on Desmare. Thats quite a long amount of time? Are you certain they'll be the same people you remember once its all over?"
"I have no doubt about it." Leroy smiled "I have total faith in them. They will be new people when I meet them again. But so will I. We left in tragedy. Nothing formal. Meaning that will forever be in their minds."
"That means they'll never forget." Zeke finalized
Leroy nodded slowly