After successfully capturing the blue and blind fishman, I decided to fly back to Thriller Bark. The whole point of this Shichibukai assembly was to kill or capture Byrndii World. With him gone, I saw little point in remaining. However, the Golden Lion threw a wrench in those plans. Sure, each of us Shichibukai besides maybe Hancock could chase after him, but Shiki flew off with our quarry, and I wasn't about to get entangled with the man who once upon a time rivaled Roger. Washed up or not, he was a threat I had no intention of provoking. At least not with this untrustworthy lot. No. Better to head back, train up my forces, and prepare for my next conquest.
Looking down at my catch, a wide grin spread across my face. I may've left all those New World pirate corpses to sink into the ocean during my fight, but this guys shadow would more than make up for it. Currently, my observation haki was at a very low level. Not only that, but it wasn't some ability I had learned wholly on my own. I had to rely on the crutch that is Gedatsu, one of the Skypians under Enel. He was one of the bottom tier villains in One Piece. The haki skills he knew reflected that. The observation haki I learned from Gedatsu was weird. The sensations I felt were difficult to describe. Suffice to say, I may now have an inkling of what a high functioning person with autism feels.
When I activated observation haki via Gedatsu's method, I was hyper focused to an insane degree. Nothing could escape my awareness; it was quite honestly the querist experience. Like a drunk who thought he could see everything, except I could. The major drawback was that this usage of haki massively drained my mental space, and that was on top of the drainage I felt after extensive devil fruit activities. Now that I had captured a blindman, what method of observation haki would I learn this time? Echolocation perhaps?
I licked my lips in anticipation. Each prisoner added to my arsenal. Even someone who would easily lose to me in a fight could teach me valuable skills. Doctors, artists, engineers, martial artists. I could learn it all! My gamer instincts to hoard began to kick in, and I lovingly stroked the half dead, very unconscious fishman's head.
"You're a gift that won't stop giving my friend. As my future haki teacher, should I address you as Sensei? Ha ha ha!" Mad laughter filled with glee spread across the vast empty ocean.
Suddenly, I cut all laughter. An ominous premonition struck me causing me to stop in my tracks. My devil fruit gave me a connection to all shadows. Especially those near me. After learning and understanding shadow reading, shadows of things near me become particularly distinct. My connection with shadows was setting of alarm bells in my head. Gazing about, I spotted a small galley floating on the ocean. Moments later, a massive shadow approached the ocean's surface.
Emerging from the water, a massive being, mouth wide swallowed the galley whole. The creature, a yellow-brown Seaking of impossible proportions made eye contact with me for a moment, before it swooped back into the water. A mighty crash soon followed, the water dispersed in small tsunamis out into the horizon.
Mouth agape, a cold sweat began to form on my back. My hands shook, at the sight. That, that thing was larger than the island I had obliterated! The creature resembled no fish I knew. Massive jagged teeth as large as mountains, a pair of crimson eyes like blood moons. What a horror!
"How the hell do you people deal with these things!" I shouted out to myself in both outrage and disbelief.
Images of Luffy, Zoro and company casually beating Seakings for their food flashed through my mind.
"Bullshit!" I unceremoniously blurted out.
After a moments thought, I patted my racing heart, shrugged my shoulders let out a breath and resumed my flight.
*Sheew* A sharp whistling noise followed by the sound of a sonic boom swiftly approached my position.
"From above?!" In seconds, the whistling noise reached its crescendo, and the reason soon became clear.
I looked up to meet the attack, but the glare from the sun made it near impossible to see what was coming. Acting on instinct, I replaced positions with Doppleman, who had been flying hundreds of meters behind which was now my standard operating procedure while traveling. Looking ahead, I saw the result, a massive arrow covered in haki just about pierced Doppleman. Fortunately, he opened up a hole in his body, and the arrow harmlessly passed through. Furious at my past fights, including the one earlier in the day, I made sure Doppleman evaded this haki empowered attack.
"And to think I had just bragged to myself about the powers of haki, and shadow reading! Ha! To ambush me, lying in wait at the same flight path I took to the Shichibukai meeting you must be quite confident. Ki shi shi, I hope they're prepared for my retaliation!" I muttered to myself, an expression of murder evident upon my face.
As soon as I swapped places with Doppleman, I formed a new shadow shaped surfboard, and began to shoot large swarms of shadow javelins towards my opponent. Meanwhile, I searched for my captured fishman. Smiling in relief, his bound crippled body was still tethered to my previous surfboard shaped shadow. Directing the board my way, I fired a new wave of javelins as covering fire, and started analyzing my situation.
"Should I close the distance and bash that archer up?" Scratching my chin, I briefly considered taking a swipe with my swords, archers were stereotypically weak at melee. However, getting close to an experienced archer was something I didn't have high confidence in. Especially during a sky battle.
Attempting to get a better read on my enemies' position, I squinted my eyes against the sharp glare of sunlight. I gently rose higher to an elevation that was level with them. Maintaining their distance, I could barely make out their figure. All I could tell was that it was a woman riding some sort of red feathered griffon eagle thing. My musing was interrupted by her retaliatory attack.
*Sheew Sheew Sheew* Swiftly after my javelins entered her airspace, hundreds of arrows countered my attack. The haki encasing the arrows broke my shadows. However, the sheer speed and momentum of my attack saw the arrows lose their direction. I barely had to move to the side to dodge one or two. The rest sailed me by harmlessly.
I sent another wave of shadows her way. Mixing in with the javelins, I sent a host of animal shaped shadows. Now that I had gained a second to think, and not mindlessly counter attack like when I swapped with Doppleman, I began to direct my shadows.
She fired her arrows to counter my attack again, perfectly countering my linear based javelins.
I sat on my surfboard shaped shadow like a monarch looking down upon the world smiling in delight at her actions. "Gotcha."
Some of the bigger animal shadows sent her way divided into fourths. Each quarter of a shadow construct wrapped itself onto an arrow, and dragged it down. This move took up half of the shadows I sent her way, however, hundreds more rushed towards her. Not only that, but I began to launch a third, a fourth, and a fifth wave of shapes, javelins, and animals her way. Each attack fast as light.
Under pressure, the bird began to take evasive maneuvers. It dove in every direction: swooping down, diagonally, up. All the while, the archer on the birds back wised up, and began to focus solely on attack.
Arrows flew my way, now from all sorts of angles. With perfect accuracy, she began to do trick shots. Arrows bounced off other arrows, some even bounced off my shadow attacks, or sent them back my way. In a moment where I was distracted by her performance, an arrow came dangerously close to piercing my head. The arrow, longer than two people stacked standing on top of one another just barely grazed my cheek. While it was 'just a graze' the force and power behind the attack was enough to tear a large chunk of flesh off my face.
I felt slightly woozy, and almost lost control of my shadows. The attacks sent her way paused for a moment giving her an opening. Now on the defensive, I began to fly away at all sorts of angles while she chased.
I sent my shadows to flank her from below, behind and above. However, it was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain a mental connection with the shadows I had released. Primarily because of my attention being absorbed with dodging, and countering her attacks.
"Ugh, this stalemate will go on forever. All it would take is for a couple more lucky strikes, and I'll lose this fishman to her arrows or the ocean. Possibly even my life. Should I disengage and fly away? Will she follow me?" Bitterness, and resentment began to bubble up. A feeling of unease wormed its way into my stomach.
I quickly absorbed a shadow to heal myself. I found that the supply I had left in my pockets had been dwindling rapidly. Tch. I would have to soon find a remedy to this debacle. In the meantime, upon absorbing the shadow, a sharp stinging sensation spread across my face. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw raw flesh and blood bubbling, when a new, pristine coat covered what was once missing.
A grim look took place in my eye. She wasn't anything like the swordsman I had fought. However…this was no easy enemy. Would I have to use shadow armor? I was extremely hesitant to do that, even more so than using one or two shadows to heal. I had dozens of shadows that were no bigger than wisps. I had been healing people in the Goa Kingdom plaza earlier, and used a dozen in my fight with the fishman.
Grimacing, I prepared to use up my small supply of shadows to draw this fight to a close.
Right when I thought this fight would be one of those 'legendary' days long conflicts, or one that could come to a tragic ending, the archer's frequency of attack began to dwindle.
"Hm?! Wait a minute, does this mean?...Aha! She is starting to run out of arrows! I have to outlast her, then we'll see how she fairs." I began to laugh to myself. A savage smile blossomed across my face.
When her attacks came less and less, I decided to fully engage my observation haki. My focus became hyper aware, and zeroed in on the bird. After so much time had passed, I finally got a good look at my enemy. A green haired women similar in height to Doflamingo wore a chest full of plate armor, and a skirt reminiscent of Roman legionary design stood upon the bird. Her massive war bow could almost match me in size. She had a mole below her lip, and was of a tan complexion that reminded me of the Brazilians.
All in all, she was an attractive woman. That being said, her beauty wasn't going to save her once I had her in my clutches. One way or another, as a shadow or as a corpse, she would serve as a tool to further my ambitions.
In a moment of clarity, one of my attacks finally landed. The wing of the bird, was pierced through. The moment that happened, a chain reaction of events took place. My follow up attacks reached the bird, filling it with holes. One of the javelins even pierced the green haired woman's chest!
"Ohh if I could capture her alive." A gleeful twinkle took place in my eye as I flew towards her.
While she was tumbling toward the ocean, I noticed an expression on her face. The air felt stale. A murderous killing intent erupted from her.
"What!" Was all I got out, before an arrow pierced me deep in the shoulder from behind.
My observation haki, focused entirely on the woman was what allowed me to land my attack. The thing that confirmed my victory saw to my injury! With all the tricks she was capable of, she must've looped the arrow behind my back!
"Fuuuck!" I roared in pain.
In an adrenaline fueled rage, I reached around to rip it out. However, that feeling of wooziness was back again. Suddenly, my control over my devil fruit disappeared! The surfboard shaped shadow, any shapes I had maintained in the sky disappeared!
Free falling towards the ocean, a wave of emotions hit me. Fear, anger, pain. Barf escaped my mouth as weakness continued to oppress me.
"What, what is this?" I asked aloud, as if some kind stranger would point me in the right direction.
Every second that ticked by, I moved closer and closer to the ocean. No matter how I willed my power, not a single shadow answered my call. My life flashed before my eyes, even if I could survive the fall from this height like Kaido did, the ocean would kill me because it cancels out devil fruits.
"Wait a minute! The ocean would kill me because it cancels out devil fruits! What else cancels out devil fruits? Sea stone prism!"
After my realization, I mustered all the strength I could gather, and began furiously digging into my shoulder.
"Ah." I let out a soft gasp in pain.
However, my action persisted. Soon I was rewarded with a pop. I let out a string of curses, before triumphantly tossing the bloody arrow head away. Not a moment to soon, since the ocean was becoming increasingly close. I estimated I'd hit the water in less then 45 seconds at the rate I was falling.
"Okay, up up and away!" I tried to summon my shadow surfboard, only for nothing to happen.
"No. No. NO!" Shouting furiously, and consequences be damned, I began to maliciously dig into my shoulder with extreme prejudice. I practically ripped out my shoulder in the next half minute.
Finally, my actions bore fruit. My connection with the surrounding shadows became clear as it used to be. Without a second thought, I summoned my shadow surfboard, and stopped my momentum. I had been a few meters away from going splat.
Gritting my teeth, I felt around for the shadows in my pocket. Absorbing more than 20 shadows, my size increased by more than 3 dozen centimeters while my shoulder began to reshape itself.
"Ah ah ah! Motherfu-." Cussing up a storm, I clenched my teeth in great pain, and gripped my fists tightly during the procedure.
Fortunately, even when I was under the effect of the sea stone, they remained in my pockets. I didn't have an explanation for this, I was no devil fruit scientist. Maybe my power had some commonalities with Luffy's? Even if he's under water, or wearing seastone cuffs, he's still a rubberman. He can still stretch; he just has little to no control of his body.
The moment when I thought I was safe, and it was all over, the unconscious body of the fishman fell on top of me.
"Oof!" Surprisingly, the strike didn't really hurt me. If anything, I was stunned. I had a pretty strong body. If it wasn't a haki powered attack, or a devil fruit ability, I had confidence in my defense.
Looking at him, it appeared that despite his prior injuries, a fall from that height wasn't enough to kill him either.
"Hmph." Crisis over, I scanned my surroundings, searching for the woman.
"There! She must be nearby that bird corpse!" A pool of ever expanding blood began to dilute into the ocean near a half submerged bird.
When I was about to swoop down to take a look, that same premonition I had earlier took hold. Within seconds, that same Seaking from earlier opened its maw, swallowing the bird whole. Once again, it eyed me for a moment before lurching back into the ocean.
"Well there goes my bonus." I looked down dejectedly. I was truly looking forward to taking her shadow. Snipers were a genuinely rare case in the Grandline. Yasopp, Usopp, that melon head I killed at Marineford, and that guy on Black Beard's crew. For all intents and purposes those might as well be all the snipers in One Piece.
"Tsk tsk!" Looking at the water one last time, I took flight following my vivre card to Absalom's position.
…
Minutes later, the green haired woman's head broke the surface. Gasping for breath, she grasped her chest in an attempt to stymie the bleeding.
"Damnit Kōshirō, you couldn't have just stayed retired on that little island in the weakest Blue." Coughing out blood mixed with sea water, she struggled to take off her plate. She then tore her clothes, tightly wrapping them around her gaping chest wound.
"My my, what a display."
Mid tying the knot on her bindings, the woman paused, frozen in all action.
"Oh no, don't stop on my account, I think we'll be great friends."
"But how. How did you know I was still alive, the Seaking ate all the evidence!"
"Ah, but that would be telling. Now be a good dear, and climb aboard. Say hi to your new companion. I haven't learned his name yet, and I doubt I'll need to know yours. You'll make the perfect pair!" With a chipper tone of voice, I lifted the green haired woman out of the water.
"Die!" She reached for a dagger hidden in her waist, and made to stab me.
"Hm!" Squeezed like a tube of tomato paste, the girl vomited blood all over my chest. Too tired to care about the mess, I placed her onto my shadowboard. I gave her a once over. Her legs were lame, her breathing labored, but she was alive.
Sighing in relief, I scanned my surroundings, and resumed my flight home.