Well, I suppose I'll get around to putting this up. It's been ready to put up ever since I put the first chapter up. I just never got around to putting up. Lols Christy's awesome except she's not.

Thanks for waiting if you guys actually did. Those who got this far, thanks for reading, and make your own stories about Shuraiya!

And now...

READ ON!

Memoirs of a Bounty Hunter
Part 3

The two's weapons were so different that neither of them could block the other's attacks. First a strike from Shuraiya down towards his opponent's head, but Kolin twisted his head to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike. The pirate brought his knuckles up towards the other's side, and yet the bounty hunter was able to dodge the attack by sucking in his stomach. Adelle's brother smiled. In an attempt to hit Shuraiya, the first mate had put everything he had into his attack. He was now wide open. Shuraiya thought that his bloodthirsty adrenaline had left him, but now he could feel it return as he brought the short swords down…

Adelle covered her eyes when she heard the angry roar from Kolin. He had pulled back enough to keep his head intact, but not enough to keep half of his forearm. Blood flowed freely from the dropped limb, and Shuraiya smirked, raising his swords above his head, "Time to finish this!"

"Onii-Chan!" Shuraiya heard his sister's shout, "Look out!" He looked; Kolin's other hand was coming up, intent on connecting with the bounty hunter's jaw; Adelle screamed…

There was a rather gut wrenching sound, although it wasn't one that was expected by the young tomboy. The sound of brass on steel rang through the air, and Kolin's eyes widened, "H… How…?" The bounty hunter merely smirked; he had whipped his sword down and blocked the pirate's weapon with one of his swords, "I… couldn't even see it."

"Wanna know how I did it?" Shuraiya asked, sounding as if he was prepared to indulge such information. Before he continued, however, Adelle's stomach twisted in knots from the "SHUNK" that met her ears. Her brother had stuck the second blade through Kolin's chest, "Oh well, I guess you weren't that interested…"

Adelle shivered from head to toe as Kolin's limp body dropped to the ground. It had been only a month since she was last on Gasparde's ship, but already she was remembering how horrific it was. Seeing blood was one thing, having the knowledge that her brother was the one killing made her stomach flip. Was he no better than that fearsome pirate that could turn into candy at the drop of a hat?

Adelle was broken from her thoughts when she heard a gun fire. She gave a squeal as a bullet broke the boards next to her foot, making her jump. Shuraiya's eyes were like slits, and his sister stared at the weapon in the Camouflage Pirates' captain's hand. Was that…

"A bayonet…?" The bounty hunter hissed as Zaizen cocked open the rifle and reloaded it. It was true. Upon the tip of the gun was a rather nasty looking spear. He must have mastered this particular weapon, so he could fight both at long range and short. Shuraiya wasn't put off for even a moment, "It doesn't matter what you use. If you're going to intimidate someone with that thing, it better damn well be ME rather than her!" Zaizen realized that SOMEONE here was livid, and aimed at the bounty hunter. Adelle couldn't watch, she covered her eyes yet again as her much loved brother rushed headlong into battle, not even considering the consequences.

"You fool, say goodnight…" Zaizen whispered, more to himself than to his opponent. With that, he fired, straight at Shuraiya's head. His eyes then widened when he noticed that the bounty hunter moved his head a fraction of an inch. It slipped right past his face; a thin line of red ran across his cheek. The bounty hunter drew his swords together, ready to skewer the captain through.

They didn't make it that far, as Zaizen had brought his bayonet up so the spear caught the two swords. The captain's strength stopped the both of them as if they were toys. Shuraiya simply smiled, "So… you're not just for looks then, aren't you?"

"You'd think otherwise, with the Devil Fruits flying about the Grand Line like they were everyday snacks?" Zaizen asked innocently, "The question is, are YOU able to live up to the name your prey call you, Pirate Executioner!?" He twisted himself to the side, drawing Shuraiya's blades away from his precious stomach. With the momentum, he slammed the butt of his rifle into the bounty hunter's side. The force was immense, and Shuraiya felt something, like one or two ribs, crack under the pressure. A small sliver of red slid down his chin.

As Shuraiya reeled from the blow, his opponent took the opportunity to stick him in the gut with the bayonet. His plan would have succeeded, but a bullet whizzed past his ear, interrupting his attack. Both Shuraiya and Zaizen looked up at the bounty hunter's assailant, and Adelle Bascud continued to point a gun at the pirate captain.

"I missed on purpose," The girl said in her flamboyantly tomboyish fashion. Her smile held no trace of bluff, "Wanna die? Be my guest. Drop your weapon! NOW!" Zaizen continued to stare at Adelle, unable to register the fact in his brain that this little girl was telling HIM what to do. He was holding his weapon for far too long, and Shuraiya decided to remedy that situation. He dropped one of his swords and physically wrenched the gun from the captain's hands. Chucking it a few feet from the two, the bounty hunter rose up, still waving his second short sword in his hand.

"Now that that's over," Shuraiya murmured, smiling widely. Adelle realized that her brother's smile was more than just a victorious smirk. It was the psychopathic, wild grin of a… a pirate? No… it was simply a man filled with bloodlust. Shuraiya prepared to run the captain through, his eyes shining brightly, "I think it's about time you…"

"Did I SAY you could keep yours?" The bounty hunter stopped as Adelle changed course. She stared at her brother, and their eyes met. His wild eyes spoke a hidden language, they yelled at his sister, roaring "Why did you stop me?" to the little girl.

Adelle's face was screwed up with concentration, so only her eyes could reply, "Because I don't want you to continue being a killer any more than you want me to become a bounty hunter…" The silent conversation was ended that moment, and Zaizen watched Shuraiya drop his short sword; it clattered softly on the blood soaked deck. The captain looked from the bounty hunter to his sister, and his attention riveted to the bayonet on the floor.

He would have reached out for it in a flash, but the next voice that came made him stop dead in his tracks, "Hmmm, just what I expected… from someone they call 'Pirate Executioner'…"

Marine Captain Marlain stood upon the deck of the Chameleon, his hand resting lazily on his saber. Around him, marines of every shape and size hoisted their guns, pointing them all at Zaizen, Captain of the disbanded Camouflage Pirates. Jii-Chan, the one who had brought them to the ship, stood at the captain's side, smiling brightly. Shuraiya, realizing now that he was "off duty" with the arrival of the Marines, gave a cocky grin and took a step backwards, waving his hand nonchalantly, "Marlain-San…" He muttered, "Be EXTRA careful with this one," He caught the bayonet with his foot and tossed it expertly into the air. He then offered the rifle to the captain butt first, "We have a time traveler here…"

"You little…" Zaizen growled as the Marines cuffed him, "You wouldn't know how to use it if you TRIED, greenhorn!"

"Oh really?" Shuraiya muttered, whipping the gun around and cocking it expertly. He pointed it right at the captain's forehead, a grin plastered on his face. Cat and Mouse was so much fun to play after a hard day's work, "Want to bet your life on it?"

"Onii-Chan!" The bounty hunter gave a cry and practically dropped the weapon when Adelle gave her brother a sharp kick to his shin, "What about our agreement?"

"What agreement?" Jii-Chan asked, approaching the two as the captain was dragged off to be given an (at best) unfair trial and later impalement. Shuraiya and Adelle looked at the old man, and back to each other, chuckling a bit at their silent conversation that, in reality, spoke volumes.

"Nothing, nothing," Adelle's brother replied, "Hey, Jii-San, could you head on home? I need to pick up this guy's bounty. Afterwards…" He looked down at Adelle, and hesitantly gave her a hug with his arm, "Do you think you may want to wash your hair off in the lake and grab some ice cream?"

"Ice cream!" Adelle cried, clapping her hands together. All the gore, blood, and traumatizing thoughts disappeared like a snowball in Hell, "and a swim in the lake! Can I wear my clothes? I don't have to go home and get dressed into my swimsuit?" She asked hopefully, as she hated that dreaded one piece that showed off, very plainly, that she WAS indeed female.

Jii-Chan laughed heartily at the girl's bright eyes, and he looked at his granddaughter's brother. Adelle could already tell that his smile wasn't homicidal; it wasn't sadistic; hell, it wasn't even cynical. It… was joyous. He nodded and squeezed her close to him, "Of course you can swim in those cloths, and don't forget under the waterfall! I will never understand your fascination with running water."

"Then you aren't a very good brother, Onii-Chan!" Adelle cried, squirming from her brother's hold and rushing a few feet from his location. She then whirled around and dragged her eyelid down with her finger, "Now hurry up! You're always so slow!"

"Now I'm wondering if you DESERVE the special treatment I'm giving you…" Shuraiya muttered, following close behind her. He gave a rough, but playful, shove on her back to send her on her way. Jii-Chan blinked at the siblings, and he relaxed. The two were never going to be perfect… but as long as they had each other… it appeared they were going to be okay…

---

"Onii-Chan…" Adelle murmured quietly as they walked down the street. She was wet all over, but Shuraiya figured that it was warm enough that they'd get home before she got a cold. She licked her ice cream as the bounty hunter chuckled to himself. Like Adelle would EVER get sick! "Why don't you want me to help you? I've hung around pirates before and know how they work, you know… I can fight them and help you!"

"As much as I dislike help, I wouldn't put it past you to be able to help me," Shuraiya replied, putting his hands in his pockets and looking up at the sunset, "But… I don't want you to fight them. Not like I do. It's not… as glorious as some people think it is… I… I don't even want to continue it. I've… killed so many as it is…"

"You did hurt people, I know…" Adelle said quietly, licking her ice cream as the siblings walked side by side, "But Onii-Chan, you shouldn't think that way," Shuraiya looked down at his sister, and she smiled at him, "You know, you're not a bounty hunter anymore. You're our island's protector!" Shuraiya blinked at Adelle, and she looked back at her ice cream cone, "I… I really just want to… protect the island too…"

"Adelle…" The girl looked up at her brother, who was staring at her with a surprised look on his face, "You… think of me that way?"

"Everyone does!" Adelle said, "Jii-Chan and I were at the market one day and they said that they were glad you were living here. They said they were glad you were here because they knew you'd protect them." She giggled, "Just a bit better than Captain Marlain."

Shuraiya and Adelle chuckled a bit at that, but once the laughter ended, the bounty hunter looked away. After a moment, he sighed, "You… it's rather amazing." Adelle blinked at her brother, and he tipped his hat down so it covered his eyes, but his sister could see his lips curl into a smile, "I never realized you… were so intelligent."

"Hey! I'm smarter than I look, you know!" The girl shouted, flailing a bit. Shuraiya laughed aloud and his sister drowned her brother's mean words by voraciously assaulting the ice cream. It tasted a little better as she thought about different ways she would make his life a living hell tomorrow morning… All she had to do was find a lizard before Jii-Chan would force her into bed for the night…

---

The nightmares remained. They would never go away completely, that Shuraiya figured, but it wasn't as bad from then on. He felt, for the first time, truly at peace. As the three lived together, Shuraiya watched his sister grow up. He wished he could be protective of her, like a normal big brother, but the boys were all scared of her anyway, so there was no point. Adelle… was definitely special. She… was so much like a boy, but even as she grew, she refused to hide her emotions, even after their Jii-Chan died, she didn't hide her tears, and although Shuraiya hated the bastard, he couldn't help but mourn a bit on the inside. Just for him.

The nightmares became more frequent when Adelle joined the Marines. He was afraid and worried that his sister, the perfect sniper, would be shot down herself… He feared that on one day of their bounty hunting, that she wouldn't come back with him. Yet every day, she would return side by side with her brother, a bayonet (her favorite weapon, just for laughs) slung across her shoulder. Later, she returned home, side by side with her brother, to her husband and still later on, her son and daughter. It was then that Shuraiya's nightmares… stopped.

As Shuraiya's little niece tugged on his new beard and his young nephew decided he just HAD to have a moustache like the bounty hunter's, Shuraiya lost his nightmares. He then realized that those nightmares were a figment of his doubt. Doubt that he would be able to protect the ones he loved. Now, there was no room for doubt. He, Shuraiya, once called "Pirate Executioner", was now "Defender of Partia" for a reason. He denied himself doubt because he knew he would return each day after his pirate slayings. He knew because he had to.

Shuraiya Bascud died, the last true Bascud in the Grand Line, naturally at the ripe age of 97. His entire family, right down to his six year old great-niece, mourned the loss of the greatest bounty hunter, and the greatest defender of Partia Island, the world would ever know.

When he died, he had a smile on his face. A smile of true bliss…

The End!

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Yup, that's it. Hope you enjoyed it. Drop me a line and tell me what you thought of it, please.