Black Whirlwind
VI: Delta Crow – Anti Reverse
"My Lady?"
Locks of snow white hair twirled in long fingers as watery deep blue eyes focused upon the cloaked spell-caster in acknowledgement. "Phantom who carries my name, servant mine."
"Lady Black Feather and Knight Black Rose have defected to their Signer masters," the phantom reported. "Two of the shards have fallen to the pirates."
"As expected," the lady mused. "They will side with their Signer against the world if need be, as Black Rose has proven. Well, then, as for the guards?"
"The Warriors are keep an eye out in the lowlands, and Junk Warrior in particular has requested that the Synchrons come to see their master," The Phantom continued. "Chevalier de Fleur has also volunteered her services."
"Indeed? That is good news," Stardust mused. "As for the visit, that is an idea. A very good idea. Our master does love his monsters, after all."
"My Lady?" the Phantom began. "You have expressed doubts over the Junk Warrior's opinion of this..."
"In the end, the Junk Warrior wants the best for Yusei, as do we," Stardust stroked the sleeping man's brow lightly with her nail. "If presented with the choice of him dying while we fade into memory when we could stop it, the choice is obvious."
"I see... the Xiaolong has laid low to ambush at the valley."
"Tell him not to do anything rash. He is required and a part of us, after all," Stardust frowned lightly, the expression hardly marring her features as she gazed through crystal towards the darkening skies approaching high noon. "Stardust Phantom..."
"Yes, My Lady?" the Phantom turned back to her.
"Is it better to die and fade, or live in happiness amongst the unchanging?" a small breath exhaled, crystallizing above the sleeping man's head.
The Phantom was silent for a moment. "That is a question I cannot answer. It would depend on the perspective of the individual, I suppose, My Lady?"
"Of course..." the dragon-turned-human sighed, humming as she combed through dark gold-streaked hair. "Go, one who bears my name, servant mine. Prepare for war, ring the bells. Stars are gathering."
"So, shouldn't we split up?" Zoro repeated again as they approached one part of the Isle of Fairies.
"This Isle of Fairies is completely empty," Nami complained as they docked on a pure white beach. "There's only green for miles around."
"This is the Ancient Forest, a land that places everything out in the open and absolutely does not tolerate conflict," Black Feather noted. "Fighting Ancient Fairy is not the problem, it's the land itself, and I cannot fight her. Since this is connected to almost every island directly, I suppose we could split up... but..."
"Why?" Zoro drawled.
"If Signer Dragon fights Signer Dragon like that, this whole island might go under the ocean," Black Feather indicated to the land with a single digit.
"That is, if it even comes to that," Black Rose stood on the stern, pointing to the majestic spire of the Dragon's Eye Mountain. Black dots were gathering around the top, further than the eye could see.
"Awesome..." Luffy breathed at the high-reaching spire of the Mountain. "We have to go all the way up?"
Usopp glanced up with his binoculars. "That's... a lot of..."
"All allies of Stardust," Black Feather bared her teeth. "That one... although we Signer Dragons cannot directly fight, it does not mean that our underlings cannot fight."
"I must stay to protect my Lady," Black Rose answered.
"I can take them all on with the Black Feather Clan," Black Feather smirked as she spread her arms. "I am the boss of Kurohane Island, after all. If I cannot match even Stardust in allies... then how can I call myself a Signer Dragon? Crow, what do you think?"
"Before we talk about taking them on, we've got to get the shards first," Crow reminded her. "I don't know any of you guys' abilities, but I know the weakness of the Signer Dragons. Ancient Fairy is the weakest of them all, but the forest doesn't allow conflict, so we need someone who can battle indirectly."
"Nami is quite capable of that," Robin smiled as she suggested. "I can hold down Ancient Fairy Dragon as she attacks, and Brook... perhaps this Ancient Fairy Dragon appreciates music."
"Robin!" Nami exclaimed.
"Yohohoho, Robin San is scary!" Brook squealed.
"Okay..." Crow sweat-dropped. "Life Stream Dragon..." he stopped. "No, Power Tool Dragon. That crazy docking fellow..."
"Docking?" Usopp and Chopper responded eagerly.
"Docking?" Luffy sat up, stars in his eyes. "Men, we're going after the docking dragon!"
"... Red Demon's Dragon is the toughest of them all," Crow finally concluded. "So... Aki, which do you want, Red Demon's or Life Stream?"
"Life Stream means Deformers... then, I'll go with the team heading for Crimson Fire, along with Ace, Zoro, Luffy and Franky." Aki decided. "Sanji, Usopp and Chopper can handle Life Stream. Nami, Brook, Crow and Robin can deal with Ancient Fairy."
"Hang on, why do we need five people to handle one dragon?" Zoro snapped.
"Because, Red Demon's Dragon is also capable of evolution, like Stardust," Black Feather answered. "That's why, depending on how you handle Red Demon's Dragon alone, you may or may not have to fight Scar-Red Nova Dragon. In terms of sheer attack power, Red Demon's Dragon is also the one with the most attack power, and thus the most difficult to take down after Stardust."
"I wanna see the docking dragon,so I'll switch with cook-bro there," Franky drawled.
"Against the whole Monster Quartet, this Red Demon's Dragon is so dead," Usopp muttered to Chopper.
"Uh," Chopper solemnly nodded.
"Oi, since when did the trio become a quartet?" Nami asked.
"With Ace there, we have three monsters and one super-monster," Usopp pointed out. "And only Ace and Aki have experience actually fighting monsters, Ace especially, plucking that... erm, Fallen Angel?"
"Darklord Edeh Arae," Aki pointed out. "Two thousand three hundred attack power. In comparison, Red Demon's Dragon at three thousand attack power is magnitudes above that."
"Hee!" Both of them shook in fear.
"I'm so excited!" Luffy yelled. "Dragons, wait for me! I'll definitely get Yusei back!"
Overhead, thunder clapped and the tinkling sounds of broken crystal seemed to ring through the archipelago in answer.
"This place is relatively empty," Nami commented as all four of them walked through the Ancient Forest.
"Yohohoho, it's very quiet," Brook agreed.
"Hopefully some monster isn't there." Robin commented.
Crow blinked. "...that's kinda morbid..."
Boing, boing. All four stopped in their tracks as they beheld the round... rodent-like thing with a red ribbon tied onto its tail before them.
"Kuribon!" Crow exclaimed in recognition.
"Unicorn!" Nami stumbled back at the glowing unicorn trotted to them from the trees, its blue mane and white coat shimmering with the sunlight prevalent across the forest.
"Sunlight Unicorn!" Crow recognised.
Brook's jaw dropped as something else followed the unicorn. "Unicorn San, look out! Behind you!"
"Lion!" Nami murmured in fear, as the white lion with the light brown mane approached them. "Lions here...?"
"For a place that does not tolerate conflict, it still has a protector," Robin commented, backing away.
"That's... Regulus!" Crow realised. "Regulus, it's me! Crow!"
"So I gather, Crow," the lion answered.
"It talked!" Nami and Brook screamed.
"I am Regulus, servant to Ancient Fairy Dragon," the lion continued in a serious tone. "You must be the pirates Ancient Fairy Sama warned would approach. Come, Ancient Fairy Sama awaits."
"S- Should we...?" Nami stuttered. "It might eat us..."
"There's no other way," Crow snapped. "We'll just have to follow the talking lion... well, at least one of us won't become meat..."
"Eh?" Brook paused.
"See, a skeleton has no eat on its bones," Crow pointed out.
"...Hang on, isn't that just a little bit rude?" Brook shouted as the four followed Regulus. "It's true, I'm just bones, but that's only because I've taken up an interest in dieting!"
"Right..." Crow drawled.
All speech between the pirates and the Duellist stopped as they approached their destination, and large butterfly wings unfurled themselves before the approaching pirates. Ancient Fairy dragon was indeed every bit as elegant as her name suggested, large butterfly wings delicate to the eye and slender snake-like body curled out in the sunlight. Her slender arms, each bearing an armoured gauntlet, supported her upper body as the small head, also armoured in a red helmet with sea-green tresses flowing down, she might have been a regal lady of the land instead of its dragon protector, and maybe she was both.
"Ah..." Brook's jaw dropped to the ground as almost everyone present stared uneasily as the draconic entity.
"Welcome to the Ancient Forest," the dragon's feminine voice echoed in some dreamy quality. "I am the protector of the forest, the Ancient Fairy Dragon. Ah, perhaps this form disturbs you all?"
"Well, we aren't quite used to talking to dragons..." Nami uneasily answered.
"I see. My apologies, my contact with humans has been very limited," some inner light shone from the dragon as it raised both arms to join hands...
… when the light faded, a slender young woman with flowing silvery green hair that reminded one of leaves under the moonlight remained. She wore a simple gown of blue and gold, elegant and classy and all the more regal by the one wearing it. Small red and gold accessories glimmered in the sunlight from her ears and hands, and the woman had some fae quality to herself as the lion approached her.
"My Lady, Ancient Fairy," he announced, the bass voice rumbling.
"Haa..." Brook started. "Your beauty is such that I have forgotten to breathe... not that I have lungs to breathe, my lady..."
"A- Ancient Fairy...?" Crow stuttered.
"Beautiful..." Nami murmured.
"Legend speaks of those fair folk of nature that hide from the eyes of men," Robin murmured. "The Aos Si, the Sidhe. They possessed some otherworldly beauty that lures mortals to obey their will. Ancient Fairy... Aos Si."
"This is merely a convenient form," the elegant woman motioned to herself. "Stardust is possessing of a human mask more alluring than this."
"There's one of greater beauty...? My lady," Brook stood, entirely serious. "May I please see your panties-?"
"Enough!" Nami boxed the skeleton in the afro. "So, you have a shard of Yusei's memory, right? We need it to rescue him."
"Ah, indeed I have it," Ancient Fairy answered. "The problem is, Stardust requested for me to hold onto it. I have an obligation to follow."
"Then, we have to defeat you for the shard, right?" Robin murmured.
"Ancient Fairy Sama!" Regulus the lion roared. "Let this servant fight in your place!"
"Regulus," the woman glanced down. "You alone cannot fight for me. As a dragon, my pride will not allow me to turn this down, yet the forest does not allow conflict." She considered. "You have a Duellist amongst you... in that case, I myself shall take the field."
"Ancient Fairy Sama!" Regulus protested.
"Do not forget," the woman's words had turned into something else, a dream about to sour into a nightmare. "In the end, no matter my kindness, no matter what warmth imparted from me, I am still a dragon, one of the legendary feared monsters."
All of them stepped back as large butterfly wings spread out. "In that case..."
"Trienta Fleur," Robin pronounced, as hands sprouted to incapacitate her.
"Interesting," Ancient Fairy took a hand in delicate fingers and crushed. All the hands disappeared thereafter, Robin stumbling back as she cradled her wrist. "And the forest..."
Leaves began to shake wildly as if an unseen wind had blown.
"What?" Nami exclaimed.
"The forest!" Crow ran towards Robin, pushing her out of the way as a beam of sunlight shone down on the spot she would have been standing in, lightly frying some of the grass.
"Hot!" Brook leapt out of the way.
"That... sunlight...!" Nami's voice shook at the realisation.
"Show me your resolve," the woman's words had never seemed this cruel. "I summon Dancing Fairy in defence, then, by the magic of the Dual Summon, I summon Sunny Pixie in attack, before setting up two reversed and end."
"Eh?" Robin murmured as two fairies appeared beside the dragon-turned-human. "Fairies?"
"This... is a duel!" Crow realised, activating his DuelDisk. "Draw! I summon Sirocco the Dawn!"
"Reversed, Bottomless Trap Hole," Ancient Fairy gave her unreadable smile.
Crow glared as Sirocco was swallowed into the formed hole by some formless slime. "Set a card, end."
"One more option," Ancient Fairy recited. "Dancing Fairy grants life of a thousand in my standby phase, and I summon Spirit of the Breeze in attack. With the Ancient Forest still in effect I place one more reversed and end."
"Draw!" Crow glared. "Pass."
"You fell into the trap!" Ancient Fairy giggled, something that sent Brook into something resembling fits of heartburn. "Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, discarding one to return your set magic to your deck of tricks, trickster."
Crow twitched as fire scorched the ground at his feet and the card flew back to the top of his deck. "Crap... I'm wide open! Wait! We're wide open!"
"Draw, standby phase means I gain life of two thousand from my fairy subjects," Ancient Fairy gestured majestically. "Because it is discarded, the tuner monster The Fabled Cerburrel returns to my field."
"Tuner monster?" Crow echoed nervously as a tiny red three-headed puppy returned to the field.
"What is she doing?" Nami wailed.
"Then, I summon Kuribon," Ancient Fairy gestured as the tiny puff-ball appeared. "Tuning, Dancing Fairy and Kuribon to The Fabled Cerburrel for seven stars. The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life!"
"The holy light... it's coming!" Crow braced himself.
"Synchro Summon! A regal birth, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" the real Ancient Fairy spoke with relish as large butterfly wings identical to her own spread wide and the blue dragon appeared again.
"That blue dragon... why is it in two places at the same time...?" Nami sweated.
"This is merely a manifestation of my power," the real Ancient Fairy answered. "I then summon Fairy Archer. Tuning, Fairy Archer and Spirit of the Breeze to Sunny Pixie. The holy light of protection requires a blade! With eternal life now comes the time to protect that! Synchro Summon! Protector of life, Ancient Holy Wyvern!"
"Another summon?" Brook exclaimed as another slender white dragon arrived next to Ancient Fairy Dragon, this one lacking front legs and rearing its head back in a serpentine manner."
"When my life is more than my opponent, Ancient Holy Wyvern gains power equal to the difference," the real Ancient Fairy chuckled. "Of course, when my life is lower, it also loses power equal to the difference. But, now, mine is higher."
"She is so beautiful!" Brook sang.
"Shut up!" Nami wailed.
Robin stood back. "It seems I am right... she is named for the Aos Si rather than the tales spoken to children?"
"The Aos Si?" Crow asked.
"The evil fairies," Robin explained.
"Elves are wonderful; they provoke wonder." Ancient Fairy spoke with relish. "Elves are marvelous; they cause marvels. Elves are fantastic; they create fantasies. Elves are glamorous; they project glamour. Elves are enchanting; they weave enchantment. Elves are terrific; they beget terror."
Her eyes lidded over. "The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes, look behind words that have changed their meaning. No one ever said elves are nice. And no one ever said that fairies are nice. And especially dragons; dragons are often said to be monsters. A shame they don't seem to say the same for fairy dragons."
"Hang on, she can't attack, right?" Nami nervously asked the very pale Blackbird.
"Ancient Fairy Dragon's ability, is that once a turn I can destroy a field magic," the dragon-turned-human smiled wanly. "The Ancient Forest counts as a field magic, and on top of that I gain one thousand of life."
"She can destroy the field at will, and hence choose when I attack and when she wants to guard," Crow calculated. "Crap...!"
"Yohohoho, I'd love to die under you, my lady..."
"Shut up, Brook!"
"It seems that our musician has fallen, Nami."
"So, the difference would be four thousand, and the base power of the Holy Wyvern being two thousand one hundred... it is more than enough to kill, I suppose I should hope that you survive, Crow Sama."
An elegant hand raised. "Plain Black!"
Ancient Fairy Dragon vs Nami, Robin, Crow, and Brook.
On another island, right next to the Isle of Fairies and connected to the Isle by a bridge, Usopp, Chopper and Franky watched stunned as the monster unfolded and refolded themselves.
"So cool~!" al three yelled.
"You think?" the teal-headed boy in colourful armour grinned.
"Yeah, even though these Deformers are holding us down..." Franky drawled.
"And that we can't attack..." Usopp continued.
"And we are getting our asses kicked..." Chopper drooled.
"Transforming robots are so cool!" All three finished.
"Wait, hold on!" Usopp leapt to his feet, pointing an accusing finger at the boy. "Who the hell are you?"
"I'm the leader of these guys, Power Tool Dragon," the boy smirked. "The resolve of you guys... I don't like it. You want to see the docking, huh? Then, have a look!"
"Docking?" All three exclaimed.
"Deformer Remote Control, Deformer Radion, tuning!" the guy announced excitedly. "Docking strength with courage to protect world peace! Synchro Summon! Envoy of love and justice, Power Tool Dragon!"
"Uwaah..."
"Whaa..."
Franky was almost crying. "This sleek shine... this metal body... those tools attachments..."
"Power Tool Dragon!" All three yelled.
"Maa..." the boy sheepishly sighed. "It's only a little something..."
"So cool!" All three Straw Hats shouted.
"Yosh! We're friends because you praised me!" the boy grinned. "But, I can't hand over the shard Stardust told me to protect without a fight, you know?"
"Of course, it's just not done," Franky nodded. "How about a contest? We test your docking strength, against the docking strength of our Pirates Docking Three, and see who wins, right?"
"It's an honour!" Usopp and Chopper yelled together.
Power Tool Dragon vs. Franky, Usopp and Chopper.
Within the burnt land that was Crimson Fire, five people grimly looked at the lone red-armoured figure they were to fight, surrounded by little grinning imps carrying hammers and tuning forks and many others.
"Ancient Fairy would taken you on one-on-one, she is fair like that," the figure rumbled, and none of them were fooled that he was human. "Power Tool is but a child until he really begins. And that, is where I differ from all of them." One fist glowed as he took a stance. "Prepare yourselves for a taste of my Absolute Powerforce!"
"I'll be excusing myself," Aki backed away. "Red Demon's Dragon..."
"Cool," Luffy prepared, grinning excitedly.
"I'll defeat him first," Sanji shifted his weight.
"I'll cut him first," Zoro hefted all three swords.
"I'll burn him first," Ace smirked.
"You're on!" Luffy yelled.
Red Demon's Dragon vs Luffy, Ace, Zoro, Sanji, Aki.
By the base of the Dragon's Eye Mountain, Black Feather boredly swung a bokken as she surveyed the hordes of monsters the clan stood against, all the military members of the Clan having assembled at her call.
"Black Feather Sama, we are ready," Elfen saluted.
"Black Feather Sama, Marine warship sighted!" Jet cawed from overhead.
"Oh?" Black Feather sighed in amusement. "Whatever, we have more pressing issues."
The bokken was raised high. "Men! It's war! In the name of Black Feather, show them the true strength of the Morrighan! Charge!"
The battle was on.
Black Feather Clan vs Monster Army
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