Chapter 10: Boiling Point
Cipher Pol Arc
...
Lina fixed her eyes on their opponent, watching through her peripheral vision as her allies shifted into combat positions. Gourry stepped toward his left, placing himself between her and the intruder, gripping the hilt of his sword so tightly that his knuckles were white. Zelgadis inched forward, fingering the pommel of his own blade, as well as the guns that he'd kept after they destroyed the slaver island. Luke was still getting over his old habits, reaching reflexively for a weapon that was no longer there, before stopping himself with a grimace.
For his part, the intruder seemed entirely unconcerned with their preparations, his face fixed in an expression of mild boredom. What a cocky bastard.
"Hey Lina, is this guy a monster?" Gourry asked.
"Mazoku, Gourry. They're called Mazoku." Lina corrected. She paused, briefly considering the possibility.
At the very least, she could tell what he was thinking. The doorway that the man had stepped through strongly reminded her of the astral portals commonly used by low-ranking Mazoku. But the killing aura that she'd come to associate with them was absent from this foe, and the availability of an easier explanation only strengthened her convictions.
"This guy is a human." Lina concluded. "He probably just did that with his Devil Fruit power."
"Correct." The intruder replied in his monotonous baritone voice. "I ate the Door Door Fruit. Thus, I have become a door man."
"A door man?" Luke snorted. "So you're saying your Devil Fruit made you the guy that stands at the entrance to an inn, and helps people carry their stuff?"
The bull-horned man gave no response, no indication that he had been moved at all by Luke's remark.
"It is unfortunate for you that you have encountered us today." He continued dispassionately. "Although we of the CP9 are no longer agents of the government, by attacking us, you pirates have invited retribution upon yourselves. My fellow agents will be arriving shortly, and you are no match for the power of our Six Styles techniques."
Lina glanced at the ship that they were planning - still planning - to hijack, sitting a good distance away across the water. Unless these companions of his were planning to swim the whole way…
She shut that thought from her head. Even without sorcery, the possibility that they had abilities allowing them to cross the sea could not be ruled out.
"You sure talk big, don't you?" Lina shot back, orange sparks flickering between her loosely cupped hands. If more of these guys were coming, then there was nothing else to say.
"Fine! Let's see what you've got!"
Lina swept her hands outward and flung a spread of Flare Arrows at their opponent, hoping to take him by surprise with an aggressive display of magic. She figured he would be forced to dodge upward, leaving him open to a follow-up attack by the others.
She was surprised when the man simply stood in place, his body bending easily around the projectiles, slipping between the gaps in their paths like fluttering paper.
Taking back the initiative, the bull-man rushed forward, a blur of black darting across the deck. The pale ray of an Elmekia Lance struck the empty air where he had been but moments before. Dashing around the remnants of the central mast and weaving past the crew, the man closed the distance to Lina in an instant. She jumped back as a blade streaked through the air in a downward arc before her, followed by the sound of clashing steel.
Lina regained her balance and looked up to see Gourry repositioned before her, having parried the bull-man's attack. The swordsman segued instantly into a second slash, and their opponent withdrew, somersaulting back to the ship's bridge. Lina searched him for the weapon that she'd heard clashing against Gourry's sword, and to her surprise, found none. Instead, a shallow cut could be seen on his forearm, where his bare skin had made contact with the blade.
"That's a pretty neat trick." Gourry called, squaring his stance again. "So you kick off the ground ten times at once to make yourself move faster."
"Very observant." The other man complimented. He glanced at his wound, where a thin stream of red was flowing, then added, "And to break through my Iron Skin, if only a little, means that your skill level is above that of an average pirate."
Lina narrowed her eyes. 'Six Styles', the man had said just before the fighting began. Bending his body, the vanishing speed, and hardness enough to match a sword's cutting edge with nothing but exposed skin. And who knew what other tricks he had in store.
Lina mumbled a curse under her breath. Forget Plan A, that involved an abandoned ship. Plan B was also shot to hell; they were expecting to fight some storm-tossed pirates or marines at most, not a team of crazy martial artists. And with the fight taken to their own ship before they had even begun to depart, the amount of destructive power she could throw out was severely limited. They were probably in the area of Plan D or E by now.
Their opponent kicked off the deck and dashed for Gourry, aiming to finish the swordsman off first. Gourry's weapon was a blur of motion, and crimson lines appeared on the other man's arms, shoulders and cheek. Lina backed away from the furious melee, but she could find no gaps to hit their opponent without catching Gourry as well.
Standing his ground against the wave of attacks, the bull-man gripped Gourry's sword hilt with one hand, forcing it away and sweeping a palm over the swordsman's face.
"W-what's going on?!" Gourry stammered, stumbling back in surprise.
Lina stopped, taking a moment to process what her eyes were seeing. One section of Gourry's head was rotating by itself with a grating, wooden clack, carrying his eyes and ears with it like a revolving door. With his head literally spinning, Gourry's stance collapsed and their opponent advanced, bending his body around a poorly aimed swing and extending an index finger, drawing back as if he intended to jab the digit into Gourry's throat.
Zelgadis moved, springing at their opponent from the side, brandishing his own sword, blade coated in the deep crimson glow of the Astral Vine. Noticing the danger, the bull-man withdrew his attack and sprang skyward, the deck below splintering beneath the force of his jump.
Lina flung a wall of icy daggers into the bull-man's path. If she could hit him while he was unable to maneuver in midair, the battle would be over.
She had to revise that thought when the man shot out a leg, kicking off from the air with a muted boom and launching himself out of the spell's path.
"Oh that is just bullshit." Lina swore. The others joined in on the attack, sending up a kaleidoscopic barrage of spells, all to no avail, for their foe was no less maneuverable in the air than he was on deck.
"Amelia, see if you can break the curse on Gourry!" She commanded. Gazing upward, she noticed the bull-man draw back his leg, swinging forward it in an exaggerated kicking motion.
Lina extinguished the spark that she had been forming and channeling her magical power into the air around her. A translucent dome formed overhead, and not a moment too soon as the bull-man completed his attack, sending a blade of wind scything downward. The two forces clashed with a shriek of air, but the barrier held, while the deflected cutting force of the attack struck the sea surface, parting the waters and causing the boat to rock.
"I've seen that one before." Lina shouted up.
The noise coming from Gourry's direction came to a halt, as the unnatural energy flows were restored to normal by Amelia's Flow Break. It was reassuring to know they still had some tools for dealing with these powers, and she filed that information away for future reference. Gourry was still dizzy, but he rose back to his feet, quickly regaining his bearings.
Forming another fireball between her cupped hands, Lina pitched it skyward, and the bull-man stepped toward the side, allowing the projectile to pass. With the snap of a finger, the fireball shattered, showering the bull-man with a spray of sparks, and his attention lapsed for a moment.
Luke gestured with a smirk, and molded a dense globe of air around their opponent. The bull-man kicked out, but it was to no avail, and Luke forced the spell downward, sending its captive smashing face-first into the deck. In an instant Milina was there, a spiderweb of icy tendrils expanding out from her palm, freezing the bull-man's limbs to the planks. Then before he could wrench himself free, a pillar of brilliant white erupted around him, stripping away his will and leaving him dazed and half-conscious.
"And that's what you get for messing with Lina Inverse." Lina concluded. Searing white-hot spears of flame shot out from her cupped hands and connected with their dazed and bloody opponent, the backwash flashing ice to steam and disintegrating the wooden deck. She allowed the spell to die once she saw the bull-man's eyes roll back into their sockets, tendrils of smoke seeping from his mouth and nostrils. He was still breathing, but it would be a while before he'd be getting up again.
...
A vicious grin stretched across Lucci's face when he noticed the multi-colored pyrotechnics exploding over the battered pirate ship. Blueno had gone ahead, impatient as usual, eager to deal with the distractions quickly so they could continue on toward their destination. But it looked like he wasn't having an easy time of it.
Lucci pushed himself faster, the rhythmic cracks of air beneath his feet increasing in pace, the sea surface a horizontal blur as he raced forward. Perched on his shoulder, Hattori tucked himself lower to avoid being blown off by the gale. A speck of sea foam splashed onto his jacket, and he flicked it off with a finger. At last, some action to dispel his boredom, some blood to sate his thirst.
From behind, Lucci heard the sounds of bones snapping and joints popping into place. He glanced back to see that Jabra had expanded into his hulking hybrid form, bounding through the air on long lupine legs.
"I see you're having trouble keeping up." Lucci remarked scathingly. "It's no wonder you were beaten like a whipped dog by a pirate who didn't even have a bounty."
"You'd better watch your mouth, you cat bastard." The other agent snarled back, the hackles on the back of his neck standing on end. As usual, the mangy mutt didn't have an actual comeback.
The distance to the pirate ship was fast diminishing, and it seemed that the light show had come to an end. Lucci's internal disappointment shifted to mild surprise when his eyes fell upon Blueno's prone and badly burnt body, lying comatose on a blackened patch of deck near the ship's bow. He was still breathing at least.
"Well I'll be damned, Blueno went and got himself beaten again!" Jabra cackled from behind. "Ah, what a fool."
Lucci settled softly on a splintering segment of railing at the bow, while Hattori fluttered off, circling overhead at a safe distance. Jabra landed at the stern of the weather-beaten ship, causing the deck to creak under his weight, eliciting a round of gasps at his animalistic appearance. Lucci quickly scanned the half-dozen colorfully dressed pirates on deck, noting no signs of any weapons that could have been responsible for the lights and Blueno's burns. He had observed earlier that the ship's gun ports were boarded up as well, not that a cannon bombardment could ever touch a Six Styles master anyway.
A red-haired girl stepped forward, pointing a finger menacingly at Blueno's unconscious form.
"Hand over your ship." She demanded confidently.
"And what if I refuse?" Lucci hopped down from the railing, his face flashing into a predatory grin.
Though the girl kept her finger trained on Blueno's unmoving form, she took a step back, and Lucci relished her apprehension.
"You'll give us your ship or I'll blast this guy to smithereens!"
Lucci's response came not in words, but in action. He exploded into motion, snatching up Blueno's unmoving form, then effortlessly hefted the larger man over his shoulder with but a single hand.
"I cannot allow that." Lucci said, turning to face the girl. "While my colleague's defeat is regrettable, I still have need of his abilities. And if you're worried about me fighting with just one arm, don't be. My power level is five times his."
His leg shot out, catching the red-haired girl in her gut and flinging her into the cabin on the opposite end of the ship. The blonde swordsman intercepted him before he could follow up, but Lucci simply parried his blows with a free arm, tensing his muscles until the blade's bite was little more than that of an insect sting.
Jabra launched himself into the fray with a howl on his lips, moving with the bounding, springing motions of his Iron Body Style. The pirates scattered but the agent was faster, striking the blue-skinned gunman with an open-palmed thrust and sending him hurtling into the sea.
A spear of fire from the dark-haired girl slammed into Jabra's back, breaking his stride and drawing a yelp of pain and surprise. He paused and backed away, eyes darting to and fro. Lucci smirked. Now things were getting interesting.
Turning his attention back to his own opponent, Lucci forced his way past the swordsman's guard and wrenched the weapon from his grasp. His own hand flashed out in a blisteringly quick volley of thrusts, his index finger punching holes through swordsman's breastplate and coming away wet and red.
Catching the swordsman by the neck before he could fall, Lucci hoisted the man into the air. If this one had any unusual abilities, he'd have surely used them by now. There was no point in toying overlong with mice.
Lucci paused as a voice interrupted with an "excuse me" from behind, barely above a whisper in volume. Showing nothing of his shock at being snuck up on, he spun around, smooth and practiced, and found himself staring into a pair of violet, slitted pupils, belonging to a purple-haired man cloaked in a black priest's mantle. His eyes were cold. They promised only death.
"Forgive me, Mr. Agent." The man smiled warmly and extended a gloved hand. "But you'll have to let me look at him first."
"And what if I refuse?" Lucci repeated his earlier words. His eyes bored into his opposite, scanning for any sign of whatever lay beneath this light-hearted veneer, but he just couldn't seem to get a read on this one. It was as if he were looking at a blank shell arranged in the shape of a human. This day was getting more and more interesting.
"Well then, that's just no good at all." The mysterious priest shrugged nonchalantly. His outline blurred and shifted in a most unnatural manner.
"I suppose we'll have to settle this disagreement some other way."
...
Lina awoke dazedly and staggered to her feet. Her head was pounding, her hair was filled with wooden splinters and her side throbbed where that agent bastard had kicked her.
She blinked for a few moments until her vision cleared. Outside, Luke and Milina looked to be unhurt, and Zelgadis was soaked, but otherwise okay. The three of them were staring up at the sky, where a black blur that had to be Xellos was battling their two boarders. The unconscious bull-man had been abandoned near the stern of the ship, where Amelia was kneeling on the deck, bent over another prone figure. The Saillune princess was deep in concentration and chanting steadily, her hands glowing with a soft white light.
"Gourry!" Lina ran to the fallen swordsman, and a pang of guilt hit her chest when she saw the bloody puncture wounds scattered across his torso. He was injured because of her, because he was protecting her.
She quietly started to breathe again when she saw Gourry's wounds begin to close and disappear, and heard him stirring into consciousness.
From the direction of the Marine ship, two more dots were fast approaching, racing through the air at just above wave height. Within moments, they were close enough to be discerned as humanoid forms, separating and landing at the ship's two ends. Both of the new arrivals stood twice as tall as Lina did, taller than any person she had ever seen before. And as for their appearances...
"Looks like Blueno got himself beat up again, chapapa!" The egg-shaped man at the ship's stern blurted, in a voice that was almost comically high-pitched and childlike despite his heavyset appearance. And... was that a zipper running across his mouth?
"Yoyoi!" The other man thundered from behind, adopting a theatrical pose with one hand extended uncomfortably close to Lina's face. With his other, he hefted the unconscious bull-man over his shoulder.
"Defeated though he may be, the courage displayed by our dear colleague in facing so many is certainly… admirable." He recited.
Lina reminded herself that despite their patent absurdity, that these two were dangerous men. Her sentiment was reinforced when the opponent before her closed his eyes in concentration, and his wild mane of pinkish hair began to wave about like the tendrils of some great sea creature.
...
Lucci grimaced as he kicked the air and withdrew from another fruitless exchange. He inspected his forearms, covered in burns inflicted by the black flames of the thing he was fighting. A difficult situation, though not a critical one just yet, for he still had his own Devil Fruit to fall back on.
Across from him, Jabra wasn't faring any better. Rushing to attack, the agent found himself stymied by a wall of distortion before being driven back by a cloud of drilling, stabbing cones.
The thing they were fighting was definitely not human. During his time as a government agent, Lucci had had access to a wealth of top secret information. There was no way a Devil Fruit could be responsible for such a broad array of powers.
Moreover, it didn't bleed like a human during one of the few times he'd managed to land a hit. It didn't recoil like a human either; its retaliation was immediate and unrestrained. Once it had dropped the act, it retained none of the tells that every person carried, and its body language was decidedly alien.
Lucci was reminded of one of Vegapunk's experimental human weapons. Modeled after the Warlord, Bartholomew Kuma, built from human corpses. Pitiless killing machines.
Though unlike them, this one was definitely self-aware.
"What are you?" Lucci asked between kicks, his curiosity getting the better of him. While others might condemn, Lucci found these qualities to be commendable. This was the absence of weakness, freedom from that very human sin.
"Now that's not a very nice thing to say." His opponent replied coyly. "But if you must insist, you may refer to me as Xellos, mysterious priest."
An evasive response, but not an unexpected one.
Lucci glanced down to see Fukuro and Kumadori arriving on the ship's deck, engaging its crew two against four. Even outnumbered, the agents were easily pushing their opponents back, while the pirates played a game of feints to stall for time, and heal the swordsman he had injured.
"And are you the leader of this group?" He questioned again, ducking down to avoid a lashing tendril of shadow.
"Nope!" Xellos chirped, soaring away from a flurry of shearing wind blades. "I wouldn't dream of doing something like that."
Lucci allowed his body to go limp, swaying to avoid the tip of a spinning black cone. "Then why do you follow such a weak crew?"
"Just be patient for a little longer and you might find out." Xellos responded with another non-answer. He paused and drifted back rather than fire off a follow-up attack.
Lucci noticed the reason why when a cannonball slammed into the pirate ship, bursting with a sharp crack and sending up a plume of black smoke. His eyes traced the projectile's path, coming to rest on an unlabeled government ship approaching from the direction opposite his. The battle on deck ground to a halt as well while the combatants reoriented themselves.
The government ship furled its sails, and something flitted up from its deck, zig-zagging through the air toward Lucci's position. A masked man, tall and slim, dressed in an immaculate white suit and and draped in a matching overcoat. A yellow flower-petal beard and a red and white-striped top hat added a bit of color to his appearance, and though he kept his arms folded, their relative positions betrayed him as a member of the Longarm Tribe.
The implications were not wasted. A Six Styles user, borne by an unlabeled ship, his identity concealed behind a mask. Only the two secret divisions of Cipher Pol fit these parameters, and with the current CP9 having gone rogue, it meant that this man was a member of the 'World's Strongest Intelligence'. An agent of CP0.
"The Zeroth." Jabra gasped, having arrived at the same conclusion. "What are they doing here?"
Lucci remained silent as the masked agent came to a halt before him. Glancing down, he noted Xellos descending toward the deck, where Fukuro and Kumadori were gawking in unconcealed shock.
"My my, what a surprise to find you all here." The Aigis spy spoke, his voice practically oozing with disdain.
"And what a disappointment to come across the former agents of the Ninth, skirmishing with pirates like some petty officer of the Marines."
Lucci said nothing, keeping both eyes fixed on his counterpart as the masked man glided through the air around him, the motions of his feet so minute as to be practically unnoticeable.
"Though to be frank, at least one good thing has come out of the Enies Lobby debacle. The organization of which you lead the last and - let us not mince words - worst generation has finally come under review. Spies that can't spy, killers that couldn't kill a single member of a single pirate crew, a gaggle of misbegotten misfits lead by the most demented of them all."
"But don't feel that all this rests solely upon your shoulders." The agent remarked dryly. "CP9 was a worthless venture from the moment of its inception. The eight official branches of Cipher Pol are more than capable of handling matters in Paradise and the Blues, and an agent of Aigis can be dispatched to deal with the few that are beyond them."
"And what might this agent of Aigis be doing here today?" Lucci asked.
"You mean you haven't realized?" The masked man replied. "Aside from the fact that your little band has become a political liability, it has fallen to us to complete the mission that you failed to accomplish. The mission that you spent 5 years failing to accomplish."
"Your former chief is working with us." He added. "Or perhaps he's working for us?"
Lucci understood. Once the World Government was set on a course of action, they would pursue it on sheer inertia, until all options were exhausted.
"So you're after the Ancient Weapon, Pluton."