Chapter 14: Showing Off His Techniques! Zoro's Formidable One-Sword Style!
After helping Ichigo to regain his soul powers, the Straw Hats were engaged in fierce battles members of Kugo Ginjo's Xcution. One-by-one, the Straw Hats overcame the fullbringers' unique abilities and was victorious. Zoro found himself in a fierce battle against Tsukishima. Thanks Tsukishima's fullbring, Book of the End, the fullbringer now know all of Zoro's techniques and a way to counter them.
"I say that your future is looking rather bleak, Zoro." Tsukishima said. "After all, none of the defensive or attack techniques that you'd developed won't work on me. Because as things now exist, I was the one who actually helped you develop those techniques."
"So that means either my Two Swords Style or Three Swords Style won't work on you then."
"Not even your Nine Swords Asura will work." Zoro narrowed his eye as they slowly stepped towards each other and continued their battle.
Meanwhile, Nami also found herself in a desperate as her body is now trapped inside one of Riruka's plushies, thanks to her fullbring, Dollhouse.
As Nami was about to get up to her feet, Riruka kneeled down and put her gun at the plush's neck. "You don't mind if we finish this, do you?" Riruka asked. "I guess that you understand that fullbringers like me aren't anything like ordinary humans, right?"
"Well, I have noticed that you're really desperate to prove to everyone that you're different from ordinary humans." Nami said, looking at Riruka. "Tell me this; is not being normal really that important to you?"
"Of course, it is. We were able to meet Tsukishima because we weren't normal. Ginjo saved us because we weren't normal. When most people were asked what role that animals and humans must follow to keep living, I bet they would say that it survival of the fittest. My story might the way you think at things. Our story as fullbringers shows how survival of the fittest works in the real world."
"When I was around 5 years old, I found out that I was born with a special ability, a power that no one else had." Riruka explained. "By the time I was 6, I felt like I was invincible. When I was 7, I met a guy who became my first crush. He was a teenage who moved into our neighborhood. He cursed a lot when he talked but he had a good heart. Whenever he would see someone in trouble, he would run over and help them. So without even thinking, he took him and hid him away in my treasure box. Every day I would home and we would eat together and I would bring him candy. I was thrilled because I thought that he would want to stay with me and be mine forever. But as it turned around, that was not the case. You see the longer I kept him in my treasure box, the more and more sad, desperate, and afraid of me he became. Eventually, I just stand to see the sad way he looked at me anymore. So I let him go. I didn't stop to think what the consequences would be if he told anymore about my power. The phrase 'survival of the fittest' is a huge lie. It allows the weak to believe that if they work hard enough, they would stop being the hunted. But they don't get killed because they're weak. They get killed because they're in the minority. Skills alone don't matter because it's always the loud, incompetent majority who become the predators. You and everyone else know this to be the truth but you choose to ignore it. When we were separate, each of us was prey for the hunters. One of us couldn't find value in her powers because she couldn't protect her family. Another of us had parents who neglected so his heart and powers became twisted. One of us even believes that his power made him the voice of God. And finally, one of us became all alone because she used her powers foolishly. So you could image the hope we felt when Ginjo said…"
(Flashback)
"Why die quietly because you're the minority?" Ginjo said. "Take back your lives now! In the past, rather it was royalty or noble warriors; it was always the elite minority who ruled. You haven't done anything wrong. It's just that this world reward its morons. Let's change all of that. It's time of us to become the hunters."
(End of Flashback)
"So we joined him." Riruka said, finishing her story. She looked up and saw bubbles with dark clouds inside of them surround her. She looked back at Nami's clima-tact and saw a string coming from one end of the staff to the plushy Nami was in.
"Savage Blizzard!" Nami shouted. The bubbles burst, releasing a blast of snow and ice. Riruka tired to get of the way of Nami's blizzard but her left leg got frozen.
"Damn it!" Riruka cursed as she looked at her frozen leg. Her eyes widen when she saw the pushy on its feet.
"I'll be honest. I understand the tragedy that your people experienced. However, it can't use that as an excuse to abandon my friends."
"Oh your friends?!" Riruka shouted. "It's the majority that matters to you!"
"Calm down and listen to me!" Nami barked back. "If I use Savage Blizzard one more time, your body will be completely frozen!"
"You think you can take me down?!" Riruka and Nami charged towards each other. Riruka rubbed some of her hair over her nose and sneezed on the plushy. Then Nami's body appeared in front of the fullbringer.
'What the hell?!' Nami thought. 'How did I get out of that plushy?!' Riruka jabbed her gauntlet at Nami's chest as an "R" appeared on the heart.
"I'm sorry, really." Riruka said as pink aura surrounded her body. "I didn't want to use this to end our fight but you've left me with no choice."
"Damn!" Nami cursed. She tried to grab Riruka and stop her but the fullbringer disappeared. "She's gone. Where did she go?" Nami looked around the area but her vision started to get blurry and she collapsed.
"Purgatory Oni Giri!" Zoro shouted as he and Tsukishima crossed blades again and they pushed each other back.
"So you were to trying beat me with your Three Swords Style." Tsukishima said. "I see that you swords skills have improved since the last time we've crossed blades." Then Zoro placed two of his swords back into their sheaths, leaving Shushi in his hand.
"Single Sword Style…" Zoro said. "Disaster Harbor Bird!" Zoro fired a crescent moon-like projectile of compressed air at Tsukishima.
"So you're using Single Sword Style? How foolish." Tsukishima disappeared to avoid Zoro's attack and reappeared behind him. "It doesn't matter rather you use one sword or all three. Once I'm in your blind spot, you're hopeless." Tsukishima swung his sword at the swordsman only for it to be blocked by Zoro's.
'He's using Haki?!' he thought, looking at Zoro's sword imbued with armament haki.
"You've revealed your weakness too soon." Zoro said, pushing Tsukishima back.
"My weakness?!"
"The fact that you figured out my sword techniques means I can tell where you will be attacking me. If I can use my haki to know exactly where you are, I can cut you."
"I'm perplexed. I don't recall you ever doing this in training."
"Didn't you tell me that the things I was trained to won't work on you." Then a smirk appeared on Zoro's face. "Maybe you were lying."
A smirk appeared on Tsukishima's face. "I get it. You're that desperate. Trying to attack me in this matter is a ludicrous strategy!" Tsukishima charged towards Zoro and the two crossed swords again. Tsukishima smirked as he appeared behind Zoro. Before Zoro could respond, Tsukishima disappeared again and started to use his Bringer Light around the swordsman. Zoro closed his eye, using his haki to locate where Tsukishima would try and strike him next. After finding that spot, Zoro imbued Shushi with armament haki again and turned towards the fullbringer and clashed swords with him, creating an explosion. Zoro skidded out of the smoke with his eye closed and blood flowing out of his free arm. The smoke cleared and revealed Tsukishima unscathed. "Even though your haki increased the power of your attacks and pinpoint where I'll attack you next, I won't leave you enough time to respond. So with the ill-advised decision switching to your Single Sword Style, you've given me the chance to disrupt your timing and leave you with no possibility of leaving this unscathed. Alright then, have I made it clear to you? No matter what you do; it's a fact. You can't defeat me." Zoro raised his sword, preparing to attack again.
"Single Sword Style…" Zoro said.
"So you're trying to fire another air blade." Tsukishima said, slowly walking towards Zoro. "Before you even try that, I'll tell you something. I know how neutralized and counteract every one of those techniques that you possess. But if you feel that you must, then go ahead and try one on me."
"…Great Dragon Shock!" Zoro opened his eye as he went pass Tsukishima, slashing him before he could react. Tsukishima widen his eyes as blood came out of the wound that he was just inflected on him.
Tsukishima looked behind his shoulder at the swordsman. "How did you... I see. You led me to believe me that you were releasing another projectile. I never knew that you would fight me that way. Remarkable…"
"I used to believe that battle was something that you trained constantly until and went into fully prepared. But today, our battle was quite different. It's been a while since I've experienced the ecstasy of being in the moment between life and death. Thank you for a good fight, Tsukishima." Tsukishima fell to his knees and collapsed.
To be continued…
Next Chapter: A Shocking Fact! The True Identity of the Combat Pass!