Wham! The door to the cabins came crashing down as Lucci kicked it in. Not surprising the cabins were about as big as the outside. There were a few other doors that more than likely led to different parts of the ship as well. "Everyone...split up into teams and get ready to rumble", Kaku said. "I suppose it would be easiest if you and Hattori came with us", he said over to Spandam. Spandam simply nodded in reply.
"Borya, you and I can take this way", Kalifa said as she stood in front of a door that was labeled kitchen.
"Serenity, we should take the quarters", Fukurou said as he gripped the doorknob.
"I bet this one leads down into the hull. Ready Blueno", Moira asked.
"Tch...a ballroom. Bet these freaks don't even use it. Ready when you are Ray", Jabra said as he pointed at the door.
"Gurin! We'll take the stern. I'm sure one of them will come out of hiding if we search there", Kumadori said as he walked towards the door.
"Then I guess that just leaves the captains quarters for us then", Lucci said as he looked at the door. It was the 'best dressed' of the doors. More than likely Cannibal wouldn't have actually gone anywhere else except in here. "Before we go in, I feel as though I should make sure our friends understand something", Lucci said. He was hinting towards the non ex agents. They each looked at him in anticipation. "Cannibal and his crew are currently the PEAK of the world government. I don't doubt that you all are capable of walking onto the battlefield with them. HOWEVER, similarly to the silencers, they are fighting to KILL. They will not simply beat you within an inch of your life and move on to the next target. If you manage to beat them and leave them alive, they will only come after you again. What I'm getting at is that no matter how much it may be unnerving, it would be best if you fight to do them in."
"If that's what it takes...then we don't really have a choice", Borya replied.
"So... We'll see you all on the deck after we've all dispatched the enemy", Lucci said as he smiled.
"Let's go, Fukurou", Serenity said as she and Fukurou made their way through the door that led to the lounging area. The hallway wasn't all that long, and was well lit since the lounging area was well lit and so close. "This is the first time I've been so nervous. These chills just won't stop."
Fukurou stayed as close to her as possible to make sure no one would catch either of them off guard. "Yeah, I keep shaking too. Who do you think is going to be the one we find first?"
"I can't say for sure. Since we're in their territory it will most likely be whoever finds US first. No matter what happens just make sure your...", that's all she was able to say before she heard a howl. "Hm? Is Jabra trying to tell us something?"
"No... that wasn't Jabra. Don't ask how but I can tell." Just then, they heard something that sounded like chanting, followed by a purple light seemingly coming from up ahead. The chanting sounded unnervingly demonic almost. As if it was being said by some sort of demon. "Serenity do you hear that?"
"Yeeeeeessssss! Step into my light, my prey! You have nowhere else to go", a females voice said.
For some reason, something told the two to turn around to notice a presence behind them...but instead of seeing a person, they saw a big purple wall. "Fukurou, I think we've been boxed in!"
"Probably by HER", Fukurou said as he pointed to an open room up ahead. There was one of Cannibals crewmates whom was on the deck. She was sitting crossed legged on the ground and didn't seem to be wearing too much clothing. Enough to cover the parts that needed to be covered. What she did wear looked to almost be some sort of tribal clothing. She had an extensive amount of red paint on her body however. Her hair was pretty frizzy and she was holding what looked like a brown staff. "So, you DID come find us!"
"Why yeeees my child. You may call me 'Heathen'! I am the doctor here upon the 'Blood Bath'. But you needn't worry about that. Truth be told I wasn't actually looking for you. You ended up coming to me, which was as I expected. Now that you're here...I suppose you know what I'm going to have to do now, right?" She stood up and smiled! Her strange purple eyes focused squarely on those two.
"Yeah, yeah! Let's rumble", Fukurou shouted as he held his fists up. Serenity also took her fighting stance, seemingly ready to pounce at the first sign of aggravation.
"Yes, indeed! None of us plan on beating around the bush. We're going to go all out from the start!" Just then, her body began to change. She grew hair on most of her body which seemed to also grow in stature. She also now had a long snout sprouting from her face. "Hehehe! I shall give you a taste of the eternal curse that I am, forced to endure. For I have the Mutt-Mutt fruit; Model Coyote!"
Serenity adjusted the scarf she was wearing. "Of course! That explains where that howling was coming from. Strangely enough, I feel like this should be Lucci's enemy. Or maybe even Jabra's ."
"I don't care which one of you I have to fight. I'm going to rip you APART!" She growled and lunged forward ready to attack. The speed at which she moved was incredible! In fact, so much so, they she was able to pin both Serenity and Fukurou to the floor of the ship. Her grip was way tighter than thy had anticipated.
"Serenity she's so...ack... strong, fukurou said as he gripped Heathen's wrist. He attempted to bed her wrist in a futile effort to get her to release her grip. She seemed to be resisting without even trying.
"Not so soon, Heathen!" Serenity grabbed on to Heathens right hand; that had her by the neck. "FURY THORNS!" In an instant, several thorns stabbed Heathen right in her hand.
Heathen pulled back her hand, but it didn't seem like she was all that hurt. "Ohhhh! I see! You have the curse of the forest within you! Well, try THIS!" Heathen clasped her hands together and created a purple orb.
"Whatever you're doing I won't let you do it!" Fukurou zoomed over towards her in an attempt to knock whatever was in her hands away...but she once again moved faster than he had anticipated. Don't be so hasty! Its only fun if you suffer first. She raised the purple orb over her head seemingly ready to throw it at Fukurou. He shielded his face to brace for an incoming attack... but then that's when she vanished again.
"Guess again", she whispered as she appeared behind serenity!
"Serenity look out! It was a fake out!"
Before Serenity could even turn around, Heathen forced the orb of energy into her back, which at first didn't seem to do anything. Serenity quickly elbowed Heathen in the face giving a bit of distance between the two. "What WAS that?" Her question was answered by a sudden intense ZAP! "Aaaaaah!" A purple aura surrounded her.
"Now YOU have ANOTHER curse", Heathen shouted! "Here you can have one too", she said as she did the same to Fukurou. Just like with Serenity he too was zapped! Another purple aura surrounded Fukurou!
"What IS this? What did you do to us?", Serenity touched the ground and made several vines sprout from the floor.
"Go on! See for yourself", Heathen said as she held her arms out. The second she did, several of the vines impacted her body. They even drew blood from her waist! Serenity smiled at the direct hit... but her smile faded when she saw a smile arise from Heathen. "CURSE FLASH". The same zap from earlier that happened from Heathen's touch happened again! This time, it managed to bring Serenity down to the floor. Heathen quickly hopped over and was now standing right over Serenity! "One must not break the curse or they shall be punished profusely!" She took her finger and jammed it right through Serenity's chest!
"You should keep your guard up, you mongrel! OWL DASH!" Fukurou zoomed at Heathen at the speed of light with the intention of decking her right in the face. It would seem that she easily saw him approach... but she simply stood still as if you wanted him to hit her. Just like that he threw a punch that managed to make her stumble. It was no regular punch! He put a lot of force into it, but he barely managed to make her move. Even so, it still seemed to cause her pain. "Now we're getting somewhere!" Or that's what he thought, until he too was zapped again! "What's happening to us?"
"It's my curse ability! Every time you hit me; you'll be zapped! Call it a payback situation if you will!
"Is that so? Is that how it works", Serenity asked as she stood up, much to Fukurou's surprise. "I'm a tough old bird! Don't let my looks fool you!"
"If you're thinking of pulling your punches to minimize the pain, that won't work. The magic of this power is that the recoil is equivalent to how hard I would be able to hit YOU. That combined with my onslaught of attacks, you have no actual chance of beating me.
"Jokes on YOU dog lady! Serenity can heal us whenever we get hurt so WE have the advantage!"
"Oh, is that so? Then I guess I had better hit you with more fatal attacks then, huh?", Fukurou felt the most intense glare that he had ever felt before coming from Serenity. He probably shouldn't have said that out loud.
"Uh oh!" Fukurou put up his guard whilst the Hyena woman slowly walked over towards him.
"Fukurou, look out", Serenity shouted as she made another vine extend. This one was coated in Haki, and was sure to do the trick. Serenity expected Heathen to either be pierced or at LEAST dodge the attack, but she simply raised her arm. The vine pierced but not as much as she thought it would have. Heathen also seemed to be using Haki. Unfortunately, the "curse" activated again and zapped Serenity!
"I don't care how many times I get zapped! I'm going to beat you down!" Fukurou threw a punch at Heathen, but she caught it mid thrust.
"I never said I'd let EVERY hit land, now did I?" She gave an unsettlingly large toothy grin. Fukurou knew exactly what she was about to do, but he couldn't break free from her grasp. She opened her mouth wide, and bit right into his wrist.
"Gah! You're a sick woman! Why would you do that", Fukurou shouted as he managed to pull his wrist out of Heathen's mouth. "She BIT me!"
"Way to state the obvious", Heathen said as she licked her lips. Then she turned her attention towards Serenity whom was kneeling. "I wonder if YOU taste like broccoli!" She zoomed over and bit Serenity on the shoulder."
"Serenity hang on!" Fukurou managed to crash into Heathen like a wrecking ball and knocked her over! "Serenity I got her! Nows you're chance!" He was yelling over towards Serenity to attack whilst he had Heathen pinned... but he got a different surprise. He felt vines wrap around his legs instead, and got pulled closer to Serenity. "Serenity what are you doing!? I had her pinned!"
"Shhhhhhhh! Stop and think for a second Fukurou !" She raised her arms and created multiple vines! Each of the vines swirled around each other and create a wall between them and Heathen. For the finishing touch she covered the vines with Haki!
Heathen quickly recovered and eyed the now veggie like wall. "Hiding isn't going to save you from me you know. Your fates are sealed..."
"Serenity why didn't you attack? We could have put a beat down on her."
"Listen to me... whenever we attack her, we end up getting zapped! This 'curse' thing or whatever is going to hurt us more than we can hurt her. If we keep attacking her without a plan then she's going to drop us like flies!"
"Then what are we supposed to do then? We can't escape her, and we can't out muscle her."
"We have to hit her ONCE. That's our solution. We have to make sure we hit her once with everything we got. If we get zapped whilst doing it, at least we can take her out."
"How? She's so fast! Plus, she's strong and durable! I didn't count on Cannibals crew being THIS strong. It's as Lucci said, we need to find some sort of way to deal a killing blow!" They began to hear a loud thud against the vines. "She's going to break in soon."
"I think I have a plan, Fukurou...hear me out."
Outside the vines, Heathen continued to chip away at the shield that Serenity placed. The vines continued to replace the destroyed ones, but Heathens claws made quicker work of them. It was only a matter of time before she broke through.
"Serenity we CAN'T! Do that!"
"We WILL! Right now, beating these jerks is all that matters. No matter what happens we HAVE to beat her! You just have to trust me...remember, this is our mission!"
"Alright. If you can get her steady then we can do this...oh! She's gonna break through!"
Heathen hopped backwards and charged into the shield one final time, before it gave way and crumbled! "Now die!" Heathen swept her leg to the right and created a wave of air that sliced across the room. In fact, it went through the wall...but Serenity and Fukurou were not behind the wall. "Oh, that was fast. Where could they have gone?"
"Over here! Come and get me", Serenity said as she held on to her shoulder. She was still bleeding.
"Well, there's one...now how long is the other one going to hide? I can smell him you know." Heathen began to sniff the air.
"And now you can't!" Serenity clasper her hands together and slammed them on the ground. A green colored Rafflesia plant popped out of the ground.
"Ugh! Yuck! That thing reeks! Ok, that was tactful I'll give you that, but I don't need to find him yet! I'll just kill you first!"
"Then put your money where your mouth is! Come and get me, Heathen!" Serenity moon walked into the air of the huge room. It was amazing how much of a luxury this ship must have been.
Fukurou hid quietly in the shadows. Thanks to the flower, Heathen was unable to detect him. All he had to do was wait for the precise moment that Serenity was able to give him an opening. "Keep quiet...keep quiet Fukurou", he said to himself.
"Serenity, Serenity, Serenity. You thought you and your rag tag group of 'agents' could just march in here and combat the power that PEAKS in the world government? What kind of fool are you?"
"Compared to you in a few moments, I'll be a LIVE one."
"Is that a threat? Cause you're full of shit and I'll prove it to you!" Heathen erected her claws and prepared to tear into Serenity!"
"No it's not a threat! It's a PROMISE", Fukurou shouted from nowhere. Despite the loud taunt, he was still nowhere to be seen.
Just as Heathen was going to slash at her, Serenity held her arms out and readied herself. Heathen dug her claws into Serenity and pulled her apart! In each hand she looked to have a different half of Serenity! "And thus... your life is mine..."
"Or so you think", she heard Serenity say. It didn't LOOK like she said it...but she definitely heard it. Suddenly the two halves that she tore apart, turned green, and warped into vines, before wrapping around her. "Now I GOT you."
"Huh? What is this? I thought I ripped you to shreds!"
"No! You ripped a PLANT CLONE of me to shreds! It's the power of a logia fruit!" Serenity sprouted from the vines, and seemed to be holding Heathen in place. Now Fukurou!"
"Right! This is for you and Benson", Fukurou shouted as he came down from the ceiling. GANGING UP!" Fukurou made clones of his very own which all stood in front of the two women. There were about 15 of them and each one had one hand coated in a black film of Haki. "Let's finish this!"
"What are you going to do!? Let go of me", Heathen shouted. No matter how much she struggled it seemed that she couldn't break free.
"Now...OWL GANG BARAGE!" Each of the Fukurou clones held out their fingers to shape a beak, and flew forward at the speed of light! "Sorry Serenity!" The first Fukurou rammed into her with his finger pistol attack, stabbing Heathen right in her stomach...but then the rest of the Fukurou's all flew by at once with the intent of skewering Heathen. Unfortunately, Serenity would also receive a huge brunt of the attack. In an attempt to keep Heathen still, she was unable to get out of the way of the swarm of finger pistols!
This was Serenity's plan...she told Fukurou to commence with an all out attack whilst she held Heathen in place. It was the only way they would be able to hit her with enough force. Although, despite them hitting her hard, Fukurou also suffered shocks, for each time he attacked. Each pistol attack that landed damaged Heathen, but also sent a bolt of a shock through him. By the time each clone stabbed her through AND past her abdomen, Fukurou had finally collapsed!
"A-ack! Was that all you...", Heathen said as she tried to break free once again. Her attempts were significantly weakened because of Fukurou's attack.
"No...I'm going to finish you off!" Serenity gripped around Heathen's waist, and lifted with all her might. She then used the rest of her strength to Supplex Heathen! Not simply into the floor...but THROUGH the floor! This left a big hole that Serenity herself began to fall through...but Luckily, Fukurou was able to grab onto her with the last of his own strength. Not too long after he grabbed onto her, they heard several crashes...it would seem that she was going through several of the floors, before finally coming to a stop. From the sounds of it, she fell all the way down into the sea. Serenity got a few zaps, but Heathen must have finally gone unconscious after crashing into one of the floors, because she no longer felt the zaps. That means the power had worn off when she was beaten. "Fukurou...we did it..."
"Serenity...we're alive! I'm so glad! Even happier than when I learned that Kalifa tripped and fell on her face when she thought she heard a ghost! Oh wait, I wasn't supposed to say that!"
"Hahahahah! Never change Fukurou! C-can you move?"
"Just barely...but...the others might need our help!
"Dont worry...I can heal us, but it will take a while for it to work. Until then, we'll have to trust in them", Serenity said as she and Fukurou looked towards the entrance.