Yay!! More reviews for me! Glad you people like it so much! Anyway, here's this chapter's SBS column!!
Anonymous: Who is Ivy's master and why has he/she ordered her to eliminate the Neko Neko crew? Are they really that much of a threat now to him/her, or is it just Kuro Neko's connection to Gold Roger?
I won't reveal who Ivy's master is but I can tell you that he's a major threat later in my story… much later, and that he has ties to the World Government. I won't reveal why he ordered that yet but it will be revealed in good time. Yes, Kuro Neko is a threat to him but his relationship with Gold Roger also has something to do with it.
Malchior the Draco: What kind of attacks does Ivy have and how powerful is she?
Ivy's attacks are mainly plant-based, via her Devil Fruit powers, but she will fight with weapons if she has to. She is a powerful pirate but not as powerful as later villains.
Now onto the story!! Hope you enjoy this (I'm no good at writing out battles)!!
Chapter 8: The Neko Neko Crew vs. the Rosethorns Crew
"No way!" growled Jarred. "She's still alive?!"
"Warned you," Mina said, backing away from her former Captain. "And it looks like she's not alone."
"Of course I'm not, silly. I brought my crew with me!" Ivy cried. "It was a shame that you destroyed my ship, though. Master will be unhappy with me."
"Oniisan!" Ai hissed. "She mentioned something about her master ordering her to eliminate us."
"But why?" Koji hissed back. "Who is he?"
Ai shrugged. "She never told me."
"Well then," Ivy said. "I guess our fight will have to be on this ship. But don't get mad if your ship gets destroyed in the process."
"Bring it on, little girl." Kuro Neko replied, unsheathing the Kuromizu. "Our damaged ship should be the least of your worries."
"Hai!" Ai agreed, pulling out her knives.
"Okay then!" Ivy jumped up and landed on the mast just below the sail. "I'll see how you fare against my crew before I join in. Bara, take care of Ai! Sakura, take Mina! Suisen, take the swordsman! Himawari, take the ax-wielder! And Ayame, take the Captain! The rest of you are to stay away and strike when you see an opening."
"That's not fair!" yelled Koji.
"Don't forget, we're all pirates here." Mina said, opening her fan. "Nobody here should play fair."
"If they want to play dirty, then we'll play dirty too." Kuro Neko ordered, smiling.
Jarred drew his swords just in time to prevent his opponent's giant sword from cutting him in half. Suisen was a big man with thinning red hair and beady black eyes. His sword was four times the size of his own swords.
"What the heck, man! That sword's gigantic!" Jarred yelled, dodging another slash of the sword.
"You like it?" Suisen asked. "Say hello to my Big Blade!"
"No thanks!!" Jarred shrieked, leaping up to avoid a swipe aimed at his legs. "I'd rather say hello to the World Government that that thing!"
"Well, you'll get to once we catch you guys and kill you!"
"Not in your lifetime, dude!"
"Jarred, shut up!" Koji shouted. "You're making enough noise for all of us!"
Currently, Koji was chasing Himawari, who had decided on tiring his opponent out by running circles around the mast. Koji finally stopped and waited for Himawari to turn up. When he didn't show up, Koji looked up to see his opponent sitting upside-down on the mast where Ivy was sitting.
Himawari was a skinny teenager with long blonde hair and blue eyes. He may look like a girl's dream come true, but he was more like a girl's worst nightmare since he was wielding a giant scythe made of bone and rock.
"Hey, get down here!" Koji yelled.
"Why?" Himawari asked.
"Because we still have to battle, you nitwit!" Koji shouted.
"Why?"
"Because you guys are trying to kill us!"
"Why?"
"Because your Captain and her master ordered it!"
"Why?"
"HOW THE HECK SHOULD I KNOW?!!" Koji roared, practically ripping his hair out. If he says why one more time, I'm gonna kill him!
He looked up to see if the boy had come down yet. He hadn't. "Aren't you gonna come down yet?" Koji asked cautiously.
"…Why?"
Koji ground his teeth in frustration. Okay, NOW I'm gonna kill him!!
"Oniisan, ochitsuite!!" Ai cried, transforming into her full beast form and ramming into Bara, throwing her across the deck. "Ki o tsukete, oniisan!"
Bara pulled herself to her feet. She was a young woman with long reddish-orange hair and green eyes. She was wearing a martial arts uniform and used shuriken. "Well, that was a clever move." Bara said, wiping the blood off her face. "So you have a Cursed Fruit just like our captain? How intriguing."
"So you still wish to fight me?" Ai asked, transforming into her hybrid form. "Yattemitara, baka."
"Oh, I will." Bara said, smiling. "Just try to catch me now!"
The white cougar zoan tensed, ready for an attack. But Bara didn't make an attack… she made copies of herself! Soon, where only one opponent had stood were now ten opponents. Bara laughed.
"Ra ha ha ha ha!! I told you not to mess with me!" Bara sneered. "I'm the martial artist of the Rosethorns crew! Meet Bara Rose, ninja!"
Ai just gulped. "Kami,"
On the other side of the deck, Kuro Neko was facing off against Ivy's second mate, Ayame. Ayame had short light purple hair and purple eyes, and he was wearing a light blue Chinese-style martial arts uniform. Both pirates had a few scratches and bruises but no major injuries yet.
"You should just give up." Ayame stated, brushing his bangs out of his face. "Even if you defeat us, stronger pirates hired by our master will pursue and kill you, no matter how long it takes."
"And why would that be?" Kuro Neko asked, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "Why is your master after me? What have I done to him?"
A creepy smile appeared on Ayame's face. "It's not just you, Kuro Neko. It's all pirates, particularly Gold Roger."
My father?! Kuro Neko thought. What could he have done to get on that guy's bad side? "What does Gold Roger have to do with getting revenge on me?" he demanded.
"That's easy," Ayame said. "Our master knows about your relationship to the Pirate King. He knows you're his son but he won't tell the World Government. 'Let them figure it out on their own' is what he said."
"I'm afraid you're mistaken." Kuro Neko growled, tightening his grip on the Kuromizu. How do they know who I am?!
"Don't think you can lie your way out of this." Ayame warned, crouching into a fighting stance. "Now be a good boy and die!!"
"I'll die when the apocalypse comes!" Kuro Neko yelled, running forward to meet Ayame's attack head on.
Ivy silently watched the fight before glancing at the final fight. Mina was crashing her fan against Sakura's whip. The pale pink-haired first mate wore a pink T-shirt, red sash, and pink pants with matching slip-on shoes. Her whip had tiny metal barbs attached to it so it could inflict more damage.
Mina and Sakura broke away from one another, panting. "Why are you attacking this crew? I never did get the reasons." Mina huffed.
"I don't know really." Sakura admitted. "Only Ivy knows but I don't care. I get to fight and that's all I care about."
Mina got up and opened her steel-edged fan. "Well, I guess I have to beat you. Maybe I'll even kill you for all the pain you and the others put me through!"
"Just try it, kitty cat!" Sakura dared, cracking her whip into the air and sending it flying towards Mina. "Steel Spike Whip Lash!!"
Mina transformed into a small blue cat, dodging the attack completely. Then she looked up and glared at Ivy, who was laughing her head off at the battle her friends were putting up. She turned back to normal and slashed at Sakura with her fan, missing the girl by inches.
On the mast…
Ivy laughed as she watched the Neko Neko crew try to fight her crew. Sure, they were fighting the main five but the others were attacking too. "Kiku, Hana? How much of a chance do you think those Neko Nekos and the traitor have against my crew?" she asked the two women seated beside her.
"I think they might stand a chance," Kiku, a tall blonde 18-year-old, said. "At least for a little while."
"Yeah, I agree!" giggled Hana, a short brunette 16 year old. "Master will reward us loads after we kill these guys, Captain!"
"Yes, I suppose you're right." Ivy muttered.
"What do you mean 'you suppose'?" Hana asked, wrapping her arms around her small captain's shoulders. "Of course we'll win! And master will be oh-so-pleased with us! Right, Kiku?"
"Yeah, Hana!" Kiku said, brushing her bangs aside. "We'll win this, no sweat!"
"I guess so." Ivy said. A creepy smile appeared on her face. "But I have a better idea. If we can't kill them, then we'll just sink their ship and leave them to drown! That's one of the weaknesses in this crew: none of them can swim!"
"Excellent idea, Captain!" Kiku cried. "But what about us? Our ship is on the bottom of the sea."
"I'll just rise it back up again with the seaweed on the ocean floor." Ivy replied. "Now, give the crew this order: destroy the ship and the crew."
"Yes, Captain!" Hana said, standing up. "Rosethorns, listen up! Captain Ivy has order that you not only defeat the crew, but sink the ship too!!"
Roars were heard on the deck as the Rosethorns crew prepared to destroy the Neko Neko ship. Ivy grinned as she saw the looks of horror on the Neko Neko crew's faces. She knew this was the end of them.
Back on the deck…
The five members of the Neko Neko crew managed to get back-to-back with one another while their opponents slowly circled them like a shark circling its prey. Kuro Neko had a deep slash on his left arm and blood sliding down his chin from a knocked out tooth. Jarred had a deep cut on his right shoulder and was handling both of his swords gingerly. Ai had some cuts on her arms and legs from the shuriken attacks. Koji had blood running down his face and his right boot was filled with blood from Himawari's bone scythe just barely missing his foot. And Mina had some whip marks on her back, the back of her shirt torn open and soaked with fresh blood.
"Did you hear that, Kuro Neko?" Jarred panted. "They're gonna destroy her… they're gonna destroy the Neko Neko!"
"I know, I heard." Kuro Neko growled, pointing his sword threateningly when Ayame tried to inch closer for a better strike. "We've got to stop them before they do that. Willis and everyone back home will be angry if they find out the ship they built for us was destroyed on our first week out at sea."
"If we can beat these guys first, it'll be a piece of cake." Koji said. "We've got to finish these guys off and stop the rest of that crew from destroying the ship."
"Hontou desu ka?" Ai asked, glaring at Sakura as she circled them. "If at least one of us can take out our opponent, they could keep the rest of that crew at bay while the others finish these guys off."
"She has a point." Mina agreed. "If one of us can get out, they can buy time for us to finish these guys off and get to the others. It'll be easier that way."
"Or maybe one of us could take two on at a time." Koji suggested. "Wouldn't that be easier?"
"I guess but which one of us will handle two at once?" Jarred demanded, shaking his head. "And why the heck are the clouds dark? Wasn't it sunny earlier?"
"Yeah but that was a while ago." Kuro Neko muttered. "It looks like we're going to get some rain during this fight."
"Arashi ni narimasu." Ai predicted. "Samui."
"Yeah, I think we're going to get some heavy rain and powerful winds pretty soon, guys!" Mina added, staring up at the sky. "I can't even see the sky with all those clouds!"
A huge flash of light and a crash of thunder roared across the sky. Suddenly, rain came pouring onto the deck and soaking the pirates of both crews. The deck was covered in water, causing the pirates to lose their footing and slip.
"Doshaburi desu!" Ai cried, sliding and hitting the staircase leading to the galley from the deck. "Oniisan, ki o tsukete!"
"Don't worry about the two against one thing, I'll handle it!" Koji growled. "Ai, try to hold off the rest of that crew!"
"Hai, oniisan!" Ai cried, transforming into her hybrid form and charging at the Rosethorns crew in the hope of keeping them from destroying the ship.
Kuro Neko dragged himself to his feet just in time to block Ayame's kick that was aimed at his head. The violet-haired pirate leaped away and landed on the deck, but not before slipping on the water. Kuro Neko chuckled at this before he stood up straight and pointed the Kuromizu at him.
"Why are you going to destroy the Neko Neko?" Kuro Neko demanded. "I thought it was just us you're after but since you can't kill us by normal means, you're planning on drowning us?! You guys must be cowards to do that instead of fight like true pirates."
"Master never specified on how we were to kill you." Ayame said. "Just that you needed to be dead as soon as possible."
"You cowa—" Kuro Neko's threat was interrupted by the sound of wood snapping. Twirling around, he saw one of the Rosethorns pirates had torn a section of the railing off. "Hey, stop that!"
"Might as well forget it, Kuro Neko D. Roger." Ayame said softly. "You, your crew, and your ship will all be destroyed. There's nothing you can do to save them."
Kuro Neko watched in horror as some more of the pirates tore apart their ship. Chunks of wood were sent flying into the ocean, most of it sinking. As the ship's deck was torn apart, Kuro Neko relived the threats the Windy Village shipwrights had given them.
Flashback
"Well, how do you boys like it?" asked a dark-skinned shipwright. It was Zero, or Marcus.
"We fixed it up good this time, boys. You'd better take good care of her or I'll hang you from the bow by your tails." A heavily-muscled shipwright growled. It was Caveman or Davis.
"Yeah, just hope you don't fall in!! Devil Fruit users can't swim, right?" laughed a shipwright with brown hair and glasses. It was Bookworm, or Alec.
"Yeah, don't fall in! Don't fall in!" sang two younger shipwrights. It was Chibi and Twitchy, or Carlos and Allen.
End Flashback
Kuro Neko wasn't about to stand by and let this ship be torn apart. Not after all he'd gone through to have it built by the shipwrights. He remembered that promise.
Flashback, three years ago
A nineteen-year-old Kuro Neko stood on the hilltop alongside his friend Daddy Long Legs, or Willis. The 21 year old shipwright gave the boy a stern look before saying, "Are you sure you want me to do this, Black Cat? A ship's a tough thing to build."
"I know but in three more years, I'm leaving this place to become a pirate." Kuro Neko said. "I need a ship so we can leave here. You guys are the shipwrights here and I've got the money for it, too."
"Might as well build it." Willis grumbled. "Anything in particular?"
"A big ship that's really strong!" Kuro Neko cried. "Strong enough to… to… to go through the Midnight Hurricane without a scratch!"
Willis dropped his hammer. "You're kidding." He said. "No ship has ever gone through that storm and lived. Look, I know we're good shipwrights but asking for that is asking for death."
"Please?!" Kuro Neko begged. "I know you guys can do it. If you guys can't do it then no one can!"
"…" Willis finally nodded. "Fine, I'll see if we can build this dream ship for you. But only if you and Jarred promise not to wreck it when you leave."
"I promise!" Kuro Neko cried. "We won't wreck it! It'll be the best ship ever and will never be destroyed!"
"Alright then, Black Cat." Willis said. "This'll be our promise. Take that ship all the way to Raftel!"
"I will!"
End Flashback
Kuro Neko was growling angrily. If these guys destroyed the Neko Neko, Willis would never forgive him! "STOP THAT!!!" he roared, turning into a full panther and ramming into Ayame, crashing him into the galley. He then charged at the pirates. "I SAID STOP THAT!!!"
The pirate crew stopped and realized the danger they were in. Most of them flung themselves overboard while others scattered across the deck in order to escape the panther. Ivy's eyes widened in fear as she watched Kuro Neko attack her men and even kill a few. "Retreat!" she screamed, using her power to recreate her ship.
Just as Ivy turned to leave, she was face to face with Mina. "You're not going anywhere!" the blue-haired girl hissed, slashing at the plant-user.
Ivy back flipped to the other side of the mast, nearly slipping on the slippery wood. After regaining her balance, she had vines grow out of the mast and strike at the cat-zoan. Mina opened her fan and used it to cut the thick vines, preventing them from even touching her. After cutting most of them, she ran towards Ivy with a killing intent.
Ivy screamed, "Vine Vine Restraints!" Four vines grew from the mast and wrapped around her wrists and ankles, stopping her from getting any closer. "Time to lose your fan." Ivy giggled, tightening a vine so that Mina dropped her fan on the deck far below.
A fifth vine grew in front of Ivy, the tip sharpened to a deadly point. "Now, say goodbye." Ivy chuckled.
The vine shot out towards Mina, aimed to hit her through the heart. Mina transformed into a cat, managing to escape the vine restraints and weapon. The vine hit thin air and Ivy glared hatefully at the small blue cat standing where the navigator once stood.
"You thought you had me there, didn't you?" Mina asked, shifting back to her human self. "Well, too bad. Living with you for ten years allowed me to know all of your little tricks, Ivy."
"That's not fair!" she whined. "Why are you betraying me? After all I did for you: feeding you, giving you a room, taking care of you!"
"Kidnapping me!?" Mina butted in. "You did all of that after you kidnapped me! That is exactly why I'm doing this. I waited for ten long years for a pirate to come on your ship and be allowed to live. And now I've found a crew that'll take me in, so I don't need you anymore!"
"Fine, I'll kill you." Ivy growled, creating more vines. "I'll kill you right now, TRAITOR!!"
The two girls ran at one another, bloodlust in their eyes. Mina was going to get her revenge for what happened in her life for the past ten years. Someone was definitely going to die, and it sure wouldn't be Mina.
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Hey, guys! Sorry for the late update! This was supposed to be uploaded on Christmas but then I decided to upload it now. Thank you all for being so patient and sorry if this chapter seemed a little rushed. Hope you guys still read it. Thank you for the reviews, guys!
