Up in the base's foyer, Brandy suddenly lifted his head and looked at one of the side doors leading out of the room. "Huh?"
The seamen with him blinked, and also looked...but there was (seemingly) nothing there.
Brandy then turned and looked behind him. "Yo."
Frank blinked, surprised. "Oh. H-hello." he said, sounding like a child who's been caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
Brandy pointed at the ninja's shoulder, which Ryoga was slung carefully over. "Guess you're returning him, huh?"
The shinobi looked apolegetic. "W-well, his arm seems to be broken, a-and we couldn't just leave him-"
Brandy silenced him with a wave of his hand. "No problem, I get it. Lay him down here."
Frank complied, setting the marine down as gently as he could. He tried to avoid Brandy's gaze; the older man made him nervous, somehow.
"That's fine right there." Brandy said in a friendly tone. "Thanks. Now, you better get back to what you were doing."
The masked man blinked. "Huh?"
"It's important, right?" Brandy said, smiling. "So get back to doing it."
Something about the marine's eyes encouraged Frank. He even saluted! "Yes sir!"
Then, with a quick movement of his feet, the shinobi started on his way back. Once he was out of eyesight, however, he promptly collapsed into smoke.
The assembled marines stared; they weren't quite sure what to make of the scene they'd just witnessed. Then they gave a collective shrug. Even if this wasn't the Grand Line, in the kind of world they lived in you were bound to see at least one bizarre thing in your lifetime. It was just fortunate that this one had been harmless.
"Nice guy," mused Brandy to himself, "shame all those guys can't be so friendly."
From right nearby came a voice. "I heard that, Brandy." growled Raven.
"Yeah. I know."
One Piece: The Skull Pirates
Chapter Sixteen: Jack VS Helsing! The End of Ambition and Tyranny!
"FOUND YOU!"
Helsing paused momentarily, frowning. Then he rose from his position - crouched near an alcove in a wide cave at the end of his escape tunnel - and turned around.
Naturally, Jack was there. "Finally cornered you...you...bas..."
He bent over, gasping for air. Running through all those traps had exhausted him; were all of those necessary, really?
Helsing turned back to his previous position. "Take all the time you want. I'm not going anywhere."
"Thanks...thanks a lo - HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!"
Jack suddenly overcame his lung problems and pointed a finger at the corrupt captain's back. "You're Helsing, aren't you!? I've been looking for you, you dirty rat!"
"Really." said Helsing somewhat irritably. "It seems like I've become a popular person as of late."
He turned back around again, giving Jack a quick once over. "You're not a marine, and unless there's a special breed I'm unaware of, I highly doubt you're a merman either."
Taking the cue, Jack jabbed his thumb toward himself, grinning. "That's right, I'm not either of those things: I'm a pirate! I, Captain of the Skull Pirate crew, Jack Bones, have come to kick your ass!"
"Never heard of you."
Jack facefaulted. "Dammit, Why do people keep saying that!?"
Helsing shrugged. "Because you're a nobody? That wouldn't particularly surprise me, if you act this idiotic all the time."
Instead of getting angry, Jack just sneered. "I'd rather be a good guy and be a nobody than be famous for the kind of stuff you've done."
He cracked his knuckles, grinning. "And anyway...after I take you down, everybody's gonna know who I am! Now, are you gonna come quietly, or will this have to get...huh?"
As he said this last sentence, Jack had taken a step forward, and rather than the familiar firmness of the cave floor, he felt the ground...squelch underneath his feet.
He looked downward to see that the area between the tunnel's exit and Helsing had been coated with a viscous looking black liquid. Oil.
"What the..." Jack tried to pull his leg back, but it was useless; he was stuck fast.
"So, you're going to 'kick my ass', hm?" asked Helsing. "You'll excuse me if I'm skeptical of that, when you can't even be bothered to check for traps."
He watched as Jack continued to tug at his leg, trying to loose it from the oil. He sighed. "This is truly shameful."
Letting his walking stick fall to the floor, Helsing reached into his pocket, and withdrew a small ornate-looking box. Flipping it open, he retrieved one of several cigars. Fitting it to his mouth, he replaced the box and then pulled out another, far simpler one: a box of matches.
Seeing them, Jack redoubled his efforts, for all the good it did him.
Lighting the match and fitting it to the cigar, Helsing breathed in. "Ah...it's a bad habit, I know, but I can't help but want one of these after I do something particularly satisfying...or even just before."
With a swift, easy movement, he raised his fingers to the cigar and flicked it toward the layer of oil.
Jack continued to struggle, as the wrapped lump of tobacco slowly flew toward him. And then, just before it hit, something occurred to him.
"Oh...oh yeah."
Helsing smiled as the oil went up in a roaring bonfire. No-one could survive something like that.
"He'll probably begin screaming in a moment or two. Oh well. He won't be heard by anyone this far back."
Then, there suddenly came a whistling in the air, and Helsing quickly ducked to avoid a spinning fist that whizzed by his head.
He turned to watch as Jack landed - holding his shoes in his teeth - and the pirate's hand reconnected with the rest of him.
"So, you have a Devil Fruit power." Helsing said calmly. "I suppose I should have expected; when people look like you, they generally aren't up and walking around."
Jack grinned. "Yeah, that's right. I ate the Doku Doku no Mi, so now I'm a skull man!"
"Ah," said Helsing, "how very quaint."
Suddenly, his leg snapped upward, kicking his walking stick up into his waiting hands. Then with a quick motion, he snapped it outward at Jack. "Oil Line."
The top end of the piece of wood suddenly popped off - but underneath wasn't a hollow space, but more oil, which flew out at the pirate like a snake.
Fortunately, the distance between the two made dodging the attack trivial, and Jack did so with a quick roll to the left. As he came up, though, he promptly had to do a standing leap to avoid the oil snake when Helsing swung the cane in that direction.
The marine repeated the motion immediately after, but Jack could see where this was going, and he didn't want to follow. Leaping into the air again, he promptly shoved himself downward when the trail was beneath him. "Doku Doku no Stomp!"
A Liquid generally can't withstand the impact of a Solid, and the oil was no different. A significant portion of it splashed to the ground under Jack's foot before Helsing was able to draw it back within his cane.
"A hidden weapon," Jack breathed, "that's dirty fighting, 'Captain'."
"Oh, my." said Helsing in feigned shock. "A pirate is accusing me of trickery?"
His voice returned to normal. "Well, yes, one could say I do prefer a more...pragmatic approach to combat. And why shouldn't I? The average enemy of a marine couldn't care less about what was 'honorable'. They cheat. They sucker punch. They backstab...
...they lower your guard with an attack aimed to miss."
Just as Jack realized where he was still standing, Helsing tapped one shoe on the cavern floor. "Oil Geyser!"
"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" The oil below the Captain of the Skull Pirate's feet abruptly exploded, sending him flying straight upward. Helsing smiled in satisfaction as Jack's head smashed into the low roof, the skull man tumbling to the floor shortly after.
The corrupt captain leisurely strode up to Jack's prone body. "You've likely realized by now that I have a Devil Fruit power as well. It is known as the Seki Seki no Mi, and it grants me the ability to produce and control Oil." He held up his free hand, oil oozing out of his fingers. "And before you ask, yes, I am well aware of the irony."
Casually, he pulled back his cane. The oil inside began to writhe and coil, like a nest of snakes. It thrust out, aiming for Jack's heart...
...only for Jack's body to split apart, his limbs flying everywhere so that the oil hit nothing but air.
Helsing quickly whirled around to see Jack recombine in midair. Quickly, the Skull Pirate sent both his fists flying out toward the corrupt marine captain. The fists rotated mid-flight, aiming toward the man's face and stomach.
"Oil Net." said Helsing calmly, bringing his palms flat together before spreading them out wide. Linking between each of his fingers and thumbs was a thin strand of oil, and all together they did indeed resemble a fishing net. Quickly, Helsing brought it up between the flying fists and himself.
Having landed, Jack grimaced. It was too late to change the trajectory of his limbs, or to call them back. They hit the net, quickly losing the momentum they'd collected and getting tangled within the 'oil ropes'. On the other side of it, Helsing smiled at Jack smugly.
The skull pirate growled, calling at the limbs with his Devil Fruit power. The fists tugged backward, sluggishly at first, but finally pulled free of the net and flew back toward Jack.
Helsing, for his part, didn't seem concerned, dispersing the net and sending the oil slithering back into his fingers.
Jack grinned as his fists snapped back onto his arms. "Okay, now you're in for -"
The marine captain raised a finger and snapped it. "Oil Bomb."
"BWAH!" Jack yelled in pain as the oil that covered his body quite literally exploded, sending him flying backward into the wall. His teeth slammed together as he collided with the rock, and he fell to the floor, not moving.
Helsing watched for a moment, and shrugged, turning back to his business. "Hmph. Thought he would last longer, with all that bravado. I suppose I gave him too much credit."
"Alright now, you all had better cover your eyes..."
Making sure they had done so, Gerald shoved the door to the tunnel open before climbing out to make room for the recently freed mermen.
They stepped out into the sunlight, striding, stumbling or limping. They looked around, blinking in the sunlight, at the island they hadn't seen for many years, some of them far less restrained than the others. Climbing out the tunnel behind Gerald, Mary and Frank took in the sight alongside him.
"Sort of makes you..." began Mary.
"...feel good, doesn't it?" finished Gerald.
"Well, of course!" chirped Frank cheerfully from behind them. "We did the right thing, after all."
The other two turned to him and smiled, but then noticed something unusual. Even for Frank.
Gerald cleared his throat and pointed it out tactfully. "Frank old boy, is there any particular reason you have a man slung over your shoulder?"
The shinobi glanced over at Hokushin's prone body, and then back to Gerald. "It's a...shinobi matter."
"Ah." Gerald nodded understandingly.
Frank looked slightly uncomfortable. "Um, if you two will just excuse me for the moment..." With that, he ran off into the woods.
"A unique profession is often considered embarassing by it's holder." Gerald mused philosophically. Mary just sighed.
Once Frank was far enough away, he stopped, and gently lay Hokushin down - like a bounty hunter, he was careful not to harm the bounty head, and conversely, his reward.
Once that was done, the shinobi's hands moved with the purpose of one who has read or been taught how to do something, but little to no actual experience. First, he reached into one of the pouches on his belt, retrieving a...small blank card. Another holder produced an ink quill pen, and, trying his best not to smudge or misspell, Frank wrote down his own name on the card. Then, he kneeled, slipping it tight inside Hokushin's belt.
Then, Frank reached into another pouch. This one was set further away from the others, so the shinobi couldn't confuse it with another in the heat of battle. From it, he produced a scroll. This one was unlike the element scrolls he had used before, however. It was colored gold on black, and looked unique, important.
Rising, Frank pinched it carefully between his index finger and thumb before throwing it at the assassin's body. It hit dead-on, and exploded much like the element scrolls, producing a massive amount of smoke. Keeping his mouth firmly closed, the shinobi waited until it dissipated. When the smoke vanished after a few moments, it revealed...nothing. Hokushin had vanished.
Frank wondered about the smoke. Was it necessary for what went on in the process of the scroll? Or did it hide what actually went on, deemed unsettling for shinobi eyes? Either way, the assassin would arrive at his home village in a moment, and after making sure of his identity he would be tried and punished, money equaling his bounty being added to the funds of Frank's household.
Speaking of which...
"Huh?" Frank said as he suddenly found himself grabbed around the legs and flung upside-down.
As whoever it was began to shake him up and down violently, they spoke up from behind him. "You stole mybounty, Frank. That wasn't nice."
"A-ah! R-ra-raven-san! It's ni-nice to see you aga-ain!"
Raven stopped, and then sighed disgustedly. "Can't even intimidate you properly...tch."
He dumped Frank on the ground and shrugged. "Oh well. Guess I can't get too mad about it. After all, someone like me can't just go chasing after every weakling criminal that somehow gets a bounty, can I? That's what you weakling shinobis are for."
Frank pushed himself into a sitting position. He didn't seem terribly upset, smiling widely. "I'm glad to receive praise from you, Raven-san. Tell me, how are the others doing?"
He found himself face-first in the dirt once more as Raven shoved him in the back with his foot. "Only you could call that a compliment, Frank. And I'm the wrong person to ask on that one; I haven't heard much of anything from the family since I came here. And yeah, that includes Asakura. Sorry."
"Oh." Frank's face fell. "That is a shame."
"I guess." shrugged Raven. "Anyway, I have to get back to my client." He turned and began walking away.
"Client?" Frank blinked, and then he was on his feet, staring at the other shinobi's back. "You mean that marine that's up in the base right now?"
Raven stopped, and turned around. "...how did you..."
Frank shrugged. "Well, Raven-san wouldn't work with someone evil, so it became obvious by process of elimination."
The other shinobi paused, and then just sighed before turning and walking away. "Right. Of course. See you around, Frank - try to take care of yourself, will ya?"
"Understood, Raven-san!"
Raven just groaned. It was too early in the morning for dealing with Frank. Or any time, really.
"Ah. Done." Helsing said to himself, over the crackling of the still burning fire. What the marine captain had finished preparing was a small red box, with what appeared to be a handle coming out of it's top. If one looked carefully, they'd see a multitude of wires extending off from the back, disappearing into the dirt on the cavern floor and heading back out through the tunnel.
The corrupt captain took one look back, sighed slightly, and lifted the plunger...
Then quickly snapped around, holding up his cane to guard against one of Jack's fists. The two odd weapons were held in a deadlock for a moment, before Helsing shoved the hand backward. He watched as it reconnected with the rest of the skull pirate, and frowned.
"So, playing possum, hm?" said Helsing, a bit irritably. "You're certainly better at it than actual fighting."
Jack didn't rise to the insult, just scoffing. "Psh. Don't kid yourself, oil slick. I was just waiting to see what you were doing there."
He pointed an accusing finger at the corrupt marine. "And now you make me sick even more! Your own guys are still back there, you know!?"
Helsing shrugged. "Oh, really? A shame - I had intended to use them as scapegoats, but I guess there's no hope of that working now. And since I am considered a pirate now, I should start following the 'pirate code'."
"Every man for himself, huh?" Jack questioned angrily. "Don't start comparing other people to you; I've never known a pirate that would sell out other people to save themselves! You're just some damn thug afraid to get his own hands dirty!"
"Well, yes." Helsing said without a hint of shame. "Why else would you have subordinates? Using lessers to do your dirty work is the mark of a leader...or at least, a smart leader. You coming down here yourself shows me just how much of a fool you are, Jack Bones. And someone as idiotic as you...SHOULD JUST GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"
With that, the captain snapped out his cane, sending the oil snake out to attack Jack once more. The skull pirate rolled to the side to the side to dodge the first strike and came up running at Helsing, only to be forced back to his starting position as the whip lashed back around.
"Tch..." Jack growled. "I can't even get near him! And I'd be pushing my luck with this guy if I tried that trick again...there's gotta be some way to...eureka!"
This time when the oil whip came toward him, Jack ducked low, the oil scraping his shoulder. He then charged forward at Helsing again, getting no small amount of satisfaction from seeing the marine's face suddenly flash with panic. Helsing quickly yanked the oil snake back in order to plung it forward again, but he wasn't as fast as Jack's fist, which plowed upward into his face, sending him flying.
Not willing to let up on the offense, Jack ran forward, and as Helsing landed he struck out with a kick, aiming for the other captain's mid-section.
"Oil Slick." Suddenly, Helsing's entire body swung to the left in a wide circle - leaving him with a perfect shot at Jack's open back.
But he had other plans than a mere impalement. He quickly spread his fingers out and pointed them at the pirate, who was turning around too late. "Oil Snare."
Countless oil strands leapt out of Helsing's digits, quickly splitting apart and growing ever larger as the tyrant pumped more of the liquid out of himself. It wasn't something someone with Jack's fighting style could hope to dodge - they an arm first, then a leg, and soon the skull pirate was tangled up from head to toe.
Helsing smiled coldly, just out of reach of Jack's flailing arms - he'd liked to have said that was intentional on his part, but the fool just didn't know when to quit. A bad quality, in someone who wishes to stay alive. Slowly, the captain reached up and touched his face where Jack had struck him. A nasty bruise was there - it would surely last for days. He still kept smiling, however. Like a child with an magnifying glass does, before they hold it up to the sun.
"You hit me." Helsing said, in a tone of disbelief one might also use for 'you accidentally called in a Buster Call on a government facility?' (or as it will be known in the future, 'pulling a Spandam'). "No-one hits me, Jack Bones...
...because they're afraid of what I'd do to them. Here...let me demonstrate." he finished with a hiss.
Helsing made a grandiose motion with his hands, turning them upside-down and throwing them upward. "OIL...CRUSH!"
The oil on Jack's body suddenly swelled, surging forward and tossing the skull pirate to the ground. His body was free for only a moment before the combined mass of the substance crashed down onto him, covering him completely.
Helsing smiled as he looked over the oil bubble he'd created. "And that...is checkmate."
He raised a hand, and slowly began to squeeze...little by little, the bubble contracted as he did so. The captain grinned as the outline of Jack's body became ever more apparent beneath it. Why, he was already only barely struggling! It wouldn't be long at all before-
Jack burst out of the oil, his arms and legs rotating at top speed. Bladed edges were now present on their sides, and they had cut through the oil like scissors through paper. Of course, the tricky part had been actually getting them spinning, but he had done it, somehow.
As the skull pirate leapt up and toward Helsing, he was rewarded with seeing that look of panic appear again, and more pronounced this time.
"Starboard HOOK!"
Jack's right fist collided dead-on with the corrupt marine's other cheek, producing a satisfying crack. As Helsing stumbled away, Jack drew his hands in front of himself. "Port..." he growled.
"O-oil..." Helsing forced out.
"Too slow! JABBING!"
Countless rapid-fire blows began to hit Helsing all over his body as Jack unleashed the fruits of his boxing training. Without time to prepare any of his oil defenses or tricks, the villain could only take the punches on the chin...and the face, and the nose, and the mid-section, and the lower...well, you get the idea. And this wasn't something Helsing seemed particularly adept at, and not just because of her stature. The disbelief the captain showed had been genuine - evidently his training regiment back at the academy apparently hadn't included learning to take a punch.
Finally, Jack ended the barrage with another hook, sending Helsing spiraling end-over-end across the cavern. Then, before the marine could think of getting back up, the pirate charged forward, preparing to knee him in the face. Probably unfair, but neither was trapping almost an entire island's worth of mermen underground and forcing them to work themselves half to death.
But just as he got near, Helsing lifted his head to look at him...and smiled. Then, suddenly, a pillar of oil leapt up from the cavern floor right underneath the marine, reaching almost to the roof.
Jack skidded to a halt to avoid slamming into the column, and looked it over. A few seconds passed, and he started tapping his foot.
Another few, and he sighed. "What, are you trying to build suspense? I'm from the Grand Line, buddy; no stupid trick you pull is gonna scare me."
"Oh, really?" Helsing's voice came faintly out of the oil pillar. "I am sorry for wasting your 'valuable' time. I suppose, then, that you wouldn't even be frightened by..."
The pillar dispersed, revealing exactly what Helsing had been up to. The marine was now covered head to toe in oil - and then some. It had formed into arms, legs, and a torso, hardening to form a body about eight feet tall. At the top was Helsing himself, acting as the head. He smiled down at Jack. "This? Oil Giant!"
"Oh, CRAP!" Jack cried, jumping backward and throwing his hands up, his eyes widening. "You got kinda bigger! I'm doomed!"
"I-impudent pirate...I know for certain that you're bluffing. No pirate from the Grand Line would be caught dead on this backwater hole." Helsing growled, gritting his teeth.
Jack lowered his arms and sighed. "Well, gave it my best shot, but..." He pointed a finger at the suped up marine. "I already fought a guy bigger than you a like a week ago, and he probably wanted to eat me. So you're gonna have to try harder if you want to scare me, Helsing."
The captain tilted his head. "Really? Well, that's fine. I couldn't care less if I frightened you, Jack Bones."
With surprising speed given his current size, Helsing suddenly charged forward, swinging one of the oil titan's tree-trunk arms toward the skull pirate. Jack quickly leapt aside as the arm smashed a large crater into the floor.
"I want to break you." Helsing punctuated.
Jack nodded. "Yep, I get that a lot."
Helsing continued his charge, repeatedly throwing punches that Jack was forced to dodge, lest he risk becoming part of the cave's scenery. The length of the arms combined with their speed made it hard to close the distance and attack, but if he just kept at it...
Finally, there was a small opening in the attacks, and Jack was quick to take advantage of it. He ran in and punched with all his might - he'd tear down this dumb suit, then get back to wailing on Hels-
Squelch.
"Eh? Squelch?" Jack thought. He looked over at his fist...currently caught inside the spot on the oil armor he had punched, which had changed back to a liquidous state at that instant. With the force he had used, his arm was sunk into it up to over his elbow.
The skull pirate sweatdropped. "Guess I should have seen that one coming, huh? Heh heh, just great."
Jack started to pull at his arm to free it, but then heard something move above him, and a moment later found himself face first in the floor, hard. He began to rise, but another blow hit him, and then another.
"You know, I don't use this ability that often," came Helsing's voice from above, "and right now, I honestly wonder why. I'm having a wonderfultime!"
Jack grit his teeth as the blows rained down upon him. His head and back burst with pain, and his trapped arm didn't feel too hot, either, especially at this angle. He tried to push himself up, only for Helsing to stomp down on him with one of the titan's legs, driving him further into the crater.
The captain sighed. "I must confess, Jack Bones, that I don't understand people like you. You charge down here, seeking to defeat me, free the mermen, right all wrongs you view as such...and are then pummeled into the ground by me. Whereas I make rational, intelligent actions, acquire a healthy sum of money for my troubles, and will get away without a scratch."
He lifted the foot, and then sent it down again, producing a short cry of pain from Jack. "So I must ask, if only for curiosity's sake: why? Why fight a battle you can't win for these lowly mermen? Even if you are victorious, no-one will give a pirate like you any credit or praise, and this incident will be covered up for the public to avoid besmirching the, ha ha, good name of the marines."
Another stomp. "...well? Aren't you going to answer me, Jack Bones? Or can't you? You don't even have an answer, do you!?"
He lifted his foot again, and sent it crashing down...only for it to stop short. Helsing blinked in confusion and looked down, and his eyes widened as he saw Jack holding back the massive with just one hand.
"Sorry about that," he growled, panting, "had somebody's big fat foot in my face? Now, you were asking me why I decided to come down here and fight you and your merry band of creeps, is that it?"
Helsing's eyes grew wider as Jack strained, the oil titan's foot slowly but surely getting forced backward.
"My answer..." Jack began slowly, "...well, it's pretty simple. I decided to do it because...
I'M NOT A BAD GUY, DAMMIT!"
With a final mighty push, Jack shoved the oil titan's arm off him, standing up and tearing his arm free as Helsing teetered backward.
"And you are!" the skull pirate growled viciously. Helsing's eyes widened even more.
Quickly, he righted himself, but Jack sprang forward quickly, landing perched on the oil titan's rough surface. He drew back one arm. "Doku Doku no...DRILL!"
Helsing grit his teeth and tried to draw himself back as the now conical edge of Jack's arm spun against his oil body, bits and pieces of it flying everywhere. Of course, the captain couldn't actually feel it, but if the drill hit his actual body that would be a different story.
One of the oil titan's arms swung toward Jack, aiming for his open side. He could regenerate the damaged parts afterward, and he'd make sure this pirate wouldn't get the chance again.
"Doku Doku no Buckler!"
The marine captain choked down a cry of irritation as Jack's leg shot up, the kneecap shifting into a wide shield. It withstood the blow, Jack still hanging tenaciously on. Helsing was beginning to get angry. He lifted up both the oil titan's arms, clasped them together, and brought them down on Jack's head. At the last second however, the skull pirate leapt away and the blow hit nothing but air.
Helsing looked up to see Jack back up a few steps, appearing to be sizing the marine and his 'suit' up. Changing his arm back to normal, he held up his fingers and made a little window to view his opponent through.
He was completely open, and didn't seem to be paying attention at all...which meant that Helsing wasn't going to attack him - he wasn't stupid. Besides, time would be better spent repairing that hole the lout had made.
The oil began to spread over the 'wound', as more of it was generated by Helsing. However, that had the sideffect of putting his position on that and away from Jack, a mistake he'd regret very quickly. The skull pirate's fist began to change, adopting the same appearance as the entire arm had a short while ago. It then, of course, began to spin, and he pulled it back behind himself.
At that moment Helsing looked up at what Jack was doing, and after a moment's consideration charged straight at the pirate, albeit while devoting some of his attention to repairing the oil construct.
Jack grinned fearlessly as his opponent closed the distance quite quickly. "Doku Doku no..."
"DIE!" Helsing screamed, drawing one of the massive arms back.
"DRILL KNUCKLE!" With that mighty roar, Jack sent the fist flying off his arm, grunting as the vibrations shot through his body. The projectile sailed through the air and impacted on Helsing's oil body, which was unable to stop at the speed it had reached. For a moment it held there, spinning rapidly against the armor...and then broke through, instantly undoing the captain's repair work.
And that wasn't all - the fist then sailed straight inside the oil armor! Helsing looked down, his face turning to one of panic again, as a grinding noise was heard.
Then, Helsing let out a scream as the drill knuckle came sailing out of his oil body's right shoulder, at such an angle that the arm attached to it broke clean off, crashing down to the cavern floor.
Before the captain could think of reattaching the arm or growing a new one, the hand flew back over his head and reattached to Jack's arm as he charged forward. Quickly, Helsing swung the other arm as the pirate came near; it was a rash and brutish blow, not fitting of him at all...but he didn't want to let this pirate get close. Somehow he knew if that happened, it would be very bad for him. Quite astute of the man, but not to an extent that would save him.
With a push of his legs, Jack sprang out...toward the oncoming blow. Cupping his hands, the skull pirate grinned as he felt his body change. "Doku Doku no...
...HAMMER!"
With a mighty swing, the bone hammer collided head-on with the oil fist, in an impact that sent a wave of air rushing through the cavern. A moment passed, during which the two attacks deadlocked. And then...the arm simply shattered into pieces.
Jack landed and looked up, staring into Helsing's face. "Well? Now what?"
His opponent's face showed he clearly didn't have an answer. Jack grinned. "Okay, I'll tell you. Now...I kick your ass."
With that, Jack suddenly moved, crossing the distance between him and Helsing with a sprint. When he reached the oil armor's legs, he jumped, landing perched on the construct's torso. It was a precarious position, but not one he had to hold for long. Slowly, Jack drew one of his fists below himself.
"BOW..."
"...n-no..." Helsing whimpered.
"UPPERCUT!"
The blow caught the corrupt captain straight on his chin, the force of it ripping him free of the oil armor and sending him up toward the ceiling. Without him to empower it, the oil giant began to crumble and fall to the floor.
But Jack wasn't done just yet. With a strong pump of his legs he leapt from the armor, heading straight at Helsing. Half-way there his body parts suddenly all disconnected, the various limbs all flying at the skull pirate's foe.
"Doku Doku no BARRAGE!"
This time Helsing's scream was much more pronounced and prolonged as he was beaten and smashed between two leg and arm bones, blind-sided by twin feet bones, and finally hit in the back by Jack's two fists and his head, sending him right into the ceiling. And even then, Jack wasn't done; calling his limbs and their connecting bones back to his torso, he sent them flying out again. Over the next few moments, Helsing was hit in nearly every part of his body by nearly every part of Jack's body. Each blow rebounded him off the ceiling, and back into the waiting flurry of attacks. Suffice to say, the captain could do nothing to prevent this.
And throughout this beating, he could hear Jack's voice ringing in his ears.
"Well? Was all that money worth this, Helsing? Was stepping on these people to get yourself higher satisfying!? Did you think that you'd never get caught!? Well, you were WRONG!"
One of Jack's fists caught Helsing on the cheek, spinning him around so that he saw the skull pirate's face. It held an expression of pure fury.
"All that oil you had to have..." Jack growled, as his hand flew back and reconnected to it's arm, "can it help you here now?"
With a mighty punch, he sent the fist flying back at Helsing. It hit the marine captain directly in his face, sending him flying into the cavern floor yet again. And only then did Jack decide it was over.
Landing smoothly back on the cavern floor, he waited a moment before Helsing did the same, far less so.
Jack grinned. "And that, as they say, is that." He walked up to the now unconscious marine and grabbed him by the collar. "Can't just leave him here, I guess. Damn."
Throwing Helsing over his shoulder, Jack took a step back toward the cavern's tunnel entrance...only to stumble as the ground began to shake underneath his feet.
"That can't be good." Jack thought to himself. He looked upward - the roof was shaking, too.
Jack sweatdropped. "Didn't think I was hitting him that hard..."
He ran toward the tunnel quickly - but fate apparently decided that wouldn't be very entertaining. The first of the rocks that fell down from the ceiling was just large enough to block the entrance.
The skull pirate looked up as the rest of the rocks began to fall down toward him.
"Oh, crap...."
To be continued...
Next time, on One Piece: The Skull Pirates
Frank: W-what happened to the Captain?
Brandy: Sheesh...a pirate overshadows us in the hero department, of all things...
Karen: We'll never forget any of you.
Celebration of Freedom! Goodbye, Newport Island!
Drake: It's time for me to go.
Attacks
Jack
Doku Doku no Drill - Transforming one of his arms into a drill shape, Jack thrusts it spinning into a foe. Can crack through defenses or barriers, given enough time.
Doku Doku no Drill Knuckle - The same general principle as Doku Doku no Drill, except in projectile form.
Bow Uppercut - One of the more powerful moves in the Shipwright Boxing Style, this powerful upper strike can floor even the most physically tough opponents...and Helsing. As seen here, it can also set Jack up for aerial combos.
Helsing
Oil Line - Using a portion of oil hidden within his hollow cane, Helsing uses it to attack in a whip shape. Primarily used for sneak attacks, but can prove quite effective in a fair fight as well.
Oil Geyser - Helsing makes oil underneath his opponent's feet explode upward, smashing them around. Can be extremely deadly if unexpected, or used in a confined area.
Oil Net - Helsing uses his Devil Fruit power to create a net of oil, which he uses to block or catch an opponent's attacks.
Oil Bomb - With a quick command, Helsing has a batch of nearby oil burst, creating a physical explosion that knocks a foe backward. Like most of the 'good' captain's attacks, it relies on being unexpected.
Oil Slick - Generating some oil underneath his shoes, Helsing makes a quick movement to dodge an attack.
Oil Snare - Grabbing a foe with a few strands of oil, Helsing quickly multiplies the substance and entraps them completely. Is usually followed up by...
Oil Crush - After covering his enemy with oil, Helsing has it constrict, slowly crushing the opponent. Generally not used in public; bad PR, you know.
Oil Giant - Helsing creates a large, muscular body of oil, with him at the head controlling it. Is capable of feats of great strength, but heavily lack subtlety - thus, the captain doesn't use it unless angered.
Malchior the Draco - You mean, kind of like what happened when you fought Black Dragon? You shouldn't underestimate your opponents...miss.
Shinobi-dono - Well, I'm glad you like this story as much as my other - I try to give them equal attention and effort, and I'm glad to see it shows.
Well, until next time, see ya.