AN: This chapter fought me every step of the way which was just a pain. Also I now have a P -atreon link of which is in my profile if you wish to support me.
Chapter 17 Thousand Sunny vs Oars!
Watching Sunny transform from the outside was one thing, being inside it while it was transforming was a completely different beast. Metal shutters slid down across the bookshelves and the fish tanks securing them from being broken. The table in the center of the room receding into the floor just before the walls split open and Franky standing at the helm slid into the spot. Pistons hissed as everything clicked into place the room dark except for a single light shining down from above us.
I was just about to open my mouth to ask how we were going to see when the wall in front of Franky shimmered before showing the image of what was in front of us. Usopp let out a scream of terror, not that I could blame him as Oars loomed out of the fog. There was clearly something wrong about the giant zombie beyond the fact that it was a giant freaking zombie. Just like with Ithaqua there was a wrongness that couldn't quite be put into words.
Oars was massive standing equal to Sunny in height if not slightly taller due to the horns that extended from his head. He was also covered from head to toe in pitch black insectoid looking armor except in two places, his face and belly. The armor that curled around Oar's head had the shape of a praying mantis's head which left the giants face exposed. Rising up from the center of the helm was a single long stag beetle's horn that looked out of place compared to the rest of the helm. The exposed belly had its curtains pulled back to reveal not Moria but instead a pulsating black hole where he would have sat. Periodically the hole would expand slightly before expelling a stream of shadows that would flow down his body only to be swiftly absorbed into the armor, Oars appearing to increase a tiny amount in height and mass each time.
"Tii'chia any idea of how to beat this thing?" Franky asked yanking on the controls to bring up the Mast Sword in a defensive position before Sunny. I didn't get to answer however as Merry stabbed a finger towards the hole in Oars belly. "We have to disrupt the portal in its belly! A good hit right there will take away the energy that's animating it."
The wooden deck beneath our feet shook as Oars roared before breaking into a charge right at us. Despite his great size he was quick, covering the distance between us in only a few strides. "Everyone hold onto something, things are about to get bumpy!" Franky shouted, the crew grabbing onto the closest stable thing they could find.
In the middle of Oars charge the portal expelled more shadows that flowed up through the air, forming into a giant axe that Oars reared back his arm to strike with. The Mast Sword whistled through the air, deflecting the oncoming blow to the side with a resounding crash. "Take this you jumbo giant, Victory Flame!" The lion head's mouth on Sunny's chest clicked open as Franky shouted, orange flames shooting outwards in a wide cone that caught Oars full in the face. After a several seconds the flames sputtered out revealing that the armor that Oars wore had melted away in places, the shadows not strong enough to withstand the fire.
"We're not done yet, Sunny Knuckle!" The hand not clutching the Mast Sword punching forward, the lions paw claws springing into place just before the fist made impact. Oars stumbled backwards from the hit and then stepped back to put some distance between himself and Sunny. As he did so the axe in his hand lost its shapem turning into a mass of shadows that flowed across Oars. Wherever there were gaps in the armor the shadows sunk down, rapidly repairing any damage that had been dealt from our previous attacks.
"Not cool bra. Guys I'm passing control of some of the sub weapons to you. It looks like we need to hit him hard and keep hitting him before he can recover if we want to drop this thing!" As Franky shouted he slammed a hand down onto one of the many buttons in front of him. Five control consoles popping out of the floor around the room each one labeled with it's own sign to designate what it controlled. In order they were Gaon Cannon, Artillery Left, Sunny Hurricane, Micro Missiles, and Victory Beams.
The crew scrambled over to the console's, Merry and Brook took the Gaon Cannon, Usopp took Artillery Left, Nami took Sunny Hurricane, Robin took Micro Missiles, and I took Victory Beams. Each console was thankfully simple, shaped almost like an arcade machine with a single screen showing a view of the battle along with a targeting reticule, a display of where the weapon fired from, and either a button or a joystick and button for the few weapons with the ability to be aimed. Briefly I considered asking how Franky and Merry had managed to design all of this, crude as it was in places, but then decided I better not if I valued my continued sanity. Some things were just better for mortal minds not to know.
We grabbed our spots on the consoles just in time as Oars charged once again, this time a shadowy sword forming in both hands that he brought down towards Sunny in a devastating chop. Sunny dodging out of the way at the last second, causing the sword to slam into the ground where the ship had just been. Taking the opening the transformed ship stabbed the Mast Sword into Oars shoulder, the blade cutting deeply before getting stuck.
The targeting reticule on screen flashing as it aquirred a lock. I pressed down on the button in the center of the console even as across the room Usopp simoltaniusly did the same. Beams of energy shot out from Sunny's eyes, burning away shadowy armor and scorching the skin beneath. While that was going on the cannons stored in Sunny's left arm opened fired all at once. Cannonballs slamming into Oars gut and hopefully the portal.
It seemed like we had won for a moment as Oars reeled backwards, instead of falling he caught himself just before slamming the stag beetle horn against Sunny. As the ship shuddered violently beneath our feet the crew cried out in alarm as they struggled to remain on their feet. There was a crack of something breaking from somewhere behind me as I held onto the console to prevent myself from getting sent tumbling.
Sunny shook repeatedly as Oars began to rain punches upon it. The arms of the ship moving inwards to block the barrage of attacks. Briefly Oars stopped his assault winding up for a powerful haymaker. Before he could unleash the punch however a swarm of tiny missiles shot out from Sunny's back and arced around the ship to explode against him.
"While he's distracted, Nami hit it with the hurricane!" Nami stabbed the button before her with a finger just before stumbling back into Chopper's arms, a gash on her brow from her head smacking against the console. The lion's mane started to spin faster and faster, generating a powerful wind that forced Oars slowly backwards.
"Brace yourselves everyone, Gaon Cannon fire!" Once again the deck beneath our feet bucked as the powerful main weapon fired. The concentrated blast of energy slamming into Oars visible for a few seconds before the screens went white to protect our eyes. When the screens cleared we could see that a massive hole had been blasted through the fog along with a deep trench in the earth. At the end of which lay Oars barely visible beneath a cloud of dust that had been kicked up by Oars getting forced backwards.
"Did we get him?" Usopp shouted, nose inches from the screen as he seemingly tried to peer through the cloud to where Oars lay. "We smoked him!" Franky replied looking quite pleased. A cheer rose up from the crew, even Luffy who had just regained consciousness, even if he still looked tired.
"We've got about a minute and a half of operational time left before the transformation reverts." Merry informed us, flopping down onto the couch where Chopper was wrapping a bandage around Nami's head. That's when a roar caused all of our heads to snap towards the main screen.
It seemed that while we had been talking Oars had somehow gotten back onto his feet. There wasn't much of Oars left at the moment since the power of the Gaon Cannon had blasted his entire upper body down to the skeleton, shadowy muscles visibily holding Oars together. Even as we watched however shadowy tendrils were creeping across the exposed bone replacing the muscle and skin with a shadowy equivalent. The portal in Oars belly gushing out the shadows at an accelerated rate, most were going into the regenerating of Oars but some fell to the ground below. Where they landed they formed into miniature copies of Oars that were already making their way towards Sunny, a variety of weapons in their hands.
"Shit the Gaon Cannon wasn't enough to disrupt the portal. Sunny we need to use that right now!" Merry's shout was loud enough to drown out the panicked exclaimations of the crew, everyone's heads turning to look at her. Sunny appeared in front of Merry as if the lion headed girl had been standing there invisible the entire time. Briefly I caught a glimpse of Sunny's expression, her eyes wide with a combination of fear and desperation.
"No, no, no, no, no, absolutely not! We haven't even gotten around to testing it yet! Who knows what could happen if we use it!" Sunny was practically frantic as she spoke, her eyes fixed on Merry. Franky shifted uneasily and looked for a moment like he was going to speak before closing his mouth.
"Sunny it hasn't been tested because everytime we want to try you end up coming up with a reason to refuse."
"That's because its SUPER dangerous. Despite all the time we've put into it we still don't fully know how powerful it is!"
"Sunny, Merry, what are you two talking about?" Both of the girls turned to Luffy as he interrupted them. He had recovered his hat and pulled it back on while getting up from where he had been resting.
"What we're talking about Luffy is a special move that me and Sunny can pull off, one that is certainly strong enough to destroy Oars and the portal."
"The downside and what Merry isn't mentioning is that while we're charging up the move the ship itself will be completely helpless. Meaning that everyone that can still fight will need to leave the ship to stop Oars and his clones from attacking us while at the same time doing as much damage as possible to Oars to prevent him from fully recovering." A grim silence fell over everyone gathered in the lounge as Sunny finished her statement. Luffy adjusted his hat before shooting a grin at everyone that had gathered around him. "Everyone, don't let that monster lay a single hand on Sunny!"
"Finally I get a chance to try out this sword." Zoro added as he stood up, tying the bandana around his head, eyes gleaming at the chance to fight. Sanji extinguished his cigarette just before pushing off the wall he had been leaning against. "Better just stay here moss head, not like you'll be any help."
"What did you say shit cook?!" Zoro and Sanji's sniping at each other got a chuckle out of everyone. It helped ease the tension that had filled the room making me wonder if that hadn't been their purpose. Slowly everyone filed out, each making their own way down the ship. I cracked my neck and rolled my arms before shooting a glance back at Merry and Sunny, both concentrating on the Gaon Cannon console.
Stepping out of the emergency hatch I spread my wings and jumped into the air. Instantly I caught an updraft that lifted me high above the battle that was already starting beneath me. Spiraling around Sunny I could see a series of explosions as Usopp open fired on the horde of clones far below. As I scanned the battle for an opening, I slipped Kintsugi from its sheath, claws tightening around its hilt.
Tucking my wings in close to my body I swooped down to join the battle. Instead of crashing into a single clone I instead strafed the battle, lashing out Kintsugi whenever a target exposed itself. A long length of chain whipped through the air slamming into my shield and stalling my forward movement forcing me to land. Even as I landed I stabbed forward blade piercing the chest of the clone that had attacked me with the chain. It looked almost surprised as I twisted Kintsugi and then jerked it upwards, splitting the clone in half before it dispersed.
"Tiichia! Give me a boost!" I spun just as Luffy came out of the crowd at a dead sprint, steam pouring off of him. As he leaped into the air I tilted my shield up and caught him on the flat surface. Just as his legs tensed for his next jump I slammed my shield forward even as I grew in size, helping to launch Luffy high into the air.
"Gum Gum Jet Stamp Gatling!" Sandaled feet shot out delivering a rapid fire series of kicks that dispersed a huge swathe of clones. As Luffy landed he kicked his right leg backwards, extending it behind him before twisting and whipping the leg through the air. "Jet Whip!" Clones were sent flying by the sheer force behind Luffy's kick before they dispersed.
Rushing past Luffy I brought Kintsugi down onto another clone before reversing my blow and slicing open another. As the two clones dispersed I lashed out sending an arc of fire that dispersed several more. The ground shuddered beneath my feet and I spun around to see that Oars had healed up enough to once more begin his advance towards Sunny. "Luffy you up for a tag team attack?"
"Always Tii'chia!"
"I'll hit him low then you hit him high!" I drew Kintsugi back, preparing myself for my attack. Energy started to gather, swirling around the blade as the sounds of the battle faded away. Faint snatches of music called out to me, inviting me to join in the eternal dance, to lay down my blade and let the music sweep me away. I ignored the call as I had everytime before, even if it was more insistant then ever because I had already pulled off the move earlier today.
"Danse Macarbe! Reaper's Rhapsody!" I shot forward propelled partially by my legs, partially by the flow of energy that continued to swirl around the blade and pull me forward. Kintsugi stabbed out sinking deep into Oars ankle, blade briefly vanishing almost to the hilt before I was shooting past. Oars howled as both of his legs transformed into shiny green glass.
"Giant Bazooka!" While preparing my own attack I hadn't had a moment to spare to see what Luffy had been up to. At least until his giant hands smashed palm first into the Oars chest. There was a tremendous crack of glass shattering as Oars tipped backwards leaving his glassified legs behind. The only problem was that I was right beneath where his body was going to land. Forcing my legs to move I ran full tilt out from underneath the falling body, continuing to run as I attempted to put as much distance as possible between myself and Oars.
While I managed to easily avoid getting crushed the impact of the body hitting the ground still knocked me from my feet and sent me tumbling. I rolled head over head for some distance before grinding to a finally to a halt, facedown in the dirt. My head was still spinning as I pushed myself back up to my feet, eyes trying to find something to focus on that wasn't moving. Which proved to be a bit hard due to nothing holding still for more than a second or two.
"Ugh. Zoro when did there get to be three of you?" A snort was the trio of Zoro's only reply as he cut down another two clones. While I was waiting for Zoro to stop being three seperate people he continued to rampage through the unending masses of clones that pressed in around us. Now that he had three swords once again Zoro was unstoppable, not that the clones likely would have stood a chance even if he had two swords.
"Dragon Twister!" Clones went flying as Zoro spun in place, blades of wind slashing outwards in all directions. He stopped his spin just as my own head quit spinning, letting me move around once more without feeling sick. Twisting around I slammed my shield into the face of a clone that was sneaking up on me before dispatching it with a quick thrust from Kintsugi.
The ground shook as Oars pushed himself back to his feet. The shadows from the portal having poured down to create an entirely new set of legs for the giant to stand on. These new legs were even thicker then the previous ones ending in hooves that tossed bits of earth up with each step. I glanced over at Zoro to see that he had also noticed that Oars was once again moving and was looking at the giant thoughtfully.
"I can handle myself from here Zoro, go and hit that thing as hard as you can!" As Zoro locked eyes with mine I broke into a grin, one that he matched after a moment. As he darted off to attack Oars I turned my attention to the encroaching clones. Kintsugi sang as I stabbed, slashed, parried, riposted, and generally cut my way through the horde.
Between handling my own foes I managed to see Zoro run straight up Oars leg even as he twirled his swords in front of him. "Three Sword Style: Three Thousand Worlds!" Even with the distance between us I could hear him shout out the name of his attack. Zoro had run halfway up Oars before kicking off to slice straight through the giant's left arm. As the arm fell Sanji shot past both it and Zoro, repeatedly kicking off of the air, one of Sanji's feet burning with fire, until he was level with Oars face.
Oars tried to swat Sanji out of the air using his remaining arm but Sanji proved to be too quick for the clumsy off of the air and over the blow Sanji brought his burning heel down against Oars elbow in a brutal looking axe kick. It looked like nothing had happened for a moment before Oars let out a howl as the bones in his elbow cracked and fractured. Both of the giants arms were out of action now though with how fast his legs had been repaired the arms wouldn't take long to recover.
Just as I struck out with Kintsugi the clone that I had been fighting seemed to start melting. Seconds later it was just a puddle of shadow on the ground. Cautiously I went to poke it with the tip of my sword only for the puddle to flow away from me, joining other puddles as they flowed towards Oars. Cursing quietly to myself I leaped after shadowy mass, snapping my wings out to catch the wind.
A couple of quick beats brought me high enough to see that all of the clones had begun to fall apart. Their bodies melting before joining the mass as it headed towards Oars. I glanced back towards the silent Thousand Sunny and hoped Merry and Sunny were going to get finished soon. Because it seemed like the giant was done playing around.
Meanwhile inside of the Thousand Sunny, Merry pushed the last spare barrel of cola into place. Wiping her brow with one hand she started back up towards the helm, where Sunny was fiddling with the wiring of the Gaon Cannon. "Cola reserves are full, the transformation won't run out until after we fire."
"Good I just finished the rewiring. Merry are you sure this is going to work?" Sunny dusted herself off as she stood back up, looking anxiously at Merry. "I'm positive it will. Your a strong ship Sunny, one that will carry Luffy and the crew all the way to Raftel."
Sunny blushed before her expression shifted to one of firm resolve and placed her hands down upon the exposed wires. "Please tell me you've got some idea of a chant to use for this crazy stunt?" Merry leaned down to whisper the chant into Sunny's ear. When she pulled away both wore matching grins.
"Alright let's get started!" The screens that had been turned off as Merry refueled the cola engine flickered back to life. Sunny gasping and Merry cursing as they saw what Oars had transformed into. The shadows that still poured out of the portal in his belly had completely covered Oars now, leaving not a bit of the zombie giants orginal body visible. The black insect like armor had changed in places so that it now looked like a horrible cross between an insect and some kind of reptile. In place of hands Oars now had a pair of crustacean pinchers that snapped closed too fast for the eye to follow and when they did shot out a blinding blast of some kind. Oars head now resembling something straight out of a nightmare.
It looked like someone had taken the head of a mosquito but replaced the long slender proboscis with hundreds of tentacles each one capped by a needle like tube. The entire writhing mass hanging down like a ghastly parody of a beard. "Merry, I think I'm gonna be sick." Sunny muttered unable to tear her eyes away from the horror before her.
"Be sick later, right now we've got a cannon to fire." Grabbing Sunny's hands, Merry gave them a gentle squeeze before placing them down ontop of the console.
"Darkness beyond twilight." They started to chant, the entire ship shuddering as magical energy began to gather. Their combined voices echoing out from the ship to reach the crew.
"Where have I heard this chant before?" I mused aloud as the words reached my ears even as I hacked off one of Oars tentacles that had just stabbed down towards me. Beside me Lil raised an eyebrow even as she threw a several balls of heat at more of the tentacles.
"Sorry I just got this feeling that this chant should be setting off warning bells or something. Of course even as I said that the next words reached my ears and I realized why those warning bells should have been going off.
"Crimson beyond blood that flows."
Lil had a front row seat to seeing a 14 foot tall lizardfolk flinch fearfully before all color drained from my scales. The next thing she knew I had thrown her over my shoulder and was flat out Shaving as fast as I could. "Everyone get out of the way now! If you get caught in this attack you won't survive!"
"Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows!"
It was hard to say if it was my panicked shouting, the sheer fear on my face, or the fact that I was moving as fast as I could that caught the crews attention. Whatever it was they took off in different directions, each seeking to get out of the line of fire and put as much distance as possible between them and the fallout.
"We pledge ourselves to conquer all the foes who stand before the mighty power bestowed in our unworthy hands! Let the fools that stand before us be destroyed by the power that we possess!
Absolute Gaon Cannon!"
There was a brilliant flash of green light from behind me followed by a shrieking whine that made my teeth hurt. Then the shockwave hit and for the second time in the last hour I was sent flying uncontrollably through the air. I used my wings as best I could to prevent me and Lil from crashing into anything. Even that was barely enough as the fierce winds propelled me forward far faster then I could manage on my own.
Thankfully I didn't crash into anything, instead managing a shaky landing just before my legs gave out. A soft groan escaped from me as Lil slipped out of my hold and pushed herself to her feet. "Please tell me it's over." I muttered into the dirt, my breath kicking up a small cloud of dirt.
"The giant and that portal are completely gone so it looks like it's over." Slowly rolling over I saw that she was correct, Oars and the portal were gone. The first firing of the Gaon Cannon had blasted a massive line through the earth and the ever present fog. The Absolute Gaon Cannon put that first shot to shame, the fog was gone blown to who knows where, a deep trench had been gouged through the earth and the sea beyond. Even as I watched the sea collapsed in on itself with crash, water rushing to fill the newly created trench.
The noise was so loud that all normal efforts of conversation were drowned out, making me and Lil resort to charades to get our point across before deciding to head back to the ship. We trudged back towards where the Sunny was sitting, the ship having shifted back after that last attack.
It looked like we weren't the only ones to have that idea because as we got closer we spotted Franky, whose hair drooped over his eyes, helping Usopp pull himself over the railing. Picking Lil up I flew her and myself the rest of the way to the ship. Depositing her gently onto the deck before landing. Then I gratefully, and gracelessly, flopped face first down onto the grass eyes closed.
Sprawled out on the deck listening to the roaring of the water I felt someone lean against me. Opening one eye I found Lil with her back resting against me and hands folded in her lap, staring off into space. Slowly my eye started to drift shut once again of it's own accord which I didn't even try to fight right now, I was just too tired.
I was on the verge of falling asleep when something bounced off of my head and clattered to the deck. Someone let out an ear piercing scream from nearby and before I thought about it I had gotten to my feet looking for danger. Laying face down only a few feet away was the broken body of Kuma, arms and legs bent at unnatural angles, clothing torn to expose the robotic components that had overtime been installed into him.
"Kishishishishi! Tired already Straw Hat's? You haven't even gotten to the main event yet. Me!" Snapping my head up I caught sight of Moria hovering in the air a short distance away from the ship. Gone was the lazy Moria that had spent years doing as little as possible, seemingly replaced by Moria in his prime when he had confronted Kaido. Lean muscle had replaced flabby fat across his entire body, 6 pack abs shown off by his lack of shirt. In one hand he clutched a sword, the blade splattered with oil from hacking at Kuma, his other hand empty except for the shadows that swirled around it. Black cracks extended across his face from around his eyes standing out in sharp contrast to his pale white skin.
I stifled a groan that threatened to escape from me as I stared at Moria. Every member of the crew on our side was tired from earlier fights with some likely not being fit to fight at all. Moria was in better condition then we were even if he was sporting scrapes and bruises from his battle against Kuma.
"Zzzttt.. Straw...Hat...Luffy." A glance over my showed that Kuma had somehow had gotten back to his feet and was looming over Luffy. My heart caught in my throat and it felt like my feet were frozen to the ground. No, no, no, it was too soon for this! Luffy turned slowly his expression unreadable as he looked up at Kuma. "Yeah?"
"Zztt...if you...seek to defeat...zzztt...Moria you will...need me to remove your crew's...exhaustion...and...stress." Each word seemed to take Kuma effort to get out, circuits sparking in time to the words.
"We don't need it. Moria might be strong but with my crew behind me we won't lose. Right everyone?" A long sigh escaped from between my lips at Luffy's statement. It was just like him to say something crazy and expect that we would go along with it.
"Of course we will captain, we can't lose here. I haven't become the greatest swordsman in the world yet."
"We've yet to find All Blue."
"I...I'm still working to become a brave warrior of the sea."
"My map of the world isn't even close to being finished."
"I'm not the best doctor in the world, I still have a lot to learn with everyone at my side."
"When I wanted to die you told me to live, I haven't repaid you for that yet."
"I won't see our journey come to an end so soon. Sunny hasn't sailed across all of the sea's yet."
"Yohohoho, you helped me recover my shadow. The least I can do is help you to recover yours Luffy-san."
"Despite my family being Pirate Hunters you all fought as hard as you could to save them. You gave me my dad's fruit without asking anything in exchange and have treated my like one of your own. Your my family now and I refuse to lose any of you!"
"Sss...Sssssssss!" I couldn't help it and started to laugh, a grin stretched across my face. "Despite where I come from, the tales that I have told you, and my appearance you've still accepted me as part of the crew. I can't think of a better reason than that to not give up now!"
"Don't forget about me! I carry part of your dreams inside of me just like Sunny does, dreams that I will see fulfilled because of what this crew has done for me!" Merry stumbled out onto the deck to join the crew the line facing Moria. She looked just as tired and exhausted as everyone else did but still forced herself to stand proudly beside us.
Then as one we shouted out. "We are the crew that will reach the end of the Grand Line and claim One Piece!"