3RD PERSON POV

Seryu: Seryu Ubiquitous at your service!

Kurome: Hello.

Wave/Run: 'They're new.'

Everyone was gathered, eating lunch casually which Wave, Run, Pyrrha, and Y/N helped cook and the 4 sat in another room.

Wave: So what do you think about everyone here?

Pyrrha: Bols may look strange but he is a nice guy on the inside. Kurome.......she's a bit aloof.

Y/N: The drugs aren't healthy.

Wave: She won't leave them alone and yes......I know it takes a toll on her mental health.

Y/N: Seryu......she says she's fighting for justice, but.....to be honest she's as bad as Night Raid.

Run: I-Impossible! Are you-

Y/N: Her sense of justice is warped, and she lacks mercy. I am a good judge of character. However there are positives about her like she's eager to help others and at least takes into consideration the safety of civilians. That doesn't excuse her actions.

Seryu: 'Me?'

She listens to Y/N, shocked at the cold truth of what he thought about her.

Y/N: You know Ogre from the imperial police? He oftens frame others for crimes he and his buddies committed. He's feared and infamous in a bad way, and does nothing but cause trouble. A mentor like that does things to a young girl.

Seryu slumps onto the wall, listening though froze as Y/N tells them some more information.

Y/N: Did Stylish leave?

Run: He left an hour ago. Apparently there was urgent matters he had to attend to.

Y/N: He experiments on people.

They paled as Y/N pulls out photos of what he had done as he sighs.

Y/N: I want better for the empire, but if we are to do this I have to know if you can be trusted. Can I trust you both?

Wave/Run: Of course you can!

*BAM*

Guard: WE GOT REPORTS! DR STYLISH WAS KILLED!

Y/N: God fucking DAMNIT! 'Ah thank god he's dead.'

Later

Seryu: Am I......really that bad of a person?

Y/N: What do you mean?

She seemed a bit depressed and sad for an entire week even when everyone was going on missions and Esdeath was worried when even she couldn't get to her so she asked Y/N to.

Seryu: I heard what you thought about me......about my mentor well......dead mentor. I didn't know he did all that and......I can't believe I'm so blind to what's happening around me.

Y/N: Here.

*HUG*

Y/N: Look I hold no grudges against you ok?

She lets out a sniffle as Y/N hugs her.

Y/N: People can change. You're still young. You still are capable of being better.

Seryu: Is.....Night Raid bad?

Y/N: There's a reason they're targeting high profile nobles and government officials. I happen to come across them too.

Seryu: Wait really?!

Y/N: Can you keep a secret?

Seryu: *determined* Of course I can keep a secret!

Her face immediately falters as Y/N speaks to her on his association with Night Raid as he explains himself.

Y/N: Intel. I want to know what kind of corruption is going on, and where I can help get rid of it from the inside. It's so widespread that it's practically impossible to convince the emperor, much less the prime minister who's the mastermind to make things better unless you remove the main roots one by one.

Seryu:......I can help.

Y/N: Are you sure?

Seryu: YES I CAN!.....In a more serious and calm manner of course. How old are you?

Y/N: 20.

Seryu: *gasp* You're just a year older than me!

Y/N: I got a lot of friends younger than me.

Seryu: Like who?

*WHOOSH*

Todo: BESTO FRIENDO!!!!!!!!!

*CLAP*

Todo: My brother! Who's this?

Y/N: Seryu this is my friend Todo Aoi.

Seryu: I am happy to meet a friend of Y/N!

Todo: I heard another woman has fallen in love with you!

Y/N: I mean Esdeath-

Todo: Boa.

Y/N: HUH?!

Seryu: Eh?!

Y/N: WAIT WHAT?! Doesn't she like....hate me? No not hate but she doesn't trust me-

Todo: Please I seen the look in her eyes. In a way she adores you for how kind and caring you are. *grin* Trust me, she's falling for you-

Esdeath: Falling?

Todo claps his hands, swapping with Y/N who froze and he was stuck there as Esdeath scowls at him and his friend disappears.

Esdeath: First Pyrrha now other women?! Are you a womanizer?!

Y/N: No Pyrrha's my first ever girlfriend. I had no partners whatsoever before her and even now.

Esdeath:......I'd like to meet this Boa-

Boa: Looking for me?

Boa suddenly shows up out of nowhere and Esdeath looks up only to see her smiling and then frowns upon seeing the general.

Esdeath: You......you little-

*TAP*

She turns to stone as Boa suddenly taps her on the body in the blink of an eye with a point blank love beam and she shatters the ice holding Y/N down.

Seryu: EH?! H-HUH?!

Boa: I can turn them into stone as long as they hold some affection for me even upon first glance. Even your general is susceptible to this.

Y/N: You had a crush on me?

Boa: *flustered* O-Of course not! Why would I like someone like you?!

Y/N:.............

Boa:.......I just want to know you better.

She had a pink tint on her cheeks as Seryu oooos before Boa unpetrifies the general.

Esdeath: Wha- What happened?

Boa: I turned you into stone and turned you back.

Esdeath: Y/N how strong is she?

Y/N: Much stronger than me. I think she can beat you too.

Esdeath: Is that so?

Y/N: 'Oh fuck did I start something? OH FUCK OH FUCK!'

Pyrrha: I think you may have started something.

Esdeath was defiant, looking up to the pirate warlord who stared down at her with a smirk.

Boa: Why don't you try?

Esdeath: *smirk* Let's see if you're worthy of his affection then!

Later

Esdeath's torso was wrapped in bandages, and she was instantly depressed for an entire week after being humiliated by Boa Hancock. She wouldn't talk much, and spent a lot of time in her room-

*CREAK*

Esdeath: Y/N?

Y/N: You need more bandages?

Petrification was different, and it couldn't easily heal even with Y/N's healing items as Esdeath lets him bandage her torso.

Esdeath: What makes her better than me?

Y/N: It's not a matter of that.

*WRAP*

Y/N: A relationship is an equal connection between two people. One where you respect the other and are open to their opinions and ideals even if they conflict.

Esdeath: 'Equal connection. Respect. Open to conflicting ideals?'

Y/N: With it comped experience and taking time to get to know each other. I spent many years with Pyrrha and we know each other well. I had taken time to get to know Boa and Mitsuri, and we all understand each other.

Esdeath: 'To think there's 3 women I have to compete with.'

Y/N: There's excitement and beauty in trying new things you know. Learning. Adjusting. Sometimes being the strongest isn't all that matters.

Esdeath: 'But it does to me though.'

Y/N: It doesn't hurt to challenge your own ideals and change. If you don't want to I won't force you to.

She was quiet, contemplating Y/N's words as he dresses her wounds.

3-4 weeks Later

If I die.....can you take care of my wife and kids? Make sure they're alright?

Y/N: *sigh* Bols has died?

Run: Ambushed and assassinated by a member of Night Raid. Kurome tried to capture her, but failed to as the figure had gotten away.

Y/N: Bols suffered guilt. He believed that the sins of massacring and burning all those people will come back to haunt him. It seems as if karma had finally caught up.

Run: Are you-

Y/N: He's a good man.

Run:....I agree too.

Y/N: I don't blame him for choosing his family's safety. Sometimes the hardest choices require the strongest wills. It's a shame.....if this was all over, he could've lived peacefully.

Pyrrha: Yeah.

Wave: I missed his company.

The three all nodded in silence, sad that a team member they were close with had died as they came to visit his grave.

Y/N: His grave should be close by in a 5 minute walk. You got flowers?

Wave: Yup.

Pyrrha:............

Y/N: Pyrrha what's-

Their blood froze, seeing a bloody mess on the ground in front of Bols's grave as Y/N rushes forward.

Wave: W-What?

Run: Isn't that........Bols's wife and daughter?

UPGRADED SENZU BEANS ARE NOW CAPABLE OF RESURRECTING SOMEONE WITHIN A DAY TIME LIMIT

Y/N was silent as Pyrrha felt queasy at the sight of the gruesome scene though there was noticeably a carving on the thigh of the corpse of the mom.

Property of Wild Hunt

Y/N: Here. Prop their mouths open.

Run:.........

He silently opens their mouths as Y/N drops one seemingly normal bean into each of their mouths.

*WHOOSH*

Run: T-Their injuries are healing?! How did you-

Y/N: I'll explain later.

Y/N hands Wave blankets as Kije and Logue immediately shot up after all their wounds healed, all frazzled before looking at them.

Kije: Ah....

Kije/Logue: AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

They let out an ear piercing scream as their eyes were full of terror and they quickly crawled back.

Logue: PLEASE DON'T HURT ME! DON'T HURT MY MOM!

Kije: D-DON'T HURT MY DAUGHTER PLEASE! I-I DON'T WANT TO DIE-

*THUD*

Y/N knocks them out, covering their bodies with a blanket as Pyrrha immediately cleans the blood off Bols's grave.

Y/N: They're on the verge of shock. Help them back- BUT.....avoid Wild Hunt at all costs. Bring them to my sleeping quarters by the way.

Run: Eh?

Y/N: I'll sleep on the floor. They'll need someone to look after them.

He had a blank expression on his face that unnerved both of them as they carried the girls-

Y/N: And get them spare clothes.

Am I clear?

Pyrrha: 'That's the same face.'

They all ran away as Y/N walks silently, contemplating on what to do in his head.

But it's pretty obvious what he's gonna do.

Next Chapter:

Death and Retribution