Scarlet Blood on the Streets

The bounty hunter drove forward as he produced his sword in a flash bringing the sharp end of the blade around and closer to Rosa's neck. Rosa brought her own sword up and deflected the blow, but the force still pushed her back a bit. She steadied herself against the ground before launching from her position, bringing her sword around for a low blow aiming at the bounty hunter's legs. He laughed as he brought his sword down and redirected both of their swords into the ground.

They both broke their swords free from the earthy mess in a very close time period and jumped back, preparing for another strike from their opponent. "Well, well, well. Its a same that a woman with your sword skills must die...especially since we could've been allies...perhaps even more," stated the man with a suggestive raised eyebrow. Rosa clenched her teeth insulted by what she thought he was insinuating and drove forward with her sword. Their swords crossed in midair, both of them putting all of their strength into the sole focus of overpowering the other, "come on...I am a famous bounty hunter...the name's McIntyre. Or that's at least what people call me. The Bloody Bounty Hunter. I return all of my pirates to Marines drenched in their own blood...each...and every...time." Rosa pushed her sword against his propelling herself backwards and out of his range.

She brought her sword down and back to her side. She wasn't going to tell him that she didn't like bringing in dead pirates to the Marines. She didn't know why, but killing someone was never one of her skills. She always hesitated when it came down to it. She believed that in the end she would kill someone if it was between them or someone she cared about, but without that driving force, she couldn't bring herself to end their life. She looked up and noticed McIntyre was still awaiting an answer, "sorry, but I don't want to hook-up with someone I don't like." McIntyre frowned as he redrew his sword.

"Sorry to 'ear tat lass," he said his Scottish accent being magnified due to his rage, "even sorrier tat now I'm gonna hafta cut ya up for tat!" He spun his entire body, around coiling it up and then sinking forward onto one knee. "Flash of Steel Lightning!" His entire body shot forward as he brought his sword forward and around at her. His speed came from the fact that rather then running, he jumped off of the ground instead and shot himself forward in one direction. The sword was equally as fast as he was. But despite his impressive speed, he missed. Well, Rosa dodged it.

Rosa instead was bent over directly beneath where his sword's slash landed, laughing. "I'm sorry..." she managed to choke out between her giggles, "its just that naming your attacks...is so lame!" She stepped backwards separating the two of them once more. "I mean I've tried it a couple of times and I felt like an idiot I mean," she said as she gathered herself up and took up a stance similar to McIntyre's. "Flash of Steel Lightning!" She stifled another laugh as she stepped backwards, "really? You are telling your opponent your attack! You don't go high punch, ax kick, leg sweep, or sucker punch, do you?"

McIntyre's face twitched as he listened to Rosa make fun of him. He wasn't quite sure if she was one hundred-percent serious right now or not. He shrugged and charged anyways, he brought his sword up and down once more upon Rosa. Rosa's body instinctual moved to the left as she continued to laugh. He paused for a second before lashing out again, once more Rosa's reflexes came into play as she dodged it without even focusing on his slash, due to her laughing fit. He brought his sword forward with an almighty thrust, Rosa's body bent out of its way avoiding the blow. The more and more she dodged his blows, the more it reminded him of the Colors of Observation, but if so then why was she just now using it instead of at the beginning of the fight.

"I'm sorry," said Rosa as she wiped a tear from eye, just now recovering from her own laughing fit, "but you got to admit its a bit odd." As Rosa's laughs quieted down, she turned to face McIntrye, only to see him charging in again. McIntrye was leaning over his own sword as he ran at Rosa. With a flourish he brought his sword out and at Rosa's chest. Rosa tried to dodge it with a twist to the left, but wasn't fast enough and the sword scrapped her chest, leaving a small, but noticeable cut on her skin.

McIntyre backed away content with what he had done. Not the damage, oh no...the damage was nothing but a nick, especially considering all the effort he had put into getting that small hit...several attacks gone to waste. However, what he had learned was vital. When she was laughing her defense, reflex, and dodging ability were high, she was dodging all of his strikes, this was different when he launched his last attack. As soon as she stopped laughing and focused on him, he was able to get a hit in. Ordinarily, he'd chalk it up to coincidence or luck...but the fact was that it was inconceivable. When she was ignoring him, her defense was extraordinary, but when she focused on him, it dropped? It didn't add up. While the exact technique or method she used to dodge it was unknown to him as long as he knew what activated and deactivated it, he could win.

"You mocked me for calling out the names of my attack last time, let's see if you dare have the guts to do it again," stated McIntyre as he leaned forward once more. Rosa had to admit that as a bounty hunter it was incredibly unprofessional of her to laugh at him. Ordinarily she would've considered herself dead, but luckily it seemed like he didn't try to kill her when she was laughing. She steeled herself for whatever ridiculous name he could spit out not and focused on him.

He put all of his weight on his front-most foot, leaving his back foot light and free. He struck out with his sword holding it straight out behind him."Movement of the Waning Moon!" He spun around launching a sideways sweeping blow, bringing the side of the blade around and forward with incredible speed. Rosa jumped backwards to avoid the blow, dodging to just outside of his range. Her hand placed precariously on her sword, ready to counter-attack the instant his sword passed her. McIntyre smiled as his sword came into placement just in front of her, even as she dodged backward.

He fell forward. With the change in his weight distribution thanks to his swing it was impossible for him to remain in his previous position and his weight crumbled forward forcing his entire body forward another few inches, including his blade, turning his wide swinging strike into a thrust in a group of mere seconds. Not only that but by falling forward his range also increased the necessary few millimeters to bring his sword forward and into Rosa. However, due to the fact that he fell forward his sword lowered itself and was thrust into Rosa's gut rather then her heart like his original intent. Rosa gritted her teeth and ignored the pain, she swung her sword around and smashed the hilt into McIntyre's head, forcing him away.

"Shit," cursed McIntyre as he grabbed his head and felt the blood trickle down from the wound. He slashed his sword through the air in a pathetic fit of rage. "Today's just not my day, is it?" He whined as he brought his sword back around and aimed it Rosa who was holding her new wound trying to hold the blood in, but failing. "Let's finish this!" McIntyre charged at Rosa bringing his sword forward in another thrusting motion.

Rosa brought her sword around deflected his thrust to the side with a powerful swing. Rosa whipped her arm around and redirected her swing back around and turning it into a downwards slash. McIntyre managed to bring his sword back around just in time to block, but he couldn't fortify his stance well enough fast enough and the force still made him stumble back. McIntyre grunted and charged forward, swinging his sword. He wasn't about to allow this girl force him into a corner, with that he brought his sword out and aimed it at Rosa's arm. Rosa dropped to the ground, letting the sword graze her hair, but nothing more. Rosa backed up away from McIntyre in that instant.

McIntyre was breathing heavily. He knew at this point it was his ultimate loss. Even if he did beat Rosa with his next attack he had already sustained too much damage, taking on the Infinity Pirates would be an impossible task...he kept playing the fighting scenario around in his head...he wanted to make it off of this island around, was it an impossible task from the start? Or was there a secret? Should he have teamed up with the Infinity Pirates and use their power to overturn Trevor? Or should he had just run away the instant he was given the chance and hope that the ships Trevor mentioned just didn't shoot him? It seemed like it was an automatic losing situation for him and an automatic win for Trevor...crap, McIntyre brought his sword forth...despite all of these thoughts running through his head, he knew he wanted to win this fight...he'd rather die after he won a fight then after he ran away.

"Let's go Reverse Splitting!" McIntyre flipped his sword around and plunged it into the ground. He placed both of his two hands wrapped confidently around his sword and separated his two legs to give him better leverage. "Bring it on!" McIntyre shouted. Rosa narrowed her eyes at the sight. It was unreasonable...with the sword in the ground it would take him too long to pull it out and slice with it. There had to be a secret to it? Or was that it? Rosa was wasting this perfectly opportune moment to strike while McIntyre was sizing her up? After all if McIntyre would've went on the attack right off the back, Rosa would've attacked back, but now...she was too busy worrying that this was a trap...she already stated that it would be impossible for it to be a trap, right? So, what was she waiting for? Rosa charged.

Rosa prepared her sword for the final slice and readied to bring it about, but as soon as she got into a slicing range she felt the ground shift. She realized she made a mistake. McIntyre was bringing the ground along with his sword! He was heaving the ground up with his sword! And since she was standing on the ground, she was going to lose her footing and fall, giving McIntyre the perfect opening!She had to act fast, she brought her sword back and stuck it into the ground and leaned against it as she felt McIntyre lift the ground up beneath, at least now with her sword for support she wouldn't fall backwards. Finally, as she leaned against it and her legs came up into the air due to the lost of the ground, she launched a kick at McIntyre's gut. McIntyre grunted as the kick made good solid contact with him, but he didn't falter as he brought his sword around and into Rosa's leg, spraying her blood all over the dirt path.

Rosa collapsed onto the ground, knocking her sword free and bringing it back into her hand. She was breathing heavily, her legs and stomach were both bleeding openly. She didn't have any more time to waste. She quickly grabbed her sword and leaned forward charging and bringing the sword around. This was going to be where she either won the fight and escaped...or died...

Win or Die!

The Meeting of the Shichibukai!

As many of you guys may be able to guess from the title of the next chapter all of the Shichibukai have been decided. So, prepare to witness the true trouble and disasters that are going to occur! However, as you can probably surmise from the actual One Piece the seats of the Shichibukai change often, so don't be afraid to keep sending them in!