Saiyans on the Grandline
"What was that nonsense about studying Zombies, Hogback?" Nami questioned.
"We know you're the one making them, so there's no point in denying it. Out with the truth already." Mina stated.
"Whoa, easy there you two, don't piss him off." Ussop said.
"Your accusations are meaningless, whether they are true or not." Dr. Hogback said. "But out of curiosity, what's your proof?"
"For starters, how about the fact you called that corpse over there, your marionette?" Mina said. "Then, let's not forget about the fact, you're a surgeon, same as my boyfriend's mother, and every Zombie both outside and inside the mansion, has expertly crafted stitches holding them together, that only a surgeon could make. Then, the final piece of the puzzle, Cindry. We found your room, and the book full of decade old news articles, how else would she be alive at your side, unless she isn't truly alive, and you're in league with the Devil Fruit powered shadow thief, and you brought her back with the shadow of a woman who does have the backstory you gave us."
"Very astute. You've figured it out, just from a few measly clues on the island, and within my home." Dr. Hogback said. "My dear Cindry, Samurai Ryuma, throw them into the world of darkness, never to return."
"Wait, let's talk this over. We can still work this out." Chopper said.
"Sorry Doctor, but it's too late for that now. The night hunt has already begun, you see." Dr. Hogback said.
Mina just glared at Hogback, before the clacking of steps echoed behind their group, and she turned around to face the samurai once again, with Brook's laugh, echoing through the halls.
"Done with your little tour of the lab?" Ryuma questioned, as he stepped out from the shadows. "Do you need me to show you out?"
"Great, not this guy again." Mina growled as the clacking of wooden footsteps stopped.
Standing in front of them, was the Zombie General, Shimotsuki Ryuma. He has several bandages covering part of his skull face, which has no eyes and no nose, wearing what Mina recognized as a traditional samurai Gi, with intricate designs more detailed than she'd ever seen. He also wears geta sandals, as well as a blue stomach band with a swirling design. His mouth is partially covered by the blue scarf he wears, his hair an ashy white, and his sword strapped to his right hip.
"Oh my, upon closer inspection, you're both quite a pair of lovely young ladies, aren't you?" Ryuma said. "Beautiful."
"Stay ten feet away from me creep." Mina said.
"You know, I only have eyes for girls like you two, or I would if I had any eyes in the first place." Ryuma said, before he began doing Brook's laugh. "That said, perhaps you would like to show me, your panties?"
"This creep, definitely had Brook's shadow." Mina glared.
"He has the same laugh as Mr. Brook and everything." Eri said, reaching into her fanny pack.
"This fellow is of a much better stock then the Zombie's you've encountered thus far." Hogback said. "He is one of my Zombie Generals, his body is quite special. It hearkens from the country of Wano, in the New World. They call his sort, a Samurai, and this one supposedly slayed a flying dragon. At least according to the legend."
"I know what a Samurai is." Mina glared. "Hell, my boyfriend even had a Demonic Asura Samurai for a vassal. Until some things went down on I-Island."
"Hmm… I've never heard of I-Island before. Tell me more." Dr. Hogback smiled.
"I'm not surprised you've never heard of I-Island before. To be honest, it's a moving island, that's not even on this planet." Mina said.
"Oh, and how would you know that young lady?"
"Because neither me, Eri, nor my boyfriend, are from this planet. So let me say this right here and now." Mina stated, popping a Senzu Bean in her mouth. "Don't you dare, underestimate a Saiyan Warrior."
"Did you just say Saiyan?" Ryuma questioned.
"What's it to you?" Mina questioned, turning back to face the Samurai.
"Back when I was alive, I met a Saiyan Warrior once. He was honorable, noble, and stronger then anyone could have ever imagined." Ryuma said, grabbing the hilt of his blade as he walked up to them. "But I will not hold back, just because you're a Saiyan Warrior like he."
Ryuma went running towards the group, his blade brandished for striking them down, but he was stopped as his blade clashed with another, as Mina held the white hilted blade with the tip pointed to the ground, and the blunt edge pressed against her arm, as she held back the Zombie Generals strike.
"Wait hold on, where'd that sword come from?" Ussop questioned as he backed away from the close shave.
"Hold on a minute, isn't that Zoro's sword?" Nami asked.
"Remember that, party trick, I showed you the other night by making Zoro's, Ichimonji disappear into my chest?" Mina questioned, sparing one of her hands to grab the empty scabbard sticking out of her cleavage, and pulled it out. "I might have been a little dishonest about that. Didn't wanna show my hand to the crew just yet." She declared, swinging the scabbard at Ryuma, who used his own to block the strike.
"What are you talking about Mina? Can you teleport stuff through your chest or something?" Nami asked.
"Nothing like that." Mina smirked, pushing Ryuma back. "I have another Quirk called, Duplication Void. That's where Zoro's sword went. Basically, anything that's been in my Duplication Void, at least once, I can duplicate as many times as I wish. It's one of the Quirks Kaen's sister gave me, before the accident that sent us to this world."
"So you're a swordsman too I see." Ryuma said.
"You could say that." Mina stated, sticking the sheath through her belt behind her back, and reaching into her chest, pulling out a second sword. "My mother is a martial artist, and she has the title granted to her, by only the best of the best. The Grand Kaioh."
"Literally translating to Grand Creator God." Ryuma said as Mina unsheathed the second Ichimonji, brandishing it to her opponent.
"Basically. But she's also a skilled master swordsman, and has taught me everything I know of martial arts, and everything she knows of swordsmanship." Mina said. "An' to be honest, Katana's pair nicely with my fighting style."
"I see. This should be a fun challenge." Ryuma said.
"You three run, and take Eri with you, while I hold off the Zombie General." Mina instructed.
"We can't just leave you on your own." Nami said.
"I'll be fine, just go." Mina said.
"You heard her Nami." Ussop said, grabbing Eri, before he ran. "We gotta move."
"No. Cindry, get them. Don't let those fools escape."
~Kaen's Team~
"Hello… Nobody's there, I'm going in." Luffy said, reaching for the doorknob.
"Hey, give them a minute to respond. This is a pretty big mansion, so they could just be making their way right now." Kaen said.
"Oh it's locked." Luffy said, trying to open the door, before smashing it, with the door opening. "Hey now it opens."
"Yeah, since you smashed the lock off." Zoro stated as they followed Luffy inside.
"Gecko Moria… I'm here to kick your ass." Luffy called out.
"Don't just announce that dummy." Kaen said.
"Pretty creepy looking entryway." Franky said as they looked around at all the paintings.
"Doesn't seem like anyone's here." Zoro stated.
"But it seems like there was some sort of skirmish." Kaen stated.
"Hey, any monsters in here? Gecko Moria!" Luffy called out as they went in deeper.
"Shouldn't there be a servant around here?" Zoro asked. "They gotta have tons of 'em in a mansion this size."
"An' what's with the mess? They have a fight in here, or what?" Sanji questioned. "They better not have hurt Nami, or Mina."
"Eri, Ussop, or Chopper either. They're all part of the crew." Kaen said, before there was some sinister laughter coming from above the fireplace.
"You're quite audacious aren't you?" The taxidermied pig head questioned. "Those who know our master, usually know to fear him."
"Huh… why is there a pig sticking out of the wall?" Luffy questioned.
"Oh we've many surprises yet to come. What do you say we welcome our guests gentlemen?" The pig questioned.
"If you're referring to the paintings around the room. You're not gonna get a response." Kaen said.
The pig looked at him confused, before he looked at the walls, and his eyes widened in horror. Every single painting was missing its head, with the stolen shadows coming out from their necks. Even the bear skin rug was missing its head.
"Yeah, while we were walking, I used my Ki to make mini-bombs, and sent them all against the Zombies in the paintings. Turns out Zombies can't sense Ki, like at all, even if they tried. So it was kinda easy to use a hidden technique." Kaen explained, flying up to the pig head, with a massive Ki ball in his hand. "Now start talking Porky, or you're next."
"Well I…"
"Hold on a sec." Kaen said, grabbing the mounted frame, and bringing it down propping it against the wall in front of the rest of the crew. "Now talk."
"Oh, your five friends? We fed them, bathed them, treated their injuries, and gave them a warm bed to sleep in." The pig said.
"Injuries?" Kaen questioned.
"The, the little girl she… she had a level 3 sprained ankle, and we treated it."
"You mean Eri? Little tiger ears, and a tail?"
"Yes, that child's ankle was treated for the sprain." The pig said.
"So you're telling me, my daughter was hurt?"
"I'm not sure how it happened, but yes. Though as I said we treated her injury."
"The injury I can buy, but I doubt it's true. But do you really think we're a bunch of idiots who'd fall for an obvious lie?" Franky questioned.
"No, no it's the honest truth, all of it. Just go see for yourself, right up those stairs, go ahead." The pig said, directing them to the stairs at the side of the fireplace.
"Hold on, something's not right." Kaen said.
"What do you mean?" Robin asked.
"He's got a point. Something's wrong here. Our chef is missing." Franky said.
"Huh? He was just here a second ago." Luffy said.
"No point in asking the Zombies, they're all properly dead like they're supposed to be." Kaen said, seeing the pig snickering.
"They must have nabbed him, and took him away while we weren't looking." Zoro said.
"Goodbye Sanji, rest in peace." Kaen said, shaking his head.
"That ain't cool." Franky said.
"Eh, no biggie. It's Sanji, I'm sure he's gonna be fine." Luffy stated.
"Maybe, but I'm worried about the others." Robin said. "If the Zombies were able to kidnap Sanji so easily, I'm sure they might be in a lot of trouble right now."
"Alright Porky, time to squeal. Otherwise I'll return your shadow to its rightful owner." Kaen glared, slamming his foot on the pig's frame.
"You're not so strong." The pig said, sounding more confident then before. "The truth of the matter is, you've hardly put a dent in our numbers."
"Oh yeah? Well it's a pretty big dent, seeing as all the Zombies in the graveyard we passed through, are nothing more then puddles of melted flesh and bone." Kaen glared. "Now talk."
"I wouldn't talk to big if I were you." The pig smirked. "Your group just lost one of your key fighters. I wonder who's next."
"At any rate, let's be careful and try to stick together from now on." Robin stated.
"Admit it, you're scared. You don't stand a chance in…"
"I suppose we could threaten him. But even if we did, I doubt he would tell us where they are." Robin continued.
"Fine, we'll just drag him with us, and use him as a guide." Zoro said.
"What?" The pig questioned.
"Franky grab the pig, we can use Zoro's idea." Luffy said.
"On it." Franky said, grabbing the pig.
"If Gecko Moria lays even a single hair on Mina, Eri, or the others. I'll kick his ass so hard, the island will split in two, right along with him." Kaen growled, as they began to climb the stairs.
~Elsewhere~
Absalom marched through the dark hall to the crypt, lying bellow the castles structure. Forcing the doors open, Absalom peered into the crypt, at the numerous coffins and the crucifix tombstone at the end of the crypt. He was angered, and rightfully so, as his Zombie army in the graveyard, had all been destroyed, delaying the Night Hunt. But he knew that these Zombies would be more then enough to deal with them.
"Listen well. The intruders have wondered into our territory. They are our prey now. Let your hunger run wild, this will be a feast of terror! Now awaken Zombie Generals. Rise up and hunt your quarry."
The coffins began to quake, and the ground in front of the tombstone began to break, as the Zombie Generals began to rise from their graves. Even the suits of armor that lined the pillars, began to move.
"The fallen warriors shall pick up their swords anew!" Absalom declared. "The Strawhats are arrogant. They number, only ten. They'll fall quickly. Tear them down and offer their bodies to our master. Zombie Generals, march forth, and teach them the meaning of fear."
~Elsewhere~
"Come on Eri, we gotta keep running." Chopper said, Eri riding him like horseback.
"Through here, I think we can take a shortcut through this area." Nami said, before they made a sharp turn into a spacious room, filled with files, but as they entered, there was no way out through the room.
"No good. This must be Dr. Hogback's room of medical records." Chopper said, before Eri hopped down. "Wait, Eri no your leg is…"
"My leg is fine. I ate one of the Senzu Beans I have in my fanny pack, when I gave one to Mama." Eri said, grabbing a file from the top of the desk in the records room. "I've just been playing possum so the Zombies will underestimate me if we end up fighting."
"You clever little minx."
"Tiger actually. Now let's go." Eri said, hopping on Chopper's back. "As soon as we leave, take a right, and then a left. We should make it outside after that."
"Right." Chopper said as they started running again.
"What files did you swipe Eri?" Ussop inquired.
"I don't know, but they looked pretty important." Eri said, stuffing the file in her Duplication Void Fanny Pack. "It might be able to even help Papa if needed."
"Speaking of Kaen." Nami said, pulling a pair of sunglasses from her shirt, and putting them on, activating the scouter. "Kaen, Kaen it's Nami, can you hear me?"
"Nami… I can hear you… where are you?" Kaen's voice came through the scouter, the signal going in and out.
"Kaen. We're in the mansion of Dr. Hogback. Mina is currently in combat with a Zombie swordsman." Nami said sliding to a halt.
"An' Eri… how is she… is Eri okay?"
"Eri's fine Kaen." Nami stated.
"Put her on."
"Eri, Kaen wants to talk to you." Nami said, handing her the scouter.
"Papa?"
"Eri, are you okay…? Is anything broken?"
"No Papa, I'm fine."
"Good." Kaen said. "Now I need you to head back for the ship… Go through the mansion's main hall… You'll find a something there for you, once you grab it, I want you to fly back to the ship, as fast as you can."
"Papa I can't…"
"I know you're able to use Ki now Eri…" Kaen interrupted. "I have an idea of how you can, but that conversation we'll save for a later time on the back burner. But when you get to the ship, I need you to defend it, since it's been left unguarded as there's no one there anymore. Do this for us, and I'll consider approving your wish of joining the crew."
"Alright Papa." Eri said. "But how do I use the flying technique?"
"Just course your Ki through your body and think of yourself as capable of defying gravity. I know it doesn't sound like much of an instruction, but that should be enough instructions for you to be able to make your way back to the Sunny."
"Okay Papa. I'll make my way there now." Eri stated, before handing the Scouter back to Nami, after turning it off. "I have to go. I'm in charge of guarding the Sunny."
"What? But you're not even ten how can you…"
"I'm a Saiyan." Eri said, interrupting Ussop's panic. "I have been since the storm that hit us out of nowhere, and brought us into the Florian Triangle."
~Flashback to the Storm~
Jumping down from the cushioned seat lining the walls of the nest, Eri ran for the closed floor door on the ground, before she lost her balance as the ship gave a jolt, after going over a large wave, and fell forward, her fanny pack over her shoulder, spilling something out of it, that landed on the ground. Picking herself up, as she rubbed her sore nose, Eri spotted what had fallen out of her fanny pack, and looked at the item curiously.
Picking up the item, Eri saw that it was a special wrapped candy, with a note attached.
"Eri, I knew you couldn't resist sweets for long, and so I made you this special apple flavored piece of candy. But before you eat it, there's something you should know. I made this piece of candy, with a special Quirk I 'acquired' from a mad scientist, called Culinary Alchemy, when I was ten, and it was made for the sole purpose of it doing one thing. Turning you into a Saiyan, like your Mama, Papa, and myself. If you eat this candy, you will no longer be human, you will be a strong Saiyan Warrior, just like your parents. But there is no going back once that happens. I hope, and trust, that you will do the right thing when making up your mind about this decision." The note read, as Eri looked between it, and the candy in her hand.
"If I eat this, I can become as strong as Mama, or even Papa?" Eri questioned.
Eri looked at the candy intensely before she unwrapped it, and popped it in her mouth. It wasn't a hard candy, so chewing it was no problem, but when she swallowed it, she felt a surge of energy pour through her body, as it trembled, and began to feel hot, while her body was thrown about in the crows nest, by the gales of the storm. As her vision got blurry, Eri gasped when the heat had vanished, as suddenly as it appeared, before she felt a rush of power course through her. Heading over to one of the weight wracks, Eri grabbed a 250lb dumbbell from the wrack, and held it above her head like it was nothing.
"Wow." She said, eyes sparkling in awe, before the ship gave a hard jolt to one side.
~End Flashback~
"After that I blacked out as I was buried under all those weights, and woke up in Chopper's office again." Eri said.
"I thought it was miraculous you came out of that without any broken bones, but I wasn't expecting this." Chopper stated.
"According to Papa, Saiyans can withstand a barrage of bullets, and only suffer a few bruises." Eri stated. "So it kinda makes sense that I didn't suffer any broken bones."
"Either way, that means you're a Saiyan just like them. So Kaen's entrusting you to guard the ship. But if things get dicey, don't be afraid to retreat, there's no shame in surviving." Ussop said.
"He's right. Be careful Eri." Nami said.
"I will." Eri smiled, hugging them before she flew off, to find the nearest window.
"Alright, since she's gone off to safety, let's figure out our own way to escape this place." Nami said.
"Question, why didn't we just go with her?" Ussop asked.
"Because none of us can do even half the shit she can do, and we'd only get in the way." Nami said.
"Fair point." Ussop said.
"So which way should we go?" Chopper asked.
"I think we should at least go the directions Eri instructed." Nami said.
"Right." Chopper and Ussop said following Nami down through the mansion.
~Kaen's Group~
"What was that about? Did you get through to them?" Franky asked.
"They got through to us." Kaen said. "We must be close enough to them that we don't really need the transmitter in my suit."
"You mentioned something about having an idea of how Eri can use her Ki. What's that about?" Robin inquired.
"It's not confirmed, but before the accident, I did catch my sister making special candies with apple juice for Eri. She has a Quirk in her arsenal called Culinary Alchemy, and it's very dangerous, while also very hard to maintain control of." Kaen said. "She must have used that Quirk to make candy that could turn Eri into a Saiyan like me."
"What's so difficult about controlling that Quirk? Sounds simple to me, even perfect for Sanji." Luffy said.
"The thing is, to use that Quirk, you can't let your mind wonder. You have to remain focused on your culinary creation, at all times, which means if you get side tracked, even once, then it falls apart." Kaen said.
"Which means, it can be frustrating to create a dish with the effects of that Quirk, if you're someone who gets sidetracked easily, I see." Robin said.
"But could a Quirk like that really exist?" Franky inquired.
"It can. Let me explain how it works." Kaen said. "Back on Earth, there's a hero in the country, America, who practically worships All Might, ever since his debut in the US when he saved her from being killed by a villain as a child, and grew up to become the hero, Star and Stripe. While All Might's the #1 Pro in Japan, Star and Stripe became the #1 Hero in America."
"That's impressive. She must really look up to him. But what does this have to do with Culinary Alchemy?" Franky asked.
"I'm getting to that." Kaen said. "Star and Stripe's Quirk, is called New Order. Anything she knows the name of, has to follow her command, without a second thought, as soon as she gives it. Culinary Alchemy, works the same way, but only on food. If my sister Athena, used Culinary Alchemy, and ordered the candy she made to turn Eri into a Saiyan, then that would happen. As soon as the order is completed, the other pieces just become ordinary candy."
"That makes sense." Robin said. "Because the orders would be completed, there wouldn't be any use for a bunch of candy that could do the same thing."
"Hey guys." Luffy said, looking around. "When did we last see Zoro?"
"Now that you mention it, wasn't he right behind us a second ago?" Kaen asked.
"Don't tell me he got caught like Sanji did." Franky said.
"Maybe, they were strangled, so they can't call out for help." Robin said.
"No more predictions out of you, they're too dark." Franky stated.
"Agreed." Kaen said.
"Ooh, what's that over there?" Luffy questioned, slipping past the others.
~Absalom~
"Hunt them down wherever they may run, and bring them before your master." Absalom ordered as his Zombie Generals marched out. "A few miserable pirates, are no match for your strength." He declared, as one Zombie General came out, drinking from a sake bottle. "Hey, could you pull it together for once Captain John? At least try to live up to the reputation you had when you were alive."
"Aye-aye sir, on my way." Captain John said, marching forward.
"Hmph. Insufferable lout." Absalom grumbled.
"Master Ab." A woman's voice said, sending shivers up his spine. "Let's get married."
"Lola. Damn it." Absalom growled, turning around to glare at the pink warthog in a dress. "Get over there and fight with the other Zombies, your commander orders you to."
"You have to marry me first." Lola said.
"Hell no."
Immediately, Lola closed both doors to the crypt, sealing Absalom in the coffin filled room with her as she locked them, before she began advancing on him, forcing him back into one of the coffins, with a mischievous laugh.
"C-come on now Lola, let's not be rash." Absalom said. "Do as your master commands, and play nice, alright?"
"Sure, if you marry me."
"Are you insane? I'm a human, you fool. I'm marrying another human, that's the end of it." Absalom said. "Come on, think about this for a second Lola, you're a warthog. Also, you're dead and rotting, not exactly a match made in heaven, here."
"Look." Lola said, pointing to something on the ground.
The moment Absalom looked to the ground, Lola grabbed his arm, put a certificate of some kind on the coffin he was backed up against, painted one of his fingers red. Right before she could slam his hand down, and get his finger print on the certificate, while maybe also breaking his hand and arm, Absalom pulled his arm back, evading an unwanted marriage certificate.
"Whoa, that was close." He said backing away from Lola. "Okay, let's calm down and stop touching, and that's a marriage certificate isn't it? You… You take that thing back, wherever you got it from!"
"I don't care what you're saying. Just keep moving those sexy lips." Lola said. "Kiss me. I love you, baby." She cried out, running at him.
Absalom moved out of Lola's path, and her momentum continued to carry her forward, before she slammed into a wall, shattering part of it.
"You behave." Absalom ordered. "I'm not letting some animal carcass haunt me the rest of my life."
"Bridal Martial Arts." Lola called out, lunging at Absalom. "Marital Vow Kiss."
Absalom moved back away from Lola as she continued to try and kiss him, but the commander of the Zombie Generals kept using his arms to block the kisses, not wanting Lola as his bride was definitely top of his list of priorities, including a step above finding a bride.
"How about this? Sweetie Pie Hug." Lola cried out, realizing her kisses weren't working. When she tried to hug him, Absalom just jumped away and left Lola hugging the air. "I love you to death."
"Well, you're already dead, so that takes care of that, doesn't it?" Absalom questioned.
"I may be dead, and rotting away Master Ab, but I swear, my love is eternal baby. Now marry me." Lola demanded.
"I've told you a thousand times. You're a beast." Absalom said, throwing a punch at the pink warthog.
"I'll take that finger, thank you." Lola said, grabbing his arm and throwing Absalom over her shoulder.
Breaking free of Lola's attempt at putting his prints on the marriage certificate, Absalom grabbed Lola by the waist, and hit her with a Suplex, before he began crawling away. But Lola's shadow found its way over his body and he looked up to see her flying.
"You're not going anywhere, Honey." Lola declared before she landed on top of Absalom with a loud thump. "Bridal Martial Arts: Love Sign Attack. Certificate Seal." She declared, grabbing his wrist.
Absalom pulled his arm back from Lola, crossing his arms to seal his hands away, and threw her off of him with a thrust of his hips.
"Alright Lola, you have got to listen this time." Absalom said, as the pink warthog landed with a painful thump. "I've already found my bride. She may have a sharp tongue, and some bothersome friends, but at the end of the day, she's human, and she's alive, and that's all that really matters."
"You're just going to get rejected again." Lola said, picking herself up.
"Oh really? Look." Absalom said, holding up a picture of Mina he took, from part of the chest up, when she was taking a bath. "She may not have a bounty, but she's one of the pirates, who's running a muck on the island. I'll capture her, when we capture the rest of the crew. She even already has a kid I'm willing to raise as my own alongside her."
"Not if I can help it." Lola said, a fire burning in her eyes. "I'll find her, and finish her off." She declared, running to, and through, the locked doors of the crypt, with Absalom chasing after her.
"NO!" Absalom cried out, chasing after the pink Zombie swine. "STOP RUINING MY LIFE! LOLA!"
~Nami's Group~
"Hey, how far have we ran?" Chopper asked, as he Ussop, and Nami were breathing heavily, taking a break from running as they had made it out of the mansion.
"We've ran a pretty far ways from the mansion." Nami said. "Though it looks like we exited through the back, and now we're in some sort of garden."
"Look, behind us." Chopper said. "There's an even bigger building there. It's like this garden is a passageway of some sort."
"I wonder what it's for." Ussop said. "Kinda crazy, that huge building was there the entire time, and we didn't even notice it."
"Ussop. Chopper." Nami called to them, grabbing their attention. "I know exactly what this place is." She said as the duo came to her location.
"Oh yeah? Well let's hear it then, 'cause I'm lost." Ussop said, looking over the edge.
"Look, this passageway is a large bridge, connecting one building to the other." Nami pointed out.
"A passageway, it's kinda wide for that, don't you think?" Ussop asked, as they looked back at their surroundings. "It's even a forest. Well, it's kind of a forest, and kind of a bedroom or something."
"Uh guys. Take a look up ahead." Chopper said, pointing in the direction they came from.
Nami and Ussop looked to Chopper, then to the direction he was pointing in, and their eyes bugged when they saw a pair of squirrels in masks, carrying a coffin, with two familiar swords lying atop it.
"AH. Those are Mina's duplicate swords of Zoro's." Ussop said.
"Which means, Mina's in the coffin." Nami said.
"Heavy Point." Chopper called out, before running to the squirrels and removing the coffin from their hands.
"Special Attack, Exploding Star." Ussop called out, hitting the squirrels with his attack.
"Oh no. It's three of the intruders." One of the squirrels said.
"Run away." The other cried out as they ran.
Putting the coffin down, Chopper removed the lid, and inside, was a bloodied and beaten Mina.
"Oh no, this is bad." Chopper said.
"I have an idea." Nami stated, rummaging through Mina's pockets, before she found what she was looking for. "Here they are."
"I thought those were only for emergencies?" Ussop asked.
"Considering the state Mina's in, I'd say this is an emergency." Chopper said.
"Fair point."
"Mina, wake up." Nami said, bringing the pink haired girls head into her hand. "Wake up, eat this, it'll make you feel better."
Mina stirred and slightly opened her mouth, just enough for Nami to pop the Senzu Bean into it, before she started chewing and swallowed, before her eyes shot open, and she sat right up.
"Nami? Chopper? Ussop? What happened, where am I? Wait, where's Eri?" Mina questioned.
"It's fine. Everything is fine Mina. Eri's just gone back to the Sunny." Nami said. "As for where you are, you're on a passageway, leading from the back of Dr. Hogback's mansion, to another, larger building behind it."
"But as for what happened, you're gonna have to fill us in on the details to that." Ussop said. "But we can probably guess what happened from the coffin you're in. That Ryuma guy beat you in that sword fight, didn't he?"
"He did. He used some sort of technique I'd never even heard of before. An' I fell unconscious before I knew what had hit me." Mina said.
"At least you're awake now." Chopper said, before Mina grabbed him, and pulled him forward.
"By the way. Why the hell, is Eri making the trip back to the Sunny, by herself?" Mina asked.
"Well… we didn't promise to keep quiet about this, but… Eri's now a Saiyan due to some candy Kaen's sister made for her, and is really good at controlling Ki, and used the flying technique to fly back." Chopper said, talking a mile a minute.
"Wait, Eri's now a Saiyan?" Mina asked, hopping out of the coffin, and placing the swords on the small of her back. "If it was Athena's doing, that makes sense. Eri had been bugging Athena about it, since the battle on I-Island to turn her into a Saiyan like Kaen and me. We both gave our approval, since it's what Eri wanted, and it was her choice to make the change, but Athena didn't want to do it the same way I'd been turned. Guess she wanted to make the process less painful for Eri. I don't really blame her. It's not a pleasant sensation for the genetic makeup of your species to be changed the way mine was."
"So you're not mad?"
"That Eri's a Saiyan now? No, I'm not mad. But the fact that you let her go alone? I'm pissed." Mina stated.
"We're sorry. But the three of us could never keep up with a Saiyan, especially one that can fly." Ussop said.
"I suppose you have a point." Mina said, before the sound of multiple sets of footsteps reached their ears. "Whoa…" She gasped when she saw three penguins waddling sideways, into their fields vision.
"I don't think penguins are normally forest animals, but whatever." Nami said.
"Hold on… that Penguin on the end, with the red and white hat… his Ki seems strangely familiar." Mina said.
"Count off." One of the penguins said. "One."
"Two."
"Uh, three."
"That voice. It couldn't be." Mina said.
"Howdy folks, they call us…"
"The Penguin Zombie Duo. Wait, no that's not right."
"Trio, we're a trio. I'm the new guy." The dog faced penguin said.
"Yeah no. I'm putting an end to this." Mina said, holding out her hands, and blasting the dog faced penguin with a Ki enforced blast of acid, destroying the top half of his body, along with the other two, with three shadows escaping and flying off.
"Wow. What are those?" Chopper asked.
"My guess, the Zombie's souls." Mina stated. "But that doesn't really matter at the moment."
"Why not?" Chopper asked.
"Because there's dozens more behind us with very deadly weapons." Mina pointed out. "The penguins were just a distraction for the others to get into place."
"What?" The trio questioned, turning to look behind them to see countless animal Zombies behind them.
"Welcome, to Mistress Perona's Wonder Garden." They all said. "We're the Wild Zombies."
"Those things are seriously freaky." Chopper, Ussop, and Nami called out, before the bottom halves of the three penguin Zombies came flying over their heads, and landed right in the middle between the two groups.
"Listen up Wild Zombies." Mina said, coming to the front, a katana over her shoulder. "Those three are never picking themselves up again. Their souls have been returned to their rightful owners. So I'm leaving you with an ultimatum."
"We… we aren't scared of you." One of the wild Zombies, a hippo with a mustache said.
"Oh really? You might wanna hear me out before you start making up your mind about that first." Mina stated. "You're up against a Saiyan Warrior, who's skilled with a blade. So you can either run and live to haunt another night, or you can fight and wind up like the Penguin Zombie Trio." She said, kicking one of the Penguin carcasses forward, scaring the Wild Zombies. "Your choice."
"Like 28 said. We're not scared of you. Give us your worst." A Koala Zombie said.
"I was hoping you'd say that." Mina smirked. "Ussop, Chopper, Nami, you run on out of here. I'll take care of this."
"But… you can't take them all on your own." Ussop said. "Wait what are you doing?" He questioned as Mina crouched down and put her hand on the ground.
"Back on earth, there was a show called Black Clover, and there was one move that gave the fighters, a big advantage, called Mana Zone. An' since I became a Saiyan, I've thought about trying to make that ability a reality, with Aura and Ki. An' I think this, is the perfect opportunity to test it out, with the Wild Zombies as my guinea pigs."
"Aura Zone." Mina called out.
A small sphere of pink Ki energy formed in front of Mina, before it expanded in an explosion, enveloping her, Nami, Chopper, Ussop, and all the Zombies, in a dome that almost reached both sides of the passageway bridge.
"Go, you three can pass through just fine, but the Zombies can't, which means they won't be able to chase after you as you run. Now get out of here." Mina called to her crewmates. "Leave this mess for me to handle."
"Right." They said before running off.
Mina reached into her pocket, and grabbed a Senzu Bean, munching on it as she stared the Zombies down. Each of them looked ready to take her head off, but Mina knew that they weren't gonna risk killing her, not when they needed her for something.
(Cue Music… What I'm made of: Crush 40)
'Downside to Aura Zone this big, is it drains me of every last drop of my expendable Ki. Which means I gotta eat a Senzu Beans after each time I use it, so I can keep fighting.' She thought, before she grabbed her other katana, and unsheathed it, as she felt her Ki recharge instantly. "Alright you Zombie Bastards. Come and get some."
Lunging at the Zombies, Mina swung through them, coursing her Ki through her Katana's, causing the edges to turn black, with pink electric marks visible. Swinging her blades down, Mina sliced through the Koala Zombie, cutting it in half, and destroying it with her Ki, sending its shadow back to where it belongs.
"They're already dead, so I don't have to feel bad about killing them." Mina said, stabbing her blades backwards, skewering four Zombies that tried to sneak up on her, through the head, two on each side, before pulling her blades out, as their shadows left their bodies. "But at least they're not as scary as the others I fought in the graveyard."
Ducking down, Mina avoided the chained Morning Star, wielded by the stretched faced panda, and used her blades to cut through the chain links, before she used the Morning Star like a soccer ball, making sure her foot only touched the flat areas between the sharp spikes, before she hit it with a kick, that sent it flying back towards the panda, with her Ki coursing through it, turning the weapon into an acidic pink meteor.
Jumping into the air, Mina vanished from the Zombie's sights, as they ganged up on her. With their quarry gone, they couldn't tell where Mina had gone, until they looked up, so see her in the air with a massive pink acidic Ki blast in her hands.
"Acid Title Wave." She called out throwing the Ki blast down at the Wild Zombies.
As they tried to run, they were all hit with the Ki filled acid attack, their bodies melting to nothing as their stolen shadows left their bodies and flew away to return to where they came from.
(End Song…)
"That takes care of them." Mina said, landing back on the ground as the acid dried up, and the Aura Zone had vanished. "Ki empowered acid, evaporates as soon as the Ki runs dry." She smiled, kicking the barren skull of one of the Wild Zombies. "Now, which way did the others run off…"
Mina paused in her pondering as she felt the ground begin to tremble. Looking down, she saw the pebbles and rocks and dirt shake in the rhythm of running footsteps from something large and quick on its feet.
"Can't be Kaen, he'd be flying for me, not running." Mina said.
"LOLA."
"I know that voice." Mina stated, her head popping up as she looked pissed. "That's the creep who spied on Nami, Eri, and me in the bath."
~Eri~
"Hmm… it doesn't really look like anyone's been here yet." Eri said, landing on the deck of the ship, with the Cerberus pup in her arms. "At least I flew here without a problem with the advice Papa gave me."
Eri stopped when her ears perked and she heard footsteps coming up to the ship. Peeking over the edge of the railing, Eri saw a pink haired girl, dressed like a princess, with an umbrella, and quite a few Zombies behind her.
"The ship of the famous Straw Hat Pirates. The crew that defeated Crocodile, and many others." The pink haired girl said. "Awesome, I can't wait to see what kind of goodies they've got hidden here."
"Who is that?" Eri whispered, as the girl began to laugh.
"Come on men, tear this ship apart as you look for that treasure."
"Not so fast." Eri called out, firing a Ki blast that hit one of the Zombie's heads, blasting it to pieces, while returning his shadow to its rightful owner.
"What the, where'd that come from? An' was that a blast of salt or something?"
"Mistress Perona, look up there." One of the Zombies said.
Perona looked up to see Eri flying in the air, a Ki blast in her hand as she prepared to fire at the intruding Zombies once more.
"You will not lay a finger on this ship."
"What? She's flying how is she flying?" One of the Zombies questioned.
"Guard my body." Perona said, sitting on her knees, before her soul began to leave her body, and she flew up to Eri, her body shrinking down to her size. "Now who are you little girl?"
"My name is Eri Yagi. I am a member of the Straw Hat Pirates, and guardian of this ship." She said, holding the Ki blast in front of her.
"Guardian of this ship? Don't make me laugh. You're just a puny pipsqueak." Perona smiled. "Negative Hollow." She cried out, sending a ghost at Eri, before it passed right through her.
To Perona's shock, Eri wasn't effected by the ghost at all.
"What the? That had to have been a dud. Negative Hollow." She cried out again, sending another ghost through Eri.
"I might be lowering my Ki defenses to allow your ghosts to pass through me. But before my Papa came around, my life was a living hell, and I was tortured day in and day out. So your powers…" Eri paused as she pressed the Ki blast against Perona. "Have no affect on me." She declared, before she fired off the Ki blast, and sent Perona flying with it, and made it explode.
'How can her attacks hurt me? Is she a Haki user? No, she said something else, Ki. Could she come from a land where Haki is known as Ki? I don't know, and I don't want to find out.' Perona thought as her soul returned to her body, which suffered the same damage.
"Retreat men. She can negate my attacks and she isn't affected by my Negative Hollows." Perona coughed, as the Zombies picked her up.
"Retreat." One of them called out, as they ran.
Eri landed back on the deck of the ship, looking at the Zombies who were retreating, but once they were gone, she fell to her hands and knees with a depressing aura above her.
"That was too close. I was so scared. I want my Mama and Papa." Eri whined, before the Cerberus pup came and licked her cheek. Looking at the pup, Eri could see her tail was wagging, and she was running in circles happily. "No, I have to be strong. Papa is counting on me to guard the Sunny and that's what I'm gonna do. Not to mention, I have to give him the file on SZ-9001."
~Kaen's Group~
"I don't like this." Franky said.
"I wonder what could have happened to them?" Robin inquired.
"Well, now we've lost the Captain, so we're down another crewmate, with no explanation as to what happened, or where they went." Kaen sighed.
"It's certainly strange." Robin added.
"There's nowhere for them to go, they were walking right next to us." Franky said.
"Perhaps ghosts had something to do with it." Robin suggested.
"Guys I might have an idea to find where they went, but it's a risky one." Kaen explained.
"Are you sure? The others might have lost some limbs, and the same could happen to you." Robin stated.
"Damn it, stop thinking about all that creepy talk, and start thinking about how we can find those guys and save them." Franky said. "What's your plan brother?"
"Hold up." Kaen said, as armored footsteps echoed through the hall. "Something's coming up from behind, and it ain't a silent stalker either."
Robin and Franky turned around with Kaen, and looked to see what was coming their way, and saw it was a walking suit of golden armor. They were all prepared for a fight, before the armor tripped and fell forward.
"Hold on, is that…?"
"Zoro, Sanji. Man where did they go?" Luffy asked, picking himself up, and raising the face covering of the armor's helmet.
"This is no time to screw around, what's wrong with you?" Franky questioned.
"Hey, everybody know that if there's armor laying around, you gotta put it on and wear it, it's like fulfilling a mans dream." Luffy said.
"What? Oh wow, that's a good point." Franky said.
"You're not gonna join in on the conversation?" Robin asked, stepping up to Kaen.
"Not interested." Kaen said.
"You're rather mature for your age." Robin said.
"To be honest, I'm technically wearing a suit of armor already." Kaen said.
"You're what?" Franky and Luffy questioned getting in his face.
"How is this suit you're wearing, a suit of armor?" Luffy asked.
"Back up would you?" Kaen questioned, pushing them back. "Look, this suit I'm wearing is made of a bullet proof carbon fiber mesh, like I mentioned on the ship hours ago. The metallic base for that carbon fiber is the same stuff my shield is made of, a manufactured, indestructible metal I named Darmanium. But due the downside is, the fiber based metal isn't indestructible like the pure metal my shield is made if."
"Wait, a manufactured metal?" Franky inquired.
"Darmanium is a carefully balanced formula of three ultra rare, ultra strong metals. Adamantium, which can only be destroyed by more of itself, or one other metal. Vibranium, a metal that can absorb and distribute kinetic energy, allowing it to virtually break the laws of physics by bouncing off several non-rubber or elastic surfaces. An' the third is the rarest called Dargonite, stronger and lighter then Adamantium and Vibranium. It can shatter both without any effort, so long as enough force is put into the swing. But since the last of it was used to make a mad titan's weapon, the metal's composition was reverse engineered, and a synthetic duplicate was made, which turned out to be stronger then the original."
"That's cool, and boring at the same time." Luffy said.
"I see, so you took a piece of each name from the original three metals, and used them to make Darmanium." Robin smiled. "Kinda clever."
"Wow, and you have a suit made of the metal, comprised of all three of those other metals? How'd you get your hands on it?" Franky asked.
"My uncle David Shield was the one who made my suit, upgraded it from regular Kevlar actually. He's the one who developed the formula for Darmanium and Darmanium Fabric. But as I said, the fabric alternative isn't as indestructible as the actual metal. It can be pierced, by anything stronger then a hunting rifle with armor piercing bullets."
"So cool." Luffy smiled.
"Eri has a shield made of the Vibranium and Adamantium formula. I have a classmate who can make anything inorganic from the lipids of fat in her body with her Quirk, so long as she knows the alchemic formula to them, and she used her Quirk to make the raw Vibranium and Adamantium for one of my sisters classmates to use to make Eri's shield. She's still learning how to use it, but she's getting there."
~Mina~
"Lola you get back here and stop ruining my life." Absalom called out, running after the pink warthog.
"Teehee, try and catch me if you can Darling." Lola said in a lovey dovey voice.
"Lola, that's enough. Get back here and listen to your commander." Absalom declared.
"You."
Absalom looked past Lola, just as she flew past Lola, and swung one of her blades down on him, but he blocked the sharp edge with his arm, which shocked Mina as she didn't cut him.
"Ah, my beloved bride. I see you chose to come running to me, sparing me the trouble if finding you myself. How considerate of you." Absalom smiled.
"Shut the fuck up." Mina growled.
Lola skid to a halt, and turned to glare towards Mina, thinking she was going for Absalom's love, but she stopped when she saw the aura of anger around the pink haired girl.
"You were in the bathroom when we were bathing, and saw me naked, saw us naked." Mina glared. "I don't care of you saw me naked. I'm a bit of a partial nudist when I'm at home, but I'm pissed, because you saw Eri naked."
Mina pushed harder on Absalom's arm with her blade, before she used the other blade to swing up at him, just barely cutting him under the left eye.
"Now hold on my bride. I can explain." Absalom said.
"I don't wanna hear it you pervert." Mina declared, swinging her katana's at Absalom, coating the blades coated in Ki, managing to cut through his tough skin. "Eri is only six years old, and you spied on me, Nami, and Eri in the bathroom earlier. I'm not gonna let you live after peeping on my daughter like that."
Absalom was being pushed back as Mina's blades grew sharper, the more Ki she pushed into her blades, and to his horror, they started to burn like acid, each time they touched his skin.
"Master Absalom… spied on a child?" Lola questioned. "Is he… into children?"
"Listen, it was never my intention to spy on your daughter. I only had eyes for you and Nami." Absalom said.
"I don't care. Shut up and die you creep." Mina shouted, thrusting both her blades forward. One of them pierced Absalom's side, while the other ran through something on the underside of his arm, before it became visible, and it was revealed as an arm strapped cannon.
"Crap." Absalom growled, jumping back. "You're a feisty one aren't you?" He questioned, before his eyes widened when they landed on Mina.
For the most part, Mina still looked the same with her light coco tan skin, but her eyes had reverted back to her golden irises, with black sclera, with her horns back to their golden yellow color, instead of blending in with her hair. Out of reflex, Absalom used his remaining, and usable arm cannon, and fired it at Mina, only for the pink haired girl to cross her arms, and take the hit, with smoke surrounding her, before it cleared away, and she looked even more pissed. She hadn't even been moved back from the force of the impact. She stood firm and tall, but he'd also destroyed the front part of her top, resulting in her arms being all that covered her chest.
"What… what the hell are you?" Absalom questioned, as Mina put her swords away.
"I'm a Saiyan Warrior." Mina glared, using a piece of torn curtain as a makeshift tube top. "An' I'm one pissed off mother."
"Damn it. I cannot win this." Absalom said, his body turning invisible before he ran off.
Mina let her shoulders relax as she couldn't feel Absalom's Ki anymore, and sighed before she collapsed on one of the pieces of furniture that had survived her acid attack that struck down all the enemy Zombies.
"Here, you might wanna use this instead of a piece of random fabric for a top." Lola said, holding a white top up to Mina.
"Thanks." Mina said, taking the top. "But, you're a Zombie aren't you?"
"A Zombie General actually." Lola said sitting next to Mina. "I serve Master Absalom as one of his followers, I've even been pining for him to marry me, but now I'm starting to think that may be a bad idea."
"A creep like him? No way girl, you're better off without him." Mina said, putting the white silk tube top on. "Perfect fit, and it's so smooth and soft against my skin."
"I thought it might fit you. It's way too small for me, but I kept it because I thought Dr. Hogback might change my body one day to fit in it, so I could seduce Master Absalom. But I'm not too concerned about that anymore." Lola said. "I'm Lola."
"Mina." She smiled. "You know, if you'd been here a bit sooner, there was a Hippo Zombie you'd have made a perfect couple with."
"Oh you mean Mr. Hippo Gentleman? Not my type, but I appreciate the consideration." Lola said. "So I hear you're a mother. How old are you?"
"I'm fifteen." Mina said.
"You're so young. How are you managing?" Lola asked.
"I didn't give birth to Eri if that's what you're thinking." Mina said, sitting back down on the bench. "My boyfriend, Kaen, rescued Eri from an abusive man, who used Eri as nothing more then a lab rat for his twisted experiments. Her arms and legs are covered in so many scars, it's heart breaking just to look at them."
"My, that does sound sad. But you're pirates, so what's different about that life then this one?" Lola asked.
"Kaen and I have only been part of the crew for a couple days now. I'm only gonna be part of the crew until Kaen and I find an Island we can settle down on, and then I'll stay on the island with Eri, while Kaen sails with the Straw Hat Pirates." Mina said. "It's unlikely we'll be able to return to our own world."
"I've heard Saiyans are aliens from another planet. Is that true?" Lola asked.
"It is. Though the Saiyans home world, planet Vegeta, has been long gone, destroyed with most of the Saiyan Race, for nearly twenty years now." Mina stated. "Hold on, how do you know about Saiyans?"
"Oh, well according to what I've heard, some time around fifteen to sixteen years ago, before Dr. Hogback joined the Masters crew, Marineford was visited by some sort of alien craft during a summons of the Seven Warlords, and four beings, calling themselves Saiyans, came out of it. There was a long fought battle against the Seven Warlords, Marines, and the Saiyans, but in the end, three of the Saiyans had been killed in battle, while one escaped and they'd never been seen again since. But ever since that battle, the corpses of the three killed Saiyans had been sitting in a freezer here on the island. It wasn't until quite recently that Dr. Hogback started work on a Special Zombie comprised of parts from all three Saiyans, and even some animals, actually it's quite similar to Master Absalom's body."
"Okay, that's concerning." Mina said. "If that Zombie is brought back to life, and if the method is what I think it is, then Kaen might face someone as strong as himself."
"Stronger actually." Lola stated. "Zombies retain the fighting styles given to them by their shadow's former masters, but the physical strength is proportionate to the body of the Zombie."
"Meaning?"
"If the shadow of a scrawny martial arts master, were put into the body of a Zombie with three times the muscle mass as the martial arts master, they'd still retain the martial arts skills of said master, but the strikes would be several times stronger then they would normally be." Lola explained.
"Are you sure you should be telling me all this?" Mina asked.
"It's fine. Master Moria's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, so there's not much you can really do to stop him from fulfilling his desire of being King of the Pirates. Still I have faith in you, that you'll be able to stop him, and leave the island, with all your shadows in tact."
"I've already returned one shadow to one of my crewmates. Let's just hope Moria hasn't collected any others." Mina said.
~Kaen's Group~
"What in the world is this place?" Robin asked.
"If I had to guess, the ruins of a castle, that was built on this island. Honestly, I think this entire island used to be a Kingdom Moria took over before turning to island into the worlds largest ship." Kaen said. 'Unlike I-Island, it's not an artificially created structure, it actually used to be a stationary island.'
"Robin, Kaen. Are Ussop and the others here?" Luffy questioned as he and Franky came to their sides.
"No, but take a look at this room." Robin said. "We should be outside once we pass through here."
In front of the group, was a large open space room, with five large circus tents standing on the outside of a large fenced off area with an artificial grass arena.
"Whoa, what is this place?" Luffy asked.
"Looks like some kind of arena." Franky said.
"It's actually a lot more complicated then that." The stuffed pig said. "Oh but don't worry about the details, you'll find out soon enough since…"
"Since we've conveniently walked into your trap?" Kaen asked, finishing his statement.
The stuffed pig looked shocked, before something from above came falling down and on impact created a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, the others gasped, when they saw Kaen standing right where Franky had been, his arm over his head, looking more jagged and stone like, as he blocked the blade the Zombie General was wielding, barely piercing his flesh, with green electricity sparking around his body, as he used his Quirk to save Franky's life.
"Who is that?" Robin questioned, spotting the armored Zombie above Kaen's head.
"He is one of the Zombie Generals. None of you stand a chance against him." The Zombie Pig laughed.
"You know, I should really thank whoever's responsible for interfering with my ability to sense Ki." Kaen said, lowering his arm, and grabbing the Zombie General by the head, before slamming the armored Zombie into the ground. "Because of their interference, I've been forced to focus harder on my Ki, and that's allowed me to adapt, to evolve. Which means, I no longer have trouble sensing where someone's Ki is located now, and I can tell the difference between a Zombie's Ki, and a shadowless humans." He stated, destroying the Zombie Generals head with a Ki blast, allowing for the Zombie's shadow to fly away. "It also means, I'm able to access some of the Quirks I possess with One-for-All. The first one, being Hardening, which I got from my friend Eijiro Kirishima. I could have combined it with Steel, from Tetsutetsu, but that would have been more then my body can handle at the moment, and I currently don't have any Senzu Beans on me."
"One-for-All?" Robin questioned.
"Damn bro. That was hardcore." Franky said, wide eyed in shock.
"Wall Zombie." The Zombie pig cried out as he ran away, before sight of him was blocked off by a stone wall with a face stitched into it.
"He's getting away." Franky said.
"Leave him." Kaen stated. "He's not gonna be any use to us anymore. Besides, we've got bigger problems to worry about."
The entire room began to fill up with heavily armored Zombie Generals, each of them having their own unique looks. While in their ranks, there was one with a Ki, Kaen knew didn't belong to him. But he couldn't focus on that now, as the battle began between the pirates and the Zombies.
"Strong Right!" Franky called out, running to the Zombie General with the body of an elephant centaur. "You don't know who you're messing with." He declared, striking a pose, with his arms pointed towards the ground.
"Trienta Fleur!" Robin called out, before arms sprouted out from multiple areas on the bodies, of the three Zombies that ran at her, stopping them in their tracks. "An' clutch."
"Move it." Luffy shouted, using his Bazooka move on three Zombies, making a path for them to run through. "Now, come on."
"Wait Luffy, don't go." Kaen called out.
Luffy stopped, before he had to jump back, as the three he just knocked away, tried attacking him once more.
"What the hell? I swore I knocked these guys down." Luffy said. "They shouldn't have gotten up that fast."
"They're Zombies Luffy." Kaen said, destroying the head of three who were surrounding him. "Unless you purify them, or destroy their bodies completely, they'll keep getting back up, because they can't feel any pain aside from their own decaying bodies. Though, since these aren't the ones who go after humans and eat their brains, they might not feel any pain at all."
"What makes you think they'd feel the pain of their decaying bodies in the first place?" Franky questioned.
"Well, there was a movie back on my world, that explained why Zombies eat brains. They do it, because it eases the pain they feel of their decaying bodies. But given how these Zombies are made, it might not work the same way." Kaen said, before he felt a couple of small presences above him. "But the rest of that explanation will have to wait until later. I believe it's time to put my plan into action."
"Kaen, what is your plan?" Robin asked.
"If I told ya, you'd probably try to stop…" Kaen said, before he was silenced.
Franky, Luffy, and Robin turned to where Kaen had been, but found he was no longer there.
"Where the hell did he go?" Franky questioned. "Kaen was right there just a second ago, and now he's gone."
"I think this was part of his plan." Robin said. "He intended to get caught, he intends to allow himself to be taken straight to Moria. He's gonna try and finish this here and now, while bringing back Zoro and the others."
At the same time that they were discussing this, Kaen remained silent as the spider-mice that had taken him, put the lid over his coffin, and sealed it in their webbing.
'I'll find the others, and I'll kick Gecko Moria's ass while I'm at it.' He thought, as he felt the coffin begin to move.
~Mina~
"Gotta find the others, gotta make sure they're okay before I head back to the Sunny to check on Eri." Mina said, running through the passageway, focusing on finding Nami, Ussop, or Chopper's Ki.
"Mina."
Mina looked to who had called her name, and saw the others at the top of the stairs.
"Guys." She called, running up the stairs to the platform. "Are you okay?"
"We're fine. What about you, what happened to all the Zombies?" Nami asked.
"They're all dead. Reduced to puddles, thanks to my acid." Mina stated. "Oh by the way Nami, I found out where the treasure room is."
"Really?" Nami asked excitedly.
"We just have to go through this corridor, past the room of one of the living pirates named Perona, take a left, and we'll be there. Should be easy enough for me to store it all in my Duplication Void, until we return to the Sunny." Mina explained.
"Speaking of which, I thought you'd have already returned there by now." Ussop said.
"I will, but I have faith Eri's gonna be okay. Right now, I can't help but get the sinking feeling Kaen's in trouble." Mina said. "You three head back to the Sunny, I'll try and see if I can't find Moria after I raid the treasure room."
"Whoa hold on, what happened to your eyes? The sclera's black." Ussop said.
"That's how my eyes normally are." Mina said as her body began to blend in with the wall. "Now get going."
"What's happening to you, are you turning invisible?" Chopper asked.
"No, I have a camouflage Quirk. I'm just blending into the scenery like a chameleon. Now I won't repeat myself again. Get going." Mina stated, as she vanished from view.
The trio nodded and left, while Mina made her way through the corridor, stopping when she heard footsteps and pressed herself up against a pillar.
"Stupid brat." Perona grumbled, marching right past Mina with a giant stitched up teddy bear following her. "How can she even do that? The Hollow-Hollow Fruit, isn't supposed to be affected by anything but the sea like that. Yet she still managed to do damage to my soul while it was separated from my body. She has to be a Haki user."
'Haki? She must be referring to Ki. Guess Eri was able to cause her some damage and defend the Sunny.' Mina thought, before she continued to fly through the corridor's before leaving the room.
Not a moment too soon, as she left the corridors of Perona's room, her camouflage vanished, and she was back to her pink skinned self.
"I haven't practiced using that Quirk yet, but I guess I was lucky enough to last that long." Mina said, returning her skin to the light coco tan color she had it at.
Heading down the hall, Mina used her Echo Location skill and found the treasure room with ease. It took about half an hour for her to stash all the treasure in there, into her Duplication Void, but once she was finished, she made her way through the halls again, but stopped and hid behind a pillar as she heard someone coming, and two voices, she recognized both of them as Perona and Absalom.
"So the time has come huh? Master Moria's found a shadow for 900 and 9001?" Perona asked, her teddy bear following close behind.
"Indeed." Absalom said, sounding like he was in a bit of pain.
"What's going on with you Absalom?" Perona asked.
"My bride is a feisty one. She's able to break through my defenses, and skewered my side, with an acidic blade." Absalom growled. "Thankfully, the damage was undone due to those beans Ryuma swiped from her person earlier. Though it's a bit sore."
'Senzu Beans? They have them? That's right, Ryuma knocked me out in our battle, so there's no telling what could have happened while I was unconscious. I have to get them back. If Absalom has them, then I can just take them without much trouble.' Mina thought as she followed them.
"Well, she is a Saiyan Warrior, isn't that right?" Perona asked. "Now that I think about it, the brat she had with her, she's probably a Saiyan to, that's probably how she was able to cause my corporeal form such harm."
"Probably." Absalom said. "We should pick up the pace, we don't want to keep Master Moria waiting."
"Agreed." Perona said.
With the two pirates picking up their paces, Mina followed close behind wanting to know who they could have grabbed for their plans. Despite that, Mina had the sinking feeling she knew who it was. Following them, Mina was astonished as they entered a room filled with multiple coffins, and ornate tombstones, with Dr. Hogback and Cindry already there.
"Ah, welcome back you two." Dr. Hogback smiled with a laugh. "Everything go well?"
"No." Perona said. "The child that came with the Strawhats is a Saiyan. A fact I learned the hard way."
"Same here. I learned the hard way, that my bride to be, is also a Saiyan." Absalom said.
"Oh dear. Well you'll be happy to know, there will be one less Saiyan for us to worry about opposing us. Behold." Dr. Hogback declared, a spotlight shining on a figure hung by a rope of silk webbing.
'Kaen.' Mina gasped.
Kaen raised his head, and looked in the direction of the three main followers of Gecko Moria, but upon closer look, Mina saw he was looking right at her. Ever so slightly, she saw Kaen shake his head, telling her not to act.
"What's with that weird suit?" Absalom questioned.
"This suit, happens to be my own suit of metal based fabric armor. Perfect for a martial artist like me." Kaen said.
"Not so powerful if you're hanging from there, having been caught by our Zombies." Absalom said.
"It doesn't matter. I already destroyed half of the Zombie Generals you sent at us anyways. Shadows returning to their owners and everything." Kaen said, cracking his neck, before turning to look at the big guy, shaped like an onion. "Gecko Moria I presume?"
Standing in front of Kaen, was an abnormally large humanoid creature with very distinct, devil-like features, standing at around 23' in height. From the sides of his head, he has two horns protruding, like devil horns, and stitches running vertically from the top of his face and down his neck, which is rather long and thick in comparison to his body. His ears and teeth are both pointed, while his lower body is relatively fat and stubby in comparison, making him look like an onion. His hair is a dark magenta red and his skin is a pale eggshell bluish white, matching his lips, armbands and the edges of his gloves. He wore a coat and glove, consisting of the color black, while his pants are bright orange with pale window shapes imprinted on them. He wears a fishnet shirt underneath a necklace, and a blue crucifix-like ornament with claw-like appendages sprouting out from three of the cross's points.
"My, you're an astute one, aren't you?" Moria said. "Your shadow will make for a fine Zombie soul. An' to easily take out so many of my forces so easily, I wonder if I should use you for 900 instead of 9001? But I think I'll stick with my original plan for you. Though you don't seem to have a bounty, you're still a member of the Straw Hat Pirates. Why is that I wonder?"
"Are you stupid or something?" Kaen asked. "I've only been a member of the crew for two days. I'm the new guy, bottom of the totem pole."
"Ah, that makes sense." Moria said, removing the lid off one coffin in the room, and revealed the Zombie inside.
Kaen's eyes widened when he saw the Zombie was a Saiyan. But the body looked different. His body was covered in almond brown fur, with stitches covering the visible skin on his pectorals and abdomen. Though they weren't open, the face possessed a dark orange shadow trim around the eyes and over the eyelids like eyeshadow. The hair was lengthened and wilder, reaching down to the middle of the Zombie's back, while two long pointed bangs of hair appear on both sides of the neck. The body also seemed considerably larger in height and muscle mass, compared to how a Saiyan's body would normally look.
"As you can see, I made some modifications to make this Zombie a bit more, primal in appearance then some of the others. This Zombie, is comprised of parts from three different Saiyan Corpses from when they first arrived." Dr. Hogback said. "One of the four who came managed to escape but…"
"He died on his way back to Planet Vegeta." Kaen growled.
"How do you know that?" Moria questioned.
"Because the ship that he used to come here, and retreat back to Planet Vegeta, was the ship my mother used to escape our home planets destruction, and it had the captains log of the journey, and the outcome of it. You'd all better count your blessings, Frieza's men never got their hands on that report, otherwise he'd have come and conquered this planet on his own long ago." Kaen glared. "But you desecrate the bodies of my kin, to turn into your own personal play thing? I will end you all."
"Tough talk coming from a simple monkey." Absalom growled. "Which reminds me. The pink haired Saiyan woman, she's mine now. She'll be my bride, and I'll be sure to take good care of her while you're drifting out at sea, trying to survive without your shadow." He smirked. "I'll even take good care of your daughter, and raise her as my own."
"Let me tell you something pervert." Kaen growled, as Moria, grabbed his shadow. "You must be into underaged girls, because Mina is only fifteen."
"What? No that cannot be, I saw her figure, her body, and it was that of a full grown womans." Absalom said, shaking his head in denial. "Alright then, you must be the same way, since you're a grown adult yourself."
"Dumbass, I'm only a year older then Mina." Kaen smirked, enjoying the pain Absalom was going through in his denial. "I'm sixteen."
"No. This cannot be." Absalom shouted.
"Enough. I cannot concentrate while you're bickering. Prepare Straw Hat for Number 900. I'll be finished with this one, shortly." Moria declared, peeling Kaen's shadow from off the ground, while lining the Saiyans feet with a pair of sheers. "Say goodbye to your life within the sun annoying Saiyan."
"We'll see about that." Kaen glared, before Moria closed the scissors, and severed Kaen's shadow from his body, rendering the Saiyan unconscious.
"An' that, is how it's done." Moria said, as he began to laugh.
~A/N~
For those who don't remember Darmanium, or don't know it, please read, or re-read, chapter 11 of my Saiyan Heroes of U.A story.