Chapter Twelve

"Oni Giri!"

Zoro had two of his swords in the form of a cross above his chest, with a third blade actually being held in his mouth. He then began rushing towards the masked man at an amazing speed.

He laughed, almost as if he were watching an infant attempting to walk for the first time, who suddenly fell to his feet. He easily darted out of the way, sending his opponent straight for the tree which had been behind him.

SWOOSH! BANG!

Rina stood there, awestruck. In mere seconds, the tree had been sliced open, and was now lying in pieces on the ground. "Haha, you do have strength, I'll give you that," he said, seemingly a little more serious now that he had seen the man's ability. "But you're going to need more than that to defeat me, Pirate Hunter Zoro."

"Y-you two know each other?" Rina asked, standing off to the side, unable to fight in her current form.

"I've never seen this guy before in my life," Zoro responded, grinning. "If I had, he'd have been dead already." Then, he looked straight at the man. "You want me? Come and get me!"

But the masked man was no longer paying attention. A dark, perilous energy began to encompass the area, as his skin began to glow as bright as the moon. His wavy purple hair was now standing on end, as electrical charges began spouting from all over his body. Getting into a sprinting position, he began charging for Zoro at lightning speed. At this point, Rina could make out his one visible eye, which was an indescribable mixture of blood red and violet.

"Tatsu Maki!"

Zoro turned his back to his opponent, with one sword in each hand pointed to the ground, and yet another being gripped with his teeth. He closed his eyes, seemingly waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Then, as the masked man was within seconds of making contact, Zoro whipped around, raising his swords to combat his opponent. But he did not stop there, as he soon whipped around once again, performing a complete three-sixty. And again, and again...until all Rina could see was a tornadic fury of wind, electricity, and steel.

In the confusion, Rina decided she now had the time to transform herself. Reaching for the shell on her necklace, she opened it, as the pearl within bestowed its power onto her. "Green Pearl Voice!" she shouted, as an array of rainbow-coloured lights began to envelope her body.

By this time, Zoro's attack had come to an end, as Rina watched the masked man fly into the sky, bloody gashes all over his body. It looked like Zoro didn't need her assistance after all, as he seemed to be a powerhouse all on his own.

But then she looked to the ground, at where the swordsman had 'won.'

He was on his knees, seemingly unable to stand. His body was singed beyond compare, as if he had been struck by a thousand bolts of lightning. Which, given the masked man's known abilities, he probably had been.

Now fully transformed, Rina was standing there on the beach in an emerald-green gown, with similarly coloured gloves and shoes. Her spiral shell earrings glistened in the moonlight, helping to reveal the stern look on her face. She was looking to the sky, at the direction the masked man was flying.

He was still up there, but he was now motionless, putting himself in a sitting position even though it seemed to go against all forms of logic. What's more, he no longer seemed to have any injuries. While his clothes remained ripped where Zoro had slashed him, the skin beneath was bare, as though he had never been cut in the first place.

Just what is this man? Rina thought to herself.

"I'm Will," he said, almost as if answering her silent question. "All you need to know is that I am the new God of this world. And you won't be able to do anything to stop me, Rina, Mermaid Princess of the North Atlantic."

Rina's look of sternness quickly replaced itself with a look of shock. Much like the way he seemed to know of Zoro, he knew who she was, and more importantly, what she was.

"Surprised, huh?" he said, laughing. He began lowering his body back toward the ground, right next to Zoro. He was still on his knees, but he hadn't moved a muscle since she saw him last. Perhaps Will had him under some other attack, Rina thought. He was still alive, and as far as she knew, he was still aware of what was going on around him. "I know a lot about you two," he said, turning his gaze to Zoro. "I called him a pirate hunter before, you know. But truthfully, he's just a lowly pirate himself," he added, looking Zoro straight in the face. "He was threatening the well-being of his world, truth be told. So whoever has brought you here has done that world a great favour."

Rina was no longer listening to Will's rants. Whether there was any truth to his words, she did not know. But at the moment, she just didn't care. She just began to sing.

" Nagareboshi ni negai wo kaketa
Nanatsu no hikari mitsukedashite
Hanarebanare ni natta JUERII SUTAA
Unmei to iu kizuna wo shinjiteru "

Will laughed, while Rina continued to sing her song. "I already told you, your song is useless against me. If anything, it's just annoying. I can't believe that actually works where you're from!"

Rina didn't listen.

" Daiji na mono ni kidzuitara kisetsu ga megutta
Midori no ame ni tsutsumarete utaitsudzukeru Song For You! "

It was too late for him to react when he finally realized what she was up to. He was paying so much attention to the woman before him that he had nearly forgotten about the man beside him. Who, at quite a quick pace, was losing all traces of Will's previous attack.

" Meguriaeru subete no mono ga
Houseki ni naru kiseki wo shinjïteru "

UMPHFF!

Almost at the exact moment that she let out that last syllable, Zoro, now with complete control over his body again, went in for the kill.

"Ittō-Ryū Iai: Shishi Sonson!"

Placing his sword upright, he unsheathed it, flew past Will in a blur of light, and finally came to a stop, resheathing his sword. And unlike the last time, Will was now the one laying helpless on the beach, in a pool of his own blood.

But was he beaten? Rina thought. She had seen blood the last time, but he had miraculously cured himself from that. But after a minute or so had passed, he was still on his back, and the cuts were still very visible.

But he was still alive. Very much so.

He began to laugh yet again, as though his wounds were meaningless-or perhaps, as though they actually brought him pleasure. "Nice," he said. "Very nice." Then, struggling to his feet, he ripped off his bow tie, tossing it to the ground. "You two are perhaps a better team than I thought," he said, breathing heavily. His undershirt was ripped open, revealing a cross-shaped cut in the middle of his chest, and his jacket had tears all along its sides, all stained with blood. But he still managed to stand, as he reached into his left pocket.

"I didn't think I would have to use these, you know," he said, taking out two red and white balls. "So I congratulate you on that. But now, now it ends. Xatu, Gallade, I choose you!"

He pressed a small button on each of the balls, as a wave of multicoloured lights began forming before him. And within a matter of seconds, two creatures had materialized before him.

The first was a bird of some sort, which Rina had never seen before. It was about five feet tall, though its wings made it look larger. It was mostly green in colour, but it had amazing markings all over its body, such as what seemed to be a pair of eyes in the middle of its chest. The wings were mostly white, but had yellow markings near the shoulders, and red and white down on the rims.

The second was more humanoid, though still not human. It had a white lower body, though it was green from the chest upwards. Its arms seemed more like swords than actual arms, and to top it off, its head also sported a blade that Rina expected could do just as much damage, if not more, than any of Zoro's swords. It blinked its two deep red eyes, glaring at the two humans before him.

"Kill them!" Will shouted. "Kill them!"

But before the two could jump to any action, five new figures arrived at the scene.

"Venus Love-Me Chain!"

"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

"Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"

"..."

There, standing on the beach just beyond where Will was standing, were five women. Four of them were dressed in sailor suits: two with blue skirts, and one each with red and orange, respectively, with their collars, broaches, and shoes all matching these colours.

As for the fifth, she seemed a little older, and also a little wiser. She was the only one who had yet to attack, and thus had remained silent. Her pitch-black hair fell down to her thighs, glistening in the moonlight. She wore a deep red, form-fitting top, and a skirt and pair of boots of the same colour. Her face had an expressionless look on it, though Rina could tell that that meant nothing. She had finally found her opponent, and she did not want him to see the look of satisfaction on her.

"You think you could get away that easily, William?" she said with a sneer. By now not even she could hide her feelings, as her lips curved into the slightest form of a smile.