Quick Update on the message from when I originally posted this: To everyone who's been harassing some of the flamers. Shame on you guys, I thought we were all better than that. A few apologized and we're cool now. I appreciate the thought, but I never wanted anyone harassing anyone for my sake. I'm a big opponent of harassment and I don't want any of you to stoop low enough to do that, because I know most of you, you're better than that.
Chapter 13: Risky Red's Red Hot Battles
"Okay!" Hughes declared in excitement, raising his Command Tact in the air in preparation for his rematch with the two mutts that bested him before. "I'm going to enjoy this far more than I should! Now, come forth, my monsters!"
Akamaru growled out a warning, catching Kiba's attention. The Inuzuka nodded. "I know, boy, I can smell 'em all too. Feels like I'm about to greet a bunch of old friends."
With that, Hughes' Monster Academy "students" made their appearance, leaping from camouflaged hiding spaces, surrounding Kiba in the process. Kiba heaved a tired sigh, recognizing each monster from Willow Lake. "Only, every single 'friend' is that one friend from each group that nobody likes." Kiba muttered, gazing at all the familiar faces coming out to play again.
Yep, the whole gang was back. Wolf Man, Frankenstein, Mummy, Dracula, the Gill Man, Swamp Man, and Medusa (who thankfully had been blindfolded to avoid accidentally turning her allies into stone); it seemed like every movie monster in existence had come back for round 2 with Kiba. Hughes chuckled. "The good students of Monster Academy certainly remember you, Kiba. And they don't appreciate the corporeal punishment they received last time."
"The hell kind of threat is that? Are you saying I'm a teacher now?" Kiba frowned.
Hughes heaved a sigh. "Okay, yeah, even I'll admit that threat was in no ways awesome."
Kiba popped his neck, grinning at each of the monsters that had surrounded him and Akamaru. "You know, I really should be scared. Some buddies of mine from the Wizard World introduced me to this thing called 'horror movies,' played on Lacrima, right? Surrounded by this many monsters, I should be terrified."
Kiba then bared his wolf-like fangs at the monsters. "But honestly, I'm not, because you guys are about to get torn to shreds by real monsters. You're the horror-movie victims, not me."
Akamaru barked in agreement. "Let's go, Akamaru!" Kiba ordered his companion and best friend.
Hughes frowned at Kiba's declaration. "Indoctrinated or not, I've got my pride." Hughes noted. "And I'm going to win awesomely this time."
The students of the Monster Academy all leapt at Kiba and Akamaru in unison. Kiba immediately noticed that a few of them were in front of Medusa, as though they were defending her at the same time. She must be their trump card, Kiba noted, well, the best way to deal with a trump card is to force it into the open, first. Don't give them a chance to safely bust it out!
"Transform, Akamaru!" Kiba ordered as Akamaru did as told and became a perfect clone of the Inuzuka boy. "Now, Fang Over Fang!"
"Franken Punch!" Hughes yelled, directing Frankenstein to throw a mighty right hook at the two terrible tornados.
Then, Kiba and Akamaru revealed a new trick up their sleeve. "Fang Over Fang: Dog Agility!" And suddenly, just as Frankenstein was about to block their Fang Over Fang with a punch, the two twisters dispersed and actually moved around the monster and then rejoined to strike an unsuspecting Mummy, who could only moan out what sounded like a muffled scream.
Hughes watched in shock as Kiba and Akamaru easily avoided Frankenstein's Franken Punch and then proceeded to tear Mummy apart with the greatest of ease. His bandages flew about like wrapping paper, being torn and tossed by a kid on Christmas day. Mummy was knocked off his feet and onto his back, rendered immobile by Kiba and Akamaru's aggressive assault.
Hughes narrowed his eyes at the sight. Those two had gotten stronger. They downed one of his monsters with ease this time. He had to overwhelm them with numbers or Medusa would bring them down with her eyes. It was the only way he could guarantee his win in the rematch.
Actually, scratch that, he did have a trump card to play. An awesome trump card in fact. There was a reason he had someone as gross as Swamp Man "enrolled" in the Monster Academy, allowed to walk around, dripping like a runny nose. It certainly wasn't for his good looks or stellar academics.
No, it was exactly for situations like these, when jocks like Kiba and his stupid dog needed to be taken down a notch or two. Swamp Man roaring and flailing his arms around, catching Kiba's attention. Kiba took one look at Swamp Man and groaned in slight disgust. "You are one ugly mother-"
Akamaru barked at Kiba, not wanting him to finish that sentence. "What?" Kiba asked, not seeing anything wrong with what he almost said.
The other monsters parted, allowing Swamp Man to have his go at Kiba. "Ready, Akamaru, I think this goopy bastard wants a go."
Akamaru growled in response. "Fang Over Fang!" Kiba yelled, rushing Swamp Man dead on, much to the amusement of Hughes.
"That was totes a bad move." Hughes chuckled.
Then, when Kiba and Akamaru drove themselves into Swamp Man, they actually found themselves stuck to it like glue. Swamp Man's swampy body was some sort of adhesive that stopped their momentum.
"What Swamp Man lacks in good lucks, he makes up for with his big heart at the Monster Academy." Hughes chuckled. "What can I say, he's a hugger. Once he grabs onto ya, he won't ever let you go."
Kiba and Akamaru frantically tried to pull themselves free from Swamp Man's gooey body, but its massive, sticky frame was just too much for them to pull free from. Hughes laughed at the sight. "Awesome, awesome, awesome!" He yelled. "Okay, student body of Monster Academy, feel free to get your kicks in as much as ya want!"
"Hey, Dracula!" Hughes waved his Command Tact at the vampire. "Why don't you get some lunch. You've been wanting a nice Chakra snack since Willow Lake, right?"
Dracula trained his gaze on Kiba and Akamaru, licking his lips in hunger. Kiba noticed this and paled slightly, remembering what happened to Shino in Willow Lake. "Akamaru, we've gotta get free, now!" He frantically yelled to his partner.
Akamaru yipped in response. "Crap, crap, crap, how though." Kiba frantically muttered, trying to pull himself free from Swamp Man.
"Moron," Hughes taunted, "you can't get free. Swamp Man was recruited to serve as the great defender of Monster Academy. In fact, if Monster Academy were a manga, Swamp Man would be the hero because of that defense...or maybe like the hero's super protective sidekick. Yeah, that works, the super-protective Swamp Man is the sidekick, the best friend of the hero. And the hero is someone hotblooded like...hey, Wolf Man, you think you'd be a good protagonist?"
Wolf Man howled positively in response. "Well, there's your answer." Hughes smirked. "Okay, Dracula, sorry for the tangent, suck them dry now."
"DUDE!" Kiba paled. "Phrasing!"
Dracula loomed over Kiba with a hungry look in his eyes. Kiba's brain frantically searched for a solution. Okay, if I were a guy with a huge grip on someone. What's the one thing that would make me let them go, without fail?
Kiba, being Kiba, found himself coming to a single possible solution, and it made him turn green with disgust at what he was about to order Akamaru to do. I really hope the freaking Swamp Man is capable of being grossed out.
"Akamaru," Akamaru perked up at Kiba's voice and then his mouth gaped at Kiba's next order, "treat this guy like a tree."
Akamaru, thankfully, knew exactly what Kiba meant. Treat him like a tree. There was only one way a dog could treat a tree. And it was...well, a bit gross, but only natural for a dog like Akamaru.
Swamp Man stiffened when he felt a warm liquid on his stomach. A warm liquid that was spraying him like a mini-hose. He looked down and his swampy mouth dropped open. Akamaru was urinating on his stomach. Dracula stopped in place and stared at Akamaru in disgust. Most of the remaining Monster Academy students did the same.
Medusa, though, frantically looked around, wondering why her classmates had suddenly stopped in place. Swamp Man let out an inhuman shriek as it grabbed Kiba and Akamaru and threw them both off of him, making Hughes scream in utter disbelief. Akamaru yelped at being tossed about...and he was still urinating too.
And now, said urine was being sprayed about, striking Monster Academy in various areas one by one. Poor Dracula got the worst of it. He had been so close to the...ahem...splash zone, the urine got in his eyes, making the vampire stumble about, shrieking at his misfortune.
Kiba's mouth dropped open in shock at how well that plan worked. It actually went even better than he imagined. "SWAMP MAN!" Hughes yelled. "Where are you going!"
Kiba and Akamaru watched as Swamp Man ran out of view, clearly disgusted and embarrassed at being covered in dog urine. Kiba and Akamaru both looked at Hughes like he was incredibly stupid. "Couldn't you have forced him to stay with that Command Tact thing of yours?" Kiba asked curiously.
Hughes froze in place before he spun around and began banging his head on a nearby tree in frustration. "I was totally grossed out by your stupid pee strategy!" Hughes yelled in anger. "I got distracted!"
Kiba then noticed that he had marked just about every student of Monster Academy. Even Medusa, who seemed oblivious to the fact that the liquid on her was urine and not some other kind of liquid. He smirked. "Well, we'd be pretty stupid not to take advantage of such a unique opportunity, boy." Kiba said to Akamaru. "You ready to let the wolf loose?"
Akamaru barked in response. "Here we go then!" Kiba yelled. "Inuzuka Style: Man Beast Transformation Combo: Two-Headed Wolf!"
Hughes' eyes widened when Kiba and Akamaru transformed into a two-headed wolf monster. "Crap, not this nonsense again."
"Here we go!" Kiba growled. "Wolf Fang Over Fang!"
And with that, Kiba and Akamaru began spinning at insanely high velocities, and began barreling into the remaining members of Monster Academy, one by one. Hughes could only watch in horror as his monsters were wiped out with the greatest of ease. Dracula, Wolf Man, Gill Man, and Frankenstein were all sent hurtling into the air before falling limply to the ground.
Medusa was all that was left. "Damn it, trump card time." Hughes muttered in frustration. "Medusa, turn them to stone!"
I really didn't want it to come to this, especially when they are like this. Hughes thought. Once they're turned to stone, they'll come out of this crazy spin and the momentum will cause them to break apart! Damn it, I don't want that on my conscience but I have no choice!
Medusa removed the bandages over her eyes and looked right at Kiba and Akamaru. Hughes closed his to avoid accidentally looking at Medusa's eyes. He was still vulnerable, after all.
Then, not even a second after Hughes had closed his eyes, the officer heard the sound of a pained hiss. He opened to see the two-headed wolf standing over a knocked out Medusa triumphantly.
Hughes' eyes bugged out in disbelief. "EH?" He yelled. "No way! How did you not turn into a freaking statue?"
What Hughes failed to realize was that Kiba and Akamaru spun so fast in their Wolf Fang Over Fang, their vision was blinded from the velocity. So, with that in mind, the two instinctively kept their eyes closed and relied on their sense of smell, tracking each target with the scent of Akamaru's urine. Why keep your eyes open when it is impossible to see?
Kiba and Akamaru quickly transformed back to normal. "Just drop that stupid wand of yours and surrender, Hughes." Kiba calmly told him. "You're outmatched here. Animals always remember what they can hunt, and what they can't hunt. That's how the food chain is made, after all."
"And right now," Kiba continued, crouching like he was about to pounce, "you are way beneath the both of us on the food chain."
"D-damn it," Hughes cursed in disbelief, "outmatched again."
"Fang Over Fang!" Kiba and Akamaru spun around each other, barreling towards Hughes.
Hughes sighed, closing his eyes and waiting. Totally not awesome. He thought in defeat.
Hughes remained surprisingly calm and composed as Kiba and Akamaru barrelled into him, sending him spinning into the air and then hitting the ground, unconscious before landing. Kiba and Akamaru came out of their Fang Over Fang, both giving triumphant, fanged grins. "You may have your pride," Kiba acknowledged, "but so do I. There's no way in hell I'm going to lose to someone who doesn't even believe in his own cause."
"That's not your fault. You were dealt a really crappy hand in this new life of ours." Kiba sympathetically noted. "But again, I've got my pride too. And that means I ain't losing to anyone's puppet."
"Just because I'm not going to be Hokage, doesn't mean I can't be the best Ninja the Hokage could possibly ask for." Kiba revealed the full depths of his new goal.
Shikamaru wanted to be the best advisor Naruto could ask for, and Kiba wanted to be Naruto's ultimate weapon. It was the least he could do for a dear friend and the rival who bested him on the path to Hokage.
Meanwhile, Wyper and Sugarboy stared each other down, ready for battle. "Okay," Wyper took aim with his Burn Bazooka, already ready to blast him away, "I haven't had a real battle in this entire war. Even if things have gotten more peaceful in Skypeia, I cannot deny that my Shandorian blood burns for a battle like this."
Sugarboy chuckled. "My, my, my," he teased, "a classic battle freak, eh? Well then, my Rosa Espada and I would be more than happy to give you the fight you seek, before we're forced to send you to Hell."
"You'd have to drag me down pretty far to take me to Hell." Wyper smirked. "I do live in the sky you know."
Wyper quickly pulled the trigger and a line of fire blasted towards Sugarboy. The battle freak of the Shandorians was quick to make the first move. Sugarboy chuckled and ducked underneath the flames. "I can't help but feel like you've triggered me." Sugarboy noted. "I lost my beautiful hair to flames you know."
"This time though," Sugarboy growled, "I'm not going to fall for that nonsense. I move with the agility of rushing water, like liquid."
Sugarboy then stabbed the ground, liquifying it. "This new armor of mine is specially designed." He explained. "I can now skate across the liquified ground now, regardless of its original properties, thus increasing my speed. Now, try to keep up Shandorian!"
Sugarboy began skating towards Wyper across the liquified ground. Sugarboy raised Rosa Espada in the air. However, the Edolas Officer was surprised when Wyper suddenly rocketed forward, skating across the ground with his own gear. The Shandorian quickly ducked underneath Sugarboy's first stab. Then, displaying an impressive amount of flexibility, Wyper delivered a powerful kick to Sugarboy's jaw, making the man's head whip backwards from the force of the impact. The blow was further amplified by Wyper's skate using its thruster to boost the power.
"Too bad for you." Wyper told him. "I'm used to skating on surfaces like these. Or do I have to keep reminding you that I come from the sky."
Sugarboy quickly recovered and chuckled. "You know, it's strange, with my hair like this, I really don't care about keeping up the appearance of some dandy man any longer." He admitted, wiping the blood from his lower lip. "Yes, this must be how Knightwalker feels in the presence of a truly mighty opponent."
Sugarboy moonwalked away from Wyper, sliding across the liquid ground. And yes, he actually did moonwalk. "The raw, manly might of two men clashing with each other. I must admit, it's far more thrilling than I expected." Sugarboy declared.
Wyper scowled. "Once upon a time, I thought the same way." He noted. "And while I still enjoy the rush of battle, I have learned there is more to life than war."
Wyper rocketed forward on his skates. "For example, a big part of life is protecting something, like the newfound peace the people of Skypeia bled for, for hundreds of years!"
Sugarboy trained his Burn Bazooka on Sugarboy, intent on shooting the man point blank. Sugarboy grinned and ducked underneath the bazooka. He then stabbed Rosa Espada upwards, quickly liquifying the weapon.
"Damn!" Wyper cursed.
"Moron," Sugarboy taunted, "even if you have an honorable, manly spirit, charging in like that is a fool's errand."
Wyper quickly backed away from Sugarboy's Rosa Espada, concerned that the man's blade could liquify his body if not careful. However, his retreat left and opening that Sugarboy was quick to exploit. Lowering his shoulder, Sugarboy slid forward, smashing into Wyper's chest.
Wyper let out a grunt of pain. With that armor of his, Sugarboy's strike actually hurt like hell. "When I'm finished with you, you're going to wish I still had my Burn Bazooka, you bastard!" Wyper promised.
"Oh? Common sense states otherwise, friend." Sugarboy noted.
Wyper smirked. "Well, prepare to have common sense changed. Allow me to introduce the might of the Reject Dial!"
Sugarboy's eyes widened as Wyper brandished a red dial from Skypeia, which did indeed look like a seashell, just like the stories said. "The Reject Dial is the mightiest, most dangerous dial in existence, meant only to be used by someone with the resolve to fight and die!" Wyper declared.
"You are crazy," Sugarboy hissed, "if what you claim is true, the Reject Dial harms you as well! And do you really want to use such power on someone who's been indoctrinated?"
"At what point does an excuse like that wear out?" Wyper inquired curiously. "Puppet or not, you're still doing the bidding of a truly evil god! And I won't allow that god to have his way, whether it means just cutting the strings of his puppets, or smashing the puppets to pieces!"
Sugarboy's eyes widened. Thinking quickly, he stabbed Rosa Espada forward to try and liquify the dial, only for Wyper to pull the Reject Dial away at the last moment. Now wide open, Wyper delivered a haymaker to Sugarboy's jaw, making him stumble to the side.
"A trick?" Sugarboy's voice was distorted due to his messed-up jaw.
"The oldest trick in the book, and you fell for it." Wyper noted. "Like I'd use the Reject Dial on smallfry like yourself."
Wyper pocketed the Reject Dial. "That was to find out just how far your blade's powers reached. And now I understand that you can only liquify inanimate objects."
Sugarboy chuckled, wincing from his busted jaw. "I have to admit, you are something odd." He commented. "But, I suppose there is something to be said about the odd thought process of a man with a warrior's spirit."
"Anyway, you're right, Rosa Espada can only liquify inanimate objects. And what of it? It still cuts like any other sword. How do you expect to win if you cannot get close to me?"
"You're right, I can't." Wyper noted. "Which is why I'm going to charge right in and give you the full fury of Shandora."
Sugarboy could not help but grin. "Yeah," he said eagerly, "there really is something to be said about the manly spirit of a heated battle!"
Wyper sped forward on his rocket-powered skates. "Come on then, Shandorian!" Sugarboy yelled with glee. "Give me everything you've got!"
If he's that unwilling to use his trump card, then I've got the upper hand. Sugarboy noted. As honorable as handicapping yourself is, this is still war, and that makes you more of an imbecile than a man of honor.
And now that he's handicapped…
"I'm a step ahead of you!" Sugarboy yelled out, swinging Rosa Espada at Wyper's head, intent on decapitating him and ending this fight.
Wyper quickly ducked and opened his blue Alliance blazer, revealing a muscular chest draped in various dials attached to belts. Sugarboy's eyes widened. "Are those…" he trailed off.
"Damn straight," Wyper quickly removed one dial from his many builts, "I'm afraid you're wrong, Sugarboy. I'm the one who's a step ahead! In fact, I'm a hundred steps!"
Wyper shoved the dial straight into Sugarboy's armored chest. "Impact!" He yelled.
And with that, Sugarboy took the full force of an Impact Dial. The man screamed in pain as his pink armor shattered from the blast, sending him flying in the air. The former officer of Edolas could only gape in pain and shock as he came crashing back down onto earth.
Sugarboy wheezed in pain, struggling to remain conscious, rendered immobile by Wyper's decisive blow. "How did that happen?" He wondered. "Impact Dials are supposed to absorb the kinetic impact from attacks. You just pulled one out and clicked on it like it was nothing...how…"
"You underestimated how prepared I came to this fight." Wyper revealed. "It's true, even though I've been in the heat of battle throughout this war, I haven't had much of a chance to make a name for myself like my ancestors."
"However," Wyper continued, "that doesn't mean I've been lazing about. In every fight I've participated in, I've been storing kinetic energy from every soldier I've come to blows with. And I've stored it all for the moments where I come across ranked soldiers like yourself."
Sugarboy's eyes widened, unable to believe how crazy prepared Wyper was.
"I fight not just for glory, but I fight for victory." Wyper revealed. "That means, I have to always be prepared for the next battle, in order to protect the peace that Skypeia and Shandora came together to achieve."
"This war has been going on for awhile now, and yet you didn't have the foresight to constantly prepare yourself for the next fight." Wyper explained to Sugarboy. "That is the real reason you lost."
Sugarboy could not help but laugh. "I guess you could call it a bad habit. Edolas has always run on finite magic...so we never really thought much for the future, just the present. Heh, we were so worried about losing magic now, we never once considered what kind of future we'd be creating with our actions. I guess, in a way...you could call that stagnation."
"Yeah...I guess we do kinda deserve to lose if you want to bring up reasons like that...of course, there are way bigger reasons we deserve to lose."
Sugarboy let out one final wheeze. "Keep going forward, you're going to need to keep preparing yourself...for when the day comes that you come across enemies way worse than me." And with that, Sugarboy lost consciousness.
Wyper nodded in understanding. He then found himself repeating a new creed he had adopted, in honor of Shandora's new allies. Keep fighting, he reminded himself, not for glory, not for Shandora, but for peace. But not just peace for Shandora. Peace for all worlds. Never again forget...that true warriors are selfless.
Wyper felt the ground shift around him and saw that the formerly liquified ground was now back to normal. "Guess it's over." He noted.
"Not bad, dude." Wyper looked over his shoulder to see Kiba and Akamaru walking past the knocked out Hughes. "You really had to have taken it to 'em, huh?"
Wyper nodded. Kiba grinned and clapped Wyper on the shoulder. "With skills like that, I'm glad you're on our side." He complimented. "Now come on, let's keep pushing. We don't want to be left in the dust by everyone else, don't we?"
Working with others...working with non-Shandorians. Wyper thought to himself. Even as a member of God's Guard on Skypeia, the thought of it still seems so foreign sometimes.
Wyper could not help but smirk a little. Seeing the kinds of victories that can be achieved through working together...I have to admit, there is something to be said about it all.
The truth is, two years ago, while rummaging through Shandora's old ruins, Wyper came across a very telling message from his ancestor, the Great Warrior, Calgara.
"I will probably die, never seeing my dear friend Noland again." It read. "Noland, my friend, wherever you are, I hope you know how much our friendship meant to me. My accomplishments in battle alone, paled in comparison to the accomplishments we shared."
Back then, Wyper was still uncertain of what would happen if the Shandorians and the Skypeians came together in a shared nation. However, those final written words from the legendary warrior himself had been what truly convinced Wyper.
And so, Wyper dedicated himself to not just fighting for victory, but for what victory was supposed to bring. He fights for peace now.
Elsewhere, Lucy Heartfilia brandished her Fleuve d'etoiles before Foxy, smirking confidently at how this fight was going to go. Foxy looked like a guy who was in the midst of a midlife crisis and was considering getting a gym membership in response. He did not look like he would be much of a threat to her.
However, Foxy still looked quite confident himself. "Fehfehfehfeh," Foxy laughed gleefully, "such a beautiful lady before us, yes?"
"Yeah, Boss!" The Foxy Pirates cheered in agreement.
Foxy grinned. "Okay, boys!" He continued. "Bust out those mirrors, it's time for the Foxy Pirate Funhouse!"
"Right, Boss!" The Foxy Pirates cheered obediently before several of them ran away from Foxy and Lucy.
"Foxy Pirate Funhouse?" Lucy gazed at Foxy in confusion.
Foxy grinned, holding his hands out in front of him as though he were taking aim at Lucy. "Lovely lady, come over here to our side." Foxy tried to bring her over. "We'll treat you real nice. We'll love you long time!"
"Ick," Lucy muttered, reaching into her pocket and taking out a single gold key, "well, I want to end this quickly, so I guess fight annoying pervert with another annoying pervert."
"Okay, Open, Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus!" Lucy yelled, as the axe-wielding cow-man known as Taurus appeared in front of Lucy with a loud lowing.
"The only one who's allowed to leer at Ms. Lucy's bodacious body is me, so you get a moo-ve on, bucko!" Taurus yelled.
"Now you listen to me you stupid cow! I'm allowed to look too!" Foxy ranted.
"And now, Star Dress: Taurus Form!" Lucy yelled, transforming into the cow-like bikini that was the Taurus Star Dress.
"WHOO!" Foxy and the remaining Foxy Pirates cheered with glee, eyes turning to hearts at the sight of the most curvaceous, buxom blonde in all of Fairy Tail.
"Taurus!" Lucy yelled.
"Ms. Lucy!" Taurus yelled. "If I blow them away, you'll give me a smooch, right! Rampage!"
Taurus slammed his axe to the ground, creating a shockwave that tore towards Foxy. "Now time for my Foxy Dodge!" Foxy "stylishly" leapt to the side, avoiding Taurus' Rampage. "No Devil Fruit powers, Haki, or any other fancy tricks folks! Just raw, physical prowess of a handsome man!"
"More like a stupid man!" Lucy was upon Foxy, bringing her fist back for a mighty blow to the stomach that she was certain would down him.
"Stupid? Not me!" Foxy declared dramatically, pointing his hands at Lucy. "Slow-Slow Beam!"
Lucy's eyes widened when she was suddenly enveloped by a strange beam. "Ms. Lucy!" Taurus yelled in concern.
What...what happened? Lucy wondered to herself. Why did I suddenly slow down? These powers...are they Devil Fruit powers?
Lucy then heard Foxy and his men whooping and hollering perversely. "Men, I hope you know how much I love you all!" Foxy declared
Then, out of the bottom corners of her eyes, Lucy was treated to the slow-mo jiggling of her large breasts. Foxy and the Foxy Pirates were enjoying the amazing sight of Lucy's body jiggling slowly in all the right places. If she were able to blush, she would have. Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Lucy yelled in her mind. What is wrong with this guy? He's put me on display like this? Where's Taurus? I need his…
Lucy then heard the sound of what appeared to be choked gargling. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Taurus foaming at the mouth in a catatonic state with hearts in his eyes. He was utterly captivated by the sight of Lucy's body in slow motion.
...Why did I think I could count on him when I like this? Lucy lamented.
Foxy then leapt backwards as Lucy suddenly found herself moving at a normal pace again. She turned red with embarrassment and rage. "You sick pervert!" She shrieked. "What is wrong with you? Is that what you use your Devil Fruit for?"
"Fehfehfehfeh!" Foxy laughed. "No, but it's not every day I come across a beautiful buxom blonde such as yourself."
"Either way, my Devil Fruit is truly a blessing from the gods if I can do something like that! Yes, that is the power of the Slow-Slow Fruit!" Foxy declared.
"Captain Foxy, you're the best!" The Foxy Pirates yelled as blood poured from their nose like miniature waterfalls.
"Ugh, talk about rotten luck." Lucy groaned. "Taurus, snap out of it, I need your help."
"I can moo-ve on to the afterlife with no regrets." Taurus could only mutter, still practically catatonic, much to Lucy's irritation.
"You are useless!" Lucy screamed with embarrassed rage, holding up the key. "Now go back to the Celestial Spirit World and take like a hundred cold showers!"
Taurus let out one last moo as he went back to the Celestial Spirit World. Lucy groaned in irritation as her attire changed back to normal. "Stupid perverted bull-man." Lucy muttered, unable to believe how useless Taurus could be sometimes.
"Oh, how adorable, you're embarrassed?" Foxy grinned. "My word, you are the whole package, baby! Sexy, spunky, and enough shame to be demure!"
"Oh shut up, jerk!" Lucy screamed. "It's not like I want to be looked at by creepy perverts like you! It's not my fault that I got my mom's genes!"
"Fehfehfeh," Foxy laughed with a dark grin, "you should be proud of your beauty. I am."
"We're back, Boss!" Foxy's other subordinates yelled, returning with full-length mirrors. "The Foxy Pirate Funhouse is ready to go!"
Lucy turned her attention to the mirrors with a confused expression on her face. "Foxy Pirate Funhouse...wait, you were seriously creating a funhouse? Like those funky mirrors in the carnivals?"
"Fehfehfehfeh! I see you're not just a dumb blonde!" Foxy taunted. "Indeed, when we say Foxy Pirate Funhouse, we mean it literally!"
Lucy watched as the Foxy Pirate Funhouse surrounded her. "So, what exactly is the point of this? What, do you think I'm so vain I'll freeze at the sight of my own good looks?"
"Fehfeh, sorry but not even close." Foxy grinned. "Did you know that the Slow Slow Fruit's Slow Slow Beams could reflect off of reflective surfaces...like mirrors!"
Lucy's eyes widened. "Oh crap." She muttered as Foxy held out his hands in front of him.
"Slow Slow Beam: Dance Dance Revolution!" Foxy yelled, firing the beam at Lucy.
Lucy was quick to jump to the side and avoid the Slow Slow Beam, only to look over her shoulder and see the beam get reflected by the mirror directly behind her. "Oh crap!" She yelled, jumping again to avoid the beam.
"Fehfehfeh!" Foxy cackled as the beam reflected off of another mirror. "Dance, Blondie, dance!"
Lucy could only let out a scream that seemed to be a mixture of terror and frustration as she now found herself dancing like a maniac to frantically avoid Foxy's Slow Slow Beam: Dance Dance Revolution. Foxy then laid down on his stomach to watch Lucy's dance from a better angle. "Moving around like this, I'll get a nice little peek up your skirt, Blondie." Foxy said with a perverse grin. "Fehfehfeh, I wonder if you're a good girl who wears something cute, or a bad girl that wears something lacey and sexy!"
Lucy grimaced at how openly perverse Foxy was being. At this point, Foxy seemed less about winning the fight, and more about getting nice looks at her in compromising positions. Growling in frustration, Lucy grabbed her skirt and kept it held down, making sure it did not move up and show her panties to Foxy.
"Oh, don't be shy." Foxy taunted. "If you suddenly lose focus like that, you might get hit by my Slow Slow Beam. And when that happens, you'll be wide open."
Lucy grimaced. "So basically I have to die from embarrassment or die in battle? Agh! Both of those are equally terrible!"
Foxy just laughed at Lucy's frustration. Lucy, thankfully, remembered at that moment she had a whip. And when the Slow Slow Beam moved past her once more, the blonde Celestial Wizard decided to end the forced dance party and cracked Fleuve d'etoiles, shattering the mirror that the Slow Slow Beam was moving towards.
Coincidentally, it was also the mirror that Foxy was directly behind. Foxy's confident demeanor was wiped away as the smug pirate's mouth gaped. Him and the pirate now holding the shattered mirror screamed in terror as they frantically leapt away to avoid the errant Slow Slow Beam.
This caught Lucy's attention. Wait, he dodged it too?
Immediately, Lucy realized why and deadpanned in utter frustration and annoyance. She was 110% done with this nonsense, especially when there was such an easy solution right in front of her. Why even use powers like that when they can backfire? She wondered.
Lucy sighed and took out a particular key from her pocket. "We're done here, Foxy." She told him. "I'm so done with your nonsense, it's not even funny anymore."
"Open, Gate of the Twins!" Lucy yelled. "Gemini!"
Two tiny blue creatures materialized next to Lucy. "Piri piri!" The twins Gemi and Mini danced about in front of Lucy.
"Whoa, those little things are actually really cute!" The Foxy Pirates cheered with awe at the two twins.
Lucy smirked. "Gemini!" She pointed at Foxy. "Transform into that guy!"
The twins took one look at Foxy and gazed at Lucy with visibly sad expressions on their faces. "Do we have to?" They replied in unison, making Foxy visibly deflate at that statement.
Lucy sighed. "I don't like it any more than you do, but we kinda need to win this. I mean, I wouldn't be able to show my face if I lost to a guy like this."
"Okay, Lucy," Gemi said to her.
"We'll do it, if it's for you." Mini added.
And with that, the twins transformed into a perfect replica of Foxy. "Whoa, there are two bosses now?" The Foxy Pirates exclaimed in surprise.
Lucy smirked. "Three's company though, Star Dress: Gemini Form!" Lucy transformed into a far more conservative Star Dress and what looked like a jester's hat to top it all off. "Now, as much as I don't like the idea of it, time for me to transform too!"
And with that announcement, Lucy also transformed into a perfect copy of Foxy. "Whoa, now there are three bosses!" The Foxy Pirates yelled.
"This is identity theft!" Foxy accused, pointing a long bony finger at the twins and Lucy. "This is also just, straight-up rude! You can't copy me! I'm the OG! There is only one Foxy! Change back, right now!"
"Fehfehfeh!" Lucy and the Gemini Twins laughed with Foxy's laugh. "No rule that says copies can't beat the original."
And so, the two copies of Foxy took aim at Foxy with a very familiar pose. "Slow Slow Beam!" They yelled in unison.
"GYAH!" Foxy screamed in terror as he was now forced on the defensive.
The Lucy-Foxy ran forward, picking up a mirror shard. "Gemini!" Lucy-Foxy yelled, tossing the mirror shard behind Foxy.
"Slow Slow Beam!" Gemini-Foxy fired another beam at Foxy.
Foxy shrieked again and ducked underneath the beam. However, what the Foxy Pirates Captain failed to realize was that the mirror shard, which was still in midair, was thrown for a reason. And much to Foxy's horror, the angle the beam was fired, allowed it to be reflected by the shard, right into Foxy.
Foxy was left unable to scream now as he was frozen in place from the Slow Slow Beam. "Here we go!" The two copies yelled in unison and rushed in to land the final blow on Foxy.
"Megaton Nine-Tailed Rush!" Lucy-Foxy and Gemini-Foxy yelled in unison as they both delivered a barrage of punches into Foxy.
"BOSS!" The Foxy Pirates yelled in horror, mortified at the sight of their boss being dealt such devastating attacks.
Why they did not just step in, the world may never know…
When the two let up on their respective Megaton Nine-Tailed Rush, a single second was left on the Slow Slow Beam's effects. "Game over." Lucy and Gemini transformed back to normal.
And with that, the Slow Slow Beam wore off fully, and all the damage Foxy had accumulated from the Megaton Nine-Tailed Rush hit him at once. Foxy let out an inhuman shriek as he was sent hurtling into the air. His body caved in multiple places from the punches. When Foxy landed on the ground, he looked like he had been trampled by a stampeding herd of elephants.
"BOSS!" The Foxy Pirates yelled again.
Lucy smirked triumphantly. "I really have grown." She said before smiling in remembrance. "I have definitely come a long way from when I met Natsu in Hargeon. Hard to believe how much I've grown."
Lucy then gazed at the Foxy Pirates. "Okay, who wants to go a round with me next?"
"We're good, Mistress!" The Foxy Pirates immediately fell to their hands and knees and bowed in respect to the beater of their captain.
Lucy's eyes bugged out a bit at her new title. "Mistress? Ugh, that's just creepy. Virgo calling me 'Princess' is bad enough."
"Okay, enough of that." Lucy told them. "Just knock yourselves out so that we can take out you prisoner."
"Yes Ma'am!" And with that, the Foxy Pirates began knocking themselves out, one by one.
"Piri piri," the twins chuckled, "way to go, Ms. Lucy, you really took it to 'em!"
Lucy grinned. "Well, I am a soldier and a Fairy Tail Wizard, aren't I not? I've got to act the part." She bragged proudly.
"Okay, you can head back for now, Gemini." Lucy told them. "I don't want to drain my Magic Energy too much, just in case someone a bit more challenging than these guys show up."
"Call us whenever you need us, Ms. Lucy, piri piri!" The twins yelled in unison as they returned to the Celestial Spirit World.
"Ms. Lucy!" Lucy was immediately joined by several Alliance footsoldiers. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, yeah, no worries." Lucy smiled brightly at her fellow soldiers. "As you can see, I totally went to town on these fellas."
"Amazing, Ms. Lucy!" A young footsoldier said in reverence. "I can't believe how strong you are."
Lucy blushed. "Oh come on, don't give me all that, you're embarrassing me. Just tie these pirates up and we'll call it good, kay?"
Elsewhere, Zommari Rureaux heaved a sigh as Rock Lee dropped into his Ferocious Fist stance. "I see, so there's no going back, huh? You've resigned to your fate, human?" He inquired.
"I have only resigned myself to victory, Zommari Rureaux." Lee told him. "Let me make something clear, in the name of the Flames of Youth, you won't beat me."
Zommari sighed again and drew his Zanpakuto. "And now you die." Zommari told him, vanishing in the wind.
Lee remained calm, allowing Zommari to speed towards him. He could see Zommari raising his blade to gore him through the chest. He's fast. Lee smiled. But I'm much faster.
"Hiyah!" Lee yelled, punching Zommari right in the chest.
Zommari was stopped dead in his tracks from the hard punch to the ribs. However, Zommari's body immediately faded away, much to Lee's surprise. "Gemelos Sonido." Zommari appeared behind Lee. "You fell for my magic trick, foolish human!"
"Huwah!" Lee threw a fist back straight into Zommari's jaw, making the Espada stumble backwards.
"Ugh!" Zommari grabbed his jaw in pain.
That hurt...that actually hurt. That human punched right through my Hierro like it was nothing! Zommari realized.
"But how?" Zommari demanded, his voice muffled slightly by his swelling jaw. "How could you have reacted fast enough, I was sure I had outpaced you!"
"It appears you don't seem to yet understand the opponent you've picked out, Zommari Rureaux." Guy smirked, taking a seat in a meditative position. "That will be your downfall."
"What do you mean?" Zommari demanded. "Do you honestly believe this brat can outpace me?"
"Well, in that case it's not that Lee can outpace you. He can, but that wasn't what it was. It's more that Lee's reflexes are so great, there's just no way to catch him off guard." Guy explained. "I've trained Lee to be a mighty Taijutsu master since he was a Genin. And because of his genius-level work ethic, he has greater reflexes than even Observation Haki users. In fact, he'd be so youthful if he got Haki, I'm not sure I'd be able to beat him."
Lee turned around to face Zommari. "If I may, Mr. Zommari." He said politely. "I shall strike you now."
Lee vanished into a slipstream and immediately appeared in front of Zommari. "Leaf Hurricane!" Lee yelled, kicking Zommari right in the neck.
"UGH!" Zommari yelled in pain, stumbling off to the side from the kick.
Zommari quickly recovered and glared at Lee. "Insolent human bastard, I am Zommari Rureaux!" Zommari screamed before recomposing himself. "Fine then. I suppose I only have myself to blame. No, of course I don't have myself to blame. Can I truly be blamed when I'm caught off guard by the species I feast on? No, you are nothing but an anomaly, boy."
"Anyway, if you can catch and keep up with me now, I suppose I'll simply have to up the pace, you miserable human." Zommari decided.
"Up the pace, thank you, that does sound like it would make this fight more enjoyable!" Lee jovially agreed with Zommari's assessment.
Zommari gazed at Lee in disbelief. Human mongrel...how could he be so eager to fight, knowing who he is facing? Zommari wondered to himself before feeling his sore neck. Still, that kick actually hurt. How could a human's kicks be so strong?
Lee quickly removed his weights and casually tossed them to the side. Zommari's eyes widened briefly as they hit the ground with loud crashes, creating craters. Quickly regaining his composure, Zommari raised his Zanpakuto again. "Never forget that you asked for this, fool!" He yelled, vanishing into the slipstream with Sonido again.
Lee watched as he was surrounded by five Zommaris at once. "Is this like Naruto's Shadow Clones?" He wondered to himself.
"Gemelos Sonido," Zommari explained, "I can create clones of myself with my incredible speed. Among the Espada, I am the fastest. Think of them as afterimages that stick around and aid me."
The clones of Zommari all rushed Lee simultaneously. Lee, however, kept a close look at all of them. Strange, he thought to himself, they are all rushing to attack me, and yet four of them are relaxed, even though they are holding a sword and ready to strike. The only one who is actually tensed up and ready to attack is the one right behind me.
Lee nodded in understanding. "I see," he said, "so it's nothing like Naruto's Shadow Clones. They're just a cheap, un-youthful imitation."
This caught Zommari off guard. "Cheap?" He exclaimed in disbelief.
Lee then leapt into the air, spinning about. "Slicing Leaf Hurricane!" Lee yelled, firing off a circular blade of air that expanded outwards.
Four of the Zommaris could only grunt as they were cut through by Lee's new variation of the Leaf Hurricane. Those four faded out of existence. The fifth, Zommari, however, gasped in pain as the Slicing Leaf Hurricane slashed through his chest, stopping his assault dead in its tracks.
"Impossible!" Zommari yelled in disbelief. "Was that...the Six Powers' Tempest Kick?"
"Not impossible at all! As someone who has worked hard for his strength, taking the Six Powers style and making it my own is a trivial matter! The fruits of my labor are the Flames of Youth!" Lee declared. "I could've attacked you and you alone, Mr. Zommari, but I wanted to make it clear your Gemelos Sonido had no effect on me."
"No, you couldn't have figured out my Gemelos Sonido, you only saw it twice." Zommari growled, clutching his bleeding chest.
Lee smirked. "So you claim, but you forget that you face a Taijutsu Specialist!" Lee reminded him. "I am more familiar with the human body than you think, especially when a body is in the heat of battle."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Zommari demanded.
"Everything," Lee claimed with a smile, "when preparing to attack, the body naturally tenses up because of its muscles. However, none of your clones did. They went through the motions. Their muscles were relaxed, in spite of giving off the illusion they were about to attack. Which means your clones cannot actually hurt me!"
Zommari gasped at how quickly Lee had figured him out. For a guy who seemed like he was all-muscle, Lee was phenomenally perceptive (as long as the subject was battle). "I must ask you to try a bit harder, Mr. Zommari." Lee told him. "I have fought with and against foes who utilize clones that can actually attack. Something like this doesn't scare me at all!"
Zommari gripped his Zanpakuto, visibly trying to keep himself from blowing a gasket in anger. "I'm sorry to say this," Lee continued, "but the simple fact is right now…"
Lee vanished in a slipstream once more and immediately appeared in front of Zommari, throwing a powerful punch to the stomach. Zommari's body tensed as his eyes bulged. Impossible...how could I be losing ground to a human...I can't be beaten by our prey!
"...I'm a step ahead of you." Lee declared.
Zommari stumbled backwards, clutching his stomach. "Hwah!" Lee backflipped and kicked Zommari in the jaw, knocking him onto his back.
What the hell...it's like something out of a nightmare. It's got to be a joke, a big, freaking joke. Why are these humans so much more difficult to hunt and devour than the humans from my world? Humans...are supposed to be at the bottom. That's how it is. Humans are the cattle which we feed on.
They're not supposed to stand up to us! They're not supposed to disrupt the order of things! What is this nonsense?!
"Excellent work, Lee!" Guy congratulated his pupil. "You have truly grown strong in preparation for this campaign!"
"Thank you, Guy-Sensei!" Lee cheered gratefully. "But I'm still not yet nearly as strong as you!"
Zommari rose to his feet. "Damn humans...who do you think you are looking down on your betters? I eat you filth for sustenance!" He snarled. "How dare you try to rebel against your betters? You are nothing but food for us!"
Zommari let out a furious roar. "I won't lose to you, humans!" He declared. "Your lives are mine to do as I please!"
Zommari then clapped his hands together in a meditative position as his Zanpakuto floated in front of him. His neck horrifically bent sideways at a perfect 90 degree angle. "Subside," he said, "Brujeria!"
Zommari vanished in a cloud of smoke. "Stupid, stupid humans." He sneered from inside the smoke. "You cannot look down on someone higher up than you on the food chain. What you do goes against nature itself! As the 7th Espada, I will now right this tragic injustice, and set nature back on its intended course! You will all pay for looking down on me!"
"Be prepared, Lee," Guy said sternly, "he's serious now."
Lee nodded. "Excellent," he said, "I would be concerned if he wasn't serious at this point. It'd be un-youthful to continue striking him if he remained the way he was."
Zommari then revealed his Resurrecion to Lee and Guy. Zommari had gone from the 7th Espada to the Pink Pumpkin Man. To anyone else, he would have looked utterly ridiculous. However, to lunatics like Guy and Lee…
"SO YOUTHFUL!" Guy and Lee yelled in utter glee at the sight of Zommari's Resurrecion, catching the Espada off guard.
"Umm...excuse me?" Zommari muttered quietly.
"Such vibrant colors like our green jumpsuits!" Guy geeked out at the sight. "In another life, pink would've been perfect for youthfulness!"
"I couldn't agree more, Guy-Sensei!" Lee exclaimed in agreement.
Lee then almost immediately turned serious. "However, sad as it is to admit, those youthful colors are being worn by someone who is most un-youthful. Even if he were youthful, it doesn't change the fact we are enemies."
Guy nodded in understanding. "Your maturity and understanding of the situation is admirable, Lee." Guy kindly told him. "Now, go and finish this fight."
Zommari regained his composure and glared at both Guy and Lee. "There you go again, underestimating me, treating this fight like it's already been won! Have you forgotten who you're dealing with! I'm the 7th Espada! I worked hard to get to this point! I kicked weaker predecessors to the side to get my rank! And yet you humans think you can just look down on me like I'm nothing! You have no right to look down on anyone! You're the most fragile existence in the universe!"
A single eye then opened on Zommari's pumpkin body. "Amor!"
Lee was visibly grossed out by the sight. "Eyes do not belong there." He muttered before losing all feeling in his left arm.
Lee looked to see an eye tattoo on his arm. Before he could comment on it, the arm reached out on its own and grabbed him by the throat. The grip immediately tightened, cutting off Lee's air and choking it.
"Miserable fool." Zommari taunted. "The power of Amor. I intoxicate whatever my eyes fall on and place them under my control, like I have done to your arm!"
"I will make you spend your final moments gasping for air!" Zommari vowed. "I will make you pay for underestimating me!"
Guy gazed at Lee in slight concern. What will you do now, my most youthful student? He wondered.
Then, much to the shock of both Guy and Zommari, Lee raised his right arm and brought his fist down on his own arm, shattering it in a single blow. Zommari gasped in disbelief at Lee's lack of hesitation. Not again… He fearfully thought to himself.
Lee gasped for air as his broken arm fell limply to the side. "Not my most youthful solution, but it was the best thing I could come up with." He admitted.
"Lee, are you sure that was the wisest move?" Guy inquired curiously.
Lee gave Guy a confident smile. "Guy-Sensei." He said to his mentor and father figure. "Compared to the times my body has been broken before, this is nothing, I promise. As long as my soul remains youthful, I can do anything!"
Guy nodded in understanding and smiled. "Then as your Sensei, I give you my full blessing to finish this."
Zommari was still frozen in shock. Why has every opponent he has fought against almost always come up with the same idea? How do these people do it so easily? Do they not know handicapping themselves only increases the likelihood of their own deaths? So why? Why? Why? Why? Why?
This just was not fair. Humans were fragile, they should not be so willing to sacrifice parts of themselves to continue the fight. What drove them so?
"Time to end this, Zommari Rureaux." Lee told him. "It is time to open the Eight Inner Gates!"
Zommari gasped, realizing he had let himself be distracted. "No!" He yelled, opening more of his eyes. "Amor!"
"Gate of Opening!" Lee yelled as Chakra suddenly exploded around him in a visible Aura. He vanished from sight before Zommari could catch him in his Amor technique.
Guy, knowing this was about to get dangerous for even him, leapt away, vanishing from the battlefield. "Damn you!" Zommari screamed as eyes all around his body opened up.
"Gate of Rest, open!" Lee was heard yelling, though he could not be seen. "And, Gate of Life, open!"
"Amor! Amor! Amor! Amor!" Zommari screamed. "Damn it, just stop moving! You are under my power now you bastard!"
What Zommari failed to realize, and what Lee was not going to bother explaining to him, was that Amor relied on the ability to see the target. Lee was moving so fast, Zommari's eyes just could not keep up. And with Zommari's trump card made utterly useless against Lee's inhuman speed, Zommari was, for lack of a better term, doomed.
Now to finish it! Lee declared to himself.
Zommari gasped in pain as he was suddenly kicked in the chest, sending him airborne. Before Zommari could fully comprehend what had just happened to him, Lee, who was still untrackable, began striking him from all over, batting Zommari around like a tennis ball.
Zommari was then batted into the air, all fifty of his eyes now blinded by Lee's brutal strikes. "Why, damn it?" He wondered out loud. "I got to where I was by knocking weaklings off to the side. People like me...they aren't supposed to be looked down on. Thinking you can go against the natural order...that's the epitome of arrogance!"
"Nobody's looking down on you because they're arrogant, Mr. Zommari!" Came Lee's voice. "People look down on you because of your rotten, un-youthful personality!"
"What?!" Zommari honestly could not comprehend that statement.
Lee then appeared above Zommari. "Hidden Lotus!" Lee yelled, delivering a devastating palm strike to Zommari's chest that shattered his ribs and sent him tumbled to the ground.
"GYAGH!" Zommari could only scream in pain as he fell figuratively from the pedestal he had put himself on, and literally from Lee's devastating strike.
The 7th Espada hit the ground hard and immediately reverted to his normal form. Zommari's mouth was wide open in disbelief and pain. His arms were splayed out. And he was black and blue all over from Lee's devastating assault.
Zommari was down and out, and between both the physical and mental beating he had received, he was done for. Lee landed and gave a victorious thumbs up. "Victory, Guy-Sensei!" He cheered.
Guy revealed his presence once more, tears of joy in his eyes. "You've made me so proud, my boy!" He cheered back.
Lee began running towards Guy-Sensei, one broken arm flailing about and the other open wide. "Guy-Sensei!" He began joyfully weeping as well.
"Lee!" Guy ran towards Lee with open arms as well.
Yeah, I am not going to bother explaining what happened next…
Meanwhile, Rojuro Otoribashi, affectionately referred to as Rose by his friends, continued his struggled with the indoctrinated Zabuza Momochi. "Play, Kinshara!" Rose yelled, transforming his sword into a golden, spiked whip.
Rose let out a yell as the spiked whip flung itself towards Zabuza, who easily parried the attack with his Executioner's Blade. Zabuza quickly moved through a few one-handed signs. Rose's eyes widened at the sight, one-handed signs were something he was unfamiliar with. "Water Style!" Zabuza yelled. "Hundred Spears of Death!"
Rose watched as several large formations of water took the shape of what appeared to be stakes of holy. This was a Jutsu that Zabuza had based off of Haku's Thousand Needles of Death. Whereas Haku's Jutsu focused on speed and precision, Zabuza's technique was all about raw power. It certainly showed quite the difference in their personalities.
Rose then watched as with a flick of his wrist, Zabuza directed the Hundred Spears of Death to strike at the Squad 3 Captain. Rose quickly twirled Kinshara in front of him, creating a makeshift shield that dispersed many of the spears before they could come too close to him. However, a few spears managed to get through his defenses, cutting through his sides, his legs, and one that even embedded itself in his shoulder before losing its shape and falling into a puddle.
Zabuza smirked underneath his bandages, impressed by Rose's quick thinking. "You avoided fatal blows, but the question now is, how long can you hold up?"
Zabuza was one of the rare exceptions among Coalition soldiers. He recognized his failings in the past, and as such had begun training to improve his body, albeit, against his own will. In other words, Zabuza was vastly different from the Zabuza that Squad 7 had fought against all those years ago in the Land of Waves. He was a new man. A new puppet, as well, granted, but much stronger all the same.
Zabuza then drove his giant blade into the ground and sped through tens of Hand Signs. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" He yelled as a giant water dragon appeared behind him.
"Oh dear," Rose could only mutter as he prepared to defend himself from Zabuza's water dragon.
Meanwhile, in a surprise twist, it was Haku putting Bartolomeo on the defensive. Much like Zabuza, Haku had improved immensely since the war began. The young, effeminate looking male was motivated by multiple desires. One, to protect Zabuza; two, to help his opponents grow in strength; three, an artificial desire to serve Konton, implanted by the Lord of Chaos himself; and four, to one day break free from his indoctrination and take revenge on Konton for tormenting him and Zabuza like this.
"Ice Style!" Haku sped through multiple Hand Signs before palming the ground with both hands. "Ice Fang Jutsu!"
Bartolomeo quickly crossed his fingers. "Barrier!" He yelled, creating a barrier that managed to blog Haku's Ice Fang Jutsu, a sharp, icy spike that would have put a nice hole in his forehead.
Haku smiled sadly. "Right into my trap." He mused. "Ice Style: Ice Flower Shuriken!"
Haku created multiple masses of ice in the shape of sharp flowers that were then launched like boomerangs that moved around Bartolomeo's barrier, cutting him in multiple places. "Damn, I can't beat this boy...girl...whatever, if I only defend myself." Bartolomeo realized quickly.
Bartolomeo dropped the barrier. "Homage: God's Fist!" Bartolomeo yelled as a sphere formed around his fist. "Barrier Barrier Pistol!"
"Ice Style: Ice Shield Jutsu." Haku quickly formed a defense of his own that blocked Bartolomeo's punch.
Thankfully, Bartolomeo's offensive power was enough to push through Haku's shield, forcing the Ice Style-user to retreat. "With the power of Luffy on my side, there's no way I can lose!" Bartolomeo proudly declared.
Haku frowned slightly. "Beneath his lunacy, he's actually very strong. He's proven himself to be a good test of my improved strength."
"Okay, let's see if I can end you with an attack you can neither defend nor dodge!" Haku declared. "Ice Style: Titanic Glacier!"
In an instant, a massive glacier appeared, enveloping Bartolomeo. The glacier itself was so large, it almost reached the height of the mountain in the dead center of Risky Red Island. Haku almost fell to one knee after using that technique. "Titanic Glacier...as powerful as it is, it is appropriately draining." He mused. "I should avoid using it unless I really have to."
"My apologies," Haku addressed Bartolomeo, even though he knew he would not be able to hear him, "I wish things were different."
As soon as Haku said that, the top of the Titanic Glacier suddenly shattered. "What?" Haku was surprised.
What Haku did not know was that in that split second, Bartolomeo had the foresight to create a cube-like barrier that kept him from being fully enveloped in ice, and as such able to counter and break out. So, he used Barrier Crash to expand his cube-like barrier outwards until it broke out of the ice, freeing him in the process.
"Barrier-bility!" Bartolomeo yelled as he suddenly came sliding down the ice on a barrier. "Snowboard!"
Haku gazed up at Bartolomeo in surprise before smiling. "So, we continue." He mused. "Fine then."
Elsewhere, Uroko the Outlier found himself frowning in slight frustration as he gazed out at the island before him. "They're pushing our forces back." He muttered. "Guess that means we've gotta rely on our Iron Maidens to win this."
"Iron Maidens." Alpha could only say.
"Yeah, I know." Uroko rolled his eyes. "You guys have to fight. That's how it is, welcome to war, Alpha, you big lug."
Alpha suddenly walked past Uroko, much to the scientist's confusion. He saw that Alpha seemed transfixed on something. "What are you looking at?" He inquired before noticing something particularly odd.
A blue shooting star, streaking across the sky…
Then, almost immediately, a mass was dropped in front of them. Flames suddenly sprang up as a pink-haired boy stared down both Uroko and Alpha. "So, are you guys the ones in charge of this unit?" Natsu Dragneel inquired. "I mean, typically the final boss is at the highest point, right?"
Uroko's eyes widened. "Oh crap." He muttered, recognizing Natsu.
Alpha, however, seemed particularly interested in Natsu...as evidenced by him adding a new word to his vastly limited vocabulary. "Strong." He said simply, pointing right at Natsu.
AN: In case you haven't figured it out by now, Alpha is inspired by High End from My Hero Academia. And he's about to fight a fire guy...yeah, let's hope things end differently.