This chapter ended up being way bigger than I meant too. Oopsie!
Enjoy!
Marianne wandered around the war-torn Alubarna, keeping to the shadows to avoid getting caught in a bigger conflict. She wasn't concerned about the regular millions, they were cannon fodder. She needed to find and sabotage the Numbers Agents. At this point they would know she had defected, so she couldn't act all innocent about it. She'd need to fight.
I don't care who I have to fight. I'm getting home, no matter what.
Marianne gripped her paints closer to her chest in their little bag, slipping into a nearby building and out the other side into an empty side street. She jogged down it towards the outskirts of the city, hoping to find a vantage point of some kind. The rain Nami was creating only made the chaos worse, and it was hard to see where he was going.
"Little Sis Mari!" Marianne made a face at this. Only two people talked to her like that. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Yosaku running up behind her. Chopper was by his side, galloping in his regular reindeer form. "I'm glad I found you! I need your help."
"With what?" Marianne asked, "I'm looking for Numbers Agents."
"So are we!" Yosaku said as he reached her, panting. "We're looking for Mr. Four and Ms. Merry Christmas! Do you know where they are?"
"Why are you looking for them?" She asked curiously.
"Apparently, Nico Robin told Nojiko, Yosaku and Usopp the weaknesses of the Numbers Agents," Chopper said.
"Is that true?" Marianne asked. Yosaku nodded, detailing his meeting with the other two and Robin below the palace.
"She said Mr. Four is really slow," he said, "as in slower than me or Johnny." Marianne didn't need that part. "Ms. Merry Christmas does all the thinking, and seeing as Chopper is the smartest of us, he should fight them!"
"I'm not that smart, dumbass!" Chopper said bashfully, hiding his face from Yosaku.
"And Chopper needs someone stout and strong to protect him!" Yosaku said, "that fell to me, seeing as we have no idea where Big Bros Zoro or Sanji are! You can help us!"
"You want my help?" Marianne asked, "wouldn't be better off fighting with crew mates you have better synergy with?"
"Well I don't know where Johnny is either," Yosaku admitted, "and besides, we don't have time! She also told us about a bomb in the city! Big Bro Usopp said he would find and disarm it, but just in case we need to hurry!"
"A bomb?!" Marianne demanded, "was Crocodile planning on slaughtering everyone in the city?!"
"Probably," Chopper said, "he's a maniac. Will you help us, Marianne?" Marianne regarded the two quietly, still unsure of what to say. She wasn't particularly close to any of the crew, so she wasn't sure why they were asking for her help. Was she the first they had come across? Maybe.
"I'll help," she finally said. "As for where they are, I have no idea. Did Robin give you an idea?"
"Yeah," Yosaku said, "she said something about Ms. Merry Christmas being a mole or something? So she'd be where the ground was easiest to dig through."
"Which means outside the city," Chopper translated, "Alubarna is built on a mound of rock. It'd be harder to dig through."
"Good thing we're by the outskirts, then," she said. "Let's go."
"Wanna ride?" Chopper asked her. After a moment of thinking, Marianne took him up on that offer and climbed his back. Together the trio made it to the edge of the city, and looked out over the desert.
"Where exactly would they be?" Yosaku asked.
"They tunnelled into the city," Marianne replied, "Even though the rock is harder than sand, I bet she helped. We should look around the tunnels." They didn't need to walk far to find a tunnel leading outside the city. Jumping down into it, Yosaku drew his sword as they walked inside. Their footsteps began to echo across the rock as they walked, making her nervous. There was a high chance for an ambush in here.
"So Little Sis," Yosaku said, "how did the fight in Rainbase go?"
"Bad," Marianne replied, "we nearly died. Nico Robin saved us."
"She said as much," Yosaku confirmed, keeping his eyes ahead. "Don't worry. Big Bro Luffy is the strongest man I've ever met. He'll take him out."
"We'd better hope so," she replied. "With Nami and Pell helping him, it should be easy."
"That the birds name?"
"Yeah, he's some big shot in Alabasta. Bird Fruit."
"Hm, I see," Yosaku said. Silence fell between them, the only sound being Choppers hooves rhythmically hitting the ground as he walked. "So, what will you do after we win, Little Sis?" Marianne was tempted to ask why he and Johnny assigned everyone these names, but she kept quiet.
"Go home," she said. "It's been years since I was home."
"Where's home for you, again?" Chopper asked.
"I was born in the North Blue originally, but we moved to Water Seven a while ago. I want to return to my family."
"And we're your ticket?" Yosaku asked, Marianne nodding. "That's cool. I hope they're still waiting for you."
"They are," Marianne said quietly. "They'd better be." Before anyone could reply to her, the tunnel began to rumble around them. They paused and looked up in fright, seeing the roof begin to cave in.
"Run!" Chopper shouted. Marianne held onto him as they ran for their lives, the tunnel caving in behind them. A few rocks hit both her and Chopper, causing her to hold herself close to the reindeer. They could see the light ahead of them, and Marianne closed her eyes in fear.
Then she could feel the sun over her head again.
Chopper had ran as hard as he could to get them out, throwing themselves out into the sand. Marianne spat out what got in her mouth, shakily getting to her hands and knees.
"What the hell just happened?" She asked weakly.
"The tunnel caved in," Chopper hissed next to her, morphing back into his smaller form. "I thought we were dead!"
"That was insane," Yosaku said, panting heavily. "If I had to guess, that was probably-Look out!" Marianne looked up, seeing Yosaku race past her in a blur and stand ahead of them. Before she could ask what he was doing, Yosaku drew his sword and swung it in a mighty horizontal arc, and with a defining crack it connected with something. He struggled against it for a moment or two, before letting out a roar and winning the struggle, forcing whatever it was back. Marianne got a good look as it flew away, seeing it was a cannonball. Yosaku had seen it coming and deflected it.
"Yosaku!" Chopper cried as he got to his feet, "that was awesome!"
"Big Bro Zoro taught me that," Yosaku said, "but we can gush later! Someone's over there!" Standing up and looking past Yosaku, Marianne saw a man and what looked like a dog standing across the sand. The man looked like a massive oval, with sandy blonde hair and big lips. The dog looked like a dachshund, but something was wrong with it. It almost looked like a gun.
"Looks like some weirdo," Yosaku noted.
"You dumbass!" Marianne said, "that's obviously a number agent! What did Robin tell you to look for?!"
"Hm, a bat, a dog looking gun, dumb as all hell..." There was a moment of silence before Yosaku screeched in terror. "Ah! That's Mr. Four!"
"We found him!" Chopper said, "but where's Mr. Merry Christmas?!" Marianne got a sinking feeling in her stomach. The tunnel had caved in, right? And they'd been looking for a mole-woman.
"Move!" She shouted, shoving Chopper with all her might. Yosaku took her hint and flung himself further forward, just in time for the sand to erupt where they'd been standing. Marianne scrambled back to her feet, and saw that the aforementioned woman had appeared before them. The 'mole' descriptor certainly fit, even without the Devil Fruit powers. Ms. Merry Christmas was pudgy like her partner, with mole features all over her face. She cackled manically.
"I almost crushed you, stupid kids!" She shouted gleefully. "We almost had you! Almost!"
"Aaaaaaallllllmmmmooo-" Mr. Four started, speaking as slowly as humanely possible.
"Shut up, Mr. Four!" The mole woman shouted angrily at him, "I do the talking! And you, Ms. Golden Week! What the hell are you doing palling around with these pirates?! Betraying us, huh? Foolish idea!"
"Betrayal is a harsh word for an org that was barely allies to begin with," she said. "I didn't even know what you looked like until now."
"Still stupid! Besides, now you'll die here! There's no way that you'll be able to beat us."
"Nooooo Waaaa-"
"Shut up!"
"What is this circus act I'm watching?" Yosaku asked. Ms. Merry Christmas whirled on him.
"You think you're smart, swordsman?" She asked, "All I see is brawn! Which is probably why you were able to deflect Mr. Four attack! But don't you worry, Lassoo isn't that weak!"
"Lassoo?" Yosaku asked, "Is that the dog?" Marianne glanced at the dog by Mr. Four, staring blankly ahead of them.
"It's a gun!" Ms. Merry Christmas yelled, "a gun that ate a Devil Fruit!"
"Excuse me?!" Chopper demanded, "That doesn't even make sense!"
"Stop lying to me, fat woman!" Yosaku shouted with an accusing finger pointed at the mole woman. "Guns can't eat! You must be even stupider than your buddy over there!"
"Right, because a dog could do this!" Ms. Merry Christmas said, "Lassoo, fire!" Marianne's eyes darted back to the dog, who looking like he was retching. After contorting it's body, she watched in horror as a cannonball shot out of his mouth and towards Yosaku. Just like before, the swordsman readied himself and deflected the blow with a roar, sending it flying off to the side and exploding.
"That's horrifying," Marianne noted to herself. "Yosaku!" She called, taking her paintbrush from her bag and waggling it for the swordsman to see. She could help him out with her Colour Traps, so he needed to get over to her. He seemed to take note of her action, nodding at her. Prepping himself, Yosaku took off running towards her.
"Lassoo!" Ms. Merry Christmas shouted. The dog sneezed, and a cannonball flew directly for her. Marianne had no time to get out of the way, so she cowered in place. Another roar of strength sent the cannonball redirecting, and she looked up to find Yosaku standing before her, panting.
"Made it in time," he noted.
"Thank you," she breathed without thinking. "Chopper, we need that plan!"
"I'm working on it!" Chopper replied.
"Let's stop playing around," Ms. Merry Christmas said, "Mr. Four, I'm going down! You know what to do!" The man nodded slowly, and the woman disappeared beneath the sand again. Standing back-to-back with Yosaku, Marianne kept her eyes on the ground as Yosaku kept an eye on Mr. Four. Chopper was off to the side, a paw on his chin as he thought.
"See her?" Yosaku asked.
"No," she replied, "not yet." Another sneeze from the dog, and Yosaku deflected another ball. "I hate to be a downer, Little Sis, but my arms already feel like jelly." Marianne gulped at this. Their 'wall' was already crumbling. They needed to do something now.
"I've got it!" Chopper called, making her look to him. "Guys, I've figured it out! We need to-!"
The sand beneath Chopper erupted, Ms. Merry Christmas pulling him down into her tunnels.
"Little Bro!" Yosaku shouted, about to move to help him. Lassoo sneezed.
"Yosaku!" Marianne cried. The dog had attacked when Yosaku looked away. The swordsman barely turned back in time to deflect the ball, but it didn't matter. Marianne was blown away as the cannonball exploded against the sword, Yosaku crying in pain. Scrambling to her feet, Marianne dug into her bag for paint as Yosaku struggled to his feet. Finding what she needed, she ran to the swordsman and ran her paintbrush over his exposed back.
"Colour Trap: Adrenaline Red!" As she finished the symbol, Yosaku sucked in a deep breath and exhaled in surprise.
"Woah!" He exclaimed, "I feel like I could run a marathon!"
"It won't last forever," Marianne warned him, "we need to end this before then. If I use it too much, you might die when it wears off." Yosaku gave her an alarmed look, but nodded. He got to his feet, and faced Mr. Four again.
"How's Little Bro Chopper looking?" He asked, making Marianne turn to look. The reindeer had not reappeared.
"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "He's still underground."
"We didn't hear his plan," Yosaku lamented, "so I've got one. We rush fatso over there. I fight him, you take out the dog gun. Okay?"
"Can you take him?" She asked warily. Yosaku flashed her a smile.
"Of course I can!" He said, "Trust me, Little Sis!" Marianne wasn't so sure, but she gulped and nodded. "Hop on!" Bending her knees, Marianne jumped and grabbed onto Yosaku's back. He grabbed her legs and she held his shoulders, and with a roar he charged Mr. Four. The batter pointed at them, and Lassoo fired again. Yosaku deflected it with a cry, still sprinting full force at him. Once they got close, Marianne vaulted off of him and ran for the dog, who watched her warily.
They said it was a gun that ate a Fruit, right? So it can't be that smart...
Lassoo watched her blankly as she pulled her paintbrush up, dabbling it into a vial from her bag.
"Colour Trap: Sadness Blue!" She lashed the dog's side in blue, and Lassoo hung his head, sighing. Apparently, guns could be sad. Whatever, it didn't matter. Sparing a glance over her shoulder, she watched Yosaku and Mr. Four exchange blows. Yosaku was strong, but it was clear Mr. Four was overpowering him. Every swing of the bat sent Yosaku into a backpedal, nearly stumbling over the sand. Adrenaline Red wasn't enough, he needed help. But how? How could she help him?
Her gaze fell to Lassoo, who was pawing at the sand sadly. An idea sparked in her head.
With a heave, she picked the gun up and examined him.
It's a gun, not a dog. So surely it still has a gun's features, right? Where's the trigger? I can shoot at Mr. Four with it!
She thought as hard as she could, trying to think of where a trigger would be on Lassoo.
It occurred to her, and a shiver went down her spine. No way, right? No way the trigger was there.
Taking a deep breath, Marianne lifted the dog and inspected it's underside. There, laying between it's hind legs, was a gun trigger and trigger-guard.
"It's a gun," she said to herself, "no need for those parts, huh?" Heaving the dog up, who was heavier than he looked, she aimed it at the fighting men.
"Yosaku!" She cried, making him look over. "Get away from him, now!" His eyes widened as he reckoned with what he saw, and he dove away from Mr. Four. The large man turned to look at her, and Marianne pulled the trigger.
A cannonball exploded from Lassoo's mouth, flying for Mr. Four. Marianne grinned at her success. This was it, they won!
A deafening crack caused her to jump. It sounded like a baseball being hit by a bat. Her eyes could not process it, but her mind did.
Mr. Four had redirected the ball back at her.
"Marianne!" Yosaku cried out as the ball reached her feet, and an explosion engulfed her.
Chopper was going to get claustrophobic if this went on any longer. He'd been pulled underground by Ms. Merry Christmas, and the two were fighting in her tunnel system. Most of Choppers forms were too big to fit inside the tunnels, like Arm Point, so he forced to fight in his small form. He'd tried to get above ground multiple times, but the mole woman drove him back under. This was bad, Yosaku and Marianne were relying on him!
"Let go of me!" He shouted as Ms. Merry Christmas held onto him. She cackled at his struggle.
"No can do!" She said, "not until Mr. Four kills your friends!"
"As if I'd allow that!" Chopper yelled back. Growing desperate, he jabbed his hooves towards Ms. Merry Christmas' eyes. To his own surprise, he made contact. The woman howled as he hit her, releasing him to grab at her face. Now that he had time, he scrambled through the tunnels to get distance between them. Despite being disoriented, he still knew which was up, and eventually he was able to resurface.
Just in time to hear an explosion and a scream.
Turning, Chopper took in the battlefield. He saw Yosaku sitting on the sand a ways from him, Mr Four near him. Mr. Four was looking elsewhere though, in a pose that made him look like he'd just batted a home-run.
"Yosaku!" He shouted, "where's Marianne?!"
"Little Bro!" Yosaku shouted, "she just took a cannonball explosion head on! We need to help her!" Chopper turned to the dust cloud created by the explosion, and began to run to it. As the smoke cleared, he saw Marianne lying on her back, the dog thing laying on it's side nearby.
"Marianne!" He shouted, transforming into his Strong Point to gently pick her up. "Are you okay?" Marianne coughed, weakly opening one eye.
"Chopper...?" She asked. "...Am I dead?"
"No, not yet! And don't you dare die! Damn it, we need a Doctor!"
"...Y-You're the Doctor."
"Oh, right..." She coughed again and moved her arm around weakly.
"W-Where are my paints?" She asked, "g-get me my bag..." Looking around, Chopper saw her bag resting nearby in the sand. He picked it up, but he didn't like the look of it. Namely, the paints leaking out of it.
"The explosion burst their containers," he told her as Yosaku fought off Mr. Four. "They're ruined..."
"Damn..." Marianne noted. "W-What was your plan, Chopper? You said you had one..."
"Plan?" Chopper asked. "O-Oh yeah! Listen, we need to-!"
"Where is that stupid raccoon!" Ms. Merry Christmas shouted, bursting out of the sand. "I'll kill him!" Her eyes looked pretty bad, making Chopper gulp.
"We need to take her out first!" He said, "but you were apart of that plan, and your paint is ruined..."
"Just tell me what the plan was!" Marianne insisted, forcing herself to her knees.
"Well, you went through all the trouble of telling us your paints and what they did, and I memorised them and-"
"You did?" Marianne asked, surprised. Chopper nodded.
"Of course! Anyway, you told me about Betrayal Black, and I figured if we could get that on the dog or Mr. Four, it'd be easy! I wasn't there, but it worked on Luffy and-"
"They're all pretty dumb," Marianne finished. "It won't work on the dog. Mr. Four hits the cannonballs and redirects them. We'd need to get him directly. And we'd need to get close for that."
"There you are!" Ms. Merry Christmas shouted, eyes clearer now. "I'll kill you, you stupid raccoon!"
"Do you people not know what Reindeer are?!" Chopper shouted angrily, turning to her angrily. "Marianne, listen! If you can, please get Mr. Four with Betrayal Black! We can win with that!"
"O-Okay," Marianne replied, "I'm sure I can scavenge some black paint. Be careful, Chopper."
"You too!"
Marianne watched Chopper run after Ms. Merry Christmas, before looking back at the battle between Yosaku and Mr. Four. The Adrenaline Red was helping him keep up, but it was obviously waning. Mr. Four was nearly beating him into the sand, and it wasn't going to take him much longer. Scrambling, she opened her bag and looked at the mess of colours inside, not able to see any black. It would be dangerous to accidentally use another colour on him as well, which she needed to avoid. Gritting her teeth, she reached inside and tried her best to locate a vial that hadn't been shattered in the explosion. She tossed broken glass over her shoulder, indifferent to the paint that splashed her cheek. It had to be in here, somewhere, right?! Where was it?!
Mr. Four, you big dope!" Ms. Merry Christmas shouted, "Golden Week is doing something! Stop her!" Marianne glanced up, and saw that Mr. Four was glaring at her. Yosaku was on one knee, holding up his blade with his forearm as he blocked the metal bat. It was fine, Yosaku could hold him off until she found the paint she needed.
Until she heard a sneeze.
Looking off to the side, Marianne's stomach dropped as she saw Lassoo getting to his feet. The gun was aimed at Mr. Four. She watched as Mr. Four kicked Yosaku out of the way, and readied his stance. She gulped weakly. This was bad.
"Fire, mutt!" Ms. Merry Christmas shouted. Lassoo did as ordered, shooting a cannonball at Mr. Four. the man readied his swing, arcing the bat back. Marianne flinched in preparation, unable to look death in the eyes.
She heard the bat hit the cannonball.
She heard the wind change as the explosive flew to her.
She heard the explosion.
But, it never hit her. Confused, Marianne opened her eyes and looked forward. She gasped as she did. Standing before her, in tattered and bloodied clothes, was Yosaku. He'd stood in the way of the cannonball, taking the explosion head on. He was still in a fighting stance, sword in his hands, but he was unsteady on his feet. Adrenaline Red had surely worn off, leaving him even more exhausted.
"Yosaku!" She cried as the swordsman stumbled. "Are you okay?!"
"...Heh, I'm fine," the man replied, looking over his shoulder at her. "I couldn't let him hurt ya..."
"That could have killed you! Why did you do that?!"
"...Cause Big Bro Luffy told me and Johnny to keep an eye on ya," he replied, turning back to Mr. Four. "Can't do that if I let you die, right?" Her eyes widened at this, barely able to process his words.
"B-But..." She tried weakly, unable to come up with the words. "But I'm not even...your crew member..." Yosaku steadied himself himself and grunted.
"I followed Big Bro Luffy because I wanted to help protect people," Yosaku said, "if I can't even keep my ally from being hurt, I would lose my pride not only as a swordsman, but as a man!"
He let out a roar from his lips.
"Come and get me, you big stupid ape!" He roared as Mr. Four, "I won't let you hurt Little Sis Mari!" Marianne watched in shock as Yosaku rushed Mr. Four, spinning and slamming his blade into his bat. Mr. Four went on the offensive, swinging fast as Yosaku, who parried what he could and took what he couldn't. And yet, no matter how many he hits he took and how close he came to falling, he didn't. But it wasn't enough. Yosaku was going to lose if she didn't do something! But what? What could she do?!
Growling, she looked over to find Chopper and Ms. Merry Christmas still brawling in the sand. The animal duo seemed evenly matched, with Chopper's strength matched by Christmas' strategy. She needed her paint, but it was all gone. She stuck her hand deep in the bag, searching for any unopened vials. Sadly, it was all in vain. They had all shattered when she'd been hit. This was over, she was helpless.
As Marianne stared at the multi-coloured bag before her, her eyes widened. She was out of black, but not other colours. It might be a little raggedy, but she could mix these colours before her...
Acting quickly, she searched through the paints until she found a spill of red, blue and yellow that was somewhat separated from the rest. Ripping her shirt at her midsection, she dabbed it in the paint and mixed it rapidly. Within seconds the colours began to turn black. As she worked, she mumbled to herself to make sure she had the right colours.
"Red of Aggression...Yellow of Deceit...Blue of Loyalty...God I hope this works!" Finally, Marianne lifted her swab of Betrayal Black and stared at it. She had her paint, but how would she hit Mr. Four? He was too far away, and he was fighting Yosaku!
Her eyes landed on Lassoo, who was still standing nearby. Her eyes hardened.
"Come here, you mutt!" She shouted, launching herself towards him. The gun was too stupid to dodge, and she had him in her grasp. Trying to avoid any guilt at what she was doing by reminding herself it was a gun, Marianne shoved her swab of Black down the dogs throat and picked it up, aiming at Mr. Four.
"Yosaku!" She cried, "get out of the way! You have to trust me!"
"I already did, Little Sis!" The swordsman cried back. As Mr. Four swung his bat, Yosaku dodged under it and slashed the mans ankle as he rolled away. Mr. Four fell to his knees, and Marianne squeezed the trigger. Lassoo sneezed, and the swab of Betrayal Black was ejected from the gun. It flew straight and true, hitting Mr. Four square on the chest. The man looked confused by the paint on his shirt, touching it with his fingers.
"Whaaaaaaa...?" He asked.
"Mr. Four!" Ms. Merry Christmas shouted. Marianne turned to see the mole woman was being held down by Chopper. "Hurry up and defeat them! I can't fight this buff raccoon on my own!" Mr. Four blinked at her slowly, and Marianne gulped. This was it.
"Ooooooookaaaaaayyyyy," Mr. Four said. He lumbered to his feet, and gestured at Lassoo. Marianne trembled as the dog-gun shot out a cannonball for the man.
"Marianne move!" Yosaku shouted. Marianne grinned.
"Chopper!" She shouted, "get out of the way!" The reindeer looked confused, but did as he was told and launched himself away from Ms. Merry Christmas. Laughing triumphantly, the mole woman jumped to her feet. As she did so, Mr. Four hit the cannonball with his bat.
And it spiralled towards Ms. Merry Christmas.
"Hah?!" Marianne heard, right before the cannonball exploded. Ms. Merry Christmas was sent flying backwards, right in the direction Chopper had jumped away too. Seizing the opportunity, Chopper balled his fist and slammed it into the side of the mole woman's head, sending her straight into the sand. As the sand settled, she didn't get up again, staying face down where she lay. Chopper grinned.
"Marianne you did it!" He exclaimed happily, "we got her!" Marianne grinned at this.
"No problem," she wheezed, collapsing to her knees. She looked over to Mr. Four, who was standing around idly. "Yosaku, could you deal with that?" Nodding, Yosaku walked up behind the massive man, lifting his sword over his head.
"Sword of the Earth: Tectonic Shift!"
BONK!
She flinched as Yosaku slammed the flat side of his blade down on Mr. Four's head with all his might, the sound of steel on bone reverberating through the empty dunes. Mr. Four collapsed in a heap, blood dripping out of his nose. Yosaku snorted.
"Got him," he exclaimed, before falling backwards onto his back.
"Yosaku!" Chopper shouted, running to his side. "Don't go to sleep! You might have a concussion! Where's a Doctor?!"
"It's you," Yosaku mumbled from the sand.
"Oh, yeah." Marianne chuckled at this as she looked up at the sky. She hoped the others were doing well, but she didn't have the energy to go and find out. She was exhausted.
Falling back, she continued to stare at the sky. She wondered if she'd finally be able to go home. To see her family again.
She hoped so.
"Three Sword Style: Bull Charge!" Mr. One blocked Zoro's attack with his forearms, looking unimpressed. Johnny appeared over his head, blade over his head.
"Sword of the Sea: Cascading Slash!" He brought the blade down on the mans head, but Mr. One's scalp grew a blade and blocked the attack, sending Johnny off balance and onto the ground. Making sure his apprentice had tumbled out of the way, Zoro backed up and re-positioned his blades, gritting his teeth.
"Three Sword Style: Dragon Twister!" The tornado roared towards Mr. One, who steadied himself and took the attack head-on. While the tornado didn't slash him, Zoro grinned when he saw it forcing the man backwards. That could work.
"Crashing Tide!" Johnny slammed his blade into Mr. One's side, which was obviously blocked. Zoro rushed in as his apprentice kept him busy.
"Tiger Hunting!" Zoro brought his blades up and brought them down over Mr. One's neck, and once again he was parried away.
"How many times do we have to go over this?" Mr. One asked as the winds faded, "you can't defeat me, not with these weak attacks."
"I'm getting around to it," Zoro replied. "Johnny, you doing okay?"
"J-Just fine, Big Bro," Johnny replied weakly, blood still dripping from his chest. "My chest hurts, though."
"Just stop bleeding."
"Yes sir!" Mr. One watched this interaction quietly, sighing deeply.
"It's about time we get this over with," he said, "I still have a lot of royal guards to deal with." Raising his right arm, Mr. One's forearm was covered in swirling blades. Zoro watched as they began to turn rapidly, becoming a blur of motion.
"Spiralling Blades!" Mr. One burst towards him, and Zoro blocked the attack. As he did sparks flew from their connected blades. The motion of the blades bore into him, making it even harder to block.
What is with this guy? Is he a miner or something?
"Sword of the Sea: Rippling Tide!" Mr. One blocked Johnny's jab with ease with his open palm, now both of them struggling against him.
"You deserve this," Mr. One noted. "It was foolish to fight against a Warlord of the Sea. Impact Slash!" The fingers of the hand blocking Johnny's grew blades, and Mr. One raised a leg to kick him backwards. as Johnny came to fight again, Mr. One's hand came into contact with his blade, sending Johnny flying backwards into a nearby building. As he hit it, slashes carved into the stone and sliced the building apart, debris falling into the street.
"Johnny!" Zoro called through the sword in his mouth. He had no time to check on his apprentice, as Mr. One came after him next. the spiralling blades pushed him backwards, and before he could recover he was slashed on the leg by the agents foot. As he fell forwards, the spiralling blades slashed his chest open and slammed him backwards into a pillar. He collapsed into it, bleeding and groaning, watching Mr. One stand over him.
"Would you rather die first?" The assassin demanded, "or should I let you watch me finish your friend over there? Do you have a preference?" Zoro groaned in response, trying to come up with any kind of plan. Was there really anything he could do? This guy countered him completely. But there had to be something...
"...Hey! You big asshole!" Zoro's eyes snapped open when he heard someone fling an insult at Mr. One, turning his head. Johnny was standing, bleeding, but standing. Blood pooled at his feet from the cuts marring his upper body, his white linen shirt soaked red. The swordsman lifted his head, and Zoro saw that Johnny's glasses had cracked, revealing his eyes.
They were electric blue.
Johnny grabbed the frames and threw them from his face, stomping on them angrily.
"You want to kill Big Bro Zoro?" He demanded as he raised his sword, "you kill me first!"
"Johnny don't be stupid!" Zoro shouted angrily, "You aren't strong enough!"
"I can hold him off until you get up!" Johnny replied, "isn't that what a student should do for his teacher?!"
"Don't be an idiot!"
"He's your teacher?" Mr. One asked, "no wonder you're so weak. I'll finish you off cleanly. You are owed that much for your courage." Zoro stumbled and tripped on his own blood when he tried to stand, watching Mr. One saunter towards Johnny. The swordsman clenched his teeth,watching and waiting.
And the battle began again.
Mr. One swung his arm at Johnny, who blocked it as it grew a blade. Raising his foot, Johnny kicked the agent in the stomach and twirled his blade, advancing as Mr. One recovered. Zoro tried to get up again, failing once more. He growled into the ground, trying his hardest to get up. He needed to help Johnny. Looking up, Zoro's eyes widened.
Johnny was ducking and dodging Mr. One's attacks, deflecting him like he was an insect. His students movements were so fluid it was as though his bones had turned to jelly. Mr. One swung, Johnny dodged and counter-attacked. He used the momentum from the attack to duck under the next attack, striking at Mr. One's back. It looked as though the blade had become an extension of Johnny's arm, moving and responding as fluidly as one's fingers would.
He had no time to admire the work, he needed a plan. What could he do to defeat Mr. One? As he watched Johnny fight, Zoro was reminded of an old saying his teacher had taught him.
A blade that cuts only what the swordsman wants...
Johnny felt like he could see everything so clearly.
He had only intended to buy Zoro a few seconds, but now he danced around Mr. One as though he was a child. He didn't know what it was, or what had happened, but he felt so...awake. He could sense Mr. One's movements, see the muscles tense when he was going to attack. Was this what it was like to be a true swordsman? To feel the heat and life of the battle? It was incredible. Mr. One backed up, huffing with a small smirk.
"I underestimated you," he said, "you move quite well." Johnny offered him no response, keeping his eyes on his.
"You broke my sunglasses, asshole," he finally remarked, "pay for replacements."
"Good," Mr. One said, "Looking your opponent in the eye is the least you can do." The rain punctuated the swordsmen circling one another, eyes locked. Johnny's mind felt vacant. He thought of no strategy, focused only on staying alive. He could barely even feel his wounds. Mr One backed up, readying his hand. His fingers themselves transformed into blades, and began to whirl like a machine.
"Slasher Claw!" Johnny blocked the swirling attack aimed at his stomach, which would have disembowelled him had it landed. Clenching his jaw, Johnny roared angrily.
"Sword of the Sea: Inverse Waterfall!" Transferring his body weight, he ducked underneath the clawed attack and inside Mr. One's guard. Bringing his might back up, the tip of Sutomukora connected with Mr. One's chin. The attack was blocked, but the impact still lifted the man off his feet and into the air. Johnny twirled his blade, aiming upwards.
"Rippling Tide!" Angling his blade, Johnny jabbed it upwards towards the mans stomach. The attack, obviously, was blocked by his stomach becoming a blade. However, his stomach was pressured more than before. Johnny could see his attack had actually gotten through, even if only a little.. He was getting better!
"Johnny!"
When he looked back on the fight later, Johnny didn't remember looking when his name was called. He could see Zoro in his mind, readying his stance. He remembered knowing he needed to get out of the way, because his teacher was about to do something crazy. But for the life of him, he didn't remember looking towards him. Well, surely had to of, right? After all, he saw it.
He saw Zoro readying his stance, a single blade at his side. He saw his teacher had tied his infamous bandanna around his head, obscuring his eyes. It was all so vivid in his head, so he knew he had to have looked. And yet, he couldn't recall it. All he recalled was rolling out of the way as best he could.
Mr. One hit the ground, just in time to turn and see Zoro burst towards him.
"One Sword Style: Lion's Song!"
Johnny didn't see the impact, but he saw the outcome. Zoro was standing behind Mr. One now, re-sheathing his blade. Mr. One was as still as a mountain, unmoving.
Before blood spurted from his chest, and he fell.
Johnny watched, eyes wide, as Mr. One collapsed onto his chest. He didn't move again, which let relief spread through his limbs.
"I think you did it, Big Bro" He exclaimed happily as the rain poured down on them. Zoro panted hard and sheathed his sword.
"I couldn't have done it if you hadn't bought me time, Johnny," he replied. "I've never seen you move like that. It was impressive."
"It was nothing compared to you!" Johnny replied as he limped over, clutching his chest. "You cut steel! How did you-?!"
Mr. One burst up from the ground, forearms shiny and sharp. Zoro wasn't ready, his blades were sheathed.
Sutomukora wasn't.
Johnny didn't remember the dash forward. He didn't remember plunging his blade into Mr. One's abdomen. And yet, he found himself in that exact situation, Sutomukora impaling Mr. One from behind. He hadn't struck anywhere fatal, but it was enough to stop the agent dead in his tracks and allow Zoro to back up. Mr. One was frozen in place from the attack, barely making a sound. Grunting, Johnny took the blade out, blood spurting onto the wet ground. Mr. One looked down at his stomach, and then over his shoulder at Johnny.
"Seems your student is more promising then I gave him credit for," he noted, falling down once more. Johnny regarded him quietly, kicking his side to make sure he wouldn't get up again.
"That was close," he remarked. Zoro let out a wheeze-like laugh, collapsing to sit on the ground.
"Well," he said, "unless Yosaku's been helping out, I daresay you're the stronger apprentice now, Johnny. Good work." Johnny smiled at this.
"Thanks Big Bro!" He said, "it means...a lot...coming from you..."
Johnny managed to get the words out before he blacked out, collapsing onto the ground as the rain pelted his face.
Gum-Gum Bullet!"
"Barjan!"
Luffy was forced to dodge, ducking underneath the horizontal swipe Crocodile attacked with. He didn't know what it did, but he didn't want to get hit by it. Using his momentum, he got back to his feet, and aimed, launching his stretched arm. Crocodile side-stepped his attack, glaring at him.
"First," the Warlord said, "I'm going to kill you and that weather girl. Then, I'll find your allies and kill all of them. And then, I'll kill the Princess in front of everyone! This country is mine, Straw Hat!"
"You'll have to get through me first!" Luffy replied, "Gum-Gum Gatling!" He threw a flurry of fists, many of which connected as Crocodile dodged nearby to a wall with an overreach, which protected him from the rain. Luffy thought quickly, launching an attack at the overhang and destroying it. This doused Crocodile with more water, making him growl.
"Do you think a shower is all it takes to beat me?!" He roared, "Desert Spada!" The slash carved up the street they were fighting on, Luffy bending out of the way. As he did, Crocodile manipulated the sand, making it grab Luffy around the neck. He was pulled towards the Warlord, who ducked underneath an underpass and grabbed him around the neck.
"Let go of me, Croc!" Luffy demanded. He launched a kick, but it phased through Crocodile with ease. Being out of the rain had let him dry off with his power.
"Not so easy when I'm dry, huh?" Crocodile demanded, tightening his grip on Luffy's neck. "I'm doing you a favour when you think a little, Straw Hat. You and your crew would get massacred further in the Grand Line. Dying here saves you the trouble of getting too far."
"Must be easy to talk shit when you fight dirty, huh?!" Luffy demanded, "how about you turn off the invincibility and fight me fairly?!"
"Fight fair?" Crocodile demanded, laughing. "What kind of pirate are you?! We don't fight fair! Do you think your enemies further along will, either? Use everything you have to create an advantage Straw Hat. You don't even know Haki, how could you expect to beat a Logia?"
"Haki?" Luffy asked, "what the hell is that?"
"Does it matter?" Crocodile demanded, "without it, you'll never beat other Logia users. Let this be the last lesson you learn, boy. Fighting fairly is overrated." Crocodile reared back his claw, preparing to strike. Gritting his teeth, Luffy kicked upwards and destroyed the roof over their heads, once again creating an opening for the rain.
"Thanks for the lesson," Luffy spat as he freed himself from Crocodile by kicking him again. "I'll keep that in mind when I fight those enemies further along. After I'm done sweeping your sand off the streets of Alubarna!"
"Keep dreaming!"
I know some people will think it's odd I split Johnny and Yosaku up for different fights, but ultimately I think this was the better way to go. Yosaku works in either fight, so I decided to let him go with Marianne and Chopper. We'll have plenty of time for the boys to work together! I hope you enjoyed, leave a review!