Alright, Chapter 6 begins and like always I DO NOT own any franchises such as RWBY One Piece or any other works in this story as they all belong to their respective owners. I hope you enjoy.
It would seem that things would be getting rather interesting, or rather that's what a certain man thought. In the middle of his island, Panda Bubba smirked as he recalled the words of the young man who had challenged him, the room was rather dark, and several screens were around him as he sat down at a large desk with his hands folded calmly, his yellow eyes scanning the different screens as he waited for the conference to begin. The man, resembling a panda with his hair, his suit and more contemplated many things, he had not gotten to be this feared and renowned by playing nice and fair.
Far from it, he played nasty and cruel, viewed his own as pawns, it was the way of the underworld and it was time to discuss what needed to be done next. Soon the screens began to come to life, three of them in particular, their bodies were hidden but that didn't matter. "Ah, I bid you all a good morning" the head greeted his executives as three of them had time to attend their meeting. The first one, a woman's voice was filled with false politeness as it was clear that she had no desire to waste her time here.
"Indeed, how does our boss fair this day?" she said with a bit of sarcasm while another one spoke up, knowing that the relationship between the woman and their boss was business only and any friendships that the woman might have died with them long ago, now it was merely business.
"Forgive her, boss. I heard you wanted a meeting with the executives… though I can see not all of us are in attendance" the man said in a smooth voice as the third remained silent. Panda Bubba nodded.
"Indeed, however only the three of you are currently available at the moment. Our dear Releo, Sauloth and Mona are each off doing their missions. But enough about that, I have some news regarding our other executive, Rein Zero" he said as the woman spoke up next.
"What happened regarding that incompetent fool, did he actually perform up to par?" she asked more annoyed than anything. Panda Bubba chuckled at that.
"Our shipment of the harder clay had been shipped out, it shall arrive in a few weeks time. However despite that it seems we have a thorn in our side. This individual managed to defeat both Zero and our men stationed on Little-Moss and did it alone" the boss informed while the woman scoffed.
"Typical, I knew I should've stayed and wiped them out, if that's all I'll be on my way-"
"Do not be so hasty, Kimimota. I had the privilege of talking with this individual in a stroke of luck. The young man seems to have issued a challenge" he said amused while he gained the three executive's attention. The one man simply grinned, though it was hard to see, the woman, Kimimota, merely quirked an eyebrow while the third man simply remained passive, though from the spark in his eyes it seemed he was somewhat curious about Mr. Arc.
"And I take it you want him iced?" the smooth-talking man asked as Panda Bubba nodded.
"Indeed, but not quite yet. You see he offered a rather strange challenge to us. He said in two months he would arrive here in person and settle the score" he informed while Kimimota merely rolled her eyes, resting her chin on her open hand.
"So the fool has a death wish. I don't see why we should bother, Rein Zero was promoted to save face and was the only one who wanted that job after that traitor turned and ran" the woman said as Panda Bubba frowned. Ah, yes. The traitor…
"I have heard from Mona that she was currently tracking him down, as for Sauloth, he is currently recruiting others who would seem interested in joining. I had offered this young man a position to replace Rein Zero but he chose against the idea" Panda Bubba said as the smooth talker sighed.
"I guess this means you want Rein Zero iced as well… if he's even still alive?" he asked as Panda Bubba shook his head. No, despite his incompetence and failure, he still needed some of his men, Rein Zero was still worth something. He could better explain just how well this Jaune Arc fought.
Even if he was weak, Rein Zero was a candidate for executive for a reason, even if he was just the only one who wanted to fill the shoes of the late Gord. Such a shame but his fruit would be found again and used for the next true executive.
"We should just do away with the failure. It was a simple task" Kimimota argued but before Panda Bubba could make a retort, the third man who had been silent up until now finally added his two cents.
"A task he was capable of completing, Kimimota" the man said simply as his tones were strong while the smooth-talking man grinned.
"Heh, I was wondering when you would join us, Z. How do you feel about this?" the man asked his associate while the man known as simply Z thought it over before shrugging.
"Rein Zero was not up to par with the other executives, he was merely a grunt with some slight skills that was in our ranks in name alone. Still I am a bit curious on whom this individual is. Do we have a name, boss?" he asked as the panda-looking man grinned.
"Indeed we do. His name is Jaune Arc" he said as the three of them each took in that info and nodded their heads.
"So what exactly was this challenge that the kid offered. You said he would be here in two months or something. You want us to prepare?" the man asked while Panda Bubba nodded.
"Indeed, Jeno… however for now I think we should spread this information into our ranks. Inform the other three about this development if you will" he ordered as the man named Jeno nodded. Z however crossed his arms.
"Sir, if I may, do we have any other information on the traitor?" Z asked while Panda Bubba nodded.
"Yes, according to Mona she tracked them down to a small island near the middle of South Blue. I was debating on sending both you and Kimimota there but with this new development I decided against it. For now she will simply remain the scout. We will deal with them both soon enough" the man stated as he closed his eyes. Jeno nodded at that before speaking up again.
"So then I take it you want us to put a hit out on our dear friend, Jaune Arc?" he asked as Panda Bubba smiled. It was time he showed him what happens when one so carelessly impedes on matters that do not concern them. Should he have just kept his nose out of their dealings then this would not have happened.
Such a tragedy...
"That's correct but I'll deal with that and let you know at a later date. For now I'll leave you all to your new orders to inform the underworld and our men, and the marines as well. I know some of them are corrupt enough to look the other way to our business" he said as he thought it over some more. 'If we can alter the story a bit…' he thought as the screens turned dark, indicating the end of the call on their end, a small laughed echoed in his room while he awaited to hear word of his newest interest.
Business was going good, his little cat was currently modifying some of his men while his annoying monkey was upgrading their weapons. That little pet project of his he found a few years ago also seemed to be coming along nicely, well except for the power source needed to run it. For now though it was only a matter or replicating what they could from such an interesting find and soon he would be more than just the ruler of the South Blue's underground. With this he would take even the Grand Line by storm.
And Mister Arc would be the perfect test subject, should he make it here alive.
'So this is Palma Island' Jaune thought to himself, amazed to see the island from the ship while Rally nodded her head as she addressed the island herself, possibly thinking where they would beach for the time, having been here a few times before, though that was over a year now, she noticed the large marine ship in the harbor and chose to beach on the shores away from the town.
The island in question was similar to both Dusk Island and Little-Moss but completely different at the same time. Unlike Dusk Island, life was everywhere, human life that was as he could see a town bigger than the small settlement on Little-Moss. It was more akin to something like Vale or Mistral, making Little-Moss pale in comparison.
"Ok, let's beach on the shores there for now. We can spend the night and restock our supplies tomorrow" she said as Jaune nodded. After sailing for three days it made sense that they would need to restock on some supplies. It didn't help the fact that there wasn't much room for them. A few beds and a few barrels with a table and some chairs were the only accommodations they had on their ship and they needed some pretty important ones soon enough.
Rally would gladly kill someone for a shower and a bathroom…
But for now they had a bucket and some money they could pool together to rent a room at an inn or something. Jumping out of the boat, Jaune's boots were submerged in the cold water as he grabbed the rope and tugged on it to drag it on the sand. Rally smiled as she jumped out as well, helping him tie it to a nearby tree for safety. Once done, they made their way into the town.
"So have you been here before?" Jaune asked Rally as the young woman nodded her head.
"With my parents every now and then, but I haven't been here in a while now. It seems to have gotten a bit busier than last time" she admitted as the two of them made their way into town. "For right now though I think we should split up. I'll check around for some food for the ship" she said as Jaune nodded.
"Right, I'll look around the town for an inn to stay the night then, when I get a room then I'll let you know and get whatever else we need. We can set sail tomorrow if we're lucky" he said as Rally nodded before checking her watch. It was already going on five in the afternoon and with that went some of their luck since she highly doubt that she could get too much done in so little time.
"Alright then, I'll look for you around six at the front gates" she said as Jaune nodded before each turned towards different directions. As Jaune vanished from view, Rally sighed as she looked around and approached the different vendors, most of them finishing up for the day, the day coming to a close while the young woman looked around. Despite the nearing end, several people still pushed their wares.
"These fruits are home grown, very fresh" a young woman said to an older woman who scanned the selection of colorful foods with an appraising gaze.
"I caught it myself, a good catch" a man said to a couple as he held a large fish in his hands, much to their amazement
"Twenty-three hundred Belli… really?" a young man asked curiously as another man nodded, holding a small box in his hands before they made the exchange.
"I guarantee you that you won't find a better fishing net than that" a woman said as she held several needles in her mouth to the two men who seemed to be fishermen.
Looking around, she pulled out a notepad of her own, something she knew Jaune had done lately, and it was a decent idea in her opinion. First of all, she needed some more fruits for food since they still didn't have a stove or anything to cook meat or fish with. Those fruits seemed good to her, and it was a nice place to begin, after that maybe some ropes for the ship?
"I said I refuse!" a man shouted before a gunshot was heard, making Rally and several others were taken out of their thoughts while they looked to the source of the conflict, a young man thrown on the ground as a portly-looking marine with a gun had his hands now behind his back, beside him were a few more marines that each glared at the down man while the fatter one seemed to address the fallen man as if he was an insect of sorts.
"Korunja, you piece of filth, do you actually think you have any say here?" the marine asked in disgust as the injured man gripped his shoulder in pain but still glared defying the marine. "When we give you an order you say yes master, I obey master, like a drafted dog you are. It would be better if you understood your place and realized sentimental trash like you are… unneeded in our ranks."
"Rather be sentimental than a mindless tool like the rest of you" he stated as the marine pulled the trigger, the young man known as Korunja screamed as another bullet pierced his other shoulder, the civilians and Rally looking on in disbelief or fear. Behind the gunner were the marines, looking a bit fearful at the actions.
'Korunja, just stay down' one of them thought before he froze at the glare the lieutenant gave them.
"Now if I hear even a word of nonsensical rabble that fool uttered from you then you will be joining him, understood?" he asked as the three men saluted him while Rally looked away to try and avoid eye contact. On one hand she wanted to interfere, to demand why the marines just shot a man, a former marine by the sounds of it, in the street, in fact why weren't the others doing something. If a marine shot someone in the shoulder even once like that shouldn't there be a bigger reaction?
"You two get this loudmouth idiot to a cell, for infiltrating the marines and posing as a marine solider" he said with a snobbish tone, much to their fear. As he walked away back towards the marine base, Rally saw the three men each try to carry the squirming man until one of them let out a small apology before raising his riffle up and delivering a bash to the man's head, knocking him out and carrying him to the building.
It was almost as big as the marine base and something that wasn't there before now that she thought about it.
Once the coast was clear, Rally let out a breath she didn't know she kept in her. What the hell was going on here, what was happening? The marines never did anything like that the last time she was here and if they did they didn't do it so publically. Soon talk picked back up again.
"That poor child" an old woman lamented as a man frowned.
"He's off to the cell… another one today, huh" he said quietly as not to be heard.
"Those marines should be ashamed of themselves" a woman muttered with tears forming while Rally looked around. She noticed others closing up earlier as the mood were obviously killed. Placing her hand on her blade, she wondered what that was about. It was only when another voice interrupted her thoughts that she practically jumped out of her skin, turning around and falling into a stance.
Behind her or rather in front of her was a worried woman who seemed afraid as Rally calmed down for a moment. "I… uh, sorry. You scared me, miss" she said with a small apology as the woman merely smiled in understanding. "So… if you don't mind me asking, what the hell was that about?" she asked with no hint of attempt subtlety as the old woman said nothing for a few seconds before shaking her head.
"You aren't from Palma Island, are you?" she asked as Rally nodded. No she wasn't. Seeing this, the old woman looked back towards the marine base. "It would be best if you leave this place, lass" she said as Rally was growing concerned. "Ever since Buso became the new captain, the marines are sorry excuses of what they used to be. This town isn't safe anymore" the old woman said as she looked down with a tired sigh, much to Rally's confusion.
"I'm sorry, but what did you mean by that. I thought the captain here was Captain Pikko. Who exactly is this Buso guy?" she asked bluntly as the old woman said nothing before turning to leave. It was getting late. Still to know someone still knew of the previous late captain was something that the woman would be thankful for.
She just hoped that his name spoken by strangers wouldn't be his entire legacy that remained honored by the marines.
Meanwhile Jaune sighed as he approached an inn, finally finding one as he rested his hand on Saints and looked around. He could have sworn he heard something like a gunshot in Rally's area but brushed it off. He was sure she was fine and the marines would handle it. It's not like they did anything to piss them off.
Even if Rally did want to become a pirate, a small bit of humor swelled in him as he vividly recalled their conversation before setting sail, her father seemed rather interested in the idea himself, even going as far as asking him to join her crew, much to her annoyance
Jaune sighed as he seemed a little sheepish while Forx and Rally sat down with him. "So, Jaune. Why exactly did you want to set sail anyways. Form what Rally told me you were looking to go into the Grand Line" he said while Jaune nodded.
"That's the plan. If I can get people to join me and set sail then I might be able to find out a few things" he said as Forx tilted his head while his daughter decided to ask.
"You mean become a pirate?" she asked as Jaune looked at her before shrugging unsure himself. Miles already told him he probably would become a pirate, much to his own distaste for the idea. He wanted to be a sailor, not a criminal damn it.
"If that's your idea then why not join Ralls, here?" he asked as Rally flinched slightly at the idea and Jaune seemed confused. "What, it seems like he is a good enough person, he's strong by some means and I approve-" Forx said with a grin as Rally glared at her father.
"I'm not going to… I'll find my own crew, dad…" she said dismissively as she looked at Jaune. "I… I mean I wouldn't mind but I am going to be a pirate you know" she said as Jaune was curious.
"Really, you don't seem like that kind of person?" Jaune admitted as Rally crossed her arms and grinned slightly.
"I'm not completely defenseless; I just try to avoid conflicts. Even if I did fight against the Panda Family like Zero I would've been shot. I'm not some super-powered monster like you…" she said with the last sentence being in a deadpanned tone, much to Jaune's own annoyance.
"Oh, great. I went from hobo to monster… is that better or worse?" he asked sarcastically as Rally rolled her eyes while Forx shook his head amused.
"Remind me to take you to the barber tomorrow or something. You really do need to get that shaved off" he said pointing to his own beard. "You and me both that is" he said as Jaune nodded. "But she has a point. You aren't exactly what I would call normal, Jaune. I know you ate some kind of fruit and are super strong but even for South Blue this is a little unbelievable."
"Oh, well… uh" Jaune tried to say before trying to come up with some excuse. "I mean it's not really…" he said as he contemplated between telling the truth and lying. Eventually he decided to explain the truth, much to his own uncertainty how well they would take it. Still he wouldn't tell them everything, just enough. "It's not a Devil Fruit's ability" he said as he decided to trust them.
Meanwhile Rally and Forx seemed confused at his reply while Rally looked at him confused. "But we saw you use your powers to heal my dad" she said as Jaune sighed.
"It's called a semblance; I'm not from the South Blue, more like I'm from… I guess you can say it's like a sky island in the New World he said as he wanted to keep dimensional travel and the Relics out of the public knowledge. Even if he did trust them with some of his secrets he didn't need to sound like a madman.
"Sky Island? You mean those places actually exist?" Rally asked dumbfounded as Jaune shrugged. He hasn't been to one personally but whatever he can say to help cover while being honest then sure. He knew he was going to be seen using his semblance and he knew that if someone saw him swim even once then that would lead to questions.
And it was who was asking those questions that made him concerned. If people like Rally or Forx asked them it was fine, but a Shichibukai, the World Government, a Yonko?
That was another story altogether.
"Well then, what exactly is a semblance?" Forx asked simply enough as Jaune held out his hand, coating it in a white glowing aura that captivated the two onlookers.
"A Semblance is an ability from aura, something me and a few others back at Remnant… my homeland, are all capable of doing. It allows us to increase out physical abilities and heal faster than normal. But after an incident I… well, fell" he said as he wasn't technically lying at this point. Rally and Forx just looked at him.
"You fell…?" Rally asked as Jaune nodded. Silence dominated the room until eventually she sighed. Considering all the crazy things she saw him do between blocking bullets like it was nothing, releasing that green wave thing and such she didn't doubt it. Forx however grinned slightly at that.
"Must have been some fall, I doubt anyone would have even lived if that was the case" he said as Jaune nodded, subtly reaching to his shoulder and then to his neck before stopping himself before he could. "Still you must have been in rough shape afterwards" Forx said as Jaune nodded.
"If it wasn't for Miles I would've died" he said clearly as Rally was curious now. Miles? She wondered if that was the name of "That drunk" he mentioned earlier. "But yeah after training for a few years and learning more about the seas I decided to look for a way back. The only problem is I really don't know where to begin" he said as Rally nodded but was confused.
"Wouldn't it be above wherever you fell from?" she asked as Jaune shook his head as a means of saying no.
"Not quite… it moves and I don't know where or how. The closest thing I have to an answer is this" he said before reaching for his eternal pose and showing them it. Rally and Forx looked at it and the younger of them took it gently to inspect it.
"A log pose?" she asked as Jaune clarified.
"An eternal pose. Supposedly that has a way to get me home, or so I was told. Truth be told though I'm not really sure if it's true or not. It's somewhere in the New World and Miles said it was considered a myth" he said now lying slightly to try and keep it simple Rally handed it back to him and nodded.
"And that's why you're going. I take it there are other reasons. I mean what if you don't get home back to that Remnant place?" Forx asked as Jaune frowned slightly. He eventually sighed.
"Then at least I tried. If I make it I can see my family and friends again… if I don't then at least I'll have one hell of an adventure to tell when I have kids" he said as Forx frowned slightly but nodded in some strange sense of agreement. Jaune was in a hard place at the moment. If he made it back then what would that mean for his crew who helped him return?
Meanwhile if he didn't would he be really that readily capable and accepting of burning the bridge with his family and home? It wasn't a question he needed answered. Rally frowned slightly before smiling.
"Reminds me of why I wanted to set out" she said as Jaune looked at her as she grinned. "My mom was a pirate, she was only able to have a name in South Blue though. However according to her she wanted to find something that our family had taken from them long ago. I'm not sure what it was but supposedly it was entrusted by our family for generations" she said as Jaune looked at her confused. Forx got up and walked to the drawer before pulling out a small wooden box. Opening it he pulled out a coin of sorts.
"This is what our family wanted to protect, or at least a part of it" he explained as Jaune was curious.
"…A coin?" he asked as Forx nodded.
"It was a part of a set and said to have originated back during the Void Century. But after the marines enforced laws on making any research or study into that era forbidden we decided to keep quiet about that. Still this coin my wife and her ancestors protected is something important to them. After it was stolen from her grandmother she wanted to get it back. But the only issue was the people who did that disappeared in the Grand Line without a trace" he said as Jaune was interested in it more and more.
"What happened, who took it?" he asked as Forx put the coin away, Rally spoke up next.
"It was a group of pirates from my great-grandma's generation a while ago. After she had it taken the pirates vanished on their way into the New World and were never even seen again" she said as Jaune nodded. "But before I can set sail I'm getting your ass to that island" she said bluntly as Jaune looked at her with a frown. "What, you told me you can't navigate to save your life. I actually know how to. So once we get you there then Little-Moss will be safe" she said bluntly as Jaune sighed. Yeah, he knew and he knew he might've fucked up there. Still he meant what he said.
He was prepared to fight them if it meant saving these people, even if he didn't know them it was a huntsman's duty to help others in need, even if he wasn't a huntsman anymore. "So, any thoughts on your crew so far…?" Forx asked as Jaune was caught off guard and returned back to the outside world. He nodded slightly.
"Yeah, I'm looking for a few positions but when I do then I'll give it my best shot" he said as Rally grinned a little.
"Well when we meet in the Grand Line don't be too shocked to see my crew is better" she said with a challenging tone as Jaune looked at her and chuckled.
"We'll see who is better" he joked a little as he held out a hand, one Rally took and shook. The challenge was set and Forx laughed. If Sara was here now he was sure she would've approved of the man who helped them.
"So… you don't mind if I buy some clothes here, right?" Jaune asked changing the subject as Rally nodded as she talked about some suggestions for him to wear.
Shaking his head he simply walked into the building where he was greeted with the desk and three doors in the room. On the desk was a bell and looking around, Jaune noticed it was empty. Approaching the desk, he waited for someone to arrive, looking around still and thinking about how they would do this. Rally was no strange to sharing a bed with him since they only had the one. Not only that but they didn't exactly have to most affordable budget on them. It was only when Jaune saw a man walking through one of the doors that he focused on the task at hand. The man in question looked at him for a second before approaching him.
"Welcome to the Weasel, you here for the bar or the bed?" he asked as he leaned on the table, much to Jaune's confusion.
"The… what now?" he asked as the older man sighed.
"Do you need a room for the night or did you want to get drunk at the bar" he asked as he pointed at one of the doors that said "Bar" on it, much to Jaune's curiosity before looking at the man again.
"Bed, we're looking for a bed" he said as he saw the man's eyebrow rise slightly. "Me and a friend were hoping to spend the night here and set sail again in the morning after we got some supplies" he informed as the man shrugged. He just wanted to know if the kid wanted a place to sleep or to get drunk, not why he was on the island in the first place.
"Alright, one room is around 15,000 Belli a night. Plus you get a free breakfast on us if you do. One bed and bathroom, doors close at eleven and bar closes at ten" he said as Jaune nodded. He could remember that. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his wallet before scanning through the contents. Finding the monkey needed he placed it on the table as the older man took it. "Got it, can I get a name for the room?"
"Jaune…" he said as the man nodded and pulled out a book before writing down the name.
"Right… your room is number 202, you have a set of keys and one night paid…" he said as Jaune nodded, taking the keys the man held in his hand and placed it in his pocket. "I take it you don't have any luggage then?" he asked as Jaune nodded. "And your friend is…"
"She's out in town looking for some supplies" he said as the man nodded.
"…Right. Personally kid I think you should find your friend and finish any business you have here as fast as you can. Things aren't really peaceful around here anymore, not since that damn captain came into the picture" the older man said as he readjusted his glasses. Jaune was confused
"What do you mean?" he asked as the older man looked at him. Well he was not from the island that was apparent since he never saw him before until today.
'But the resemblance is there…' he thought before shaking his head and brushing a certain memory away. "A few months ago, the captain here was killed by some pirate rookie, he was getting a little old in his age but aren't we all. After the late captain passed the marines sent a new captain, the worst thing to happen here in my opinion" he said while Jaune frowned.
"…Corrupt or something?" he asked as he recalled Miles words about the marines as the older man sighed.
"Corrupt, extreme, brainwashed, arrogant, take your pick kid" he offered as Jaune said nothing to that but nodded in acceptance. "The man came one day with two of his followers. After that they took over the town with their beliefs of Absolute Justice" he said in a mocking tone while Jaune just moaned and face palmed.
"God damn it, we're already facing that bullshit" he muttered as the older man looked at him confused. Did Jaune know about Absolute Justice? It was then that he fully judged him; the kid had blond hair, blues eyes and a sword-
…A very familiar sword and one he hadn't seen in years. The last time he saw it was…
"That's an interesting sword you have there, where did you get it?" he asked curiously as Jaune narrowed his eyes slightly. Grabbing Saints by the hilt he sensed something from the older man but didn't act. Instead he answered.
"It was a gift from my teacher. He said it belonged to someone he knew when he was still in the marines. He retired though" Jaune said while slightly lying about the circumstances that had surrounded his blade as the older man looked at him curiously.
"…Then I guess Miles entrusted Saints to his student then" he said bluntly as Jaune visibly flinched before gawking at him. To the inn keeper he was forced to hold in a laugh, not expecting that kind of reaction from the younger man but for Jaune he was worried. How did he know about Miles and Saints, he never mentioned names, so when-
"Ha, calm down there, kid. I know Miles from my days on the seas… I know that blade well enough as well" the man said as Jaune looked at him dumbly. Wait, Miles knew this guy…
"Are you a marine… or an assassin?" he asked cautiously as the man grinned.
"Neither, but I was a pirate in my days until we were forced to disbanded. After that I opened my little business… don't tell anyone though, alright" he asked as Jaune was caught off guard. This guy was a pirate. He was a pirate that knew Miles and Saints?
He had a lot of questions but chose not to ask them yet. Instead the man extended his hand out to him with a grin still on his face.
"Itohari Ryos" he introduced himself as Jaune looked at the hand and took it, shaking it with a small smile on his face.
"Jaune Arc, nice to meet you, Mister Ryos" he introduced as the man blinked but nodded with a genuine smile on his face.
"…Can't say I've been called "Mister" by a customer before. Well not one that wasn't an actual kid" he joked as Jaune chuckled at that as well. "Still, I'll have the help show you to your room. Then you can find your friend and show her yourself" he said as Jaune nodded and crossed his arms. Before Ryos could head back to the bar to pick up his promised help, the door opened as a figure stepped into the room with a slightly bored expression on her face.
Said woman was not something one would have expected as she seemed to have a very interesting appearance, one that Jaune nearly choked on for a second as he would recognize that look anywhere. The woman in question turned to face her employer curiously as her mismatched eyes locked onto his dark green ones, her hair parted in the middle as her left half was a dark brown while her right side was pink, tired together in a pony tail with a simple white and black dress on her that made her look like a maid of all things.
Jaune knew she wasn't a maid, she was something far worse and his suspicions were given more credit when she looked at him and visibly froze for a second, her own eyes widening slightly as she took a step back. Soon enough both Jaune and the woman narrowed their eyes while Ryos simply ignored them though felt the tension in the room. Still she was on the job.
"Neo, take Mister Arc to his room, alright?" he said bluntly as Jaune and Neo were quiet until Jaune broke the silence.
"Neapolitan!" Jaune shouted as the woman brought her hand back and clenched it before remaining still while Jaune glared at the woman who looked at him cautiously but ready to fight. Why was she here, what was she doing here, Jaune was confused but as soon as he saw her shatter into small pieces his eyes widened as he felt something approach from the side. He had barley any time to cross his arms and turn until something impacted him.
He didn't know what happened next but he found himself outside and on his back as the ice-creamed theme woman glared at him from a recently made hole in the building, much to the protest of Ryos. "Neo, the hell… he's a customer" the older man shouted as Neo ignored him and walked out of the building with her eyes set directly on the swordsman with a frown on her face and her figure forming small shard-like fragments to undo her illusion.
Now gone was the employee outfit she disguised herself into wearing as in its place stood the real Neapolitan, dawning new clothes and hairstyle to boot. Wearing a pair of black pants and a pink and brown shirt alongside some brown boots and black gloves, she cocked her head as she reached for her pony tail, undoing the bindings and allowing her hair to fall freely as he had seen it at all times. Reaching behind her she withdrew a slightly different weapon, unlike the one she used against them in Atlas, her weapon was another parasol but this time pink with a white and brown design that he couldn't properly make out, perhaps one to replace her older one as she extended a blade that pointed out from the top of the weapon.
Jaune needed no time to draw Saints out and gather aura into it while Neo ran at him to bring him to his knees. As she had thrust her bladed weapon at him, Jaune blocked it with Saints as the impact generates some dust from around them, their fight now causing people nearby to run from the ensuring battle.
Jaune grunted slightly before he pushed her back, causing her to buckle her knees before rolling away to avoid a swing from Saints. Getting onto her feet she jumped back and growled silently at him as Jaune said nothing. She didn't retaliate or counter, something was wrong. Neo twisted her weapon in her hand until she grinned at him, her eyes somehow changing sides, or perhaps it was that they were changing colors, Yang had mentioned something like that to him.
Still this was bad, seeing her remain motionless made his eyes realize her next move. Instead of waiting he jumped up into the air and once again with Gepo to back-flip against the trained hit-woman. Neo frowned as she missed her mark as her illusion shattered once again. But to be fair she didn't expect him to fall for the same trick twice in a row. Instead she watched him before seeing him sheath Saints.
Jaune cursed his luck as he doubt he would be able to handle her with only a sword. She was skilled and he knew from experience how she worked. She was an "evade and block and counter" fighter, skilled with her weapon like a fencer would be while at the same time as aerodynamic as an acrobat. The last thing he needed was for her to work around his swordsman ship with her fighting style, Miles the ever sadistic asshole taught him about his styles weaknesses. He mentally thanked Yang and his team for telling him how she fought. And seeing it first hand in Atlas was good enough to understand something.
A broadsword was more of a strength based style while fencing was a speed based one. Jaune was at a disadvantage against Neo there considering their various fighting styles. The only thing for him to do was going to be an annoying challenge on his part. He needed to go for the weapon and disarm her first.
Such a task which was in itself much easier said than done in his opinion considering who he was up against. Still she hadn't been as hostile as she could've been,
'Either she's testing the waters or underestimating me… this might be my chance…' he thought before he jumped up in the air. Neo looked at him curious, clearly not expecting that he could jump so high to begin with, even mockingly bringing her hand up to block out the light that got into her eyes, eyes that widened in panic as Jaune grinned. "Rankyaku!" he shouted as a wave of pressurized wind came at her.
Neo blinked as she side-stepped it and glared only for another one to be shot at her. Raising her weapon she merely battered it away with an amused grin only to notice that he held his hand on his sword. "Shīsu nashi/ Unsheathed" he shouted as he pulled his sword out quickly to create a wave of wind with aura mixed in for good measure. Neo glared as she extended the umbrella and channeled her aura into it, causing the attack to impact the open umbrella. Still Neo would admit there was strength behind that move; he was clearly not capable of doing that in Atlas.
He gotten a little stronger it seemed…
As she looked at her opponent, she froze in shock as he was suddenly right in front of her, Jaune grinned having closed the distance with Soru. He had a gut feeling that she would either dodge or use her umbrella to tank a hit and that's what he was planning. Grabbing the open umbrella with his hand and haki to keep it from being yanked out, Jaune reeled his fist back. "Soru:Kokoken/ Shave Stiff Steel Fist" he shouted as Neo was sent flying by the sudden sucker punch.
Ok, he was more than just a little stronger…
The fact she was punched into the building was proof of that and seeing Ryos looking at her with a deadpanned look just annoyed her more. "So, you done picking a fight with our customer?" he asked as Neo ran back out while Ryos sighed deeply, questioning why he hired her in the first place. Oh now he remembered, it was because she was nearly dead and he took her in a few years ago.
And she mooched off of him for a while until he hired her as a bartender and helper for his inn. He was curious though, how exactly did they know one another? From what Neo had told him, not verbally but through writing, she was from some place called Remnant. He wondered as he watched his employee and customer begin round two.
Jaune threw the weapon away and saw Neo run out with a frown as she swung her hand back and gripped it, Jaune however was confused, it was more like there was something in there, something was wrong as his haki was telling him there was something in her hand. Neo grinned as Jaune kicked up another Rankyaku as the Neo running at him was shattered, Jaune mentally cursed as he fell for the cloak and dagger.
Turning to his side he brought Saints up and blocked a strike from the pink and brown haired woman, Neo glared as she wrestled for control with him as Jaune gathered more of his aura into his blade. Neo let it fall as she turned away to avoid the steel of Jaune's sword and delivered a spin kick into his head, sending him stumbling until he felt something else impact him, Neo grinned as she forced him flying back into another building, making Ryos sigh at how out of hand this was getting.
Jaune got up and ran out, his eyes on the woman who raised her other hand and curled her fingers inward as if she was holding a gun. Jaune narrowed his eyes before realizing what she was doing and ducked to avoid something being shot at him. Despite his confidence in taking a hit from normal bullets Jaune didn't like his odds at taking whatever she was shooting at him.
Normal bullets were one thing, aura infused bullets were debatable. Thankfully it seemed like she didn't use any haki in her attacks but that begged a new question, just how was she able to do that, her semblance? It was clear that Neo had some kind of bladed weapon in one hand and now a gun in her other hand.
As she fired another shot, Jaune mentally cursed once again as he was forced to use Gepo to evade. 'Ok, think, if she is using a gun she might be using a pistol, keep an eye on her finger and keep count' he thought as he focused on her hand that was shooting. Neo grinned with a bit of sadistic glee watching him dance for her. But as she shot him more she noticed him bring up his sword and block them.
After shooting him for a seventh time he moved as he jumped up and used another Rankyaku on her, causing her to sidestep it and keep shooting. Jaune cursed as he felt an impact in his left shoulder, his aura taking the hit as he brought his sword up to defend again. Ok so she had more ammo. The question is how?
One of the major things with guns was unless you were going to pistol whip someone they ran on ammo and a pistol would run out. It was a bullet, it was small enough to be if that impact was anything to go off of. Still that begged the question what kind of bullets were she using? Hell what kind of gun was she using since she hadn't made a single sound with it since she started firing. Even if she could hide the appearance of an object he didn't know if she could mask the sound of it as well.
This was what he got himself into by fighting an illusionist.
Ryos watched on in interest, seeing Neo holding him back with her gun with a grin on her face. Clearly she was enjoying seeing him squirm. "Jaune!" a woman's voice shouted as Ryos turned back to see a young woman maybe a little younger than Neo was. Thinking about it, Jaune did say he had a friend with him. "What's going on, who is she!" she shouted as she was about to run in and provide him some kind of support. She knew Jaune could take bullets but the way he was actually struggling was a little unnerving.
Before she could get farther however, Ryos grabbed her by the wrist as she turned and glared at him. "Let me go" she shouted as he complied.
"I don't think you should get involved, this is between them" he said as Rally looked at the two of them fighting. This time Jaune made his move, seeing him walk closer to his opponent who still shot at him.
"Who the hell is she?" Rally asked with a glare while Ryos shook his head a little amused.
"My employee… who is currently fighting my customer and guest…" he replied with his arms crossed, making Rally turn to him confused. "I run an inn, she works for me and started a fight the second they saw one-another" he elaborated.
"…Why?" was all Rally could even bother asking as Ryos shrugged his shoulders, he didn't know what she was going to get out of this other than him disciplining her like the first year she tried to kill him but still he would admit there was some interest in whatever her reason was. It was clear they both knew one another… maybe…
"Remnant?" Ryos questioned aloud as Rally turned to him to stare. Seeing her expression, he smiled softly. "That explains it then. So, Jaune is also from that Remnant place" Ryos said as Rally was looking at him curious. Seeing the fighting duo she was confused even more. This guy knew about Jaune's home? Wait was he from Remnant? He did say is also from Remnant but it also was worded in a way that he wasn't. That left only that strange woman… shooting at him?
She didn't know how but it looked like she was shooting at him… yet after a few seconds she realized something.
"How long has she been shooting at him" Rally asked as Ryos shrugged. "Shouldn't she have needed to reload?" she asked as Ryos grinned.
"If she ran out of bullets then yes… but she doesn't need to worry about that" he informed as Rally looked at him confused. He decided to let her in on a secret, consider it payback for Neo starting this and destroying his wall by kicking the kid through it. "Neo, that woman over there, ate the Maimu-Maimu no Mi she is essentially a human mime."
"…Sorry, human… mime?" Rally asked confused more so. This Neo person was a mime human… just how exactly does that work? Ryos explained as he saw her switch to a second gun after Jaune realized blocking them with his sword was getting them nowhere and proceeded to run and evade.
"Neo's powers are a paramecia fruit, she can create invisible objects like walls, swords, guns ECT. And since she is controlling and created the gun she can just create more ammo before she fires… it took her a while to realize that though" he said with a laugh as Rally looked at him and then back at the fight before noticing something.
"How the hell does that make sense…?!" Jaune shouted having overheard the explanation while Neo turned and glared at the older man while debating shooting him next for ratting her out regarding her ability. Ryos merely grinned at her, much to her anger if her face, scowling at him now was something to go by. Instead of voicing her anger or protest she just focused harder and imagined Jaune as her teacher.
She truly did love killing two birds with one stone in a metaphorical sense and often more a literal one. Still as much as she would love to actually kill him for his part of her getting sent here it was important to her to keep him alive. Until she found out what happened and where they were in comparison to Remnant.
Jaune however jumped up to the roof and used Soru to get out of her line of sight. After he did he thought about what Ryos said. So she was a fruit user. Great, other than her illusions she could create tangible things that nobody could actually see. If this was when he was back at Beacon he would complain about how that was fair.
But Miles however told him anything was fair, it just meant that she found a fruit that complimented her abilities. Which made him question how that influenced her, did it even matter? Avoiding another bullet he decided to ask that question later and focus on fighting. Hiding behind a chimney he shot out a Rankyaku and sliced through the chimney before avoiding another bullet.
Taking the chimney he held it over his head and threw the cluster of bricks at the woman,
Neo frowned and shot it, causing the bricks to scatter around her. Jumping back to avoid the bricks she cursed while losing sight of him once again. This was completely different to last time they fought, he was more like Red was back when they fought. It was growing old how he was hiding. Jaune however ran across the roofs to keep her guessing, just out of sight but the fact she was at the very least tracking him made it harder to do.
He needed to think of a way to disarm her, maybe he could pin her down? As he thought about it he turned back and nearly screamed as she joined him on the roof and shot at him again. Holding Saints up to defend and block the bullets he decided to wing it. Jumping he delivered another Rankyaku at her as she jumped away. What she didn't expect was for him to somehow propel himself at her and then tackle her to the ground.
Ryos and Rally looked at them as they fell, stumbling off the roof after he knocked her off balance. Now as she tried to push him off, Jaune grinned as he grabbed her hands with his own, discarding Saints and intertwining his fingers into hers to try and prevent her from making another weapon to shoot or stab him with. 'Ok, let's restrain her and hopefully she can't create another weapon' he thought as Neo glared her on her back as he restrained her. It didn't help that he was currently restoring his aura, his own semblance she was informed of in Atlas. That meant it was a war of nutrition if he had his way.
She would be damned if he did…
Opening her mouth however, she formed a small dagger and turning her head she slammed it into his arm as a means of him letting her go if he was restoring his aura she would bring it down any way she could. Jaune winced at the impact as he quickly realized what she was doing. She was using her mouth, no way was he going to do anything about that without something to gag her with. For now he needed to get that dagger away from her.
To them it was a matter of fighting, Neo using a weapon and Jaune wrestling it away by any means need-be.
To anyone else however…
"What the hell…?" Rally muttered as she saw something she wished she mistaken for while Ryos looked on with interest before holding back a chuckle. He knew that Neo probably got desperate and sought to use another weapon in her teeth but this was too much. Scandalized, Rally called out. "Jaune, why are you doing that to her!" she shouted with heat rushing to her face as Jaune and Neo both stopped their struggle for control.
"Trying to get a knife away from her mouth!" Jaune replied bluntly, not realizing what was wrong while Neo nodded in response. This time it was Ryos who spoke but this time with a laugh.
"An invisible knife… what do you think you actually look like in that position?" he asked as Jaune and Neo both looked at the man confused. Well they were on the ground, fingers locked, Neo stabbing him with an invisible weapon and Jaune trying to take it with his own…
…oh…
Jaune and Neo remained motionless for a second as they began to realize what the other two were talking about as Jaune felt the heat rush to his own cheeks and looked at the woman he had pinned to the ground with a blush on his face. Neo appeared the same as she felt scandalized and humiliated at how this fight seemed to have turned. She looked away as did Jaune until Jaune spoke up.
"I-you… Y-you know we weren't… I wasn't… she wasn't…" Jaune tried to explain, stuttering with a large blush as he tried to explain what the other two already knew. Quickly he turned back to Neo with fear and panic in his blue eyes, matching her own panic in her own multi-colored eyes. "T-tell them, you were stabbing me and I tried to take away that dagger… knife… whatever" he said, begged even as Neo blinked and nodded at them until she realized something. His grip on her was much weaker, as was hers on his.
"S-see, we weren't doing anything other than fighting, right? Neo-" he was interrupted by a slug to his chin as Neo broke out of his grip and delivered an upper cut. Jaune however glared and grabbed her wrist. As Neo tried to squirm and break her other hand free, Jaune glared and tightened his focus. They were still fighting. "That was a sucker punch, Neo. You know it!" he shouted as Neo glared.
She needed to get out of his hold, needed to distract him like Ryos and that woman with him had. She blushed slightly as she still couldn't believe what they thought they were doing. Like she would actually…
…Actually…
…Wait…
Neo grinned deviously, preparing to counter attack him with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. Forming a ball in her hand she tossed it at the swordsman's face, causing him to flinch slightly and grab her hand. Unfortunately he missed as she pulled it back and shot it out behind his head. Jaune paled as he realized that she placed it on the back of his head, knowing her abilities and seeing her expression turn to smug but nervousness from struggling rage meant she thought she won.
Jaune tried to shake her hand off until she pulled back towards him. Jaune froze as he felt something enter his mouth and tasted something he didn't expect. This time Rally and Ryos both froze in disbelief at what the woman had did, there was no way she just…
Did she really just…
Jaune shivered and let his grip fall lax as Neo pulled his head back and broke off the kiss with a gleam in her eyes. Before Jaune could say anything or break from his stupor however she placed both hands on his chest and pushed him off. As Jaune landed however he got up with a flustered expression and pointed at her. "T-the hell was that about?" he demanded an octave higher than he thought he said it while Neo grinned and ended the fight, spin kicking him back into the inn and barely missing the two frozen spectators that still tried to process the means the mute woman used to escape the hold. Only when Jaune moaned and his aura flickered slightly, not breaking but flickering, did Rally decide to intervene, running in after him after snapping back to Reality.
Neo however glared before wiping her mouth off with her sleeve and spitting on the road by her feet, not the worst thing she kissed in her life but still it was more out of desperation and it worked. Mentally she was going to have to begrudgingly thank Roman for that trick. Still she would rather not have to kiss to that blonde idiot again and she highly doubt that would've worked a second time. As she walked towards the inn she was stopped by her boss who gave her a flat look.
She did the same as they silently had a conversation until she looked away when he motioned towards the destruction they both caused. Neo glared however before she suddenly transformed into Jaune himself, asking what they were going to do about him.
"He's a guest, Neo. He already paid. We will however be having words so you better be ready to at the very least apologize" he said as he saw her transform back while Jaune walked out with a glare. "Now if you two are done with your little spat, I think it's time we had a talk, if that's alright with you?" he asked as Jaune glared at the hit-woman who once followed Roman Torchwick. He wanted to say anything to rebuttal but seeing the look Ryos gave him, he decided to cut a loss and sigh. Walking to where he discarded Saints, he picked it up and inspected it, happy to see it undamaged before putting it away.
As Ryos beckoned him inside the inn with a sigh, Jaune followed him back in but not without giving Neo a glare that turned into a flustered expression.
His first kiss was from his partner who died facing Cinder and he was too weak to stop her while his now-second kiss was from a woman who wanted to kill him and his friends before using it as a means of getting one up on him. my what luck he possessed.
He just sighed as Neo looked away. Following them inside, she muttered something wordlessly and silently as she knew this was going to be one hell of a conversation.
So long as she got her answers however… she wouldn't mind.
Alright and chapter 6 is done. Jaune faced Neo and I thought that battle was decent enough with Neo showcasing her abilities and a bit of a mindset for her. Now with that being said though I feel like I should mention that Neo underestimated Jaune while Jaune was aware of her fighting styles, minus her fruit ability.
that being said for Neo's fruit it's the Maimu-Maimu no Mi/ Mime-Mime Fruit, a Paramecia that allows one to create objects at will from nothing but will be further explained down the road to not make it an OP fruit.
Next we have the Panda Family Executives, and I will admit that yes, Panda Bubba is from Xiaolin Showdown: Which again I DO NOT OWN, so there's that. still because we don't know too much about South Blue and I am horrible at writing good OCs I am borrowing off some other franchises which explains why I am using Any Other Properties in my I Don't own disclaimer.
However this is only until I get into the Grand Line, then it's going to be more or less One Piece Characters joining so thankfully there won't be too many crossovers. (which honestly I just put this in the One Piece RWBY title because it takes place in One Piece and it is featuring RWBY characters in the pairing.)
So with that I hope you enjoyed it and have a good day or night.