LW: He we are, more fights between the straw hats and the crazies of Thriller Bark, let's see how they're doing, shall we?
Rubber King and Mirror Master - Straw Hats Vs Mysterious 4: Exorcisms galore
"With everything that's happened in this fight, able to fly, phase through all my attacks as well as both the floors, walls and even my body, and the random but controlled size changing, it made me wonder why you were running away from me earlier, but then it hit me… you couldn't do those things before, because you have a physical body, that one over there. And once I lost sight of you fighting the zombie bear you snuck away and released your spectral doppelganger, and with its borderline invincibility, suddenly you were filled with confidence!" Usopp explains/shouts, Perona twitching in fear but hoping she could still pull through this one.
"Well whoop de fucking do, seems your smarter than I gave you credit for, you're just a pessimist rather than a pessimistic idiot then. But you got one thing wrong though: I'm not just a hollow in the shape of Perona, the Horo horo no mi allows me to split my spirit from my physical body, allowing my consciousness and soul to wander free, while my body is nothing more than a hollow shell"
"Thanks for filling in the blanks, though now I'm curious, what do you think would happen, if you didn't have that body to go back to? Would you become stuck in ghost form, or fade away as the fruit leaves you and passes on to the next vessel?" Usopp smirks, aiming his Kabuto at the unconscious Perona
"Don't you fucking dare you stupid brat!"
"Let's see you recover from this!"
Big Bang Star
Poof. Wha wha whaaaaaaaaa
'That, was waaaaay to close' Perona thinks fearfully "Looks like you missed, not that it matters with a dud like that, were you compensating for something with a name like that?" Perona taunts
Usopp grits his teeth and pull back again "The next one won't"
"Like I'd let you have another free shot"
Special Hollow
"Please tell me this one doens't blow up too" Usopp whimpers as a much larger hollow is formed, bobbing between himself and Perona's projection
"That'd be telling" Perona says with a wink, just before the hollow lunges forward and clamps it's jaws around Usopp's middle hoisting him into the air where he flails helplessly "Good luck fighting that, you're stuck inside a ghost! Horohorohorohoro'' she laughs as she floats back into her body… which smirks and opens its eyes
Lub dub, lub dub
Meanwhile, with some of the others
"Damn, this zombie's even stronger than Zoro, his shadow must have given him one hell of a buff" Robin grimaces as the backlash from the zombie breaking her hold throws her back
"Well, zombies don't feel pain, so it was probably just a matter of time" Vivi comments with a sigh, then both turn sharply when they hear a surprising yell
"YEET!"
"That was really dangerous Artemis" a mildly bruised and beaten Chopper scolds, also the moment would have been more impressive if the penguin dog's impact didn't sound like a squeak toy hitting the wall.
"Not really, if he's Sanji's shadow he can't hurt me, I'm a girl and from what Papa told me he had chivalry beaten into him as a child" the artist explains with shrug, before getting knocked back and slammed into the wall
"Why the fuck should I care if you're a girl or not you stupid brat?" the zombie sneers
"Artemis!" Robin screams, arms crossing as she prepared to rip the zombie penguin apart, which left her open to…
"You die now pretty lady!" Zoro's zombie shouts, planning to slice her open with a cross slash. Thing is, while the blade in his right hand cut deeply across her chest, the left didn't "And stay down...wait where'd my arm go?" the zombie was confused, he had 2 arms a moment ago
"Robin wasn't the only person to take her eyes off the enemy" Vivi smirks, her wires having shredded the zombie's arm "Also I'm not sure if there's any way to prove zombies don't feel pain than one not noticing his arm was ripped off and torn to shreds"
"Wait a go… Vivi look out!" Chopper shouts, the bluenette turning her head just in time to get a kick to the face, knocking her to the ground with a painful thump
"You're all fucking reatarded you know that" Penguin-dog grunts "Now give up or your friends all die" he threatens Chopper, who complies
"Fosfosfos, well that was rather entertaining wasn't it Shindry, shame about 750's arm" Hogback sighs
"I wish it had been your arm" the zombie deadpans, causing the Dr. to faceplant
Well, fuck. Let's see how Usopp is doing
"Horohorohorohoro, this is the end Longnose, one snap of my fingers and you'll be nothing but a puddle of blood and guts" Perona threatens, fingers poised, not that he could see her
"No don't do that, I'd make a terrible puddle" Usopp pleads from inside the Special Hollow "Actually most people would, I haven't met a nice puddle that wasn't named Kaya" he shouts, mentally going off on a tangent.
"Too bad, but don't worry, I'm sure Dr. Hogback will find a use for you later, maybe even make a longnose zombie if the pieces are big enough" she smirk
Kamikaze rap 'Snap'
The mega sized hollow lit up, then faded away, to the confusion of it's master
"That was way too close, good thing I carry an impact dial in case of emergencies" Usopp states, grinning now he was out of danger for the moment
"Wha? But how?" Perona asks, thinking out loud, then notices something as she tries to move off the bed, she was stuck. A sticky, gum or resin like substance was keeping her arm secured to the wall and her legs to the bed, removing the use of basically the entire left side of her body "What is this?"
"It's a bluff, or I suppose you could just call it a lie, easier that way" Perona turns to the now more confident Usopp "I didn't miss, nor was my projectile a dud. No, my Sticky Star bullet landed exactly where I aimed it for, ensuring you couldn't go anywhere once you returned to your real body" he grins, happy to see his plan working perfectly… well for the moment
"So, you're the one who took out captain Kumase" Came the voice it seems the one zombie he missed taking out earlier, directly behind him
"Took your sweet time, take him out Gentleman hippo" Perona commands only for the hippo zombie to be taken out with a single palm strike to the face by Usopp 'WHAT! How, is he really that strong?' she panics, things were looking really bad right now
'So much pain!' Usopp screams internally as the recoil of his Impact dial gives him a taste of what it feels like to be named Izuku Midoriya 'I mean the hollow was probably stronger energy wise than Luffy, but I'm pretty sure it was all my other injuries that hid the pain of using it the last time' he theorises, as the dial hadn't been this painful back on Water 7. Landing on his feet he hides his pain under a confident smirk then readies his next attack
Shining Black Star
The cannonball sized projectile, bounces off Perona's forehead, making the ghost girl think it was another dud, right until it popped open, showering her with a pile of wiggling squirming cockroaches, her scream at the realization, as well as the bugs crawling all over her, was heard by everyone on the island, even if only one person knew why it happened.
"Get these things off me, help me please I can't get away!" Perona's cries, clearly distressed as she writhes and flails uselessly "Please, they're getting in my clothes, somebody do something. Kumase, snuggle bear save me!" Unfortunately for Perona, there was something much worse to take her mind off her acute fear of cockroaches, as she saw when she let her eyes focus on a now evilly chuckling Usopp
"I had a feeling cockroaches would freak you out, but what you should really be afraid of, is me!" he declares, not exactly wrong given he'd pulled out an almost… actually no it was comically oversized, 10 tonne hammer, from where? Who knows "You shouldn't have dismissed me so easily princess. I was known up and down the East Blue as Usopp: The strongest man alive"
"T-t-t-t-t-ten tonnes? How can you even pack that much strength into a scrawny body like yours?" Perona asks aloud, scolding herself for the stutter "Please, I can't even hope to fight you, I can't even move to escape or counter" she pleads fearfully, getting more despirate when with painful sounding heaves and grunts Usopp lifts the hammer up and onto his shoulder "I'll die if you hit me with that, also get these roaches off me. Not the hammer, but the bugs, come on show some decency!" she cries, tears streaming down her face
"It's too late for that, you shouldn't have messed with the Straw Hats, especially not, it's undisputed best" Usopp scoffs, preparing to drop the hammer
"Please Mr. Usopp, spare my life I'll do anything. I'll join your crew, be your slave, suck your… no, I still have some dignity left… ignore that last one"
Usopp Hammer: Ultimate Pound!
Pop
The balloon popped as it slammed into the point of Perona's crown, but the girl had already passed out from fear and shock a moment prior, so it kind of didn't matter if the 'attack' itself didn't actually hurt her.
"Poor princess, after all that big talk she gets taken down by some toy roaches and a balloon" Usopp sighs then shrugs "But oh well I still won. Nobody can beat me in the art of negativity, lying or trickery! Now stay put until Sunrise, I have important things to deal with and they don't involve you" he explains to the unconscious pink haired girl, then turns on his heels and walks away, occasionally bouncing in happiness at having actually won his fight.
Checking in on our resident swordsman
"So, you really think a punk like you can take Shusui from me?" Ryuma asks with a chuckle
"Oh I don't think, I know. I'm gonna carve you up, and wretch it from your cold, dead fingers" Zoro retorts, hands clenching around his own blade hilts.
"Cocky brat aren't you" Ryuma muses "Plus, you already have 3 swords"
Zoro nods "True, but ones broken and I've gotten used to carrying and using 3, so it feels weird to be only using 2 again. I normally use Santoryu, 3 sword style" he explains
"3 swords, sounds like a circus act to be honest Yohohohoho" Ryuma laughs
"It's not, I'd show you but I'm a bit short, so I'll have to make do with taking you down with 2"
Ryuma chuckles, rather enjoying the banter "I can tell already you're quite the skilled swordsman, and I would have probably enjoyed fighting you back when I was alive, in fact, the nearly forgotten feeling in my chest might just be that. Like I'm facing a wild beast or a demon, the rush in my very core that makes me feel like I'm dancing on air. Don't disappoint me child, not after giving me a taste of this sweet mana" rather than get a response Ryuma has to quickly block a slash from Zoro, the swordsman grins as the energy builds, producing a shockwave as they separate
"Fall back" Franky shouts, the others following his lead and getting out of the room. Good plan, given the next attack put a large hole through the wall right above where they'd been standing
Aubade Coup Droit
"What the hell was that?"
"A thrusting attack, he's using my techniques due to being animated by my shadow, but they're so much stronger than when I use them" Brook says in a panicked tone
"A suppose it's a tie then" Ryuma purrs, confusing the straw hats until…
"It would seem so" Zoro agrees, just as a large gash appears in the wall behind the zombie
"Wait, Zoro can do that too?" Alvida asks
"72 Calibre Phoenix" Kaya answers "I saw him use it on Skypiea, it's a ranged attack that from what I can tell is basically a Rankyaku fired from a sword" the syrup girl explains
Franky hums "When you put it that way, it does make sense. The problem with melee weapons is range after all" the cyborg agrees "So having an attack like that would negate that disadvantage to a certain extent"
"Regardless, the level of power these two command, it's quite impressive, but it also means the fight won't be a long one"
"First one to make a mistake will most likely find it to be a fatal one" Greed nods in agreement, a gesture from his mistress telling him he was plan B, should Zoro fall.
Prelude: Au Fer
'He's trying to break my swords, I need find a way around this attack' Zoro thinks with a grimace
2 sword style: Flash
Demon Bear
The initial maneuver breaks the lock Ryuma was trying to get him in via a spin, then his leaping strike caused the zombie to skid, until it was pinned against the wall, even if only for a moment before he lunged again, Zoro leaping back in order to avoid being skewered, then sheathing his swords in preparation for a draw attack
Gavotte Bond en Avant
Nitoryu: Draw, Rashomon
For a moment, it looked like nothing happened, or that Ryuma had missed and merely bounced past Zoro, until the opposite walls blew out and the tower began to fall apart, the others glad they'd moved when they did because this was getting messy fast. Not that the swordsmen noticed, running around the crumbling structure like it was an open field
72 Calibre Phoenix
Polka Remise
Both were able to almost casually either dodge or block/parry their opponent's air bullet attacks, further proving the 2 were on a pretty even level, or at least they were for the moment. All those attacks flying around weren't exactly helping matters in terms of the tower falling apart around them, but it hadn't adversely affected them either, much like during his fight with Kaku Zoro didn't exactly care what happened to the surrounding area during his fight as long as it didn't make fighting Ryuma more difficult than it already was.
Weapons Left
Breeze breath bomb
Katon: Endan
Blowing another hole in the wall, Franky and the others slipped away to a safer section of the tower, in this case the battlements, mostly by virtue of not having a roof about to come down on their heads, it did though give them a good view for watching Zoro and Ryuma clash on the literal peak of the roof, neither giving an inch in this fight.
Well not intentionally, as both did slide a good distance once they weren't applying pressure to each other's swords in their lock. Not that either of them were going to let something like that stop them, now running across the slanted roof and continuing for fight, though it was noted Ryuma was steadier on his feet, even as he at one point was basically chasing Zoro further up the roof, not that the swordsman was running away, just trying to reposition himself, though was capable of fighting just as hard with his limited balance and footholds as he was on flat ground. Finally the 2 parted, both panting heavily but neither had any plans of giving up
'If this fight goes on much longer my swords are going to shatter. This guy doesn't just have the legendary samurai's strength, but his wits and skills, if he was just a meat head like the ones in the graveyard this would be easy, but he's not. This is the closest I'll ever get to fighting someone of his calibre, at least anytime soon' Zoro thinks, knowing this fight NEEDs to end soon, but unexpectedly, he sheathes one of his swords. Just as he does Ryuma takes another swing, slicing off the tip of the roof but missing his opponent, who uses the structure as a way to give himself some height before using his (hopeful) finishing move, with Ryuma leaping up to meet his slash
Hiryu: Kaen
3 Verse Humming: Arrow Notch Slash
Both attacks landed, but Zoro had a little something extra, as seen when Ryuma began to be engulfed in a blue flame originating from the site of his wound. Meanwhile Mr. 3 Swords took a slash to the side and luckily landed on the protruding hanger of a window, rather than the ground far below, meaning while injured he was still alive, for now.
"My, defeat" Ryuma says quietly, seemingly unbothered by the fact he was on fire, so he almost strolls over to the edge and looks down to Zoro "The legendary owner of this blade may have fallen long ago, but this is not the end of it's story. With you as it's master Shusui will be satisfied, and it's legend will be entwined with yours"
"This is just getting weird, looks like the samurai said something but he's too far away for me to know what it was. Really wish I knew what was going on though" Franky grumbles
"The fight is over, I've seen enough fights in my life to know that much. The samurai, he completely outclasses me, he was holding back so much when we battled" Brook gasped, horrified by what could have happened if he'd fought this version of Ryuma "He barely even used a fraction of his strength back then"
"It kind of makes sense to be honest, the guy would have been fighting with a handicap after all" Valentina agrees, then sees the confused look on the skeleton's face so continues "He's not just a zombie, he's a general, they're Moria's best fighters, and that's because the body itself belongs to person who had been incredibly powerful in life. So he would have been powerful no matter who's shadow he had inside of him… but he had yours. Because of that he couldn't go all out and risk killing you, otherwise he'd have just ended up killing himself too, as I don't think the shadows last very long after the death of their owners"
"Nor the owners after the death of their shadows" Victor chuckles, getting an eyeroll from the blond and an amused smirk from Greed
"Nobody going to mention the fact he's on fire, and seems perfectly fine?" Alvida asks, feeling pretty useless right now
"He's a zombie, I don't think they can feel pain" Kaya replies with an unsure shrug, then alongside the others is shocked when they see Ryuma sheath his sword, and drop it over the edge, Zoro catching it with one hand as he at least managed to pull himself to a seated position
"This body, of a legendary samurai, how shameful of me, to let it taste defeat" Ryuma wheezes, beginning to sway unsteadily on his feet
"You're a true swordsman, body and soul, I wish I could have met you back then, seen you in your prime" Zoro says, accepting the sword and giving the samurai the respect he deserved. Ryuma gives a smile, or as much as he could in his current form, before a black blob shoots out of his mouth and falls in front of the other straw hats
"Is that?"
"Yes, it's really back! After 5 years my shadow has returned to it's proper place, connected to me. Yohohohoho!" Brook laughs, leaping to his feet and bouncing around in joy.
"I'll take this sword like I said I would, but let's pretend this fight never happened, Dragon Slayer Ryuma" Zoro smiles with a hint of pride, feeling whole again much like Brook now he had 3 swords again, nodding to the zombie as he crumbles to nothing, completely consumed by the flames.
Back with Luffy
"Getting tired Straw Hat? Maybe you should take a break" Moria taunts, as his doppleman once more reforms after Luffy punched him apart
"Shut up you lazy bastard you're not even doing the fighting, you have no reason to be so cocky" Luffy retorts angrily
"You really weren't listening earlier, I'm going to become King of the Pirates without lifting a finger, my Special Zombies will quite literally make me the king of the pirates! Kishishishi!"
"Stupid onion, I'm gonna kick your ass until you spit out every shadow you ever stole!" Luffy shouts, to which Moria merely rolls his eyes
"This again, we've gone over this already, you don't stand a chance against me so just give up already" he commands, smirking as his shadow bellyflops onto the boy, only for it to be confused when he didn't go splat under him. Instead he'd forced himself through the floor, making yet another hole before launching himself with a Gum Gum Rocket, which probably would have gotten another shot on Moria's face had his shadow not managed to catch Luffy's ankles before he got too close "I probably shouldn't care, but you're really not looking too hot kid, maybe it's time to give up, especially as I don't think you want to be here when my backup arrives" he chuckles
Not that far away
"Fosfosfosfos, so little pirates, how does it feel to be taken down by your own friends?" Hogback taunts, the 4 sitting together being guarded/held prisoner by the now one armed swordsman zombie and the penguin dog, Robin leaning against Artemis for support, while Vivi looked unfocused, though she was trying to keep the mad scientist in the centre of her vision, sitting practically on Chopper's lap
"I can't believe Sanji's so far gone he hit both Artemis and Vivi. You're not our friend you're just a zombie!" Chopper shouts angrily, the dog clearly not giving a shit
"You are correct, while at the start some remnant of the original personality remains intact, soon enough the shadow and body synchronize leaving nothing but unquestioningly loyal zombies who follow my every command…"
"Moria's every command" Artemis and Shindry correct, getting a smirk from Robin and a slurred laugh from Vivi, Chopper should probably check she isn't more than just a little concussed after he's done beating this Rocky Horror reject to death.
"...To a zombie obedience is the pinnacle of existence, why shouldn't they listen and obey" he continues, ignoring the child and his assistant's backsass.
Chopper grits his teeth "Well now you've convinced me, you're nothing but an evil man, not a shred of decency even in the depths of your soul" he states, getting Hogback's attention, though he seemed to be more curious than annoyed by the comment "In the past you were responsible for saving so many lives, I really looked up to you, as both a doctor and a humanitarian. I didn't even mind the zombie research, the chance to get even just one last chance to say goodbye, anyone would see that as a miracle. Even if the process itself would have you labelled a heretic, madman or even a monster, it would be worth it, to truly heal someone's heart and soul" Chopper explains, starting to get more passionate, and bringing light smiles to his companion's faces "That's why, when you admitted to spending years here working on resurrecting the dead, I believed you had the best of intentions"
Hogback, well it was hard to tell with the dark glasses, but he blinks "Fosfosfos, you naive little twit, what kind of idiot would go to that much trouble just to help others?" he asks laughing in the poor reindeer's face "You stupid kid, this is how it's always been, I am a genius who deserves the best! Money was the main motivation behind using my skills, but as I got better and more well known, there were so many whiney little shits: Save my father, save my child, help my sweetheart, Nag nag nag it never ends" He explains, oblivious to the not angrily twitching Dr "I was expected to carry the burden of all the incompotent morons they went to before me, are you beginning to understand the pain of being a brilliant as I? If you want to idolize me for my work then go right ahead, but that doesn't give you the right to be disappointed in me, or tell me my motives for working aren't good enough for you. If they're not good enough for a naive little twit like you, then you can kiss my ass you little beastie, how dare you think something like you can come in here and lecture me on how to be a doctor!"
"That's not what I'm doing you stupid bastard, I'm saying I don't even accept you as a doctor any more!" Chopper shouts, surprising everyone "I don't accept these zombie either, they're already dead and yet you still drag them out and parade them around for your amusement, when they should be allowed to rest in peace! You made a mockery or human life, and that is why you're nothing but a monster, a madman who will be forgotten soon enough"
"Fosfosfos, why what a narrow minded viewpoint, I gave my marionette's new life and they you say they should just be rotting in the ground, who's the real monster here?" he asks with a cackle
"Yes that's exactly what I'm saying, and the monster is still you" Chopper snaps
Hogback sighs deeply "How can someone like you not see the scientific breakthrough, I've granted them life after death. How can you simply overlook the value of that life?" he asks, walking over to Shindry who was still watching the Straw hats with a dead eyed, stare "Observe" he shouts, before kicking her in the face and knocking her to the ground "Now while you're down there, lick the floor" he commands, and she complies without question or hesitation, the others both horrified, and finally understanding why Shindry was such a bitch to Hogback, he deserved every word and then some.
"You saw the room didn't you, it was my room, my little shrine to the stage actress Victoria Shindry. I was infatuated by her as long as I could remember, her beauty and allure captured not only my heart, but the hearts of many all over the country. She was popular without conceit, kind and loving to her family, skilled without arrogance, she was a wonderful woman, but unfortunately… she was also spoken for. When I made my mark on the world as the greatest Doctor, I proposed, but given she was already engaged, she refused!" Hogback growls, the others thinking 'Yeah, that's kind of how that works, dumbass' but he wasn't done "Soon after, I heard of the terrible news of what happened, of my beloved's passing from this world. I was at a loss for words, unmoored by grief I quit my job and that was when… HE appeared. Quite literally out of nowhere was Master Moria with an offer I simply couldn't refuse. I did make one condition though: in exchange for my services, he would bring my Shindry back to life, and he accepted" he chuckles, shivers running down the other living beings spines "So I stole her corpse, in order to finally have Shindry to myself, obeying only me. Her personality… changed dramatically, and not for the better, but she was still hot as Hell, which is probably where I'm going when I die, and she obeys, which are franky all that matter to me. I'm happy, and I'm sure she is as well. I've given her a 2nd chance, and another life in this world to be a functional human being, Fosfosfos"
Chopper's pupils shrunk and his entire body tenses "You call THAT a functional human being? Tell her to stop that, at once!" he orders, Hogback turning his head and noticing Shindry was still licking the floor "A human who's heart and body is not a human at all, it's not a life it's puppetry, it's a mockery of the human spirit. Every one of these abominations is proof of the pain and suffering you're inflicted upon someone in this world, and I won't allow you to go unpunished any longer!" Chopper bellows, impressive given he was still in his smaller Brain Point form.
Apparently he'd finally managed to irritate Hogback "And what would a naive reindeer pirate Doctor of such limited skills possibly know about life huh? Shindry, stand up… and kill them all!" he orders, only a lack of gears grinding or pistons firing separated the zombie from a robot as she stopped and stood, gazing at the straw hats with cold dead eyes, a large pile of plates appearing from… somewhere and settled in her left hand. "It's time to end this now, but don't worry, you'll be the next on my operating table, especially you Dr. Chopper, I've been on the lookout for a new assistant and I think you'll do nicely"
As the zombie begins throwing plates at the pirates Chopper leaps forward and rushes her, transforming into his Heavy point as he does, the large, yeti like beast able to initially restrain her, until she slammed her leg into his gut at full force, freeing her left arm so she could smash all the plates on Chopper's head.
"Fosfosfos, I forgot to mention that Shindry was heavilly modified by moi, she may look delicate and petit, but I made her into the perfect killing machine" Hogback boasts, laughing maniacally
"Chopper, you need to break the zombie, tear her apart!" Robin shouts
"I can't it feels wrong" Chopper winces as he starts to tank repeated kicks to the ribs from the now emoting, angry zombie
"Everything about her is wrong!" Vivi pipes in "Ending her suffering as quickly as possible is more important than your feelings right now. Yes you're about to desecrate a corpse, but I'm sure Shindry's spirit will forgive you, as long as it means she can finally be free from this torture he calls a 2nd life"
"You're all unwilling to see what's right in front of you, this is what man has dreamed about for all of time, resurrection of the dead" Hogback claims
"That's not what this is. Just because you can make your puppet dance doesn't mean she's alive, living is about choice, freedom. Anything that 'lives' the way she is can't be considered alive, this isn't living!" the Zoan screams, surprisingly having an effect on the zombies as Shindry stops kicking and goes slack "Robin, a little help over here, get the salt in her!" he calls, Robin winces but nods, blooming arms to get a salt ball from his pouch.
"This isn't how it's supposed to go, Jigoro, Inuppe protect Shindry, kill the others!" Hogback orders, snapping the other 2 zombies out of their stupor, the penguin dog zipping forward and kicking Chopper far away from Shindry
"3 sword… oh yeah. 2 Sword style, 72 calbra Penx" Jigoro slurs swinging in the direction of the reindeer, nearly shredding Inuppe as well but both manage to dodge
Dieciséis Fleur
The zombie struggles for a moment but soon manges to break the hold Robin has on him with her blooms, turning to try finish the job he'd started earlier, he was instead blindsided by the other male zombie in the room, slamming straight into him.
"Hm, seems even without their memories Sanji and Zoro are destined to fight" Vivi muses with a giggle, watching the 2 fight each other rather than her crew mates, and make a mess of the room in the process
"What are you idiots doing?" Hogback screams in exasperation "Stop arguing, we need to fight together" he shouts
"Robin!" Chopper calls, zipping his lips, getting a nod from the archaeologist who does the same for Hogback, shutting him up for the moment
"Those 2 aren't going to stop any time soon, especially if their 'master' can't tell them to stop" Artemis says with a smirk, Hogback swallowing thickly at the look in her eyes
"True, I think they were busy fighting and missed your last order so they still have the previous one locked in. Now if only I knew what that was" Robin says, rubbing her chin with another bloomed arm
"Save Shindry, Kill the Others" Vivi supplies, Chopper helping her to stand "Now the problem is, that's a really vague statement, but 'The Others' COULD be interpreted as 'everyone in the room except Shindry', it would explain why they're trying to kill each other for one thing, but the bigger problem is… well you" the smirk was back
Robin chuckles as she releases Hogback "This is quite a high tower isn't it?" she asks seemingly out of nowhere "It sure is a shame none of us are under your control, not only would we not be feuding like Skypeians and Shandorians, but you could just tell us to leap off the tower and that would be the end" she shrugs and turns, flashing Chopper an almost feral grin
"You think a bitch like you can talk to me like that?" Hogback shrieks "I'll have you torn apart and put back together as my zombie soon enough, and then just for fun I'll order you to jump off this tower and put an end to your attitude!" he bellows/commands, not realising what he did until he saw Jigoro and Inuppe staring at him 'Oh, shit' he thinks
"Yes Master!" the 2 zombies state before running for the window, even now fighting over who will jump first and who will hit the ground first and follow Hogback's order better
"But, given we're all still alive, we're going to give that a pass for now" Robin turns back, smirk nearly splitting her face as Hogback realises he's basically on his own against 4 of the straw hats, including one who he's clearly pissed off
"I know it's Luffy's line, but he's busy dealing with Moria so all the other zombies will be purified, meaning I can take my time kicking your ass for the perversion of science, medicine and human decency you've created" Chopper growls, cracking his knuckles as he approaches the man
"Shindry, buy me time while I escape" he orders/stage whispers, then turns his head when the maid doesn't immediate leap to his aid and pummel the reindeer "Shindry, listen to me, it doens't matter if they purify you I'll just find another shadow" he states flippantly, while the pirate's eyes widen when they see the state she's in.
Shindry was crying, a steady flow of tears running down her grey cheeks "My body, it won't move" the monotone contrasted with the emotion on display, but that honesty was to be expected at this point. The fact a zombie could cry was news to all of them though.
TBC
LW: Well, Hogback's basically fucked, it really is just Moria left at this point, good luck you lazy assed onion bastard.
Wow, 95 chapters, I should probably do something special for 100 ay?