Shaska puffed her cigar and smiled.
"Been a while since my blood's been pumping like this!" she exclaimed, hoisting the support beam over her shoulder.
Zeiko spat out her cigarette, unable to pull out a new one thanks to her shattered wrists.
"Heh, maybe we do have something in common then. I'm starting to enjoy myself too," she said with a smile.
Zeiko teleported to Shaska with a Shave, but the latter's eyes flashed red, and she managed to intercept her daughter with a swing of the support beam.
"Batter up!" Shaska shouted, smacking Zeiko halfway across the city.
—
In Kapade Boutique, Lulupo and Gabo were glaring at each other. Rima just stood there, still confused.
"Mr. Lulupo…?" she asked.
"Rima, darling, you need to get out of here. I'm afraid this will become ugly quickly," he replied, lengthening his hair.
"Oh, Lulu, does it have to be ugly? It's been so long and I'd just love to catch up," Gabo said, throwing off his cloak with a crooked smile.
"Oh, Gabo, that dress does not match your hair," Lulupo said, assuming a fighting stance.
"And yours does?" Gabo responded, doing the same.
"Mr. Lulupo, who is this man?" Rima asked again.
Lulupo gritted his teeth. "…an ex-compatriot of mine. We… sailed together a long time ago.
"I mean it, Rima darling, you must get out of here!"
Gabo wasted no time attacking. "Oh come my way!" he shouted, landing a kick on Lulupo's cheek, sending him into the other side of the store.
Rima fled, and Lulupo stood up, spitting out a tooth.
"Hm. Not bad," he said, squaring up again.
It was then that Zeiko came flying into the boutique, crashing through the ceiling and several racks of clothes.
"Ugh," said the shopkeeper. "First Unclean, then fighting queers, and now flying fish freaks…"
Zeiko once again stood up through the pain of her broken wrists. She wanted to dust herself off, but couldn't due to the pain. She looked around and locked eyes with Lulupo, then Gabo.
"'Dashing Dandy' Charles Lulupo, 48,000,000 berries. Gabo 'the Director', 64,500,000 berries," Zeiko said. "I'll be sure to bring you both in after I'm done with my current engagement."
She Shaved off back into the city, leaving Lulupo confused. Once again, Gabo seized on the opportunity and lunged forward.
"Oh come my way!" he shouted as he planted his stiletto heel square in Lulupo's gut, drawing blood and sending him flying through the wall and into the street.
Lulupo pushed himself up and assumed his fighting stance.
"Gabo! Why are you even here! Have you come to torment me further after we…"
"Broke up?" Gabo asked, stepping through the hole he made. "Hardly. I'm here for my new business. I'm one of God's chosen assassins, here to usher in utopia."
"God's chosen…?" Lulupo asked. "You've always been off, but never like this!"
"That's right. Does the name 'Balthasar von Esens' ring a bell?"
"Isn't he… isn't he the one that slaughtered a family of World Nobles twenty years ago?" Lulupo asked. "It was in all the papers, but then the next day they caught him, right?"
"That was a lie," Gabo responded. "The government covered it up because they couldn't bear the fact that he actually survived the consequences and escaped. Someone like that wouldn't be able to be held in Impel Down, so they didn't even issue a standard bounty for him."
"That…" Lulupo tried to say. "That doesn't seem right…"
"He's a man chosen by God himself. Divine providence is what brought him back from the brink. And now I am one of his messengers."
"Messengers? Ugh, never mind! Why are you even attacking me?!"
"Consider it payback for our last encounter, darling," Gabo responded.
"Gabo, darling! How could you?!" Lulupo cried as Gabo's hands dripped with blood.
"We're mercenaries, are we not? Collateral damage is part of the job.
"Mercenaries! Not child murderers!" Lulupo exclaimed, tears in his eyes. "That's it, I'm at my limit. I'm bringing you into the Marines!"
"I was on my way to Impel Down when members of Minus World liberated me. If only you knew the horrors the World Government has covered up and continues to hide every day," said Gabo. "Have you ever heard the tragedy of the island of Ohara? Do you know the brutality of a Buster Call?"
"I'm not interested!" Lulupo shouted. "I get you're an insane cultist now, but why are you here?"
"Isn't it obvious? Four other assassins and I are here to kill Ta'Gup XIV as part of a revolution. The Panipuri Kingdom is but the first step to a liberated, equal utopia. Minus World seeks to topple the oppressive World Government and institute a newer, more equal world order. The only leader the world needs is Balthasar von Esens."
"Well, Gabo," said Lulupo, "I'm afraid I'll have to stop your little Minus World cult any way I can. The World Government may have done awful things… but surely forcing everyone to be equal isn't the answer."
"Gahahaha!" Gabo responded. "If only you knew, if only you knew what crimes the government has committed! There will be no need for kingdoms under Mr. Balthasar. No heaven, except on Earth. Nothing to kill or die for. All will live life in peace!"
Gabo twirled his hair. "You may say I'm a dreamer. But Lulupo… I'm not the only one."
"I don't think you're a dreamer, Gabo," said Lulupo. "I think you're just crazy."
"Gahahaha!" Gabo laughed. "Then strike me down, Lulupo. Stop Minus World!"
Lulupo said nothing, and instead dashed forward and planted his foot right in Gabo's chin.
—-
Zinnia weaved past Ubitsa's axe swings expertly, not putting much effort into it. His swings let off razor sharp shockwaves through the air, slicing through buildings and bringing them down, causing people to flee. He huffed and puffed in frustration.
"Sir, please stop causing collateral damage," Zinnia said casually. "You might seriously injure someone."
"Nohoho…" Ubitsa laughed. "Girlie, you might want to watch your mouth against someone trying to kill you."
"Sir, you are trying, but you are nowhere close to succeeding," she responded. "I have yet to even make an attack, but it seems you are already overexerting yourself."
Ubitsa swung at her again, but she jumped and landed on his shoulder.
"Sir, I am worried about your health. What are you trying to accomplish by fighting me?"
"Utopia!" Ubitsa cried as he grabbed Zinnia off his shoulder by her ankles, slamming her into the ground.
"I am one of God's chosen!" he shouted as he slammed her through a wall.
"Mr. Balthasar shall lead the way!" he cried as he slammed her into the ground again, causing her to bounce. He jumped and brought his axe down on her, but she managed to roll out of the way and get back up.
Zinnia touched the blood dripping down her forehead and got a good look at it. "Ow…" Ruth rolled her eyes at how long it took for Zinnia to notice she should be in pain.
Zinnia turned to Ubitsa. "Sir, I am much more concerned for your mental health now. A stable person does not believe they are chosen by a god."
Ubitsa lunged at her for another axe swing, but she jumped and brought Ruth down on his head. She then used the momentum to flip forward and land behind him, following up with a sweep with Ruth and a mighty kick to his back, causing him to land face first on the ground.
Ubitsa slowly picked himself up, but Zinnia flipped forward and brought her heel down on the back of his head, knocking him down again.
She then squatted down next to him. "Are you alright, sir? Do you want to keep going?"
Ubitsa coughed up blood and spat out a tooth, then turned to face her as he picked himself up. "Who… are you? How did you get so strong?!"
"I am not strong, sir. I am one of the weakest women from my island," she responded.
Ubitsa was back on his feet, huffing and puffing as he towered over her. "Feh! False modesty is unbecoming of a warrior!" he shouted, raising his axe.
—-
Ren hid in an alley away from Kandar, who remained on the top of the hotel smoking his Happy Happy Grass.
"I don't know who that guy is…" Ren thought. "But I need to stop crazed gunman before he kills anyone else."
The police sniper's corpse fell from its perch and landed in the street.
"And police are less than useless…"
Kandar exhaled his smoke as the police stormed into the hotel.
"Kanahahaha… I'm in deep doo-doo," Kandar said with a smile. He ran to the edge of the roof and jumped from fifteen stories high, much to Ren's shock.
"He's crazier than I thought!"
A grappling hook shot out of Kandar's sleeve as he fell, catching on a building across the street. He swung toward it, carrying his pipe and his rifle in one hand and hanging from the grappling hook in the other. The grappling hook started to retract as soon as it caught on the building, allowing Kandar to not exert himself while climbing.
As he positioned himself on top of the new building, Ren couldn't help but marvel at how cool it was.
"It's like something from comic book!" she thought.
Kandar repositioned himself and now had a decision to make: would he gun down the police?
"Nah," Kandar thought, as police filed down out of the hotel and over to the building he was currently in. "Even if I hit every shot, I don't have enough ammo to take out all of them."
Kandar puffed on his Happy Happy Grass again.
Would he go for the soon to be crowned king?
"Maybe…" he thought. "Kind of a ways away though…"
Or would he go for the locked and loaded teenage girl he just saw?
Ren shot at him, but missed due to the wind, hitting his pipe instead.
"Eep!" Ren choked out as she ducked back into the alley. Kandar had his answer.
"Hm, she must be working for the royal family," he said. "Well, I'm not a fan of people who interrupt me while I'm smokin' the ol' peace pipe. She'll pay for that."
His eyes, which were already red due to the effects of the Happy Happy Grass, flashed an even deeper shade of red.
"Let's see where you are, ya little twerp," he mumbled, looking through his scope.
Using his Observation Haki, Kandar searched the area. He saw the auras of the police who were trying to enter the building he was on, and he saw the auras of the people trying to flee for their lives from the crazed gunman on the roof. But then, in an alley behind a building across the street, he saw Ren's aura.
His rifle became pitch black and shiny, and he lined his shot up right with the head of Ren's aura.
"Here's what you get for making me waste my Happy Happy Grass," Kandar growled, pulling the trigger.
With a loud bang, the rifle went off, and the bullet soared through the air, passing right through the building Ren was hiding behind. However, Kandar forgot to account for the wind (likely because he was out of his mind on Happy Happy Grass), the bullet missed Ren, just barely grazing her ear.
Ren was understandably terrified, clutching her now bleeding ear. Her eyes popped out of her head as she inspected the bullet on the ground, and the bullet hole in the wall.
"H-how?!" she cried. "Does he have some kahnd of Devil Fr-"
Her thought was interrupted by a bullet shooting right past her again, this time grazing her hair.
"Kanahaha," Kandar laughed as he reloaded. "Third time's the charm."
Ren took off, running through the alleys of Shahar.
—-
Corcoran continued to lay down a funky beat on his bass, and everyone in the vicinity continued to dance.
"This is bad," said Roxanne, chugging her drink. "This is really bad."
"Honey, how are you able to do that?" Andy asked.
"I just move to the rhythm of the beat! I incorporate it into the dance!" Roxanne replied.
Andy stared at her. "Sweetie, are you drunk?"
"Honey, I'm always drunk."
Roxanne felt the gears in her head start to turn though, just in time for Corcoran to bolt over and shove a knife in her gut.
"Roxie!" Andy cried.
"Sorry, man, was she important?" Corcoran asked with a sly smirk. He pulled the knife out, causing her to double over in pain as she bled out.
Corcoran dashed back to his bass and laid down the groove again. Andy was enraged, with tears streaming down his face, but he and Roxanne couldn't stop dancing.
"Fufufufu… I think I'll play with you all for a while. It's been a while since I've had a good street performance!" Corcoran exclaimed.
Puerco made a note of what Roxanne had been doing from across the street, i.e. going about her normal day while still keeping the groove. Then, he got an idea.
"I gotta save Roxanne before she dies! Hm…"
Still naked in the tub, Puerco moved to the rhythm and slowly climbed out (thankfully, his naughty bits were covered by the mashed fruit). He really wished Shaska had given him a gun right about now.
Puerco danced over to the Shahar doctor.
"Pssst… where's your scalpels? I got an idea."
The doctor pointed to the drawer, and Puerco danced over to it, grabbing a scalpel.
"Gotta be reeeeeaaaal careful with how I proceed," Puerco thought as Corcoran lost himself in the funk.
Puerco boogied over to Corcoran, naked, covered in mashed fruit, and carrying a scalpel.
"This… certainly isn't what I signed up for when I agreed to be a ship's doctor…" he thought.
He drew closer and closer.
"Just one nick of the carotid artery is all it takes…"
Right as Puerco raised his arm to stab Corocoran in the neck, the latter looked up from his musical reverie and locked eyes with Puerco. In the blink of an eye, Puerco was also met with a knife in the gut, and Corcoran resumed his playing.
As Puerco doubled over from the pain and blood loss, he continued to dance, helpless against the power of music. Andy, on the other hand, calmed down a bit, and finally understood what Roxanne was trying to tell him.
Keeping in time with his dancing, Andy drew the gun Shaska had given him. He had never (intentionally) fired a gun before, and trying to aim while dancing made it even harder.
"Feel the beat…" Andy thought as he aimed the gun.
He pulled the trigger, but due to his swaying with the rhythm, he missed Corcoran's head and instead shot right through the strings of the bass, snapping them and preventing Corcoran from plucking another note.
"You bastard!" Corcoran growled, drawing his knife. "Do you have any idea how much it's gonna cost to get my bass restrung?!"
He lunged at blinding speed at Andy, but was shot out of the air in the nick of time. Andy turned to face his wife, who was coughing up blood while holding up the gun Shaska gave her, smoke billowing out the end.
"Leave him alone, you son of a bitch," she choked out before collapsing.
"Roxie!" Andy cried as he ran over to catch her. All the other patrons of the restaurant were too stunned by what had just happened to help. Puerco, on the other hand, stumbled over to Corcoran, who was rising to his feet, then planted the scalpel right in his neck. Corcoran collapsed for good, and Puerco collapsed on top of him.
"Doctor…" Puerco mumbled. The Shahar doctor ran over to him. "The lady there's type XF… I'm type S… please…"
The doctor picked up Puerco, and Andy brought Roxanne over for immediate surgery.
Worldwide Smoke vs. Minus World, battle of Chikitsak Street, Shahar, Panipuri Kingdom
Winners: Andy, Roxanne, and Puerco
—-
As the fights between Worldwide Smoke and the assassins of Minus World raged on, Barabar made his move. The revolutionary forces marched on Shahar, and soon, shelling on the city walls began. The soldiers poured through the front gates of the city, which had been pried open by Shaska some time earlier, unleashing their wrath upon an unprepared populace. The time for war had finally begun.
TO BE CONTINUED