Chapter 21
What's this guy doing here?!
"What happened here?" Gyde asked as he and the Smashers came running over to the fissure that was in front of the staircase.
"Negi sensei fell down there along with some of the other classmates!" Haruna told him. "This hole was caused by the earthquake earlier!"
"To think that an earthquake would cause something like this…" Meta-Knight said in disbelief.
"Are they still alive down there?" Captain Falcon asked.
"I can still sense bro's magical powers," Chamo replied. "He's definitely alive and well and he probably saved the others too."
"But how do we get them out?" Nodoka asked.
Mario looked down the hole and shouted as loud as he could, "Can anyone down there hear me? Hello?"
-
"What is that?!" Kotaro said in shock. The massive indescribable body that was beyond them was definitely a shocking sight to them. They never expected to run into anything like this in this place.
"I don't want to know what that is…" Asuna said. "I just hope that this thing doesn't notice us…"
Negi bravely stood forward to take a better look at the massive being and said, "It doesn't look like it is alive… I'm not sure… Maybe it's just asleep…"
All of a sudden, the earthquake started again and everyone was shaken to his or her feet. "Not another earthquake!" Natsume cried.
They all stood close against each and placed their hands over their heads to protect themselves from falling debris. The whole place shook stronger and stronger until a part of the wall burst open and a massive silver drill came bursting into this place, much to their surprise. The drill came further out to reveal itself as a drilling machine that had a very long serpentine body. The body of the drilling machine landed in front of the massive unidentifiable body and the drill stopped spinning. That was when the earthquake finally stopped.
"Now what?!" Kotaro said.
Then the head of the drilling machine opened up and Major Burrows came out of it and looked at the massive body before him and said with joy, "Yes! I found it at last! To think that it would be hidden here all along! I knew my hunch was correct!" He then shouted down into the machine, "Get busy, everyone! Activate the particle transporter and deliver the body of the Cruncher to the place that boss said right this instant!"
"Yes sir!" said some voices coming from down there.
"Cruncher?!" said the students and Negi in shock.
"Uh?" MB turned around and saw them over and said, "Looks like there are people here who saw something that shouldn't be seen… Listen up, you guys betters forget everything that you saw and go home quietly without reporting anything! This is adult's business, so beat it at once!"
"You must be those people who managed to steal the spirit, right?" Negi asked him. "And now you're here to obtain the body!"
"So this is the Cruncher…" Asuna said in awe, looking at the massive body in front.
"It's huge!" Chizuru exclaimed.
Then each of the drilling machine's body segments opened up and spotlights came out from it and shined a beam of light at the body. "Transportation process has started!" said one of the Monty Moles that was in the machine. "Processing at maximum speed, it would take at least five minutes to fully transport something this big away completely."
"That shouldn't be too long so long as nobody gets in our way," MB said.
"I won't let you do this!" Negi shouted.
MB leaped out from the drilling machine and landed in front of him with a stomp saying, "Listen up, kid! I told you that you should go home and pretend that you saw nothing!"
Then a Monty Mole popped out from the cockpit and said to MB, "Major! That kid is the one that boss wants! We need his blood in order to break the seal on the spirit!"
"Uh? Really? Then how lucky of me! First I found the body of the giant monster and now the blood to release its spirit!" MB said with delight. "Moho! The boss is going to be glad with me!"
"I won't let you bad guys do whatever you want!" Negi said to him.
"What can you do to me, kid? I'll make you bleed quick and simple!" MB slammed down his massive claws at Negi but he leaped out of the way with ease.
"Take this!" Kotaro leaped at MB afterwards and delivered a kick into his face and knocked him back.
"Ow! Why you?!" MB angrily swung his claw at Kotaro but he easily avoided by jumping back. "Take this!" Exploding Mole Path!" He leaped up and then dug into the ground headfirst and then started moving in the direction of Negi and his students and explosions of dirt shot into the air to show where he was going.
"Be careful!" Negi said to his students. Chizuru, Natsume, and Asuna quickly got out of the way while Kotaro and Negi stayed behind to deal with him. They quickly leaped out of the way when the exploding dirt reached them. MB popped his head out from the ground with two large boulders in his hands and threw each of them at the two.
Kotaro easily shattered the rock using his fist while Negi rolled aside to avoid it, and then they both ran towards him with their fists extended to hit him. MB sank back into the ground really fast however and they ended up punching each other.
POW!
"Ow! Watch it!" Kotaro yelled.
"Sorry…" cried Negi. "But wait… We don't have time to fight him! We need to stop them from transporting the body away!" He turned to look at the Cruncher's body to see that it was starting to look more and more translucent. "It looks like it's going to be transported away anytime soon!"
MB popped back out in front of the drilling machine and said, "Mohoho! You've already wasted two minutes! I'm going to make sure that this lasts for another three minutes and then everything is complete!"
"Hey guys!" shouted a voice coming from above. They all looked up to see an Aerodactyl flying down with Red on his talons. Red landed onto the ground and asked, "Is everyone all right?"
"Brother Red! You're here!" Negi said. "Quick! We must stop them from transporting the Cruncher's body away!"
"Cruncher?" Red turned to look at the massive body and was shocked by it. "That's the Cruncher?! What's it doing here?!"
"Reinforcement or not, nobody is going to stop us!" MB said. "Mole Barricade!" He stabbed all of his claws into the ground and then with a loud grunt, he pulled his arms back up and in the process, a huge piece of the earth was pulled up as well and served as a massive wall.
"Whoa! Neat!" Red commented. "But this isn't time to be praising! Aero, smash down that wall using Take Down!"
Aero pulled back in the air and then flew forward at a fast speed, ramming into it really hard using his head. A large crack appeared on the wall and then a decent-sized hole was formed on it. MB was standing behind the hole with a boulder in his hand. "Mole Pitching!" And he threw the boulder into Aero and he quickly smashed it with his head.
CRASH!
"Moho! Only 2 more minutes!" he said.
"Negi sensei!" shouted another voice. This time Setsuna came flying down using her wings. "Sensei, are you all right? What happened here?"
"Setsuna! No time to explain! Cut down that wall first and fast!" Negi said to her desperately.
"Okay, whatever you say!" Setsuna sheathed her sword and then flew towards the wall before delivering a flurry of slashes. With this, slash marks appeared all over the wall and then a decent portion of it crumbled down into neatly cut pieces.
"You're not getting whatever you want!" MB said. He had another boulder in his hand and tossed it at Setsuna, but she easily cut it into two when it went flying at her.
"C'mon, everyone! Smash down that wall!" Red released Lax, Gyara, and Poli all at once and they rammed into the wall as hard as they could in an attempt to bring it down. The impact from the three Pokemon was more than the wall could handle, and then the entire thing crumbled into pieces afterwards.
"Won't do! Only a minute left!" Major Burrows said. Poli jumped at with his fist pulled back and then unleashed a punch at his head. MB quickly lowered his head and the Poliwrath ended up punching one of the spikes on the helmet and fell back with great pain.
Lax and Gyara, along with Setsuna, tossed themselves onto the body of the drilling machine and tried to tear off (slice off in Setsuna's case) the spotlights, but when they touched the surface of the body, a powerful voltage spread across it and electrocuted them, repelling them backwards. "What?!" Red said in surprise.
"You'd think I wouldn't install any safety precautions onto this?" MB asked.
"17 Arrows Light!" Negi shouted. He pointed his staff at the drilling machine and 17 light beams were fired at it.
MB saw this and quickly tossed himself right in front of the beam and quick as a flash, dug his hand into the ground and pulled up an earth wall that shielded the beams.
BANG!
"Moho! Failed again!" he taunted.
"Major! Transportation completed!" a Monty Mole reported to him.
"Oh no!" Negi cried. They all could not do anything but watch the massive body slowly disintegrate into small shiny particles, and then in a bright flash, everything was gone.
"It's gone…" Asuna said in shock. "Something that big gone in an instant…?"
"Mohohohoho! It was a success!" Major Burrows said delightfully.
"Status report shows that the Cruncher is now indeed at the intended location!" the Monty Mole reported to him again. "The transportation process is a success!"
"Dammit! We failed!" Red cursed.
"I'm sorry, sensei…" Setsuna said. "I failed to stop them…"
"Wait, they still do not have your blood yet, right?" Asuna said to Negi. "That means even if they have the body right now, they still cannot do anything without using your blood to break the seal on the spirit!"
"And that is what I'm aiming to go after next!" MB said. "You're mine, kid!" And he quickly hopped back into the drilling machine and started its engine. The drill started to spin again and the body slowly lifted itself into the air.
"Oh no! It's going to come after us!" Natsume cried.
"Everyone! Let's get out of here fast!" Red shouted. He quickly called back Poli, Lax, and Gyara and told Kotaro and Chizuru to get onto Aero's back fast. Negi got onto his staff along with Asuna and Natsume while Setsuna flew using her wings.
The drilling machine dived at them in an attempt to crush them all but they all took flight into the air before that happened and went as fast as they could towards the opening at the top.
-
"They sure are taking their time," CF said.
"Please be all right, Negi sensei…" Nodoka prayed silently to herself.
Suddenly, Red and other popped out from the hole and he desperately said to them, "Get out of here fast! Questions later! Run NOW!!!!"
"Right! We must get out of here right now!" Setsuna said. "This place will become dangerous if we keep on staying here!"
Following their advice, the Smashers, the whole class, and Gyde ran up the stairs as fast as they could without stopping to look back. Eventually, the whole place began to shake as an earthquake started once again. "Another earthquake?!" Luigi cried.
"We know the reason behind these earthquakes!" Red said. "But let's not talk about it until we're outside!"
Despite the earthquake, everyone managed to escape to the surface and then exit the temple as fast as they could. The shaking was so strong that almost everyone on the island could feel it.
"An earthquake!"
"And a strong one at that!"
"Stay away from tall things!"
Then the ground in front of the Smashers and Class 3-A burst open and the drilling machine came out, frightening all of them. Its cockpit went up high into the air and looked down at them as if it was a giant snake. "Holy cow! What is that?!" G&W said in shock.
"That's the thing that was causing the earthquakes!" Negi explained. "And what's worse… It managed to obtain the body of the Cruncher!"
"Cruncher?!" everyone said in shock.
"Mohohoho! So you are the people who killed our first boss," the voice of Major Burrows broadcasted loudly from the cockpit. "I'm going to avenge our fallen boss and then get the blood of that kid named Negi! With the body of the Cruncher now transported to its rightful place, we will break the seal on the spirit using the kid's blood and then the Cruncher will be revived and fall into our control!"
"They manage to find the monster's body?!" Pikachu said. "How come?! I thought the body was disposed of already! "
"Not exactly… After the Cruncher was defeated, the mages used transportation magic to warp its body away, and the body was never found or heard of ever since," Gyde explained. "It's no surprise if it is still in one piece though…"
"And the Cruncher was actually hidden underneath this island all along…" Negi continued.
"If you are done saying your prayers," MB said, "I'm going to crush you all! Get ready to be crushed!" The drill spun even faster than before and the head pulled back to ready to slam down, and the Smashers got into fighting stance while the others quickly made a run for it.
Note: The following portion contains Deus Ex Machina. Viewer discretion is heavily advised for people who get offended by this.
SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!!!!!!
Without a warning, the drilling machine was sliced in half diagonally in the middle of its body. "What the?!" everyone said in shock.
Inside, the Monty Moles were all shocked and panicking at what just happened to their ride. "What on earth happened?!" MB gasped. "How did the machine just break in half all of a sudden?!"
The upper portion of the drilling machine crashed onto the ground violently while the lower half fell limp at the side. The Smashers still did not understand what happened just now. "Can someone tell me again what on earth happened…?" Dedede asked.
"I don't know… But this thing just split in half all of a sudden…" Kirby said.
"It was done by a sword…" Marth said. "I can tell from the way it was cut…"
"Yes, a sword damage definitely," Setsuna said.
"Who could have done it then?" Asuna asked. "Did anybody here swing their swords?"
"I haven't even unsheathed mines yet," Marth told her.
"So noisy… I can't get a good sleep at all with all these loud noises and the annoying shaking," said a new voice. They all turned to where the voice was coming from and saw a man resting against a torn down wall, and he slowly stood up and turned to them. He was dressed in decorated red-and-black clothing, long purple pants, had a black cloak hanging on his back, and a black wide-brimmed hat on his head. There was also a large black cross-shaped sword carried on his back.
"Who is that?" Pichu asked.
Immediately, a look of shock appeared on some of the Smashers as well as the students' faces. "That person…" Marth said while trembling violently.
"I believe I know him…" CF said, and he looked very nervous too.
"That person… That person… Why is he here…?" Gyde said. He was wobbling like jelly from head to toe and his skin was almost as pale as snow.
"Who is that…? I think I know him, and maybe not…" Luigi said. "And for some reason, I'm getting chills too…"
"Dammit! Who did this?!" Major Burrows yelled angrily. He got out from the drilling machine and saw the person standing over there, and a shocked look appeared on his face. "Yikes?! It's… it's… the hawk-eyed man!"
"It's him all right…" Setsuna said nervously. "The world's most powerful swordsman and one of the Seven Armed Seas, Dracule Mihawk!"
"Seven Armed Seas?!" gasped everyone in horror. It was like with Alexander again; the mention of the name alone was more than enough to knock everyone onto the ground.
"What… what… what do we do…? Major…?" a frightened Monty Mole asked MB.
"Let's beat it right now! And FAST!" MB replied desperately. He quickly went back into the cockpit and then the head of the drilling machine detached itself from the rest of the body and grew wheels underneath. Moving at max speed, it sped across the dirt ground and headed straight into the sea and then sailed off over the horizon as fast as it could.
"They got away…" Yoshi said.
"Not like we need them to stay here for something anyway…" Red said.
Everyone turned to look at Mihawk again who simply stared back at them. His hawk-like eyes were without doubt the most striking feature about him. Just by looking at them, the Smashers and the whole class couldn't help but feel a chill down their spines and their hair sticking straight into their air. It was as if his stare was like a sharp knife piercing right into their minds and striking them with unspeakable fear.
"Cowards," he said in a stern voice while turning to walk away. "I'm going to find a quieter place to sleep." As he walked down the path and towards the shore, the people that were around the place quickly backed off with fear as if he was someone dangerous to go close to.
After he was gone, everyone fell onto his or her knees and breathed a sigh of relief that the frightful atmosphere was gone from the air. "Phew… That guy gave me the creeps…" Asuna said.
"His eyes… They're so scary…" Luigi said. "I'm still too scared to move my legs just thinking about this…"
"His epithet, Hawk-Eyes, is no joke definitely," Marth said. "He is without doubt the strongest swordsman in the world. Just by looking at him, I can tell the immeasurable difference in power between us…"
"I agree… It was as if we are ladybugs standing in front of a massive, ferocious dinosaur…" CF said. "The Seven Armed Seas without doubt strike fear into the hearts of people…"
-
The sightseeing on Ruined Island was done and the Smashers and Class 3-A were all returning to the mainland of Lycia on their boats currently.
"What a trip we're having…" Asuna said as he reclined on a chair. "We sure encountered lots of things in simply four days…"
"Yeah, first we run into bad guys who want to take over the world, and then we run into two members of the Great Power," Konoka said. "But these surely do make the trip a lot more interesting! Don't you think?"
"I guess you can say that…"
"All I can say is that this trip has been very resourceful for me!" Kazumi said while looking through the contents of her digital camera. "I'll be sure to write an amazing trip report for the school newsletter!"
"Though I've been wondering… Why does the government even bothered with hiring criminals to work with them in the first place?" Asuna asked. "From what I've heard, the Seven Armed Seas rarely ever listen to the government or participate with their activities. And sometimes the government even allows them to roam around and do as they wish!"
"The government basically just wants to have as much power in their disposal as possible. After all, there is the saying that the worst enemies can also make the best allies, so why not hire the help of powerful evildoers and make them work on their side? So long as they have a strong fighting force, the government doesn't really care. Of course, now that they work for the government, they must invest a percent of their lootings to their government in return for taking their bounties off their heads. They're basically criminals made legal and are free to do whatever they want as long as they don't go too far, something which Crocodile did and got the boot as a result."
Sayo, who was hovering next to her, asked, "Do you know all the members of the Seven Armed Seas?"
"Hmmm… Let me think… I think there's that guy we met earlier named Mihawk, and then there's Don Quixote Doflamingo, Bartholomew Kuma, Jinbei, Gecko Moria, Boa Hancock, and... What's the name of the new one that replaced Crocodile? I think it's Black something… Oh yeah, Blackbeard!"
Negi came into the room that they were in and said, "Everyone, for the rest of the day, we'll go and have picnic at the national park!"
-
Meanwhile, Major Burrows and his men were sailing on the water in their drilling machine. "Yes, we manage to transport the Cruncher's body to that place," MB said into a phone.
"Your job is well done, Major Burrows!" Fawful's voice said on the other side. "Now is the time we carry out the next step on the day of tomorrow! I have excitement! Geehehehehehe!"
TO BE CONTINUED
Even though the Great Powers will have no special role in this story, I still think that it's about time I give them a bit of spotlight since they have been mentioned and foreshadowed for quite a while. Consider this a special treat for you readers.
Coming up next chapter: More pointless fillers! Yippee!