Chapter 19: The Eater of Gods

Far beneath Tamatoa's Horde, a moss-ridden galleon came to a halt. The sheer power emanating from above the surface drove half the crew to its knees.

At the helm, Davy Jones scowled. 'So, Cipactli himself is taking action. This changes things.' His original plan had been to simply finish off whoever was left at the end of this fight, taking the chest as future leverage (possibly getting in good graces with either Cipactli or Tiamat, depending on who gave him the better deal). However, Cipactli's personal appearance rendered that plan moot. And acting now would make Jones the focus of all Cipactli's rage. The good captain was well aware that he hadn't built up a level of personal strength to match the other 'Gods of the Sea' yet, on top of lacking an army.

Still, Jones smirked at the implications of this appearance. 'Cipactli personally killed one of Tiamat's children.' If Jones simply let things play out, one 'God of the Sea' would be eliminated without him raising a finger. War would surely result from this. The only real question would be the reactions from the other three 'Gods of the Sea'.

Suddenly, Jones' attention was diverted by the sound of splashing from above. In the distance, he saw two bodies falling down. With a brief feel, the captain realized both were still alive, albeit unconscious and on the cusp of death.

"Sung-Sun," Jones turned to a woman with her bottom-half that of a sea-snake's, an overly long sleeve hiding the fangs to match. "Bring those two here."

With the trademark sound of Sonido, the mutated Arrancar flashed towards them.

"The rest of you! We're turning around!" Jones quickly turned the wheel.

"Sir!" a tall Fishman with a pointed nose began to protest. "I thought this was our chance to start killing some filthy humans!"

"Don't argue with me, Arlong!" Jones raised his voice. "Bring this ship about, now!"

"Sir," but before Arlong could speak further, Torafuzar grabbed him by the throat and flung him by the rigging.

"One more word, and you'll get 10 lashes!" the Demon promised. "Now get a move on, Captain's orders!"

At this point, Sung-Sun had returned, placing the two strangers at Jones' feet. Frankly, even the cursed Captain was impressed that they were still alive, once he got a closer look at just how severe their injuries were. He paused as he saw an uneasy expression on his crewmate.

"What is it?" Jones asked.

"It's just…these injuries. I'm getting the strangest sense of familiarity," the former Hollow couldn't help but muse.

Jones smirked, knowing full well that it was because Sung-Sun was forgetting her old life. Still, he'd already pumped her for information much earlier in her time as a crewmate, so he wasn't concerned with anything from her life blindsiding him. Although, it must've been a powerful Arrancar to have done such damage.

"It is of no concern," Jones waved it off while taking a closer look. It was then that Jones saw the two headbands, their symbols scratched out. 'Ah, Ninjas. I wonder if I'll finally be able to use a decent amount of Chakra when they join my crew.'

"Put them in the brig for now. Let me know when they wake up."

"Aye, Captain," Sung-Sun dragged Hidan and Kakuzu below deck.

Suddenly, another massive burst of power erupted from above.

"PUT YOUR BACKS INTO IT!" Jones hollered as the Flying Dutchman retreated into the ocean depths.

OoOoOoO

(Far to the West, on the Island of Alexandria)

"Are you seeing these readings?" a slim, mustachioed man looked at the wall-sized monitor.

"I'm not blind, Watts." A blonde woman in a hooded body-length black suit stared at the findings, her yellow eyes and black slits for pupils narrowing.

"Could've fooled me, Medusa," Arthur Watts muttered to himself, trying to pinpoint it through the sensors his crew had scattered throughout the entire sea.

"It's Tamatoa's Horde…what's such a massive power doing that far East?" Watts wondered.

Medusa Gorgon flicked her forked tongue, and gave an unhinged smile. "So many different signatures. Chakra, Reishi, Ethernanos, Aura, Magic, and quite a few anomalies to go with them. But the biggest one, it matches that raiding party of animals we apprehended a few days ago…along with that Beast Pirate leading them. Cipactli must be taking direct action."

Watts briefly glanced at the pistol holstered in his side. "Still need to replace all the bullets lost against those ruffians."

Medusa narrowed her eyes. "Regardless, if a 'God of the Sea' is moving, we need visual intel. Can you send out one of Mayuri's bugs for a clear video? He infected another hive with his Surveillance Bacteria the day before he left."

Watts, unusually subdued thanks to the situation, gave a cursory nod as he sped through the keyboard. "Immediately."

"Once Mayuri and Orochimaru return, we'll decide on a course of action. But for now, we observe," Medusa made her decision.

"Very well."

OoOoOoO

"Now, shall we begin?"

CRASH!

In the blink of an eye, Cipactli moved. In the process, he dragged Kisame and Jinbe along the ground. Before Halibel could react, the monster was already bearing down on her. In normal circumstances, she would've been able to dodge, but the damage inflicted by the Immortal Duo was taking its toll, especially the knee blasted backwards.

SLAM!

Cipactli floored Halibel by slamming both Fishman and Ninja on top of her, creating another massive crater with his sheer strength.

Not feeling the three moving, he released his grip.

"CERO!"

"CERO!"

"Thunderbolt Tempo!"

"Evil Explosion!"

"Water Nebula!"

"Take this!"

In an instant, Apacci, Grimmjow, Nami, Juvia, Mirajane, and Silver all blasted Cipactli, who simply raised an arm. When the smoke cleared, there was just one tiny little burn on his arm, much to everyone's horror.

"Hmm…I wonder which of you actually managed that?" Cipactli gave a disparaging look to the insignificant wound. "Let's find out!"

The next second, he was already next to the speedboat with the Aztec Chest. And Nami was the only one on it.

"Be gone, Human!" the monster swung his tail at her.

"Mouton Shot!"

Sanji managed to get in between the tail and Nami, but even he couldn't stop the sheer momentum of the possessed crocodile-man. So, both Sanji and Nami were sent crashing onto the beach. Thankfully, Sanji had two soft orbs cushion his fall.

"DESGAR…!" Grimmjow attempted a surprise attack, but Cipactli grabbed both his arms. Before the Arrancar could react…

"Black Six King Gun!" Lucci, his fists covered in Haki, unloaded everything he had at the bound Grimmjow.

"You bastard…"

Cipactli dropped Grimmjow, giving an impatient look to his subordinate. "Take the chest and go. Contact me when you reach land again."

"At once, sire," Lucci bowed his head, taking a seat in the speedboat while holding onto the chest, breathing heavily. At the same time, the last Grimm, a Seer, joined in.

"YOUPI!"

The Chimera Ant quickly disengaged from Mirajane, and followed suit.

The remaining crew had coalesced into a circle, not daring to move under Cipactli's gaze.

"Rage Incarnate!"

With a blast, Youpi, Lucci, the Seer Grimm, and the Chest had zoomed off towards the horizon.

"Come on," Apacci growled, trying to hide the fear in her voice. "Can't they hurry up?"

OoOoOoO

See, back when the rest of the crew had blasted Cipactli, two figures had broken off and rushed into the craters, using the smoke as cover from the monster. Hanataro, with Brook as lookout, immediately went to work on Halibel, since her wounds were most severe. He began tapping her wounds with his Zanpakutō.

Kisame was already getting back up, Samehada doing its job of healing him. "Ouch, is that what getting beaten by Tsunade feels like?" Shaking his head, he turned back to Halibel and Jinbe. "Damn, those Zombie bastards did a real number on ya, huh?"

Halibel, who'd regained consciousness by now, narrowed her eyes at Kisame. "We're going to have a long talk about them once we're off this island."

"Fine," the Ninja could tell she wouldn't accept no for an answer. "But let's focus on that abomination first."

"Agreed," Jinbe spoke up, having only been knocked out for a few seconds. "Pushing him into the sea is our best bet, and we need to get him away from the rest of the crew."

"Hate to break it to ya, but I haven't been able to take that much Chakra since we landed on this godforsaken island," Kisame grumbled.

"Actually, I could give some Reiatsu to you," Hanataro piped up as he fixed Halibel's knee with a painful 'CRACK!'

Kisame grinned at that. "Oh yeah, that Shikai of yours. Just fire it all at me when you're done with Halibel and Jinbe…and I'll be at 100%."

By now, Hanataro had finished healing Halibel, and hopped on over to Jinbe.

Said Fishman put his thinking face on. "Still, with how little those Ceros seemed to damage him, we'll need more than just sheer brute force."

Halibel spoke up, "if it comes to it, I'm more than willing to resort to Segund…"

"That's it!" Jinbe suddenly exclaimed. Halibel paused at her comrade's outburst.

Jinbe's eyes widened with inspiration. "Brook! Come here, I've got an idea."

OoOoOoO

"Soul Extinctor!" Mirajane desperately attempted to push Cipactli away.

"Demon, your power of darkness is quite the unique ability. However," the monster simply held up an arm. Not even singed by the continuous beam, he stomped his way forward.

"Collier Strike!"

Sanji managed to kick the crocodile-man's neck while he was occupied with blocking the magic. Still looking completely disinterested, Cipactli merely moved his head back.

"SNAP!"

"Sky Walk!" Sanji just barely avoided his foot being eaten.

Apacci picked up the slack, shooting volleys of Bala from her cannon at their foe's back. As fast as she shot them, Cipactli still managed to bat every single one of them away with his tail.

As this was happening, both the Queen Anne's Revenge and Cutty Sark came in, unleashing an absolutely massive bombardment on Cipactli. A mix of cannonballs and Elemental Jutsus repeatedly slammed onto his scales, only to either bounce off or dissipate.

"Water Cane!"

"Thunderbolt Tempo!"

Juvia and Nami hurled streams of electrified water at Cipactli.

At this moment, Silver saw his chance. With everyone else occupied by Cipactli, only Tsuyu was watching over the tied-up Emerald and Compress, since she was the only crewmate without any long-range attacks to help(at least not involving her tongue). "Sorry, lass."

He quickly chopped her in the back of the neck. Thanks to her surprise, Tsu wasn't able to react in time to what happened next. Silver quickly scooped up his two comrades, and shot his cybernetic arm like a grappling hook to the Queen Anne's Revenge. In the blink of an eye, the three were zooming back. At the last second, Emerald extended her arm, catching Jack jumping after them.

"You bastards!" Apacci aimed the cannon at them, only to be forced away by Cipactli's tail.

Sanji and Mirajane's faces went from shock to focused in an instant. While it hurt, they knew they couldn't afford to misstep against such a foe.

The god himself gave an amused smirk at the seeming act of cowardice. Still, something else was drawing his attention. Namely, that combined attack from the Humans had left another small burn.

Completely ignoring the cannonballs, Balas, and Magic being hurled against him, Cipactli stomped his way towards Juvia and Nami. Every step sent the very earth trembling.

"I smell them on you." The monster growled as he contemptuously batted a shot cannonball aside with his bare hand.

Cipactli was looking right at Nami, his mouth curving into a snarl. With his sheer presence, Nami felt her knees begin to give.

OoOoOoO

Silver landed on the Queen Anne's Revenge. "Hector! Get us the hell out of here!"

Barbossa quickly turned the wheel. "Pintel, Ragetti! You heard the cyborg! Get down there!"

As the two raced down… "the rest of you, keep that bombardment going!" Barbossa shouted.

A few seconds later… "it's ready!"

"NOW!"

Pintel and Ragetti lit up the flamethrowers. At the same time, Barbossa slammed a bleeding hand onto the biggest seal. The storage of Chakra fed directly into the flames, extremely amplifying them.

The effect was such that the fire sent the ship zooming backwards, like a thruster. In just a few seconds, the Queen Anne's Revenge was out of sight.

OoOoOoO

Cipactli briefly considered pursuing the Queen Anne's Revenge, but then he decided that putting an end to the crew that had actually defeated Gustave and the vast majority of his animals here was of greater importance. Still, he'd at least make sure all his spies would be looking for that accursed ship. His thoughts came back to the present as a flaming foot descended.

"CONCASSE!" Sanji aimed right between the crocodile's eyes. No one would be attacking Nami on his watch!

"Hmm," Cipactli's head was suddenly surrounded by glowing green energy. Whatever this energy was, it was pushing one of Sanji's strongest moves (bolstered by Haki no less) back, without any seeming effort on the monster's end. "Human, your Haki simply isn't good enough to get past my Wa-Ay," Cipactli's voice rumbled.

Then, before anyone else could react, Cipactli covered his right hand in this 'Wa-Ay' and nailed Sanji's attacking leg to the ground with his punch. A resounding 'CRUNCH!' was heard by the whole crew.

Not to be deterred from one broken leg, Sanji instantly lit up the other, aiming it for Cipactli's uncovered belly. At the same time,

"DESGARRON!"

"CROSSE STRIKE!"

Grimmjow and Sanji's combined attack finally managed to draw blood and push Cipactli back.

Granted, the cuts looked bad, but they weren't even close to debilitating. Plus, it took everything the already exhausted Hollow and Pirate had. Fighting Lucci and Youpi had still been quite draining to the two, as their strained panting indicated.

"Hahahahaha!" Cipactli began to laugh. "Well now, Hollow. It seems your strength is far beyond these Humans. I'm impressed you managed this much after taking Lucci's full might. However…"

In the blink of an eye, the monster had appeared and kicked Grimmjow away. "…not even you can fight forever."

"We can try!" Apacci charged up a full-on Cero from her horn, and blasted it forward.

"USELESS!" Cipactli grabbed the Cero (with his hand surrounded in Wa-Ay), and tossed the ball of Reiatsu into the sea.

"Green Star! Sargasso!"

Cipactli was suddenly bound by the green vines.

"Franky! NOW!"

"Franky General CANNON!"

From above, the General Franky had leapt off the ship, and was bearing down right above Cipactli. And an absolutely massive blast of energy obscured the monster from view. That meant no one saw the monster effortlessly break his bindings.

"Please tell me that did something," Usopp muttered from the Crow's Nest.

He just HAD to say it.

Because Cipactli had jumped right through the blast, and now was in front of Franky.

"General…!"

SCRUNCH!

Franky couldn't finish, due to Cipactli punching right through the mecha, and grabbing the cyborg by the head, squeezing hard enough to hear the metal skull begin to give.

With a roar, he tossed Franky at the rest of the crew, while letting the General come crashing down on the beach.

Right when Cipactli landed back on earth, Tsuyu leapt up from behind, wrapping her tongue around his closed mouth and grabbing on. Now, despite Cipactli's possession, it was still the body of a crocodile. And a crocodile's weakest muscles will always be the ones responsible for opening the mouth. This meant that even Tsuyu had enough strength to keep his mouth closed, at least for a short time.

Acting fast, the last four crewmates capable of fighting formed up.

Mirajane and Juvia joined hands. "Unison Raid! Soul Nebula!" A massive stream of water erupted, suffused with Mira's Demonic Magic, giving the water a black appearance.

"CERO!" Apacci poured her own Reiatsu into the attack.

"Thunder Breed Tempo!" Nami electrified the black water.

Sensing that this attack could actually do some damage, Cipactli covered his belly in Wa-Ay. Even with that precaution, the monster was still pushed back by the sheer force. On top of that, another small burn appeared in the middle of that attack.

"Enough of this!" Cipactli exerted levels of Wa-Ay great enough to blast the four girls back, stopping the attack. He then grabbed Tsuyu by the arm, easily crushing the bones in his grip. The pain forced her to release Cipactli's mouth. As her tongue was reeled in, his jaws SNAPPED. And the first six inches of her tongue were gone.

"AAUUUGGHHH!" Tsuyu screamed in pain.

"Little frog, you should know what happens when dealing with an apex predator," Cipactli coldly said as he tossed her aside.

Mirajane attempted one last attack, shoving a Magic-covered fist where the scales had fallen off. Cipactli simply grabbed and twisted her hand to the point it was facing the wrong way. Ignoring her screams, he threw her away.

Then, he stomped his way towards Nami. Of the others, Apacci was the only one left standing between him and the pirate. "I commend your persistence, Hollow. Now stand aside."

"Screw you," she spat.

"Very well," Cipactli raised a Wa-Ay-enhanced fist.

Suddenly, three enormous energies burst forth.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER! CASCADA!"

"Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave!"

This time, the two attacks didn't crash forward like usual. Instead, they flowed and condensed around Jinbe, thanks to his use of Water Heart. Taking a page from fellow Warlord Kuma's moveset, Jinbe pressed and pressed all the summoned water together. Then, once all the Chakra and Reiatsu infused Water had coalesced into a super-dense ball, held together by Jinbe's Haki-boosted strength, he moved.

"Ocean Current Shoulder Throw: CASCADING SHARK!"

An absolutely massive stream of water aimed itself right at Cipactli. At the front, a Megalodon-sized shark construct roared and bared its teeth.

"Huh, we really should work on that name," Kisame muttered, already merging with Samehada.

Having no time, Cipactli crossed his arms in front of him, covering them with Wa-Ay.

CHOMP! The shark brought its teeth down, and pushed the monster far out to the sea. At the end of the attack, Jinbe, Halibel, and Kisame all leaped into the ocean.

Due to the sheer power of the three combined, on top of the damage done already, the last remnants of the island began collapsing into the sea.

"Come on, we need to get back to the ship," Brook called to the others as he lifted Franky up. One by one, the crew evacuated.

"Okay, now get me close to the fight."

"WHAT?!" came the crew's incredulous response to their skeleton.

At the same time, the ocean itself began to tremble. Tsunamis emanated with every clash beneath the waves. On occasion, streams of water would shoot straight out, like a twisted parody of a Knock-Up Stream. Whirlpools instantly formed and crashed any debris sucked in against the ocean floor.

And the only Devil Fruit user in the crew was the one who wanted to get close.

"Jinbe has a plan."

"Oh, okay," and that was the only way the crew was convinced to go along with it.

OoOoOoO

Once the initial attack had petered out, Cipactli attempted to make a beeline back to the beach, so determined was he to get Nami. To achieve that, his tail began beating rapidly, propelling forward at blinding speeds.

"Kairagi!"

Jinbe managed to stop him, his crossed Haki-covered arms and the snout emitting a shockwave from the impact.

Cipactli growled, bringing a Wa-Ay covered fist to match.

Suddenly, Jinbe seemed to flicker away. Instead, Cipactli hit a different blue arm, and felt a strange sensation.

"Oh goodie, looks like I can take whatever you use too. That'll make things more even," Kisame chuckled at his newly-mangled arm repair itself with the stolen energy. "Still, that punch broke my arm, even without that Wa-Ay."

'That was a Substitution, but how does this Fishman know Jutsu?' Cipactli wondered to himself before focusing. 'No matter.'

The crocodile brought his tail down, only for Kisame to swim back.

"Hirviendo!" All the water around Cipactli boiled away, leaving a few more angry-looking burns on him. Briefly, there was an orb of air, before the cold water crashed onto the crocodile, agitating the wounds even more.

'How did these three manage to get their full strength back?!' Cipactli shook his head. 'At this rate, Gustave's body will fail before I can deal with that human girl. I need to step things up.'

For the first time since the possession, Cipactli really pushed the limits of Gustave's body. He appeared before Halibel, his jaws closing in around her.

She countered by swinging Tiburon, which he caught with his teeth. While a few were knocked out, Cipactli still tried to close his mouth, putting a few cracks in Tiburon.

"Black Shark Skin: 7000 Brick Fist!"

Jinbe gave a cheap shot to the crocodile's belly, forcing him to release Tiburon.

"Water Style: Water Trumpet!" Kisame aimed right where Jinbe hit, forcing Cipactli back a few yards.

Overall, the three saw that some of their best moves were only leaving minor bruises and burns. So, instead of upping the ante, they decided to play for time and keep their distance. They swam back.

"Water Shot Barrage!" Jinbe's wrists blurred, they were so fast.

"Water Style: Five Hungry Sharks!" the Chakra constructs swam around Jinbe's blasts, circling and nipping at Cipactli.

"Bala!" Halibel repeatedly punched her Reiatsu forward.

To Cipactli, all this was akin to mosquito bites. Irritated, he swam forward, Wa-Ay bursting around him.

Jinbe blocked his snout once again, and Kisame swam across Cipactli's belly, spikes taking in more Wa-Ay. Having foreseen this, the crocodile-man was ready with a devastating clawed kick. It was so strong and sharp that the skin from Kisame's chest was torn away as he got knocked back.

While the Ninja quickly healed, Halibel picked up where he left off, bringing Tiburon down on the crocodile's exposed leg with all her might, bolstering her blade with Reiatsu.

BOOM!

While the sheer force of the hit created a tsunami up above, Halibel could see only a small bruise forming where she hit him. 'Is this what a God of the Sea is capable of? No, this is him possessing another, weaker body.' She shook her head, using Sonido to quickly dodge an attempted whack of the tail. Well, mostly dodge. Her right foot was still pummeled to the point of multiple fractures.

All the while, Jinbe had been keeping Cipactli's mouth closed, his Haki-boosted hands struggling against mighty maw. The monster coated a free-fist in Wa-Ay

"7000 Brick Roundhouse Kick!" Without letting go, Jinbe moved to match the fist. Another shockwave emanated from the clash. The Fishman winced as he felt some of his toes breaking, even with the Haki protecting them. 'This monster's strength is unbelievable!' Jinbe couldn't help but think.

With the momentary break in concentration, Cipactli was able to open his jaws just a little and turned.

"SNAP!"

Jinbe's left pinkie finger was devoured.

"AHH!"

"Water Style: Water Shark Bomb!"

Kisame's construct swam forward, briefly immobilizing Cipactli between its jaws. Jinbe got the hint and swam back.

"Cero Creciente!"

A massive crescent of Reiatsu slammed into the monster's belly, sending him crashing to the sea floor. The impact matched that of an earthquake, sending even more tsunamis roaring across the sea.

When the debris cleared, Cipactli's new wound was revealed. It was a significant gash, but he wasn't even close to slowing down. Plus, while that move had devastated someone as strong as Kakuzu, the overall effect was negligible in terms of decisive damage.

"Is that all?" Cipactli scoffed.

At that moment, the three comrades saw the shadow of their ship above them.

OoOoOoO

"Okay," Brook got out his guitar, and started shredding it. He dug deep into the recesses of his passion and Devil Fruit. Then…

"YOHOHOHOHOHO!" A massive spectral form appeared behind the skeleton, and exerted its influence downward.

OoOoOoO

'Now's our chance!' the three realized.

"Arabesque Brick Fist!"

To his surprise, Cipactli found himself being pushed back, along with significant pain from the Fishman Karate.

"Gotcha!" The move had pushed Cipactli right into Kisame's path. Spikes sprouted from the Ninja's fins, digging into the open wounds and accessing even more Wa-Ay.

'Why is this happening? Gustave's body should not be failing me so soon,' Cipactli thought in confusion.

He grabbed and crushed Kisame's own tail, slamming him into the seafloor. Before he could follow up, Halibel appeared between the two, her finger pointed right at the wound.

"Cero."

This time, Cipactli took the effort to dodge, having a good idea of what would happen. Unfortunately for him, Jinbe was ready.

"Black Shark Skin: VAGABOND DRILL!"

"GAH!"

Faster than Cipactli could react, Jinbe had slammed his Haki and water-covered fist into the gash left by the Cero Creciente. It then shot a fist-sized hole clean through the crocodile.

'Wait,' Cipactli came to a realization as memories from the animals he observed came to the front of his mind. 'That skeleton could separate my blood from my animals! Is he doing the same thing now to my very soul? IMPOSSIBLE!' As he came to this conclusion, Cipactli also realized that his possessed body was very slowly getting smaller, and more like a normal crocodile's.

"Time to finish this! Water Style: Super Water Shark Bomb Jutsu!"

"NO!" The enraged Cipactli gathered Wa-Ay in his mouth, and fired it in pure, concentrated form. The shark merely opened its own mouth, and started growing larger. Now, if Brook hadn't been weakening Cipactli's connection, it's entirely possible that this beam could've destroyed the Jutsu, but alas.

While this was happening, Halibel had gotten right above Cipactli, gathering all the power she could while he desperately tried to hold Kisame's Jutsu back. Black and gold Reiatsu merged.

"Cero Oscuras."

"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"

Cipactli roared in pain as the attack hit and the seafloor collapsed around him.

OoOoOoO

The Cutty Sark bucked wildly as the ocean convulsed with sheer power.

"Did they do it?" Apacci asked.

"Can't be sure, I'll keep playing until Jinbe and the others come back," Brook decided.

OoOoOoO

Down below, Kisame absorbed the Chakra and Wa-Ay in his Jutsu. "So, who's going to make sure he's actually dead?"

In response, Halibel got up close, and prepared a point-blank Cero, gathering the Reiatsu around Tiburon.

"SNAP!"

Cipactli instantly popped out of the debris, and bit Tiburon in half, stopping the Cero before it could be fired. At the same time, Wa-Ay had formed around his free hand in the shape of an Aztec spiked club. The serrated energy carved across Halibel's stomach.

"BLEH!" Halibel coughed out blood as she fell to a knee.

"TIA!"

To be fair, Cipactli did not look good, his whole body had been burned by the Cero Oscuras. Blood and Wa-Ay was leaking out of his innumerable wounds.

"To think, I was forced to create a shadow of my mighty blade, Macuahuitl. Still, I refuse Gustave's sacrifice to be in vain," Cipactli growled as he brought his spectral copy of Macuahuitl back.

Fishman and Ninja instantly realized where exactly he was aiming.

"DIE!" Cipactli slashed. A gargantuan amount of Wa-Ay, with serrated edges, roared as it careened towards the Cutty Sark.

"Jinbe, throw me at the ship!"

Without any hesitation, the Fishman grabbed and hurled the Ninja with all his strength.

Next second, Kisame intercepted the attack. While he was able to absorb some of it, there was so much power that it knocked him aside, separating his arms in the process.

"GAH!" Kisame sunk as his Chakra worked overtime in healing him.

Roaring forward, the Wa-Ay hit with a resounding "WHOOM!" as the sheer force shot the ship into the air. Turning over, the Cutty Sark landed upside down. It was only thanks to Kisame's last-minute absorption, plus Sasori and Franky's impressive defensive design, that the ship hadn't been cleaved in two. In the chaos, one puppet fell off into the sea. Due to concentrating on ship, on top of his injuries from Jackal, Sasori was unable to retrieve it.

"Damn it!" Juvia cursed. She only had time to keep one person from being submerged. "Water Bubble!"

Thanks to her quick thinking, Brook managed to stay dry.

"Keep playing!" she yelled. "It's still weakening him."

Needing no convincing, Brook quickened the tempo.

The few crewmates still conscious began moving towards the Water Bubble, pulling the rest along.

In the meantime, Sasori threw the dull end of a kunai to the control board, hitting the big red button. With his attachment of Chakra strings granting more minute control, the figurehead detached and began to push the ship back upright.

All the while, Cipactli pushed himself towards the vulnerable crew.

"Stay away!" Jinbe brought his hands together for a Water Heart.

"Shark Pack!" The Fishman flung dozens of water sharks into Cipactli.

The monster powered through, despite the growing number of bites, leaving Jinbe in the dust.

"GRAN REY CERO!"

"AAHHH!" In a flash, Cipactli's arm holding Macuahuitl was blasted into oblivion.

Grimmjow gave a snarl. "Damn, I missed."

Instantly, the Macuahuitl spun right towards the Hollow, leaving another deep gauge in his torso.

"I don't need my arms to manipulate Macuahuitl," Cipactli growled.

"No, is this what a God is capable of?" Juvia asked in near-despair.

"A God?" Cipactli raised an eyebrow, and then started to laugh. "Nay, to call me a God isn't quite accurate. I…AM THE EATER OF GODS!"

Now that he was close enough, he started forward again.

Those that could, formed up around Brook.

Instead, to their surprise, Cipactli went straight for Nami instead. "GIVE IT TO ME!"

Only two people were close and fast enough to intercept.

Apacci grabbed Nami, while Hanataro stood in front.

"Fulfill, Hisagomaru!" He fired all the energy he'd had time to collect after he started healing those on the ship.

Cipactli quickly dodged, and appeared in front of him.

"You weak little Soul Reaper," Cipactli growled. Before anyone else could react, he bit Hanataro's arm off, Hisagomaru falling into the abyss.

"You Son of a BITCH!" Apacci shot Cero after Cero at the monster. More and more burns appeared, as the body was slowly reverting to that of a normal crocodile's. Paying the pain no mind, Cipactli sent his Macuahuitl coming down.

Suddenly, something big hit Cipactli, sending him away.

It was a whale shark. A massive pack of them were bearing down on the crocodile. Some stayed behind to help the ship get upright, remaining as guards. On the head of the biggest one, Jinbe took his stance. At the same time, his entire body was covered in Armament Haki.

"Fishman Karate!" He leaped off.

"BLACK SHARK BRICK FIST!"

"AHHH!" Cipactli roared in pain, but he wasn't done yet.

He mentally commanded the Macuahuitl copy to come at Jinbe from behind.

Thanks to the combination of top-notch Observation Haki and his Armament, Jinbe was able to move enough so that it became a glancing blow. Even then, it still took a huge chunk from the side of his stomach.

With Jinbe's intervention, Sasori finally had enough to push the ship back upright. Meanwhile, Brook just kept playing, his spectral form growing with each note.

Down below, Kisame's arms had just finished regrowing. "At the very least, I took enough Wa-Ay to keep fighting after healing myself."

Unfortunately, his transformation had run its course, Samehada becoming a sword-in-hand once again. Still, he still had more than enough Chakra to end this.

He bit his thumb and ran through Hand Signs. "Summoning Jutsu!"

In a puff of smoke, Kisame now stood atop a massive shark. It was a Megalodon.

"Well, Kisame. What sort of foe could force you to call on me? You know the price of not giving me worthy prey," a deep female voice emanated from the shark.

"I know, Chieftess Okina-Ha," Kisame stood up, already going through Hand Signs. "That creature is one of six that controls this entire sea. Surely that's worthy enough."

"Very well, I shall combine my Chakra with yours," the Megalodon inhaled.

"WATER STYLE: 5000 HUNGRY SHARKS!"

Just as Cipactli landed a devastating punch on Jinbe, a tidal wave of Chakra sharks crashed against him. Not one to attack from a distance, Okina-Ha swam forward, opening her maw.

"Water Style: Vortex!" Okina-Ha roared as she started inhaling the water, creating a whirlpool that pulled the crocodile right towards her. All the while, he desperately slashed at all the Chakra constructs, but for every two he dissipated, one would graze against him.

At the bottom of the vortex, Cipactli managed to catch and keep the Megalodon's mouth open, his thrown Macuahuitl coming around again, cleaving through a few more shark constructs. His remaining hand held the oversized snout, while his clawed feet, pierced by Okina-Ha's teeth, fought against the jaw closing.

"Rah!" Kisame managed to deflect the ethereal bladed club, even absorbing a small piece of it.

At the same time, Jinbe caught up, and Cipactli couldn't defend himself without letting the shark's jaws go.

"Black Shark Skin: 10,000 Brick Fist!"

"URGH!" Cipactli was sent flying when the attack hit his side.

On the seafloor, Halibel got back on her feet. She saw the fight, with Jinbe matching Cipactli's physical strength, and Kisame managing to keep that Macuahuitl evened out. All the while, the Megalodon and her Chakra constructs took bites wherever they could. Still, she realized that none of them were able to land the finishing blows. At least, not quickly. She watched Kisame get cut by the ethereal blade, while Jinbe endured another Wa-Ay enhanced punch.

With that, she came to a decision.

"Segunda Etapa: Gran Tiburon Blanca."

An absolutely massive blast of Reiatsu erupted with such force, that the very sea itself was split. Naturally, this caught everyone's attention.

'What is this power?' Cipactli wondered.

When the Reiatsu cleared up, Halibel was revealed. Tiburon had fully repaired itself, now completely welded onto her arm. Another change to the blade was that it now had very prominent serrated points along its side. Overall, it looked a whole lot sharper. Anyone who reached out with their senses would feel the power brewing under the surface of that blade.

As for Halibel herself, the skin on the front of her body, along with her face, was a ghostly white. Armor the same color covered her breasts, stomach, and nether regions. Her sides had a slight gradient, giving into a dark grey skin on her back. Speaking of her back, a prominent grey dorsal fin about a foot tall stuck out from the middle. From her posterior, a tail as big as she was had sprung out, ending in a two-foot caudal fin. Large gills could now be seen pumping water on the outside of her ribs.

The nails of her free hand and feet were now near-talons. Her messy blonde hair had grown wild and untamed, floating in the water. Her teeth were now sharp and triangular, just like her form's namesake.

Baring her new teeth, Halibel swung her tail. Combining that with Sonido, she got right in front of Cipactli before he could react. At this point, he finally saw the last major change in Halibel's form. Her eyes…they were completely black. He couldn't even see the difference between the pupils, iris, or sclera.

Cipactli realized…'these are the eyes of a true predator.'

'CRUNCH!'

Halibel had rammed Tiburon through Cipactli's stomach.

"AHH!" Using his remaining arm, the crocodile grabbed the blade, pushing himself off. He screamed louder, since the serrated edges were taking even more flesh on their exit.

Cipactli brought Macuahuitl back to his hand, swinging it down. Using Tiburon, Halibel blocked with contemptuous ease. At the same time, she took a small bite from the palm of her free hand, and pointed at her foe.

"Gran Rey Cero!"

The crocodile dodged and swam to the side. Even with his reaction, his armless side was burned to the point where scales were peeling off. Unfortunately for him, Jinbe was already there, his body still completely covered in Haki.

"Black Sharkskin Palm Thrust!"

"BLURGH!"

"My, my…what an interesting pack you've found," Okina-Ha chuckled at the brutality.

Kisame laughed in agreement. Tapping her head, he directed the Megalodon to swim above the fight. Once in position facing straight down, both Ninja and Summon Animal combined their Chakra.

"Water Style: Massive Liquid Bullet!"

The two Jutsu combined and slammed into Cipactli with such force that he crashed into the seafloor.

"NOT YET!" the 'God of the Sea' roared as he gave the biggest slash yet of Macuahuitl. A razor blade of Wa-Ay twice the size of the Cutty Sark erupted from the slash, big enough to hit all three at once.

Jinbe crossed both arms, his Haki holding true.

Kisame slashed Samehada, making a big enough hole for him and Okina-Ha to slip through.

As for Halibel, she lifted up her hand, and caught the attack with just her pointer finger.

Far away, in another dimension, a certain imprisoned Soul Reaper sneezed.

On the seafloor, Cipactli found himself instinctively taking a step back. "Such power outside of the Gods. It's unheard of! Is this what the other worlds are truly capable of?" He shook his head. "No, if it wasn't for that skeleton, none of these three could've damaged me as much."

"Oh well…too late for 'should haves' now."

Knowing this was it, Cipactli pushed the last of his energy to speeding forward, aiming at Kisame and his summon.

Samehada and Macuahuitl clashed with an almighty 'BOOM', acting as another epicenter for a ring of tsunamis emanating from the battlefield. While Cipactli's swing was indeed powerful, Kisame still had both hands. Thus, he was able to stand his ground.

During the quick exchange of blows, Jinbe got behind the occupied Cipactli.

"Black Shark Skin: 15,000 Brick Fist!"

'CRUNCH'

"AAAHHHH!"

Jinbe completely shattered the bones in Cipactli's tail, meaning that the crocodile was deprived his primary means of swimming. As the creature reeled from the pain, Kisame lunged forward.

"SQUELCH!"

This time, a hind leg had been separated, the legendary blade chittering in delight at more Wa-Ay.

Cipactli roared in rage, and managed to bat Samehada to the side, not even slowed down by the loss of limb.

The monster raised Macuahuitl again, only for Kisame to make a single Hand Sign.

In an instant, Halibel stood in Kisame's place, expression cold. Her serrated blade was pulled back, now covered in golden Reiatsu.

'SUBSTITUTION!' Cipactli realized mid-swing. 'I can't block this.' With his tail crippled, he couldn't swim away in time either.

"Tiburon Sierra!"

The attack was essentially a supercharged version of Cero Creciente, with serrated 'teeth' of Reiatsu spinning around it like a chainsaw.

'CRUNCH!'

Cipactli's stomach, legs, and tail fell away from the rest of his body.

"VOOM!"

OoOoOoO

Up above, the Cutty Sark somehow stayed steady as the blast reached the surface.

"Are you seeing this?!" Usopp couldn't help but exclaim.

To be fair, even the unflappable Sasori's eyes widened.

The sea itself had been split in two as far as the eye could see.

"Hehehe," the tired Apacci chuckled. "That's Lady Halibel for you."

OoOoOoO

Beneath the waves, the three comrades watched as Cipactli sank. By now, the head, torso, and remaining arm had reverted back to a normal crocodile's.

"Mark me!" his voice still managed to resonate under the sea. "One day, you will quake in fear at my true power…or that of any God of the Sea's."

"URK!"

The remains of Macuahuitl had driven itself into the back of Halibel's shoulder, drawing copious amounts of blood.

"You pups have no idea what you've stumbled into! The world will forever shake from the consequences of today! Your victory means nothing! And I will…"

'CRUNCH!'

Cipactli never got to finish. Halibel had driven her sharpened Tiburon straight through him, skewering his heart and pushing it out. She then brought her blade straight up, splitting the crocodile's head in two.

Finally, the Wa-Ay dissipated, and the light faded from Gustave's eyes.

Once all the pieces of his corpse landed on the seafloor, Halibel shot a Cero at them, just to be sure. Gustave was no more.

She breathed heavily from the exertion, and began to stumble.

"Whoa there," four gentle hands caught her.

Halibel gave a small smile to Kisame and Jinbe, as the three steadied themselves on Okina-Ha.

The Megalodon cruised to the Cutty Sark, the pack of Whale Sharks nervously parting before her.

She breached the surface. As the three headed back to the ship, she called out.

"Before I return to Shinkai Trench, tell me…what are your names?" Okina-Ha gazed on her summoner's two companions.

"Jinbe."

"Tia Halibel."

"Good," Okina-Ha chuckled. "I shall remember them. Stay alive so I can have the chance to hunt you two myself."

With that, she vanished in a poof of smoke.

Supporting both men at her side, Halibel simply walked up the air, stepping onto the deck as she reverted back to her normal form.

"You three did it," Nami stood in awe.

"How's everyone?" Jinbe asked.

"Well, we're all going to live," Juvia did her best to put on a smile.

As the fight had raged beneath the waves, and once the ship had righted itself, the crew had enough time to at least patch everybody up, managing to deal with the more severe injuries. At the moment, no immediate treatments or aids were necessary.

"Honestly, that's a miracle when dealing with something like that monster," Kisame was incredulous at how lucky they'd been.

"Well, I'm at my limit." Halibel started to retire to her chambers. "Once I recover, let me know how I can help."

"Actually, I'd like to do something first," Jinbe went below deck, beckoning Kisame and Halibel to follow.

Once they'd made it to his room, they took a seat. Jinbe went to his cabinet, and returned with sake and three flat red cups. He placed one in front of each, and filled them up.

Jinbe raised his own over the middle of the table, a relieved smile growing on his face.

Picking up the hint, Halibel held her cup with Jinbe's.

Seeing the two giving expectant looks, Kisame shook his head and chuckled. He leaned forward, a small clink ringing out as the three cups joined.

Without a word, Jinbe, Halibel, and Kisame downed their sake, just happy to be alive.

A.N. Alrighty, this massive action-filled arc is finally over...at least the action part. Let me tell ya, it was a blast writing this. Let me know what you thought of Cipactli's performance. I hope his defeat made sense. So many things went into that…if Hanataro hadn't healed the shark trio, if Brook hadn't been there, if Gustave hadn't already been severely damaged. Still, I hope that even through a weakened vessel, I showed Cipactli as a force to be reckoned with.

Now, Segunda Etapa. I think it makes sense for Halibel to have learned this, albeit long after Yhwach happened. I had a ton of fun thinking up a fierce design. Originally, I was going to wait until another impactful fight in the future to reveal she had it, but now was as good a time as any. Also…Megalodon!

Even with all that going on, I still found time to talk about other crews. God, I'm a sucker for world-building. To you Soul Eater fans, yes…that is Medusa Gorgon. And yes, she's with Orochimaru and Mayuri…you may now scream in terror. As for Davy Jones, the long-awaited confirmation that he's got Sung-Sun and Arlong at his side...something I planned since before writing the 1st chapter. And yeah, he's got Hidan and Kakuzu now. YIPPIE!

Now before I go, I'll go ahead and show a few new profiles.

Cipactli: The Eater of Gods

Series: Aztec Mythology

Species: Existed before species was a concept.

Class: X-Rank

Equipment: He wields Macuahuitl, a mighty wooden club with obsidian 'teeth' nailed into it. He can enhance it with his own energy, greatly bolstering its power. He can also create spectral copies of it.

Energy Manipulated: Wa-Ay

Former Affiliation: None

Abilities: Cipactli is a being who fought on level with the most powerful gods of his universe. Monstrous Physical Strength, Wa-Ay manipulation. Can control any animal that he gives his blood to, establishing a psychic connection with them as he enhances all their abilities. If given consent, he can manually override the animal, channeling himself through them…turning them into a High S-Rank being.

Goal: Still Unknown.

Flying Dutchman

Arlong: Saw-Tooth Arlong

Series: One Piece

Species: Fishman

Class: Mid-High A Rank (thanks to the Dutchman's enhancements)

Equipment: Kiribachi, a serrated series of triangular blades.

Energy Manipulated: None

Former Affiliations: Sun Pirates, Arlong Pirates.

Abilities: As a Fishman, Arlong has impressive physical strength, along with a limited ability to manipulate water, using in the form of throwing lethal darts of it. When in the water, he becomes even more effective.

Goal: Get back at those filthy humans.

Cyan Sung-Sun: One of Tres Bestias.

Series: Bleach

Species: Arrancar

Class: High A-Rank

Equipment: Her Zanpakutō takes the form of a sai hidden in her sleeve.

Energy Manipulated: Reiatsu

Former Affiliations: Aizen's Army, Tres Bestias.

Abilities: She possesses great skill in all the natural Arrancar abilities, such as Ceros, Balas, Sonido, Pesquisa, flight, durability, and limited healing. Interestingly enough, she also has a unique ability called Muda, using her own shed skin as a concealing dome.

Resurreción: With a command of 'Strangle to death, Anaconda,' Sung-Sun assumes her stronger form. All the above abilities are enhanced. One special ability exclusive to this form is the ability to protrude snakes from her sleeve.

Goal: Part of the crew, part of the ship, part of the crew, part of the ship.

Alexandria:

Orochimaru

Mayuri Kurotsuchi

Nemu Kurotsuchi

Medusa Gorgon: The Snake Witch

Series: Soul Eater

Species: Witch

Class: Low-Mid S-Rank

Equipment: Her 1000 'snakes' within her body, each known as a 'Light Serpent'.

Energy Manipulated: Magic

Former Affiliations: DWMA, The Witches, Her own faction.

Abilities: Her favorite move is her 'Vector Arrows' that act as piercing attacks, slithering about like actual snakes. She has many variations that can be used for either direct attack or supplementary purposes. She's also quite skilled in Calculation Spells. Another move is Soul Protect, which conceals her energy to the point where others are fooled into thinking she's a regular human. And, in certain circumstances, she can split her soul and possess another as she gathers herself again. On top of all this, Medusa Gorgon is the most scientifically gifted mind of her world.

Goal: Take the world out of 'stasis'. Learn everything she can from her 'crew'.

Arthur Watts: Dr. Watts

Series: RWBY

Species: Human

Class: Low-Mid A-Rank

Equipment: An old-fashioned looking revolver with 20 chambers, filled with bullets of his own design (usually with Dust, but he has been experimenting with Chakra and Reishi).

Energy Manipulated: Aura

Semblance: Unknown

Former Affiliations: Kingdom of Atlas. Salem

Abilities: While not as physically gifted as his peers, Watts is an exceptional engineer, inventor, and hacker. When forced, he's more than capable of holding his own. He boasts significant agility and hand-to-hand skill, but he isn't the most durable. Still, if he gets to decide the battlefield, it's over.

Goal: Satiate his curiosity, get back at Atlas and Ironwood.