Missing Piece

Chapter 33

Law glared through the wind pushing him back, arms held before him and Kikoku gripped in his left hand. The pressure forcing him back some despite already being a distance away from the fight. He was right to heed Charlotte's request and to send everyone back.

"Get out. All of you. Out! NOW!" When they didn't respond right away, Charlotte took matters into her own hands. For the first time since Law told her not to copy her ability, she deliberately reached out to copy his ability. She burned herself just to shamble them all to the front entrance. The last thing Law saw before he was sent away was Joval's bemused expression. He couldn't see Charlotte's expression.

"You didn't have to send them all away." Law heard Joval say as he shambled himself back to a fully pieced back together Charlotte, voice laced with fake pain. "We could have recreated the whole ambiance. I wonder how your group of friends would judge as Spectators."

He saw her flinch, and for some reason, Charlotte's avoidance of being the center of attention came into mind. Her distaste towards it was a mystery to Law. Neither shy nor scared, Charlotte performed fantastically under watch. It made no sense to him until now. What she really meant by "I don't like attention" was that she didn't want an audience. She didn't want people to see her like this. Whatever this was.

"The cockfights that Charlotte participated in happened in a place called The Ring. The objective was simple: kill or be killed." Baako topped up Cole's cup despite it being still half full. Cole barely processing the intel. "The blood baths were their Master's 'kind gift' to their monster slaves. To give them a place to let their instincts run rampant." Baako explained, distaste clear in his voice and Cole vaguely wondered if it was towards the bitter alcohol or the tale. "However, there were dire consequences if they were to spit in the face of that kind offering. Disobeying rules was considered spiting. Charlotte was no exception to that."

Like the tamed rat she was made to believe she was, a young Charlotte stood in her respective spot on in The Ring. Four squares forward and seventeen squares from either side of the ring. Her opponent stood in the same way on the other side of the ring. Neither of them moving.

Charlotte had no idea who her opponent was. Their name hadn't been announced and she wasn't looking at her foe yet. She wasn't going to; she never did after the battle she lost her heart and only friend. It was her defense mechanism. The less she knew about them, the less that she considered them human and the more readily she will be able to kill them. It may be rude of her to not find out whose life exactly she was ending, but she can deal with that later. She was already in Hell.

"Rule one: the battle only starts once the bell goes off."

Ding—

In a blink, the stocky man was sent flying, ripping through metal walls of crates until he went splat inside one of the shipping containers. Charlotte stood tall at the new makeshift entrance, her dull eyes glowering down towards the fallen male. Attention focused on the red glow of the collar. Her hand drew back, karambit dangerously sharp, and without hesitation she brought it down across the male's jugular.

Joval stared up at her, ecstatic. A thin line of red dotting his cheek from where he jerked out of the way just in time. He reached towards her dead eyes, and she pulled back, jumping a few meters away. He gripped at his face instead, eyes boring into the woman who said she didn't want to fight and laughed manically. "Can't even waste a moment to wait! Aren't you too excited for this, Deathbringer? You're dripping with so much bloodlust I can practically see it!" The faint wisps of murderous intent oozing almost visibly around her. His crazed eyes narrowed suddenly, and the large smile disappeared. "Do you honestly think I'll let you end my long-awaited battle as soon as the bell went off?"