- POV General -

Mysie had just thrown a bottle in the face of the noisy newcomer who had burst into the inn just as they were about to leave. He was followed by five people, three men and two women, all looking equally angry. The moment the bottle had crashed into Douggy's brother's skull, the people in the inn and outside had looked wide-eyed with shock.

"Oops~ a pretty resilient guy haha~"

No one knew what had gone through the head of the red-haired young woman who didn't seem at all alarmed by her act or the situation. She shrugged her shoulders with a detached air without ever stopping humming happily, her feet always swinging in the void. Her five friends around her were all looking at each other out of the corner of their eyes, giggling ominously, totally excited about what was to come.

"Who did this to Buggy ? You bitch, is that you ??"

Suddenly, one of the men accompanying Douggy's brother began to shout as he walked towards Mysie with a menacing look on his face. He was quite short, ugly and smelled very bad as his clothes were as dirty as his long, greasy hair. Even as Buggy didn't react, the man reached out to grab Mysie but just as his hand was about to close on the young woman, he was hit in the back.

*CRASH*

"Aaarg !!!"

"Hands off, you midget."

Without understanding what had happened to him, the man crashed face down on the ground, unconscious as pieces of wood scattered across the floor. Lucas, who was right next to him, had just smashed a wooden chair on his back to prevent him from touching his friend. Mysie's friend was standing above the dirty man, towering over him and the soft look he had before had changed to brown eyes tinged with red.

It was easy to think that just like Mysie, Lucas had lost his mind and was only looking for one thing: to fight, but it was not exactly that. Although the young man had a taste for chaos, he knew just like the others what would eventually happen. Hestia, Joe and Edward had taken care of three members of their group, so it was only a matter of time before a fight broke out.

The man called Buggy was wide-eyed and seemed to have been stunned for a moment by the situation as he suddenly came to his senses. He looked at his friend crushed to the ground before noticing for the first time his three brothers lying a little further away. The twins were merely knocked out but Douggy was in a much more concerning state, something that hadn't escaped Buggy's notice.

"My...my brothers ! Douggy !"

Forgetting his companion almost instantly, the huge mountain ran to Douggy to grab him by the neck and gently lift him up. As for the three men, they were helping the twins and the two women were helping Buggy lift his brother slowly so as not to hurt him more. They could only look in horror at the state of his fingers all broken, his face bloody and his teeth almost all shattered.

"D-Doug...who...who did this to you ?"

"Uuurgaaaah..."

"W-Who ? WHO DID THIS ??? SHOW YOURSELF !!!!"

The man was starting to scream as he scanned the inn with his eyes looking for whoever had beaten his Douggy like that. How could someone like his brother have ended up like this ? Buggy couldn't believe his eyes and was looking for someone to take revenge on. Unfortunately, the crowd remained silent and just as he was about to scream again, a weary but cold voice sounded to his right where his companion lay.

"Sigh...a disrespectful dog and now a noisy bug."

Turning his head, Buggy could see Hestia calmly watching him, surrounded by Lucas, Mysie, Joe, Kali and Edward. She didn't have the same look or the same aura as when she was talking to her friends or those she wanted to charm. Her face was neutral, completely devoid of expression, her eyes empty and her voice cold and dry. This sudden change in behavior was natural because generally speaking Hestia was anything but friendly.

"Dog ? Bug ? Did you do this ?"

"You see…your dog brother needed a little training."

Hestia didn't answer anything more and just looked at him defiantly, a very irritating little smile on the corner of her lips as Buggy got to his feet. The tension in the inn was at its highest, the two groups of friends watching each other with distrust and resentment. Then finally, while everyone was silent, suddenly everything would speed up and in an instant, the fight would start without warning.

This was too much for Douggy's brother who had taken a bottle to the head, had seen his friend get a chair broken on his back before discovering that his three brothers had also been victims of violence. Without even discussing it further, he lunged at Hestia who didn't even seem to be afraid of the sudden charge. Before the man could even reach her, a whip suddenly snapped, catching his foot and knocking him down.

*CLACK*

"Bugs belong on the ground !"

The person holding the whip was none other than Kali who had reacted very quickly, grabbing Buggy's leg to prevent him from reaching the one that mattered most to her. Of course, she knew perfectly well that Hestia was capable of defending herself but she had acted almost instinctively. The shy, blushing young woman was no more and just like her friends beside her, Mysie had a serious, haughty, judgmental face.

"Bitch !"

"You all think you can act with impunity ?"

"You'll pay for this !"

The four other companions who had been silent until then suddenly pulled small knives out of their clothes before rushing forward followed by Buggy who had risen to his feet. In front of them, Lucas, Mysie, Kali, Joe and Edward still had serious faces but a glint of excitement shone in all their eyes. They were obviously all ready to fight and somehow enjoyed the situation that would allow them to let off a little steam.

Lucas was grabbing a new chair next to him, Edward was starting to crack his neck in preparation for what was to come and Joe was calmly readjusting his kimono. Behind them, Kali, with the whip still in her hand, was smiling mischievously at Mysie who had gathered 4-5 bottles in her arms, giggling. They were the first to start, with Hestia standing to the side, watching with great interest and a watchful eye.

___

It had been ten minutes since the altercation began and the place was now totally unrecognizable as there were not just 10 people fighting but more than 20. The inn was upside down, the noises were more than deafening like the screams, the sound of glasses and bottles shattering and the sound of bones breaking. Little by little, the fight of two groups had turned into a general one because many spectators had been involved in it, taking blows or projectiles.

In the back of the inn, while it was plunged into chaos, Edward was facing three men as tall as him and wearing a big smile. He was fighting them alone, but he didn't seem the least bit bothered by this configuration, which he deeply enjoyed. The young man still covered in blood from his last fight was fighting like a raging beast, his fists his weapons.

"Aaarg !!!"

"Fuck !"

Edward didn't say a word, his expression was blank, almost devoid of any emotion or feeling but his body spoke for him. Carried by an impressive fighting power, like the waves in a storm, he was unleashing without giving his opponents time to retaliate. The young man with the red beard struck to break and in an instant, the three men were on the ground bathed in their own blood.

"Always the brute force huh ? Haha~ HEY QUIET !!! I HAVE A GIFT FOR EVERYONE !!!"

*SMASH SMASH SMASH*

Mysie was perched on top of the stuffed bear that was three times her size, sitting on its shoulders, she swung her bottles all over the place with uncanny accuracy. She was always aiming for the head, no matter how far away, the sound of the glass breaking on the skulls always sounded. The young red-haired woman was also singing to keep things going and her voice, far too melodious for the situation, vibrated in the inn to the rhythm of the cries.

____

"Do you wanna know how we handle attacks ?

A chair in the head, a fist in the ribs

The whip snaps and the bones crack

That's how we treat pigs

That's it, come to us, my minions !

Do you wanna feel my bottles kisses ?

No, we don't care, we don't ask your opinion

We are here to kick your ass, bitches !"

____

As Mysie sang at the top of her lungs, Joe, just below her, smiled at his friend's words, which fit the situation perfectly. He was facing two people, two men holding pieces of broken tables in their hands as weapons. They were in an attacking position but he simply stood straight with a perfect posture, motionless and letting only his squinted eyes observe.

"You're the one who started this fight !"

"Yeah ! So you deserve at least a little correction !"

The two men pounced on Joe, who still didn't move or seem to panic, still calm and unruffled like the still water of a lake. Then suddenly, as they reached his level, he finally started to move, finishing his fight in less than twenty seconds. Thanks to his uncommon intelligence, none of his movements were useless, all were calculated to the centimeter combining strength, speed, precision and efficiency.

Always hitting strategic points such as the neck, the head or the chest, without even putting too much force into it, the two would collapse instantly. While the man with the beautiful kimono was getting back up without even having crumpled it, he was suddenly shifting on the right to avoid a huge piece of wood. Behind him, Lucas was fighting in a much more brutal way and still equipped with his chairs, trying to break them on people's backs.

*CRASH CRASH CRASH*

"Get away you bunch of midgets !"

To the left of the room, a giant could be seen spinning around with a chair in his hand, his long hair dancing behind him with each spinning motion. Lucas towered over everyone with his height and a space had been created around him as those who tried to touch him would end up on the ground. He was hitting backs, throwing on heads so much that no one really dared to get close to him despite the situation.

"Hey, be careful you almost hit me with a piece of your chairs !"

"Haha~ sorry, but I didn't !"

Not far from him, Kali was cracking her whip a little further away, also preventing most people from approaching her thanks to ample movements. Just like Lucas, she prevented people from approaching her by tearing clothes and marking the skins with a clear and red trace. The young woman with a good ear, used sounds to aim and always hit those too close before even looking where they were.

*CLACK CLACK*

"Hahaha~ What a beautiful sight, don't you think ? fufu~"

Against all odds, Hestia did not participate in the fights anymore and just watched her friends fight with a mischievous smile forming on her lips. She was talking to Seth who hissed against her cheek as she sat on a mountain made of humans she had defeated. Douggy, the brother Buggy, and his companions were passed out beneath her and the beautiful young woman was using them as a seat and footrest, perched on ten people.

"Look, don't you think this little bit of crazy looks good on them ?"

"Uurrg..."

As she watched, Hestia looked down at Buggy, who had his face just under her right boot, to ask him a question. At the same time, with an even crazier smile, she pressed her heel against his cheek to direct his head to where her friends were running wild. The man could not answer or even see because his eyes were swollen but Hestia did not care because all she appreciated was his total submission.

On the left, Lucas was knocking down chairs on the first person who came near him, Kali was cracking her whip on the asses and Mysie was narrating what she was seeing while singing and throwing bottles around. To the right, Joe was fighting trying not to get dirty, Edward was blowing heads off with his bare hands and Hestia was enjoying watching. The inn was in total chaos and the only people who were supposed to feel guilty were having the time of their lives.

____

A few hours later, as the sun shone its last rays on the island, the six friends who had left the inn were now walking in the forest. It was very close to the village and was the place where they had set up their hideout years ago. Mysie was leading the way, dancing, punching the air and laughing with as much energy as ever as she talked about what had happened to the Raven.

"Haha~ you can tell we beat the crap out of them earlier, huh ?!"

"Mmmh... but I think that eventually Grandpa Dave may never let us into his inn again. After all, it's not the first time we've ended up involved in a general brawl."

Kali walked beside her and while she also enjoyed the moment, was still a little more concerned about their access to the inn. There were many times this had happened and many times they had ended up getting arrested by David Groks. After the excitement, the guilt invaded the young woman who was however the only one to feel this way.

"Don't worry, it always happens in the village and sometimes even without our help...we are pirates after all. As long as we give enough to pay for the repairs, which we did...well, there's really no problem."

Joe had placed a hand on his friend's shoulder as he responded with a smile while the others nodded in confirmation of his words. With a reassured, laughing sigh, Kali pushed the thought out of her head as they finally reached their home. In front of them stood a huge tree whose trunk was at least as wide as a house and whose branches stretched as far as the eye could see.

It was huge, its girth hard to measure with the naked eye, its trunk made of a solid, thick brown wood that protected the tree year after year. In the middle, a small wooden door stood there, carved into the trunk and almost invisible if you didn't know what and where to look. Small windows on the sides had been made and it was easy to understand that this was where the six friends lived because this huge tree...was hollow.

As they got closer and closer, Hestia suddenly waved her hand to the others to stop without saying a word. Pointing to the left side of the tree, she pointed to one of the small windows that had been broken from the outside. Everyone then quickly gathered around her with a serious and focused face waiting for the golden-haired young woman's instructions.

"Something happened while we were gone, I don't feel a presence from here but I could be wrong. I didn't see any footprints in front of the door and no other signs of forced entry besides this broken window. Maybe it's a false alarm but better to be careful. Kali, can you hear something ?"

"I...I hear faint noises coming from inside, like small scratching but it could be a mouse."

The two women whispered so as not to make a sound and the others listened, standing by to deal with a dangerous situation at any moment. The cheerful atmosphere had changed in an instant, showing the importance of the situation and the value their lair had to them. Straightening up with empty eyes, Hestia spoke again, moving with a determined step towards the door.

"There's only one way to find out..."

"Okay but please Hestia don't...

*BAM*

...break the door, okay forget what I just said."

Lucas had tried to warn the young woman to no avail, who had already burst through the door with a single kick before rushing inside their house. She had taken out her knives and was followed by Seth who crawled silently behind her just as alert. As she disappeared inside, Mysie, Joe, Kali, Edward and Lucas waited for Hestia to return, still ready to pounce inside.

"Let's go see !"

"Yes !"

Minutes passed and still no sign of their leader who didn't even make a sound as if she had really disappeared. Not holding on any longer, Edward decided to rush inside to find out what was really going on and why Hestia still hadn't returned, followed by the others. Entering their house in a hurry, at that moment devoid of light, they found their friend sitting on the floor holding something in her hands.

She was trembling slightly and holding a small thing that seemed to be struggling to breathe and looked so fragile and weak. A dove with white feathers was in Hestia's hands and she couldn't take her eyes off the bird. It was certainly white, but its feathers were tinted with red as fresh dried blood stained its soft, heavy feathers.

"This is..."

"My mother's messenger bird..."

The white dove of Captain Diana Hellfire, mother of Hestia Hellfire, had entered the secluded lair of the girl and her group passing through the window to deliver a message. No one knew where it was from, why it was injured, or why it was stained with blood that was not only its own. However, clinging to its paws was a journal that it had carried and brought here at the risk of its life.