Chapter 21: Interlude: Rivals Make their Move
(In the skies over Tamatoa's Horde)
Jackal stirred as he felt the wind on his face. His eyes shot open, his arm hung limply from whatever he lay on. Despite the pain from Sasori's poison, the Demon started gauging his surroundings.
FLAP! FLAP! FLAP!
Imagine his shock when he saw a cloud at eye-level. His sudden movement in reaction caused an anguished scream.
"Ooh…mangy mutt's got some fight in him," a female voice taunted him.
Jackal thrashed some more.
"You just enjoy making this more difficult for me, don't you?" an irritated male voice got closer to Jackal, injecting a syringe into him despite the thrashing.
"Shouldn't you be used to that now?" a second, slightly-deeper male voice wondered, a tinge of amusement in his tone.
"Oh, shove it Kimblee!"
Jackal finally got a good look at everyone. The young man treating him had blonde hair long enough to cover one eye, while styled into a half-ponytail. A scratched-through headband peeked through his bangs. He wore a black cloak with red clouds on it. The Demon bit back a roar of rage at that little detail.
The other man, this Kimblee, had long black hair, styled in a more traditional ponytail, with two strands falling down the front like antennae. One hand was keeping his white fedora on his head. His get-up was a stylish white suit with a matching overcoat. A purple tie completed the image.
The closest woman, the one taunting the blonde man, had long black hair. Like Kimblee, she was in all white. A military-esque uniform peaked out from under a long trench coat. The uniform ended in a miniskirt, with bare thighs between it and knee-high boots. Hands covered in white gloves impatiently tapped her hips.
To the back of the group's winged mount, two more girls kept their distance as much as possible. The smaller girl had long, silver hair. She wore a black dress with white polka dots. Most unusually, she had two black dots on the corners of her mouth. Plus, she had an orange witch's hat with the face of a frog at the front. She narrowed her eyes at Jackal, anxiously stroking an oversized tadpole on her lap.
The other woman looked far more intimidating. Standing at almost seven foot, she was dressed in red armor with gold fringes. She crossed her arms, her amber eyes analyzing the Demon. Speaking of eyes, a third eye had been tattooed on the middle of her forehead, with small red waves etched to its sides. With the sides of her brown hair shaved, it brought all the more attention to it. The rest of her hair was braided in a long ponytail.
Finally, Jackal looked to the other side, realizing that he was on the back of a strange, white bird, unlike any he'd seen. Almost as if…it had been sculpted rather than born.
Puru-puru-puru! Puru-puru-puru!
Thinking the distraction would be enough, Jackal lunged at that godforsaken cloak.
With a single Hand Sign, Jackal's 'bedding' wrapped itself around the Demon, binding him to the point he couldn't move at all.
"Be quiet," the blonde hissed at Jackal. At the same time, he took a Den-Den Mushi out of his cloak. The little snail had red-tinted sunglasses, and a pink feather boa draped on its shell.
Gacha!
"This is White Company," the blonde did his best to sound professional.
"Fufufufufu! No need to be so formal, Deidara. So, what'd you find at Tamatoa's Horde?" A carefree male voice laughed on the other end.
"A whole bunch of nothing!" the woman in white shouted at the Snail.
"Now, now Bambi…in my experience, chaos always leaves a reward for those with initiative," the caller chuckled.
"To be fair, Mr. Doflamingo," Kimblee spoke up. "The island itself has been utterly destroyed, little more than rocks remain of it. Any possible riches will need to be salvaged by professionals."
"Fufufufu! Well then, surely there'd be corpses to give some clues about what happened," Doflamingo pondered.
"Yeah," Deidara scoffed. "There are hundreds of dead animals bleeding black blood, along with a galleon that's been blown to smithereens. On top of that, we've been finding the guardian's body parts floating around. You're more than welcome to send someone else to dive in and sort through the dead, but we're not doing it."
"Hmm," the snail went from a toothy grin to a more subdued smile, as if Doflamingo was pondering the implication. "A pack of Cipactli's all dead by one of Tiamat's islands that has been completely obliterated…very interesting. Any survivors?"
"Only one," Deidara replied. "but he's on death's door. Most likely, he won't make it more than a few hours."
"I see," Doflamingo hummed. "try and get all you can out of him."
"Certainly," Kimblee gave a chilling smile.
"Now, I'm sure others will come snooping around. If you can keep the site clear until I arrive, I'll double the pay for this job," Doflamingo assured them.
"Understood, we expect the usual method," Bambietta added in.
"Oh, one more thing," Doflamingo paused. "In return for your exceptional work over the past few months, I'd like to offer the services of one of my own crewmates once this job is done. With his Pop-Pop Fruit, he'd be a natural addition to your Company."
"We'll consider it," Kimblee intervened before Deidara or Bambietta went into one of their usual outbursts at the very idea of getting help from someone else.
"Fufufufu!" Gacha!
"That pompous bastard!" Bambietta threw a ball of Reishi that exploded in the distance. "Who does he think he is? Bossing me around like that."
"Calm down, Bambi!" Deidara matched her yelling. "We've only lasted this long because we've kept to the word of our contracts. That's not going to change because you're getting a little bitchy!"
Sparks seemed to fly between the two. The two women who'd stayed quiet the whole time were put on edge.
"I'd hate to interrupt this amusing sideshow," Kimblee clearly wasn't fazed in the least, even smirking a little. "But we do have a dying man here to deal with."
Sure enough, Jackal was still struggling, despite the pain.
"Oh, right, hmm" Deidara knelt back down, and unrolled a scroll. A quick Hand Sign, and what appeared to be a full chemistry set appeared.
"Deidara, you said he was going to die, so why all this effort?" Bambietta seemed genuinely curious.
"No, I said that he 'most likely' wouldn't make it. And if anyone else had found him, he would be dead," Deidara quickly stirred a flask.
"Oh?" Kimblee wanted to see where this was going.
"That poison affecting him…it's the same kind my old Akatsuki partner used," Deidara explained as he forced the concoction down the Demon's throat. "So…I know how to counter it. Or at least, reduce the symptoms long enough to reach civilization. Then, I can tell the doctors what they need to do."
"Hold on," Bambietta actually smirked. "You're saying we can use this mutt for ourselves with no one else the wiser?"
"Maybe," Deidara shrugged. "But I wasn't lying about questioning him. Still, I'd rather be careful in what we reveal to Doflamingo."
"Reasonable," Kimblee put a hand to his chin.
"Now, who are you?" Deidara turned to Jackal.
"Piss off, you damn human," the Demon growled.
"Now, now…you'd be dead if it wasn't for me, hmm," Deidara grinned. "My old partner did a serious number on you."
Jackal scoffed at that. "I'll tear that filthy human apart one day."
"Hold on here, you seriously think just throwing yourself back at my man Sasori will get you victory," Deidara raised an eyebrow. "At the very least, I can give you a fighting chance."
"Huh?" came Jackal's ever-so-eloquent response.
"If you stick around and help us out awhile, I might consider telling you enough about my man Sasori to make it even," Deidara put a hand to his chin to give the façade of thinking it over.
"Fine, but when I find that damn puppet, we're even. Then all bets are off," Jackal growled.
"Deal, now, what do I call you?"
"Jackal," the Demon gruffly answered.
"Deidara, pleased to meet ya," the Ninja did a peace sign (oh the irony), finally giving Jackal a good look at his hands (and the mouths within them).
"Bambietta Basterbine," she rolled her eyes at the Ninja.
"Solf J. Kimblee," the Crimson Alchemist took his fedora off and gave a slight bow.
"Oi, look alive girls! Don't be shy! Introduce yourselves," Bambietta jeered at them.
"Eruka Frog," the smaller woman mumbled.
"P'Li," the other kept things short and sweet.
"Well, Jackal…I have to ask, was it really you that blew up that White Zetsu clone before we found you?"
"What…that freak of a blob, yeah."
Deidara chuckled at the response. "They really were a dime-a-dozen to be honest. Still, I'll definitely keep my eye out. Now…"
Everyone's eyes turned down to the sea. A single sloop was approaching the abandoned battlefield. The only remarkable thing about it was the flag. It had a circular shield (an aegis to be specific) with the head of a gorgon on it. The ship stopped, and two figures flew out. One was a woman in a skintight leather getup. From her back, arms sprouted and coalesced into wings. The other man, a pale fellow with half-a-horned-helm, simply walked on the air.
"Well, Ladies and Kimblee, looks like we'll have to work for that double pay," Deidara whispered as he began kneading his detonating clay, deciding to start with a C2 blast. "Jackal, I hope you appreciate this work of art."
Eruka held a hand out. "Tadpole Bomb." And a cartoonish-looking tadpole with sharp teeth materialized.
Bambietta walked to it, conjuring a ball of Reishi as large as her arm. "Open up, big boy," she chuckled as the Tadpole swallowed it.
Next, Deidara spewed C2 clay around the creature, completely covering it in a more aerodynamic shape, with wings.
Kimblee then clapped his hands, red sparks crackling from the symbols tattooed on his palms. Then he slapped both palms onto the creation. When he withdrew, he began counting down. "10, 9, 8…"
With a wave of Deidara and Eruka's hands, the creature made a beeline for the sloop, reaching terminal velocity.
"…3, 2, 1."
The very last second, P'Li moved. A beam of pure fire-bending energy popped out of her third eye.
"Pop, pop, pop…" It connected with the creature right on top of the ship.
BBBOOOOOOOMMMM!
"Art…IS AN EXPLOSION!" Deidara cheered. For once, Bambietta had a matching look of glee. Kimblee kept that serene expression of his. Even Eruka and P'Li smirked at their handiwork.
Jackal stared with wide eyes. 'Wow…these humans aren't half bad,' he thought.
That is, until they saw the ship was unharmed. Still, some translucent barrier was crumbling before their eyes.
"At the very least, we know the ship will be vulnerable to anything that comes at them now," Eruka began forming hundreds of Tadpole Bombs.
"Alright, Plan B it is," Deidara tossed more miniature birds into the air. With a single Hand Sign, 3 more Clay Birds materialized. While everyone else hopped onto their own steeds, Bambietta scoffed at Deidara as she walked onto the air, flipping him off. As for Deidara himself, he created a C2 Dragon, keeping the bird with Jackal out of harm's way.
"Put them on the defensive! Keep the pressure on the ship!" Kimblee barked out to the others.
With barely restrained glee, Deidara, Bambietta, and Kimblee charged in with no hesitation. Eruka followed at a slower pace. P'Li stayed where she was, settling to a sniper-like role. Eyes on the ship, she let loose another stream of Combustion-bending.
"Pop, pop, pop…"
The male stranger intercepted, appearing in the blink of an eye. He took the stream without even flinching, his clothes barely singed.
He would've headed for P'Li, if not for Bambietta conjuring her short broadsword Spirit Weapon and slashing at him.
He quickly blocked with his own sword. "How strange. This gathering of Reishi. Are you a Quincy?" the pale man asked in a monotone voice.
"Yeah, know your place, Arrancar!" Bambietta swung again with enough speed to force the Arrancar to use Sonido.
With Hirenkyaku, the Sternritter kept up. That is, until something bizarre, even by her standards, occurred.
"Diez Fleur!" 10 arms sprouted and restrained Bambietta.
The winged woman began to follow up. "Clu…"
'CLAP'
BOOM!
Nico Robin managed to avoid Kimblee's blast, but the slight break in concentration was enough for Bambietta to break free. Ulquiorra brought his sword down, only for the Quincy's Blut to keep it from cutting her.
Before either could go full-force, Deidara quickly had two birds fly at the enemies.
Robin briefly closed her eyes. "A dive to the back left shoulder," she whispered. With a quick turn, she avoided Deidara's bird hitting said spot, simultaneously keeping her distance from Kimblee. Unfortunately, the bird came back. With time for nothing else, she crossed her wings over her main body, covering them in a black sheen.
'WHOOM!' the resulting smoke cloud obscured Robin.
As for Ulquiorra, he had to contend with both Deidara's personal attention and Bambietta's wild attacks. While the former Espada didn't have the highest opinion of the Quincy Race, this woman was proving herself beyond what Hueco Mundo's limited documentation wrote of them. Plus, there was that Akatsuki. Oh yes, Ulquiorra and Robin had been briefed on just how dangerous the Ninjas who wore black cloaks with red clouds were. Still, even with two S-Ranked opponents bearing down on him, Ulquiorra had the presence of mind to realize what was happening elsewhere.
While the others were occupied, P'Li and Eruka were getting in position to annihilate the ship. Tadpole Bombs were surrounding the vessel. Still, the valiant crew fired cannonade volleys, managing to hold off the witch's creations. Even so, there was nothing they could do about P'Li, given how far away she was. Every few seconds, another stream would shoot from her third eye, and another decent-sized explosion would rock the ship.
P'Li took a deep breath. This would be a big one.
"Pop, pop, pop, pop…"
At the same time, the Tadpole Bombs were finally in range of the ship.
But before either could set off, Ulquiorra suddenly appeared on the ship. Then, he unleashed an absolutely massive burst of Reiatsu. P'Li's incoming blast was stopped cold. The Tadpole Bombs all prematurely detonated, the blast actually being pushed away from the ship. Both women were stunned at such a casual display of power completely cancelling their own, brought to their knees. Even Kimblee was forced to take a step back on his flying mount. Only Deidara and Bambietta weren't fazed in the least. Frankly, they'd both seen worse than Ulquiorra's unreleased state.
At that point, Robin landed on the ship as well. Her arms had still been burnt, even with her last-minute defense from before. "I suppose we'll have to retreat, otherwise everyone on this sloop will be blown into little bite-sized pieces and devoured by fish."
"AHH!" the crew gave a collective shriek at that disturbing image, immediately getting a move on. Ulquiorra simply raised an eyebrow at the woman. Then he looked up; all 5 flyers were preparing another combined blast. Knowing he'd never hear the end of it if he was the only survivor, he Sonido'd over to the power generator. He turned a knob, diverting all energy to the thrusters. Then, he conjured a Cero and shoved it in.
With a mighty 'WHOOSH!' the sloop was gone.
Bambietta looked particularly irritated. "Are you shitting me? That's it?!"
Kimblee smirked. "Oh don't worry. I'm sure they'll be back in greater force. Didn't you recognize that flag?"
"Yeah, next time, they'll know what's coming," Deidara reached into his cloak. "That's the thing about ambushes, they only work once at a time."
"You implying I can't handle that lowly Arrancar or weak woman again?" Bambietta growled.
"What about whoever else SHE will bring?" Kimblee pointed out. "Especially since they'd know they're going up against explosions."
"Still, we won't stick our necks out more than necessary," the Akatsuki got the Den-Den Mushi out again and called.
OoOoOoO
(Island of Cuerda)
Puru-puru-puru! Puru-puru-puru!
Gacha!
"Well, this is awfully soon," Donquixote Doflamingo gave a sardonic grin. He was a tall man, with short blonde hair and tanned skin. He wore an open white shirt, exposing his toned chest and abs. Around it, a large pink feather coat hung from his neck. Red-tinted sunglasses completed the ensemble.
"Yeah, another interested party came snooping around, hmm," Deidara's voice came out the Den-Den Mushi (complete with an Akatsuki cloud on it).
"Oh, any familiar faces?" the ex-Warlord asked in that perpetually-taunting manner of his.
"None from my world," Deidara replied. "There were two high-level fighters. One was a pale Arrancar with half-a-helm. He was definitely the strongest of them. The other was a dark-haired woman who could sprout arms, even on us. She mostly used them as wings though. Some weird black stuff covered it as a defense."
With that particular bit of info, Doflamingo's smile became rather strained. A vein popped in his forehead. "Straw Hats," he growled into the line.
"Guessing that you do know them," Bambietta's voice taunted him.
"Regardless," Kimblee brought the conversation back on track. "We've already fulfilled our initial task of investigation. It wouldn't be a breach of contract for us to retreat if pressured. So I suggest you make haste if you want to plunder Tamatoa's Horde before they come back."
"A fair point," Doflamingo took a breath to compose himself. "I'll be coming personally."
There was a breath of shock from the other end. "Wow, you must really hate these guys," even Bambietta seemed on edge at Doffy's shift in tone.
"Was there anything else of note about this group?" the Pirate asked.
"The flag of their ship," Kimblee's photographic memory kept it fresh. "It was an aegis, with the face of a gorgon in the center."
"If Athena herself comes, we're leaving." Deidara's tone seemed to invite no argument.
"I certainly understand the urgency now," Doflamingo was forced to concede. "I'll bring your standard payment, regardless of how things play out. You'll get double if you stick around until I'm done at Tamatoa's Horde."
"That all depends on what their next move is," Deidara seemed to shrug.
"All right, heading there now," Doflamingo hung up.
"You're really going out there, young master?" a posh voice echoed from behind him. It was a tall, thin man wearing black dress pants and a white dress shirt. A purple vest and tie contrasted nicely with the white. His sleek black hair was in a tight ponytail. A monocle rested over one of his blue eyes. Finally, dark brown gloves covered his hands.
"Indeed, Walter," Doflamingo nodded at the butler as he rose from his seat. "And must you be so formal? Please, call me Doffy," the Pirate did his best attempt to sound charming.
"It simply wouldn't be proper," Walter C. Dornez gave a slight bow.
"Ah well, forget about it," Doflamingo shrugged. "Still, you seem concerned."
Walter nodded. "If I may be frank, Sir. That White Company seems the wrong sort to put our faith in."
"You're completely right," Doflamingo agreed. "But you never got to see them at work. Ah…an island, gone in the blink of an eye," the Pirate seemed nearly aroused at the memory. "They're good at what they do. Oh, how I wish I could convince them to join my crew. Still, having Gladius join their ranks might be that first step."
"Don't forget their other issue. Their demanded rates are quite extravagant."
"Like I said, the risk and investment is worth it. Plus, I'm sure we can more than make up the difference from whatever we scrounge from the ruins of Tamatoa's Horde."
"Sir?" Walter raised an eyebrow.
"Having you along would speed up the process, which will certainly be needed if Athena is on her way," Doflamingo decided.
"Of course, I'll begin prepping our fastest ship," Walter bowed and made to leave.
"I'll go on ahead. Depart the second you're ready," Doflamingo opened a window.
"Certainly, Sir," Walter took his leave.
"Oh, one more thing," Doflamingo turned to the last person in the room. It was a short, petite woman. She wore an uwagi and shorts, with an obi sash around her waist. Messy pink hair was styled in an updo, while fringes framed around blue eyes. Fingerless gloves supported pincushions on her wrist, with several needles stuck into them.
"Machi, don't give too much trouble to Shamon while I'm away," Doflamingo joked.
"Please, someone who goes on about being '2nd Kazekage' should be able to handle a little trouble like me," Machi Komacine of the Phantom Troupe coolly replied.
"How right you are," the Heavenly Yaksha chuckled and turned away. It was a mildly cloudy day. "Perfect, Fufufufufu!." In the blink of an eye, he was gone.
OoOoOoO
(Alexandria Island)
"Orochimaru, you're back," Medusa gave a crooked smile to the Legendary Sannin.
"Indeed, my dear," the Ninja smirked in turn.
"Do anything exciting without me?" Medusa teased.
"We managed to obtain two interesting test subjects," Mayuri rolled his eyes at the two snakes. "A Devil Fruit user and a Quirk mutant. Shame the Dragon Slayer got away."
"Oh…were you playing with your food again?" Medusa slithered up to Orochimaru.
"Don't act like you wouldn't have done the same," the Ninja put a hand on his hip. "Although, I do admit I was surprised that the Dragon Slayer could power himself up with non-energy based attacks from a Devil Fruit and Quirk."
"Nemu is down below with the two now. We can run tests on them at our leisure," Mayuri changed topics. "Now, do you have anything on that disturbance earlier?" He was referring to when the skies turned dark green.
"We might, Watts is in the tower with the recordings," Medusa started leading the two men up a flight of stairs.
"By the way, something of interest dropped by here. It was one of Cipactli's raiding parties. Watts and I were able to deal with them easily, but we found something peculiar."
She now had the two men's full attention.
"They were led by a man named Sheepshead from the Pirate World, and he showed signs of a Zoan Devil Fruit. I made him our 'guest' and started asking questions," Medusa chuckled to herself.
"I'm sure you were…gentle…with him," Orochimaru sneered.
"You know me so well," Medusa winked. "Anyway, he said something rather odd. Apparently, his Devil Fruit was artificially made."
"How intriguing," Orochimaru licked his chops.
"And?" Mayuri impatiently egged her on.
"He called it a SMILE. Said that a scientist by the name of Caesar Clown created hundreds of them for his crew, the Beast Pirates."
"Do we have a physical description of this Caesar Clown?" Orochimaru wondered.
"Oh yes, Sheepshead squealed when I pushed the right buttons," Medusa assured her 'dear friend'.
"Very good, we'll keep our eyes and ears open for Caesar Clown. There may be a place for him here on Alexandria," Mayuri decided.
By now, the trio had reached the receiving room. Watts was at the keyboard.
"Ah, good sirs, you're going to want to see this," the good doctor quickly brought up the recorded energy levels. "At Tamatoa's Horde, we detected massive amounts of energy of all kinds. For a while, Chakra and Reishi readings towered over the other energies. Until…"
With the press of a key, the time lapse showed a dramatic increase in Wa-Ay. "Only Cipactli and his direct subordinates are capable of this," Mayuri narrowed his eyes.
"Indeed, which is why we sent some of your bugs for visual confirmation," Medusa explained.
"Bringing up the footage now," Watts typed, and a video started playing. It showed a group of heavily injured fighters facing off against a monstrously mutated crocodile.
"In the corner there," Orochimaru pointed to the ship off-shore. "Why, it appears my dear old partner, Sasori, has become a shipwright."
"Ah, I recognize the two Arrancar in that group, Emilou Apacci and Grimmjow Jaegarjaquez. Very interesting, though I suppose even they will fall to Cipactli's wrath," Mayuri brushed them off.
That is, until an absolutely massive stream of water forced the crocodile away. When the three responsible showed up, Orochimaru quickly paused the video to get a closer look. He chuckled. "Well…this is a surprise seeing you pool your power with others, Kisame Hoshigaki."
"Oh?" Medusa raised an eyebrow. "So he's the one responsible for the obscene Chakra levels being emitted."
"Indeed, he was called the 'Tailless Tailed Beast' thanks to his Chakra."
"And that woman," Mayuri narrowed his eyes. "It's the Queen of Hueco Mundo, Tia Halibel. Resume the video," he ordered Watts.
And so, the scientists watched as the sea was torn asunder in this awesome clash. Watts was utterly in awe at the power far beyond his world's capabilities. Medusa gave a pleasured moan at the sight. Orochimaru couldn't help but be impressed at seeing a fellow Akatsuki standing toe-to-toe with a projection of Cipactli. Mayuri managed to keep his composure, that is, until Halibel changed forms near the end of the fight.
"What is that?" his eyes widened.
"Oh, the Arrancar has an ability you're unaware of?" Orochimaru smirked at the Soul Reaper.
"It would seem that my days experimenting on Hollows aren't quite over yet," Mayuri growled, hoping to eventually sooth the blow to his pride.
Finally, the battle came to a close. The scientists were momentarily stunned at the power of their own worlds halting a god's wrath. Then, Orochimaru started laughing for a good minute.
Once calmed down, he turned to the others. "Well…this crew certainly has remarkable potential. That gives me an idea."
A printed picture of the third fighter fell into a slot. "Medusa, ask our 'guest' if he recognizes this Fishman?"
"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow.
"If you do get a name, I want you to send out a message to our network of informants," Orochimaru continued.
"Have them spread through word of mouth that Kisame Hoshigaki, Tia Halibel, and this Fishman have faced and beaten a projection of Cipactli, maybe even send out pictures of these 'mighty heroes'," Orochimaru declared. "At the same time, send Mayuri's bugs to every corner of this sea."
"To what purpose?" Watts asked.
"Why, observation of course," Orochimaru chuckled. "News of this will prompt action. Either the Gods themselves will move to crush any possible resistance and assert themselves, or those from our worlds will be emboldened on their journeys. Whichever outcome, the number of confrontations will dramatically increase."
"Ah," Medusa's eyes widened. "If you can make a God bleed, people will cease to believe in him."
"Regardless, this is a remarkable opportunity to collect data on both the Gods and the other worlds out there we haven't properly documented," Mayuri caught on.
"Plus, with your bugs," Orochimaru gave a wide grin, "we won't miss a single detail of these battles from start to finish."
"What of this crew specifically?" Watts wondered.
"Triangulate their course, and then have a few bugs put them on constant surveillance," Mayuri decided. "I have the feeling their journey will be quite fruitful for our own endeavors."
"Alright, but before we head off, the video isn't done," Medusa pointed out.
Watts fast-forwarded a few hours' time. Then, Orochimaru scowled at the sight of White Zetsu. He made a mental note to debrief his fellow scientists on the creature's darker half and its ancient master. Still, he felt a slight catharsis at seeing it blown up.
Then, the White Company made its appearance.
"My, my…seems Eruka is doing rather well for herself," Medusa got a certain gleam in her eye. "If I'm not mistaken, that's an Akatsuki cloak and Sternritter getup. Such powerful friends she made."
"You'd be correct," Mayuri confirmed. "But I don't recognize the others."
"Let's see if this ship has anymore familiar faces," Orochimaru zoomed in.
However, before they had time, the feed was destroyed thanks to the initial blast from White Company.
"Watts, send out more bugs to the ruins of Tamatoa's Horde, I want to know what's happening. And do try to have them keep their distance this time, we have zoom-in for a reason," Mayuri chided the mustachioed man.
"One more thing," Medusa went back to the energy-detection. "There was a small Mageia signature slowly making its way east from Tamatoa's Horde, towards the Lotus-Eater Island."
"I'll go," Mayuri decided. "Nemu and I are the fastest. At the rate the signature is going, we'll be able to intercept it if we leave now."
"Happy hunting!" Orochimaru gave a mockingly cheery wave.
Mayuri simply rolled his eyes before vanishing with Flash Step.
"Watts, be a good boy and let us know once all Mayuri's bugs are positioned," Orochimaru made to leave, Medusa close behind.
"Right," the good doctor turned back to the monitor.
In a few minutes, the two snakes had made their way to the hundreds of holding cells beneath their residence.
Medusa glanced at the newest 'guests'. One was an average-sized girl with pink skin, hair, and gold horns. The other was a massive man with a face resembling a mandrill's. Both bore severe wounds from Orochimaru's Wind Style and Kusanagi. On top of that, their labored breathing indicated that Mayuri's ability had gotten to them. For the cherry on top, they'd been restrained with the Soul Reaper's Kido.
"Oh…I can't wait until I can get my hands on them," Medusa shuddered in delight.
"Let them heal," Orochimaru chided her. "After all, they need to be healthy for any meaningful conclusions to be drawn."
"Very well, let's get to it," Medusa opened up the next cell.
"No…no more," a male voice quivered at the sight of Medusa.
"Aww, why don't you relax big boy?" the Snake Witch leaned against the wall. "I've only got one question this time."
Orochimaru finally got a good look. The prisoner was slightly taller and bulkier than the average man, with white hair and two small horns. The interesting thing was how one hand had been transformed into a ram's horn. That is, the remains of a ram's horn after Medusa had battled him.
"What?" Sheepshead fearfully asked.
Medusa took out the photo. "Do you know this Fishman?"
"Yeah, that's Jinbe. He was a Warlord, First Son of the Sea. Last I heard, he was working with Big Mom. That's all I know, I swear," the former Beast Pirate quickly said as he backed himself into the corner.
"Calm yourself, that's all I wanted to know today," Medusa started walking out, having to hold back a laugh when she heard the sigh of relief from Sheepshead. "I'll go ahead and have the word spread about Kisame, Halibel, and Jinbe."
Medusa stopped before completely exiting the cell. "Oh Sheepshead, I said that's all I wanted today, but my friend here hasn't even begun with you yet." Oh, it made her so warm inside to see the thug's hope shrivel and die in an instant.
"Yessss," Orochimaru hissed. "You'll do nicely."
The Ninja's neck stretched in the blink of an eye, his mouth opening and baring his fangs.
"AAAHHHH!"
Medusa laughed. Oh, how she loved seeing Orochimaru at work.
OoOoOoO
(Ex-Land of the Lotus Eaters)
A few days later, something swam up to the deserted island. It was a dolphin, although it was listing, a sign of injury. Once it got close enough, the dolphin started to change. It was a woman. Her long black hair was a complete mess. Her black dress was little more than rags.
Circe panted heavily. "Damn it all to Tartarus!"
It severely hurt her pride that her escape had relied on sheer, dumb luck. When Cipactli had rammed the Cutty Sark hard enough to flip over, the Black Ant containing her had fallen into the abyss. Plus, it was only Cipactli's own raging Wa-Ay that had loosened the Chakra restraints around the Puppet enough for her to get out. Struggling to breath, she'd turned into a Dolphin and bee lined it back to her old base.
Even now, she struggled to breath. "At least, I'm finally free of those accursed brutes," she tried to stand up.
She collapsed. "I know I'm drained of magic, but I should be able to stand."
At that point, she finally realized something. The air didn't smell right. The second it hit her, she began coughing violently.
"I do apologize," a high, shrill male voice echoed out from the cover of the trees. "But time was of the essence."
Mayuri Kurotsuchi looked down at Circe.
"Nemu, pick her up. We should head back now." To Circe's astonishment, the strange man began to walk on air back towards the West.
"Sorry," a demure female voice surprised her from behind. She felt brief pain on the back of her neck. Then, everything went black.
OoOoOoO
(Queen Anne's Revenge)
Captain Barbossa and his crew had just finished their dinner. To celebrate reuniting with them, Mr. Silver had made it a point to serve all their favorites, like a big ol' Mutton Chop for Pintel and Ragetti, some sushi for Compress, a loaded salad for Emerald, and some peanuts for Jack.
Once Barbossa finished his desert of apple pie, he went back up on deck. There, standing in the middle, was the Aztec Chest. He kicked it open, and there the golden medallions sat, beckoning to him as they did so many years ago. He was just about to reach in…
"Captain!" Barbossa jumped, perplexed at the sight of his entire crew.
"It's all right, ladies and gentlemen," Barbossa turned back, a Medallion already in his hand. "There's no need for anyone else to suffer from a starving belly and thirst. I can count em' myself."
"As noble as ya are Captain, there's not really a point to it," Silver spoke up. He walked up and grabbed a handful of Medallions.
Before Barbossa could respond, Compress stepped in. "What our dear cook means to say is, we're all already in this together. Cipactli will cut all our throats over that chest if he catches us, regardless of whether blood has already been given. So, there's not much to be done but tighten our britches and endure." The magician revealed two more Medallions in his hands, making them vanish with a flick of the wrist.
"Besides Captain," Pintel and Ragetti stepped up. "It wouldn't be proper for you to be the only one who has to go through this hell twice," claimed the man with the wooden eye. His comrade nodded fervently in agreement. "Plus, if you really did make yourself the only blood sacrifice, you wouldn't survive the Curse being lifted, not with losing enough blood to cover 882 pieces."
"Yeah, we're with you Captain," a Grecian sailor added in.
"We'll fight with you!" a W.G. Marine exclaimed.
"You can count on us!" a female Samurai from the Land of Iron raised her sword.
That got the crowd to cheer in kind. Then, with no direction, they formed a line and began plucking out Medallions. Barbossa was absolutely stunned at them going so far.
Emerald rolled her eyes in the back of the crowd. "Great, now I feel like an asshole. What is this crew doing to me?" She walked on up, and took her own handful of Medallions.
Eventually, the entire crew had gone by, emptying the chest. Barbossa would've chided them, but Jack hopped onto his shoulder, chattering and showing off his own Medallion. Shaking his head, he got back into 'Captain Mode'.
"All right you mangy bilge rats!" That certainly got his crew's attention.
He took a pen and paper out. "I need to know how many each of ya got. Silver?"
"10"
"Compress?"
"2"
"Emerald?"
"6"
"Pintel and Ragetti?"
"A dozen."
"Baker's dozen, actually," the wooden-eyed man corrected his comrade.
"Never understood that."
And so, the rest of the crew went, until…
Barbossa's eyes widened in horror. "That's only 880 pieces. 2 are missing."
The crew looked incredibly downcast at that. Emerald was immediately regretting her life decisions. At the very least, their last meal had had all their favorites. "I'm going to make a call. Keep track of your Medallions, and don't give your blood just yet."
Barbossa went to the Captains' Quarters, and rang up his ship's personal Den-Den Mushi.
Puru-puru-puru! Puru-puru-puru! Gacha!
The snail gained cool, orange eyes. And a chilling female voice rang out. "Alright, what happened?"
"I don't answer to ya," Barbossa was not pleased to hear his benefactor's subordinate answer in their stead. "Where's the boss?"
"Rest assured that I'll relay everything to her. Now, the mission?" her tone invited no argument.
"We got the chest, but two Medallions are missing, and Tamatoa's Horde is destroyed," Barbossa grimly relayed the news.
"Hmm, you're usually so efficient. Now, who else was there?"
"For one, Cipactli himself made an appearance through his wretched cur," Barbossa spat out.
"Well, I can certainly understand the need for a speedy retreat. I trust the Chakra seals did their job," the female voice mused. "Now, was there anyone else? Possibly another ship and crew that had the opportunity."
"Hmm, there was one other ship, the Cutty Sark."
"Tell me about her crew," she ordered.
"From what Silver gathered, there was 1 Quirk user, 2 Earthland Wizards, 5 Grand Line Pirates (including a VERY powerful Fishman), 1 Soul Reaper, 2 Arrancar, and 2 Ninjas."
"The Ninja? What did they look like?"
"One was a redhead, and the other could be mistaken for a Fishman. They both wore black cloaks with red clouds," Barbossa informed her.
The woman froze on the other end. After a few seconds, she found her voice. "How the hell is your crew still alive?"
"Frankly, they were focused on Cipactli," Barbossa didn't miss the sign that she recognized the strangers.
The woman took a deep breath. "Your crew was selected specifically for stealth. That's why we didn't let anyone with a significant energy signature join you, with the exception of Emerald who can hide it. Now that Cipactli and this Cutty Sark crew know about you, that's no longer feasible. So, I'll personally be joining you."
Barbossa couldn't help but shiver.
"When I get there, I want to hear everything Silver learned about that crew. Then, we'll decide on the best course of action for getting that Medallion back."
"Are you certain? Most likely, Cipactli has both Medallions. No way they survived him," Barbossa voiced his thoughts.
"Che," the woman scoffed. "Even if they lost, I'm sure those two managed to escape, especially if they're working together. Now, I'll meet up with you before the day is out."
Barbossa was shocked. "But our ship is leagues away from…"
"I SAID I'll be there before the day is out." Gacha! And that's all that was said on the matter.
Barbossa sighed. This was WAY more than he signed on for.
OoOoOoO
(Far to the West)
From the entrance of a fortress, the woman who'd spoken with Barbossa stepped into the light. She'd already informed the mistress of the land what had transpired, gaining full approval to personally intervene. After all, she was their best Ninja on hand. She narrowed her eyes at the bright afternoon sun, having got used to the rain.
This woman was incredibly beautiful with neck-length blue hair tied up in a bun, a lavender paper flower keeping it in place. Intense orange eyes surveyed the land. A silver labret piercing glinted in the sun. The rest of her was covered by a black cloak with red clouds.
Konan, the Angel of the Hidden Rain, leapt off the castle. Her legs dispersed into sheets of paper, coalescing into wings on her back. Flapping hard, she was quickly at cloud-level, the sight of the fortress quickly shrinking behind her.
Her brisk pace underlay her troubled thoughts. She didn't know why Kisame Hoshigaki and Sasori of the Red Sand were working together in this new world, and that was disturbing to say the least. Still, she had every intention of getting to the bottom of this. And, if worst came to worst, she was confident she could at least relieve them of the Medallion.
OoOoOoO
Throughout the following weeks, due to the Alexandria's machinations, word spread of what had happened at Tamatoa's Horde. For now, it is particularly relevant to display three reactions specifically.
In the vast underwater metropolis of Atlantis, a massive Fishman had been quietly practicing with his Haki. Needless to say, the punching bag (no matter how well-made) could only take so much. The Fishman was over 17 feet tall, and had skin of a salmon-peach color. He had a thick beard and long, curly hair, a spiky dorsal fin pointing out the back. He wore plain black pants, and a sleeveless open shirt. This revealed the tattoo of a red sun on his chest.
"Ah, Vulko." The Fishman turned to his colleague, who'd just entered his training room.
"We've got some news from the surface, you're going to want to see this," Atlantis' Royal Advisor handed him a slip.
Fisher Tiger took it, and his eyes widened to comical levels. "JINBE FOUGHT CIPACTLI?! What the hell have I been missing?!"
OoOoOoO
Further West, on one of Poseidon's Islands, a smoky figure approached the local big-shot. Hecate smirked, having a particular joy for irritating this man.
He was over 8 feet tall, and certainly had the girth to match. He had small round eyes, and sharp triangular teeth. With his round face, he could mistaken for being related to a puffer fish. Green stripes completed the exotic image. On his head of long orange hair (some of it pinned up), he proudly wore the Hidden Mist headband. He wore a white cloak over a similar getup to standard Mist Ninja dress. On his back, a large bandaged blade was strapped in.
"Oh, Fuguki," Hecate taunted the old Swordsman of the Mist.
"What do you want? Here to relay more orders?" Fuguki Suikazan impatiently asked.
"Oh, nothing like that. I just wanted to show you something," her smoky projection seemed to smirk as it conjured an image.
After a few seconds of watching, Fuguki slammed his Samehada into the sandy ground. "That damn, ungrateful, impudent PUP!"
Hecate cherished the sight of the Mist Ninja going red with rage.
OoOoOoO
A little closer to the entrance islands, a relative newcomer to the Sea of Second Chances scowled at the fairly inhabited island nearby. A glare convinced his small crew to stay back, lest they get caught up in his temper.
He had the appearance of an elderly man with his tanned wrinkled skin, complete with white hair and mustache. Two large scars were visible. One was over his right eye, the other stretched from his chin to his chest. Despite his apparent age, he was still incredibly muscular, albeit in a stocky sort of way. He wore a white leather coat with black fur lining and stripes. Golden wristbands and a belt added some color to the ensemble. Finally, a bone-white five pointed crown sat upon his head.
As he walked on air towards the island, he raised a large, double-bladed axe. It was black, with a red eye pendant as the focal point, at the top of the black handle. With a single swing, he carved the town in half. The screams did nothing to soothe his temper.
Baraggan Louisenbairn was utterly furious. He had seen the newspaper clippings distributed amongst the commoners. On it, he had seen his old ally, Tia Halibel. Initially, he'd been amused as it detailed her facing one of the Gods' of this world. That is, until he saw the subtitles. The three fighters had had their epitaphs in bold print under a picture of them. But Baraggan ignored the others', brushing off the lowly Humans. Instead, he focused on the words…"Queen of Hueco Mundo".
This insult to his pride would not be forgiven. HE, and ONLY HE, was the God-King of Hueco Mundo. He would not be brushed aside for this little bratty upstart of a girl. And so, the island was utterly destroyed, the first casualty of Baraggan Louisenbairn's quest for recognition and power.
Omake: Kisame feeling left out.
"And CUT!" OceanLord2017 hopped down from his director's chair. "Alright, that's a wrap. But before you all go, I have a few announcements."
The crew all paused.
"Halibel, Grimmjow, Apacci, Hanataro. Clear up your schedules…because Bleach is coming back!"
All four cheered. The rest of the cast applauded.
"Finally! Now I can actually rip someone's heart out…ON TV!" Grimmjow cheered loudest of all.
"And Jinbe, Oda called. He's written a chapter with you in it. You're FINALLY with the Straw Hat crew. Filming for the Wano Battle starts this week, so make sure you can get there."
"Aye-aye!" Jinbe saluted OceanLord2017.
The cast and crew hung out for the better part of an hour before heading home. Before leaving, Halibel and Jinbe noticed Kisame still sitting on set.
"Hey, what's up?" Halibel sat next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Nothing, why don't you two just go enjoy yourselves with your canon," he huffed.
"Ya know, you don't have to feel left out. Oda could always use more underwater cameramen," Jinbe suggested.
"Don't need your pity," Kisame tried and failed to sound convincing.
"All right, I'm making an executive decision," Halibel picked up Kisame, hoisting him over her shoulder.
"Hey, put me down!"
"No, you're coming to Bleach with me. I'm sure the crew could use the extra hands. You'll be too busy to mope," Halibel claimed.
"I wasn't moping," Kisame protested.
"Dude," Jinbe whispered. "You were moping worse than an Uchiha."
Kisame shuddered. "Okay, fine. Guess I could use the work."
"That's the spirit," Halibel's hand patted his rear. "This'll be a good experience for you."
(A few days later)
Filming for Bleach had commenced…but in her eagerness, Halibel hadn't read the script before agreeing to come back.
She was currently being chained up, her deliberately broken costume being given final adjustments. Somehow, Kisame had ended up as a makeup artist. Hey, from someone who had to occasionally pretend to look normal, he knew a thing or two about the subject. Anyway, that was why he was currently applying fake blood to her forehead.
"Huh, you're right…this is a good experience for me," Kisame delighted in throwing her words back at her.
"Oh, SHUT UP!"
A.N. Alrighty, thanks for your patience! With school still going on (online though) and my job, things are still as hectic as usual when it comes to end-of-semester.
Now, the White Company. I've been looking forward to introducing them for awhile. And yes, it's now Open Season for Fullmetal Alchemist and Hellsing Characters. I just couldn't resist putting Kimblee with these psychotic bombers. Tell me what you think of this 'Bomb Squad'. They'll definitely be long-term rivals to the C.S. crew. Also, shout-out to Author Nicholas Drew for writing a story that inspired me with a similar team-up. And yeah, I gave Robin Haki…I'm sure she'll use it either in Wano or against Blackbeard's crew.
Also, the Island of Cuerda (Spanish for string…yeah, I'm on the nose, sue me). Got another crew of misfits gaining some power, which is always fun. Doflamingo is a personal favorite of mine, so expect a big role for him.
Always enjoy more time with the Alexandria scientists (God, they're so messed up!). And they have more subjects…YAY! That scene definitely had me planting the most 'seeds' for future events. And yeah, it's because of them that our 'Shark Trio' is going to be infamous worldwide. That's gonna have fun consequences, as Fisher Tiger, Fuguki, and Baraggan have begun to show.
And Konan…I'm gonna have me some fun with her. Rest assured, she'll have plenty of PROPER fights in the future. And don't worry, I'll get back to our main crew either next chapter or the one after that.
Also, quick announcement. After seeing an example concerning 'Sea of Souls' by the wonderful Black Victor Cachat, I've decided that I will eventually be moving my 'Databook' entries to its own story. No telling when that'll happen, but it's coming. So don't worry if you don't know some of the characters introduced here, I'll provide explanation soon enough.
Til Next Time…Have Fun! Stay Safe!
