"B J" Zabuza

"B J" Zabuza, also known as Bartholomew J. Zabuza or Zabuza of the Riptide, is a former mercenary and the 2nd-in-Command of Blazing Phoenix. He began his mercenary career on Mount Yeti during Imperial Year 2699, but was shortly driven out of the area by the Olympians. He traveled north and helped to found a settlement that would later become the Manticore Syndicate's hideout. Shortly after the establishment of the Manticore Syndicate's hideout, he was approached by "D" Axel to form what would later become Blazing Phoenix. He lacked the conqueror's ambition that "D" Axel had, but instead focused his passion on the battlefield. After the failure of Operation Rising Phoenix and Blazing Phoenix's defeat in the First Northern Expedition, Zabuza witnessed firsthand Axel's corruption and fall to the Gold Armors. Not wanting his friend and comrade to suffer the corruption all alone, Zabuza too put on the Gold Armors. When Alice Xander defeated "D" Axel in the Evans Ville Games, she began a chain of events that would ultimately remove the Gold Armors corruption from Blazing Phoenix. Axel had went into hiding to train and regain his power. Being left in command of the Blazing Phoenix, Zabuza also sought new strength. He would find it in the Naval Baptism. "D" Axel would later return to Blazing Phoenix and take up the mantle of leadership again. The months following would be grueling as the group suffered losses in it's membership and the loss of many of the organization's treasures due to thievery in the city of Chi Cao Gao by "D" Axel would eventually break the group apart. Zabuza suffered a number of setbacks during this time, including the loss of much of his former equipment. The situation forced him to go into a sort-of self-exile, wherein he disappeared for months.