Reaper of the Revolution

TLDR:

Having dealt with the cyborgs, Cyrus and Bazel retired to The Dreadnaught to catch up as only brothers do…through gallons of booze and reminiscing. It was around the eighth drink that Cyrus finally decided to confront Bazel about why he was on Baltigo. Initially he hadn’t wanted to ruin the mood and good fun the two were sharing in, but the night was running late and he wanted to get Bazel away from Baltigo as quickly as possible. The only problem was, his younger brother was beyond stubborn. The boy went on about how he wasn’t here just for Cyrus, but a man named Wayland Tartaros. Cyrus knew Wayland was a close associate of Jane D. Punk’s, a fellow Shichibukai and dog to the World Government. What Cyrus didn’t know was Tartaros was the head of the largest slave trade in all of Paradise, possibly the world. After all this was Baltigo, the capital of the slave trade, so it only made sense a Shichibukai would be the one to take control and set up shop. According to Bazel, he was here to disrupt Wayland’s business. Not necessarily disrupt, but, as Bazel said, “Bring it to its knees and cripple it.”


While Cyrus had always agreed that the slave trade was a nasty business, he wasn’t so blind or gold hearted to see its economic value. Free laborers cut costs dramatically; it was as simple as that. Of course not all the slaves were so lucky to be sold into hard labor and while never cared for or supported the business, he also didn’t feel as strongly opposed to it as his brother. Slaves were never a commodity he was interested in and as such he never paid much attention to it. Bazel wanted the head of Wayland Tartaros, Cyrus was on Baltigo for Jane. One Shichibukai was enough of a challenge, but two at once was almost unthinkable. At the same time, Cyrus was glad to have his brother along. In the back of his mind he had always known that if he went after Jane there was a good chance Wayland would intervene. He wasn’t sure he could take down Jane alone, never mind the both of them. If Baz was on the island to at least distract Wayland, Cyrus’s chances grew that much more.

The next morning, hungover and hungry, the two sat down to business to map out exactly what the plan was to take these two down. Odds were still good that their names hadn’t gotten around the island. Sure they had taken down some cyborgs and a scrap monstrosity the day before, but it wasn’t like they were in the middle of the city at the time. It was time to let Baltigo know who was on the island and what was going on. For Bazel’s part he wanted to go straight for the heart of the slave trade, the auction house. What he planned to do there exactly, Cyrus wasn’t sure but he didn’t bother to ask. With that new fruit he had and a mostly wooden auction house the size of a stadium, Cyrus didn’t have to get too creative with his imagination. Jane had a secured sector of the city that would be nearly impossible to get into without clearance. If Cyrus was going after her he needed to draw her out rather than break his way into her home turf. The casino was Cyrus’s target and with his newly minted EMP generator, he planned to bring the building and all of its illegal trade to a screeching halt. In the end, the two targets were the largest revenue generators on the entire island. There was no way Jane or Wayland could simply turn a blind eye to the entire economy of the island collapsing. Cyrus also wasn’t sure the effects his EMP would have on Wayland’s ship, the gargantuan beast, which hung low over the city. It kept a watchful eye over the citizens and visitors, an intimidating beast daring anyone to make the wrong move and Cyrus was going to bring it crashing down if he could.

With the plans laid, the brothers bid farewell to one another, exchanging their new Den Den Mushi numbers to keep in contact in case anything went sideways. Bazel left first, heading into the city solo so as not to draw attention to the two of them. Cyrus elected to stay behind and head out an hour or so after that while he looked over the EMP and put the finishing touches on it.

--------------------------------------------- 1 Hour Later ---------------------------------------------

The hell you mean you wants to buy mah wagon? The old man spat, flabbergasted at the mere thought. After all, this was his one and only way to make a living in this dusty, forsaken town. The Red City had turned a once respectable, humble job of farming into a day-to-day struggle to stay alive. However, even with this incredulity, this same old farmer had witnessed Cyrus leap from his cart the day before and jump into a frenzy with another boy who lit himself on fire for fun. The man had stopped his wagon to watch as the two hacked, slashed and burned their way through a horde of Jane D. Punk’s monstrosities. As such, the farmer was hesitant to deny Cyrus anything. I’m afraid we’ll need at least one of your horses as well, and some hay to put in the back. Cyrus said pleasantly, smiling at the old man, Of course I’m no highwayman or brute, we’ll pay you handsomely for this favor. Cyrus said, stepping to the side as one of the five men he had brought with him stepped forward with a large bag of money. The Revolutionary opened the sack, showing its contents to the poor farmer and the man’s mouth literally dropped open. Where did- This – Why this has to be- The man stammered as Cyrus interjected, More than enough I would hope. Cyrus said with a pleasant smile, he was a man used to getting what he wanted. The farmer scratched his bald head with the brim of his hat and nodded several times before responding, Yeah, alright, okay, sure. The wagon is yours, no problem son.
And the horse?
Sure, yes, take them both.
Cyrus chuckled, amused by the man’s fascination with his small fortune, No no, that won’t be necessary. After all, you’ll need a way to get in and out of the city without your cart. You have to spend all that money somehow after all. Thank you for your help.

Moving around back to the wagon and leaving the farmer with his fun, Cyrus and his small band assessed the room in the back while Leo, the hulking Mink, climbed in with the EMP generator and placed it in the bed of the wagon. The wagon was old, modeled after the settler wagons with plenty of space in the back and a large white canopy over the top that the farmer had put on that day to keep the hay from crisping in the hot sun. Hmm okay I want a row of hay in the back, then the generator. Surround the generator with bales on all sides and cover it. Mike, did you bring that tarp to cover it with? Cyrus asked the man to his right while others began loading the hay into the back to cover the EMP. Mike nodded and pulled a folded tarp from the bag on his back, Okay good, Leo do me a favor and cover that up. Make sure the hay looks naturally placed and you can’t see the generator. I want four of you in the back, Leo you’ll take lead there. I’ll take the front with the last man. Keep your weapons hidden people; we don’t need anyone jumping before we even get into the casino. I’m going to go get the horse ready and set up to the wagon while you load up. It felt good to be in charge of a mission again, to have his soldiers at his back, watching over. Going to Alabasta solo had been dangerous and he had the scars to remind him, but it had been the right thing to do. Even now he felt guilty involving his crew in such a personal matter, but there was no way he’d be able to complete this on his own.

After several minutes of loading up and organizing, the small band of Revolutionaries was rolling and off to the Red City. The trip didn’t take long, far faster than if they had to walk, but for the most part it was silent. No one had much to say. They knew the plan and they knew what to do if things started going south. They were stopped at the gates, along with anyone else trying to enter the city and asked what business they had. Heading into the city with the family. Have to make a quick drop off at the casino to sell some of my wares and then I’m going to show them the sights around town. Cyrus said to the guard with a pleasant smile as his men unloaded from the back and let the other guards check the wagon. Getting a signal from the guards checking the wagon, the main guard talking to Cyrus looked at him suspiciously, Hay? You’re selling hay? Cyrus shook his head with a smile, Ah my friend, what looks like hay to one can be an entirely different crop to the right eye. This hay packs a certain…punch if you know what to do with it. The guard stared at Cyrus before realization spread across his face. He nodded, Ah I see, I may have to stop by your stall later then. Welcome to the Red City. The guard said, waving the wagon through while Cyrus’s men climbed back into the back. I’ll make sure I save you a bundle of the good stuff, thank you sir. This was the Red City of Baltigo, drugs and contraband were welcomed with open arms and even though what Cyrus had in the back was in fact hay, that didn’t mean the guard couldn’t think it was something else entirely. Cyrus was just glad the man hadn’t asked to sample some or tried to shake him down. That would have been awkward to say the least.

After a few turns and navigating some congested foot traffic, Cyrus pulled the wagon up in an alley about a block from the Casino entrance. Stay with the wagon unless I call in to tell you otherwise. I have a bad feeling we’re going to need a quick getaway by the end of this. Cyrus said to the man sitting beside him, handing him the reins before stepping down off the wagon. His men in the back unloaded themselves while Leo removed the EMP generator from the back. Are you going to be okay carrying that the whole time Leo? Cyrus asked as the large lion mink put the generator on his back, slipping his arms through the leather straps Cyrus had taken the hour head start to install. Ha, please, this is nothing. Shouldn’t be a problem Cap. Leo replied with a toothy grin as Mike placed the tarp over the back of the generator to hide it. Alright, this is the Casino of Baltigo. Think of something illegal and outlawed by the World Government, it’s here. They sell drugs, weapons, and any other commodity under the sun. Hell, they sell people down the street. Cyrus said in reference to the Auction House several blocks away. My point is, people will take one look at Leo with that tarped backpack and just assume it’s something else illegal. They shouldn’t pay us any mind considering the guards of this city shop here regularly. That being said, I want two of you behind Leo at all times and two more on either side. I’ll take up the lead and do any talking if we run into problems. Our target is the roof. If we can get in and get out without being made, all the better, but if things go to shit, start shooting. The men all grunted and nodded in approval before forming up in the order Cyrus had directed, Okay boys, let’s cripple a city.

On their captain’s orders, the band of Revolutionaries headed out of the alley and towards the entrance to the Red City’s casino. The band stopped just a few feet from the entrance as something caught Cyrus’s eye farther down the street. A massive brass robot walked farther down the street, patrolling the area around the casino. The beast towered over the pirates and civilians walking around its spider legs, well over two, possibly three stories tall. Where the robots hands should be were instead thick, sharp swords, edged for destruction. Behind Cyrus, one of his men let out a low whistle, Let’s try not to piss that thing off, eh Captain? Cyrus nodded, Agreed, definitely agreed. The Revolutionaries continued on their way, passing through the large and ornate doors of the casino.

Cyrus wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when he walked through the ornate entrance of possibly the world’s largest distributor of illegal goods. Inside he found a strange hybrid of marketplace and gambling hub. On the ground floor he found slots, card tables, screens with various events and races being displayed. It was the standard casino fair with addicts milling about and wagering anywhere from pocket change to the deed to their house on the next spin of the roulette. Cyrus couldn’t see how far the ground floor stretched back, but from the outside he had to imagine it was an impressively deep floor with a wide array of different forms to lose your money in. From the ground floor rose well over twenty stories before capping off, though the building was taller than that. Above he could hear the sounds of people dining and selling various goods. The floors above the gambling contained a wide variety of vendors from simple carts to fine dining. Cyrus let out a low whistle as he took the entirety of the place in. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the others were doing the same and while he let them too have their moments of awe, he began scouting out the area. From what he could tell the place’s security and workers were a hybrid of Wayland’s crew and Jane’s mechanical monstrosities. Each walked about, armed and making sure no one was cheating or stealing from their respective captains. None in particular paid Cyrus or his crew any mind, but he didn’t doubt someone somewhere had at least noticed their arrival.

Captain, I see the elevators towards the back left, should we try our luck there? He heard Leo ask in a hushed tone as Cyrus found the elevators himself. Cyrus shook his head, No, we’ll stick to the stairs. Those elevators face outwards with glass surrounding them for twenty floors. Less visibility and less risk on the stairs; I hope you boys are ready for some cardio. Cyrus said, clapping his cane on the marble flooring before heading towards the elevator bank, where the stairs were located just beyond.

The climb up was grueling to say the least. After the twenty stories one could see from the main entrance, another ten twisted their way higher into the sky. Cyrus was winded as it was, but never mind poor Leo who he kept offering to take a turn with the EMP. True to his nature though, Leo never let Cyrus or any of the other men see how much effort he was exerting. He shrugged it off and kept climbing. Finally at the top, sweating and panting, Cyrus put a hand on the massive feline, You are something else my friend. Leo only laughed and placed the EMP down on the gravel roof. Cyrus then moved to the EMP generator, flipping switches and pressing buttons to power the thing up. So what exactly does this do? Leo asked, watching on with interest while the rest of the men fanned out on the roof, two watching the entrance they had come up in for any movement. The short answer is it kills robots…and power grids…and cities really. Basically anything more advanced than sticks and stones or flesh and bones goes down for the count. Cyrus said as he adjusted a dial and the EMP Generator hummed to life. He looked across the roof and off towards the ship hanging in the clouds above the city. Alright boys, I’m not entirely sure what’s going to happen in the next few seconds so hold on to your asses. With that, Cyrus flipped the final switch, generating a massive pulse of electromagnetic energy that rippled across the entirety of Red City. As the pulse passed through him, Cyrus was unharmed but could feel the hair on his arms and neck stand on end, charged by a mixture of excitement and the particles from the generator.

Cyrus stood to watch the pulse spread across the cityscape. As he and his men watched, awe struck by the destruction they had wrought, they saw robots on the streets drop in a heap. Lights went dark, the hum of machinery and construction equipment suddenly came to a halt and the entirety of Red City was thrown into a disturbing silence. Then the panic began. People were confused and scared immediately, uncertainty clouding their judgment as they tried to make sense of what was going on. It’s beautiful, in its own way. A silent city. Cyrus admired from his place atop the roof before shaking his head, Alright, time to go gentlemen. We can use this panic and chaos as cover to get out of the city as fast as possible. It’ll only be a matter of time before they find this thing and take it down. Anything electrical is fried right now, but they can always rebuild and bring in new bots. I have a feeling Ms. Punk is quite the resourceful adversary. Cyrus concluded by turning and heading for the stairs that lead back down to the main floors of the casino. He had just wiped out countless numbers of Jane D. Punk’s creations and crippled the entirety of her city. If this didn’t get her attention, Cyrus wasn’t sure what would. As for Wayland’s ship, he didn’t stick around to see if his EMP managed to drop it out of the sky. For that matter he wasn’t even sure if electricity kept Wayland’s ship afloat. If it did, it wouldn’t stay in the air for long and if the ship was coming down, Cyrus didn’t want to be on the roof of a building that might come down with it. Cyrus and his men hadn’t accounted for the fact that the stairs would be packed full of frightened citizens all trying to make it down to the main lobby. Naturally his EMP had also taken out the elevators, so of course the only other logical way down were the emergency fire stairs. Alright gents, no need to worry. A bit of a bump in the timetable but this will be a perfect opportunity to blend.

Cyrus and his men attempted to join the frenzied population as they packed into the stairwell, only to be stopped by one of Wayland’s men holding the door to the stairwell open for the guests. Hey, what were you lot doing up on the roof? The man yelled up to them from a full staircase below. Cyrus sword under his breath as he watched the suspicious pirate reach for the gun tucked in his waistband. Without warning a shot rang out, the sound echoing and magnified by the tight corridor everyone was packed into. Cyrus went deaf from the proximity he was to the origin of the shot, but watched as the pirate suddenly dropped to his knees, a rose blossoming on his left breast, before falling flat on his face dead. Cyrus opened and closed his mouth, sticking his finger in his ear to try to alleviate the pain and ringing. People below panicked and either ran back through the doorway and onto the thirtieth floor or simply crouched down in pure fear. When the ringing finally lessened and Cyrus felt he could at least mildly hear again, he turned to his crew member, Good shot Xavier, but next time maybe a warning before you blow out everyone’s ear drums?
Sorry about that Cap’n, I saw the gun and-
Cyrus held up a hand, No need to apologize, you did the right thing. Regardless, the right thing is going to attract any other guards or members of Wayland’s crew who heard that shot. On the plus side, it seemed to have opened up the stairwell abit, let’s move.

Cyrus and his crew took the stairs two at a time, the shot had cleared a gracious path for the Revolutionaries and they took it in stride. True to Cyrus’s fear however it had also drawn the attention of numerous members of Wayland’s crew. Somewhere near the twenty-fifth floor Cyrus saw the door to the stairs begin to open, the tip of a cutlass poking out. Without hesitation Leo jumped forward, throwing his full strength into the door and closing it on the pirate’s wrist. A muffled scream came from behind the door and when Cyrus looked he could see the wrist hanging limply, the sword clattered to the ground. Leo’s strength had been enough to not only break the bone, but also upon closer inspection actually sever some tendons and cut deeply into the skin. A simple door had nearly cleanly sliced off the man’s hand. As Cyrus and his crew continued down the stairs, every once in awhile they’d hear a door be thrown open and members of Wayland’s crew shouting in the stairwell. Finally, upon reaching the bottom floor, Cyrus and his men burst forth from the stairwell and directly into a collection of dozens of Wayland’s men blocking their exit from the building. Well…that’s a problem. Cyrus said blatantly as he slowed his run to a stop, his men doing the same behind him. Up above on the second and third floor balcony he found more of Wayland’s men with rifles and pistols trained on the Revolutionaries. In front of them were maybe three dozen more armed to the teeth and itching for a fight.

My my, the Reaper of the Revolution has decided to grace us with his presence, how fortunate we are. I assume you’re the one responsible for this little blackout? It’s a shame I can’t sick Jane’s robots on you, even the Kujata is lying uselessly in the street so to that little party trick you pulled I have to say, bravo. One of the pirates said, stepping forward from the rest of the group, clearly some sort of leader or higher ranking official. True to his word Cyrus noted that the robot guards they had seen when they first entered lay useless and, if robots could die, dead on the marble floors of the casino. While I’m honored to hear you know me by name, I can’t say the same for you. Cyrus offered, stepping forward and distancing himself from his crew. McClain. The pirate offered and nothing more. Yes, well Mr. McClain I admit, I take full responsibility for this little blackout as you say. After all, I needed some way to draw Ms. Punk out of hiding in her little section of town. Now then, if you’d be so kind as to step aside, my friends and I would love to go home. McClain only laughed and shook his head, I know you’re not serious and still that’s funny. No can do my friend, there’s far too high of a bounty on your head for me not to turn you over to my boss. Besides, I’m sure Wayland would love to have a little talk with the man who blacked out his city. Cyrus sighed, It always has to be difficult with you pirates. Always the hard way, though I suppose the Marines aren’t much different. Here’s the deal, either you let us go peacefully while you try to calm and take care of all these paying customers or…and here’s the fun part, I take this entire building down on top of us.

For just a moment Cyrus could see the hesitation in McClain’s eye, the briefest flash of uncertainty as he tried to determine if Cyrus was bluffing. After all if he knew Cyrus’s name there was little doubt he hadn’t at least heard of Cyrus’s powers and accomplishments in the past few years. Word travels fast when you lift an entire Marine laboratory into the air or throw a castle into the sea from atop a mountain. The second you make a move, one of the numerous gunmen up above you will turn you into swiss cheese. You may want to rethink that offer. Cyrus shook his head, No, that’s okay. I’m fairly certain they’ll be too busy dodging a collapsing building to really bother with me. With that, Cyrus activated his ROOM and quickly sliced in a diagonal up the length of the building, all the way to at least the twentieth floor. He heard McClain order the shot to be taken, but it was too late as the floor began to buckle and about three quarters of the skyscraper began sliding off the bottom quarter, into the street and buildings below. The gunmen above were thrown from their feet, their shots completely off target and missing by feet if not fired at all. Meanwhile down below the floor was stable and unaffected aside from the thundering roar a building makes as glass, metal and stone grind against one another, along with the piercing screams of hundreds of people in mortal danger. It seems you made the wrong choice Mr. McClain. Cyrus said simply, Now then, shall we go? He said to his crew, several feet behind him. You goddamn bastard, you just killed thousands of people! McClain yelled as he pulled a pistol from his side and aimed it at Cyrus. Slash and burn politics my friend. You have to destroy the old to make way for the new. Cyrus said, snapping his fingers to activate his Shambles ability and switching McClain’s pistol with Cyrus’s cane sheathe (the sword having been drawn to cut the building). At the same time he pointed his sword to the ceiling, causing the other pirates’ weapons behind McClain to rise into the air, ripped from their owner’s hands. Like I said, out with the old to make room for the new. Cyrus said to McClain who stared in disbelief at the sheathe in his hand before raising the gun to chest height and firing several shots into the man twenty feet in front of him.

Let’s go boys! Cyrus yelled to his men over the roaring of the grinding metal and shattering glass as the top three quarters of the building finally slid free from the rest and toppled towards the ground behind them. Cyrus strode over to McClain as the very earth quaked beneath his feet, the building going up in a huge cloud of dust and debris that would blanket the streets of the Red City. Bending down he tossed the gun onto McClain’s lifeless corpse and picked the sheathe from his hands, sheathing his sword before giving the cane a twirl and walking outside. McClain’s men hardly paid him or his crew any mind as they were weaponless, leaderless and just plain scared shitless. He took a look at the collapsed Kujata, poking the brass giant with his cane indifferently as he pulled out his Den Den Mushi, We’re out front if you’d be so kind as to pick us up. Moments Cyrus’s last crew member pulled up front with a very nervous horse pulling the wagon. He had questions and confusion as to what had just happened, but Cyrus paid him no mind, letting Leo and the rest fill the man in. Cap, what about the EMP? If the generator went down with the building, won’t the power come back on? Leo asked once the wagon was under way and they navigated the streets out of the Red City. Cyrus shook his head, No, the EMP fries the circuitry it doesn’t block the electric current. So, anything that uses or harnesses electricity is completely fried. Light bulbs probably burst and those robots will need to be rebuilt, at least their insides anyway, from scratch. This city isn’t bouncing back anytime soon. Cyrus said simply before lowering the brim of his hat over his eyes, Wake me up when we get back to the ship if you don’t mind.

Spoiler: