Chapter 3

Doflamingo's arms crossed over his bare chest, a scowl on his face. His countenance sour and his posture stiff as he stood before Kat. His knees were locked, his shoulders were no longer hunched, and his pink feather cloak seemed taught across his back. Though the critical lines across his face were strung with rage, there was a touch of fear to his expression. "What are you doing here?" he grumbled.

She stood at the foot of the giant Pica statue. Several people were rushing and fighting around them, but those smart enough knew to keep their distance from them. "I wanted to relax a little," she replied. Kat was the near polar opposite of Doflamingo in the way she stood. Her face was soft, her hips were loose, and all her weight was concentrated on one foot. She looked around, examining the blue sky and possible remnants of the peaceful atmosphere. "I wanted to see if Dressrosa was as I remembered it," she explained. "It was a lovely town until you came along and fucked it up."

Doflamingo pointed an accusatory finger at her. "Don't get in my way," he growled.

Kat's weight shifted to balance on both feet, and her eyebrows knitted together. "Don't think that you can just order me around," she retaliated. She took a couple steps forward. She started to remember how much taller he is as his towering figure began to loom over her. To look up at his face, she had to hold her head back in an uncomfortable position. "If you think you can scare me, you're dead wrong," she hissed.

Doflamingo stumbled back a few steps, readying himself for a possible strike. He knew that the woman before him was dangerous even though she seemed as fragile as a porcelain doll. However, he also knew she hated fighting and that made her threat as empty as a vacuum. But she was well known for her quick thinking and ferociousness in battle, so he wanted to make sure that he didn't underestimate her.

"Stay out of my fights," he snarled. With a wisp of wind, his body turned to thread and floated to the top of the platform.

Once Doflamingo was gone, Kat pulled her long, black hair into a messy bun at the top of her head and then turned her attention to the statue. The easiest point of access was the arm as it had fused with the ground. She started to trek up the steep slope. "Hey! Move out of the way!" a voice called. She looked back to see a large bull charging towards her. Atop of the bull was the infamous Straw Hat Luffy and the Surgeon of Death, Trafalgar Law. She stepped aside and watched them rush past her.

Kat shook her head and continued up the arm. The rookie pirates-or rather pirates in general-baffled her. They were reckless and had no sense of compassion for people outside their crew. Their value of human life was skewed, and they had almost no understanding of how authority works.

As she approached the shoulder of the statue, two figures began to come into view. She squinted her eyes against the sun. By the size and distinct shape of the one figure, Pica was present, but his opponent was a mystery. All she could see was the silhouette moving around in a flurry.

As she neared, Pica glanced in her direction and scowled. His body turned ashen gray and began to return to the statue. The stone began to crawl up his figure and build upon him, molding another enormous torso. The other swordsman pushed off the newly forming Pica and fell towards the upper levels of the castle. Kat rushed over to strike Pica from behind. Just as she was approaching the base of the new mold, a crack ran up Pica's arm and split him in half. The top portion fell to the ground and crushed a few people underneath it.

"It's the 'Pirate Hunter!'" a guard shouted. "Shoot him down!" At the command, shots rang through the air. Pica glided through the stone between them and pushed them aside.

"He's one hell of an idiot," Kat breathed, sliding down the back of the statue. She pushed off and landed gently on the second level. Nearby guards looked at her and whispered between themselves. Instead of standing around to listen and see what they were about to do, she walked right through them.

"Wait a minute!" one of the men shouted. He shakily pointed his gun at Kat. "Don't move any further!"

She looked back over her shoulder at him. "I would suggest that you run away from here," she told him. "Working for Doflamingo will simply get you killed. You're a pawn to him."

The grip on his gun tightened. Pebbles on the ground began to shake. "Don't you dare say that about the young master!" he screamed. "He's much more than what you think!"

"That's what he wants you to think," she commented. Over the guard's shoulder, Pica's face formed in the wall to the third level. Out of the ground, several stone spikes shot upwards. One bursted between Kat and the group of guards, catching her right arm. She cupped the new wound gently and rushed towards the Pirate Hunter.

The wound to her shoulder, even though it was only slight, seemed to have taken all the speed and strength she had. She was unable to help the giant that blocked the swordsman from Machvise. She was unable to help the others that were caught in the crossfire. She was unable to shield the swordsman from Pica's other attacks.

By the time that she reached a distance in which she could converse with the swordsman, Kat could tell his energy had greatly decreased. "Swordsman," she called. She was on a lower fixture than he was and had to stretch her neck to look up at him. "I assume that you are against Doflamingo since you're fighting Pica. Right?"

He moved his body slightly towards Kat, acknowledging her presence but keeping most of his attention on Pica. "So what?" he spat. "If you're going to attack me, don't even bother. I'll cut you down real quick."

Kat climbed up to stand next to him. "I've come to help. It seems as if we have a common enemy."

The swordsman's grip on his swords tightened. "You'll get in my way," he told her.

She studied him from her short stature. "If anything, I'll help you finish this in half the time," she retorted.

As they turned to Pica's stone face, he laughed. "I was hoping I could draw you out," he admitted in his squeaky, high-pitched voice. His lips curled into a smile, and the corners of his stone mouth cracked. "Have you come here for a second taste of defeat, pussy Kat?"

She rolled her eyes and faced the green-haired swordsman. "Do you have a plan?"

"Not really." The tip of his nose twitched. "Well, I can take him on. Just keep his attacks from hitting me, okay?"

Kat rolled her eyes. "That isn't a plan, Pirate Hunter," she told him. She placed her hand on his shoulder and pulled his head down to her height. Cupping her hand over her mouth, she began to whisper.