Disclaimer: One Piece is the property of Eiichiro Oda. Many of the characters in this story are property of me. Do not use this story or its characters without my permission. Thank you.


"Behold, captain!" a defeated, breathless guard said pointing up the hill. "Our sure victory doth advance!"

"Fortune be with us!" Arthir exclaimed. "All ye of the Argent Fist, do retreat now and watch a truly powerful knight make a fool of this vicious demon!"

"???" Ramone looked confused. His enemies, who up until just now were fighting with an amazing and admirable effort, were preparing a full-scale retreat. "Ggggg....cowards."

"Captain!" one of Ramone's healthy and muscular men called from nearby behind. "Someone is coming down the hill! He's running extremely fast!"

"So?" Ramone shouted in defiance. "I can kill him just the same!"

"NOOOOO!!!!" a caring young maiden shouted. Colleen came out running and flew into Ramone's lower back. He stayed on his feet but his hips were blown forward suddenly by the weight of the metal the girl carried with her. "Captain, you've been fighting too much! You'll ware yourself down if you keep it up!"

"I haven't been fighting that long!" Ramone defended, shaking his first-mate off. Colleen landed on her butt and bounced away. "I'll be fine. Whoever this new guy is I can take his ass on no problem!" His hubris, however, was his ultimate undoing. Drakengard came roaring down the streets, literally, while spinning his bejeweled halberd from side to side with one hand. Ramone started the fight before Drakengard even got close by activating his primary trap: a trench! Drakengard took one wrong step and fell into a deep pit that caved in around him with rock and clay and salty dirt.

"Gggggg...." Ramone growled in a laugh. "That's the handiwork of my infamous Trench Ants! They've earned their reputation as landscape levelers with their amazing organization and ability to burrow through nearly any surface! They can even eat through Sea Stone!"

"Tis a fine trap" Drakengard growled, "but futile is futile, no matter the form. HRAGH!" Drakengard simply flexed his arms and legs and the ground around him burst open. He was out of the trap at once and prepared to continue his charge. Ramone was already prepared with Mi-Go extending and squirming out of his right shoulder.

"Bring it on" Ramone growled. Drakengard came in heavy with his weapon swinging. Ramone dodged the blows and used his long centipede arm to deliver a reach-around punch to his enemy's back. Drakengard was shaken by the blow that blasted through his thick Sea King-hide armor and stumbled forward for a few steps. "You're weak" Ramone mocked. He called Mi-Go to coil inward and form a large, spiraled shield of steely hide. Just in time. Drakengard brought his halberd down with crashing force and hit Mi-Go straight on its unscathed back. Ramone's feet were forced down and shattered the rocks he stood on. He winced.

He's really strong Ramone thought. Ggggg.....this complicates things. I'll need to give him some poison and leave him for dead. That's the only thing I can safely do to fight right now! Ramone used his powers to silently summon up a bug that crawled out of his ear. It's clacking maw was dripping with a hideous, bubbling orange venom and its four-fold wings unfolded like that of a butterfly. A red and purple skull pattern was on its wings. Go, Styx Weevil, right into his ear! The bug flew on silent wings making a path in the air for Drakengard's brain. The manic fighter, however, wasn't so easily fooled. Even with his wide, terrible eyes fixed on Ramone's eyes he was able to snatch the insect from midair and crush it in his armored palm.

"Is that all you can do!?" Drakengard growled. "Sick your little pets on me!?"

"Gggggg....." Ramone growled. The intensity he felt in his body from before had dulled down. His bugs were off of alert and slipping into hibernation to regain their used energy. Their weakness was reflected in the disappointment and rage on Ramone's face. "Crew, back to the ship!" Ramone ordered.

"Are you sure, captain!?" one of his mates shouted.

"We can't leave without you!" Colleen said.

"It doesn't matter" Ramone growled at them. He finally pushed away from Drakengard, only to have his enemy set himself back up and come in with his spear held down and stabbing at Ramone's throat like he was fishing for his blood. "I can make it back whenever I win! Just get the hell away from here!"

"You're not going to-" one of his crewmen began.

"That's right" Ramone growled. He threw a long and powerful blow with Mi-Go that landed on Drakengard's shoulder and sent him tumbling away. "Now, GET OUTTA HERE!!!" At his bellowing command his crew began the task of enacting a full-force retreat. The Paladins had regained their footing away from the battle and were already en route via fishing boats to smash up the flagship off the coast.

"Make haste!" Arthir called. "Those knaves and demons can only be held at bay so long by Sir Drakengard!" A loud, thunderous blast rang out from up on the deck of the ship. The crew still present was defending their ship with their lives, shooting guns and throwing harpoons as hard as they could to keep those annoying knights away from their boat.

"Keep firing!" one of the deckhands shouted. "Keep throwing! We can ink their boats with a well-heaved cannonball!"

"Attack!" Arthir commanded. Suddenly a hot blast of air rocked the ocean and blasted two of the read boats away. Colleen's arm cannon was fired from her own rowboat that was now torn apart by the force and pressure the push had produced.

I have to help Colleen thought in a determined voice with all my power! Even if my arm is burnt to a crisp, even if my bones are scorched black from the heat, this is the power I contribute to my crew! This is my own force!!! Just barely inland a giant black cloud started forming. A swarm of bugs came from out of Ramone's body, more bugs than one would imagine would fit in such a frame. Insects of pure, pitch black that huddled close together and blocked out the light around them.

"Plague of Abadon!" Ramone growled. The bugs started circling around him and swirling about his hands while Drakengard just smiled his evil, demented smile. "I'll eat you alive...and then murder your ghost!" With his strongest power revealed, the rest of the Ghost Killer pirates returned to their ship and successfully fended off the invading Paladins. It was a grueling battle that drained the pirates and forced most of the to collapse despite their impressive form, but it was a won fight.

"We did it!" one pirate cheered happily.

"We're awesome!" another added.

"We kick ass!" a larger pirate announced. "And let's not forget who kicks the most ass: First-Mate Colleen!"

"Oh my" Colleen said, cupping her face in her hands with shyness. "I'm not that great at all. It was a team effort, really. Captain Cervantes is the strongest out of all of us."

"Of course she'd go for her crush" one pirate said aside.

"Who's crushing on who!?" Colleen whined, trying to be aggressive.

"Hey..." one of the crewmen observing the distant fight with a telescope began with a shaking voice, "hey guys come here!"

"What's up?" a pirate asked. The alarm in the air was curious, and Colleen thought it was unnecessary as long as they were watching captain Ramone.

"It's the captain!" the observer shouted. "He-His bugs have failed!" a cold shock ran through everyone's spine. Colleen fought her fear for a moment and bashed away the observer while grabbing his telescope. She looked for herself and saw, with a dry gasp, her captain in the death-grip of the madman warrior. Ramone was unconscious and his body was flaking apart. A wide hole was open in his side where his frozen insect innards were clearly visible. Colleen witnessed the ultimate blow to her mind, the ultimate shock to the Ghost Killer name! The day of their defeat...one year ago.


Ramone snapped back to the present where his body was under the control of his three strongest inhabitants. Omukade was striking and snapping at Rupert while the mighty king dodged and swatted away the predictable Mi-Go and Yi-Go.

"You're getting tired" Rupert announced. "It's just like last time, isn't it? When my minion-"

"UUURAAAAAAAGGHHHH!!!" Ramone roared. The three centipede monstrosities flew out of his body and an army of buzzing beetles almost instantaneously reconstructed his arms and head. Now Ramone was whole again and scowling. He lowered his head and shuffled his feet to stay grounded. Mi-Go and Yi-Go reentered his body through holes in his back which were quickly sealed back up. Omukade circled its master and raised its clacking maw up like a snake. "Omukade...go back to the ship." The monster cackled, somewhat defiantly, and Ramone started growling. "Ggggggg......go." Omukade stopped its chatter and slithered to the side. It entered a hidden hole covered by cracked rocks and left the battlefield.

"You already made an escape tunnel" Rupert noticed. "What a cowardly tactic! You've planned your retreat but not your battle! MOHOHOHOHO!!!"

"I don't need my ability" Ramone began "to kick your ass up into your loud mouth!" Rupert stopped laughing and glared down curiously. Ramone took a pose, right arm cocked back against his side and feet spread apart with his right leg back. His left arm was straight and over his head, then he lowered it and bent the elbow until his wrist was at eye level. Then he rolled his hand out and formed a pawed palm with his fingertips folded tight into the creases where they extended from his hand. "This is the most lethal style of hand-to-hand combat I have ever learned. With one blow I've seen a man's arms fall off like a leper and I've seen someone but strike a man's little finger to break both his legs and hip bone. This is the South Blue art, Shinkei Haretsu KEN!"

Ramone adjusted his pose now, rotating his right arm by the shoulder to mirror its former position above his head and turning his left arm so his palm faced the ground. He shifted his feet and turned, spreading his legs out and glaring at Rupert through the corner of his eyes. Rupert wasn't amused. Apparently he had heard of this style before.

"Well now" Rupert began with a sneer, "I suppose I'll just have to be careful of getting hit by you!" Rupert took his own pose, sloppy and open, with both his fists up in a high guard in front of his face.

He's boxing? Ramone thought curiously. I can't afford to be careless, however. This man is strong enough and somehow nimble enough to out fight me right now. I'm tired. My legs are already starting to waver. I can feel the full weight of my body starting to drag me down...

"Gggggg...." Ramone growled. "You'd better not be underestimating me, you son of a bitch. I can kill you with one hit in this style."

"Oh, I know" Rupert said. "I picked up on that. What you should be concerning yourself with is how easily I will be able to defeat you now that I can use these!" Rupert threw his arms down, throwing his gloves off with them He then carried his arms behind his back, spilled on something he was carrying, and raised his fists back up again. This time he was grasping two identical sea-green slabs of stone etched to resemble curled fists.

"Those-!" Ramone exclaimed.

"Sea Stone Flat Knuckles!" Rupert announced. "Now your demon powers are worthless! Victory to the righteous is at hand!!!" To his loud taunt the gathered crowd cheered loudly. Ramone looked back at them and glared. Araly was glaring right back. Her hot gaze, a murderous intent that only a hardened pirate or feisty young woman could muster, stunned him for a moment. It was a moment to mark his own defeat, as Rupert was already upon him. Ramone stepped in and poked Rupert's leg armor with a light touch, then rolled between his legs just as he brought his fists down to shatter the ground. Rupert was smiling wide up until he saw that his leg armor had broken off into small pieces, exposing his bare, pale leg, and there was a blue bruise where Ramone's finger intended to go.

I can do it Ramone thought. He had finally defeated the defeatist voice that controlled him for that long, arduous year. Just a little more power, just a bit more time, and I can win! Not just for me, but for Jack and Roy and Ginny and Haggard! All my men who died from this torture brought on my this ass-bastard, I can avenge them! And not just them, but for all this hardship and unnecessary torment, I can avenge all of us! I can win!!! Ramone kept those thoughts with his tired eyes shooting open and turning proud and lustrous with an arrogant confidence! The old Ramone was finally back!!!


"FINALLY!!!" Bard shouted with gritting teeth. "I'm back where I wanted to be!" He had just reached the stretch of noble houses that laid just before the front gates and high wall leading into the castle courtyard. His fated battle with the corrupt king was finally at hand, provided the malicious Ramone hadn't already made a corpse of Bard's opponent.

"I'll just take a quick second" Bard told himself "to prepare myself mentally." Bard raised on leg up and curled it up to his hip, then clapped his hands together and started to breath loudly through his mouth. I can use Geppou now, and I've basically mastered Soru in a straight line. I need to practice my Tekkai more if I want it to improve, but my Rankyakuu is where I feel like I'm really faltering. I could make it so much more powerful, I know I can, but I just can't seem to do it! Sure, I can defeat any of these weaklings and featherweights with it, but to them it's just a sharp breeze. I need it to act as a real blade that I can cut things with! Like having some kind of bladed leg armor...whatever that's called. I wonder if my punches can use a Rankyakuu-like technique. What would that be called?

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHH!!!!" Suddenly, a tremendous roar came from over the wall. Bard looked behind him, forgetting to unfreeze from his meditation position, and fell to the ground chin first. He got himself up, rubbing his sore face, and made a short leap onto the top of the tall wall. He saw the crowd of people just below him and noticed the high vintage wooden seat next to him that a distressed young princess sat on. There was great alarm on the face of Emily as well, and a troubled look on Araly's face.

"Araly!" Bard exclaimed. His voiced was drowned away by the roaring crowd. Every man and woman stood up on their weak legs and shouted their loudest praise, for the Great King Rupert held in his hand the bloodied face and broken body of the infamous Demon! What should have been excitement for his chance to fight turned almost instantly to rage and vindication! Bard felt madder than he ever had for some reason. Even though his rival lost in the fight, Bard was furious at his opponent.

In any tournament Bard told himself, trying to calm down I wouldn't be this pissed. He lost, and I guess that was that. If these were the finals in a championship I would just tag him out and take my place center stage or allied corner, but right now...in this wide world of renegades and pirates as dangerous as him, I guess I must have considered him...a comrade!

"Is this all!?" Rupert shouted, strutting about with his thoroughly defeated foe held hard in his hand. "What of the others? Am I now to punish the girl, or the Succubus consort of this terribly creature? Are there no opponents left to try and test my might!?"

"HEY!!!" Bard shouted. The crowd died down and turned around to see the brave young man standing on the iron spikes that lined the top of the wall. His cape billowed like black, hellish flames in the wind, and his hair sparkled with a golden shine from the salty ocean wind. "You haven't already forgotten me, have you!? Soru!" Bard vanished in an instant, surprising Gretta intensely, and reappeared with Ramone over his shoulder near the statue in the center of the courtyard. "I guess it's my turn now" Bard said, observing his badly injured fellow captain with proud eyes. "I'm sure you warmed him up for me, though. Alright, I'll do my best!"

Bard turned on his heel with a glare...and a grin! Rupert was still pursing his lisp in surprise over the fact that Bard had stolen a body from the pal of his thick, enormous hand...


Shinkei Haretsu Ken: Nerve Explosion Fist