Saiyans on the Grandline
"So falls, the mighty Saiyan of the Straw Hats." Moria laughed, before looking at Kaen's shadow in his hand.
"Soon, Special Zombie-9001 will be resurrected and with him and 900 under your command, you truly shall become, King of the Pirates." Dr. Hogback laughed.
"Tell me Absalom, are you still gonna chase after the pink haired Straw Hat girl?" Perona questioned.
"Of course I am. Do you think me an idiot, his claims about their ages were obviously lies to keep me from marrying my bride, and taking her for himself." Absalom said.
"Here he is Master Moria." A small Zombie said as he and two others brought the armored Luffy into the room, in a cage.
"Hey, let me go you damned Zombies let me go so I can kick your ass." Luffy cried out, before he stopped when he saw the hanging Kaen. "Kaen. You bastards, what did you do to him? Let him go and give him back his shadow."
"Oh, don't worry Straw Hat, you'll get your turn soon enough. First I have to…" Moria was stopped from speaking, as the shadow in his grasp bit down on his hand, reflexively forcing him to let go of it, and fall to the ground, but stopped as it flew in midair, before it could make a landing. "Hey, get back here."
Kaen's shadow just dodged and weaved through Moria's arms, before it flew over his shoulder, and into the Zombie corpse of the fused Saiyan. There was a moment of silence as the Zombie corpse remained still, before its hands began to move, and it came to life as it stretched out.
"But I… didn't even start on making the contract." Moria said in disbelief as the Zombie stepped out of the coffin, and stretched out his body.
"Oh man, it feels good to be free of my confines within Kaen's soul." The Zombie said with a bit of a British accent, turning his face around as he cracked his neck, revealing his entire right cheek was missing, leaving his gums and teeth exposed to the elements. "Damn, I honestly didn't think his plan would work, but here I am."
"What?" Dr. Hogback questioned. "How is this possible."
"Master Moria, look at the Saiyan… his shadow…"
Moria and the others looked back to the unconscious Kaen, and the shadow that remained attached to his feet.
"What? But how? This isn't possible." Moria said. "I know I took his shadow."
"Well, it technically is possible, considering you never took one possibility into account as a factor." The Zombie said, picking earwax out of his ear with his pinkie and flicking it away.
"Bastard. Just who the hell are you? There's no way you're that morons shadow with the way you act so differently. Who are you?" Absalom questioned.
"Nice to meet you all. The name's Pinach, I'm Kaen's twin brother he absorbed in the womb." He smiled.
'Of course. Genius.' The hidden Mina thought, remembering what she'd learned about Kaen, and the deal he struck during the I-Island situation. 'Kaen pushed Pinach's soul into the shadow, thus allowing him to gain a body of his own. But is that a good idea?'
"I don't care who you think you are but you will…"
"Can it ya wanker." Pinach said, interrupting Moria, before he ran for Absalom, and slammed his palm into the perverts chest, sending him flying back into one of the walls. "Sorry tosser, but these don't belong to ya." He smiled, tossing up the bag of Senzu Beans that he swiped from Absalom.
"What the, how the hell did you snag those from me?" Absalom questioned, groaning in pain as he picked himself up.
"Oh simple really. While my right hand struck your chest, my left reached into your coat, and nabbed these buggers from your inside pocket." Pinach smirked, taking one of the beans out, and eating it.
The moment he swallowed the bean, Pinach's body was enveloped in a cloud of smoke, before it cleared away as he let his Ki flow, and what they saw shocked everyone. Standing there, was practically a carbon copy of Kaen, but without all the battle or surgical scars, and his hair spiked downward, still wearing the same clothes the Zombie body had. But there were no signs that his body had been stitched together, at any point in time.
"Damn, these Senzu Beans really are remarkable." Pinach smirked, stretching out his arms before tossing the bag, towards Mina.
"Hey wait. Damn it Pinach, don't just throw things at me, when no one else knows I'm here. You just blew my cover." Mina said.
"Ah, my bride. There you are."
"What's the big deal? You were reaching your limits with that camouflage Quirk of yours, weren't you?" Pinach asked. "It's fine."
"It is not fine." Mina said, getting in his face. "Now that creep who spied on Eri, Nami, and me while we were in the bath, is gonna try and take me again."
"Uh love, you might have just solved your problem with what you said." Pinach said, noticing Kaen's body reacting with a chill running through it.
"He what?" Kaen growled, opening his eyes as the room began to shake.
"Huh, I forgot. If it's about family, nothing stops Kaen, not even being knocked unconscious." Mina said, before she eeped as Pinach grabbed her, bridal style, before she was put over his shoulder. "Hey, put me down. I can walk on my own you know."
"Welp, it's been lovely mates, but we've got to bounce, before we get caught up in my brother's blind rage." Pinach smirked, grabbing the cage Luffy was in, before he vanished.
"Wait, no get back here with my bride." Absalom shouted.
"You." Kaen growled, breaking through the spiders thread holding him, and falling to the ground, leaving behind a large crack that spider webbed all the way to the walls.
"Impossible. That spider's silk is supposed to be stronger then steel." Dr. Hogback gasped.
"Absalom, he's a Saiyan, and he's pissed off. You'd better run." Perona said.
"I'm way ahead of you on that front Perona." Absalom said, as he was invisible and ran off in a random direction.
"Master Moria quickly, while he's still blind with rage, grab his shadow before it's too late. Straw Hat, and 9001 both might be gone, but this is our chance for 900 to be reborn, with the soul of a Saiyan." Dr. Hogback said.
"You're right. It infuriates me that we lost such a valuable asset, but we can still bring our ace in the hole, back to life." Moria said, grabbing Kaen's shadow, stopping the Saiyan in his tracks, before he could fly off after Absalom. "One way or another, I will make you serve under me Saiyan."
~Sunny~
"The ship doesn't look damaged at all. In fact, it looks cleaner then before." Franky said, walking around the deck of the ship.
"Whoever was here, certainly took the time to clean up the ship. They even put a blanket over Zoro and Sanji after the Zombies brought them back here." Robin said.
"I'm guessing it was Eri." Ussop said. "Kaen had instructed her to return to the ship immediately, so she's probably the one who cleaned up and put a blanket over those two."
"Eri. Are you here? Are you alright?"
"Fire."
Those of the crew who returned looked up to where Eri had shouted, and were suddenly barraged with water balloons filled with saltine cracker crumbs.
"Ow, what the hell was that for you brat?" Franky questioned.
"Swear." Eri said, pointing to where her swear jar was, between Zoro and Sanji. "Sorry about that. I thought you were more Zombies who came to try and loot the ship."
"You made a security system to fight off Zombies? But why are they balloons filled with crumbs?" Chopper asked.
"During one of their attacks a bit ago, I found out that they can be taken down with Salt, so I filled balloons with saltine cracker crumbs, and loaded them onto some makeshift catapults I set up around the ship." Eri explained, running down to the crew.
"So, you've been protecting the ship this entire time on your own?" Robin inquired.
"I've been guarding Zoro and Sanji to. They're asleep, but the strange thing is, Zoro's shadow is missing, while Sanji's is still there." Eri said.
"That's probably Mina's doing." Nami said.
"What do you mean?" Ussop asked.
"One of the Zombie Penguin Trio we saw earlier said he was a new guy, and he sounded awfully similar to Sanji, but Mina destroyed him, and returned the shadows of those Zombies from where they came from. My guess is, if we'd stayed long enough, and Mina hadn't destroyed them instantly, we'd have probably seen that dog faced Zombie using Sanji's fighting style." Nami explained.
"Now that you mention it, that does make sense." Chopper said.
"Well we weren't there, but we definitely saw a Zombie who used Zoro's fighting style." Franky said.
"One of the Zombie Generals. He wore clogs and was sorta dressed like an ugly, and creepy ballerina." Robin said.
"Hey-O everyone."
The crew looked to see who had come to the ship, and they were shocked to see someone so similar to Kaen, holding Mina over his shoulder, and Luffy in a cage.
"Who are you, and what are you doing with Mina and Luffy?" Nami questioned as they all got ready for a fight.
"Easy now easy mates. It's alright." Pinach said, putting the cage, and Mina down. "I'm a friend. Well, more family to these two then anything else." He stated, gesturing to Mina and Eri, who ran into her arms.
"He's telling the truth." Luffy said, as Pinach broke the cage, freeing him. "This guy totally came from Kaen's shadow, but Kaen still has his shadow. I don't know how it's possible, but it's cool."
"It was possible because Kaen's soul, wasn't the only soul residing in his body." Mina sighed, getting to her feet. "Eri, you remember him don't you?"
Eri just looked up at the newcomer, looking at him closely before his smile jogged her memory.
"Uncle Pinach." Eri cheered hugging him.
"Eh there little tiger. I see you've become stronger then before. Just how did you become a Saiyan anyway?" Pinach asked, picking her up.
"Some candy Aunty Athena made me and stuck in my fanny pack." Eri smiled.
"Did she now? Isn't that sweet, always looking out for her favorite niece." Pinach said.
"I'm her only niece." Eri giggled.
"So, mind filling us in? An' what do you mean, Kaen's soul wasn't the only one residing in his body?" Franky inquired.
"Chopper, are you aware of Chimerism and Dual Identity Disorder?" Mina asked.
"Well yes. Chimerism is when two or more fetuses in the womb, merge into one. It's rare, but there's been at least one case of Chimerism on every island with a medical professional living on it." Chopper said.
"But what's Dual Identity Disorder?" Ussop asked.
"It's a mental ailment where when the mind is put under enough stress or trauma, it creates a second or more personality, living within the same host." Robin said. "But what does that have to do with Kaen and…" She stopped as the pieces started to click. "Kaen's Chimerism was his D.I.D, wasn't it?"
"Right you are love. I was the twin he merged with in the womb, but by some miracle, I still ended up developing with him, and became a sentient consciousness in his mind when we were born." Pinach said.
"Wow, so Kaen's still got his shadow because…"
"He'd figured having my soul removed from his body, and put in a Zombies, could be beneficial to both of us, especially after I ate a Senzu Bean." Pinach explained. "We weren't expecting the Zombie I'd inhabit to be the fused corpses of three Saiyans who died nearly two decades ago. But after eating the Senzu Bean, I'm here, and I have my own life ahead of me. Once I help you to defeat Moria, I'll be heading off on my own, for my own adventure along the Grandline. But we've got a problem."
"An' that would be?"
"Kaen's still with Moria and his three followers. He woke up from his little nap of having his shadow removed, when I mentioned the creep, who peeped in on the three of us in the bath." Mina said.
"Three?" Robin asked.
"Mina, myself, and Eri. To save time, we all took a bath together when we were in Dr. Hogback's mansion, but someone had been in there spying on us, who could turn invisible. I'm pretty sure Kaen's gonna kill him now that he knows." Nami said.
"Oh Nami by the way, where's the treasure room located?" Mina asked.
"Through the women's quarters and a trap door beneath. Why?"
"Remember? I looted Moria's Treasure Room."
"Oh yeah. Don't hold back and let it all flow out." Nami said, her eyes turned into Berry signs.
"I'll fill it up as much as I can. Give me a bit." Mina said. "But let us finish explaining."
"When Kaen's enraged, it can become a little hard for him to… maintain his guard." Pinach said.
"Meaning?" Luffy questioned, taking off his armor.
"Meaning there's still a chance Papa could have his shadow stolen by the bad man." Eri said.
"Exactly." Mina said. "But if that happens, there is a chance that he could survive even in sunlight while missing his shadow."
"I thought that was impossible." Franky said.
"Normally, it is. But, there's a secret weapon Kaen has, that the Muppet Moria, isn't aware of." Pinach said. "But before we delve into that… Mina love, where's Kaen's case for his hero costume?"
"In the room Franky put together for us when we got here." Mina said.
"I'm assuming 'those' are still inside it?" Pinach asked.
"They are. He never took them out, because he didn't see the need since we weren't in danger." Mina said.
"What are you two talking about now?" Luffy asked.
"Something that can help concentrate Ki, even for someone who isn't a Ki user like us." Pinach stated. "Mind getting them love?"
"Fine." Mina said, heading for the room Franky made them.
The moment the door closed behind her, there was a loud rumble, and crash, as something big and monstrous roared out and echoed through the air.
"The hell was that?" Franky asked, dropping two coins into Eri's swear jar.
"My guess… Special Zombie 900." Eri said, holding up two files.
"Special Zombie 9001, that's the one my new body was comprised of, before I ate those Senzu Beans." Pinach said, quickly looking through both files. "But Special Zombie 900, it looks like he's made from the body of an ancient evil from five hundred years ago, six times the size of a normal giant."
"Wait… then that would mean." Ussop said.
"Kaen's actual shadow, was taken from him and put in that Zombie." Nami said.
"Oi, Dr. Chopper, do you happen to have anything that could help either Kaen or I improve in battle?" Pinach questioned.
"I'm not sure." Chopper said.
"Hmm? Wait, what about the Rumble Ball, Chopper?" Ussop asked.
"That might work, but we've got no clue how they'll affect a Saiyan's biology. There's no telling if it'll make things worse, or if it'll give a Saiyan a major power boost." Chopper said.
"What about Primal Rage?" Mina asked, coming back to the group, with a change of her top. "It worked for Kaen on I-Island, and when he fought against the Hero Killer, and Celeron during out internships. It might help again."
"What's Primal Rage?" Luffy asked.
"It's a special candy Kaen's sister made using Culinary Alchemy." Pinach explained. "It's a last resort thing. Maybe if it was somehow combined with the Rumble Ball, we could…"
"No, we don't know what kind of effect that could have on a Saiyan's body." Chopper said. "I won't allow it. Not until we know what kind of effects it might have."
"Kaen might not feel the same way, if the opportunity arises." Mina said. "He'll take any opportunity he can, to get stronger in order to protect others."
"Then we'd best keep an eye on him for that." Franky said.
"Speaking of… Look what the spider mice are bringing to the ship." Robin said.
Everyone who was conscious ran to the side of the ship, and saw the Zombie spider mice carrying the unconscious form of Kaen, straight for the Sunny.
"I'll take him from here." Robin called out to them, using her Devil Fruit powers to grab Kaen from the Zombies, before smacking them away into the sea.
With Kaen safely secure, Robin brought him back on board, and sat him next to Zoro.
"Think he'll wake up soon?" Ussop asked.
"Don't know. He woke up the last time because Mina here, spoke out loud about how Absalom spied on Eri in the bath." Pinach said.
"Oh yeah. An' it doesn't seem like that's working now." Luffy said. "HEY KAEN, ZORO, SANJI. WAKE UP ALREADY." He shouted.
"Brook said they'd be asleep for two days at least after having their shadows taken. But I guess we could try waking them up that way." Franky said raising his combined fists.
"Leave this to me Franky. You'll just hurt your hands beating up Kaen." Mina said stepping up. "He's built more solid then a steel beam."
"Give it a try then."
"I know just the trick to wake him up." Mina smiled, kneeling down next to him. "Kaen, wake up for me okay? If you do…" The pink haired girl leaned in closer to Kaen's ear using her hand to cover her hand, whispering something to him, that Robin seemed to hear as she blushed a bit at hearing what she promised.
When Mina pulled back, Kaen's unconscious body subconsciously shivered, before he began to move, and burst free of the webs like they were nothing as he got to his feet.
"Incredible, those webs are stronger then steel and he just broke right through them, when Mina promised him, that." Robin said.
"What did she promise him?" Ussop asked.
"Mina, are you serious? You're not just pulling my chain?" Kaen asked, getting in Mina's face, a blush dusting his own cheeks.
"Yep. I promise, we'll do 'that', after you kick Moria's ass, and get everyone their shadows back." Mina smiled, as she put two coins in Eri's swear jar. "An' trust me, I've got ulterior motives, for promising this little event of fun for us."
"I'll be sure to babysit Eri while you two have your fun." Robin smiled.
"Thanks Robin. At least you won't charge us a fortune like Nami would." Mina smiled.
"She's got a point there. My services with kids, do not come cheap." Nami said.
"Alright, but how do we wake up these two?" Franky asked.
"Zoro, I got some high quality Sake from earth, and some tips on keeping your blades from getting chipped in battle." Mina said.
That got Zoro's body to shiver the same way Kaen's had, before he began to rise and his eyes looked like that of a dead man.
"Sake and sword maintenance tips?" Zoro questioned.
"What about Sanji?"
"Sanji, there's a room full of sexy ladies panties in the castle." Mina said.
"Sexy panties?" Sanji questioned, on his feet in an instant.
"Nope, but that woke you up faster then Kaen or Zoro." Mina deadpanned. "Man you really are hopeless."
"Hold on, what are we doing back at the Sunny?" Zoro inquired. "Weren't we just in the mansion on Thriller Bark?"
"The last thing I remember is interrogating that wall mounted Zombie Pig, but that's it." Sanji said.
"You were snagged by Zombie spider mice, and your shadows were stolen by Gecko Moria." Pinach explained. "But it appears, someone already purified Sanji's Zombie."
"That would be me." Mina said.
"Wait, was he one of those Zombie Penguin trio guys you dealt with?" Ussop inquired.
"He was." Mina said. "An' that was the perfect testing ground for a technique I'd been working on, based off a show from our world."
"Hold up, how come there are two Kaen's?" Zoro questioned, getting ready to draw one of his blades.
"It's a long story. But this is Pinach. Formerly the second soul that shared my body, but now has an independent body of his own." Kaen said. "I'm glad to see my plan worked. Having you take my shadow's place at the last second really paid off in the end."
"Indeed it did, but now we've got something a lot worse to deal with then Moria." Pinach said.
"Right, the big guy my shadow went to, Oars." Kaen said. "If I remember correctly, Moria had said something about the differences between the shadow and the body. If there's a substantial gap between the two, then it would take longer for the shadowed Zombie to fall under his control."
"That gives us an advantage. Is the big guy ready and willing to help if need be?" Pinach asked.
"He's willing. We don't really have anything to go by for its success outside the initial fusion and execution. But in theory it should work, all we'd need, is something to boost the kick start." Kaen said.
"Something like, a medicine designed for battle?" Pinach asked, looking to Chopper.
"Oh no, whatever you two are scheming, I won't have any part of it. As I said, it is too dangerous, and too risky. We have no idea the kinds of side effects it could have on your biology." Chopper stated.
"What's he talking about?" Kaen asked.
"It's a special medicine he developed for enhancing his Zoan Type Devil Fruit powers." Ussop said, sitting on a platform and mixing something in a mortar with a pestle. "It gives a Zoan Type power a boost and three more stages of transformation, for three minutes."
"Chopper, I know you might not agree with it, but Kaen should have at least one of those Rumble Balls, you developed." Robin said.
"Please Chopper?" Eri asked. "It could be the only thing that could help Papa get back the shadows that were stolen from him, Zoro, and everyone else on the island."
Chopper looked at Eri, his eyes widening in terror, when she gave him adorable kitten eyes.
"Alright fine. I'll do it. I'll give him the Rumble Balls." Chopper said, running for his lab.
"Dang, that's lethal stuff." Mina said, Eri smiling proudly and holding up a two finger peace sign.
"No joke love. She could probably get Moria to undo all he's done with a single glance alone." Pinach said. "Seems like she's allowed herself to fully embrace being a Saiyan."
"So you already knew about that huh?" Ussop asked.
"It wasn't hard for me to figure out. Our sister Athena had the power to do it any time she wanted. But she managed to do so, in a way that wouldn't hurt Eri." Kaen stated.
"Yeah, by the way. You still owe us an explanation to how your twin brother is here. He's not the evil one is he?" Zoro asked.
"No, that's Celeron, and he's five to six years older then me." Kaen said.
"Before we get into all that, there's something you all should know, about Brook, and a promise he made to a friend, some fifty years ago." Franky said.
~Hogback Manor~
"Damn, that was a close one." Absalom said his invisible form entering the dining room of the mansion before he became visible. "That damned rebellious Zombie stole those beans that could heal my injuries. How did he even avoid becoming Lord Moria's servant in the first place?" He questioned.
Making his way out of the mansion, Absalom traveled along the pathway to Perona's garden, enjoying the night air, before stretching and allowing himself to relax, and sighed as he leaned against the railing on the connecting pathway. He could see SZ-900 and what he was doing. But what he wasn't acting like the Captain of the Straw Hats, he was more acting like the Saiyan who's shadow had someone remained after Moria had cut it, and also claimed Mina was already his.
"Where the hell does Oars think he's going?" Absalom questioned. "The direction he's heading in, is towards the rudders controls. Did Lord Moria not get Straw Hats shadow?"
"No, he was only able to remove the Saiyan's shadow, again."
"Ah." Absalom jumped around, finding Lola standing behind him. "Lola, stay away from me. My heart already belongs to… GAH." He was stopped as he felt a blade pierce his side.
"I'm over you Absalom." Lola said. "I'm not interested, in men who like to peep on children when they bathe."
"Lola… that's not what I was…" Absalom gasped out.
"I'm not wanting to hear your excuses." Lola said, twisting her blade, and cutting through Absalom's side, making it look like she'd stopped half way at cutting him in two, with part of his spine visible with his guts spilling out.
"Lo-la…" Absalom gasped, before his head was sent flying.
"An' that's a close on the book for a pervert like you." Lola said. "I can't believe I wanted to marry him."
Reaching into her dress, Lola pulled out a small burlap bag, before she opened it, and emptied the contents into her mouth.
"I got nothing else to live for, so might as well return my shadow to its rightful owner. Moria would kill me anyways when he finds out about this." Lola stated, before her body froze up, and she went pale, with a shadow coming out of her mouth, and vanishing in the air, as Lola returned to the state of a normal rotting corpse, before the island began to shake.
~Sunny~
"Whoa, what the hell's going on?" Ussop questioned, as their ship shook with the island, while dropping another two coins in Eri's swear jar.
"It's only a hunch, but Thriller Bark must be caught up in those waves we had gone through when we entered the Florian Triangle." Kaen said.
"What's that mean? We're gonna leave the fog?" Luffy asked.
"If we keep going forward, yes." Robin said.
"Great. Oh well, I guess we don't have any time to lose then. Daybreak is our literal deadline, and we've only got a few hours until then to get Zoro and Kaen their shadows back." Ussop stated.
"Kaen, you and I handle Oars, while everyone else handles the small fries?" Pinach questioned.
"I'm coming with you." Luffy said. "I don't care if you're Saiyans, you'll have better odds of getting Kaen's shadow back, if you have me to fight against this Oars monster, with you."
"You're the Captain." Kaen said.
"Hang on, before you all go." Mina said, tossing them all a Scouter. "I figured out what was wrong with your tower Franky. Signal was too weak due to a lack of power."
"Of course, the power source wasn't strong enough to handle the reception's output." Franky realized.
"I don't know much about tech, but I did manage to boost the power source, thanks to a little ingenuity and problem solving." Mina said.
"An' how did you do that?" Kaen asked.
"Let's just say, I turned one of Athena's Quirk canceling collars, into a makeshift arch reactor." Mina snickered. "I just closed it around my wrist, easily slipped it off, before it could shrink down to actually fit around my wrist, and super charged it with my Ki, after creating a dream catcher made from copper wires with it."
"Simple science of electro magnetism. Impressive." Franky smirked.
"We can talk about how impressive Mina is at this later, right now we need to get back to the task at hand." Ussop said.
"Right. Let's go get Zoro's shadow back." Sanji declared.
"You're staying put." Robin said, holding Sanji back with duplicates of her arms sprouting from the ground.
"Why's Sanji gotta stay behind?" Luffy asked.
"One, Moria could steal his shadow again. We don't exactly want that. Two, he's pissing Kaen off so much, our Saiyan Warrior might actually kill him in all the chaos of the battle." Robin stated.
"Let's not forget Pinach." Mina said. "He's getting just as pissed, and he has no qualms with acting on his Saiyan nature, right here and now."
"Good point." Luffy said. "Alright Sanji, you stay here and watch the ship. Someone's gotta guard it after all."
"An' look after Cerberus." Eri said, putting the three headed pup in Sanji's arms. "I'm coming with Mama and Papa to fight, and I am not taking no for an answer."
"Guess we can't really stop her." Kaen said.
"She's a Saiyan, just like her father." Mina sighed.
"Alright, now let's go." Luffy cheered, as they marched off.
~Moria~
"Hmm, Oars is taking a while to fall under my control. Oh well, I guess Saiyan souls take a bit longer to integrate." The Warlord hummed, before the ground began to shake, as Oars made his way back to the castle, and they were face to face once more. "Ah, there you are my precious masterpiece. Now, who's your master?"
"Gecko Moria." Oars said, his voice sounding like his own, and Kaen's. "Gecko Moria is my one and only true master. I serve you without question."
"That's right. Now look on your arm Oars. I've placed some posters there. Those pesky pirates are scurrying about like mice. I need you, to dispose of them for me. An' if you happen to find a black haired pirate, with a shield and monkey tail, make sure to keep him alive."
Oars looked down at his left arm, and saw the wanted posters for all the Straw Hats.
"Find the Straw Hats, and destroy all but the green haired one." Moria declared.
"We'll save you the trouble of finding them." Kaen's voice echoed out, before his shield came flying through the air, and struck Oars in the side of the head, with enough force to knock him aside.
"What?" Moria questioned, before an outstretched rubber arm came flying up and grabbed the railing.
"I've got Moria. You two handle the big monster." Luffy called out as he came flying up to Moria's level.
"You got it captain." Kaen said, as he caught his shield, with both him and Pinach, flying through the air, sparks of violet electricity surging around his body, with emerald green sparks surging around Kaen's.
"We'll knock this Bloke on his ass and get Kaen's shadow back." Pinach declared, as Oars corrected himself, with the Saiyan brothers pulling their arms back.
"Double Detroit: SMASH." She shouted as they struck Oars in the head, literally sending him flying over the other building of the mansion, and into the courtyard.
"You've got your own One-for-All?" Kaen questioned, in amazement.
"Well I was trapped in your body for almost two decades. Anything that happened to you, happened to me. Aside from the big guy assimilating with you." Pinach smiled.
"Speaking of… think you can buy me some time to bring him out?" Kaen asked.
"I'll buy you all the time you need." Pinach stated.
"I need five minutes."
"I'll give you ten." Pinach said, before flying off, and hitting Oars with another strike.
"Alright big guy. I need your help right now." Kaen said, taking a meditative position in midair. "I know you still see yourself as my vassal, but we're one being now. So I'm gonna need some help harnessing the power we both know you're safe guarding." He stated, popping a yellow pill into his mouth, and biting down on it.
Over with Oars, Pinach was flying around the big guy like a fly buzzing around a cadaver, but that wasn't too far off the mark, hitting him with Ki attacks left and right.
"Stop flying around, and let me squash you."
"Are you mental? I just got this body, I'm not losing it until I've had my fun and adventures." Pinach said.
Pinach flew around Oars, before he had to brace himself as the giant of giants hit him with his giant fist, and sent him into the ground, building up a cloud of dust.
"Okay, that smarts." Pinach groaned, sitting himself up.
"You okay Pinach?"
The revived Saiyan looked up at who'd just appeared at his side, and smiled when he saw Kaen standing there, looking extremely different; a circlet made of bone formed around his head, with a small skull in the center of the forehead ends, his hair was longer, and messier, as well as the addition of a scarlet red streak down the right side, and a waist cloak with the belt and edges made of spinal vertebra, with the metacarpal and proximal phalange bones from the pointer, middle, and ring fingers from hands, decorating the surface of the waist cloak like stripes; he had a ribbon of steam encircling him like a hagoromo of royal stature, and his suit looked like it was armor made of bones with red and black material energy, with his face taking on a skull like appearance, with his teeth visible on the outside of his lips, and his sclera having turned black with his irises glowing red. His muscles looked a little bigger and more defined as well. An' a diamond shaped ruby gem, embedded in both his suit, and his chest, shining bright with power. When he spoke it sounded like multiple people talking.
"Seems like the Rumble Ball helped." Pinach said, picking himself up.
"It did, but I look a bit different then I had when I initially absorbed Asura." Kaen said.
"You ready to give your new form a test drive?" Pinach asked.
"I thought you'd never ask." Kaen smirked, before his brow forwarded as he noticed a couple things. "You sensing that to?"
"Yeah, a powerful Ki, but it doesn't feel completely organic." Pinach said.
"It appeared, right around the time the fog started clearing up." Kaen stated.
"An' we're running out of time. The first rays of sunshine are starting to peek over the horizon." Pinach said, as Kaen's body began to let off more steam. "That form isn't gonna last you long, is it?"
"Not really." Kaen said. "Let's get moving."
Kaen and Pinach charged at Oars, their One-for-All's, coursing through their body as Oars attempted to kick them with the ruble.
"You pesky ants are nothing compared to me." Oars declared.
"Damn, he acts more prideful then you." Kaen said, both of them hitting Oars in the ankle, toppling him over.
"That's saying something." Pinach said, as they flew into the air, evading Oar's arm. "Hey, remember that move Celeron would imitate from the house of the Royal Saiyan Bloodline?"
"I remember, why?"
"Since I had nothing better to do with my time while I was sealed away, I practiced it, and made it my signature move." Pinach smirked. "I his him high, you hit him low?"
"Sounds like a plan to me." Kaen said.
"Guys."
Kaen and Pinach turned and gawked when they saw Luffy, but he was bigger, more muscular, and had blue skin, and he was flying towards them.
"The hell happened to you mate?" Pinach asked.
"I lost track of Moria, but ran into some more of his victims. They stuffed over a hundred shadows in me, and it gave me a power up." Luffy stated.
"We were just about to beat Oars through the ground. You're more then welcome to join us." Kaen said.
"Sounds good, let's move it." Nightmare Luffy declared, as he soared past them, and towards the ground.
"This will be fun." Pinach smirked, before the Saiyan brothers flipped downwards, and went for Oars.
As the giant picked himself up off the ground, Luffy landed on the giants back, and struck his spine.
"Gum-gum… Pistol." Luffy cried out, using his Devil Fruit Powers in this new form, before he slammed his fist into Oar's head.
"Hey, that wasn't very nice you little pipsqueak." Oars declared, trying to reach back and grab Luffy.
"I don't think so you big behemoth." Kaen stated, grabbing Oar's arm, with four more sprouting from his back, made completely out of bone and the dark energy Asura had been comprised from. "Send us a postcard, see you next fall." He said, flipping Oars over his head, and into the ground onto his back, causing the whole island to rumble and quake.
"Hey Luffy, Kaen, Pinach." Sanji called out running to them.
"Sanji, what the hell are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be back with the ship?" Luffy questioned.
"I had to warn the crew. Another Warlord has appeared." Sanji said. "It was Kuma. That ghost girl Perona had tried taking over the ship, and even loaded it with all the treasure from Moria's second treasure room. Apparently there was another Mina didn't know about and missed, but Kuma appeared, and she vanished when she confronted him. I didn't even stand a chance against him, but I came to warn the rest of the crew."
"Another Warlord, this is bad." Kaen said.
"Worry about one thing at a time." Pinach stated. "We've still got Oars to deal with."
"Sanji, go warn the others. We're gonna need all the help we can get if we wanna finish this off quickly." Luffy stated.
"On it." Sanji said running off to find the others.
"We're running low on time. Let's get this done and over with." Kaen said.
Getting back to his feet, Oars held up his arm, blocking a Ki attack from Pinach, shocking the revived Saiyan.
"Kaen, the Muppet's learned how to sense Ki and predict attack patterns." Pinach said.
"How?" Kaen questioned, spinning forward along the ground, before hitting Oar's in the knee with a double kick, but the momentum was stopped as Oars brought his leg forward in a counter strike. "He's a Zombie, Zombie's can't sense Ki or use it."
"Hell if I know. Maybe there's something we're missing, that Wanker Hogback did to allow Oars to sense Ki." Pinach said.
"Gum-Gum… Gatling." Nightmare Luffy called out, throwing his punches at Oars, only for the strikes to be blocked by his forearms.
"Ah shit." Kaen cursed.
"Did ya figure something out Bruv?" Pinach questioned.
"What is it. Did you think of something that he could be doing?" Luffy asked, landing on the ground between the Saiyans.
"I did. Back on earth, I ended up learning how to predict someone's movements from a different type of Ki. One that isn't connected to any life force, and only relies on knowing your enemies movements. If Oars has my shadow." Kaen cursed.
"Then he has that skill as well." Pinach cursed. "Fucking shit. Bloody Hell."
"What are you talking about?" Luffy questioned.
"We never had an upper hand on Oars to begin with. It was all an act, and we fell for it." Kaen stated. "He allowed himself to take those hits on purpose, so he could learn our movements, to be able to fight back against us."
"He's learning as he goes. He really does have your shadow." Pinach said.
"Move." Nightmare Luffy shouted, pushing the two out of the way, before he was struck with a punch from Oars.
As he was sent flying, Luffy hit a wall and bounced back at Oars, before he was sent flying again with another punch. This exchange continued on, picking up speed, making it look like Oars was hitting a blue rubber ball as a speed bag that bounced back.
"Luffy." Kaen cried out, grabbing his Captain, and tailing it to the ground, narrowly avoiding Oar's fist.
"Not good. That beating shortened the time I have with these shadows." Luffy stated, breathing heavily, as he felt the power begin to slip away.
"Just hang on Luffy, we still have a chance to…"
Kaen was interrupted as Luffy's body began to convulse, as hundreds of shadows began pouring out of him like a fountain, before he was back to his normal self.
"Damn it, I didn't even get to use my giant sword." Luffy grumbled, getting to his feet on shaky legs.
"I'm about at my limit with this form as well." Kaen grunted, giving Luffy a Primal Rage, as the waist cloak and steam hagoromo vanishing into thin air.
"Kaen. I have a plan." Pinach said getting their attention.
At the same time, Moria made his appearance, as he drew back the curtain of the blue stripe on Oar's stomach, spotting the three of them, just as Pinach finished explaining his plan.
"Well, well. Look at this, two Straw Hats, and the insubordinate Zombie." Moria said, shocking the trio.
"Oh, look it's Moria." Kaen growled, cracking his neck before popping in a Primal Rage candy, and biting down on it like the Rumble Ball.
"My, you certainly look different. I had no idea Saiyans were capable of this." Moria smirked.
"Normally they aren't." Kaen stated his waist cloak and hagoromo reappearing. "But I'm a special case."
"Indeed you are. But I'm curious, how was your shadow able to remain, while I had already cut it off?" Moria questioned.
"Hmph, allow me to introduce you to my twin. Chimerism is a bitch, but we fixed that, thanks to some help from you and Dr. Hogback's work on SZ-9001." Kaen smirked. "You see, you may have cut off a shadow, but it wasn't mine. All you did was removed Pinach's soul, from my body, meaning even if you had tried to form a pact with the shadow, it wouldn't have worked."
"You Saiyans really are a tenacious bunch." Moria growled. "Fine then, aside from you, the others will die."
"That's not happening mate."
"Let's do this Pinach. You good Luffy?" Kaen questioned.
"I'll be good. Don't you worry about me." Luffy said. "Let's kick his ass."
Kaen held up his arms, green threads of electricity dancing around his body as his arms hardened and became jagged like stone, accessing Kirishima's Quirk, before they charged at Oars and Moria.
Flying straight for Moria, Pinach had his One-for-All, coursing through him at full power. Unlike Kaen, Pinach didn't gain any of the Quirks gathered in his One-for-All Core, the revived Saiyan only inherited the combined strength, making his raw physical strength, on par with All Might's.
"I'm gonna send you ta hell, you Bloody Tosser." Pinach declared, before Oars whacked him away, like an annoying fly.
"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Oars questioned.
"Oh great, he's got my quips to. Just perfect." Kaen growled, hitting Oars in the forehead. "You might be able to predict my battle movements Oars, but that's not worth shit when I move faster then you can react."
Kaen threw another punch, but his attack was stopped, when a shadow wrapped around his body.
"That may be so, but you're still helpless against my Doubleman." Moria laughed.
Oars took that moment to hit Kaen with his fist, and sent him into the side of the building, leaving Pinach and Luffy to deal with Oars on their own.
"Bruv." Pinach called out.
"Kaen." Luffy shouted.
From within the tower, Kaen picked himself up out of the ruble, his aura shifting to something Pinach had never felt before. Standing in the hole his entry made, Kaen's eyes remained overshadowed, as Oars and Moria turned to look at him.
"Now, crush him. But don't kill him. Keep him alive." Moria ordered.
"You got it Master." Oars declared, throwing his arm back, surprising everyone as it stretched out.
"What the hell? He's got my Devil Fruit power? But how?" Luffy questioned.
"The shadow mimics the soul, and is the slave to the body's form, but if the shadow takes control, the laws of nature can be rewritten." Pinach said. "This must be one of the abilities of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit."
Throwing the attack, Oars aimed to take Kaen down, and leave him in a weakened state, but Kaen surprised them, when he held up his arm, and stopped the attack, with a single hand, causing a shockwave to echo out across the area.
"What?" Moria questioned.
"Oars. There is only one Kaen, and that's me." The Saiyan growled.
Instantly looking up, Kaen's eyes were glowing a pure gamma radiation green, and his teeth were all pointed and razor sharp, before Oars was thrown back, as his arm was instantly sliced down the middle. Up in the air above the monster's shoulder, was Kaen with his shield on his arm, and the blades sprouted from the edges of the shield, and his tear ducts spewing green flames.
"This wasn't part of the plan." Pinach gasped.
"Hey, you're his brother or whatever, what the hell's going on with Kaen?" Luffy questioned.
"Well, with Chimerism of Saiyan Nature, Kaen has access to twice the amount of Oozaru power that a normal Saiyan, like myself, wouldn't even be able to dream of obtaining, unless born as the Legendary Super Saiyan. Since there's no moon out, Kaen's survival instincts forcibly pushed the power and strength of the Oozaru out, without having him transform, despite his tail still being attached to his body." Pinach explained.
As this conflict was happening, high up on the tallest tower, stood a man at 689cm tall, with the over all appearance of a bear, with a few key differences. He wore a hat featuring a pair of rounded ears, and along the dark blue fabric of his pants, is covered in brown spots. His jacket contains a large white design reminiscent of a target cross-hair. There are also several white paw prints lining the bottom hem of his coat. He also has a long protruding chin with black hair, gloves, and a bible in his hand. He looked down at the battle, the fighters interested him, two of them in particular. But he'd leave his curiosity to be sated until sometime after the fight against Oars and Moria had been finished.
Landing on the ground, and grabbing the giant sword wielded by Nightmare Luffy, Kaen removed the sheath, before he threw the blade up in the air, and with a mighty punch, sent the blade rocketing straight for Oars, piercing the giants shoulder, and removing his right arm.
"PINACH, NOW!" Kaen shouted.
Pinach snapped out of his stupor, and flew into the air at the sound of Kaen's shouting, and flew towards the mast, before returning with a length of the chain that controlled the islands directions, and wrapped it around Oars' body, pinning his only remaining arm to his side.
Appearing in the air, and using his shield to deflect the sword, Kaen kicked the sword down, and towards the Zombie Giant, forcing the blade to pierce the Zombie's chest, and taking Oars to the ground, pinning him to the ground.
"This is where you meet your end Oars." Kaen said, cupping his hands together at his side, and building up his Ki.
"You're gonna feel the wrath of our Saiyan Pride." Pinach said, stopping to Kaen's side, and putting the back of his right hand, against the palm of his left, over his left shoulder, and raising his right leg diagonally across his body.
"Ka-me…" Kaen began, the blue light of his attack shining in his hands.
"Galick…" Pinach added as he powered up his own violet colored attack.
"Ha-me…"
"GUN!"
"HAAAAA!"
Firing their attacks at the same time, the Saiyan brothers aimed for the most vulnerable spot on Oars, but as both attacks went straight for Oars' head, the two Ki attacks connected in mid-flight, and began swirling together, merging into a single attack and becoming one big drill of purple and blue lethal energy.
"NO!" Moria cried out, as the attack hit Oars dead on, creating a blinding flash of light.
When the light died down, Oars lay motionless on the ground, a crater where his head used to be, as Kaen's shadow began to leave the dead body, before returning to him.
With the return of his shadow, Kaen began to float to the ground, his eyes still glowing a gamma green energy, as he grit his teeth in anger.
"This isn't good." Pinach said. "Kaen's still enraged."
"This has to be a side effect of the Rumble Ball, like Chopper was talking about. Add to the fact he ate a Primal Rage, to maintain that form, we're looking at something he's never experienced before."
"You worthless worms." Moria shouted, pulling himself out of the cockpit of Oars' stomach. "Don't think this means you've won. I and I alone, can return the shadows to their rightful owners. All I have to do, is wait you out until the sun rises. I might lose my army of Zombies because the humans I stole their shadows from, will be nothing but ash, but it won't matter, I can always rebuild."
Kaen just looked at Moria, his power filled eyes never wavering, before he raised his hand to the sky, and charging a giant Ki blast, launched it into the sky.
"What is that, what are you doing?" Moria questioned.
"I should be thanking you Moria." Kaen growled, his eyes returning to normal. "If it hadn't been for your obnoxious voice, I'd have lost myself to the beast I was becoming. But then I was reminded of why I was fighting in the first place. An' of course, thanks to your Shadow-Shadow Fruit's powers interfering with my Ki sensing abilities, I was able to hone them, and discern the difference between your victims, and your Zombies." He stated, before the giant green Ki ball began to fall apart like rain, spreading across the entire island. "This attack I developed a couple years back, was mainly meant for search and rescue, to locate a lost or injured person's location. But that all depends on my intentions for it. Right now, I intend to have it destroy every last Zombie on the island."
"No, you can't, you mustn't." Moria gasped in anger.
"It's too late." Kaen said, before the island was filled with thousands of Zombies screaming, until everything went silent, with countless shadows flying through the air, and returning to their original owners, resulting in several hundred cheers of joy ringing across the island. "All your Zombies have already been destroyed, and the shadows returned to their masters."
Moria just looked at Kaen, anger coursing through him, as they looked each other in the eye, before Moria charged at the Saiyan, believing he had the upper hand in this fight. Kaen vanished however, and without a warning, rammed his fist into Moria's stomach, the Warlord's eyes rolling into the back of his head, before he fell to the ground, right before the sun rose over the horizon.
"It's over. The battle is finished." Kaen sighed, the awakened power vanishing into his body, before he stiffened up, and he fell back.
"I got ya Bruv." Pinach said, catching Kaen, and putting his arm over his shoulder.
"Sorry you had to see me like this bro." Kaen chuckled weakly.
"You kidding? I've seen you in a worse condition." Pinach smirked. "But, Luffy's another story."
Kaen and Pinach looked over to where Luffy was, and saw he was lying flat on his back.
"That Primal Rage you gave him, wore off faster then it does for you. Because he's not a Saiyan, his body couldn't handle the strain, even if it is made of rubber, and as a result, he passed out as soon as it wore off." Pinach explained.
"Kaen."
"Papa, Uncle Pinach."
"Luffy."
The trio of fighters looked to who was calling their name, and smirked when they saw Eri, Mina, and the rest of the Straw Hats, plus Brook and dozens of Moria's victims.
"Good to see you're all okay." Kaen smirked, barely breathing.
"Kaen, you're body." Mina gasped.
Kaen looked at her confused, before Pinach took him off his shoulder and stepped back.
"She's right Bruv. What's happened to you, is far worse then it should have been." Pinach said.
"Papa." Eri said sadly.
Kaen stood there, looking at them, as they looked at him, their eyes wide, when they saw Kaen's body was gashed in several areas.
"Come here, let me look at you." Chopper said, taking Heavy Point.
"Sit down babe, take it easy." Mina said, as the Saiyan sat down.
"You'd better hurry. We don't have time to relax. Kuma's on Thriller Bark, remember?" Sanji questioned. "It'd be easier to just leave the dead weight behind."
"Shut. Up." Eri stated, kicking Sanji right between the legs. "If anyone's gonna be left behind, it's you, not my Papa."
"That's enough." Zoro said. "We've got bigger problems to deal with then Sanji's jealousy."
"Kaen here, take this." Mina said, holding a Senzu Bean to him.
"No." Kaen stated.
"What do you mean no? Your body is covered in gashes." Ussop stated.
"If my condition worsens then I'll eat it, but I can still move, and I can still…" Kaen stopped as he froze up. "Damn it, the Primal Rage wore off."
"It looks like these injuries were caused from… internal damage." Chopper said.
"What do you mean?" Zoro asked.
"Kaen's body… it couldn't handle the power he was outputting, so it began to tear itself apart from the inside." Pinach stated.
"From what I can tell, all the gashes are mainly on his back and arms, as well as a few on the back of his neck." Chopper said.
"I see." A voice echoed from the top of the tallest piece of ruble. Everyone looked up, so see Kuma sitting on the broken piece of wall, destroyed in the fight, holding a transponder snail. "My greatest fears have become a reality."
"So it would seem." Kuma said.
"Whoa, who is that guy?" Ussop questioned.
"The one I was warning you all about." Sanji said, his voice higher then before. "The Warlord Kuma."
"Of course all of this happens, just when we've finally chosen a Successor for Crocodile." The man on the other end of the call stated. "Losing another Warlord, especially to the same group of Pirates who took down the first one, sets a bad example. Can you tell if he's still breathing, even in the slightest?"
"No." Kuma said.
"If he is in fact still alive, we will wait for his recovery, and wait to see if he can maintain his position as one of the Seven Warlords. We will follow up after such time comes." The caller said. "The dignity of the Warlords would be tarnished if we were to keep losing them so easily. It is critical that this news not reach anyone else. These damned Straw Hats are such a nuisance. I feel I've made my orders quite clear on this matter. We cannot afford to let anyone else know of Moria's defeat. This is a direct order from the World Government. Obliterate the Straw Hat crew, and everyone else on Thriller Bark. Leave no one alive, except for the Saiyans. Bring them back to Marineford."
Kuma was quiet for a moment, before he spoke up with a concern.
"What of the child among Moria's victims?"
"Do not question your orders Kuma. Aside from the Saiyans who are to be brought to Marineford, leave no one alive. I will not repeat myself again."
Kuma was silent once more, before he answered to his orders. "Simple enough." He said, before ending the call.
Putting the transponder snail away, Kuma got up from his makeshift chair, and turned to face all the victims of Moria's deeds.
"They wanna kill everyone here?" Kaen questioned, getting to his feet, fighting through the paralysis of the Primal Rage side effects.
"No Kaen stop. You've lost too much blood." Chopper said.
"Leave this guy to me he's…"
Kaen stopped talking as Kuma was where he once stood, with the Saiyan nowhere in sight.
"KAEN." Mina shouted.
Soaring through the air, in a paw shaped bubble, Kaen's eyes were sealed shut, as he had fallen unconscious from Kuma's attack. Or rather, his body was unconscious, but his soul was wide awake.
'What happened? One moment, I'm marching to fight that Warlord, the next… nothing. Nothing but darkness.' Kaen thought.
"KAEN." Mina's voice echoed in his head.
'That's Mina's voice. But… how is she so far away?' Kaen questioned, sensing Mina's Ki was farther away then it should have been, and the distance just kept growing. 'No. She's fighting that Kuma guy, and the others are exhausted from their own battles.'
As Kaen cleared his mind, he focused in on the Ki signatures on the island of his crewmates, and of those he helped save the shadows of. The image began to form clearly in his mind, as each of the Ki signatures became weaker and weaker, some of them even disappearing instantly, but he couldn't sense the Ki for Kuma, only a demonic energy, similar to Luffy, Brook, and Chopper.
'He ate a Devil Fruit, but why can't I sense his Ki? Is he inorganic? Whatever the case. I have to save them, I have to help them. I can't just fly to nowhere without trying. I just need to reach them. I have the get there. I have to get there. I HAVE TO SAVE MY FAMILY!" He shouted, his eyes shooting open before he vanished.
Back on Thriller Bark, Kuma stood over the fallen Straw Hat crew, even Pinach was unconscious on the ground. Not having had his body for very long, his stamina wasn't equal to Kaen's, so he had some work to do. None of them were dead, but only two people from the entire island were left standing. Mina huffed in anger and exhaustion as she stood in front of Eri, shielding her from the Warlord.
"I do apologize. I may be a Warlord, but I do care about children and wish to not do this." Kuma said.
"I don't care. I will never let you lay a hand on my daughter. I swear on my Saiyan Pride." Mina growled, blood trailing down her face, and over her eye.
"So you're a Saiyan?" Kuma questioned, spotting Mina's pink furred tail. "A different different color of fur, but that is the tail of a Saiyan Warrior. Does that mean your daughter is a Saiyan to?"
"So what if she is?" Mina questioned.
"Then that means, you three shall be taken in, alive along with the Saiyan I already sent to Marineford." Kuma said, reaching his hand out to Mina.
Mina's eyes widened when Kuma's hand loomed over them, and she grabbed Eri to protect her, before Kuma's arm was kicked away, shocking the Warlord, as Kaen glared at him, a pissed off expression on his face as he bit down on another Primal Rage.
"Hands off, my family." Kaen growled, jumping off Kuma's arm, and kicking him in the face.
"Kaen." Mina gasped.
"Papa." Eri said.
"You two okay?" Kaen asked.
"We are. Thank you."
"Good. I don't know how I got here, but I want you two to get the others out of here and to safety while I deal with Kuma." Kaen stated, taking on his Wukong form once more.
"But your injuries." Mina said.
"I'll be fine. I've still got adrenaline flowing through me, plus the Wukong power coursing through is healing my injuries. Now go." Kaen ordered.
"Right Papa." Eri said, as she and Mina ran off the get the rest of the crew to safety.
"You surprised me. I was certain that I sent you flying." Kuma said.
"You did. Don't know how but… when I focused in on Mina's Ki, on Eri's Ki, I instantly found myself in the air above you, right as you were about to strike them." Kaen said, picking up one of Mina's discarded swords, the Wukong energy surrounding him, enveloping the weapon.
"I see. I do not fully understand the abilities of Saiyans, but I can say for certain, you are a fascinating creature." Kuma stated.
"You could say, I'm a bit of a diamond in the rough for a Saiyan. With how little of us there are left." Kaen stated.
"With how little… Please explain."
"Not that I'd expect you to care, but Planet Vegeta, the home world for the Saiyan race, was destroyed by the Tyrant Frieza. You could count the number of how many of us are left on both hands." Kaen said, picking up Zoro's dropped black blade Katana. "This is new. Zoro must have gotten this from one of the Zombies."
"I see, so you're an endangered race." Kuma said, before raising his hand, and blocking the swipe of Kaen's blade, only for him to gasp as his hand was actually cut. "I see, what you call Ki, is what we call Haki."
"Whatever you call it, it can counter the abilities of Devil Fruits, so it'll be more then enough to stand up against you. Yet for some reason, I cannot sense your Ki. Why is that?"
"You could say, I'm not completely organic, at least not anymore. I was once a human, but now I am a cyborg." Kuma said.
"A cyborg. So you're not completely organic. Guess that's why I can't sense your Ki. But you're more machine then Franky is, since I can still sense his Ki without a problem." Kaen said. "Tell me, are you proud of yourself, becoming a lapdog for the World Government? For an organization that wants to rule the world with an iron fist, and force its people to live to their standards, instead of being free?"
Kuma was silent for a moment, thinking over Kaen's words, before he vanished, shocking Kaen to the speed he had.
"You're fast for someone your size." Kaen said, throwing the blades up, and using them to block Kuma's strike. "But the Ki of ones life force, isn't the only Ki I can read." He stated, twisting around, and hitting Kuma in the stomach with a kick, though the strike didn't seem to do anything as Kuma still stood tall and proud, unmoved by the fact he just took a kick from the Saiyan, that would have destroyed his insides. "Damn, you're stronger then Moria for sure. I only used half that amount of strength to knock him out with a punch to the gut. What's your Devil Fruit power? I know it has something to do with your hands. Specifically those paw pads on your palms."
"I am a Paw Palmed Human. I ate the Paw-Paw Fruit. I can repel anything with the paw pads on my hands." Kuma said.
"Funny, I know someone from Earth, who has a similar ability, but she's only able to negate gravity on anything she touches with all five fingers, since the pads are on the tips of her fingers." Kaen said. "Now, I think we've chatted long enough, don't you?"
(Cue Music… Strike Back: We as Human)
As if to answer his question, Kuma just came charging right at Kaen, the Saiyan blocking the strikes with the two katana blades, before he jumped up, and hardening his leg, kick Kuma in the face, knocking the Warlord to the side.
Straightening himself out, Kuma's left eye began to light up, blinking red, before he opened his mouth, with a golden light forming, and shot a laser beam at Kaen.
The Saiyan Teen dodged each of the attacks aimed for him, as he danced around them, even deflecting some of them, before he ran straight for Kuma, and used the two blades to slice through him.
However, Kaen soon had to dodge to avoid getting hit by Kuma's paws, before he jumped away, slicing a piece of the Warlord's hat clean off. Without missing a beat, Kaen landed on his feet, and ran back for the Warlord, using the sharp edges of the katanas, to cut at Kuma's paw pads, before jumping up, and landing an axe kick on top of the Warlord's head.
Kuma however reached up his hand, and knocked away the black blade of Zoro's, leaving the Saiyan down a weapon.
"Now you die." Kuma declared, going for a palm strike.
"Not today." Kaen stated, bringing forward his shield, and extending it to its full form, and blocking the strike, before he was sent flying into a giant piece of wall.
Dropping down to the ground, Kaen picked himself up, and threw the shield at Kuma, hitting the Warlord in the chest as it bounced back, before he caught it, and threw the shield again.
But just as Kaen was going for a lethal blow, his body began to stall, as his muscle tightened up, and pain wracked his body.
'No, not now.' Kaen thought, before he forced his body to move, and swung the katana at Kuma once more.
Easily dodging the attack, Kuma hit the blade with an air force pressure attack, forcing Kaen back, and to drop the sword.
"You know what, I think it's time I stop fighting like a pirate, and start fighting like a Saiyan." Kaen said, taking a wider stance, and cupping his hands together.
"I see, so you're going to use the finishing move utilized to put Oars down for good. Very well, I shall accept this challenge." Kuma said.
"Ka-me-ha-me-HAAAAAAA." Kaen shouted out, sending the attack at Kuma. 'This is the last of my strength. After this, I'm not gonna be able to keep fighting.' He thought.
The Warlord just stood there, motionless as the attack came straight for him, before he raised his hands, and created a big enough force of air pressure, to send the Kamehameha wave skyward, and out of the planet's atmosphere.
(End Song…)
With the last of his strength gone, the Wukong form dissipated and Kaen fell flat on his face. His eyes opened to reveal, he was lying next to his unconscious captain and twin brother.
'Damn it, Mina and Eri have been taking the other victims of Moria's actions to safety first. But the rest of the crew is still lying on the ground. I can't let Kuma get his pawed hands on them.' Kaen thought as he forced himself to his knees, looking at the Warlord. "Well this is embarrassing. My body's shutting down. It won't listen to me anymore. Couldn't we come up with some sort of compromise?"
"I already gave my proposition for a compromise." Kuma said. "I shall spare the rest of you, and tell the higher ups, that the Saiyans escaped, so long as you give me the head, of Monkey D. Luffy. But the others refused."
"The only way you'll back down, is if you're given Luffy's head?" Kaen inquired. "What the hell kind of crew, would we be if we did that?"
"That is the only compromise, I'm willing to offer." Kuma stated.
'The only one he's willing to offer, but not me. Sorry Mina, Eri, what I'm about to do, may leave you heartbroken and angry at me for a while, but if it keeps you all safe, and alive, I'll bear the burden of that guilt even as I lay in my grave!' Kaen thought. "You want a head? Then I'll give you a head." He stated, glaring at Kuma, before bowing on his hands. "However, I can't give you my captains. You'll have to take mine instead. Please settle for that."
Kuma was shocked, and it was visible to how he reacted, as his facial expression changed. Kuma knew for a fact, that Kaen barely knew Luffy, and had no reason to give his life like this, yet here he was, on his hands and knees, begging Kuma to take his head, instead of the Straw Hat Captains. This left him puzzled to some extent, as the look in his eyes, told him he was serious.
"I may not have the same bounty on my head as Luffy at the moment, but I swear to you, I am destined to become the greatest hero, the universe has ever known." Kaen stated. "Surely that must be worth something."
"You possess that much ambition, and yet you're willing to give it all up, and exchange your life, for his?" Kuma questioned.
"The way things are looking right now, I don't see any other way to save the rest of my crew." Kaen stated. "What's the point of having ambition, if I can't even save my Captain, or my family? Luffy is the man, who'll become King of the Pirates."
There was a tense moment of silence, before that was broken by two sets of footsteps.
"Real cute, but stop trying to show us up Monkey boy." Sanji said, hobbling over to him.
"You got the right idea Kaen, but what about your dream? Your goal of avenging your fallen people, and taking down that bastard Frieza, and becoming the strongest hero to ever live?" Zoro questioned, picking up his fallen blade Kaen dropped, and sheathing it.
"You can't accomplish anything if you're dead, you stubborn dumbass ape." Sanji stated.
"No, both of you get out of here. Stay down." Kaen glared.
"Listen you giant oaf. Don't bother with the monkey here." Sanji said.
"There's so few of his kind left, it isn't worth it." Zoro added. "If you're taking a head, take mine."
"No, take mine. The government may not take me as a serious threat right now, but you'll regret not taking my head over theirs, once I start making trouble." Sanji said.
"Dumbass. Take mine. I'm destined to become the Greatest Swordsman this world has ever known. An' I don't intend on letting either of these idiots give up on their dreams. As Kaen said, Luffy is the man who will become King of the Pirates."
"You… Dumbasses." Kaen growled, hitting them both in the back of the neck with a karate chop, knocking them out, and sending them to the ground. "You two have known Luffy longer then I. So it will hurt him less, if my head is taken."
Kaen just looked to Kuma and glared at him, blood trickling down his face.
"Now show me you've got some honor." He said, dropping his shield and Mina's sword, at Kuma's feet.
Kuma just looked at Kaen, then down at the two fallen pirates at the Saiyans feet next to Luffy and Pinach, before he looked back at the wounded Saiyan still standing and sighed.
"You've made sure I can't even touch Straw Hat, not unless I want to shame myself." Kuma said in defeat.
"Then you've got my respect." Kaen stated.
Kuma just took a step to the left, and bent down, picking up Luffy in the palm of his hand, and with his other palm, used his power to form a giant red ball of pressure shaped like a paw, before repeating the same thing with Zoro, Sanji, and Pinach, making the paw shaped sphere of energy, even bigger. (Four times bigger then cannon.)
"If that's what you want, I give you my word, I won't take Straw Hats head." Kuma stated, turning back to Kaen, and looking at him. "But if you are intent on taking his place, you will experience a living hell. I've just repelled all physical injury from their bodies. Their exhaustion, their pain. What rests before you, is the sum total of anguish they all experienced, during their battles here, on Thriller Bark, including the injuries I inflicted upon them myself. If you truly wish to take Straw Hats place, and spare the lives of your two crewmates, and your brother, then you must inflict their agony upon yourself. As close to death as you are already, not only will it undoubtedly kill you, it will do so painfully. Why don't you have a taste?"
"Don't bother with giving me a taste. My mind's made up." Kaen glared, though despite his tough demeanor, he couldn't stop shaking in fear of what stood before him. "I will do it, and though you may think I don't know what I'm getting myself into, I assure you, I'm well aware of what I'm doing. Just let me, pick the location, so that Mina and Eri don't have to see me suffer."
"Wishing to spare your family the sight of your torment. Honorable, and noble of you." Kuma said.
~Elsewhere~
"This is far enough." Kaen said. "Here within the forest, is where I shall make my final stand."
"I commend you, for your noble sacrifice, Saiyan." Kuma said, before he vanished.
Kaen just stood there, in front of the paw of anguish and pain, his hands clenched tightly as he said his final goodbyes.
'Mina, I'm sorry I won't be there for you. Eri, know that Papa loves you with all my heart. Mom, Dad, Athena. I wish I could have seen you one last time before this, and let you know I love you, and will always carry you in my heart. Celeron, I wish we could have patched things up, changed our future, been more then enemies, been actual brothers. I'm sorry, I'm sorry everyone, for everything.' Kaen thought, before steeling his nerves, and shoving his arms, into the red paw, gritting his teeth as the pain began to course through him.
~Later~
"Hey, is everyone still alive, you guys okay?" One of the surviving victims of Kuma's attack called out.
"You're all safe now, thanks to Kaen, me and Eri." Mina said. "Kaen kept Kuma busy while Eri and I pulled you all to safety."
"I don't hear any fighting outside, so that must mean Kaen beat Kuma." Franky said.
"In the condition he's in, I doubt it. I don't care if he's a Saiyan, there's no way he'd be able to fight with the injuries he's suffered from." Ussop said.
"But where'd he come from? I thought Kuma sent him flying?" Robin questioned.
"Woohoo." Luffy cheered.
"Oh come on, you gotta be kidding, how can you be bouncing around like that?" Franky questioned.
"Now that you mention it, I'm feeling fine as well." Zoro said.
"Yeah, my leg doesn't feel all busted up anymore." Sanji added.
"Hey Mina, you said Kaen was back right?" Pinach asked picking up Kaen's discarded shield.
"Yeah, but I don't know where he is though. Eri and I found you four unconscious next to each other." Mina said. "We found it kind of odd, but we thought Kaen must have just moved you there during the battle to avoid you all getting caught up in the fight."
"Not good, I'm not liking this." Pinach said, getting to his feet. "I can sense Kaen's Ki. It's faint, but he's definitely on the island still, he's out in the forest."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go after him." Zoro said. "Last I remember before being knocked out, Kaen had offered his own head in exchange for Luffy's to Kuma."
"No. He wouldn't." Mina gasped.
"This way, hurry." Pinach said panicked, running for the forest, with Chopper, Mina, Sanji, and Zoro following him.
"Eri you stay with Robin and Nami, do not follow us." Mina stated, giving her daughter to the scholar and the thief.
Following Pinach through the terrain and ruble, the search party all had their own looks of worry and fear. As they entered the forest, Pinach, Mina, and Chopper's noses caught a whiff of blood. Picking up the pace, the search and rescue team were adamant about finding Kaen, but when they did, Mina just screamed in horror, at what they saw.
Standing there, covered in his own blood, barely breathing, with his arms crossed, and his suit torn to shreds, was Kaen. His eyes overshadowed, and his breathing so shallow you'd think it was non-existent, as he was motionless, and bloody.
"Kaen." Mina cried.
"Hey, snap out of it man. Where the hell did all this blood come from?" Zoro questioned.
"Are you still alive? Where'd that paw guy go?"
"What the hell happened here Bruv?" Pinach questioned.
"W-what happened here?" Kaen wheezed out, his voice hoarse and barely a whisper, before his eyes rolled into his head and he began to fall forward. "Nothing… at… all…"
~A/N~
British Insults: Wanker=Idiot, Tosser=Asshole/Jerk, Muppet=Dimwit (not the puppet variety), Nutter=Someone who's clearly crazy or insane, Bruv=Brother.
An' for those of you who don't know this look of Kaen's, consult to Chapter31 of Saiyan Heroes of U.A.