Well, I'm back! Finally, right? I am so sorry for the long wait, but life happened, and I also hit a little writer's block. But I got this chapter done while I was on vacation and I'm actually pretty proud of it. This chapter will include some ass-kicking as well as the appearance of the final two Demons (and yes, I mean Sanji and Usopp)! I'd also like to mention I'm not the best at writing fight scenes, but I think I did pretty good with this one. One more thing, I re-uploaded the previous chapters because, when I was writing this chapter, I re-read the story and decided to add some things or change them. For example, I changed Robin's backstory a little bit. I highly suggest going back and reading it again. You might be a little confused otherwise. Now, I promise I'll be better about updating, but like I said, I'm kinda busy with my actual life, school and work and such. But school is almost done, so that'll free up a lot of my time. Anyways, thanks to those who have read and reviewed or favorited this story. It means a lot to me! I'd love to know your opinions, but just y'all reading it is enough to make me happy! Okay, I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of One Piece's characters mentioned in this fic.
Warning: This is AU. Basically, all that remains are their names, faces, and a few personality traits, but other than that, the characters in this story are mostly OOC.
xxZoLuxx
Back in the Human Realm
Nami just couldn't believe the sight in front of her. Luffy was being still and quiet, not running around and shouting like the hyperactive monkey on three sugar rushes he usually was. Not only that, but he was staring intently at Zoro while he talked with Perona about something, voices low, though they could still make them out, thanks to their hearing. After a few more seconds of watching, Nami finally moved her gaze over to the Vampire, questions swirling in her mind that she intended to get answers for.
"Robin?" Nami asked as she walked up to the woman, though kept her voice low.
"Yes, Nami?" Robin replied, looking over at the Kitsune. "Is there something you need?"
"You knew." Nami said, and when Robin looked back at her in bemusement, she added, "You seemed to know what I was about to say to Luffy before you cut me off."
Robin blinked for a second before she recognized what Nami was talking about. "Oh, you mean about the bonding."
Nami gritted her teeth before slowly letting out a breath. "Yes, that."
"I discovered it when I went to check on Zoro earlier." Robin explained before the Kitsune could ask. "The scent aura had already started taking hold, even though it wasn't done too long ago. I guess it's because he's an Archdemon, and they might work differently."
"Too long ago?" Nami asked, confused.
Robin then realized the only thing Nami knew about the bonding was that it was done, nothing more. She sighed out before telling the Kitsune everything Luffy had told her earlier in Zoro's bedroom. Nami listened quietly, eyes glancing over at Luffy every so often, before Robin finished with what she had told Luffy about the other bonding.
"Shanks!?" Nami screeched out, though quietly, completely stunned. "He's bonded with a Hunter?!"
"Yes." Robin said, crossing her arms. "It was about forty or fifty years ago, but if you looked at the Hunter today, you wouldn't know it. He doesn't look to be that old."
"That makes sense." Nami muttered, rubbing her temples. "When a Supernatural bonds with someone that has a normal lifespan, such as a Human, the bond will lengthen that life until the Supernatural themselves die." She glanced back up at Robin. "And Shanks is about 3,900-years-old, so he's got longer to go."
Robin laughed at that. "It seems Mihawk will be alive longer yet." Robin tilted her head. "At least I won't be so lonely." She then looked over at Zoro, who was now arguing with his sister about something. "And now Zoro will be joining us."
Nami shook her head. "Of all people for Shanks to bond with, he chooses a Hunter. That's just like him." Something then occurred to her. "Now I get why his scent has been so off for the past few decades."
Robin nodded. "He's missing half of his soul."
"That must suck." Nami said, her gaze then landing on Luffy. "And now Luffy is like that."
"I'm very interested in how he'll explain this to his Family." Robin said, barely hiding her mirth.
Nami stifled her own laughter. "Ace will probably try to kill Zoro before trying to kill Luffy. He's very overprotective."
"This is Gol D. Ace, correct?" Robin questioned, leaning back against one of the walls.
Nami nodded before stating, "But we don't call him that." At Robin's raised eyebrow, she continued, "For his own protection, we refer to him as Portgas D. Ace."
"Ah, I see." Robin said, nodding in understanding. "Given he's the last of the Gol D.'s, it'd be wise not to broadcast that."
Nami nodded absentmindedly and looked back over at Robin, about to open her mouth to say something else, when Zoro suddenly cried out, hands clamping over his ears as he squeezed his eye shut, looking like he was in extreme pain.
"Zoro?" Perona questioned, trying to push him upright from where he slumped against her. "What is it?"
"The…the…" Zoro tried to force through his gritted teeth before finally shouting, "The fuckin' wards are goin' off!"
Robin's eyes widened as she hurried over to one of the windows, pushing back the curtain to see that, yes, it seemed the wards had been activated, bright dots glowing brightly from the four cardinal directions before shooting up and moving to surround the house and property like a clear dome, encasing them safely inside.
"Shit!" Zoro ground out, trying to block out the noise. "That's too fuckin' loud!"
"What is?" Nami asked, looking around in confusion.
Perona rubbed a hand up and down Zoro's back, trying to calm him down as she answered Nami. "The wards have been activated, but we can't really tell from where we are."
"If you were to look outside, you could somewhat see them, but that's about it." Robin added and Perona nodded.
Zoro just squeezed his eye tighter while he attempted to make himself deaf.
"But, to someone with the Sight, a very loud warning sound is going off right now, accompanied with bright flashes of light." Perona finished explaining before looking down at Wadō. "Go get his sunglasses."
Wadō woofed in agreement before sprinting to the stairs and disappearing up them.
"What does it sound like?" Nami asked curiously, looking at Zoro before back at Perona.
Perona shrugged, 'cause she didn't really know.
"Hard to explain." Zoro gritted out, surprising everyone; they didn't think he was listening. "It's just very loud, and really fuckin' annoying."
"Perona?" Robin called out, still glancing outside, but didn't spot anything. "Do they see anything?"
"Give me a sec." Perona called out before slowly breathing out and allowing her mind to connect with the various spirits that lived around their property. It took a second, because they all were freaking out, before one of them finally relayed what they found to Perona.
Zoro grabbed the black sunglasses Wadō dropped in his lap before sliding them on, the thick lenses blocking out most of the flashes. "Thanks, Wadō."
Wadō barked happily in reply.
"Backyard." Perona finally said, blinking rapidly as she brought herself back. "They're coming out of the forest."
"What are?" Luffy finally asked, looking between Perona and Zoro.
"Demons." Perona said, helping Zoro push himself back upright. "A whole lot of Demons."
"Shit, that was quicker than I thought." Zoro said as he finally took his hands off his ears; the warning sound had finally stopped, but the stupid lights were still flashing.
Nami and Chopper both exchanged wide-eyed glances before looking over at Luffy, but couldn't tell what he was thinking since his eyes were shaded by the brim of his straw hat.
Robin moved over to the window overlooking the covered porch and glanced out, nodding. "It seems there are maybe four-hundred Demons out there, but they all look so confused as to why they can't go any further." She laughed at the sight.
Nami stepped up next to Robin and peeked over the Vampire's shoulder. "Damn, your wards are strong." She then did a quick recount before almost fainting sideways in disbelief. "There aren't four-hundred out there."
"Really?" Chopper asked hopefully.
"It's closer to six-hundred." Nami said, quickly dashing his hopes and making him scream in terror.
Finally Luffy looked over at the door before a wicked, yet excited, smile spread across his face. "Sounds fun! Let's go kick their asses!"
Before he could get even three feet, he found himself flat on the ground, being sent there by one of Nami's hits.
"You are going nowhere." Nami hissed out as she squatted down next to him, getting right in his face. "Understand, Luffy?"
"But why?" Luffy whined, sitting up and rubbing his head.
"They want you, Luffy." Zoro spoke this time as he made his way over to Robin. "We're not gonna make that any easier for them by just sending you out there."
Luffy pouted. He understood, he really did, but he loved to fight! This was no fair, but then something occurred to him.
"Are you fighting?" Luffy asked Zoro, barely hiding his concern. Probably because of the bond, but just the thought of Zoro going out there, where danger was and he wouldn't be, made his heart and lungs clench and his stomach sick.
"'Course I am." Zoro grunted out, his tone calling Luffy stupid for even asking.
"You can fight, right?" Nami asked but before Zoro could answer her rather rudely, Perona butted in.
"He may be an moron, but he's worse than any Demon when he fights." Perona said, easily ignoring the snarl from Zoro at that. "After all, he was trained by our dad."
"And don't forget what I told you about Mihawk." Robin commented, smile sly.
"A Hunter." Nami said, nodding, before she looked down at the swords resting at Zoro's right hip. "But you do know normal swords won't work on the Supernatural, right?"
Zoro took off the sunglasses he was wearing, placing them on the mantle, before looking over at the Kitsune, smirking. "Who said these were normal?" Ignoring her stunned look, Zoro whistled, "Come on, Wadō! It's time for some exercise."
The Hellhound howled in excitement and followed behind Zoro as he left for the backyard. Robin gave the others in the room a mysterious smile before following after Zoro and Wadō, intending on helping out.
"What does he mean by that?" Luffy finally asked, looking over at Perona.
"Horahorahorahora." Perona looked over at the Demon Prince. "You'll see."
"You think he'll be okay out there?" Nami asked, looking at the pink-haired Medium as well.
"Perfectly fine." Perona waved off. "Plus, he has Wadō and Robin with him."
"But there's still over six-hundred out there." Luffy said, playing with his straw hat nervously. "That's a lot for only three to handle."
"Not like we have any others to offer." Perona pointed out. "Well, maybe Kumashi, but I can't seem to find him right now."
Nami froze as that sentence hit her before her gaze fell to the ground, Luffy and Chopper doing the same a few seconds later.
"Oh, we have more to offer." Nami said with a seriously terrifying look on her face as she stomped over to the two still unconscious.
"Wait, Nami, I don't think you should—"
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE DOING! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK AND YOU'RE JUST SLEEPING!? WAKE YOUR SORRY, USELESS ASSES UP!" Nami screamed before proceeding to kick the snot out of the two on the floor.
"—do that." Chopper finished, sighing out and looking over at Luffy, who just shrugged.
"Damn, she's brutal." Perona said, eyebrows high.
"That's our Nami!" Luffy said with a large smile as they all watched the forms on the floor start to twitch and let out moans.
"Nami!" one of the them finally whined out. "What was that for?"
"You've been sleeping for too long, you idiot." Nami growled out. "The both of you!" Seeing one of them still slow to get up, she kicked him again. "Sanji! Get your ass up!"
The Demon Nami called Sanji immediately popped upright to his feet, acting as if he wasn't just beaten within an inch of his life. "Anything for you, Nami-swan!"
Perona raised her eyebrows at that before taking the chance to look him over. He looked to be as tall as Zoro and had medium-longish, scruffy golden-yellow blond hair with the long fringe kept brushed over the right side of his face, hiding it, light tan skin, Carolina-blue eyes, a dark goatee, stubble on his upper-lip, slightly sharp canines, and a sinewy, long-legged body; the oddest thing that Perona could see about the guy was that his eyebrows both formed a spiral to the right, and he was dressed similarly to Luffy, though his long-sleeved shirt was unripped and a dark blue color, but the pants were similar as well as the fact that he was wearing no shoes.
"Ow, ow, ow." The other Demon groaned out as he pushed himself upright, rubbing his head.
Nami growled before stomping her foot down and Perona could swear she saw sparks shoot out. "Suck it up, Usopp! We don't have time for you to be lazing around!"
Perona switched her gaze over to the other Demon, the one Nami called Usopp, and gave him a look-over as well. He stood about an inch taller than her and Luffy and had scapula-length, ringleted black hair pulled into a low ponytail, dark brown eyes, a cinnamon complexion, a black goatee, a brawny, athletic body, thick lips, sharpish canines, and a really abnormally long nose; hanging around his neck were a pair of orange red-tinted goggles of some kind and placed over his ears were orange headphones. Like the other two males, this Demon was dressed similarly, though his top was short-sleeved and dark yellow, but the pants and no shoes were the same; only strange thing about him was that something black and metallic was attached to his hip, looking kind of like a slingshot of some kind.
Usopp finally looked around himself before shrieking out, jumping onto his feet as he spun around. "What the hell! Where are we?"
Sanji, too, took a minute to glance around before his gaze landed on Perona, and after a few seconds of studying, he looked back over at Usopp. "Going by her scent, I'm gonna say we're in the Human Realm."
"What?!" the long-nosed Demon shouted.
Sanji took a calming breath before his gaze landed on Luffy, who seemed to be looking out the back window at something, and then back over at Nami. "What did we miss?"
"A whole damn lot, but we don't have the time to waste talking!" Nami yelled, looking about ready to self-combust.
Perona walked over and laid a steadying hand on the Kitsune's shoulder. "Calm down, Nami. I told you that Zoro, Robin and Wadō can handle themselves in a fight. There's no need for you to panic."
Sanji's gaze landed on the hand Perona laid on Nami's shoulder before back up at the girl herself. "And who might you be, my dear?"
"Now is not the time for flirting, Sanji!" Nami reprimanded, but took Perona's advice and took a calming breath.
"My name is Perona." Perona answered anyway before adding a few more things. "This is my house, one I share with my brother and father." When she felt Nami's trembling die down under her hand, she let the orange-haired woman go. "And like you said, you're in the Human Realm."
"Luffy!" Usopp called out, just noticing the ravenette in front of the window. "What the hell's going on?!"
Luffy didn't respond, too focused on the battle outside.
Usopp really looked close to tears.
Nami took in one last breath before blowing it out and said, "It's a very long story, one we don't have the time to share, so I'll tell you the important parts." Once she was sure she had both Demons' attention, she went on. "We're in the Human Realm, sent here by someone through a portal they opened last night." Nami held up a hand when Usopp looked like he was about to say something. "What we surmised is someone is after Luffy, and missed their chance to grab him because Perona," she pointed at the girl, "and her brother found us and took us back here. Chopper, Luffy and I have been awake since this morning, so we were able to figure a few things out."
"They actually knew what you were talking about?" Sanji asked, pointing at Perona.
"They actually did before we did. They aren't normal Humans." Nami said with a smirk. "Perona is a Medium and her brother…" she shook her head. "Her brother has the Sight. Not only that, but he's a Roronoa with the Sight. You understand what that means, right?"
Both Demons' jaws dropped at that, eyes wide.
"On top of that, their adoptive father is a Hunter and this town is under the protection of an insanely powerful Vampire named Robin." Nami finished before looking over at Perona. "Did I miss anything?"
Perona shook her head. "Except for forgetting to mention we also have both a Hellhound and Hellcat living with us, you hit all the major points."
"Holy shit." Sanji said, shaking his head in stunned disbelief. "We did miss a lot."
"We'll tell you the full story later, but right now we're under attack!" Nami shouted, pointing at the window Luffy was looking out of. "And we have only three against an army of six-hundred Demons!"
"WHAT!?" Usopp screeched out. "Six-hundred?!"
"They tracked Luffy to here." Chopper informed from where he was sitting on one of the couches. "Probably by his scent."
"Then why aren't they attacking the house directly?" Sanji asked, eyebrow raised.
"The wards won't allow them on the property." Perona answered, crossing her arms resolutely. "They're extremely powerful. There's only one way for a Supernatural to get on this land and that's if someone who lives here brings you in."
Maow!
The Demons all jumped in surprise but Perona just looked down with a smile. "There you are, Kumashi. I was wondering where you wandered off to."
Maow!
Kumashi then pranced over to the back door and pawed at it before looking back at Perona and maowed again.
"You wanna join the fight?" Perona guessed with an amused look.
Kumashi just nodded, hopping up on his back legs to paw at the door more insistently.
"Okay, okay." Perona said, laughing. "I'll let you out."
"You two are going too!" Nami said, pushing both Sanji and Usopp over to where Perona and Kumashi were standing.
"What?!" Usopp yelled, sounding strained. "But I don't wanna fight six-hundred Demons!"
"It's actually closer to three-hundred now." Luffy spoke up finally, though didn't even look away from the window.
"They already got through that many?!" Nami shouted in shock, jaw dropping. "It's only been like fifteen minutes since they went outside!"
"Told ya you didn't need to worry." Perona said with a smirk.
"How did—" Luffy cut Nami off.
"It was his swords. They aren't regular blades." Luffy said, hand flat on the glass as his eyes continued to track Zoro's form, not missing a single step, because, to be honest, he was entranced by his movements and fighting style. How could something, someone be so graceful, yet lethal? It completely captivated him.
"Horahorahorahorahora." Perona muffled her laughter best she could and looked over at Luffy. "I see you understand. Those Demons were dead the moment Zoro decided to fight."
"What the hell are you two talking about!?" Nami screeched out in exasperation, beyond stressed by the situation.
"They aren't regular blades." Luffy said again, eyes still riveted on the fight. No way was he missing anything.
"What does that mean?" Nami now looked close to tears.
Perona laid a hand on her shoulder. "Zoro fights with three katanas, but like Luffy keeps saying, they aren't normal blades." Before Nami could snap at her, she continued with, "Zoro fights with two sacred blades and one cursed blade."
Nami, Chopper, Sanji and Usopp's jaws and eyes went wide as they looked over at Perona in astonishment.
"Sacred weaponry are the only weapons known to exist that can hurt, and kill, the Supernatural." Perona said, crossing her arms. "But, obviously, my brother's specialty lies with sacred blades." Dad too, she thought absentmindedly to herself.
"Don't Hunters only have access to those kinds of weapons?" Nami questioned, slightly breathless.
"Usually, but the white blade, Wadō Ichimonji, has actually been in Zoro's family since the katana's creation." Perona informed. "The other two he found on Hunting missions that he went on with our dad." She glanced at the gobsmacked Demons. "The black blade is his other sacred one, goes by the name of Shusui."
"And the cursed one?" Usopp then asked, still shocked. "Those are only made in the Demon Realm!"
"Kitetsu III." Perona told them. "From what Zoro told me, that blade found him, literally appearing right in front of him. Almost took his head off."
Nami finally pushed her shock off, spinning to look at Sanji and Usopp. "Now, you two, go help them!"
"Why aren't you going?" Usopp asked, tears in his eyes.
"I have to be in here to make sure Luffy stays put." Nami said, rolling her eyes.
"Good point." Usopp said before blowing out a resigned breath and looking over at Perona. "Can I access the roof somewhere?"
Perona looked at him, confused.
"Usopp's a sniper." Nami informed her. "He'll do better if he can get a perch."
"Oh, okay." Perona nodded. "Here, go out the front door and you can find a way to get up there. Zoro's done it before."
"Thanks." Usopp said, waiting for the girl to lead him out.
"Kumashi." Perona called out, causing the Hellcat to stop scratching at the door and look over at his Human. "Go out with this Demon, okay?" She pointed at Sanji. "I have to show this one to the front."
Maow!
"Good." Perona said, about to turn, before facing the Hellcat. "And be careful!"
Kumashi nodded before starting to paw at the door once more.
"Wait thirty seconds then let them out back." Perona said to Nami before jogging to the foyer.
"Well, here goes nothing." Nami muttered as she started the countdown.
xxZoLuxx
(Several Minutes Earlier, when Zoro, Robin and Wadō left the house)
Zoro, with Wadō and Robin trailing after him, made his way over to the edge of the wards, watching as the assembled Demons kept bashing themselves against it, striking it with various weapons, but the wards held strong.
It took several minutes, but the Demons finally seemed to notice they had an audience and looked down at the three standing on the other side of the "invisible wall"; that caused several to yell at one another, each pointing that out, as confusion and anger threaded through the tones.
"Where is the Demon Prince?" one of them finally shouted out, causing all other yelling to stop.
Zoro tilted his head to the side. "Demon Prince? Can't say I've ever heard of one." He looked over at the Vampire, a smirk on his lips. "What about you?"
"Can't say I've had the pleasure of meeting a Prince." Robin said, her words smooth and silky.
"Stop playing around, pathetic mortals!" another one shouted. "Just hand over Monkey D. Luffy and no one will have to die!"
Zoro and Robin exchanged more glances before doubling over with laughter.
After several moments of this, the Demons seemed to get fed up with that and shouted, "SHUT UP! Do you have any idea at what you're laughing at?"
Zoro let another smirk grace his lips as he straightened up. "'Course we do. But I don't see how that's a problem."
"And why not?" one of them asked.
"You guys are over there," Zoro pointed at them, "and we're over here," he pointed at the ground in front of him. "Not much of a threat if you can't even reach us."
"They aren't very bright, are they?" Robin asked, resting her cheek in one of her hands.
"Shut up, you filthy woman!" one shouted.
"Now that wasn't very nice." Robin tsked.
The Demons all started shouting things at them until it sounded like one giant voice and it was giving Zoro another headache; he'd already had one from those stupid sirens being sounded off. He was pissed and ready to blow off some steam.
He pulled Kitetsu III out of his scabbard with his left hand, which got the attention of several Demons as they started laughing.
"Look at that, the stupid Human doesn't realize those dinky blades will do nothing to us!" one of them shouted, and more similar statements were made, but Zoro paid them no mind.
Closing his eye and centering himself, he moved Kitetsu so he's held horizontally above his left shoulder and then performed a circular swing, shouting "360-Caliber Phoenix!" as he did, and launched the compressed air projectile at the laughing Demons, smirking when he heard the surprised shouts of agony as his attack ripped through about fifty Demons before finally implanting itself in a tree.
Opening his eye and giving the Demons a truly scary smile, he said, "Look at that. I guess my blades can cut you."
"That…that…that was a cursed blade!" one of the Demons shouted, having felt the aura of the attack as it blasted by.
"Fufufu. Seems you've surprised them, Zoro." Robin said with a smirk. "But now its my turn." And with that, she dropped her Human façade and donned her Vampire form—eyes now glowing a blood red, fangs lengthening and sharpening, nails growing longer, and skin turning a bit paler.
"A Vampire?!" the Demons shouted in shock.
"Not just any Vampire." Zoro muttered in amusement; unlike Perona, Zoro actually knew all about Robin's past, as did Mihawk.
"And now," Robin crossed her arms in front of her in a X, "Cien Fleur!" And to the astonishment of the Demons, two arms sprouted from about fifty Demons, totaling one-hundred arm copies. The copied arms then moved to cover the Demons' mouthes before she shouted "Clutch!" and bent them backwards, snapping their spines and cracking them in half. Letting her hands drop, the copied limbs then disappeared in a flurry of peach petals as she watched the broken Demons fall to the ground in agony.
"You bitch!" one of the Demons shouted at Robin. "How the hell did you do that?!"
"A lady never tells her secrets." Robin said with a sinister smile.
"There's only one Vampire group who has special abilities," another Demon said. "But there's only one of them left now and he's male!"
"She can't be anyone else!" another Demon shouted, pointing at Robin. "She has to be of the Nico Vampires!"
"They're considered to be so dangerous and powerful that even other Vampires are afraid of them!" a Demon shouted as the others chattered anxiously.
"My, and here I thought you were stupid." Robin said with a chuckle.
"She must be an unknown child," one Demon said as another answered with, "It has to be. A female Nico Vampire hasn't been seen for millennia."
"I'm getting bored again." Zoro grumped out as the Demons continued talking before looking down at Wadō. "You're up, girl. Show 'em what you've got."
Wadō gave a happy bark before crouching low and literally shaking off her "normal" form, once again taking on her true form.
The Demons, who had started laughing again, each chocked off when they saw what now stood in front of them: an immense, monstrous, and powerfully built Hellhound with pure white fur, deep, bright and almost glowing sapphire blue eyes, a large and heavy head topped by erect, triangular ears, strong, powerful jaws containing razor sharp teeth and long canines, and sharp black claws. But what ultimately shut them up were the bright fuchsia flames coming off the back and covering her tail, the fire so large and strong they could feel the heat, even on the other side of the barrier.
"A female Hellhound?!" one of them shouted.
"All yours, Wadō." Zoro said with mirth, now looking up at the Hellhound.
Wadō let out a loud howl, making the Demons cringe at the sound, before leaping through the barrier and right at the mass of Demons; they all screamed in surprise while they tried to get away, but Wadō wouldn't let them. She bit, clawed, stomped and burned at least a hundred of them before Zoro whistled for her to come back. Wagging her tail, she stomped the one under her paw one last time before turning and leaping right back into the barrier.
"Good girl." Zoro said, patting her on the snout when she leaned down towards him.
Now the Demons were truly freaking out, not expecting this when they were told to retrieve the Demon Prince. They were told it'd be an easy recovery mission, but now they understood that they were now royally screwed.
"Well, that took out about two-hundred, which leaves us with about four-hundred." Robin said to Zoro, who was now tying his black bandana on his head before pulling his sacred blades out. "Shouldn't take much more to make those numbers dwindle further."
"Can't wait." Zoro growled as he gripped Wadō Ichimonji with his teeth and leapt through the wards, immediately spinning to create a dragon-like tornado and shouting, "Black Rope Dragon Twister!", the attack both slashing and blowing away the seventy Demons unlucky enough to be in front of him.
"So impatient." Robin said with amusement before crossing her arms and shouting once more, "Cien Fleur!" and then "Gigantesco Mano!", creating two giant arms made up of the hundred she just sprouted. Once they formed, she then yelled, "Spank!" and stuck down on the group of Demons in front of her with the palms open, sending them flying.
Wadō, of course, had followed right behind Zoro and was now doing what she did before, tearing into any Demon unlucky enough to get in her way. It was a tiring task, that was for sure, but the three of them were having a blast. Soon, the three fighters had gotten the enemies' numbers down to about three-hundred, but after figuring out it was a bit harder for the swordsman and Hellhound to get them when they flew up, they started to spread their wings and fly. Robin, however, could still get to them, but she could only break so many at a time.
The Demons, as soon as Zoro left the barrier, noticed something peculiar about the Human, a scent that smelt really familiar to them was wrapped around him, mixing in with his own personal scent. They couldn't really figure it out and fight at the same time, so they pushed the thought away.
"Damn Demons." Zoro muttered out, wiping sweat and blood off of his face.
As soon as Zoro spoke, however, he heard someone shout "Special Attack! Fire Bird Star!" and then something was soaring over his head, and when he looked up, he saw the faint outline of flames shaped kind of like a phoenix before it hit one of the Demons, exploding on contact and taking out several more around it with a massive ring of fire.
"What the hell!" Zoro shouted, sheathing Wadō Ichimonji, and looked around to find out where the hell that shot came from, but couldn't see anything.
He then heard what sounded like an angry growl—not Wadō's, though—before a shadow was flying over him and landing right next to the Hellhound. After a second, Zoro saw who had came to help.
"Kumashi!" Zoro called out with amusement.
He, too, had changed to his true form, just like Wadō: an immense, monstrous, sleekly built Hellcat with smokey gray fur and distinctive vertical black stripes along the whole of his body, glowing deep red eyes with circular pupils, a large head topped by small, rounded ears that had prominent black spot on the backs, a long, black-ringed tail, sharp, deadly claws, and strong, powerful jaws containing fairly stout teeth and long, curved canines. What sealed the deal, however, were the dark red flames covering his back and tail, burning so hot that even the Demons in the air could feel them.
"A Hellcat?!" one of them shouted. "How do they have two Hell-animals?!"
Kumashi let out a sound that closely resembled a tiger's roar and crouched down before leaping onto a tree nearby, scurrying up it and then launching himself off it like a springboard, allowing him to get to the flying Demons and bring down several of them with a single swat of his large paw. Zoro smirked as he watched Wadō then pounce on top of the ones Kumashi knocked down and tear them apart. They made a great team. Zoro then suddenly crossed his two katanas in front of him when three Demons decided to attack him at once while he was distracted, but blocked them easily.
"Pathetic." Zoro scoffed before pushing them off and moving his katanas so they were in front of him, pointing up, before spinning quickly and shouting "Rhino Cycle!" and aimed the attack at the Demons.
Robin let her arms drop to the side so she could try and find where that shot came from. It was then she noticed the porch door had opened and two figures sprinted out, one of them being the Hellcat, who quickly transformed, and another one she'd never seen before, but looked vaguely familiar.
Oh, he was one of the Demons still unconscious, Robin thought to herself and then noticed he was now in full Demon Form, just like her. From the glowing eyes with slitted pupils, pointy canine teeth, and talon-like nails he now sported, it confirmed her suspicion that he was a Demon, but what confirmed his actual type were the large bat-like wings coming from his back made of coarse black and dark red scales.
An Incubus, Robin said, a little surprised. You don't see a lot of those around.
"You must be the beautiful Vampire Nami-swan told me about," the Incubus said smoothly as he came up next to her.
"Yes, my name is Robin." She answered before inclining her head, but then quickly looked over when she sensed a Demon sneaking up on Zoro from behind while he dealt with five in front of him. She crossed her arms and said, "Dos Fleur!", copied arms growing out of the Demon's shoulders and covering the mouth before bending him suddenly backwards, cracking his spine, and him, in half.
Zoro, after cutting down the Demons in front of him, turned around and scowled at the Vampire. "I had that handled, Robin!"
"Fufufufu." Robin laughed before shouting back, "I'm sure you did, Zoro. Just helping out."
Zoro narrowed his eye, then looked beside her at the blond Demon for a few contemplating seconds before throwing himself back in the fight.
"And I'm guessing that swordsman is the Zoro I was told about." He stated. "The one with the Sight." And a Roronoa.
"That would be him." Robin said in amusement. "He's having so much fun." She then turned to look at him. "Is Luffy doing okay?"
The blond shrugged. "He doesn't like being left out of a fight."
"I'm glad you and your friend decided to wake up." Robin said, smiling at him. "I assume it was the other Demon who's sniping down the flying ones?"
"That's Usopp." The Incubus answered with a chuckle. "Those flying ones don't stand a chance. He never misses his target." He then gave the Vampire a smooth, charming smile. "And my name is Sanji. What can I help you with, m'lady?"
Robin shrugged, completely unaffected, before crossing her arms once more. "Help out where you can."
"Can do!" Sanji shouted before leaping through the barrier and immediately locking eyes on his target. Getting a running start, he pushed off with a powerful launch, flipping three times until he landed in the middle of the large group of Demons, on top of one of their faces in a one-handed handstand, before shouting "Party Table Kick Course!" and then spun around rapidly, delivering savage kicks to every single face of the Demons around him; when all the Demons around him had dropped to the ground, he dismounted from the Demon he was balancing on and then kicked that one in the face as well before landing lightly on his feet, blowing out a breath.
He was about to jump again when he spotted that green-haired swordsman and his eyes widened some when he saw the guy just standing there as multiple Demons came at him; he seemed to not even notice as he moved his katanas in place, crossing the two in his hands across his chest and then placed the one that was in his mouth horizontally behind them, before closing his eye. Sanji was just about to call out, ask him what the hell he thought he was doing, but then the strangest thing happened—the katana blades each looked like they were waving, bending, which was impossible.
"Charming Demon," Zoro muttered. "Sleepless Night." He then quickly swung the katanas across his chest in a descending diagonal-crossing slash while simultaneously performing a horizontal cut with the blade in his mouth, but as he did so, he twisted each blade during the slash, resulting in a huge whirlwind that cut up anyone unlucky enough to be around him. "Oni Giri!"
Sanji didn't get impressed easily, but he had to admit that attack was extremely impressive. He quickly fell into a backbend when two blades slashed above him before he twisted around, moving into a handstand before delivering a kick to the ribs of the first Demon in front of him, shouting "Côtelette!" before using the momentum to spin around in the opposite direction and deliver a fast kick to the other Demon's lower-back, shouting "Selle!".
Sanji landed back down on his feet and looked up as he watched Usopp snipe down the Demons still flying around in the air, kicking any bodies away that landed too close to him. There were still about a hundred left and when he was about to dive back in, his hearing picked up the sound of Luffy…and he didn't sound happy.
xxZoLuxx
"But I wanna help, Nami!" Luffy whined, trying to go out the door, but the combined forces of Nami, Chopper and Perona kept him from doing so. "Come on guys! Standing here is so boring!"
"You heard what Zoro said, Luffy." Perona said, keeping a tight grip around his hips. "Going out there would do more harm than good."
"Don't care!" Luffy shouted, still trying to move forward.
Nami growled out in frustration before an idea hit her, something that would appease Luffy while keeping him safe.
"I know what you can do, Luffy." Nami said, planting her hands on the Prince's shoulders.
"What?" Luffy asked excitedly.
"You have to promise not to leave this doorway." Nami said sternly, glaring at him.
"But how…" he trailed off when it hit him just what Nami wanted him to do. "Oh, I get it! Yosh! I can do that!"
"Do what?" Perona asked warily.
"You might want to stand back for this." Nami advised before going down the porch stairs and over to Robin.
"Nami?" Robin asked, confused, when she saw the Kitsune sidle up next to her.
"Get everyone back in here." Nami said, looking around. "Luffy's gonna finish this."
Robin was still confused, but sprouted a mouth on a tree near where Zoro, Wadō and Kumashi were fighting. "Zoro! Nami says for you all to come back."
Zoro looked behind him, confused, before shrugging and running back to the house, the Hell-animals following after him, knocking anyone in his way out of it. When he reached it, he spotted Nami, plus two others standing next to her; one was the Demon he saw fighting out there, an Incubus, and the other was definitely another Demon with his sharp, pointy canines and talon-like nails, but Zoro identified his type as a Nature Demon because of the large bat-like wings coming from his back made of coarse green and brown scales and the brown twisted-backward horns, kind of like a ram's, sticking out from his hair, on either side of his head.
Once everyone was out of the way, Nami told them to get down before shouting back at Luffy to "go ahead!"
Luffy finally moved slightly out of the door, into view, but ignored the cries of the other bad Demons as he slowly exhaled before squinting his eyes in concentration, trying to attain just the right amount, before flaring his eyes wide open, sending his Spirit out of him in a powerful blast that the others felt sweep over their backs before ramming into the still-standing Demons, knocking the rest of them out in less than a second. Once that was done, Luffy reined in his Spirit and locked it back down before taking a moment to breathe normally again.
"Okay, it's safe!" Luffy finally shouted as he ran down the steps and over the terrace, heading to where the others were slowly pushing themselves up from the grass.
"Your Conquerer's Haki is very strong, little prince." Robin said with a sly smile, brushing her hair back into place.
"That's what that was?" Zoro said, looking at Luffy before over at Robin. "I've read about it some, but never thought I'd see it in person." He glanced at the completely knocked-out Demons. "Very impressive."
"Ah! Zoro!" Luffy yelped, jumping over to Zoro. "You're bleeding!"
Zoro took a step back, surprised at Luffy's close proximity, before reaching up a hand and touching various spots of his face, seeing that his fingers were, indeed, stained red. "Huh, would you look at that." He grabbed the black bandana still around his head and slipped it off, ruffling his hair once it was free, and tying the fabric back around his left bicep.
Sanji and Usopp, however, were both looking between Luffy and Zoro strangely, a little surprised. It was true that Luffy made friends with extreme ease, but it didn't seem like the swordsman would be an easy sale. Sanji took a deep breath in, about to say something, before he caught a scent that had his head whipping back to look at the green-haired one, completely caught off-guard. He took in another breath, discreetly, but smelt the same thing as before.
That's a scent aura, Sanji thought to himself, stunned. And the scent surrounding that swordsman is—
His hand came up to grip Usopp's bicep tightly, grabbing the sniper and pulling him in close. He needed to make sure he wasn't going crazy.
"Sanji?" Usopp questioned quietly, a little startled by his friend's grip and expression.
"Take in a deep breath." Sanji whispered back, his eyes still locked on the green-haired swordsman—who was trying to push Luffy away from him—before looking down at Usopp and then back.
Usopp was confused, but followed Sanji's gaze before breathing in deeply. He didn't smell anything weird, but before he could tell that to the blond, he tensed when something snuck in at the tail end of his scent tasting. Taking in another deep breath, he let it out in a surprised sound.
"You smell it too?" Sanji questioned, grip still tight on Usopp.
"I do." Usopp said back with a nod.
What the two didn't notice was Robin watching them, smiling secretively as she watched them discover just what their Prince did to Zoro. Before they could start yelling at Luffy, like Nami did, however, she glided over to them—grateful that Luffy was keeping Zoro distracted—and placed a hand on both of their shoulders when she came to a stop behind them; they both jumped in surprise but made no other moves or noises, thankfully.
"I see you've discovered what your Prince has done to Zoro." Robin said quietly to them, and when they only nodded, she continued with, "I would appreciate it greatly if you would keep quiet about it for the time being. Zoro doesn't know what Luffy has done quite yet."
She let them go, Usopp moving immediately to cower behind Sanji, while the Incubus looked curiously at Robin. "What do you mean he doesn't know?"
Robin sighed out, but she knew she wasn't going to end that without a few questions, so she told the two of them what she knew in as few words as she could, only sticking to the important bits.
"A bonding without the other person knowing it happened?" Sanji said, eyebrows raised as he shook his head. "I didn't know that was possible."
"And Luffy, of all people, did it." Usopp added, Sanji nodding in agreement. "That's unreal."
That confused Robin but she put the question off for another time, instead saying, "Like I said, please keep quiet about this. I'd like the chance to explain things to Zoro in a way he'd understand. If someone were to tell him and he didn't take it well, that would be no good for either party."
"Yeah, especially since the bonding is done for life." Usopp muttered, glancing over at Luffy, who was still trying to pounce on Zoro and wipe off the blood.
"Thank you." Robin said with a slight head-bow before the three of them headed back over the the group.
"Luffy!" Zoro shouted, but it sounded almost amused. "Stop that!"
"But you have blood all over your face!" Luffy merely shouted back, still trying to clean him off.
Nami sighed out before bashing Luffy over the head and sending the Prince to the ground, holding his head and whining.
"Thank you." Zoro breathed out before turning to the opened back door, seeing Perona and Chopper both peeking out. "It's safe to come out, you guys!"
Perona whispered something to Chopper before leaving the house, though the Shifter didn't; he turned around and headed back into the house, the noises he was making sounded like he was trying to find something.
"Perona!" Zoro called out as she got closer. "Are we clear?"
Perona glanced around, but everyone could see how her gaze went off-focus and she was muttering something underneath her breath. A second later, she blinked rapidly a few times and nodded. "No more Demons around here for now. They'll continue to keep a lookout, though."
"Tell 'em thanks." Zoro said, wiping the blood that was about to drip into his eye before muttering a quick, "Fuck it," and pulling up the bottom of his t-shirt to wipe at the blood covering his face.
"There goes another one." Perona sighed. "Dad's gonna kick your ass for getting another shirt bloody, Zoro."
"Looks like it's well past saving now." Nami commented, noticing the tears and red marking it.
Luffy, who was still sitting on the ground from Nami's hit, glanced up when he heard talking and his jaw almost hit the floor with what he saw. Since Zoro was using part of his shirt to wipe off blood, the lower-part of his torso was completely bare and… Luffy didn't even realize he had licked his lips, much in the same way he does when he sees a delicious piece of meat. Zoro was covered in muscle, not an ounce of fat to be found anywhere, his skin had a healthy tan sheen to it, and he was ripped with a six-pack and everything! Luffy found he had to clench his hands tightly in restraint before he did something stupid, like reach up and touch him. But damn did he want to! He'd never been too good at controlling his impulses when an idea got in his brain.
The others were oblivious to Luffy's problem, all except for Robin, who was watching the little prince with nothing short of amusement. It reminded the Vampire of bait being dangled in front of an extremely hungry shark who couldn't get to it, and the best part was Zoro didn't even know he was doing so.
Luffy didn't even notice his breathing had deepened some, but then his head tilted when he finally caught sight of a scar starting at his right hipbone, diagonally bisecting his abdominals, and continuing up as it disappeared under his shirt.
Luffy popped up onto his feet before poking at the scar, causing Zoro to jump in shock before cursing, pulling his shirt down so he could properly glare at Luffy in annoyance.
Luffy pouted at the loss of his awesome view but pushed the thought away before asking Zoro, "Where'd you get that scar? It's really long!"
Zoro sighed out, shaking his head. "It's nothing."
"Zoro!" Luffy whined out, hopping up and down in front of the swordsman. "Tell me!"
Zoro looked at Luffy strangely but found he couldn't deny the Demon again, which was weird. "It was nothing special. I lost my focus during training and this was the result."
Perona rolled her eyes before snorting. "Yeah, nothing."
Robin chuckled. "It was pretty bad when it happened, if I recall."
"Well, it's not anymore, so drop it." Zoro growled out, crossing his arms.
Wadō and Kumashi had since changed back into their "normal" forms, so they trotted over to Zoro and Perona, respectively, and rubbed against them.
Zoro gave Wadō a half-smile and ran his fingers through her fur. "You did good, Wadō. You had those idiots running scared." Wadō basked under the praise, woofing happily in agreement. "And Kumashi wasn't anything to scoff at either."
Kumashi let out a happy sound before leaping up into Perona's arms, settling down, and purring.
"Having their help made this go a lot quicker." Robin said, ruffling her fingers through Wadō's white fur.
Luffy laughed as he crouched down in front of Wadō, giving her a thorough petting before stating, "You were awesome, Wadō!"
The Hellhound then let out a long series of barks at Luffy, who was nodding every so often in turn.
"Really? You did?" Luffy finally replied, which got another string of barks before Kumashi started maowing as well, causing Luffy to look up at the Hellcat as well. "You guys got all that while you were fighting? You're incredible!"
Zoro, Perona and Robin couldn't have looked more lost if they tried.
Nami saw this and laughed before explaining to them, "Luffy has one other special gift, besides his rubber abilities and Haki. Like Gol D. Roger, Luffy can "hear the voice of all things"."
"Huh?" Zoro and Perona both questioned while Robin looked deeply interested; she'd heard of something like that before, from her mother, actually.
"We don't really know what it means, exactly." Sanji said, crossing his arms. "But what we have discovered so far is that it allows Luffy to understand animals, any kind really. It doesn't seem to matter."
"We also know that isn't the extent of it, but since this ability isn't written down anywhere, we learn as Luffy does." Nami finished before looking over at Luffy. "What did they hear?"
Luffy gave Wadō another pat on the head before pushing himself upright. "They heard the Demons talking around them, didn't catch all of it, but they definitely heard some kind of name. Two of them, they think."
Zoro looked down at the Hellhound, highly impressed. "You keep surprising me everyday, Wadō."
Woof!
"She said thanks." Luffy translated for Zoro, giving him a smile.
"What were the names, Luffy?" Robin asked.
"Oh, yeah." Luffy scratched the top of his head before saying, "Well, the first thing they heard was a Mr. and then a 5 was mentioned." Luffy looked back over at Kumashi, who gave him a few maows. "And one was female, since they said Miss, but then they mentioned Valentine or something."
Robin looked like she stopped breathing, eyes wide with shock, because those weren't separate words, no, they were two names.
"Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine." Robin finally said before looking down at Wadō. "Are you sure?"
Wadō nodded.
"You know something, Robin?" Zoro asked, resting his right arm on his katanas.
The Vampire looked over at Nami and watched as the names clicked in the Kitsune's mind. "Oh…oh shit!"
"Nami?" Luffy questioned, head tilted.
"Those names." Nami said softly. "I've only ever heard those names in conjunction with one other name."
"Baroque Crocodile." Robin said just as softly. "I have no doubt he's the man behind these attacks."
"Who?" was the general questions from the others.
"He's classified as an Elemental, but he's the leader of a major crime syndicate known as Baroque Works." Robin informed them, clenching her hands. "They do everything from robbery all the way to assassination. They aren't very picky."
"Robin?" Perona asked quietly, noticing the trembling from the Vampire.
Robin let out a breath, calming herself some. "I apologize."
"What was it?" Zoro asked, his demeanor softening some.
"Baroque Works were the hired help behind the attack on my mother." Robin gritted out before trying to relax once more.
Luffy looked over at Robin, sympathy in his gaze. "Your dad hired them to kidnap your mom?"
Robin nodded slowly. "Pretty much." She breathed out once more before saying, "Once I figured out those men worked for Baroque Works, I did what I could to learn about them and keep an eye on them."
"It's made up of many types of Supernaturals." Nami continued. "Not just Demons. Those that just tried to attack us were nothing more than foot soldiers sent to collect Luffy."
"About that." Sanji said, looking over at the Kitsune. "You said you'd explain everything after the battle. You told us the important bits, but I'm still really confused."
Usopp nodded. "Me too."
Nami sighed out. "Right, I did say so."
"Let's go inside and we can discuss things there." Robin said, back to her composed self.
"Yeah, you guys missed a lot." Luffy said with a wide smile.
xxZoLuxx
To apologize for the long wait, I made this chapter extra-long for y'all! Well, I don't really think there's anything I need to add here.
Here's a little breakdown of the main character's species/powers: Sanji is an Incubus, but a reformed one who feeds differently than normal Incubi (if that makes any sense); it basically means he doesn't kill people. Usopp is a Nature Demon who has control over most aspects of nature and is deeply attuned with it. Like I said previously, Nami is a Kitsune, who has complete control over the element of electricity/lightning and she does have the ability to shift into an actual fox, but you'll see that later in the story. Chopper is a Shifter, but not all "Shifters" necessarily have to be human-forms shifting into animal-forms or vice versa, if you can understand that. Then there's Robin, who's a Vampire, an extremely powerful one from one of the higher-class Vampire family, the Nicos; the Head of the Nicos is Oran, who is Olvia's brother and is became the Head when Olvia fled to the Human Realm, and no one knows Robin even exists, but if they did, the "Head" title would be hers by birthright. Zoro and Perona are both Human who have Supernatural capabilities: Zoro has the "Sight", allowing him to see all the Supernatural (even if they're hiding), and Perona is a Medium who can see and speak to spirits. Mihawk is what's known as a "Hunter", which is basically a Human born with a special gene that gives him heightened senses and almost supernatural capabilities, allowing him to fight on-par with the Supernatural, as its his job to hunt down any of them that "step out of line", in accordance to a treaty signed by the top Supernatural Creatures and Humans a long tome ago so everyone can cohabit peacefully. Brook is a Fae, one of the Music ones, which gives him a special power concerning music. And then there's Luffy, who's an Archdemon, one of the most powerful Demon species there is, allowing the D. Family to ascend as the rulers of the Demon Realm; they always have a special power and can use all three forms of Haki effortlessly. The D. Family has many lines (the ones I'm gonna mention will be the Monkey D.s, Gol D.s, Portgas D.s, Trafalgar D.s, and Jaguar D.s) and they're all Archdemons. Others will soon make an appearance, so stay tuned!