The Battle Tactics
"Iron Maiden…" muttered Goro as his iron smoke leaked off of his cigarette and covered the Infinity Pirate's ship. With any luck the Dark Knight pirates were still aboard it, it would be quite literally killing two birds with one stone. The cloud slowly started to shift as the cloud turned into a series of long spikes aimed at the ship, it would be a matter of seconds before the ship would become Swiss cheese. Azu was moving forward, he stepped closer and closer to the ship, getting into position. He brought his hands forward and pierced the hull of the ship, grabbing onto the bow and pulled it back and further onto the shore. "It's a shame, but the rule of the Davy Back Fight is…no substitutions even on account of death. Close, Iron Maiden!" the sharp needles burned through the air and into the ship, drilling into the massive hull of the ship and anything on the inside. "It'll take me a minute or two to reset these, so get into position for the next shot." Azu nodded, jumping off of the ground and onto the ship. They had enough people on their crew so even if these two guys got knocked out the Davy Back Fight was still theirs. As long as they took out one or two of the upcoming combatants they would easily win.
"Yup, trusting you guys was the wrong idea!" shouted Zesiro as he appeared from around the ship and launched himself at Goro. Goro blocked the attack with another iron cloud wall, but he was forced back and forced to ignore the ship. He dropped his large iron spikes and brought them around and took aim at his opponent. The giant shards of iron floating in the air, completely weightless. Zesiro took a step back, the man was obviously not someone to mess with. "Is this how pirates fought back in the day?" asked Zesiro, "Davy Back Fights and sneak attacks and here I thought you guys actually had some kind of honor even for a Shichibukai." Goro chuckled and shrugged it off. "Bring it," muttered Zesiro as he lifted his swords up and took aim at him.
"No chivalry amongst pirates," remarked Goro as he the smoke straight into his hand forming an iron sword and accepting Zesiro's duel. Zesiro smiled. He was growing tired of the Davy Back Fights anyways. He rushed in like in a bull, cutting through the space between them until they were face-to-face. Goro brought his sword down like a guillotine, aiming for Zesiro's neck with one swift stroke. Zesiro whipped around, blocking the slash and knocking it aside. Goro leaned in deeper and blew another large shield of iron straight out and blocked Zesiro's view while he moved to the side to gain a more advantageous view. He brought his other sword sweeping out and aiming for Zesiro's side, but was met by another expert parry. Zesiro wasn't losing in a fight of swords with someone like him. Goro didn't seem worried, though. It was him and his crew, versus a crew that was 9 people at best. It was like an army versus troop. The numbers as well as power were on their side, why should he back down now? He brought his other sword and scraped it against Zesiro's. The two seemed to be in a deadlock.
Meanwhile the rest of Kraven's crew seemed to be enjoying themselves…attacking the Infinity Pirate's ship. They were like animals. Azu pounded on the ship's deck again and again like a wild animal, beating out a primal rhythm while the rest of the men rushed through the ship's inner workings like a group of mad men. They flooded the ship and were met with Enma, sweeping through them like his bounty name proved, a White Devil. But eventually the numbers became too great and overwhelmed him, plowing through the group and surging down even deeper. Maria was met with her own army, several of the men piled on her seeing what a number she did to Azu and none of them wanting to be a repeat performance. The Infinity Pirates were being overwhelmed it was as simple as that. Mikoto was still in bed as any physical activity on his part was ill-advised due to the damage to his legs.
But the Infinity Pirates didn't need their captain. Zesiro was holding off Goro and Maria and Enma were inside the ship holding off the constant waves of highly trained pirates. This wasn't easy for them, of course, but they were managing to stay alive against the impending doom. The 'Ghost Hook' Pirates poured into the ship, easily overtaking it almost claiming it as theirs. Hiro-Shu had managed to catch up to Azu and despite easily being outmuscled he was managing to hold his own, but it was obvious that this act of defiance wouldn't last long, it couldn't last long. They were running out of steam. They had all competed in the Davy Back Fights today while Kraven's team due to their impressive numbers managed to sit back and basically relax all the way through it without a single worry.
Despite this they would eventually lose steam, however, it didn't seem like it would be any time soon. They were seriously stronger than most normal pirates they had encountered, they had an unnatural amount of stamina which proved useful in back-to-back Davy Back Fights. They definitely weren't weak enough to back down and run away especially not while they obviously had the upper hand. Zesiro butted heads with Goro again. Goro smirked and appreciated the effort, but Zesiro was still obviously tired out from the Donut Race. Goro was easily pushing Zesiro back, despite Zesiro's best efforts his chest was beginning to heave slowly. He couldn't believe how strong Goro was and something told him he was still holding back.
"What's the matter," muttered Zesiro as he summoned another brief burst of strength and pushed Goro back, if only an inch, "afraid you can't win fairly?" Goro laughed and pushed Zesiro back harder. Zesiro stumbled for a brief second before quickly finding out that he didn't really have the chance. Goro immediately brought the iron smoke sword down and into the ground next to him, due to its corporeal form it couldn't get stuck in the ground like a normal blade would so Zesiro didn't even have that moment to take a breath. Goro just smiled as he looked over at his frankly weakened foe.
"We aren't doing this because we are afraid we are going to lose we are acting like this in order to make sure that you do," was his response. "Complete and total victory is the only kind of victory a pirate should ever stop at…I'm fairly certain your captain would agree. Now stand up, my complete and total victory over you only stops when you are gutted and filleted." Zesiro was about to stand up, but the build-up of stress in his legs only told him that it was a bad idea. However, staying down seemed like an even worse one. Goro rushed forward, bringing his iron sword forward and immediately swinging it around aiming for Zesiro's neck. The sound of metal clashing against metal could be heard all around the island.
"A true samurai would never strike at a tired man," said the intruder as he parried Goro's swing with his own powerful weapon. Goro took a halfstep back, he wondered where the 'Dark Knight' Pirates had disappeared to. "Now either draw your weapon or throw it away." Reymundo, Shane's trusted swordsman was glaring down his latest opponent with the eyes of a hellhound. Apparently he prized himself very highly on the code of a samurai and didn't like it when somebody with lackluster skills trampled on it. "I warn you, draw your weapon and I will show you death's gate…throw your weapon away, however, and you will live a fate much worse." Goro smirked as he brought his cigar back to his mouth.
"Perhaps…perhaps I've been going a little bit too easy on your kind lately," Goro said as he blew a ring of iron smoke into the air, which Reymundo wasted no time in slicing in two, he wasn't one for a theatrical performance. "Perhaps I oughta get serious, too!" Goro's back hunched over as a series of small bumps and ridges pushed against the fine cloth of his suit. His eyes popped up and turned a pure yellow color with two dangerous pure black slits slicing down their center. His mouth wrenched itself open showing a single row of razor-sharp teeth. A swordsman, whose sword wasn't an actual blade and whose body wasn't an actual man. "I ate of the legendary Hebi-Hebi no mi; Rattler Model." Goro opened his mouth and let the entire cigar drop into his belly. The iron smoke still snaked out of his body and into the air, he stood up letting both Zesiro and Reymundo take in his whole visage. A towering half-snake, half human monster with smoke pouring out of its mouth.
"It is every samurai's dream to behead a lying dragon," responded Reymundo jumping back a foot and compressing his leg, preparing himself for a bigger jump up to the monster's neck, "I'll just have to make do with a lying snake in the grass!" Reymundo leapt up and covered the space in an instant, he brought his sword around and was met with an iron collar and a mocking laugh. Goro stretched his hand out and caught onto Reymundo's body and then twisted his body forward, sending them both spiraling into the ground, smashing Reymundo into the ground, wasting only a brief second on him before moving with snake-like agility to Zesiro. The iron cloud coated Goro's entire body bestowing upon him a rock solid tackle and blowing Zesiro back and into his ship.
"Sa sa sa ha ha ha!" chided the impressive steel snake as he raised his body further into the air. "Is this really how the swordsman of two fair pirate crew behave themselves? Come on now, I'm not even sweating yet!" He breathed in deep and then suddenly exhaled, spitting out more iron clouds, this time each iron cloud passed in-between his teeth and sliced through the air like needles piercing the ship and rocking it as they blasted into it.
Kraven looked over at Ridley and smirked, "you going to try and go help your crew?" he asked, looking over at Ridley who just smiled and grunted.
"I know it looks like they are in big trouble, they are facing guys hundred times tougher than them," Ridley said in a mocking voice, "oh, you meant my old crew. Nah, they are fighting weaklings." He shrugged and Kraven laughed, apparently amazed at Ridley's crazy guts. "Anyways, this seems like a poor way to go about your business I mean it seems a little extreme. I thought you would just stick with the Davy Back Fight all the way until the end." Kraven smiled at him. "You! You're still planning on doing that! You actually think Mikoto and Shane will stick through with your messed up plan after tonight? How dense are you! They are going to turn you down and look at you like your crazy, which you are."
"No qualms here, good friend," muttered Kraven, "I still plan on going through with the Davy Back Fight and your crew will still go through with it. Shane may turn me down, but I'll just save him for a later date. After all where would Mikoto go without you? His First Mate?" Ridley looked a little bit taken back by this news, "that's right, partner, you are the bait. I can do whatever I want to his crew. I can push the odds as far into my favor as I desire as long as I have you…Mikoto is like putty in my hand. Very stupid putty at that." Ridley gritted his teeth and glared at Kraven, but the impressive older pirate didn't seem to care. "Go ahead," he said, "run back to your crew. I'd kill you before you stepped a foot off of this ship. A genius wouldn't let his trap fall apart."
"Is this what you would've done in your old days?" asked Ridley. Kraven stopped talking and looked over at him with a questioning look. Ridley stepped forward and jabbed his finger into Kraven's chest, "trust me when I say I saw some twisted crap like you did. And I probably would've fallen as far as you had if it wasn't for my crew. So, I have to ask in the end is this what you would've done in your old day? Cause if it isn't then that meant that something else happened to you. Was your crew not there when you needed the help? Or did you ignore your crew's helping hands? From what I've seen of your crew putting their lives on the line for you I'm guessing it's the latter."
Was this some kind of cruel practical joke handed down by the god of the seas themselves? He had chased Mikoto down intending to make his life a living hell all for HIS sake…and now here was Mikoto's First Mate acting just like HIM. Cocky, sure-fired…like an ass…but genuinely like a good guy. "You're right," muttered Kraven as he turned around and looked out to his crew, "my crew did try their best to help me out when I was falling, but I refused their help. I wanted to fall as far as I could to make sure I remembered that pain. The pain of having my crewmate torn away from me while I sat back and did all I could…which was NOTHING!"
(-inside the Infinity Pirate's ship-)
"How the hell am I supposed to repair this ship!" shouted Maria as she picked up one of Kraven's men and tossed him overboard and onto the ground off of the ship. "It was already on its last leg as it was and now we go and get into a massive fight on it. The bow is probably torn! The deck has taken damage! The entire thing is going to fall apart on us!" Maria swung around and slammed the back of her fist into another man just as two other man jumped onto her back and tried to push her to the ground, but she stayed standing and turned around, throwing them off of her back." Tomorrow eight of their men had to compete in this stupid Davy Back Fight, Aaron, Lily, Rosa, Hiro-shu, Ridley, Enma, and Sage were all signed up to compete in their second match tomorrow and then Zesiro was to compete in his third match as well. There was no way they could survive this fight! Maybe it would be wiser for them to just let the Ridley go off with Kraven and claim this match was fixed.
"I won't allow it!" shouted Mikoto as he jumped down, finally deciding that he had sat out of the action for long enough. He jetted through the mess, bobbing and weaving through each of the pirates like a fly. None of them could touch him, but he certainly pounded their heads in. He only used one punch per each of them, landing a quick as lightning punch on them, just enough to force them to stop their rush before quickly darting over to the next and pounding the next idiot's head in. It was quick, brilliant, and something only Mikoto could do. And was one of the reason all of them had picked Mikoto's crew to sail the rest of their lives on because he could take them to the New World. He definitely would take them there, he wouldn't stop. He'd carry them all to the end even it killed him. Which was the second reason why they had picked Mikoto's crew to be on.
"I'm not giving up on Ridley! I won't lose a single member of my crew!" shouted Mikoto as he zigged and zagged through the crowd, landing another series of deadly blows on each and every single one of the invading pirates. One of the opposing pirates finally managed to slow him down enough, tricking him into stepping in front of him where he could behead him with a final stroke of his sword.
That is if he lived through the next moment. Shane jumped down and intercepted the blow, swinging around and landing a burning punch straight to his gut and blowing him back. "I was beginning to think that you had your crew do all of your fighting for you," Shane said, "if you are finally risking your neck then I guess I'll pay you guys back for that dinner." Shane grabbed a hold of the man's head, whipped his arm back and then catapulted the poor man over the side of the ship.
"If you want I think Sage has seconds down in the ship's kitchen. You can go eat. I was just about to finish this mess up myself."
The Difference in the Captains
Hey, guys! Have you ever seen the power go out and then there's big explosion of blue sparks outside? No, well, I just did. Power went out again (thankfully only for a couple of hours) and sadly, no that is not why I didn't update yesterday. I just had some things to do and completely forgot about posting it...until the power went out. Funny as soon as you lose something you realize just how much you need it. Anyways, I'm back now...posting the 198th chapter of a story (so high).
Shane and Mikoto are fighting it out about whose going to kick the most bad guys' butts. PLACE YOUR BETS!