Chapter 35: Knight of the Sea

"Pray, Santa Teresa!" Nnoitra Gilga roared as golden Reishi burst forth.

Jinbe crossed his arms and braced himself. 'All right, let's see how I do against a serious Espada.'

From above, Ares smirked mid-dodge. "Well, seems Nnoitra is finally going to give it his all. About time."

While Grimmjow simply ignored his rival Espada as he pressed the God, Halibel couldn't help but spare the intensifying duel a glance.

"Jinbe, please be careful. If you are, I know you can beat him." Having reassured herself, she turned her full attention back to Ares.

Even on the other side of the barrier, the golden burst of Reishi resonated.

"Master Nnoitra," Tesla saw the transformation. He then turned to his two opponents.

Juvia and Tsuyu felt a subtle shift in the Arrancar's demeanor.

"I have no business wasting time if my Master is wrapping things up," Tesla decided.

"You both underestimate us," Juvia proclaimed, Tsuyu nodding in agreement.

"No, it's over for you," Tesla countered. "Gore them, Verruga!"

WHOOM!


OoOoOoO


"HIYAH!" Nnoitra charged from the smoke, four arms drawing back the scythes they carried.

Not having time to build up his more powerful Fishman Karate techniques, Jinbe simply brought up his Haki-covered fists, ready to counter.

Nnoitra began to swing!

POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!

Jinbe managed to deflect each and every one with well-timed palm strikes to the Arrancar's wrists.

It was a blur of metal and blue as the foes amped up their speed.

"Come on! You overgrown guppy!" Nnoitra tried sweeping the Fishman with his two right scythes. Jinbe easily hopped over the swing.

"YAH!" Nnoitra brought the other two scythes in.

"Sharkskin Palm Thrust!" It blew back the attempted thrust.

Then, with all the scythes countered, Jinbe brought his head back.

"BONK! SON OF A BITCH!"

Did I mention the Haki covering his head?

Anywho, this allowed the Fishman to step back and wind up.

"Shark Brick Fist!"

"URK!" Nnoitra spat out blood when the shockwave nailed him, and he rushed back forward. "YAH!" He was quick enough to nail a cut on Jinbe's side.

"Woosh!" The crashing wave washed the blood off the offending scythe.

"Hehe…not able to keep that Haki going forever, huh?" Nnoitra stuck his tongue out. "YAAHH! VOOOM!" He then unleashed a golden Cero.

Jinbe brought the Haki back to his arms, waiting until the Cero was right in front of him. "SHARK PACK!" The boost to his Fishman Karate put more than enough force in the move to prematurely detonate it.

"BOOM!" Jinbe slipped under the surf, the burst of steam covering him.

"Where are you?" Nnoitra narrowed his eye. "THERE!"

The Hollow swiped his upper-right scythe.

"Fishman Karate!" Jinbe burst forth, catching the offending blade in one Haki-covered hand. The other was drawn back. "5000 Brick Fist!"

"URGH!" Nnoitra bent forward, his insides feeling jumbled.

"Tsk!" Jinbe brought his hand back, aching from slamming into that ridiculously tough Hierro.

"Screw you!" With a 'SWISH', Nnoitra managed to slash a blade across the Fishman's side.

"AGH!" Jinbe exclaimed as blood began trickling down.

Not one to be slowed down by a mere cut, Jinbe went to the side. When he was half-submerged, his now surfaced leg snapped forward.

"5000 Brick Roundhouse Kick!"

"Che!" Nnoitra crossed his scythes, the Fishman's foot halted by the intersection.

"BALA!" The Hollow proceeded to literally spit it out.

"AHH!" Jinbe's cheek burned. It was too close and quick for his Haki. He powered through the pain, and brought both palms together beneath the surface.

"Water Heart! Ocean Current Shoulder Throw!"

"AGH!" Nnoitra screeched as he was pushed back. "Like hell that'll do me in!"

"VOOM!" He sped forward with Sonido.

"Water Shot!" Jinbe's left hand threw the projectile behind himself, barely missing Nnoitra's face when he re-appeared. 'Damn, my aim's still off,' he mused as he seemed to feel his missing pinky that Cipactli devoured.

"SUCKER!" Nnoitra managed to get a good slash across the Fishman's back.

"ERGH!" Jinbe turned. "7000 Brick Elbow Strike!"

"CRUNCH!" And the offending arm bent completely backwards, scythe dropped.

"SHIT!" Nnoitra swung wildly with his remaining right scythe.

"SQUELCH!" He managed to sink said scythe into the side of Jinbe's stomach.

The Haki sheened off both Jinbe's hands. "Shark Grip!"

"CRACK!" Nnoitra's other right hand fell limp. The ex-Espada began bringing his left scythes down.

"And a 5000 Brick Knee!" The Fishman released his grip before his blackened knee sent Nnoitra careening backwards.

"Che!" the Hollow scoffed as he took another good look at his opponent. From his point of view, he was gradually wearing him down. Blood was dripping at a steady rate, and Nnoitra was confident that he was fast enough to get around that annoying Haki.

The Arrancar sneered at the Fishman. He was met with a stoic, dispassionate gaze. It was the sort of look he hated most.

"Well, you're thinking that you've got me good, right?" Nnoitra taunted his foe. "Hate to burst your bubble, but…"

"SRINK!" Nnoitra cut both right arms off, savoring the surprise on Jinbe's face.

Then, with a sickening 'SQUELCH', two new right arms popped out of the stumps, complete with scythes in hand.

"Hehehe…you can't really damage me! I'm only feeling love taps with that Fishman Karate of yours!" Nnoitra boasted, hoping to see that glorious look in an opponent's eyes when faced with sheer hopelessness.

Instead, Jinbe kept that same irritating expression. He still looked as determined and focused as when the fight started.

"I can't stand that look."

Behind that stoic demeanor, Jinbe was taking the measure of his foe.

'Despite what he says, I'm still causing internal injury. And he's limited himself to regeneration of limbs, so he's certainly still beatable.'

He winced at the sting in his own extremities, from where he'd slammed into that tough Hierro.

'His skin certainly is thicker than Halibel's. Won't be able to just keep hammering away at it. I'll need to make the blows count. My Haki will only be able to handle so many of those slashes.'

Jinbe shook his head. 'It's hard to believe, but he really does seem as bad as Halibel said.'

Nnoitra noticed the motion, and snarled.

"Don't you look down on me!"

He charged.


OoOoOoO


Across the barrier, a figure loomed over Juvia and Tsu. With his Resurreción, Tesla had transformed into a massive bipedal hybrid of a boar and a particularly-roided-out bodybuilder.

"Now, humans, stand aside!" Tesla's much deepened voice commanded.

"Like hell!" Juvia sent another Water Whip.

Tesla's improved Hierro shrugged it off before he zoomed forward with Sonido.

"Ribbit!"

"BOOM!"

Juvia pulled Tsu away at the last second, right from where Tesla's punch made a new tsunami.

"2000 Brick Fist! Ribbet!"

Like a slingshot, Juvia brought her friend sailing back at their opponent's side.

"URGH!"

Tesla hollered in both surprise and pain, utterly shocked that this weak human had managed a shot like that.

With her opponent dazed, Juvia had the time to reel Tsu back in. Both submerged beneath the waves, vanishing from sight.

After a second of the water stilling, another Water Whip cracked against Tesla.

'So that's their game,' the Fracción realized as he crossed his arms in defense. 'Very well, if that's how they want to do it…'


OoOoOoO


Up above, Olympian and Arrancars tore the heavens asunder. Clouds vanished from existence, only for the Morrigan's influence to reform them over the island, just to vanish again from the clash.

"Cascada!"

Ares flew around the falling tsunami, sword effortlessly meeting Grimmjow's attempted jab at his gut.

"BOOM!" The god's head-butt sent the former 6th reeling.

"THOOM! THOOM! THOOM! THOOM!" The signature sound of Sonido resonated across the sky, Halibel gradually getting closer while shifting position.

"KRISH!" Tiburon scraped across Ares' short sword.

"CRACK!" At the same time, Grimmjow brought all his weight down on the side of the god's knee.

"Urgh!" Ares growled in irritation, and more pain than he would ever admit.

"You little brat!" The god managed to push back Tiburon, and then backhanded Grimmjow.

"Cero!" Halibel quickly followed up once her ally was out of the way.

"RAH!" Ares held his forearm to block his face. "That actually stung a bit!"

He quickly flew forward, sneering as he grabbed Grimmjow by the face. Then, the god zoomed over, and began to drag the ex-6th Espada across Thoth's barrier.

"AAAAGGGHHHH!" Grimmjow howled in agony.

"URK!" Ares was stopped. Halibel had punched him in the throat, and kicked him between the legs. As the god reeled from the pain all men felt, Halibel grabbed Grimmjow and Sonido'd away.

"GET BACK HERE!" the Olympian shrieked.

A ways away, Grimmjow cradled his burned left arm.

"We're not getting anywhere with this opponent," Halibel observed.

"Ahh!" Grimmjow released his arm, brandishing his undamaged claws. "Let's get to it!"

"At this rate, we both may have to step things up," Halibel grimly concluded.


OoOoOoO


Amongst the floating wreckage that had once been a proud fleet, a single soul sauntered out.

Kisame hefted a now-full Samehada on his shoulder, surveying the damage he inflicted.

"Hmm," Kisame uncharacteristically frowned. Maybe it was the lack of thrill of taking out mere grunts, maybe it was a lingering bad mood from his fight with Hody. Sentimental folk would say it was because he saw his friends still struggling. Who knows?

"Alrighty, where to next?" the ex-Akatsuki pondered his next move.

To make his decision, Kisame glanced back to land.

Within the barrier, Juvia and Tsu were performing a 'hit-and-run' strategy against Tesla, slowly wearing the Arrancar down.

On the shore, Carmilla's fire was spreading throughout the port, consuming the town.

Amidst the inferno, battles still raged with no end in sight. Usopp steered with one hand and defended the Cutty Sark from the Wrath of Sparta's firepower with the other.

Hanataro held off more than a score of Ares' Phalanx of Demigods by himself.

Sasori reached stalemate with Driscoll, unable to truly damage the Sternritter, yet managing to consistently evade him.

Further up, halfway between the Library and the port, Kisame was barely able to make out two blurs cutting and kicking at each other. Sanji easily fended off Ezel's flying slashes, being more than familiar with that kind of fighting style.

Along the path, Franky matched Muscular blow-for-blow, their fists thundering with each clash.

As for the Library itself, its gargantuan doors lay in ruin. Kisame could see that brute of a man, Uvogin, pressuring Uncle Chan, Nami, Bell-mere, and Levy.

When it came to the others, the only clues were the plumes of smoke emerging from cracks in the tallest tower.

And throughout all this, a roar emanated from one of the six pyramids circling the obelisk. Said pyramid seemed to be constantly shuddering.

"Like I said earlier," Kisame thought aloud. "Before we can help the others, Ares and Nnoitra NEED to go down. Thoth won't let us back in while there's someone who can wipe the whole place out in one move. Now, which fight do I join in?"


OoOoOoO


"HAHAHAHAHA!" With all four of his arms back, Nnoitra went wild. As he consciously pushed his Hierro to the max, the ex-Espada slashed his scythes with seemingly reckless abandon.

For his part, Jinbe stayed composed. He maintained his Haki around his arms, simultaneously using Observation to predict which moves would be most devastating. So, he'd deliver mighty punches and palm strikes to protect his vitals, while tanking the other slashes.

For a few minutes, their duel followed this pattern. As Nnoitra kept up his speedy offensive, Jinbe focused on solid defense. Scythes that could cleave skyscrapers were halted by hands that shook mountains.

At first, Nnoitra grinned at the sight of the Fishman's blood flowing into the water. In his eyes, the Straw Hat had been rendered unable to inflict any more damage on him. It was all the stupid Fishman could do to resist him.

But for some reason, Nnoitra didn't see even a flicker of despair in that damn mortal's eyes. He was the strongest Espada! Did hanging around with that weak whore Halibel give this insect the delusion of equality?! HOW THE HELL DID HE THINK HE WASN'T LOSING?!

"The fuck's your issue?!" Nnoitra hollered at Jinbe.

The Fishman merely raised an eyebrow. He'd been waiting for this. The moment where his opponent began to show unbalance.

"What are you talking about?" Jinbe evenly replied as he deflected two scythes at once.

"Why aren't you giving up?!" Nnoitra shrieked while spitting a Bala. "It's useless to even hope to beat me!"

"Useless?" Jinbe mused as he grabbed and squished the Bala into oblivion with a Haki-covered palm. "I simply can't afford to think in such a way."

"The fuck's that supposed to mean?" Nnoitra asked as vanished with Sonido and reappeared behind Jinbe.

"I simply have to win," Jinbe calmly refuted, sending a 5000 Brick Roundhouse Kick.

"You little pissant!" Nnoitra blocked with both left scythes.

Any hint of amusement was fading from the Arrancar's demeanor.

"You gonna start spouting shit about fighting for that crew of yours?" Nnoitra sneered.

"And what's so wrong with fighting for them?" Jinbe narrowed his eyes.

"Just shows how pathetic you are!" Nnoitra snarled as he charged forward again. "We don't need a reason to fight! There's no one worth standing up for! There's no cause worth a damn! The fight is all there is!"

Before the Arrancar reached him, Jinbe shook his head. "You really believe that, don't you?"

"The hell's that look for?!" Nnoitra shrieked, his four scythes all coming down at once.

Jinbe rushed inside the ex-Espada's guard, arms stretched across as he locked a blackened Shark Grip around Nnoitra's four wrists.

"Because it saddens me, knowing Halibel's world was that harsh," the Straw Hat glared down. "Harsh enough to reduce you to just a beast."

"Just a beast?" Nnoitra was unusually quiet. He'd heard those words before.

"Yes," Jinbe intoned at his most solemn. "Makes me grateful that Halibel made it…but you didn't."

"SHOVE YOUR PITY UP YOUR FUCKING ASS!"

"CRUNCH!"

"Blegh!" Jinbe coughed up blood and looked down.

Nnoitra had sprouted two more arms, and drove both through Jinbe's stomach.

"This is it for you!" Nnoitra proclaimed.


OoOoOoO


On the other side, Tsu fought to remain focused, knowing full well there was nothing she could do to help Jinbe. Besides, she had a good feeling that he didn't need it.

Alongside her, Juvia was unleashing a volley of Water Slicers.

Above the surface, Tesla blocked the Magic attacks with one arm, which was starting to noticeably bleed.

With his other arm, the Fracción charged up that signature move of all Hollows.

"Cero!"

The golden Reiatsu zoomed down, vaporizing the water on contact.

The girls quickly dodged, and began their strategy.

Juvia wrapped her Water Whip around Tsu again, and hurled her straight up.

Near instantly, Tsu appeared besides Tesla, fist extending towards him, the tip of her tongue still in the water.

"BALA!"

The Hollow managed to stop her charge, while inflicting a nasty wound on the side of her stomach. Sure that he was dealing with a weak human, Tesla felt this was enough.

Unfortunately for him, Tsu was powering through. Her tongue retracted at an alarming rate, and flung something above her.

Tesla slowly looked up, and saw Juvia directly above him.

"Water Nebula!" The double-helix of enchanted water slammed into Tesla, pushing him with such force that he crashed into the sea.

"We can't let him get back in the air," Tsu simply put it.

With two splashes, the two ladies descended around their foe.

"Just give up," Tesla hurled another Bala at Juvia, who simply parted in that Logia-like way of hers.

"No way!" Juvia passionately retorted.

Tsu swam back while Juvia brought both arms up.

"Hydro Screw!"

An absolutely immense cyclone surrounded Tesla, trapping him. In her first life, Juvia had needed the aid of others to even fuel this move. Now, she had gone beyond her limits. Or, 'Plus Ultra', as Tsu would put it.

Agitated, Tesla began wildly firing Balas at the cyclone, desperately trying to find either his opponent or an exit.

"2000 Brick Fist!" Tsu came zooming out of the cyclone, nailing Tesla in the small of his back.

"URK!" Tesla groaned as he backhanded the Superhero.

Tsu rolled with the strike, not caring about the bruise on her cheek, vanishing into the cyclone.

Now frantic, Tesla sped out with Sonido, forcing his way out of the cyclone.

Before he got far, Tsu's tongue wrapped around his ankle. Using the momentum gained from being in the cyclone, she yanked the Fracción back into the eye of Juvia's hurricane.

Disoriented, and with no obvious target for his anger, Tesla roared in fury.

"1000 Brick Tongue Bash!" Tsu's most versatile extremity shot from the cyclone like a bullet.

"Not this time!" Tesla managed to dodge and grab on, earning a pained groan from his foe. He then yanked Tsu forward.

With the force of Juvia's cyclone, combined with Tesla's own strength, Tsu went for broke.

"5000 BRICK STOMP!" She put everything she had in her powerful thighs!

"CRUNCH!" That would be the sound of Tesla's ribs breaking…and Tsu's own feet fracturing.

On top of the damage from the sheer physical force, Tsu's use of Fishman Karate did its job. Tesla's insides felt thoroughly scrambled.

With both internal and external damage, Tesla Lindocruz had been beaten, yet still alive. He'd reverted to his regular form, and was now floating on his back, unconscious.

Tsu kept herself afloat with her arms, her feet hanging limp. 'Huh…this is gonna suck…and there's the pain. How did Izuku deal with this his 1st year?!'

Juvia reformed besides her. "What should we do with him?"

Tsu put a finger to her chin, pondering. "I've got some 'Chakra-Restraint' seals from Sasori. I think they should work for Reishi."

She pulled it out, placing it on the prone Fracción.

Tsu paused. "Umm…I don't have any energy to activate this."

Juvia looked at her for a few seconds.

"…OH! Right!" Juvia applied a bit of Magic, and the seal seemed to work.

"Let's put him out of the way," Tsu decided. "Then, we'll need to get Hanataro and our ship out of danger."


OoOoOoO


Back outside the barrier, Nnoitra thought himself triumphant. He flashed an ear-splitting grin and began to cackle.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! That's right, just keel over and die like the weak mortal you are!"

"No."

A pause.

"The hell did you say? I've got two arms turning your bloated gut to mush!"

"I said…NO!"

Using all his strength, Jinbe kept his grip around Nnoitra's first four arms, and pushed down. Then, he managed to grab the last two arms, their hands still protruding from his back.

"The hell?!"

In truth, this had been Jinbe's plan all along. He'd been waiting for the moment where Nnoitra would be unhinged enough to start going all out, and reveal those two other arms. The Fishman had long accepted the necessity of serious pain to bring down someone as dangerous as an Espada.

Nnoitra attempted to pull back, belatedly realizing how vulnerable he was.

"STOP IT! BALA!" Nnoitra repeatedly fired point-blank Bala at Jinbe's chest.

The Fishman simply took it, with both Haki and his own incredible durability where he couldn't cover it. Without another word, Jinbe brought a foot up.

"15,000 BRICK HEEL!"

"RIP!"

Jinbe's Shark Grip stayed true, so all six of Nnoitra's arms were torn asunder. Bits of exoskeleton and muscle were dangling from the limbs.

The ex-5th Espada was flung backwards, skipping on the surface like a stone.

Not wasting a moment, Jinbe swam forward at the full speed of a mighty Fishman. While he was at it, he yanked both arms out of his stomach, and flung them aside with the others.

Midair, Nnoitra desperately tried to orient himself.

Suddenly, Jinbe was right beside him!

"CER…"

"DEMON BRICK FIST!"

The impact created an absolutely gargantuan shockwave felt by everyone else outside the barrier, a massive tsunami emanating from the epicenter that was an Espada.

"Guh…" Nnoitra gasped, all the air forced out of his lungs. Jinbe's fist impacted the Arrancar's chest. The shockwaves of Fishman Karate made a mess of his heart and lungs. The Hierro and skin tore where Jinbe made contact, exposing Nnoitra's innards.

The attack finished, Nnoitra's back slammed into the ocean.

Kisame braced himself from the tsunami, having headed over towards the Fishman. In response to his friend's show of almost-absurd physical might, he proved eloquent as always.

"Holy shit…"

Back at the epicenter, Jinbe stood unbending. He brought a hand to his stomach wound, brushing over the numerous Bala burns on his chest. Surveying his wounds, Jinbe decided that while he could still fight, he was officially on the clock until he could get to Hanataro.

"Hey, Shitstain!"

Jinbe's eyes widened.

"It's not over yet!" Nnoitra had clawed his way to the surface, but he wasn't looking too good at all. He'd only managed to regenerate his two middle arms, and out of that, only the right had a scythe. Panting, Nnoitra cradled his ravaged chest with his left.

"RAH!" the former 5th ran forward in the air, bringing his scythe down.

Completely silent, Jinbe merely sidestepped, gave a quick palm strike to the flat of the scythe, and karate-chopped the back of Nnoitra's neck.

As he fell, the Hollow managed to catch himself and swing his scythe again, forcing Jinbe to jump back.

"Get back here!" Nnoitra's expression contorted into an ugly grimace. "We ain't done!"

"Yes, it's over," Jinbe crossed his arms. "You've lost."

"NO!" Nnoitra gave another wild swing. "This is to the death!"

Seemingly without effort, Jinbe merely dodged again, and floored Nnoitra with a single punch.

"Not this fight," Jinbe had decided.

"HUH?!" Nnoitra got up yet again.

"Nnoitra Gilga, I have no intention of killing a beaten man."

"I'm. Not. BEATEN!" The Arrancar roared as he brought his scythe down on the Fishman.

"Why do you keep throwing yourself at me?" Jinbe asked, genuine befuddlement in clear in his tone. "You yourself said that neither friend nor cause was worth dying for."

"Because I fight for fighting's sake!" Nnoitra howled. "I am the strongest!"

Another swing of the scythe easily batted aside.

"Isn't there anything for you to live for?" Jinbe didn't know why he was going this far.

"Don't kid yourself!" Nnoitra continued ranting. "Hollows got no chance of salvation! That'll never change! It didn't with Aizen, and it definitely won't with these Gods! We're always going to kill and kill until it's last man standing! We don't DO mercy! I don't do mercy! And you have the gall to pity me?! DON'T YOU DARE HURT ME BY PITYING ME!"

This time, Jinbe put some 'oomph' in it as he punched Nnoitra's wound again.

"BLAGH!" More blood was coughed up.

This time, Nnoitra was finally knocked out, but not dead.

"Jinbe?"

Kisame walked up to the Fishman, Samehada beginning to relax by his side.

Jinbe turned. "The enemy fleet is gone?"

"Yeah," Kisame had a somber look as he saw the damage. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know," Jinbe barely spoke louder than a whisper. "I want Nnoitra to see just how wrong he is. About Hollows, redemption…everything. As Straw Hats, we mostly limited it to merely defeating our enemies. Our point had been made, and they never really bothered us again."

"…but," Kisame inferred.

"I have this horrid suspicion that Nnoitra Gilga is someone who will never change," Jinbe shook his head, seeming utterly disheartened at the mere concept. "And if I let him go, he'll make it his life's mission to hurt everyone I, and this crew, care about. Everyone he kills after today will be on my head."

That cold judgment he'd received from Bell-mere for the past few weeks came screaming to the forefront of his mind.

"I can't make that mistake. Not again."

The Fishman brought up a hand, but paused.

"You know, Nnoitra actually does want to die," Jinbe revealed. "I…I just don't get it. I don't understand him. I'm asking myself if this is really what can become of the Hollow race. I don't know what to do."

Before Jinbe could move, he felt a hand around his arm.

Kisame had an unusually contemplative expression. "And yet, knowing all of that," he surmised. "You still have absolutely no desire to kill him. I know you don't." The Ninja honestly sounded a bit confused by the concept, before letting out a sigh.

"You really are a good person, aren't you?"

Jinbe turned, wondering where Kisame was going with this.

"You know full well what I'd do," the ex-Akatsuki went on. "I've made no secret about the type of person I am. The things I've done."

Kisame looked down at Nnoitra.

"If you can't bring yourself to do it and ask me to finish him for you…I'll do it."

Jinbe let the slightest bit of shock leak out from his demeanor.

"Well, that is if you decide he has to die. But if you personally kill him, I'll be here for you too. If you let him go, I'll back you up. Whatever you decide here, I'll support it," Kisame vowed. "Just be honest that it's what YOU want to do."

Jinbe was honestly a bit stunned. After a moment, he gave a small smile.

"Thank you."

The Fishman's expression hardened.

"While my conscience might never be clear, my resolve is stronger now," Jinbe resolutely put it. He raised his hand, and began bringing it down.

"VVVVWWWWWOOOOOOOMMMMMM!"

All of a sudden, a massive wave of energy erupted from the Island of Khemenu.

"GET DOWN!" Kisame tackled Jinbe. Next moment, something glowing landed right where the Fishman had been floating.

It exploded on contact with the water; the sheer force of it sent Nnoitra's limp body flying. He landed in the debris left of Ares' fleet, somehow lucky enough to stay afloat and avoid drowning while unconscious.

Fishman and Ninja resurfaced, and were horrified at the sight in the sky.

The top of Thoth's barrier had begun to shatter.

One pyramid on the island seemed to be spawning a swirling sandstorm.

And Ares was laughing as he sent his biggest firestorm yet in the growing gap.

A blur moved to intercept.

"TIA!"


A Sinister Omake!

Throughout the Sea of Second Chances, new faces from a new world were making waves.

(On one island)

Enel and Candice Catnipp were pursuing their current object of interest. Lightning was surging across the city, and for once, they weren't the reason why.

"Who the hell are you?!" the lightning coalesced into the form of a bald man in spandex tights painted green with gold lightning.

"That's Candice to you, you dipshit!"

"And I am God Enel, and you have caught my interest." Enel casually teleported beside the man with his own Logia ability. "Now, who are you?"

"I'm Electro!" the Supervillain formerly known as Max Dillon shot a surge at the stranger's face. "And I'm the King of energy!"

"YAHAHAHA!" Enel reformed his head. "We shall see…"

(On another island)

"RAHH!"

"Pay-Pay! HEADS UP!"

"I know!" The Spinosaurus howled as he dodged their enemy.

Said enemy was bipedal, green, scaly, and MEAN!

"RAHH!" the stranger yelled at the two.

"Like Hell! Ulti-Meteor!" the Pachycephalosaurus brought her head back before ramming it in the enemy's side. The sound of ribs cracking echoed.

"You bitch!"

"Oh…so you CAN talk all of a sudden, huh?!" Ulti narrowed her eyes.

"Sis…don't forget! Cipactli wants us to take him alive!" Page One reminded her.

The Lizard, born as Curt Conners, snarled. "I won't take orders from an overgrown gator!"

"THE HELL YOU SAY?!" Ulti raged. And the fight was on!

(Elsewhere…)

Flint Marko was terrified out of his mind. He had tried EVERYTHING! It was supposed to be a simple job. Get the cash and boat he needed, and get out.

But then HE came. The Sandman had never been THIS outclassed before.

This wasn't a man Flint faced, but a force of nature. Over seven feet tall, he had a cruel expression as he casually shrugged off everything Sandman could throw. A nasty scar across his face didn't help the image. He even threw the exact same attacks back with more force!

Even as Flint ran back, the stranger's longer strides seemed to effortlessly keep up without a hint of sweat.

"SABLES!" Then a sandstorm completely surrounded Flint. Normally, this would've made things easy for the Supervillain. But this Sand…he had no ability to control.

"You see?" the stranger's deep voice echoed around him. "Compared to me, you're nothing."

A golden hook inched towards Marko's throat.

"But…you still have great potential. I admit, it's a unique experience seeing someone else with this power."

From the sand, Sir Crocodile of the Seven Warlords, Head of Baroque Works, and feared Pirate, reformed.

"Why don't you join up with me? I can teach you to bring your ability to greater heights."

Marko looked at the offered hand, and reached out.

(On yet ANOTHER Island)

Medusa Gorgon was actually being pushed back. The Alexandria had heard of an exceptionally talented scientist in the area, and come to investigate. She'd decided to handle this one on her own to get a break from the others, and was regretting that decision.

"With our crew, you could once again have the power of the sun, in the palm of your hand," the Witch offered.

A metal clawed tentacle to the face was enough of an answer. The sheer force was enough to push Medusa off the building they were fighting on. "WHAT IS THAT THING MADE OF?!" the witch felt compelled ask herself.

"CLUNK-CLUNK! CLUNK-CLUNK! CLUNK-CLUNK!" The four metal tentacles stomped forward at incredible speed. Dr. Otto Octavius knew a bad offer when he saw one, and frankly, Medusa reminded him too much of some of the more 'unsavory' characters he'd worked with before.

The infamous Doc Ock pushed Medusa to her limits.

"SHURORORORO!" The Supervillain instantly leaped back, barely avoiding the cloud of gas that sprung out of nowhere.

"Someone you can't handle by yourself?" Caesar Clown taunted his crewmate.

Unnoticed, Doc Ock took a sniff, eyes narrowing in recognition. He rummaged in his pocket, picked out something from the last time he hopped universes, and attached it to his harness.

BOOM! And his tentacles channeled the Arc Reactor into 4 MASSIVE LASERS!

"The Hell?!" Caesar blurted out as he struggled to reform.

"Sorry," Doc Ock shrugged before turning away. "Fingers slipped."

"What the HELL WAS THAT?!" Caesar shrieked.

But he never had the chance to ask, since Doc Ock had already vanished, managing to leave the sour taste of defeat for the Alexandria Scientists.

(I swear this is the last island!)

"My art will be enough for this mission!"

"Like hell!"

"I'd hate to interrupt this amusing sideshow," Kimblee stepped in between the arguing Deidara and Bambietta. "But someone's already did our job for us…"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"And they're still here," Kimblee finished.

"Itsy-bitsy Spider went up the water spout!

Down came the Goblin, took the spider out!"

The singer was on a strange metal glider, wearing a green bodysuit with bared teeth and yellow eyes.

"Well, well, well…if it isn't the infamous White Company," the Green Goblin proclaimed in that hammy voice of his. "You know…I'm something of a bomber myself."

He brought out an orange ball. "Now, LET'S SEE WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The poor island didn't stand a chance.


Omake: We found OceanLord!

"I can't believe this!" Kisame ranted. "No word from him in six months!"

"I'm sure there's a logical explanation," Jinbe tried calming his friends down.

"I just want to know what'll happen to us," Halibel mused as she led them down a path. "And we're here!"

"EN NOMINE PADRE, ET FILLI, ET SPIRITUS SANCTI, ET EVERYTHING ELSE!"

The Shark Trio was NOT prepared for what they saw.

OceanLord was sitting in a ritual circle, with five people sitting on the points of a pentagram overlaid on the circle. Momo Yaoyorozu, Sakura Haruno, Kisuke Urahara, Levy McGarden, and Edward Elric all seemed in a trance.

"Oh, mighty patron of history, lend us your strength, so that I may pass this semester of grad school!"

A resounding bass thrummed across the room.

"Oh, Goddess of Intelligence, let me channel the minds of these five prodigies, so that I may rise to the challenge."

5 golden lights went from the subjects, converging on OceanLord's forehead.

"Oh, my Queen of Knowledge! EMBRACE ME!"

Out of nowhere, Nico Robin materialized and hugged OceanLord. "I bless you," she whispered in his ear. "You shall prevail."

"YES!" OceanLord proclaimed.

The Shark Trio stood in total silence for awhile.

"What the hell did I just witness?" Kisame asked.

Jinbe could only shrug.

Halibel looked confused. "But…I thought I was OceanLord's waifu."


A.N. Happy New Year!

Alright, been a long time. I'll admit that I had a SERIOUS case of writer's block. Even now, I'm still not sure if I'm totally satisfied with this chapter. I will say this, whenever I had free time from my job and school, half the time I was totally dead. The other half, I was getting ideas TOTALLY UNRELATED to SoSC canon.

So, I've made a decision. To avoid a hiatus like this in the future, I'm going to start another story. It'll be a Naruto/Bleach crossover, starring the Akatsuki as the Gotei 13 Captains. Shout-out to Black Victor Cachat for basically being my brainstorm partner there! Plus, I'll also begin putting all my Omakes, AUs, One-Shots, and 'Funny ideas' for SoSC into one spot. Shout out to CoolCarnage for already doing something like that that inspired me there. Hopefully, me writing and posting those ideas will get the juices flowing for SoSC proper.

Work's still severely understaffed, but I managed to pass this semester with A's and a B…so things are looking up. Sorry for unloading my troubles.

Let me know what you thought of Jinbe vs. Nnoitra! It honestly felt good getting back into it with a fight with two such different people. And yeah…this isn't the last time they'll be facing off! Plus, I hope that bit at the end with him and Kisame made sense.

And I hope y'all don't mind me letting Tsu and Juvia shine as well.

Also, yes…I FINALLY saw Spider Man: NWH. And I LOVED it! Granted, anyone who knows me knows what a 'Villain fanatic' I am…so I guess it's expected! LOL!

Til Next Time…Have Fun! Stay Safe!