Ch. 33- Wild Beast
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard, Aika, Kumi, and Jupiter © Me
While Tashigi was busy, G-5 made their way out of the Biscuits Room with Sanji in the lead.
"C'mon, you bunch of lollygaggers!" Sanji shouted. "Let's see some hustle! Follow Tashigi's orders and rescue those little brats!"
"Right, Bro Black Leg!" the G-5 soldiers shouted.
"I can't believe there was another Logia user besides Caesar!" said one of them. "This is WAY over our heads!"
"Hey, Bro Black Leg!" said a G-5 swordsman.
"What is it now?!" Sanji questioned.
"How come you didn't save us when we were getting attacking, back there?!"
"Quit your bitching! I just don't kick women, no matter if the enemy or not, okay?!"
"But what if it were a matter of life and death?!"
"…Then I choose death!"
"YOU'RE CRAZY!"
"Well, if that's the case, what about Pirate Hunter back there?"
"Yeah! With that look in his eyes, he looked like he would cut down anybody!"
"Actually," Sanji said, "he's a lot softer than you'd think, but the guy will get it done when it counts. Let him deal with this. And you don't need to worry about Tashigi. Right now, our job is to save those little tykes…and then, Nami, Robin, and Tashigi will praise us!"
"YEAH!" the G-5 men cheered.
XXX
Concurrently, in the Biscuits Room, Zoro and Tashigi now stood before Monet.
"Why didn't you go with your men?!" Zoro questioned.
"I'm free to do as I please," Tashigi said.
"Not if it means you're gonna interfere with my fight!" Zoro barked.
"And you're free to think as you please," Tashigi said.
"WHAT?!" Zoro questioned. "Well…if that's the case, then does that mean I'm also free to take you down…Captain Copycat?!"
"…You can't," Tashigi whispered.
"What was that?!"
"You won't cut me down, Roronoa…and you won't cut HER down, either!"
"WHO THE FUCK SAYS I WON'T?! SHE STABBED MY GIRLFRIEND!"
Monet chuckled as she hovered in front of Zoro and Tashigi.
"I thought that was the case," Monet said, "and it appears I was right."
Tashigi glared at the harpy…as she remembered a moment between her and Zoro two years ago…when they first met.
Flashback; 2 years ago; Logue Town
Zoro is seen walking away from Tashigi to catch up with Luffy and the others and get out of the storm. However, it looked like the latter wasn't done with him.
"Why don't you finish me?!" a frustrated Tashigi questioned. "Is it because I'm woman?!"
Zoro stopped…and then he turned and glared hatefully at the swordswoman.
"I can't stand the fact that you exist!" he shouted.
"W-what?!" Tashigi questioned.
"That face of yours! You look exactly like this friend of mine who died, years ago! YOU EVEN SAY THE SAME FUCKING THINGS! STOP BEING A DAMN COPYCAT!"
"WHAT?! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Tashigi questioned. "STOP ACTING LIKE SUCH A BRAT, JUST BECAUSE I LOOK LIKE YOUR DEAD GIRLFRIEND!"
Flashback end
Tashigi turned and glared at Zoro with a pout on her face.
"…Why are you looking at me like that?" Zoro asked.
"You assume that women are weaker," Tashigi began, "and then you refuse to fight your hardest! By not striking the finished blow, you might not lose, but you will never win, either! That's why I stay behind! If you let this Logia woman survive to continue the chase, then it's my men who will who suffer!"
"What the hell do you think I am, some kinda sick joke?!" Zoro questioned.
"Yes, as a matter of fact," Tashigi answered.
Zoro seethed upon hearing this…but then, he just sighed and sat down.
"You know what?" he asked. "Fine. Have it your way."
"What?!" Tashigi questioned.
"My job is to keep her from going after my crewmates," Zoro said. "As long as the hallway's protected, then I'm fine with that."
"How can you be so…?!" Tashigi questioned. "We don't have all day, you know! You need to escape, as well!"
"Hey, pay attention, will ya?" Zoro asked. "She's trying to kill you, too, remember."
As he said this, Monet disappeared, and then reappeared behind Tashigi in her beast form!
"That's right!" she roared. "And thank you so much for telling me his weakness. You might be able to use Haki…but it will be child's play to rip you to shreds!"
KLANG! Monet attempted to bite Tashigi, but the swordswoman managed to block her sword, and then swung, but Monet turned into snow and dodged.
"Haki may be useful in forcing Logia and Paramecia users back into their original shape," Monet mocked, "but if you can't at least match my speed, then you'll never catch me in the first place! Am I wrong?!"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, YOU ARE!" Tashigi shouted before she swung her sword…and cut Monet in her right calf!
"AGH!" Monet cried in pain before she looked down…and saw blood trickling from an open gash in her lucky. Then she looked at Tashigi, who gave a serious glare as she poised her sword to attack, once more.
(A/N: I'm tired of Tashigi always being seen as weak, so I've decided to give her more of a fighting chance.)
"…Not bad," Zoro said, raising his eyebrows in intrigue.
"Hmph! Just a lucky hit," Monet said before she flew up into the air. "Let's see how you like snowball fights, little girl! SNOW RABBITS!"
Then, Monet started throwing snowballs in the shape of rabbits at Tashigi. However, the Marine Captain remained unafraid. She stood her ground and sliced through them!
"SORU!" Tashigi shouted as she disappeared.
"I see," Monet said. "Perhaps I've underestimated Smoker's right-hand. Snowstorm!"
FWOOOOO~! Monet blew a large gust of wind, creating a huge snowstorm!
"Dammit!" Zoro cursed. "What now?!"
Tashigi grunted as she tried to shield herself from the snow. However…she didn't seem to notice a shadowy figure appearing behind her.
"Don't worry about your men…because I'll make sure to tell them what happened to you before I mutilate them."
Tashigi gasped and turned around, only to see Monet back in her beast form. Before Tashigi could strike, the harpy trapped her with her Permafrost attack again and bit her shoulder!
"AAAAAGH!" Tashigi screamed. However, despite her pain, she tried to push Monet back with her free hand.
"What do you think you're doing, you little whore?!" Monet asked. "Let go of me!"
"No…I won't!" Tashigi hissed.
'If I let go,' she thought, 'she'll rip off my shoulder, just like how she did with one of the soldiers!'
"I could keep chewing right through you, if you prefer," Monet said as she tried to gnaw right through Tashigi's shoulder, making her scream even more…but then, Tashigi raised her sword with whatever strength she had…and stabbed Monet in her right eye!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Monet screamed in agony as she held her face and pulled away from the Marine Captain, thankfully not ripping off her shoulder in the process. Zoro stood up, surprised at Tashigi's quick thinking.
Monet groaned before she pulled her wing away from right eye…revealing a river of blood dripping from the socket!
"You…YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Monet roared. "I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD RIGHT OFF YOUR SHOULDERS!"
Tashigi scoffed as she stood up, preparing to attack once more, but then…SLASH! Monet cried out in pain when a small cut suddenly appeared on her left cheek!
"W-what the…?!" she questioned as she looked over and saw Zoro.
"I think I've sat around, long enough," the swordsman said. "I need to keep moving onward."
"R…Roronoa…?" Tashigi muttered.
'But…how?!' Monet thought as she felt the cut on her cheek. 'I thought he wasn't going to attack a woman! But…that slash was fully meant to maim me!'
"I think you've underestimated me…snow-woman," Zoro said with an almost wicked grin. "The instant you realized you couldn't match up to me, you should've just ran for your pathetic little life. I'll admit, there are times when I don't wanna use my swords…but…let me ask you this: have you ever met a wild best…that you could guarantee would never bite a human?! Because I sure haven't."
Monet gasped at this, and before long, Zoro dashed towards her. The snow-harpy tried to fly away, and yet…she found herself frozen!
'W…what's going on?!' she thought. 'Why can't I move?!'
"One-Sword Style…" Zoro said as he held up Shuusui.
Monet gasped in horror as she tried to back away.
'He's…he's going to kill me!' she thought. 'HE'S REALLY GOING TO KILL ME!'
"Dragon…QUAKE!"
SLASH! Zoro cut Monet…vertically in half.
"W…what the…?!" Tashigi gasped in shock. "He…he actually cut her down?!"
"That's for stabbing Robin, you snow-skank," Zoro hissed.
THUD! Monet's two halves fell to the ground while Zoro sheathed his swords.
"Well?" Zoro asked. "I hope you're both satisfied."
"He…he actually cut her in two…!" Tashigi whispered, still shocked by what Zoro had done.
However…Monet's body suddenly twitched, and her two halves started to get up, albeit rather shakily, though.
"You…you bastard!" Monet cursed. "How…how dare you insult me…so…!"
"Sh-she's still alive?!" Tashigi questioned. "I thought you used Haki on her!"
Monet tried to put her two halves back together, but one half melted into snow and crumbled to the floor.
"Huh?!" Tashigi muttered, but as he continued to watch Monet, she realized she was shaking very much and she kept falling down. That was the moment she understood.
Monet could not control her own body…because she was paralyzed with fear. She knew very well that if Zoro had used Haki on her, she would be dead. Not to mention the fear of his overwhelming power. In all her days as a Marine, Tashigi had never seen anyone win a fight like that, before.
As she watched Zoro walk away, she wondered where he and the other Straw Hats had been during the last two years and what they had been doing during that time.
Just how powerful could they possibly be?
Suddenly…Monet appeared behind Zoro, holding up one of her shanks, despite her constantly crumbling body.
"I won't…let you escape, Pirate Hunter!" Monet shouted.
Tashigi gasped before she grabbed her sword…and stabbed Monet in the chest from behind and made a slice through her shoulder!
"AGH!" Monet cried.
"Cutting Mist!" Tashigi shouted as Monet coughed up blood. "And now…you've lost!"
FWUMP! The snow-harpy collapsed to the floor…finally defeated.
A pause…but then Zoro turned and continued to walk away, but then, Tashigi stopped him.
"Hold it!" she shouted. "Do you mind what the hell that was?! Why didn't you finish her off?! I knew you weren't taking this seriously-"
"Says the one who stuck her nose into this fight," Zoro interrupted. "If you hadn't cut her just then, then I would have."
Tashigi seethed at this.
"YOU LYING SON OF A BITCH!" she shouted. "That's not fair! You can't say something like that after I've done the job!"
"Then you shouldn't have bothered," Zoro said.
"You…you…!" Tashigi growled…until Zoro placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'll admit, though," he began, "you were actually pretty impressive, Captain Four-Eyes. Not only did you actually manage to hold your own for a while, but you also kept her from chasing anyone. I'll let you take credit, for once."
"Wha…?!" Tashigi muttered…but then she growled. "HOW CAN YOU BE SO DAMN PATRONIZING?!"
"Because you're so inferior to me," Zoro answered.
Tashigi seethed at this.
"YOU SELF-CENTERED, SEXIST SON OF A BITCH!" she roared. "IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE SITUATION WE'RE IN, I'D HAUL AWAY TO IMPEL DOWN MYSELF!"
TO BE CONTINUED…
People have been saying that Zoro might have gotten a wee bit too arrogant after the timeskip. Who knows?
Review, please!