Chapter 18: Hunter Sanji Make an Entrance? The Elegy of the Espada!
Yammy looked at Chopper, Orihime, and Nami. "Hey Ulquiorra, what's deal with these three? Can I kill them yet?"
Chopper, still in his human form, stood in front of Nami and Orihime to protect them from the espada.
"Chopper!" Nami and Orihime shouted.
"Hahaha, you want fight me too, you little bug. And you're the one we've wasted so much time to get you too. Fine then, you'll be the first to die."
As Yammy's fist was about to connect and finish the doctor off with one attack, a leg of someone came out of nowhere and kicked Yammy into a wall. Orihime and Ichigo's eyes widen they don't know that person but Nami and Luffy smirked since they know who uses kicks like that. The attacker landed on the ground and lit a cigarette. It was Sanji.
Yammy looked at his attacker and wiped the blood off his lip. "Who the hell are you?!"
Sanji blew a smoke and said with a smirk, "I'm the hunter."
"Sanji!" Chopper shouted, happy to see the cook again.
'Who is that?' Orihime thought, seeing Sanji for the first time.
"Sanji!" Nami called, getting the cook's attention. Sanji look at Nami and his mood made a complete 180 degree turn.
"Nami~!" Sanji shouted in his lover-boy voice. Then he noticed Orihime next to her and Chopper. "And who are you?"
"Um…I'm Orihime…" Orihime said nervous.
"Orihime, a name just as beautiful as you!" Sanji said with a heart in his visible eye.
"You damn bastard!" Yammy cursed, getting back up and getting back Sanji's attention. "Who the hell do you think you are, thinking you can attack me all yourself?!"
"What makes you think that I came by myself?" Sanji asked the espada, back in his normal tone. Then an arrow was fired and hit Yammy in his left shoulder. A figure in white clothing landed on the floor, next to Sanji.
"Uryu!" Ichigo said, knowing the figure.
"Don't let yourself get distracted." Uryu smirked, looking over his shoulder. "You just focus on your own opponent, Ichigo. Sanji and I will deal with him."
"Hey Luffy, me and Uryu will handle this guy." Sanji said to his captain. "Just kick his buddy's ass, alright."
"Right." Luffy nodded.
"Uryu!" Orihime called, getting the Quincy's attention.
Uryu looked over at Orihime and said, "I'm glad you're alright."
"Wait a minute, how did you two get here?" Ichigo asked Uryu.
"Are you sure you want to have a conversation in the middle of a fight, Ichigo?" Uryu turned and faced Ichigo. "It's simple really. Mayuri Kurotsuchi treated our injuries. He treated Renji first because he was in worst shape I was. Rukia, Chad, and Renji are in the middle of fighting Rudobon as we speak."
"Wait, what about the others?" Nami asked.
"They're on their way to join them right now." Sanji answered, blowing a puff of smoke.
"Sanji, Uryu, look out!" Chopper warned, seeing the espada get back up.
"Who the hell are you two?!" Yammy roared. "You two got some balls thinking you can strike me!" He lowered his fist down on Uryu and Sanji, and they moved out of the way.
"We've shot you with all that power and it didn't stop you." Uryu said to Yammy. "You're stronger than I thought."
"A lot stronger." Yammy narrowed his eyes at the newcomers.
"Is that right? Let's continue somewhere with less distractions."
"Uryu?" Ichigo looked behind his shoulder at Uryu. "Are you sure about this?"
"Absolutely, you deal with him. I'll take this one." Uryu jumped down the hole that Yammy came from.
"Hey Sanji, give that big guy hell." Luffy said, to his ship's cook.
Sanji smirked and said, "Not a problem." Sanji looked at Nami, Orihime, and Chopper. "Hey Chopper, make sure nothing happens to Nami and Orihime." And then, he jumped down the hole as well.
"What a bunch of smartasses." Yammy said with a smirk. "Ulquiorra, I'll be back once I'm done with these two."
Ulquiorra looked at Yammy and said, "Do as you wish." Yammy jumped down the hole after Uryu and Sanji. Ulquiorra noticed Luffy and Ichigo were looking at the hole. "Are you that concerned about your friends?" The two looked back at the espada.
"They'll be fine, unlike you." Ichigo said.
On the level below Ichigo and Luffy, Yammy landed in front of Uryu and Sanji.
"I can't believe you two are that stupid." Yammy said to Uryu and Sanji. "Coming all this way here just to get killed. If you two were going to be so late, you shouldn't have showed up at all."
"That shows what little you understand about what's happening." Uryu said. "You think we got here late because we hesitated, right?"
"Isn't that true?"
"You got it all wrong." Uryu pushed up his glasses. "The reason we're late is because a crazy scientist took his sweet time healing our wounds."
Yammy smirked and said, "That's too bad. I guess you lay the blame on that crazy scientist because you're about to ripped in half by my hands!"
Uryu shot an arrow at the espada and Yammy easily defected with the back of his hand. "Thanks for offering your take on the situation." He said. "I don't need any more motivation to hate him."
"Hey Uryu, let me handle this guy." Sanji said, stepping forward and getting the Quincy's attention. "I've got a score to settle with him. I'm going to make him pay for what he did to Robin."
"You bastards." The smirk returned on Yammy's face. "Now I'm going to kill you."
Outside of the tower, another one of the exequias was defeated by Rukia. Rukia was breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath.
"What's the problem?" Rudobon asked. "Are you getting frustrated? Is it the God-like power of my Arbol?" Then more exequias began to grow from Rudobon's branches. "Are intimated by my Calaveras and my infinite army of exequia soldiers?"
Rukia clashed blades with each soldier as they came until she jumped back.
"I was giving the powers of creation by Lord Aizen." Rudobon continued. "And in spite of that, I cannot become an espada. With that in mind, it is absurd for rodents like you, who possess a fraction of my power, to defy the espadas. Your life will end here, Soul Reaper."
Back in tower, Yammy charged towards Sanji, swinging his giant arm at Sanji. Sanji raised his leg, catching the punch with his shin. Sanji felt some pressure hitting and it pushed him back, make him crash through a pillars.
"Ha, ha, ha, what's wrong?" Yammy laughed. "You call yourself a hunter and that's the best you can do? What a joke!"
"Veil Shot!" Sanji popped out the smoke and aimed a kick at Yammy's ribs.
"Forget about it!" Yammy grabbed Sanji's leg and slammed him to the ground. Yammy threw a punch at Sanji and Sanji quickly got out of the way. "I'm not falling for one of your tricks again." He then started to throw balas from his hands as Sanji dodges them. "It seems like you're pretty good when it comes to running away." Then Yammy looked above him and saw Sanji.
"When it comes to avoiding an attack, I'm quicker than you." Sanji said. "Troiseme Hache!" Sanji pounded Yammy in his shoulder with a round of his rapid-fire kicks. But Yammy held his ground as the cook attacked. "Ready for the main course?"
"You're so confident. Those kicks are nothing more than an irritation." Yammy said, standing up straight as if nothing happened. "They're hardy worth dodging."
"Guess I'll take that as a yes." Sanji said as he dodged another bala from Yammy. "Bas Coates! Longes! Tendron! Flanchet! Quasi! Queue! Jarrett!" Sanji fired a fury of kicks at the espada, pushing him back but still no doing much damage.
'Sanji's kicks are hardly affecting him.' Uryu thought, watching the battle. 'Ichigo…'
On the level below Sanji and Uryu, Ichigo and Ulquiorra crossed swords again. Ulquiorra pushed Ichigo back and kicked him to the ground.
"I'm puzzled by your behavior." Ulquiorra said, walking over to Ichigo. Then he looked at Orihime. "Perhaps the presence of this girl is the reason why you won't put on your mask and unleash your hollow powers. If that's the case…" Ulquiorra's eyes are now directed at Chopper, who is standing on guard in front of Orihime.
Ichigo got up and stepped in front of the espada. "You're wrong." He said. "She has nothing to do with it."
"Then prove me wrong." Ulquiorra said. "Put on your mask."
'Mask?' Luffy thought confused.
"Not a chance!" Ichigo clashed swords with Ulquiorra again.
On the level below, Sanji was dodging bala attacks from Yammy.
'Ichigo is hesitating to release his full power.' Uryu thought, sensing the battle above him. 'If he does, Orihime and the Straw Hats might withstand the blast from his hollowification.' Uryu readied his bow and drew his Seele Schneider.
"Hey Sanji, let me take over from!" Uryu said, getting the cook's attention.
"What?!" Yammy taunted, looking at Uryu. "Now you think you can take me on."
"You can say that." Uryu said, aiming his weapon at the espada. "We don't have time to fool around with you anymore."
"Well it doesn't who attacks me anyway. The result will be the same."
"Oh really?" Uryu said. "Don't get too cocky who knows what I might come up with."
"You can't scare me, you little maggot." Yammy said, walking towards Sanji and Uryu. Uryu fired his weapon and it pierced Yammy's chest. Yammy smirked and looked at the Quincy. "You must think this joke." Smoke started to come out of the Seele Schneider as lights, causing to burn Yammy as he yells in pain.
"This attack was aimed at your reishi bonds." Uryu said. "It loosens them and helps take them away. It lets me penetrate even an arrancar's hiero." Uryu and Sanji's eyes widen as Yammy grabbed Uryu's weapon and pulled it out of his chest.
"You've miscalculated, you moron!" A cero form in Yammy's mouth and was fired at Sanji and Uryu.
To be continued…
Next Chapter: Don't Stop! Hoist the Counterattack Signal!