Chapter 23: I Don't Want To Fight You! Ellix vs. Tack!

Colour Spread: Secret Preview-Most of the Strawhats are circled around the edge of the page, a giant shadowed base with the Marine logo on it takes up the background, as blue crystals are scattered around the scene. In the centre stands Luffy, Ellix and Eri, opposite them are three shadowed figures, with a giant shadowed thing looming over them. A caption at the bottom reads: 'Go through the portals...'

What did Tack just say?

"Hey, Tack! That's not funny! I was worried about you!" I said in annoyance.

"I'm not joking, Ellix." Tack kept his expression.

"What are you going on about, kiddo? Something happen to you?" Gundar asked, sounding like he already knew the answer.

Tack said nothing in retaliation. "Ellix! I'm only giving you one chance!" He pointed at me. "Leave Kobata alone and leave this fleet, or you die!"

"Never!" I shouted with a swipe of my hand. "I'm going to break him for what he's done to Gundar and Specter! And why the hell are you siding with him all of a sudden!?"

He got out his knife and cut his palm, blood started swirling around in it. "Here I come." He said as he raised his palm. "Blood..."

"Hold on a second, Tack!" I tried to reason with him.

"...Spear!" My reasoning fell on deaf ears as a crimson red spear formed itself and shot at me, I jumped away just in the nick of time.

"Kiddo!" Gundar gasped as he readied his cane.

"No wait!" I held out a hand to stop him. "Let me try to stop him! Tack! Just tell me what's wrong!"

"Blood Sword!" He created a sword out of blood and charged at me with it.

"Kami-E." I steadied my breathing and remained calm so that I could sway out of the way of his slashes. 'I have to make a connection with him somehow...' I thought.

"Ahhh!" He swiped at me again and I jumped into the air.

"Geppo!" I cried as I climbed into the sky with my feet, hopping on the spot in midair. "Tack! Has Kobata done something to you!?"

"Blood Bullets!" He swiped his palm, sending blood droplets at pistol speed towards me, I Geppoed out of the way just in time and hid behind one of the houses.

I fought to steady my breathing as I heard him pace around the houses. "Has he done something to Roy or Sarah?" No response. 'Is he really just fighting me to protect Kobata?' I mentally punched myself. 'No! There HAS to be a reason! I just need to keep talking to him!'

"Blood Spear!" A red spear pierced through the wall mere centimetres away from my ear.

'Crud!' I thought as I made a mad dash for it,having to tuck and roll when blood spears pierced through thewall even more. "Geppo!" I ran back into the air. "Tack! We're friends! Let me help you!"

"Blood Bullets!" I jumped down to the ground to avoid more blood droplets, then I watched in disbelief as he cut his other palm. "Blood Shockwaves!" He swept his hands across the ground and two waves of blood rushed towards me, I barely jumped out of the way in time.

"That does it! I'm gonna have to beat some manners into you!" Gundar growled as he started walking forward.

"Soru!" I dashed forward and blocked his way. "I said stop! I'm trying to bring him around."

"Your not GONNA! Don't you get it, kiddo!?" The ossan retaliated.

"Blood Fists!" I turned to see two bloody fists shoot towards me.

"Tekkai!" I crossed my arms and hardened my body, easily enduring the impact.

"Blood Whips!" Two long whip like streams of blood slithered out of his palms and headed towards me.

"Tekkai Gou!" I doubly reinforced myself as endured the lashes that bounced off of me harmlessly. "Fighting isn't gonna do either of us any good, Tack! I'm trying to help you!"

Then the blood wrapped around me, picked me up and threw me into a house head first, I crashed into it and tumbled inside, smashing my head against a cabinet and subsequently making it fall on top of me.

'Damn it...are you deliberately ignoring me?' I thought angrily.

"Blood Spears!" I gasped and narrowly jumped over two spears that shot in through the door.

"Soru!" I crashed through the wall and skidded next to Gundar.

"Wake up and smell the roses, kiddo!" Gundar yelled as he whacked me. "He's fighting you without a single hint of mercy and regret in your eyes! Your a complete and utter enemy to him! Now start returning the favour!"

"No!" I refused. "Tack helped me! He's my friend!"

He grabbed me by the front of my jacket and pulled me to his bearded face. "He is willing to kill you without even batting an eyelid! Does THAT sound like a friend!?"

"I swore on my justice that I would never harm a friend!" I shouted at him, my mind drifting back to the pain I had felt after Luffy and Usopp's duel. 'I don't know if my heart could take that pain...'

"If you won't deal with him, then I will! So you better make a choice quick, kiddo!" Gundar demanded.

"Blood Shockwaves!" Two more blood waves were digging through the ground towards me.

"Kami-E!" I threw Gundar away to prevent him getting hit as my body leaned out of the way of the two attacks.

"Blood Bullets!" He fired blood droplets from both of his hands this time.

"Tekkai Hidatsuki!" My chest expanded quickly and obliterated the blood droplets before returning to normal.

"Blood Whips!" He lashed at my ankles.

"Geppo!" I kept jumping into the air when suddenly the two whips slammed down on top of me. The wind was knocked out of me as I was painfully smashed into the ground.

"T-Tack..." I wheezed. "Stop for a sec-"

"Blood Fists!" Two bloody fists smashed into my gut and pounded me into the floor, creating a small crater.

I was covered from head to toe in bruises as I struggled to my knees and one hand. 'Why...he won't listen to me, won't even stop attacking...why...' Tears began leaking out of my eyes.

"...P...PLEASE STOP, TACK!" I begged in despair, tears flowing down my face. "I-I refuse to fight you! Your my friend! We have to watch out for each other! Not fight! I don't want to stand against you! Please Tack! Just STOP!"

"Blood Swords." He didn't even hesitate to create two swords and charge at me.

"K-Kami-E..." I sobbed as I leaned my body to avoid the deadly slashes.

All he was doing was attacking, attacking, attacking. Did he really not give two shits about all we've been through!?

I gritted my teeth in a vain attempt to subdue my anger, but I still stomped forcefully on the ground and pull back a fist.

"Soruuuuuuu-!"

He stopped and his eyes widened in horror. I instantly wanted to stop my attack, but it was too late.

"K-Ken!" I choked on my words as I decked him in the face with Soru speed, throwing him clear across the stony path with a broken path in his wake, lying unconcious at the end of it.

I stared at what I'd done in horror for a few minutes, before came to my senses and I ran to my friend.

"Tack!" I cried as I picked up his limp body carefully, gently shaking him to try and wake him up as I cried uncontrollably. "Wake up! Please wake up Tack! I'm sorry! Please wake up!"

Suddenly I felt a sharp pain.

I slowly looked down to see a blood red spear sticking into me, barely missing my stomach.

Tack looked up at me emotionlessly. "I can't believe you fell for that crap." He spat as he threw me into another house with a loud crash.

I lay in the new wreckage, repeating his words over and over in my head.

I was genuinely worried for him, for my friend. I was crying for him, for my friend.

And he stabbed me.

My face slowly twisted into one of pure rage and I clenched my fists tightly, ignoring my injuries I stood up.

"That does it!" I heard Gundar yell. "I'm going to knock you straight out into the ocean you bastard!"

"Hold on, Gundar." I said as I stepped out of the debris. I threw off my leather jacket and tightened my red sash. "He's stepped over the line..."

I walked over until I was facing Tack. "If I have to get through you to get to Kobata...so be it." I slipped into a battle stance. "From this point on...you are my enemy!"

With Annabel and Dimo...

The odd pair looked up at the tower/lighthouse in front of them. "This is it..." Annabel mumbled.

"Reuinitingness will be having soon Ellix-sama!" Dimo cheered. "Unimportantling! We must be having the onward and upwardness!"

"PLEASE stop calling me that." Annabel sweatdropped as they walked inside. The two were met with a small elavator. "What's this thing?" She asked.

"I say to you no clueness." Dimo huffed.

The two walked into the small box and noticed the up and down buttons. "Well, we wanna go up." Annabel shrugged as she pressed the button. The doors closed and the box lurched before it started moving upwards. "Hey, this is pretty neat."

"Having the yesness." Dimo nodded, before the machine lurched and came to a standstill. "Ni of the na? Why are we having the stopping?"

Suddenly two more elevators came down, with pirates armed with rifles in them, taking aim at the duo. "We have you now, intruders!"

"Oh please." Annabel smirked as she used her scythe to cut a hole in the box.

"H-Hey! Stop that!" One pirate yelled nervously.

"See ya!" She exclaimed as she chopped the cables, sending one elevator plumetting down.

"Damn it! I'll kill you!" The other yelled as he fired, but she just spun her scythe like a fan and deflected the bullets.

Meanwhile Dimo had climbed on top of the elevator and pulled out a pair of oversized yellow hedge cutters from his notepad (Which he had just scribbled in). "I say to you bye bye!" He squealed as he sniped the cables, making the elevator have the same fate as its buddy.

Annabel climbed on top as well. "Seriously, these guys keep getting weaker and weaker." She then stared skyward. "But NOW how are we supposed to get up there?"

"Hmmm..." Dimo's face twisted into an over-the-top thinking face, before hitting his palm with his fist. "Ohhhh! I am having the knowingness!" He scribbled on his notepad and pulled out two lightning shaped green hoverboards.

"...I gotta admit, you can be pretty cool sometimes." Annabel praised him as she climbed onto one.

And so the two continued their ascent to the top.

With Me and Tack...

"Haaaaaah!" I shouted as I punched Tack in the chest so hard he flew into a wall. I wasn't going to give him a chance to recover as I jumped over to him. "Shigan...Five!" I brandished all four fingers and thumb on my right hand and stabbed them all into Tack's stomach, before jumping away to get ready for the inevitable.

"Blood Bullets!" As I had thought, Tack fired his technique from his new bullet wounds, which I had to roll to avoid.

"Rankakyu!" I sliced an airwave with my leg, and I predicted correctly that he would take it full on. Blood spurted from his waist, but it quickly reformed into a curved blade.

"Blood Spintop!" Tack spun super fast and charged at me as a deadly weapon.

"Soru!" I dashed all over the place, giving him a game of cat and mouse as I calculated the best time to strike.

I ducked under his blade and raised my foot. "Youuuuuu!" I shouted as I kicked him upward in the chin, sending him flying into the air. "Soru Tsuisutā!" I spun around super fast like Tack had just doe and launched myself at him as a big spinning bullet. I rammed into him and stopped my momentum, landing safely just before he landed with a crash.

Tack stood up from the impact smoke and raised his hand. "Blood Needles!" I looked up and saw blood droplets suspended in the air above me.

'He must've coughed some up when I hit him.' I thought as the droplets sharpened themselves into needles before raining down. "Kami-E!" My body leaned and avoided the falling needles as I dashed towards Tack.

"Blood Spear!" This time I leaned to dodge then grabbed Tack's arm.

"Yah!" I shouted as I threw him into another house with a boom.

"Blood Stilts." Blood Spears came out of Tack's feet and pushed him up into the sky, walking along whilst at the same time trying to skewer me. "Blood Spear!" The spears on his feet quickly shot back inside his body and he attempted to stab me again, this time I jumped up.

"Geppo Bakuhatsu!"

"Blood Urchin!"

I created a small air explosion by stamping down on the atmosphere whilst bloody spikes shot out of every part of Tack's body. He was pushed back whilst I backflipped away onto my feet, WITHOUT my feet having been punctured.

I knew that in order to beat Tack I'd have to take it up a notch. "Okay Tack, you asked for this."

"Give it your best shot." He sneered as the spikes retreated into himself.

I gritted my teeth as I slammed my palms into the side of my face. "Daydream!" My head pulsated, and I was bathed in a rainbow light with multicoloured threads emanating from my body and into the sky, where they faded away.

"This technique..." Tack mumbled before he gathered blood in both palms. "Blood Shockwa-"

"Soru." I dashed in front of him into a crouching position. "Dream Dream...Tension Kick!" I kicked him in the stomach and pumped raw energy through it, tripling the damage, making Tack cough up blood, and sending him skidding away.

I didn't give him time to breath as I chased after him and stretched both my arms back. "Dream Dream...Twin Tension Shot!" I slammed both fists into his chest before pumping energy through them, smashing him into yet another house.

As the debris cleared he struggled to stand, but I was currently ruled by anger and had no sympathy. "I'm only giving you one last chance Tack...give up!"

Tack glared at me. "Never, you asshole...look above you."

I looked up to see blood formed into lots of spear shapes above me. "I'm going to turn you into a bloody pincushion." Tack slowly raised his hand.

"Blood...Judgement!"

The speads dropped on me all at once.

But they didn't even break the skin.

"Tekkai...Gou." I said as the blood liquified, drenching me in the red substance. "...This is on you..." I said as I readied both my fists.

"Dream Dream..."

His eyes widened in horror again, but this time I ignored him.

"...Rapid Fiiiiiiiiire!"

I repeatedly slammed my fists into him so fast it looked like I had ten arms. Every punch was devastating as I pinned Tack against the wall of a house and repeatedly battered him all over his body. The whiplash effect soon kicked in and the punches became so fast and so powerful it looked like jet streams were hitting him.

"AhhhhhhhhHHHHHH!" I roared as with one final punch I obliterated the house and sent him flying into the ground, blood leaking out of his mouth in defeat.

But he was still concious, it looked like it was taking everything he had not to fall under. The blood in front of him slowly rose up, but I just stepped in it, squashing it back down.

I clutched my forehead in pain as Daydream faded away, breathing heavily.

"...You baka..." I was trying to be strong, but I couldn't stop my voice from shaking or the tears from rolling. "Why did you do it...? WHY!?"

Tears began to mix in with Tack's blood. "Ellix..." He sobbed, dropping his heartless demeanor. "I'm sorry...I'm so, so, sorry...I know I can never undo what I've done now..."

I wiped away my tears and I glarec down at him. "Why didn't you tell me something was wrong, Tack!? Why did you give me the cold shoulder!?"

He bit his lip as he struggled to speak. "I'm sorry...I was desperate..." He was the very envisionment of a broken man. "Kobata...he...he..."

"He what?" Gundar asked as he walked over.

Tack swallowed the lumps in his throat. "He...he took Sarah..."

My eyes widened. "Sarah...?"

"Yes..." He nodded weakly. "He...he threatened to kill her...if I didn't kill you...and now Sarah's going to die because of me..." He grabbed my shorts. "I promised her mother I would place her above my own life! I swore, Ellix!" He slumped again. "And now she's going to die because of me..."

Tears were flowing freely down my face, but it was set in an expression of pure hatred. "This is my fault too, Tack..." I began walking away. "Gundar...please take care of Tack."

"N-Nani!?" He yelled in shock. "Kiddo! If you go after Kobata with those wounds, you won't stand a chance against-"

"URUSAI!" I shouted, knowing he wouldn't whack me for that. "I hate Kobata...I hate him with every fibre of my being...even if I'm bloody and broken by the end of it...I WILL BEAT HIM 'TILL HE CAN'T WALK!"

"Kiddo..."

"Ellix..."

"No more crying!" I declared. "For now, we have to be strong! But I promise, once I've beaten Kobata...YOU CAN CRY AS MUCH AS YOU WANT! I'M GOING TO KICK HIS ASS!"

Looks like Ellix is pumped now, will he be able to defeat Kobata? He'd better! By the way, that 'Special Preview' I did is for my 'Special Project' I'm working on...review time!

To HikariLight00: No cliffhanger this time luckily, and now you know the truth.

To Exile037: Thanks for the backstories! I know just where to fit 'em in, and also thanks for the double review!

To Zusenheim: Ahhh, right, thanks for reading my movie fanfic by the way!

To Thief-chan: Thanks for the compliment! I had a bit of trouble thinking a good outfit up for Eri-chan...and Gundar IS pretty flashy...

To TheRealEvanSG: Not black MAGIC, blackMAIL. Close though.

Reviews do help! I hope you enjoyed reading!

Nakama!