Following the events of the fishman attack, Seiju found himself separated from the boy that had dragged him back onto the seas. Separated from Damocles during the chaos, Seiju remained on the island bar crawling from one pub to another waiting for the kid to wise up to the fact that the old man could scarcely be found anywhere other than a tavern with good wine. It had been two days now though and Seiju was beginning to feel restless. He had left Crescent Island because the daily life of drinking himself into a coma by noon had taken its toll on the elderly swordsman. Seiju was leaning back in a chair with his eyes closed day dreaming about an old adventure he'd had back when he was still a marine when the sound of a chair scooting along the wooden tavern floor caught his attention. The silver haired warrior opened his eyes and brought his feet down from the tables trunk allowing the leaning chair to settle forward. Sitting across from Seiju was a young man with platinum blonde hair, a white mask, and a marine coat hanging off his shoulders.



The confident smile Captain Zed held told Seiju that the boy had more on his mind than a simple greeting. With a raised eye brow and a slight frown on his face, Seiju reached up and brought his mug of wine to his lips draining the cup with a few large gulps. The vessel was emptied in a second or two before being slammed on the table with wanton carelessness. The old man locked eyes with the marine and glared in an attempt to intimidate him but the youth maintained his smirk without so much as a flinch. Whatever it was that he wanted, Seiju wasn't going to scare the Captain off with a foul mood. "So, what is it?" Seiju gave in and asked, somewhat uninterested in whatever thanks the man had come to give Seiju.

"I'll be blunt. I'd like to hire your help with a task." Zed stated promptly, his hands coming to form a bridge for his chin to rest upon, propped up by his elbows on the table. "There is a mountain on an island just west of here. There are all kinds of silly stories about a monster living inside, but one things for certain...there have been a large number of disappearance cases surrounding that island. Anyone who ventures into that place following the tales of hidden treasure that fly about tend to never return." From the tone of Zed's voice, Seiju got the impression that he truly didn't buy the rumors about treasure OR a monster. But there was definitely a concern there which showed he was taking the disappearances seriously.

"To be frank, I don't care if it's a demon or pirates. Complaints have been coming in for years but my superiors have never given them much concern. But after my direct superior officer was killed two days ago, I've taken charge of the local branch. It's up to my discretion on how to use what little man power the marines have left here. I'd like to investigate the mountain but we have little fighting power right now. I was hoping to enlist your help."

Seiju's frown deepened and he looked to the left out the tavern window. He didn't much like the idea of chasing fairy tales, nor did being a sword for hire please him. But if he didn't go do something soon he might just find himself stuck in one place for another five years. Reluctantly, the old man asked Zed for a few more details before finally agreeing to the job on a handshake. They were set to leave the next morning and as the sun rose on South Blue Seiju found himself boarding a marine ship. The sails came down and the winds picked up and within the hour they were headed westward.

---

It would only take half a day for them to reach the island with the ominous mountain that seemed to gobble up the brave and curious alike. But the journey had an unexpected complication just as the mountain came in sight. A group of stowaways had been found, but they weren't your average hitchhikers. Seiju stepped onto the deck just in time to see a group of five children getting tied up as Zed stood before them with his arms crossed. "You don't understand! We NEED to go!" One of the braver boys pleaded to the marines as he struggled against his bindings. "What's going on here?" Seiju asked through a yawn as he stretched and looked the kids over. "You have to listen to us, mister! Our dads are on that island but the monster has em. We need to save them!" Some other snot nosed brats nodded in agreement to the brave boy's words. Seiju sighed and shook his head.

"What makes you runts think you'll be able to do anything when your father's could-"

Seiju began to scold them, but the white masked marine held out his hand to cut the swordsman off. Seiju paused and looked the boys over again. Seeing that they were on the verge of tears he sucked his teeth but held his tongue from speaking any further. Even a grouchy old man such as he could see that he was about to say something heartless. Zed stepped forward and knelt down before the kids and began to speak softly. "I understand you boys are worried about your parents. But that's why we're headed there. Have faith in the marines, we protected the town from those mean fishmen, didn't we?" The brave kid who seemed to be the leader of the boys nodded timidly and Zed ruffled his hair. "We'll cut you boys loose, but you have to promise to stay on the ship and let us handle the monster fighting, alright?" The boys all agreed to the promise and the matter was settled. Soon they were setting landfall and preparing to head off.

Leaving a couple men behind on the ship to keep an eye on the kids, Zed led Seiju and half a dozen other marines onto the beach and inland towards the mountain. "So what's the legend around this place you mentioned? I never thought to ask till now." Seiju said as he walked alongside the masked soldier. Zed had a cool and confident smile as he shot a glanced towards Seiju and made a soft laugh. "I didn't think you were interested in such nonsense. You seem a far more reasonable man than that, Seiju." The young man said with a bit of sass in his voice. Seiju scoffed and reached up to scratch and itch on the back of his head as he shot back, "Hmph, being interested doesn't mean I'd believe it." With the itch satisfied, Seiju lowered his hand and he looked forward with a more serious gaze. "But to be honest, when you've seen as much of the seas as I have, you'd be surprised at what you'll believe." Hearing this, Zed broke out into a bit of laughter and shrugged. "I was only joking. I find the story quite fascinating myself." He said before recounting the tale.

"The story goes that there is a monster living in the heart of the mountain. Hundreds of years ago, it raided the nearby kingdoms and plundered countless treasures. Once it filled the mountain with jewels and gold, the beast made a nest here and guards it from anyone who wanders inside."

The tale honestly didn't sound too far fetched to Seiju, but he kept his comments to himself lest the good Captain felt like teasing him further. Something about being mocked by someone one fourth his age didn't sit right with the old man. Thoughts on the matter had to be put on hold however as the sound of gunshots further up the mountain reached their ears. "Sounds like someone got here before us..." Seiju said over the echoing distant shots. Zed nodded in agreement and gestured to his men, "Let's hurry! Be on guard, we don't know what to expect." The group then rushed along, sprinting up the mountain side following the source of the battle noises.

The sounds led them to a cave entrance that snaked downwards into the mountain. There were torches lining the walls granting light which would have made the journey into the earth a bit less creepy if it weren't for the screams and gunshots they could hear deeper inside. Seiju, Zed, and company hurried down the passage way until the came upon a huge chamber. Everyone stopped and stared in awe at the sight before them. It was as if most of the mountain had been hollowed out to accommodate countless mounds of gold and other valuables. Down below further on a flat piece of earth was a large dragon-like bird fighting off twenty pirates surrounded by the bodies of another thirty pirates that had already been killed. The beast had numerous wounds over its body from various gunshots and it was bleeding buckets, but somehow the thing seemed to hardly notice its wounds. A loud screech run out throughout the chamber forcing everyone to cover their ears as the dragon bird flapped its wings and sent five pirates flying into the cave wall.

"That's a...Sennenryu..." Seiju said in shock as he recovered from the beast's battlecry. His mouth was agape and his eyes wide with surprise. "A what?!" Zed asked bewildered. "A Sennenryu...it's a bird famous for living over a thousand years. I've seen drawings of one, but never thought they were real..." Seiju and the marines simply stood there for a moment watching the battle unfold below them until Zed spoke up dishing out orders to his men. "Legendary bird or not, I think we found why the people who come here go missing. That thing is taking out those pirates like they're flies...But it looks like it's getting tired. Let's go men! Keep your heads down and surround it while those pirates keep it busy. We'll attack once its guard is down!" He then began advancing down an earthen path, his marines following close behind. Seiju lingered for a few seconds but finally grit his teeth and followed suit not far behind them.

The plan was to sneak up on the sennenryu, but it noticed the group before they could get close despite the fact that it was still fighting 15 pirates that were out for blood. Another roar echoed throughout the mountain and a tail sweep took out another ten pirates before the Sennenryu took off into the air with a few powerful wing beats. Zed and his men froze in fear as they realized the bird was after them until the Captain gave an order, "Scatter!" They then dove off the path falling into the treasure pile just in time to avoid the path they were on getting crushed by the bird's talons. Rubble and debris rained down upon them and Zed's leg got pinned down by a large boulder. Seiju watched this all from further up the path and cursed under his breath at the bad luck if it all. The Sennenryu turned its gaze to Seiju next but was distracted by a volley of pellets being fired into its side. The bird shot a glare back at the pirates and screeched once more before returning its attention to them.

"Whoa! Is that a dragon!?"

The voice of a boy caught Seiju's attention and he turned around to see the boys that had been left on the ship emerging from the tunnel passage with two panicked marines panting to catch up from behind them. "What the hell are you doing here!? Get back to the ship you brats!" Seiju shouted. The two marines escorting them apologized as they stared at the Sennenryu in fear. "W-We're sorry...there are five of them and only two of us. We couldn't stop them from coming when they heard the gun shots. The least we could do was follow them...but...but what is THAT thing!?" The marine looked like he was about to piss his pants from the white knuckle grip he had on his rifle. Seiju sighed before shouting at the kids to run before it was too late...but it was already too late.

A roar from the Sennenryu made Seiju serve in its direction only to see the beast finish taking out the last of the pirates and start to turn its attention back towards him. Looking back to the kids, he saw that they had become paralyzed with fear. Just as the ground beneath their feet started to crack and shed dust too. Faced with a dragon-bird on one side and children in danger on the other, Seiju grit his teeth and decided to count on luck as he began running for the kids. He reached them just as the earth beneath their feet gave way. The old man let the two marines fend for themselves, but he wrapped the children up in his arms as he dove for them and turned as they fell placing himself between them and the ground. The Sennenryu was after them as well, but the rumble and tumble of its battle had caused even more damage to the chamber and large rocks fell from the ceiling as it began to collapse. The dragon bird was crushed by one of these boulders and it too fell.

---

Seiju awoke to the sound of thrashing as the Sennenryuu tried to claw it's blood body out from under a pile of earth. It was distant from here, but loud enough that the old man was shaken from unconsciousness by it. There was a dusty mess of kids dogpiled on top of him, and his body felt like he'd been hit by a truck, but for the most part Seiju was fine. He pushed the groaning children off of himself and pulled his rattled body to its feet. Limping slowly, Seiju climbed the mound of treasure trying to get an idea of the situation. While he'd been out, a great deal of the gold had been buried by rubble. But it looked like Zed had managed to free himself and he was now standing in front of the Sennenryu. There was a pistol in his hand taken from one of the grunts that had come with them and he was aiming it for the Sennenryu's head. The beast was fighting desperately to get free from what buried it but it was a hopeless effort.

"This is the end for you."

Zed had a stoic face as he mercilessly stared down at the dragon-bird. The Sennenryu finally stopped thrashing around and settled, staring into the eyes of the white masked man. Zed pulled the trigger and a bang echoed throughout the cavern. The Sennenryu's eyes closed shut preparing for the pain of a gun shot wound to the face only for it to never come. "What are you doing? This thing nearly killed us all!?" Zed shouted. The Sennenryu opened its eyes to see the silver haired old man standing in front of her, arms spread out defensively, a smoking bullet hole on the ground just in front of him thanks to Zen moving his aim at the last second to avoid hitting Seiju.

"It can't hurt us now...there is no need to kill it."

Zed took a step back and looked at Seiju in disbelief, "Are you kidding me?! If we don't kill it now, it might get a chance to heal. Then what? You saw how many men it took out before we got here! We only got luck that the ceiling caved in when it did. The marines might lose more than a whole battalion trying to take it down if it's allowed to survive." Zed was clenching his fists but the passion in his voice died down the longer he spoke. Seiju's determined eyes were piercing through his argument adamantly. "This creature's life is valuable...so are your men's. You should worry about getting them to safety for now..." Seiju pointed out. Zed took a look around and saw that some of his men weren't moving, others were groaning and just now getting to their feet. After a moment, Zed sucked his teeth and tossed the gun to the side. "Have it your way." He then began hobbling off to gather his soldiers.

A sigh of relief escaped Seiju's lips as he fell to his ass and looked towards the Sennenryu. The beast was still, but its eyes were open, staring into the old man's own gaze. Seiju felt like he could somehow understand what the creature was thinking as he peered deeply into its eyes. The frenzied look of an animal defending its territory from before had left. Now there was a kind of respect. The Sennenryu hadn't seen anyone willing to defend its life since its previous master. Tears were swelling up in the dragon bird's gleaming orbs as it felt a wave of emotion at the thought of the man that it had once adventured with. Seiju wasn't really sure what to think of it, but he was too tired to even bother trying.

Minutes passed as Seiju watched marines gather up their wounded, herding the children along with the injured. They all had survived the ordeal but there was a new problem the group faced. The path leading up to the cave passage was in ruins and there was no safe path to the exit. If they didn't find another way out of the mountain, it was possible they would all become skeletons down here. You couldn't eat gold or drink silver after all. Zed was standing among his troops with his hand upon his chin, busy thinking about what they should do to get back to open air. He'd already had the men who were still in decent shape scout around the cavern only for them to report back a lack of alternative paths they could take back to the surface. Things were looking somewhat grim, but somehow everyone was managing to stave off the panic and helplessness that the situation might have induced. Having the kids around helped, their ignorance of the real problems at hand allowed them to gawk amazed at the treasures around them.

That is until one of them stumbled upon the corpse of his father crushed against a large chest. Then cries and tears flowed from the children as they all realized the parents they'd come to save were already dead. The brave kid from before decided to cope with his grief by way of anger. He took a golden goblet in hand and lobbed it at the wounded Sennenryu. Still pinned down by a boulder, the bird simply laid there, not even moving as the goblet clunked against her head. "This is all your fault! You stupid monster!" The boy picked up a plate this time and two others also grabbed random treasures lying about to throw at the beast. Priceless artifacts flew through the air but they pummeled something other than the feathered monster. Seiju stood in the way letting the projectiles thud against his body.

"That's enough."

From behind crossed arms that were used to shield his face, a pair of demonic eyes pierced a glare from Seiju's skull. Intimidated, the children stopped their tantrum and sulked off to cry. Seiju relaxed and turned around to look at the Sennenryu once more with an apologetic expression. They met eyes once more and this time Seiju felt as though he could read the avian's mind. It wasn't like he heard a voice in his head or anything of that level of mysticism. It was just...something told Seiju that the Sennenryu wanted to help him as a sign of gratitude. Compelled to respond to this feeling, Seiju asked aloud, "Can you still fly?" The dragon bird nodded slowly. "Will you take us out of here?" Another solemn nod. Seiju stared for a moment, unsure if the sennenryu was really responding to his questions or was simply moving in a way that seemed as much. Eventually he decided that if they were going to die down here from thirst or from a violent bird, either way they'd be dead. Might as well take the risk.

"Oi, Zed...let me borrow a few of your men."

Seiju said as he approached the marine captain who still seemed deep in thought. "What for? Can't you see I'm trying to think?" With a casual tone, Seiju gestured back to the Sennenryu with his thumb and spoke, "So I can move that boulder." Zed didn't even look in Seiju's direction as he waved the man away, "Sure, sure, but it's a bit optimistic to think another path is hiding under it, don't you think?" Seiju cocked his head to the side and made a mental note of the fact that Zed had horrible tunnel vision when he was in a mental bind. "We'll see...You two, come with me." Seiju commandeered two grunts to assist him and guided them over the the bird's side where they began to work together to push the large boulder off her wing.

Once all the grunting and "heave ho" shouting began, Zed finally glanced in Seiju's direction to see what they were doing. His mouth dropped open and his masked eyes seemed to jump from his skull as he shouted, "Whaaaaaaat!?" Zed panicked and tried to get them to stop but it was too late. The last heave had enough force to start the boulder rolling and its momentum was too much to stop. The Sennenryu's wing was freed and it immediately got up spreading its bloody appendages. Zed and the other marines prepared themselves for a battle, but the Sennenryu simply finished its stretch and moved its head close to Seiju in a sort of bow of gratitude. The old man pet the beasts balding head and smiled. "Look Zed." Seiju said with a smart ass smirk on his face as he turned the face the young marine. "I found our path out under that rock."

---

With the Sennenryu's help, everyone was able to get out of the cave safely. Her flight allowed them to ferry people up to the passage in small groups. She then followed them out of the mountain and to their ship were she collapsed from exhaustion and blood loss. Seiju used his doctoring skills to treat the marines as well as the Sennenryu and they all waited there for the next few days as Zed called in a team of engineers to set up a safe and efficient pulley system inside the cave. Over the course of a week, more marines arrived to pull out the treasure. During this time, Zed approached Seiju and the Sennenryu which had since been named, Scylla. "I apologize for the haste in my decision making. Clearly, had you not been around to stubbornly confront me, I would have killed our only way out of that death trap." The young man bowed deeply as he asked for forgiveness. When Seiju waved the gesture away as unnecessary Zed shook his head and insisted that he had more to say. "My men usually obey my orders without question. I need someone wise and steadfast around to help keep me on track. Tell me when I'm wrongs. So, Seiju...won't you rejoin the marines as my subordinate? I can promise you a promotion to Commander in recognition of your accomplishments, as well as a gift from the treasure we've found." Zed snapped his fingers and two marine grunts brought over a chest setting it down before Seiju. They opened the case to reveal a strange looking fruit inside. A devil fruit.

"I'm not going to beg. But I will certainly make it worth your while."

Seiju considered the offer for only a moment. His time during the marines had been the most enjoyable of Seiju's life. He didn't like the idea of working for someone so much younger than him at first, but he had to accept the reality that most officers in the marines outranking him were probably less than half his age. It was something he'd need to get used to if he ever wanted to re-enlist. After a short pondering, Seiju agreed to the deal and shook on it with Zed. He ate the devil fruit later that night, commenting that it tasted horrible before washing the flavor away with so much wine that come morning he'd forgotten he had even eaten the think and almost drowned himself by attempting a morning swim.