A Fight for Survival:
Win or be Eaten
"Vice Admiral Tokage, you were to report to me as soon as your mission was complete." A gruff, commanding voice sounded through a scowling Den Den Mushi. "What excuse do you have for such a delay, and don't tell me you failed your mission?"
"No Fleet Admiral, sir!" Tokage responded with some trepidation and tiredness in his voice. He hadn't taken the time to even catch his breath after swimming from Todai Island all the way to the nearest Marine Base almost three islands away. "The mission was a success. Zande Ming and all other pirates on the island have been dealt with. However, there were… complications."
"Complications? What sort of complications!?" the Fleet Admiral's voice shouted through the Den Den Mushi. "It is our duty as Marines to protect Justice. We cannot afford complications."
"You are right, sir." Tokage apologized, but still tried to maintain some pride in his tone. "A number of Ming's students escaped and stole our battleship. We were unaware of their presence until they used the battleship's cannons to sink the other two ships prior to escaping. We don't their number or what they look like."
"You incompetent fool. I personally authorize special use of a battleship normally reserved for Buster Calls and war, and you let it get stolen. Are your ambitions so high that you would try to sabotage me in a misguided attempt to advance yourself?"
"Of course not, sir. I swam all the way here to make my report. I also have already had ships sent out to pick up the soldiers left on the island and to ferry Commodore Kristoff and Captain Kite back to their respective bases. They know to keep an eye out for any sign of the battleship and the thieves." Tokage reported to the Fleet Admiral, the head of all Marines, second only to the Commander-in-Chief of the Marines. "I hereby request permission to pursue the thieves. If they followed the straightest path, they'll arrive at Coral Island within a week or so. By leaving immediately, I'll be able to use an Eternal Pose to cut them off at Fumeikijo Isle, recover the battleship, and throw the lot of them in prison."
"No; you and your men are to report back to Headquarters immediately. I'll issue an order to all Bases to keep a lookout for the battleship, but since you failed to even catch a glimpse of the thieves who stole it, it is likely they abandoned the ship and settled elsewhere. They'd be idiots to unnecessarily make themselves enemies of the entire World Government."
"With all due respect, sir, they made us their enemies when they stole the ship and sunk two others. Additionally, a Marine battleship- as you know- is one of the most powerful and well-armed ships on all the seas, and with the collection of feared pirates in the ship's galley, it is imperative that the ship and all its contents are captured as soon as possible."
The brow of the Den Den Mushi creased heavily as the scowl deepened, showing the Fleet Admiral's irritation. "I will prepare forces to stop them at Coral Island, but I have already given you your orders. Do not fail this simple job, as well."
Tokage greatly wanted to pursue Bo and redeem himself for his oversight on Todai island, but as a loyal Marine, he could not go against a superior's orders and relented, answering accordingly: "Yes, sir."
[An Island in the Calm Belt]
The wiry cannibal, facing off against Mage, slammed his nails in the ground leaving a small crater and five holes, narrowly missing Mage in the process, before further pursuing the black clad fighter with a swift swipe of his left hand. Mage attempted to block the attack with the blade of his dagger, luring the warrior into cutting his own palm on the blade, but the tribal warrior was perceptive enough to bring his fingers closer together, clashing his claw-like nails against Mage's dagger without losing power. The force of the confrontation pushed the pirate aside.
'He's using haki. That has to be it. No matter; I've faced and beaten haki users before.' Mage jumped back to create separation and counterattack, but his pursuer was persistent and eager to take advantage of an off balance target. Mage threw one of his knives at his foe, but it was deftly avoided before getting lodged in a tree. Stopping his backward momentum, Mage spun on his back foot and swung out with his other dagger, swiping at his assailant's chest. This time it was the cannibal's turn to jump back, giving Mage time to put away his dagger and take aim with some throwing knives from inside his jacket. The knives were all interlocked by a thin steel cable wire that was nearly invisible under the night sky, making it look like floating, sentient knives were attacking, wrapping around, and converging on the agile warrior.
Pulling out a short sword from behind his waist, Mage closed in from the other side to block any escape, but the target jumped up over the encroaching knives. Mage shot up after him and took a swing with the short sword in midair. The cannibal warrior used the nails of both hands to protect against the slash but was thrown back nonetheless. Flipping in midair, he rebounded off of a nearby tree and shot back towards Mage with his arm pulled back ready to attack. Once in range, he thrust his arm forward, but Mage brought up his short sword, holding it upside down, in a reverse grip, with both hands. Unfortunately, the thrust was merely a feint, and the attempt at blocking it, left Mage open to a slashing strike. The warrior's sharp nails tore through Mage's jacket, easily cutting gashes in his arm, and continued on to the durable vest he wore. Improbably enough, the man's nails cut into the vest, tearing through it like paper in the four places the nails made contact. Mage moved back as his opponent licked the blood and flesh from his fingers while a maniacal grin played on his lips.
Mage composed himself and calmly stood his ground as he looked on at his opponent. "I really didn't want to have to use this, but you leave me little choice." Mage muttered as a heavy mist emanated around him. "I'm forced to use more since the effectiveness is reduced right now, but it should still do the trick." he continued while pulling back his throwing knives, leaving only the short sword in his hands.
His warrior opponent, though, paid his words, and the mist, no mind and wildly charged in for the kill, having already wounded his prey. Each of the attacks was expertly dodged with Mage moving backwards like paper in the wind, but Mage's dodging came to a halt when he made a misstep in avoiding his opponent's claws and tripped over a rock jutting from the ground, causing him to fall down on his back and allowing the cannibal to take up the purely advantageous position of looking down on him from above. The warrior stood victoriously over Mage's body and with Mage sprawled under him, the killer cannibal held his nails to Mage's throat and readied to slash his throat and kill him. He swiftly drove his hand down, but in that instant a sword was stabbed through his heart. The next second, he fell to the ground... dead, blood pooling beneath his body. Mage wasn't lying on the ground on his back, and he instead stood tall behind the man, bloody short sword in his grasp as he looked coldly upon his fallen foe.
Leon stood across from his opponent, who had introduced himself as Tuluu. Leon then rushed forward with his sword ready to strike as Tuluu did the same with his mallets. They met halfway, and their weapons collided with a resounding clash. The battle of strength went back and forward with each of them briefly having the advantage, but Leon soon gained the advantage outright as he flexed and took a step forward, throwing his adversary back and onto the ground.
Leon wasted no time in moving in with a downward slash, but Tuluu rolled out of the way and hopped back to his feet in an instant. Leon's attack left a shallow fissure in the ground, leading his opponent to remark, "Your muscles are solid, but I'll tenderize those muscles, eat your heart, and gain your strength."
"Ya got ta hit me first, freak show." Leon retorted.
Tuluu accepted the challenge and charged Leon, swinging the blunt side of one mallet up towards Leon's chin and the spiked side of the other mallet in to his side. Leon stepped in to block and his sword stood strong, the hilt stopping the upswing while the blade blocked the bone spikes from shredding his side.
With a twist of his sword Leon threw Tuluu's guard open and swung for his chest. The length of Leon's sword made it that his target couldn't completely escape, though Tuluu did manage to limit the damage from that of a fatal strike to a rather significant gash running from shoulder to hip. However, the profuse bleeding meant that he wouldn't last much longer still. Leon steadily walked forward, confident that his crouched over foe was down for the count. To his surprise, though, Tuluu attacked. Using his first swing to move Leon's sword out of the way and the second to land an unopposed blow to the upper side and ribs, Tuluu managed to push Leon back and turn the tide in one well planned move.
Except Leon merely grinned as he stood tall once again. "Decent shot, freak show, but my muscles ain't dat soft. How 'bout I give ya one last chance ta tenderize meh 'fore finishin' dis lil' skirmish." Leon chided as he stabbed his sword in the ground beside him and confidently stared down the man intent on eating him.
The action perplexed Tuluu greatly, but he wasn't one to waste such a golden opportunity, and despite his comparatively small frame, the man knew full well how to utilize his powerful arms for utmost effectiveness. With a guttural yell of "Ultimate Spiked Tenderizer!", Tuluu charged forward and landed a thunderous blow with the spiked end of one mallet directly to Leon's midsection, an attack which Leon, true to his word, made no attempt to block. The bone spikes dug into Leon's side, carving chunks out of Leon, but the attack didn't end there as Tuluu swung the blunt side of his second mallet against the blunt side of the one already lodged in Leon's abdomen, creating a deafening crack in the air and causing Leon to cough up blood as the impact traveled through his entire insides and the bone spikes dug even deeper into him, some of them breaking off in the process and causing further internal damage.
The combined strikes surely broke ribs and caused a mass of internal injuries, but Leon showed no sign of any of it as he refused to be moved from his position, defiantly holding his ground while gritting his teeth so hard that it threatened to shave them to simple stumps in his gums. He then placed both hands on either side of Tuluu's head and headbutted him, catching the warrior off guard and knocking him back, allowing Leon to remove the spiked end of the mallet from his abs before picking up his sword and preparing for his own attack.
"Good try, but le' me show ya mine, Tuluu." Leon stated as he spun his sword, by the hilt, in front of him. He then dropped into a horse stance and held the sword at his hip with both hands- one gripping the hilt and the other over the top- as he steadied himself and focused his strength with a few deep breaths. "Bestial Fury!" Leon shouted as he swung his sword upward, but expertly switched it to a horizontal slash mid swing once the blade reached about chest level. Tuluu, who was standing with a dumbfounded and unnerved expression from the fact that Leon had simply shrugged off one of his most devastating attacks after taking it head on, hastily pulled up his weapons to block the deep red wave rushing toward him. His wooden mallets stood no chance as the energy wave enveloped his vision and easily overtook him. Tuluu's weapons fell to the ground in pieces as he howled in unbearable agony from the spot his body lay, what was left of it anyway. He had been torn and shredded to such an extent that the grotesque husk on the ground barely resembled anything even remotely sub human as flesh and muscle had been completely eviscerated, leaving scarred bones exposed to the night air.
Still, though, Tuluu fought to live. Gripping the bone hilts in his hands tightly, he tried with everything he had left to hold on to his life as he continued to cough up blood just trying to breathe, even though almost half his face had been decimated by the attack and it was doubtful he still had lungs left to breath with.
"It would have been easier had you accepted death." Leon stated as he stood over the remains of his adversary, preparing to deliver the final blow.
"Had he been smart and gone for your head with his free shot, you'd be dead right now." a voice said as Leon crouched on one knee holding his midsection, attempting to get his breathing back under control, after having stabbed Tuluu in the heart to end his suffering.
Looking over his shoulder and seeing Mage, Leon spat out a glob of blood before speaking. "It'd be cowa'dly ta 'tack da head in dat situation. A warrior's goal would be to prove superiority by ovapowerin' yo opponent and forcing' 'em ta 'mit defeat."
"The goal is to kill your target by any means."
Leon countered with unusually insightful words: "We ain't murderers; we only kill those who 'come our enemies in battle. Warrior's code, not 'ssassin's." The two then looked on at the battle between Ray and the chief, the only battle still going on since Alexander had recently taken out the remaining tribal warriors with help from some well-placed arrows from Bo.
The chief stood in place with multiple bruises and slight panic in the presence of his opponent, whom he'd yet to land even a glancing blow on. "You people are monsters." the chief shouted as he looked at the fallen corpses of his two top warriors, taking in the destruction Leon wrought (both to Tuluu and the trees behind him) in particular.
"You are the monsters, using trickery and ambush to attempt to eat all of us. But, if you understand you stand no chance, then give up now." Ray suggested.
"Never!" The chief shouted as he once again charged his adversary.
Ray let out a sigh as he slid his foot back and prepared to counter. With his bladed segmented staff still on the ship, Ray was only using his hand to hand abilities to counter every attack thrown at him. The chief tried time and time again with knife thrust, slashes, and grabs from many different angles, but each time, Ray dodged and countered with a punch, kick, or toss. Eventually, the tribal leader stood there pondering his next move. He was getting winded, but his opponent had barely moved from the spot he started the fight.
This time, the chief charged in and tried desperately to cut Ray with a downward slash, but Ray sidestepped the move and by simultaneously grabbing the chief's wrist and clothing was able to use the momentum to effortlessly flip the larger man, slam him into the ground and, without releasing his opponent's wrist, deliver a swift kick and knee to the upper side/ chest area. He then followed that up by stepping over the chief's shoulder, turning his arm as far as it could go before breaking it with a knee drop, in an attempt to persuade the cannibal to cease fighting since Ray had been unable to knock him out with the previous blow. Having been forced to drop his knife due to the broken arm, there was very little the chief could do and he was forced to give up lest he be killed like many of his tribe members.
Having received the desired answer, Ray dropped the chief's arm and walked off without a second thought. Once he was sure, Ray wouldn't turn around, the chief pushed himself to his knees and grabbed his knife with his unbroken arm. Rage carried him forward as he moved closer to Ray's exposed back intent on killing the man that had just so easily and thoroughly disgraced him. "I'll at least take you... with... me!"
The chief's yell faltered when Bo landed a direct punch to his midsection. Bo had suddenly appeared between him and his target and delivered a powerful fist with his entire body weight behind it. The chief looked down at the young man, who had his arm buried deep into the layers of fat- the impact still rippling over his skin-, with a pained expression and prepared to bring his knife down, but Bo cut him off. "Impact." The ensuing blast of energy happened so deep within the chief's fat folds that there was nothing to stop the ensuing blast, or slow down the massive release of energy, and he was blasted back, landing unconscious against the stone altar where Leon's sword sheath had previously been lodged.
"I told you to take Rose and head back to the ship. You need to rest in order to recover." Ray scolded his captain and longtime friend.
After standing back up to his full height and waiting for the pain from using the impact dial on his injured arm to subside, Bo turned to respond to Ray: "And I've told you to make sure your opponent's finished before turning your back on him. You're too lenient sometimes." Turning again so that he could see the entire crew, Bo issued orders to everyone, "Now, let's get back to the ship. Ray, help move Leon; his stupidity got him hurt again." before moving to pick up the knife that the chief had used. 'This is fine workmanship; it could come in handy.' he mused before moving to follow after his crew.
Before they left the clearing, the fire surrounding the altar suddenly erupted into the sky, cooking the chief and scorching the stone altar that Rose had previously been bound too. "Midnight; that must be the end of the ritual." Bo muttered before they left the clearing, eager to get off the island, for good. Tracing their way back to the ship, Alexander and Mage led the way while Bo, carrying a sleeping Rose, and Ray, helping a wounded Leon (though he still insisted he was fine), trailed behind. "So much for asking, or even forcing, them to help. We killed most of them, and the rest are unconscious." Bo mumbled irritably.
Alexander overheard him and assured him they'd figure something out tomorrow. Ray agreed and chimed in that they needed rest anyways. "It's been a long day." he ended before elbowing Leon, directly on his wound, to get him to calm down and stop resisting.
With the edge of the forest in sight, everyone could feel the ocean breeze blow past them and looked past the last trees in anticipation of seeing their ship. However, what they saw surprised them... or rather what they didn't see. Their ship was no longer where it had been left. But, they thought, that was impossible. Hundreds of tons of ship couldn't easily be moved or just disappear. It wasn't until they fully stepped out of the island's forest that they saw it.