Chapter 24: A battle of words

" dodge to the left…" said Matthew as he prepared to swing at a young girl gracefully, using a training stick. 

'This should be easy enough' her master's face was unsettling to look at, a closed right eye, the other hid in darkness while spilling blood every time he moved. She wasn't sure whether he could see around him or not, nonetheless she couldn't underestimate the power behind those accurate strikes of his. She distanced herself from his range while awaiting the blow to come. 

"owww" she patted her shoulder in pain. 

"You tricked me!" she spoke fiercely, as the blow came to her from the left, not the right where her master was supposed to strike her. 

" No, my words tricked you. Yet my form didn't, I was gonna strike to the right from the beginning…" Matthew smirked at her. 

"... yes but you lied!" she didn't want to back down, not after suffering another defeat that stung the prideful girl right in the heart. 

"... What are you gonna do about it, is your opponent supposed to mourn with you over the loss, is he obliged by the 'law of the sea' or whatever to fight you fairly?" Matthew strode the black jackson while thrusting the wooden shaft. They took a special area for their daily training, in front of the quarterdeck beneath the shrouds and ropes that held the masts, they conversed with each other passionately about many things. 

Angella ran and counterattacked with the wooden blade, all the while focusing on her feet movement. That's the reason for their training today, to establish her own series of movements that complimented the rusty saber she loved. 

"... Remember Angella, there are many warriors that inhabit the seas, not all of them are honorable, they will rile you up with their words, strike aggressively at your most vulnerable spots. You can't afford to fight them fairly unless you are powerful enough, use your advantages to their fullest. If it's a dwarf use your height and swing out of their range, if it's a giant then you can cut their feet or crotches, you should feel no shame in doing so" matthew sprinted at her, his now somewhat long hair fluttered violently with the incoming wind, further magnifying his own statements…

"... Yes master, I apologize..." despite her passive tone of voice, she kept leaping and striking fiercely. 

"... A clever swordswoman will not show weakness or restrain during a fight, you are not putting a performance to amuse an audience or a bunch of spectators, you will do well and cleverly to use your full strength even when hunting a small rabbit, never underestimate you opponent" 

—--

Angella opened her eyes to the sound of the forenoon ocean waves crashing on the keel of the black jackson. After cleaning herself, she recalled the daily training she underwent with her master. She walked to the ship's sides with a smile decorating her face. There were not many things one can do on a ship, other than training eating or sleeping, Angella in particular liked sightseeing a lot. There was something about that peaceful pulse that captivates one's soul. Giant waves of mesmerizing sea water were oozing steadily, which helped to ease the boring dullness that came with ship-riding. 

"... Morning, pale girl, it's quite nerve wracking to see someone so young wake up this early" the familiar presumptuous rough voice fell on her ears. Since their leader left the ship, '... A mission for entertainment' he said, they have been seeing each other a lot more frequently now, much to her dislike.

"... Are you also here to sightsee?" her eyes kept their usual coldness although the smile contradicted that. She didn't bother returning the greeting to the brute

" Jihahaha… you see, for a writer and a poet who roams the west blue, the sea is the biggest source for our creativity and inspirations. The rhythmic rise and fall of the water's surface fills us with the motivation to write, we personify inanimate objects and even trees, describing them as if they were humans, we vent our emotions and frustrations through words that are written with delicacy and passion. When the sea gets chaotic at times, our souls tremble in response to the violent throbbing, we shed tears of happiness and sorrow as our hands shake when we hold that precious pen, we tell of our fragmented inner chaos through strong well structured lines that are chosen for their atractive beauty. That's what gives us the desire for an adventure, we always express our feelings in a roundabout way, people criticize us for it, yet we don't care … through mother nature, we write and thrive in glory" spoke the tall half giant as he gazed at the sea, copying Angella's form. 

The latter was quite shocked at hearing the unexpected passionate words that came out of the brute, through she didn't let any of that break her cold façade. 

"... I never knew you to be so romantic, tell me how come this romantic man turned up to be a killer?" she questioned out of curiosity as she eyed his leaning figure, mainly that book that he tied to the side of his belt. 

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"Jihahaha, a killer huh?. William has been shaped for killing and murder before he could even walk, he trained under his tribesmen, as befits a barbarian to be, however that was not the end of it. He was gifted since birth, he read and wrote, he spoke several tones and could switch accents at will, he taught himself poetry, sailing techniques and history. Once, he even seeked a particular pirate to instruct him in the mysteries of the 'devil', all that was about the poneglyphs, the void century and those damn fruits. He lived with pirates and fishmen, hunted down marines, learned how to swing a sword, all that for the pursuit of knowledge and revenge. He often told himself that he shouldn't be going this dark path, alas his passion rides with poetry and 'killing' it seemed." he gave her a long solemn response. 

" and somehow that journey ended with you raiding a village and killing its inhabitants?" she raised her left eyebrow while interrogating the brute. A sign of her doubt, mistrust and more so hate. 

"... listen here brat, men are what the others speak of them, I'm known as a fierce brutal warrior in the pirate world. And if people take William Vermont the 'cruel' for a man who holds no honor and knows no shame, then my career as a journeyman ends on this forsaken ship. I told you long ago, if you beat me fair and square, wouldn't that make for a great apology? After all, nothing beats the shame of losing a duel to a girl." William replied to her sarcastic voice his own. 

"... You have given into the darkside, the moment you sailed with that accursed Rudger, we both know that, don't deny it. You arrived at a village and enslaved the innocent. The 'biter' even went out of his way to try and kill me using that fancy dagger of his" she stood her ground, not backing down. This was one of the many small wars they had on the ship, several argumentative words exchanged in hopes of making the other yield. 

"... well Rudger had his dagger, and I have my own book of storms, that's precisely why I became a poet in this short period of time" william remained composed. 

"... are you planning to fight me with words and sentences?" her tone raised in volume for a second. 

"I mean why not, I have beat you several times in those duels, so why not take it a step further? A scaredy brat will know her place after suffering another defeat. 

" you bastard… did I ever tell that you would die a painful death? And I would be the cause of it" she finally let go of the fences and glared at him viciously. 

"... Jihahahaha, I don't fear death no more, perhaps the captain infected me with his madness and fanaticism. You see, young brat, there is no peace in West blue, no justice, no tranquility… mafias dwell the underworld doing what they do best, and that is terrorism, those small islands and its folks happen to be the targets of their greed… and perhaps soon enough there would be a war between two fierce parties, those being the pirates and the marines, as two lions can't hold the the same mountain for a long time, they tend to get rather territorial and protective… and when people are sick of death and blood, they look for the saviors… and perhaps a certain beast might sail this ship right into the flames of war, and lick off the bleeding wounds of the innocent…" his mind traced back to that scene where his captain massacred the marines and vowed to cleanse west blue of its illness. 

"... You speak so calmly of the matter, let me ask you this question then, how many people did you kill? One, two, three? Maybe it's a number in the hundreds or the thousands? Yet how many did you save, none?" 

" I condemn you for talking this way, back in the frog Islands, just a couple days ago, we just saved hundreds of villagers from the clutches of the mafia, this is a good example don't you think? And not the only one" he kept his leaning posture, through their whole dialogue he hasn't moved one bit. 

"..." Angella stood silently to the side, it looked like she had nothing to argue with anymore. '... I have also lost this battle it seems' 

"Jihahaha, I once asked Matthew how he delt with the killing, for someone so young you would think it would take quite a toll on his mental, yet I remember him telling me. 'stay still, strengthen your faith in death, the many-faced god will take your ears, your eyes, plunge your nose and tongue. He will reap your fears, your gray emotionless eyes with a deadly scythe. He will take our foolish dreams, our pasts, our futures and show us new hopes. So when I walked this path, I didn't expect this unhinged cruelty to appeare, I redid my vows, giving up all that made me Matthew Roberts the 'human', now I pursue different value, I learned that one can slowly gaslight himself into thinking death is a good thing' it seemed to be his way of coping with the deeds he commits…"

" do you intend to do the same? Trick yourself?"

" perhaps, who knows? I killed marines left and right, some of them were probably innocent. Yet sometimes as a human, I regret it…"

"..." Angella closed her eyes, her mind was in turmoil. 'master, your disciple seems to be lacking, I indeed lost this battle' 

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