Siegfried VS Siegfried! Who will win!?
(spoilers: Siegfried)
One Piece: Bounty Seven
Chapter Ten: Rainbow Chameleon, Part 3
Of all the opponents Siegfried thought he might face in the Grand Line, himself hadn't been one of them. At least not physically, anyway.
But he'd have to remember that you couldn't expect anything from this sea; after all, here he was, facing a perfect duplicate of himself.
...well, not really.
Siegfried put his hands in his pockets. Gaikan did the same. Siegfried took them out, and adjusted his sunglasses. Again, Gaikan mirrored the action. Siegfried frowned. So did Gaikan.
"Well, this is a little irritating." said Siegfried.
Gaikan nodded. "I agree. The presence of two criminals is rather irritating, especially when one of them-"
"No, no," Siegfried interrupted, "not about that. Your impression of me. It's...well, bad."
"...w-what?" Gaikan stammered. He hadn't been expecting this.
Neither had Asakura. "Is he honestly going to...well, of course he is."
Siegfried nodded. "You heard me. Bad. Below average. Inadequate. Mediocre. Etcetera, etcetera."
He held up a finger. "Your appearance is perfect, I'll grant you, but all your other aspects are mere shadows of what they would be on me. Your demeanor is nowhere near as fluid as mine, and your speech isn't even half as nuanced or sophisticated.
Your chivalry could also use some work, judging from what was going on when I showed up. Hmmm, what else..."
Siegfried held out his arm in front of himself as Gaikan suddenly leapt at him, swinging a kick forward. It collided against Siegfried, and the two stalemated for the moment.
"Oh well. I kept him busy long enough." thought Siegfried. ""Thanks for the heads-up, Asakura. You were right; he can only duplicate my physical abilities."
"You should be careful all the same, Siegfried." replied Asakura. "Along with mine, your body has the greatest athletic ability of anyone on board. And unlike me, and a good deal of other shinobi, you fight with your bare hands rather than tools, and your strength with them is considerable. I would still hesitate to call him a threat, however. He is a coward, unused to direct combat."
Siegfried nodded. "But just because he has my body doesn't mean he can utilize it fully. I hope you don't mind if I handle this myself - no offense to you, but this narrow hallway and your fighting style don't mix."
Not waiting for a response, the bounty hunter moved. Calling upon his telekinesis, Siegfried shoved outward with it, forcing Gaikan's leg backward. The rogue shinobi hopped backward as it was, to avoid falling over entirely.
However, Siegfried was already rushing at him. He drew back his left fist. "Geist..."
"FAUST!" Gaikan finished, mirroring the attack exactly. The two punches collided, and it was immediately clear who got the worst of it, if Gaikan's expression was anything to go by. Siegfried had to wince, if only because it was his face.
However, the expression of pain suddenly changed to a sneer. "Kamen Ninjitsu; Kamereon Koutai!"
The right side of Gaikan's waist suddenly shimmered, revealing a portion of his real body. Strapped to his belt there were several vials and cannisters containing dangerous looking fluids.
Quick as a snake, Gaikan quickly snatched one off - the illusion shifting back into place as he did so - and threw it at the bounty hunter.
Even though he had been expecting it, Siegfried couldn't quite dodge. The most he could do was shift his arm back into a defensive position, to block the vial and whatever deadly cargo it held.
But when the vial hit his coat's arm, it shattered, the glass comprising it apparently being quite brittle. As the shards fell everywhere, too small to do any harm, the liquid within fell upon his coat - and immediately began to seep through, literally burning through the fabric like a miniature forest fire. Siegfried clapped a hand to the exposure quickly, but it was too late to do anything; within seconds, the liquid had reached his shirt, and finally his skin.
Siegfried had expected a burning sensation. The fluid was obviously a powerful acid, after all, with the speed it had burnt through his clothing. But there was nothing. Perhaps the effect was a delayed one? He shifted his gaze carefully to the hole, keeping his gaze on Gaikan as he did so.
His eyes widened as he saw that the liquid had disappeared. "What?"
Abruptly, the arm Siegfried had guarded with fell out of place, hanging limp at his side. The bounty hunter tried to shift the limb, but that was a futile effort; it had gone completely numb.
A rustle of movement caught his eye, and he sidestepped to avoid Gaikan rushing him, now with a dagger in hand. Withdrawing the blade after the failed strike, Gaikan thrust the knife forward again, but Siegfried snapped out his good hand and grabbed hold of the blade, stopping it cold.
"Sorry," said Siegfried, leaning in close to his doppleganger's face, "but I'm as good with this hand as I am with the other. I'll just have to punch you twice as hard, to compensate."
"Oh, that's fine," Gaikan breathed back, "I have enough Colar Poison on me to get your other arm and your legs, with enough left over for the little birdy. Maybe even for her mouth, too."
Grttitng his teeth, Siegfried thrust out with one knee, trying to nail Gaikan in the stomach. Gaikan saw it coming however - he had an affinity for low blows - and dodged backward easily, tossing his knife at Siegfried as he did so.
The bounty hunter dodged the thrown weapon easily, but that didn't seem to matter to Gaikan, who opened his hand and dropped something held in it to the floor.
With a loud bang, the small object burst, sending out a cloud of smoke that quickly filled the corridor. The crew looked around wildly, some of them beginning to cough. The smoke filtered out well enough by her mask, Asakura continued to watch. She held a kunai in one hand, but so far hadn't seen a good opportunity to use it, and one wouldn't appear anytime soon with this smoke around.
Siegfried took a cautious step backward and looked around warily, anticipating whatever attack Gaikan was about to execute.
He didn't have to wait very long. The sound of a shoe on the floor came from directly behind him. He quickly turned...
...but, unfortunately, reacting to an attack made by someone who can move just as fast as you is a bit...difficult. So this time, there was no hand to grab the knife, and the blade struck true in his flesh - not in his back, which had been Gaikan's intended target, but his shoulder. Even as pain ran up and down his arm, Siegfried continued his turn, wresting the blade from Gaikan's grasp as he did so. He pulled back his fist, ready to smash it into his own face-
Only to find it wasn't his face he was confronted with; it was Asakura's. Or at least her mask.
The bounty hunter's fist stopped. Siegfred grit his teeth, a frustrated expression growing on his face.
"Oh? What's the matter?" Gaikan said, chuckling. His voice coming out of Asakura's face was a bit...disconcerting, to say the least. He watched as Siegfried withdrew his arm, his disguise's mouth spreading in a nasty grin. "Don't tell me you're one of those idiots that can't hit a woman, are you?"
"Isn't that convenient!"
Rushing at Siegfried, Gaikan unleashed a flurry of blows upon the bounty hunter. They had little finesse and no skill behind them, so Siegfried was able to counter or block most of them, even with a paralyzed arm. But as long as the rogue shinobi held his companion's face, he seemed unwilling to directly attack him.
Suddenly, Gaikan swung upward with a fierce kick, hitting Siegfried square in the fork of his legs. Even if he was a former marine, no amount of training could quite prepare him for a blow like that, and his legs went weak, knees shuddering.
Before Siegfried could retreat or recover, Gaikan brought his leg back and then thrust it forward once more, kneeing Siegfried right in the chest. His legs already weak from the previous blow, the bounty hunter was bowled over, and in a moment Gaikan was upon him, pinning him to the floor.
Another knife was in his hand, and a new grin on his face. But the position he was in also left the rogue shinobi with a large opening, and Siegfried's arms were still free.
"Geist FAUST!"
Gaikan grunted as the blow hit him square in the stomach. But then he grinned. "You're strong, I'll admit...but you've only got the one arm!"
A stroke from the knife, and Siegfried's coat, shirt, and arm all tore open down the side, expelling blood. It was a shallow cut, but one that would interfere with Siegfried's use of the arm - and considering the status of his other, that wasn't a good thing.
Smirking, Gaikan drew back his knife. "If you like her that much, then why don't I let her real face be the last thing you see?"
With his free hand, the rogue shinobi reached up and grasped hold of Asakura's mask. He began to push it upward...
When, suddenly, two things hit him at once: from the front came Siegfried's fist, hitting him in the stomach again. It was with less force than before, but Gaikan didn't really notice, due to the kunai that had just pierced his back.
Gaikan screamed and flinched from the attack. But his tenacity overcame the pain, and he struck outward with his knife, aiming straight for Siegfried's throat. He'd kill this annoying bastard, and then deal with the birdie. Those idiots would spoon up anything he told them, as long as he said it with his face.
But Siegfried was faster. Rising quickly, he slammed his forehead into Gaikan's with a resounding crack, sending the rogue shinobi reeling backward.
Now free, Siegfried quickly rose, and not willing to miss an opening, he charged. "Geist Geburh!"
Gaikan let out a choked noise as Siegfried's elbow hit him in the windpipe, slamming him back against the wall with a thud. His disguise's shimmered from the blow, before changing back to Siegfried's.
The psychic had expected the blow to, if not knock him out, at least stun him for a moment. But Gaikan, like a particularly tenacious worm, was tougher than he appeared. His hands suddenly snapped out and closed around Siegfried's throat like a vice. At the same time, he kicked Siegfried hard in the knee as well, driving him backward and getting his elbow off his neck.
Siegfried let out a gulp and grit his teeth, as his air was slowly cut off by the choke hold. But he snatched upward with his own good hand, and grabbed one of Gaikan's wrists. Now it was the shinobi's turn to feel pain, as the pressure Siegfried put on his arm was tremendous. If he let up for a moment, it would undoubtedly be broken.
Again Gaikan's foot came up, kicking Siegfried in the side. The bounty hunter responded with a tripping attempt, and the two began to whirl around, each of the combatants attempting to gain the upper hand on the other.
By this time the smoke had cleared, and the crew had resumed watching the battle intently. Both of them looked identical, so they had no way of knowing which of them was the imposter and which was real. And the fake Siegfried was the murderer? But both of them had said that...this was confusing.
Asakura, meanwhile, had drawn another kunai and was looking at the battle intently. She moved her arm back, preparing to throw the missile...but then lowered it, gritting her teeth. With both combatants looking exactly alike, she had a fifty-fifty chance of hitting Gaikan. And if she hit Siegfried in this kind of situation, it would be all over for him...
"Indecision doesn't suit you, Asakura." Siegfried suddenly spoke up in her mind. "Go ahead and throw. I'll be fine, I promise."
The shinobi hesitated. "But...if I miss..."
"You won't. I trust you, Asakura."
It was those four words that did it. She bowed her head. "...why say that? Fool."
And then her arm snapped up, hurling the kunai toward the Siegfried that was choking the other.
It was a clean throw, and the projectile flew directly at the young man's side. But things rarely ever go exactly the way you plan them, and this situation was not exempt from that. Therefore, it felt very natural that the two fighters chose the last possible moment to turn again, causing the kunai to hit the other Siegfried instead, impaling his side and sticking there.
The young man flinched and let out a cry of pain, releasing his hold on his opponent's arm and letting his own drop down, motionless.
A smile played across the other Siegfried's face, and as Asakura watched with dread, it changed into a nasty smirk.
Gaikan turned to her, looking very pleased with himself. Even though he hadn't planned that at all. "Not very good aim, murderer." he said, still imitating Siegfried. "Seems like your own plan backfired on you. How poetic."
It looked like the rogue shinobi would start laughing like he always had, disguise be damned. Gaikan was so satisfied, in fact, that he had let up his grip on Siegfried's throat for the moment. This was unfortunate.
"...you know." said a voice nearby. Gaikan quickly turned back, his expression changing instantly from confident satisfaction to complete shock.
Siegfried's eyes moved across Gaikan's imitation of his body before looking back up at him. He smiled. "I must say again, your disguise is really quite something." The smile then turned upside down. "But with all these wounds, it's no longer very accurate, is it?"
Before Gaikan could strengthen his grip around Siegfried's throat again, the bounty hunter's hand moved, plucking the dagger out of his side before ramming it into Gaikan's with all the strength he could muster.
Siegfried watched as the shinobi let out a scream of pure agony, his hands dropping away from his throat as he collapsed to the floor.
He nodded. "There. That's much better, don't you think?"
Gaikan's disguise shimmered, and the image vanished, finally revealing him for what he was: a thin, weedy looking young man in a purple bodysuit. On his face was a mask resembling a chameleon, clearly made by whoever had crafted Asakura's own.
Reaching over, he tried to tug the kunai out of himself as Siegfried had done; futilely, as he was no longer anywhere near as strong as Siegfried.
Siegfried sighed, listening to Gaikan's pitiful whimpers. "Calm down. You're not going to die from a wound like that."
Gaikan's eyes turned up to look at him, and behind the mask his eyes shone with anger. Siegfried's posture made it quite clear what he'd do if Gaikan tried to act on it, but that didn't stop his mouth.
"You...really think you've won, don't you? Maybe...but I can still make you regret ever helping her! Kamen Ninjitsu; Kamereon Koutai!"
Quickly, Gaikan leapt to his feet, face shifting to mimic Asakura's once more. He turned to the crew and spread his arms. "All of you! Watch closely!"
Asakura watched, eyes widening, as he lifted his hand up to the mask, preparing to remove it. She swiftly drew another kunai, but even a direct hit wouldn't stop him.
Siegfried's fist did, however. It slammed straight into the mask and shattered the illusion before Gaikan could lift it up further than the mouth. As the blow knocked him backward, the bounty hunter unballed his hand and grabbed him by the mask, dragging the murderer to the ground underneath him.
Siegfried leaned in close. "In case you can't tell, that performance earlier was just a lie. Of course I wouldn't pull my punches for a disguise; how stupid do you think I am?"
He pulled back one fist. "But you were right. I have won."
Gaikan's face turned to panic. "No, d-don't! I surrender!"
Siegfried paused, and smiled calmly. "Well. Seems like you're the one hiding now, aren't you?
"GEIST KANONE!"
The fierce punch and the shockwave it sent out both smashed straight into Gaikan, pulverizing the master of disguise and knocking him out instantly.
Siegfried rose - resisting the urge to hit the unconscious murderer again - and walked over to the crew. A moment passed, and then he jabbed his thumb back toward Gaikan's prone form. "Don't just stand there. He's the one behind all of this, so take him to the brig, or whatever room you use for that."
The tone in Siegfried's voice and the expression in his eyes spurred the crew on, and they moved forward to secure Gaikan, taking care to avoid Asakura.
Siegfried turned to his companion, about to say something, but the shinobi simply brushed past him and walked down the corridor without a word.
The bounty hunter frowned. "Asakura..."
After quickly explaining the situation to Captain Tenille, Siegfried went back to his room. He had supplies in his luggage to staunch the bleeding, and the feeling in his arm was already returning.
Opening the door to his room, he wasn't particularly surprised to find Asakura sitting on the bed.
"You really should stop doing this, Asakura." Siegfried said jokingly, shutting the door. "It's quite unladylike."
Asakura stood up, motioning to the bed. "Sit down."
Before Siegfried could make another joke, he saw that she was holding gauze wrap and disinfectant in her hands. He complied, and Asakura sat down next to him. Gently, she took off his jacket and shirt, before setting them neatly nearby. Then she tended to the cuts, first spreading the gel across the wound and then wrapping the gauze over them. For his part, Siegfried was a compliant patient, accepting the treatment calmly and patiently.
"...I am sorry, Siegfried." Asakura said when she done. Siegfried's eyes widened - she sounded on the verge of tears.
"If not for me, you would never have received these wounds." she continued, her usual stoic tone overtaken with sadness and remorse. She balled her fists in her lap. "I have also lied to you. I did not completely tell you of my duty as a shinobi."
Siegfried didn't turn around. "Then tell me, then, if you feel you have to."
Asakura nodded, and began to speak, her voice taking on the tone one takes when discussing unpleasant matters they'd much rather not. "As I said before, my village is made up of many families, each of them different in size and strength. On the surface, all of these shinobi work together for the benefit of both the village and the world. But underneath, that is not the case. Each family in the village contains at least one schemer, all of them plotting to further their clan's own agenda, and to increase their standing and power within the village. Other shinobi often serve as pawns in these machinations...even their own families, if necessary. As a result of this, relations between the families can be very strained.
"In the face of all of this underlying pressure, many shinobi-in-training simply cannot take anymore. They decide that instead of helping the world or their village, they will help themselves. Many of them use their talents for...less noble purposes. Gaikan was one of these. Knowing that people with such abilities would be a great danger to the rest of the world if left unchecked, the village long ago instituted a special class; the Hunter Shinobi. That is what I am - someone who tracks down and captures those who break the laws of the village."
Siegfried nodded. "I see." He leaned back, pulling his legs up onto the bed. "But lots of things are complicated deep down, Asakura. That's certainly unfortunate, but that situation isn't so unique."
The female shinobi seemed unconvinced. "Not everything is relatable to you, Siegried."
"No, really." Siegfried replied. "The situation you just described fits Greiger Academy almost to a T. Everyone there was always doing anything and everything they could to get a leg up on the competition, which was anyone that wasn't you. The teachers encouraged it, too; good mental training. Hah, thinking of it makes me feel nostalgic."
Realizing he was starting to ramble, Siegfried got back on topic. "My point is, Asakura, that if you put enough people within arm's reach of a goal shared by them all, then that kind of survival game will be created eventually. Trying to stand on other people's heads in order to reach up and grab the treasure...the race to be Pirate King is a good example of that. But I'm sure you have more to say, Asakura, so please continue."
The young woman bowed her head. "That was...not the first time I have failed. Several years before, an...inaction on my part caused a great tragedy for the village."
She looked at Siegfried. "Gaikan told you things about me, didn't he? They are more or less true, though I wish that were not so. Ever since that failure, I have always felt that the people in the village have doubted me. And it is not just them; whenever I meet anyone new, I always find myself thinking: 'do they trust me? Do they believe in me?' And the answer I come up with...is always no. That is why I became a Hunter Shinobi - so that one who failed the village can attend to those that also have."
She stood up. "That is my duty...and yet, all Gaikan had to do was exploit a childish weakness of mine, and I was rendered helpless. You were forced to step in, and fight my battle for me."
Asakura walked to the door. "That is why I will not trouble you with my presence any longer. You will be hurt again if I remain with you, and having an incompetent teammate will only slow you down. Goodbye, Siegfried."
She opened the door, but stopped when Siegfried's hand gripped her shoulder. "What are you doing? Let go."
"I don't think I will." the bounty hunter replied. "You must not have a good memory, Asakura, because as I recall it you saved my life at least twice during that fight."
"A battle you wouldn't have experienced if not for me." Asakura countered.
Siegfried frowned. "What is it, then? You think needing help from a friend makes you weak? I meant what I said about trusting you, Asakura; Greiger Island doesn't turn out liars. And since you agreed to help me, it's only fair that I help you. If you think you have no worth, then I'll help you find it. If you think there's no-one that believes in you, then I'll help you find people that do. That won't be hard: you already have one right now."
A moment passed, and then Asakura turned around. "And what if I do not want this? What will you do then?"
A smirk appeared on Siegfried's lips. "Then I'll just follow you until you change your mind. So either way you'll be troubling me."
Another pause came, this one seeming longer than the last, and then Asakura smiled faintly. "I see. Very well then, Siegfried. I will give you a chance to show those things to me. And perhaps by journeying with you, I can become stronger. Strong enough that I do not end up like that again.
"Or," she added, gesturing to the wound in his side, "wound an ally with my weapons, either."
Siegfried blinked. "Oh. About that..."
Asakura's slowly narrowed. "Yes? Go on."
The bounty hunter shrugged, trying to avoid looking "Well, do you remember what I did with the kunai after it hit me? That was my plan in the event it did. If it didn't, well, it didn't."
Asakura bowed her head. Siegfried could tell she wasn't pleased. "Another plan of your's...that I wasn't informed of."
"I was being choked."
"And I was worried!" Asakura said, raising her voice. "I thought you were about to be-"
At that moment, there came a knock on the door. Siegfried manuevered around Asakura and opened it to find a crew member standing there. His face had the look of someone about to give bad news.
"Uh, Mr. Siegfried?" he asked hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"Well, about that guy who was really the murderer...he, uh, escaped from the brig, sir."
Siegfried facepalmed.
"Do you want us to look for him, sir? With all the wounds he has, I doubt he'll be that hard to find."
The bounty hunter shook his head. "No, don't bother. He's probably already left the ship. I doubt he'll be stupid enough to come back here, though, so you can tell the captain there's nothing more to worry about."
The crewmate nodded, and then ran off to go do just that.
Shutting the door, Siegfried found himself faced with a blank room.
"Someday I'll figure out how she does that. I really will."
Later that day, when dusk was beginning to creep at the edges of the sky, Gaikan trudged up a hill on a far-away island. The isle in question was a Summer Island, so the sun shone brightly down onto the rogue shinobi. He gritted his teeth.
"Figures he'd be here. He loves the sun...tch, this heat's making my skin crawl."
Reaching the top, he took a moment to catch his breath before walking forward. The hill lead up to a cliff overlooking the ocean. There, laying down on a large rock and looking out at the ocean, was his employer.
"Gaikan-san," he called out pleasantly from behind the rock, "I see you have returned."
The chameleon shinobi stiffened slightly at this. Granted, he hadn't exactly been quiet coming up the hill, but it was still unnerving to have your presence announced like that. Especially considering his employer hadn't budged an inch, as if sunbathing was more important to him than Gaikan currently was. Which, the disguise artist reminded himself, was probably true since he had come back without the birdie.
"I see that Asakura is not with you." his employer, his tone turning unhappy. "That is unfortunate. I am very sorry I sent you out on a mission beyond your capability."
Gaikan grit his teeth. "Well, it wasn't exactly my fault. See, Asakura had this-"
"Oh, there is no need to waste your time explaining, Gaikan-san. I saw everything."
The employer paused, perhaps to allow Gaikan a moment to realize that he was now very, very dead.
"I - I can explain." he stammered. Behind him, there came the sounds of two people suddenly appearing out of thin air.
"There is no need, Gaikan-san." his employer replied. "I fully understand everything that happened on that boat."
He sighed. "Perhaps it is my fault, for not being specific enough. It is a little late now, but allow me to repeat my request."
As the two newcomers approached until they were just behind Gaikan, the young man on the rock began to recite. "'Please locate Asakura, and use any method you can to make her accompany you back to me.'"
Another sigh came from him. "It is possible, I suppose, that you assumed I meant only physical pain, and that what happened was merely an honest blunder on your part."
"...but then I remember the laughter in your voice, and the joy in your eyes while you did those things to her. I remember...and my patience disappears like a puff of smoke."
At that moment, he disappeared from the rock.
Gaikan turned, even as he heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed. He was quick, to his credit. But even a speedy lizard cannot evade a particularly determined falcon, and this case was no different.
The young man turned his back as the rogue shinobi was hurled through the air, a large amount of blood spurting from a massive wound on his chest. He spun three times before he disappeared below the cliff, the sound of a quiet splash could be heard soon after.
The late Gaikan's employer sighed as he sheathed the blade. "I really did not want to do that. But now that I have seen his true colors, I think it was the only correct action."
"There was no need for you to stain your blade, Akatsuki-sama." spoke one of the two figures. "Either of us would have gladly slew him for you."
"Indeed," rumbled the other, "you gave that snake the benefit of a doubt, and entrusted him with such an important task...and then he repaid you by trying to do something like that. Such a quick death was too-"
Akatsuki held up one finger. "Please, stop. It is improper to speak ill of the dead. And I would not have any of my friends become a murderer before I, even if it is to kill one."
He walked over and climbed back up on the rock. Amazingly, not a single drop of blood had spilled upon it.
"And," Akatsuki added, "Gaikan-san did accomplish one thing; Asakura now knows I wish to see her. Next time, I will send one of you to meet with her; perhaps that will work out better."
"I agree." the second figure nodded. "Once she learns of our cause, she will surely join us!"
"Perhaps. Perhaps not." Akatsuki shrugged, and leaned back again. "I would be satisfied just seeing her again."
Sensing that their leader would like to be alone again, the two figures quietly disappeared once more.
Akatsuki look out across the horizon. "Asakura...I hope you are well."
To be continued...
Next time, on One Piece: Bounty Seven!
Marine: He's a merciless killer! I've heard that he's more beast than man!
???: If you don't do it, he'll kill me for sure! Please!
Asakura: Hmm. Rumors about this man are in abundance, it seems.
The Black Cat Approaches, Part 1
???: You don't have a clue who you're messing with. Heh, you don't have a prayer, either.
Attacks
Siegfried
Geist Geburh - German for 'Mind Charge'.Siegfried employs his telekinesis like a ram, charging forward and hitting his foe with his arm or elbow. As shown here, this technique has a powerful knock-back capacity.
Gaikan
Kamen Ninjitsu; Kamereon Koutai - Japanese for "Disguise Ninjitsu; Chameleon Shift". This ninjitsu casts what amounts to a hard-light projection over the user, granting them the appearance of one person, as well as their physical capabilities. Both of these vary depending on how far away the user is from the person they are imitating, and the disguise can be broken through a powerful enough blow.
Coral Poison - A vial containing extracted poison from a Coral Snake, whose venom can paralyze a grown human, if it doesn't kill them outright. This version has been modified to specifically target limbs.
OPFan - Through...training.
Or if you prefer, because this story takes place in a universe where physics have a...tenuous grasp on reality.
The Dude of Doom - Well, he'd better! And thank you!
Shinobi-dono - Well, I hope you didn't too attached to Gaikan, since now he's sort of...dead. The natural hazard of being a villain, I guess. And here's some more foreshadowing, too. As always, thank you for the review.
Until next time, see you. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, a Kick-Ass Kwanza, and anything else that might apply to you. And if I don't get another chapter out before then (which is probable) then have a Happy New Year as well.