Nine Minutes Chapter 17: Warrior, an one piece fanfic

Chapter 17: Warrior

Disclaimer: My plan to beat in Eiichiro Oda in a duel to win ownership One Piece of him didn't go so well. Turns out that Oda has mad skills with a fencing sword.

Previously:

Battles!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Luffy vs Everyone

A huge arc of flame burst from a Shandorian raider's sword, yet Luffy easily avoided it. Another raider launched an exploding arrow, only for the pirate to sidestep, and then duck to narrowly avoid an Enforcer's Axe Dial. Two Enforcers charged forward at Luffy, the air in front of them behind slicing in the shape of an 'X', yet Luffy responded by slamming his sandaled feet into their chests with a dull and painful crunch.

Around him, enemies attacked from all sides, yet Luffy didn't give an inch. Enforcers and raiders clashed together, only to be sent flying by a furious spinning kick. A violent scream burst from his throat as Luffy brought down his fist against an Enforcer's skull.

There was an earth-rumbling hiss as the Master of the Sky lunged downwards for another attack, blurring with speed as its massive, muscular body lashed forward. The fighters scattered, while Luffy barely avoided its poisonous fangs. He punched the snake firmly on its nose, yet the scales were as hard as iron. Luffy's fists were already bleeding, but he didn't seem to care.

It said a lot about the anger between the Shandorians and the Enforcers that not even a humongous python could persuade them to stop fighting.

Raiders screamed and launched in for another attack, but Luffy was already jumping down at them from above, his legs spinning in a lightning fast roundhouse kick. The pirate was everywhere. There were a hundred men trying to fight each other, but instead they all ended up facing Luffy.

Braham grunted as he reloaded his flash guns, shooting upwards on Jet Skis as he took aim. The blindingly bright bullets shot downwards, punching into the earth, yet Luffy was already sprinting across the ground. Braham glimpsed Laki carefully taking aim with her rifle while Genbo hoisted his huge cannon over his shoulder. Luffy didn't even hesitate.

Laki's rifle exploded in an incredibly fast and accurate Dial-powered shot, yet Luffy only skirted to the side while the bullet ruffled his hair. Genbo fired a huge, heavy iron cannonball with bone-crushing force, but Luffy's fist blurred forward. His knuckles slammed against solid iron with enough force to produce a shockwave. Every muscle on his body strained for half a second, before smashing forward.

The iron cannonball cracked and shattered into pieces. Debris flew everywhere, causing men to duck for cover. Braham felt his mouth drop, but Luffy was already leaping upwards, pulling his arm backwards for another blow.

Braham's guns flashed forward, skidding backwards on Jet Skis. He was the best gunslinger in Shandia, yet somehow Luffy managed to avoid every bullet, leaping after him without any Dials or weapons. This kid… Braham thought in shock, feeling a spike of fear cut through his body, this kid fights like a goddamn machine… !

There was no pause or hesitation as Luffy covered the distance in mid-air. The Flash Dials in Braham's guns were so bright that they were known blind his enemies, but Luffy never seemed to care. Somehow, he just kept on going. With a dull hiss, Braham's Jet Skis ran out of power and he started to fall downwards, while Luffy pulled his arm back for a powerful blow, muscles clenching tightly.

How could a Blue Sea citizen be so strong? Braham thought desperately, just before Luffy's knuckles collided with his stomach. The force knocked the air from his lungs and sent him flying downwards. Just before his vision blacked out, Braham got an up-close look at Luffy's face.

Luffy had been fighting with his eyes closed.

There was a gasp of shock among the raiders as Braham slammed roughly against the ground. Luffy was relentless. As soon as his feet landed, he was already charging forward, crashing through Enforcers and knocking them to the ground. There was an unyielding fury to every attack, smashing through shields and defences without hesitation. The bodies dropped fast and furiously. Dials shattered or ran out of charge, yet Luffy just kept on going with pure, inhuman determination.

Weakly, Braham's eyes flickered open, just in time to see Genbo crash into the ground from a powerful double handed strike. Laki fared better; her stance was perfect as she took precise and accurate shots from across the field with her rifle. She was the sniper of the Shandorians and she rarely missed, but Luffy was just too fast. He covered the distance and then knocked her to the ground with a solid kick.

The old chief lasted longer than anyone would have expected, but the old man fought carefully and with experienced skill. His sword flashed through the air expertly, but in the end Luffy's raw strength sent him collapsing to the ground.

Braham was still struggling just to breath. The plain was covered in men either unconscious or trying weakly to pull themselves up off the ground. The raider could barely move, yet he turned in time to glimpse the massive fangs of the giant python lunging straight towards him. For one breathless moment, Braham heart stopped.

And then, suddenly, Luffy was there, lifting Braham off the ground along with two other Shandorians, pulling them out the path of the Master of the Sky. Braham could barely breathe as he felt the whoosh of air as the snake lunged past him, yet Luffy dropped them to the ground and charged at the furious python. He punched the snake firmly on its side, yet the monster didn't even notice.

The snake was berserk, lunging madly at anything that moved. Luffy clenched his teeth while python reared around to strike again.

"Get out of here!" Luffy roared furiously. The snake struck downwards again, coming so close that Luffy felt a droplet of venom brush burn against his skin. With a wordless scream of fury, Luffy pounded forward and slammed his fist against the python's right eyeball. The blow caused it to hiss madly, and then thrash with renewed intensity. The earth rumbled with every slither of the huge beast.

"Leave!" Luffy screamed loudly, trying to attack again. He avoided its gaping mouth, and managed to land on its back. Its body was solid muscle, flexing as it slammed Luffy to the earth.

For half a second, Luffy hesitated, before pulling himself up to face the huge snake again. He was panting heavily, but his eyes were furious.

Slowly, realisation dawned. He's protecting us, Braham realised with shock; he's keeping the snake's attention so it doesn't go after the unconscious warriors . Why would he beat us all up and then save our lives at the same time?

The Master of the Sky coiled around, drawing its head in as it prepared to lunge again. The beast was staring at Luffy with wild, primal rage. Somehow, Luffy's gaze was even more threatening.

"You will not beat me," Luffy muttered quietly, struggling to stand up straight. His body was sagging with every breath, but his eyes never left the python. "You will not beat me…"

The snake hissed loudly, its body clenching for another attack. In the bright sunlight, Luffy could see the massive muscles rippling with every movement.

"You will not beat me… ! " Luffy promised, tightening his hands into fists. The air around him seemed to almost vibrate with power. His gaze was unwavering. For a second, time froze.

When Luffy spoke again, his voice was deathly quiet but it still resonated across plain. Braham felt a shiver run down his spine.

"Move."

For the first time, the python paused. Those berserk eyes seemed to hesitate, as that voice triggered a primal fight-or-flight instinct buried under all that rage. The air pulsed.

Slowly, with almost delicate care, the Master of the Sky flexed around and slithered away. Luffy sighed and almost collapsed in relief. The field turned silent. The earth was covered in craters and gouges from the short and furious battle.

After a few minutes, Luffy pulled himself up. There was a small stone ruin by the edge of the field, and Luffy grabbed Braham and another Shandorian warrior and dragged their bodies into the ruin, placing them under the cover. Braham watched weakly, still teetering on the edge of unconsciousness.

Luffy carefully carried the other raiders into the ruin. He even dragged Genbo's huge body across the field. All of the men were unconscious; anyone who hadn't been knocked out in the fight had been knocked out from the face-off with the python.

Finally, Braham managed to find his voice. "What are you doing?" He muttered suspiciously. His body wasn't working properly. It was hard to even breathe.

Luffy grinned brightly, carefully dropping Laki and the old chief into the enclave of the ruins. "Oh, just putting you under cover," he explained. "I didn't want to leave you guys out in the open unconscious like that. I've got to go, but I figured you would be safer with shelter."

Braham was quiet for a while. Luffy walked over to him, and cautiously propped his body up against the wall. Braham had lost his trademark hat in the fight, revealing a head of short hair and a large monobrow. The raider had always been extremely embarrassed of his monobrow.

"Why would you care what happens to us?" Braham asked in a wheezy voice. For all he was a muscular man, Luffy's blow had left a painful bruise and what felt like several cracked ribs.

Luffy glanced at him. "Because you never tried to kill me," he said simply. Braham's brow furrowed in confusion, but Luffy just continued. "I could feel it when we fought. You were fighting to defeat me, not to kill me. You were angry, but there wasn't any killing intent. As far as I'm concerned, that makes you good guys, and I don't like it when bad things happen to good guys."

His grin stretched from ear to ear. Braham just stared at the pirate in shock. "I'm not much of a doctor," Luffy confessed. "But I think all your friends are going to be alright. Just let them sleep it off."

Luffy glanced at Braham apologetically. "You guys were really tough, mind!" Luffy laughed. "I'm absolutely exhausted. It was a good fight."

It took a few seconds for Braham to find his voice. "How did you get rid of that snake?" The raider asked finally.

Luffy shrugged. "I'm not quite sure," he admitted. "I'm still trying to work it all out."

"Hmmm…" Braham murmured, resting his hand back with a wheezy sigh and closing his eyes. "I never thought that I would end up being a small fry…"

The pirate watched him fall unconscious. The ruins were packed with sleeping bodies, but none of the raiders seemed in any immediate danger. Luffy sighed before slowly exiting the ruins.

He barely made it five steps before suddenly a small shape lunged at him with a knife. "Villain!" A shrill voice shouted loudly.

Luffy easily sidestepped the blade. The knife had a Heat Dial infused on the handle and the blade was glowing red hot, but it was being held by a little girl with trembling hands and tear-filled eyes, with dark hair and a yellow fur dress, and stubby wings jutting out of her back. Luffy grabbed the girl's wrist in surprise.

"Umm… Hello?" Luffy greeted awkwardly, while the girl thrashed against his grip. "Who are you?"

The girl dropped the knife and pulled out a handle with a Breath and Flame Dial attached with her other hand. A burn blade, Luffy realised. A few of the Shandorians used similar weapons.

With a gush of air, the gas ignited from the burn blade to form a fiery blade. Aisa swiped forward madly. Luffy darted backwards, unable to attack a little girl.

"How dare you do that to my friends?" She screamed, slashing forward in wild, unpredictable swipes.

"No no no!" Luffy said reassuringly, motioning to the unconscious Shandorians. "There all just fine! Still breathing, you see?"

"You beat them all up?!"

"Well, they attacked me!"

The girl paused to stare at Laki, and Luffy took the opportunity to snatch the burn blade out of her hand, deactivating the weapon. Her eyes widened in shock. "Hey!" She screamed. "That's mine! Give it back!"

Luffy held the weapon up over her head instinctively. She tried to jump for it few times, screaming with the indignity. "I'm a warrior of Shandia! You can't treat me like this!"

"Hey, just calm down and let's—" Luffy's voice was cut off as the little girl punched him firmly in the crotch with a surprising amount of force. Luffy winced painfully.

"Alright…" He muttered in a restrained voice, pushing the girl away from her. "Let's try this again. What's your name?"

"I'm a warrior of Shandia!" The girl spat. "I don't talk to trespassers!"

Luffy sighed, dropping the burn blade back to her and then sitting down, cross-legged, on the ground, holding his arms up. "Alright, I surrender!" He offered loudly, with a bright grin. "Would you tell your name to your prisoner?"

She stared at him suspiciously, holding the weapon out threateningly. "My prisoner?"

"That's right!"

"So… I've captured you?"

"Yep," Luffy chuckled. "Do you have any rope?"

"… No."

"Well then, I'll just hold my hands together like this for now then," he said generously. The girl seemed to relax. "Could you please tell me your name?"

"Aisa," the girl muttered, wiping the tears away from her eyes. "My name's Aisa."

"Hello there, Aisa!" Luffy said happily, holding out his hand, "I'm Luffy!"

"Warriors don't shake hands with prisoners!" Aisa snapped.

"Ok, I'm sorry!"

She glared at him cautiously. After a few minutes, she finally muttered in a quieter tone, "That was you before, wasn't it? With the snake? How did you do that?"

"I don't know," Luffy confessed.

"I've never heard a voice that loud before," Aisa muttered.

Luffy frowned. "A voice? What do you mean a voice?"

"I hear 'voices'. All the time," Aisa mumbled, trembling slightly. "Everyone's so loud. I can hear them all."

Luffy shook his head. The field was quiet. "There is no one speaking now."

"Yes there is," she protested insistently. "They're always speaking. And then before, with the snake, you screamed."

Luffy never responded. Aisa shivered. "It's just so loud, and…" she gulped. "It feels like all of the voices are going to go silent…"

She looked like she was about to burst into tears. Luffy took her hand and squeezed gently. "Hey! Don't cry! You're a warrior, remember?" He said with bright grin. "It doesn't matter how tough things get, because you'll just have to get tougher, right?"

She glared at him with wide eyes, before breaking down and hugging Luffy tightly. Her body was trembling. He could feel how scared she was. Luffy sighed, hugging her tightly while staring up at the giant beanstalk that loomed over them.

"Aisa…" Luffy asked softly. "Could you please tell me more about these voices? Could you tell me where they're coming from?"

Winner: Luffy

Zoro vs Wiper

With a tremendous boom, a cannonball sliced straight through a tree trunk and kept on going, while Zoro had to sprint to avoid the collapsing tree. Wiper just reloaded, while the nozzle of his bazooka was smoking and glowing red.

"Bastard!" Zoro growled, all three swords glinting in the air. "Let's see how well you do up close!"

He charged forward, Wiper grunted and heaved the God-Slayer upwards, firing another salvo of heavy metal cannonballs. Zoro's blade flashed and two cannonballs sliced in half, crashing into the foliage around him.

The raider activated his Jet Skis and shot upwards into the sky, yet Zoro was relentless. The swordsman leapt over a fallen log and kicked up off a branch, spinning towards Wiper in mid-air. The blades flashed, and Wiper slammed his bazooka downwards.

Sparks flew as the God-Slayer barely managed to block the three blades. With a snarl, Wiper spun his Jet Skis around and lashed the jet-powered skate straight into Zoro's face. The swordsman took the blow and replied by slamming his barefoot into Wiper's chest. Both men crashed to the ground.

This guy is good, they both thought together, scowling as they each prepared for another attack.

Wiper launched first, heaving his huge bazooka up and firing. Zoro was expecting another cannonball, but then a huge gush of flames exploded from the nozzle, scorching the swordsman's shirt. The swordsman yelped with pain but then charged, just as Wiper fired his bazooka again. A cloud of smoke burst from the weapon.

"You know nothing about Sky Warfare," Wiper muttered, already shooting upwards on his Jet Skis. Zoro shouted with frustration, disorientated in the smoke cloud, but then he smelt the distinctive stench of natural gas mixed in with the smoke. He barely had time to dive out of the way before everything exploded in a bright, blue flame, so intense it gouged a crater in the earth.

Wiper gave him no time to recover. Even as he dropped through the air, he took aim again. A plume of gas and fire burst from the God-Slayer, in a burst of blue flames so hot it disintegrated the trunk of a tree.

"What sort of ammo is that guy using?!" Zoro grumbled, running from the falling debris. Already the forest had a taken a big hit from Wiper's attack.

"This is the power of the God-Slayer, swordsman," Wiper shouted, skating across the treetops. "It contains so many different types of Dials that I have dozens of different ways to kill you."

The God-Slayer was truly his finest weapon. Wiper had built Braham's flash guns, Laki's rifle, Genbo's cannon, and his old Burn Bazooka, but the God-Slayer put them all to shame. The bazooka contained so many different types of Dials that Wiper could control which ones he fired at any time through a knob on the side. The weapon could use Axe Dials, Breath Dials, Flame Dials, Flash Dials, Flavour Dials, Impact Dials, Jet Dials and even the infamous Reject Dial.

"Oh yeah?" Zoro muttered venomously, wrapping his black bandanna around his head. "I bet you still can't match me in close quarters!"

He darted towards a tree, running straight up the trunk before flipping to a branch and leaping upwards. Wiper responded instinctively with a blast of fire, but Zoro just kept on leaping upwards from branch to branch, before dropping downwards with all three swords spinning. Wiper couldn't escape fast enough.

The raider blocked the first blow with his bazooka, dropping onto a large tree branch. Zoro was relentless, chasing him down before he had time to activate his Jet Skis again. Growling with fury, Wiper heaved the God-Slayer upwards. Zoro darted to the side, but Wiper fired anyways, closing his eyes tightly as he pulled the trigger.

"Flash Blast!" Wiper shouted, just as a brilliant white light exploded from the bazooka, spilling everywhere. Zoro screamed as the light blinded and disorientated him, but Wiper was already moving in for another attack. "Impact Blast!"

The shockwave exploded from the nozzle, a short-range pulse of air that hit Zoro head on. The force collided with his chest and pounded Zoro into the tree trunk, leaving a human-sized depression in the wood. The pain rocketed through his body, blood filling up his mouth.

Wiper tried to prepare another attack, yet Zoro wasn't so easily knocked down. Before the raider could even lift his bazooka again, Zoro was on him. There was no time to even raise his swords, so instead Zoro charged with his whole body, tackling Wiper straight off the tree branch.

The ground flew towards them in an instant. Zoro managed to land on his feet, but Wiper wasn't so lucky. The raider crashed roughly onto the ground, screaming in pain from the impact.

Zoro grinned evilly, cracking his neck and spinning his blades. "What's the matter? You're not that good at landing for a master of Sky Combat!"

Wiper glared at him furiously. "Keep laughing," he growled, heaving the bazooka upwards. "I'm just getting warmed up!"

He lifted the God-Slayer back up. Zoro was charging before Wiper had time to point at him, but Wiper never even needed to aim.

"Jet Blast!" He shouted, just as a burst of wind slammed out of the nozzle. The force gouged a crater in the earth, yet Wiper used the recoil to fly backwards out of Zoro's reach.

"Bastard!" Zoro shouted already giving chase. Wiper had the advantage of range and the swordsman had to the close the gap quickly.

Wiper was already shooting backwards through the trees, using his Jet Skis and the recoil of his bazooka to move backwards while unleashing salvo after salvo of explosions and fiery impacts. The raider screamed in berserk rage as he toppled trees throughout the forest. The God-Slayer was a bulky and cumbersome weapon, but when it came to firepower it was unmatched. The explosions boomed furiously throughout the trees, turning the foliage into cinder and sawdust.

But Zoro never backed down. The explosions scattered around him, while Wiper fired everything from scorching heat, blinding light and ear-splitting noise out of his bazooka. The swordsman screamed ferociously as he charged through it all, his blades slicing through everything. Three lightning-fast swords shopped through the air, and Wiper was barely able to defend using his bazooka, but the impact still sent the raider skidding across the ground.

"You really are trying to piss me off now!" Wiper shouted furiously, firing a large shockwave out of the God-Slayer. Zoro dodged the blast, yet the force still toppled a tree behind him. That bazooka had already cut a large gash through the forest.

"Keep talking!" Zoro snarled, launching in for another attack. Wiper defended with his bazooka, swinging the heavy weapon like club, yet he still felt Zoro's blade nick his shoulder. "But I'm betting that you're going to run out of ammo for that bazooka sooner or later!"

Wiper barely even registered Zoro's foot colliding against his stomach, knocking him to the ground. The raider recovered beautifully, but Zoro was already slicing towards him with an evil smirk. "I'm never going to run out of swords!" The swordsman growled, forcing Wiper on the defensive.

The raider received another three shallow cuts trying to dodge. He slammed his Jet Skis on and hovered backwards, but the Breath Dials were quickly running low. Zoro was injured, beaten and scorched too, but still going strong. Wiper roared furiously, feeling the adrenaline pound through him. Right now, there was nothing left but battle and rage.

I love moments like this, Wiper thought savagely, hoisting his bazooka over his shoulder. Zoro was already charging in again, swords spinning furiously.

"Do you want to see me angry?" Wiper demanded, changing the ammunition in the God-Slayer. "Because I get really angry!"

He pushed down with all the speed he had left in his Jet Skis. Wiper's bazooka flashed. "Cloud Blast!" He shouted, just as a solid stream of cloud exploded outwards, whipping towards the swordsman.

Zoro shouted as the attack whipped towards him. It was the same cloud used to form the Milky Roads; soft and light but surprisingly strong as it compressed around Zoro's body. Wiper had actually been inspired by Gedatsu's trademark attacks, not that he would ever admit it.

With an evil smirk, Wiper pressed his bazooka up close to Zoro, who was still trying to thrash against the soft cloud. Wiper activated the Jet and Impact Dials together. "Let's see this you dodge this…" Wiper growled, pulling the trigger. "Shock Blast!"

The explosion of force shredded everything. It was so powerful it gouged a crater in the earth, pulverising stone into dust. Zoro took the blast head on, at close range. Even the clouds were blown away. It took a few seconds for the dust to settle. Wiper grunted in satisfaction, but then he glimpsed a figure standing upright in the smoke cloud, arms crossed.

"I see," Zoro muttered in a deadly quiet voice, bleeding from dozens of wounds. "That is one powerful weapon…"

Wiper growled. His bazooka was so hot it needed a while to cool down again, or else he risked bursting all those Dials. "Won't you just fall over already?"

Zoro's eyes were dark. "Never," the swordsman muttered, slowly raising a single blade. Wado Ichimonji gleamed in the bright sunlight.

"I see your bazooka…" Zoro said, slowly dropping into a single sword stance. "… And I will raise you a cannon!"

"What are you talking about?" Wiper growled, reloading his bazooka from a pouch on his back. Half a dozen empty Dials dropped to the ground.

"Sight. Hearing Smell. Taste. Touch. Thought." Zoro raised his sword horizontally above the shoulder of his sword arm, preparing for a swing. "And unto the six mortal senses; Good, Evil, Neutrality. And further unto each; Purity and Corruption."

"The thirty-six earthly desires of this world… !" Zoro announced, his gaze cold. "I am aiming a cannon at you now. Do you want to see who has the better weapon?"

Wiper grunted, lifting his bazooka up. Zoro never even moved to dodge. He was standing perfectly still. At this distance, the swordsman never stood a chance. "You've gone mad…" Wiper snarled, changing the setting on the bazooka.

"Let's see!" Zoro smirked.

"Burn Blast!"

"36 Pound Cannon !"

The blaze of blue flames parted before a furious slash of air. Wiper never even had time to dodge as suddenly the blade of air sliced towards him. Wiper managed to block with the God-Slayer, the slash leaving a deep cut in the reinforced metal, but air blast still slashed open his shoulder and waist. The raider in screamed in pain as the force sent him tumbling backwards.

"You want to challenge me?!" Wiper roared, already reloading the God-Slayer. His vision turned red with blood. He twisted the knob on the bazooka up another notch. The black metal bazooka seemed to glow hungrily, snarling smoke and sparks as it charged for another blast. "INFERNO BLAST!"

A roar of black flames burst outwards, so hot that air ignited around it. An inferno of fire and force shot downwards, scorching everything in its path. Zoro's teeth clenched tightly.

That tough bastard… ! The swordsman thought furiously, already unsheathing all three blades, He survived that attack!?

The swordsman charged towards the flames, all three swords ready and snarling for blood. "Let's finish this!" Zoro roared, swinging all blades in a furious circular arc. "108 POUND CANNON!"

Three projectiles of compressed air slashed through everything, so powerful that the shockwave broke the sound barrier. Every tree in a hundred yards collapsed to the ground.

Suddenly, a strange silence fell over the nearly-formed clearing. The only sound was the rumbling of tree trunks crashing to the ground. Zoro was panting heavily, barely able to stand as the adrenaline left his body. Zoro's skin was scorched and burnt and every nerve screamed in agony, but his heart was pounding and his blood felt like it was on fire.

"I'm not the type to die so easily…" Zoro muttered through heavy gasps of breath, glancing around at what remained of the battlefield. Everything was scorched and shredded.

With a dull creak, a huge tree shifted suddenly. Zoro's eyes bulged in amazement. A guttural scream of pain burst from the debris, but Wiper staggered off the ground like a zombie. Three deep gashes stretched across his chest, and his right wing had been shredded, but the raider refused to fall down. He was still heaving the God-Slayer behind him, glaring at Zoro with berserk rage.

"You… how the hell are you still moving?!" Zoro demanded, hoisting his blades up again. Zoro's body was raw and beaten, but Wiper looked like he was powered solely by pure fury. The raider staggered weakly, struggling even to lift his bazooka.

"I will not die!" Wiper screamed furiously, while blood oozed from his chest. "I cannot die here! Not when I have so much more to fight for…"

"Enough!" Zoro snapped, frowning irritably. "Stand down. This doesn't have to end in death. You fought well, but you're too weak to continue. Stand down now and we will both work away from this alive."

"Never!" Wiper snarled with animalistic fury. There was no thought or reasoning involved; just his boiling blood screaming for blood. "I will not allow trespassers on my homeland!"

"Stubborn bastard… !" Zoro grunted, raising his swords again. Zoro had already decided not to kill the raider. He would just beat him up until the man finally stayed down, but his honour as a swordsman refused to let him walk away from a battle. If Wiper wanted to fight further, then so be it.

With a painful grunt, Wiper hoisted the God-Slayer over his shoulder. "I was saving this attack for Enel…" Wiper muttered darkly, carefully loading up a metal cannonball into the bazooka. It was a normal cannonball, not Wiper's precious Seastone cannonball. "… but I suppose I can test it out on you first!"

Zoro snorted, readying his blades. "If it's a cannonball, I can just cut it!"

An evil smirk flickered on Wiper's expression as he twisted the setting on the God-Slayer up to full power. "Let's see if you can…" Wiper growled, just before he pulled the trigger. "GOD BLAST!"

Wiper barely even needed to aim the weapon. The God-Slayer shuddered, followed by a huge roar as hundreds of Dials exploded at once. The air cracked with ear-splitting force as the Reject Dial burst open, and the power was enough to cause the earth to rumble. Four Jet Dials facing backwards managed to counteract the recoil, but the bazooka still tremored so violently it nearly tore Wiper's arm off.

The cannonball wasn't launched. It was shredded. In the blink of an eye, the force tore the metal cannonball into thousands of tiny fragments cutting through the air, exploding in a shockwave of force, flames and pressure. Zoro's eyes widened in shock, but there was no escaping the blast. He dived for cover, but a large area of forest and earth in the shape of a cone was obliterated into ash.

It was an attack designed especially for killing a god. Even if Mantra would predict when Wiper pulled the trigger, no one would expect a blast so intense, and its area of effect was wide enough that not even a man moving at the speed of lightning could escape. Combine that with thousands of Seastone fragments from a shredded cannonball, and then it was a blow that Enel had no chance of survival. The blast would scatter Seastone dust everywhere, and render any Devil fruit user helpless.

The God-Slayer truly deserved its name.

A small twinge of regret flickered through Wiper as he stared at the pulverised earth; the precious Vearth that had been exploded into dust. Still, it was a small price to pay for reclaiming his homeland.

The dust formed a small mushroom cloud over the forest, covering everything in ash. Wiper grunted with pain as he heaved the God-Slayer over his shoulder. His wound was agony, while the bazooka itself was scolding hot to the touch, and his bones were aching from the recoil. The black metal of the bazooka was twisted and damaged, and the Dials would need cooling and recharging before it could fire again.

Still, at least now I know that the God Blast works, Wiper thought viciously, and I only need to fire it one more time. Even if it killed him, he would kill Enel and reclaim his homeland.

As his the raider limped away through the devastated ground, he was mildly surprised to find Zoro half buried under a pile of debris; breathing weakly and heavily injured, but still alive. The swordsman was undeniably hard to kill. Wiper briefly considered finishing him off while he was unconscious, but decided against it. There were more important things to worry about, and the raider's earlier bloodlust was quickly bleeding away.

Wiper glared upwards towards the giant beanstalk, a dark scowl on his face. With inhuman stamina, Wiper hoisted the God-Slayer upwards and started running forward. There was no time to be injured when there was a man waiting to be murdered.

"I am a warrior of Shandia," Wiper snarled to himself, his feet pounding over the earth with growing intensity. "I will never die while my enemies still live."

Winner: Wiper

Conis vs Yama

"Meh," Yama muttered, glaring at Conis angrily. "What lunacy is this?"

Despite the blood filling in her mouth, the girl nevertheless managed to pull herself up off the ground. Her body was trembling uncontrollably, and her knees were weak.

"Get…" She stammered slowly. "Get… off this ship…"

Yama scowled deepened. Behind him, the flames were already spreading over the prow of ship, covering the front figurehead in a burning aura. She had move fast, get rid of the commander, and then put out the fire before the whole boat was ablaze.

"You are no soldier," Yama announced dismissively, swinging his foot at the girl. "This is pathetic."

Despite his massive build, the commander was surprisingly fast and agile. His limbs were tiny compared to his body, yet still immensely strong. Every blow felt like being hit by a juggernaut, and the one time Conis managed to land a punch it was like hitting a mountain. The kick collided with stomach, her body crashing into ship. Even after only a few backhanded swipes, Conis felt her vision begin to fade.

Nevertheless, she managed to pull herself up. She had no idea how to fight, but she really needed to learn quickly. She couldn't let this man destroy the Going Merry. It was all on her.

"Answer me one question before I kill you…" Yama drawled in thunderous voice. "What brought on this sudden heresy? Why are you doing this when you had the opportunity to serve God himself?!"

Conis gulped but never responded. Her face was bruised and bleeding, and her light blond hair had fallen out of her pigtails, draping across her shoulders. Her heart pounded furiously, while she glared at Yama, desperate to find some weakness.

The fat man just snorted. "Very well," he scoffed. "If you are so eager to die, then I will oblige."

He adjusted his sash carefully. The sash was thick leather, with ten large Axe Dials sewn into it - the Ten-Fold Axe.

Axe Dials were rare; most Enforcers only had one, but Yama used ten. Conis had seen Axe Dials before; her father had used a small one to break open other Dials in his workshop, although he had always forbidden Conis from touching it. He always said that an Axe Dial could take of your hand if you held it the wrong way.

Yama leapt towards her with unstoppable momentum. Conis tried to dodge out the way, but the commander was too fast. The fat man threw his arms back, slamming his huge chest forward and barrelling into Conis. The impact nearly caused her to black out.

"Axe Mountain!" Yama screeched, triggering the ten Axe Dials across his body. Bursts of air exploded outwards, slicing through everything. Conis couldn't even scream as she felt her body cut open. Blood splattered everywhere. Around her, the wooden wall broke into pieces.

She dropped to the ground in a growing pool of blood. The cuts crisscrossed over her body, all across her left arm and down one side, ruining her pink dress the sudden blood loss made her feel lightheaded. One of her antennas had been severed, while the white feathers from her left wing scattered over the growing pool of blood. She could feel her body turn numb from blood loss. She would have screamed if her lungs were working properly.

Around her, the Going Merry creaked as the planks of wood smouldered. Suddenly, she could hear the ship screaming in pain.

Yama was already walking away, slowly. The ship rumbled with every step. "This is over," he muttered darkly, his back turned to Conis. "I have more importa—"

His voice faded out in an instant. A strange calm fell over Conis. She knew that she was less than a minute away from collapsing from blood loss, but there was no pain anymore. There was just a sudden, almost serene realisation that she had less than a minute to beat this man before she lost everything.

After that, there was no thought involved. She didn't even realise what she was doing until she was running towards Yama, leaping straight onto his back.

"What the—?" He screamed, thrashing madly. Conis didn't listen. Her legs wrapped around his beefy neck, tightening to strangle the life out of him. Her hands clawed madly at his face, digging her nails into his eyes while he howled in pain.

He thrashed madly and tried to pull her off. He slammed her backwards into the wall, but Conis couldn't even feel it anymore. The tears were pouring from her eyes as she scratched and clawed, even yanking his greasy hair just to stay on. Between the adrenaline and the pain, there was nothing left but desperate clawing.

I will not lose here! She thought desperately, her throat not working as she tried to scream. Her father's face flashed before her eyes. I cannot… !

Eventually, Yama managed to grab a hold of her arm and yank her away. She clutched at his robes to try and stop him, but he heaved her upwards and slammed her body down like a ragdoll. His face was bleeding and his eyes were bloodshot, and he screamed at her with fury.

"You bitch!" He roared, charging blindly towards like a bull.

Conis heart stopped. There was a mountain of flesh stampeding towards her, her mind was frozen in fear, but her arms moved by themselves. In an instant, she realised that she was holding a circular object in her hand. She hadn't even known that she torn in off Yama's sash, but then she was holding up Axe Dial towards straight into his chest. Her fingers pressed the shell by themselves.

The air burst outwards, at close range. Yama gasped, feeling a bloody 'X' shape cut into his chest. The commander roared in pain, but he was still a powerhouse of strength. He swung out with a mad blow, but somehow Conis managed to dodge. Her mind flickered back to everything she learnt about Dials from her father, and then she was ducking under his arm and slamming the Axe Dial towards his body again.

Yama should have been able to stop her, but he was too enraged to think properly. Conis went for his sash, focusing on another Axe Dial at the bottom, under his left arm. She triggered the Axe Dial she was holding again, and dived under Yama's legs for cover.

Dials stored energy, and then released it in short bursts. If the shell of a Dial was ever cracked, then whatever energy was left in it would burst out uncontrollably. Yama wasn't wearing ten weapons across his body; he was wearing ten bombs waiting to explode.

The Axe Dial cracked and exploded in a blast of razor-sharp blades of wind. It carved through Yama's flesh like a cleaver, splitting his robes and cutting the sash open. The commander howled and writhed in pain, enough time for Conis to get behind him. There had been Ten Axe Dials on his sash. She was holding one, and another had been destroyed. That meant another eight left on his body.

The Ten-Fold Axe was a brilliant weapon in a battle of brute strength, but it was a huge disadvantage when the enemy was up-close and personal. Yama should have dropped the sash right there, but he was too busy screaming in agony and clutching his side, spilling out a stream of vicious insults and thrashing blindly.

He barely even noticed when Conis clutched the loose end of sash and flipped it around. Her hands were surprisingly steady as she tugged on the sash, and with a click the eight Axe Dials activated at once.

Her father's voice echoed in her ear. Don't touch that. Axe Dials will take your hand off if you hold them the wrong way…

Yama's blood poured everywhere. He was gasping in agony, but it was a testament to his size and strength that he was still standing, but his huge body was wobbling dangerously. Conis was panting heavily, but she glared at the commander furiously.

"Get off this ship!" Conis murmured, lifting up her leg and kicking forward with all the strength she had left. Her foot colliding against his stomach weakly, but it was enough to send him stumbling backwards. With a crash, Yama tumbled straight over the railing of the ship.

As soon as he disappeared out of view, Conis felt her strength disappear. That serene calm collapsed, and suddenly all the pain returned. She dropped to the ground, the blood still oozing out the wounds. She tore up her dress, trying to bandage herself up before she lost conscious. She yanked off her belt and wrapped it around her arm to cut off circulation. The cuts were deep; some of them would heal but others would scar.

At the prow of the ship, the fire was still blazing. She had to move quickly. Her breathing was wheezy as she stumbled to her feet.

There was sudden scream from the ledge of the Going Merry. A beefy hand grabbed hold of the ledge, fingers clutching the wood tightly as Yama tried to pull himself up. His blood was pouring into the lake below, sending the sharks underneath him into frenzy. His face was bright red as he tried to heave his mass up with one arm, despite the pain and the wounds.

"Bitch!" Yama bellowed, as he pulled his shoulders up over the ledge. "I will kill you! I will snap your neck! I will pound you to a pulp!"

Conis didn't even turn around. She was too busy pouring a barrel of water out over the flames. With a scream, Yama managed to get his other arm up over the ledge. The sharks below were leaping out the water towards him, snapping at his heels.

"Shut up," Conis muttered coldly, fighting to put out the fire. "It's over."

"I will kill you!" He howled madly, staring at her through bloody eyes. Around him, the Going Merry started to creak. The sail wafted slightly without any wind. "I will burn you with this ship! I'll bury you in the bottom of the lake in this piece of crap, worthless boa—!"

Without warning, the wooden ledge cracked. It didn't break, and it didn't snap. There was no splintering or even a noise. It was more like the wood just decided that it didn't want to hold Yama up anymore. It just split cleanly away, and Yama went falling downwards.

He never even had time to scream before he hit the water. Then the sharks got him, and then there was plenty of time to scream. The water turned red.

"I told you…" Conis murmured, stamping out the last of the flames. "… It's already over."

Winner: Conis

Smoker vs Tashigi

There was no hesitation as Smoker shot over the camp in a flurry of white smoke, his baton in hand. Tashigi clutched Shigure tightly, rushing to meet him with a flash of steel. White smoke twisted everywhere. Everyone else watched the battle in awe, too nervous to interfere.

"Stand down, Tashigi!" Smoker shouted, his body dematerialising into smoke.

"You first, captain," Tashigi replied, slashing swiftly and accurately through the cloud of smoke.

Tashigi had been Smoker's right hand for a long time. She knew the powers of the Plume Plume fruit better than anyone, and she knew how to fight against it, even without the use of Seastone. It wasn't an offensive Logia, and the smoke itself could restrain a person but couldn't hurt them directly. That was why Smoker relied on using a weapon, but it was also where he was vulnerable.

His smoke form was great for surrounding and overwhelming an opponent, but smoke simply couldn't move as quickly or as dexterously as a human. A good sword slash could sweep the smoke tendrils away faster than Smoker could reassemble them. By aiming at the handle of the baton, Tashigi forced Smoker to drop his weapon and go on the defensive.

The smoke billowed everywhere and could easily overwhelm the unprepared, yet Tashigi knew how to counter it. Her sword flashed through the air, cutting through the smoke as it tried to wrap around her body, and she kept on moving to set the pace of the battle. With the right mix of speed and precision, she could fight the smoke form to a standstill.

Smoker frowned as he realised what she was doing, and he was unable to get the upper hand in the fight. Of course, Tashigi couldn't actually hurt him, and she had to fight a lot harder than he was just to keep him at bay.

"Give it up, Tashigi!" He ordered, trying to pick up his baton again. She slashed the smoke away and stomped the weapon to the ground. "You can't win here!"

But it's enough to give me some breathing room, Tashigi thought to herself, her sword flashing up and down furiously, and I know his fighting style, and all of his tricks. So long as I control the pace of the battle, I have a chance.

She sidestepped a billow of smoke, twisting up and down, backwards and forwards to cut through the smoke circling around her. She danced over the ground, forcing Smoker to follow, her sword never pausing. He launched rapid waves of smoke towards her, compressed and powerful, yet she dodged and sliced through them all, pushing him backwards.

Fight fast and smart, Tashigi thought, recalling the words of her old sensei, turn your opponent's strength against them.

A small campfire lay abandoned in the middle of the camp, large sticks still smouldering gently. Tashigi charged towards it, dropping to wield Shigure one-handed while she snatched up a blazing stick from the flames. She had learned in Smoker's fight against 'Fire Fist' Ace that the captain had a weakness against fire, even if it was a small weakness. Flames could still burn him if they were hot enough, and the captain had trouble phasing through fire. Tashigi span her sword with one hand and lashed out with the burning stick in the other, forcing Smoker back.

"You can't fight your way out of this!" Smoker growled, but his voice sounded strained.

Tashigi was panting heavily, but she could still follow his every movement, forcing the cloud of smoke backwards. A crowd of marines watched the battle silently, although after a few minutes a few sharp thinkers had the idea to raise their rifles.

"No!" Smoker ordered, yelling at the men to stand down. "Lower your weapons! I'll handle her!"

And that's perhaps my biggest advantage, Tashigi thought silently, her stomach churning, neither of us wants to hurt each other. But while Tashigi could fight furiously because she knew that her sword couldn't hurt Smoker, she could also feel Smoker hesitating before every attack, trying to restrain her rather than injure her.

I don't have to hurt him, Tashigi decided, her sword slashing without hesitation, I just have to hold him back. I can fight him into a corner and slap a pair of Seastone handcuffs on to him. When he can't follow me, then I'll just run.

She knew she never stood a chance at escaping with Smoker after her. He wasn't called the 'White Chase' for nothing. Only when Smoker was properly restrained could she escape, and then after that she would run into the forest and…

Well, Tashigi thought uncertainly, one thing at a time…

"This is enough, Tashigi," Smoker's disembodied head muttered quietly, as the rest of his body swirled as smoke.

Tashigi struck out with the burning stick towards his face. "I couldn't agree more, captain."

She was expecting to feel no resistance, like all of her other attacks. Instead, she ended up surprised when the stick collided against Smoker's coat, and a strong hand yanked the burning stick out of her grasp. Tashigi swung her sword around, and succeeded in nicking Smoker's elbow before he dematerialised.

So he's deactivating his Logia and attacking with physical attacks, Tashigi frowned, dodging a swift uppercut. Without a weapon, the only way he could attack her properly was by putting himself at risk. I need to get those Seastone handcuffs on him straight away.

They danced across the camp. Smoker was panting now, trying to flicker from smoke to human in time for her attacks, while Tashigi sword cut swift, smooth arcs through the air. He managed to land a glance punch on head, while she cut two more shallow scratches across his arms. Her swordsmanship was brilliant. If Smoker hadn't been so angry, he would have been impressed.

Slowly, Tashigi managed to steer the fight towards the far side of the camp. She was tiring quickly, and her movements were lagging, but she had glimpsed a supply crate with a pair of Seastone cuffs just lying on top. Hina had deliberately made sure that was plenty of Seastone weaponry across the camp in case Enel attacked again. Carefully, Tashigi dropped her guard, and Smoker darted in for the attack.

Her timing was perfect. Just as Smoker lunged with a furious uppercut, Tashigi twisted to the side and kicked the handcuffs upwards. Before Smoker even had time to pull his arm back, Tashigi whipped the cuffs downwards, locking them in place firmly around his wrist.

Tashigi dropped her sword. "It's over, captain," Tashigi said, glaring at him firmly. With the camp in such a disarray, who knew where the keys for that particular pair of handcuffs ended up? Smoker's powers were rendered useless.

He nodded. "I couldn't agree more, lieutenant," he muttered under his breath, echoing her words from just a few minutes earlier. Tashigi never even had time to react. In an instant, his arm dematerialised, effortlessly phasing around the handcuffs, and then his fist slammed into her face.

The blow knocked her to the ground, and the next a second a plume of smoke snatched her sword out of her hand. Smoker was standing above her, his face a stony mask.

Did he…? Tashigi thought with panic, blood running from her nose; Did he realise that I was going for the Seastone handcuffs? He must have switched them for normal ones when I wasn't looking…

That was the last thing she managed to think before Smoker, with only the slightest hesitation, slammed his elbow into her skull. Tashigi dropped the ground.

It was only when she was unconscious did Smoker pause to sigh heavily. His hand was twitching. There was no sense of victory or achievement; instead he just felt cold and numb. His favourite lieutenant lay on the ground in front of him, looking almost peaceful, while a line of blood dripped from her forehead.

"Dammit Tashigi," Smoker growled under his breath, blinking repeatedly. "… Why did you have to do make me do this?"

The marines in the camp were watching him intently, but no one said a word. Smoker never had a choice. With a deep breath, he bent over and fastened the handcuffs onto both her wrists. Smoker turned to glare at a marine standing nearby, one of the few officers still remaining in the camp.

"You!" Smoker shouted, turning on to the marine, who attempted a shoddy salute. "Chief Petty Officer, is it?" The man nodded hesitantly. Smoker raised his voice to make sure everyone heard him. "I am putting the prisoner under your custody. She is a valuable material witness and a Marine officer, and she will be presented unharmed at her tribunal. I will hold you personally responsible for her safety and wellbeing."

A look of utter dread flashed over the Chief Petty Officer's face. Smoker turned to stare at the assembled marines. He knew about the rumours of Tashigi, he knew of the fear and anger festering among the marines. Smoker would be damn sure that everyone knew his stance on the subject.

"Scratch that!" Smoker announced loudly, glaring at the group. "I will hold you all responsible for her wellbeing. When I return, I expect to see her secured and in good shape! Is that understood?!"

There was a chant of 'Yes captain!', followed by a unanimous salute. Smoker made note of the faces that saluted less enthusiastically than the rest. If anybody dares to hurt Tashigi when I'm gone, Smoker thought viciously with gritted teeth, I'll throw that bastard out of the damn sky!

The emotions churned inside of him as he saw Tashigi carried across to the makeshift brig. Rage was the easiest feeling to accept, so Smoker tried to focus on that one. He started to walk out of the camp, pausing just before he left. After a moment's thought, he turned and raided a supply crate, eventually pulling out a revolver with six bullets sealed in a metal case.

"Seastone bullets," Smoker murmured to himself. His fingers turned numb even as he loaded up the gun. Seastone bullets were expensive as hell, but useful. Smoker had never really like firearms, but, for this, he was willing to make an exception. He tucked the gun securely into his belt. "I've had enough of this island. And I've got a bone to pick with the local 'god…'"

Casting a sour glance over the camp, Smoker dematerialised his lower body into smoke and launched himself into the air, shooting quickly through the trees.

Winner: Smoker

Nami vs Ohm

"It's time to pray…" Ohm ordered darkly, slowly extending his cloud sword from the handle. "On your knees. I shall allow you thirty seconds to think on your sins."

Nami felt her pulse race suddenly. Her hands gripped her weapons tightly, holding the sword forward while keeping the Clima-Tact close. She wanted to run, but she instinctively knew she wouldn't get far. This was a fight she needed to face. This guy is strong, she thought nervously, slowly edging backwards, and that sword is dangerous. It has reach and power; great at attack and defense. Plus he has that weird way of predicting any attack.

She had to force her breathing to remain calm. But I've fought him before, she reminding herself, and that Mantra of his isn't flawless. I've just got to be creative.

Ohm glared her, and Nami was struck by a suspicious that he was reading her chain of thought clearly. So he can foretell my intentions, Nami decided, but not my actual attack.

Her thirty seconds were rapidly ticking away. Ohm had the better power and the stamina. I need to finish this in one attack, Nami thought desperately, slowly spinning the Clima-Tact. Her eyes darted around, judging the weather. They were in the bottom of a valley, and the air was moist. It was a nice, easy micro-climate to manipulate.

I need one good, creative attack. He's going to know it's coming but it'll still catch him off-guard…

Nami's mind raced, recalling every detail of the last battle. Her lightning attack had been absolutely futile against him, but in a simultaneous attack with Vivi they had managed to cut through his iron cloud. A tornado seemed like her best bet. She just needed an edge to it…

With a sudden click, she remembered the Dials that Pagaya had handed them. That bag was still slung over her shoulders. There were at least two dozen Dials of various types in there. Nami had no idea what different Dials she had, and she hadn't even had time to experiment with using them. Hopefully there were at least a few Impact or Flames Dials in there. And hopefully they were all charged.

The priest was glaring at her suspiciously. Neither of them moved. She wondered how many seconds she had left. He doesn't know I have the Dials, Nami told herself, he's not going to expect it. I need a tornado; and I can throw the Dials at him using that. They'll explode, and he'll fall down. Hopefully that'll be enough. Hopefully I'll have enough time. Hopefully he won't just kill me straight away…

… I really wish I didn't think 'hopefully' so many times there. Nami felt like sobbing, but she forced herself to stay strong. She still needed to climb back up and save Vivi from the Devil fruit hunters.

"You're time is up," Ohm drawled, interrupting her thoughts. "Have you repented?"

Nami forced a grin, dropping into a battle stance. Already her Clima-Tact was working, manipulating the weather around her slowly. The longer she kept Ohm talking the better.

"Oh, I enjoy my lifestyle way too much to repent anything," she said with a cheeky smirk, sticking out her tongue.

A vein throbbed on Ohm's head. "I do not usually take pleasure in my work. Ending infidel's lives is my duty, not a hobby," the priest said with a frown. "But I will enjoy killing you!"

With a flash, a forked blade pulse out of Ohm's sword, blurring towards Nami. She barely had time to react, but she just managed to block with her sword. The iron cloud prong dug into her short metal blade, and the force knocked her backwards. Not time yet! Nami thought with panic, the weather forecast isn't ready!

Ohm was already swinging for another attack. Nami dodged left, but the priest predicted the dodge before she even moved. His blade whipped across towards her, slicing through trees. Nami barely had time to scream, swinging her bag in front of her for defense.

Suddenly, the iron whip halted. Nami's bag was ripped open, spilling the Dials on to the ground, but the iron whip had lost all momentum. Ohm's eyes widened in surprise. It was only when she looked into the back did she realise what had happened.

It collided against an Axe Dial, Nami realised dumbly. Impact Dials absorb brute force, so the Axe Dial absorbed the slicing edge. Her brow furrowed. Wait a second, why didn't he predict that his blade would be blocked like that? Realisation dawned quickly. Unless he can't predict a defense that I don't know about!

A sly grin flickered through across her face as she scooped up an armful of Dials, dropping her sword into its sheath. Oh, Pagaya, thank you!

She started running towards Ohm even as he drew back his blade. "What are you doing?" He grunted.

"Not a clue!" Nami shouted cheerfully, pulling back her arm and triggering a Dial just before she threw it him. The shell flew through the air. Ohm looked momentarily confused.

I have no idea what each shell does! Nami thought victoriously, and so neither does he! He can't predict the attack!

As the Dial collided against the ground, it exploded in a huge shockwave. An Impact Dial. Ohm darted to the side a moment too late and caught in the edge of the blast. Nami was already throwing another Dial at him. He flicked his iron cloud sword into a shield to block, but this Dial bounced against the shield and started to spill out smelly gas. Again, Ohm reacted too late.

He's too used to having a warning with every attack, Nami thought smugly, throwing two Dials together, his ordinary reflexes are terrible!

The two Dials turned out to be a Flash Dial and a Flame Dial. As soon as the Flame Dial ignited the gas from the previous Breath Dial, everything exploded in a huge fireball. Ohm scattered backwards, burns covering his body. He looked mad.

"How dare you?!" He roared angrily, pulling himself to his feet.

Nami grinned. She had all the time she needed. Her Clima-Tact was flashing around, shooting bubbles, while with her other hand she spun a Heat Dial to shape the air flow. Hot and cold micro-climates spun around her, morphing into an unstable weather system.

"Weather forecast!" Nami shouted. "You are going to lose now!"

"I am God's chosen!" Ohm shouted, readying his sword. "Do not push me!"

Nami acted on instinct. She thrust the Heat Dial down, and the air shimmered. Suddenly, six phantasm images of the navigator appeared, all spinning their Clima-Tacts. "Mirage Tempo!" She mocked. "How do you know which is the rea—"

"Fool," Ohm muttered dryly pointing his sword at the Nami on the end. The blade shot outwards like a lance. Six visions of Nami dropped to the ground. "My Mantra can tell the difference easily."

The blade stabbed straight through her lower stomach. It felt like a hard punch at first. It took Nami a few seconds to even feel the pain, but then she felt the blood pour down her waist. Her previous smugness vanished in a second as she collapsed to the ground.

Slowly, Ohm started walking towards her, transforming his sword into an executioner's blade. Nami's heart was suddenly pounding harder than ever, so loud she could feel every beat echoing in her ears. Her head felt light. Move! She screamed at her arms, but they just wouldn't respond anymore.

"This is a good death," he preached, raising the sword over his head. "Take pleasure in knowing that there will be no more burdens for you."

He struck downwards. Time seemed to stop.

Move! Nami screamed and finally her limbs managed to work. Her Clima-Tact was primed and ready. She could practically see the hot and cold weather fronts spinning around her. Hot and cold… Nami thought desperately, swinging the Clima-Tact upwards. Ohm's eyes flickered and he stepped away just as she moved.

The Dials were littered around the ground. There was no time to use them. Instead she drew her short sword in a fluid motion. She would only get one shot at this. Nami threw her sword towards Ohm, and then fired her Clima-Tact. Two clockwork doves burst out of the staff and started to spinning, the sudden air wave starting a chain reaction.

In a second, there was a rush of air and a monstrous typhoon surged from the end of the Clima-Tact, with enough force to knock her backwards. The miniature tornodo hit her sword from behind and then suddenly there was a blade flying towards Ohm with lightning speed.

Nami's heart skipped.

And Ohm just casually sidestepped the attack. He was sidestepping before the attack was even finished. The sword flew passed him into the sky, while the tornado disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

"Was that supposed to hit me?" Ohm asked doubtfully, readying his sword again.

Nami collapsed to the ground, clutching at her side to try and stop the blood flow. That was it. She had no more attacks left. There was nothing more that she could do. Her breathing was frantic, and wheezy.

That was my last shot, Nami thought desperately, watching Ohm walk closer.

Please work…

The priest could have killed from there, but he wanted the up close and personal murder. Nami clutched her head, trying to bang out the thoughts that might betray her plan.

Don't think about the weather, don't think about the weather, don't think about the weather, she repeated to herself frantically. Think about pink elephants. Purple giraffes. Tangerines. Bell-mere. Nojiko. Genzo. Cocoyasi Village. Just don't think about the weather…

"This is the end," Ohm muttered, swiping downwards with his sword. Nami had to close her eyes and cover her ears.

Hot and cold fronts… No don't think about it, Nami thought frantically. Ohm was in her mind, and she couldn't risk forewarning him. Think about anything else, just not that. The Going Merry. Zoro. Usopp. Sanji. Chopper. Vivi. Robin. Carue. Luffy… Oh, Luffy…

… Luffy…

Ohm's blade cut towards her. The air hissed. There was a slicing sound, followed by a body slumping to the ground.

After a couple of nerve-wracking seconds, Nami slowly opened her eyes. Ohm was lying on the ground in front of her, with Nami's sword buried straight through his back. The relief caused her eyes to swell up with his tears. Nami had to gasp for breath.

"Hot and cold weather fronts…" Nami whispered quietly. The forest was suddenly deathly quiet. "… Will always cause circular pressure contours. That sword was spinning in the air currents, it was always going to come straight back to where it started like a boomerang."

Ohm didn't even twitch. Her short sword was buried through his body so deeply she couldn't even pull it out. "You could read my mind," Nami muttered, pulling herself up with a wince of pain. "You just couldn't read the weather."

Nami used a Heat Dial to cauterise her wound, shuddering with the pain, but there was no time to be gentle. She still had to hurry. She spent a while picked up the Dials, but then paused after a few seconds of trying to yank her sword out of Ohm's motionless body.

"Oh, you know what?" She said sarcastically in resignation, letting go of the handle and walking away from the corpse. "You can keep that sword…"

Nami paused after a couple of steps. She slowly turned to stare at Ohm's fancy iron cloud sword. It really was a powerful weapon…

She grinned, glancing down at the priest's dead body. "Would you mind if I took yours instead?"

Winner: Nami

Gedatsu vs Robin

"You are intruding on God's territory!" Gedatsu screamed, charging forward with jet powered shoes. "I cannot allow you to - ooph!"

In an instant, dozens of hands sprouted from the ground and grabbed a hold of his ankles. Gedatsu sensed the attack coming, but there were just too many hands to avoid. He tripped and his face ended up planting itself into the ground.

He glared at Robin, standing with arms crossed completely motionless, while the priest struggled to pull himself up.

"Ok, that was a lucky blow!" Gedatsu screamed, jumping into the sky. Dials on his elbow activated, thrusting his arm forward in a lightning fast punch. "But I really can't - OWW!"

Two hands sprouted from his chest and grabbed his arm, twisting it around. The Jet Dials never stopped, and Gedatsu ended up punching himself straight in the face with bone-crunching force. The priest wobbled dangerously, nearly tripping over as his Mantra failed him.

"Uhh… well…" Gedatsu stammered with concussion, throwing his arms out at Robin. "Take this! Swamp Cloud Burge - Hey!"

Before he could even react, more hands sprouted across his body, stealing the Dials from his sleeves and elbows. Gedatsu thrashed madly, but the hands disappeared as quickly as they appeared. A chain of hands were already passing the Dials over to Robin.

"This really isn't fair—! Gedatsu protested weakly, just as there was a tap at his right shoulder. He turned, just to see an arm sprouting from his back and pointing to his left. He looked to his left, and then there was another arm waving at him. Realisation dawned slowly. "Oh cr—! "

There was a painful crack as both the arms grabbed him by the head and pulled backwards. Gedatsu collapsed to the ground.

It was a while before Robin moved. "Well…" She muttered slowly, already walking away into the ruins. "That was easy."

Winner: Robin

Sanji vs Hina

"If you turn back right now!" Sanji announced loudly. "Then I might just let you escape!"

The chef was restrained by so many iron manacles he couldn't even move a finger. The iron bands covered him head to toe, so tight he could barely breathe. Also, he was surrounded by marines pointing rifles at his head. And he was being dragged along the ground behind a large wagon.

"I'm serious!" Sanji yelled, hopefully. No one seemed to be paying him much attention. "You should really retreat right now! It would be a real big mistake to go any further!"

The marines were still marching through the valley, with Hina at the head of the column. "Bring those cannons forward!" The captain ordered loudly, before glancing at Sanji. "Also, someone gag that guy. He's getting annoying now."

A nearby marine slammed a dirty rag into Sanji's mouth. The chef nearly gagged, his screams turning into muffled cries. There were tears running down his cheeks.

Nami! Oh Nami! Sanji cried silently, I'm so sorry! You needed me and I failed you!

He cast a desperate glance at Hina. But what else could I do? I could never hit a woma—

Sanji paused suddenly. Inspiration struck.

With a gasp, he managed to spit the out his gag. "Hey! Ms. Hina!" He shouted loudly, still being dragged along the dirty ground. "May I please have your attention for a moment?"

The captain cast an amused glance towards the pirate, still not slowing down her march. "What is it?"

"Ahh…" Sanji sighed wistfully, staring at Hina with wide eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. Your beauty just took my breath away for a moment. Where was I? Oh yes, I have a proposition for you."

"Do tell?" She said, raising an eyebrow.

"As much as it pains me to ask anything of such a magnificent picture of loveliness…" Sanji muttered, his voice cracking with emotion. "… But I'm afraid I must insist that you stop this march right now."

She scoffed, already turning away. Next to him, Jango and Fullbody shot Sanji dirty looks. "And why would Hina do that?" She retorted.

"Well…" Sanji muttered coolly. "I suppose I'll just have to convince you…"

He took a deep breath and then clenched his muscles. His legs thrashed against his manacles. His arms strained. Every muscle on his body bulged trying to break free. Sanji's teeth grit, a strained groan bursting from his throat.

Fullbody cast a doubtful glance at the thrashing chef. "Don't bother," the seaman chided. "No one can escape from the power of Captain Hina's Bind Bind fruit!"

Sanji didn't stop thrashing. The iron manacles started to flex. "Do not underestimate the power of love!"

"Are you mad?!" Fullbody yelled. "You're just going to hurt yourse—"

With a sudden crack, the manacles around his legs snapped, followed closely by the bonds around his arms. After that, every restraint dropped the ground. Fullbody was hit in the face by a flying piece of iron.

Everything stopped. Hina spun around; her eyes widening in surprise. Dozens of rifles were slammed at Sanji from all directions. Nobody made a sound.

Sanji calmly lit a cigarette.

After a few seconds, Captain Hina broke the silence. "So…" She muttered, pulling on her black gloves. Her wide hips swayed as she stepped towards the chef. "Does this mean you are going fight seriously?"

The chef grinned. "Against you?" He replied. "God no. I'd rather die before I raised my hand in anger against such a goddess."

Around him, more marines levelled rifles against him. Sanji rolled his eyes. "Against these guys?" He muttered. "Hell yes!"

His legs spun in a blur. The marines were circling him, and they all hesitated before firing else they'd hit each other. The next second, Sanji's shoes were pounding a dozen men to the ground. Fullbody launched a heavy uppercut, only to be sent flying from a spinning kick. Jango tried to pull out his hypnosis ring, but a polished black shoe slammed into his face before he could even say a word.

Hina lashed out, her fingers extending into bars that formed a cage snapping around the chef. Sanji was already rushing away, cutting through the marines in a flurry of kicks. In the middle of the cramped space, everything was too chaotic for the marines to form any sort of organised defence.

"Damn you!" Hina shouted, rushing after him. "Hina is your opponent, not Hina's men!"

"My opponent?" Sanji replied, casually kicking another two men to the ground. "Why I could never be enemies with such beauty!"

His foot crushed the wheel of a nearby cannon, causing it to crash to the ground with a tremendous thud. A group of marines tried to circle him while Hina charged towards him, but Sanji was already spinning around her, his legs crashing through marines furiously.

Suddenly, he was at head of column, blocking the path of the valley with his arms wide open. Hina charged towards him, swinging her arm in a wide uppercut.

Sanji rushed to meet her, ducking under Hina's blow and then spinning his leg at her head with furious speed. His foot halted inches away from her face, coming so close that Hina's hair brushed backwards. The captain blinked.

The chef took another deep breath of his cigarette, looking at Hina coolly. "I would never allow any harm to come to such magnificent beauty," he said sincerely, slowly dropping his leg. "I will die before I hurt you."

Hina glared at him. "However…" Sanji continued with a smirk. "That doesn't mean I have to let you pass either!"

Marcus vs Enel

There was a brief moment of silence as the air shimmered and crackled red and yellow. Enel stared at Marcus' blood red aura dismissively.

"So, you have a Devil fruit too?" The god muttered, shrugging his shoulders. "It makes no difference. Not all abilities are created equal. I have ascended to godhood, while you are nothing more than a passing curiosity."

Marcus' grin never faltered. "Let's see how long you keep saying that… by the end of the day I will be walking away with the Rumble Rumble fruit in my hand."

Enel snorted. "Are arrogant words all you can do?"

"No," Marcus shook his head cheerfully, casually stepping forward. "I also give one hell of back massage!"

He broke into a sprint, covering the distance in the blink of eye. Enel rolled his eyes. "Don't bother," the god muttered. "You will not even be able to touch m—"

Marcus' fist pulsed red as it slammed into Enel's chest. God's jaw dropped open and his eyes bulged with pain. Marcus' laughter was maniac. He held on tightly to the back of Enel's head, bringing his fist in for another blow.

The red glow around them throbbed repeatedly, pounding like a furious heartbeat. Even being close to Marcus made Enel's body ache painfully. The punch was far more magnified than it had any right to be. For a moment, the pure panic was clear on Enel's face.

"This is the part where I rip your heart out!" Marcus laughed cheerfully, slamming his hand forward.

Enel recovered just in time. The electricity started sparking from his body, striking into Marcus in a furious arc. The Devil fruit hunter screamed as he shot backwards, while Enel took the opportunity to dematerialise into lightning, reappearing a hundred yards away.

The god stared at Marcus with incredulous eyes. He raised his hand, and a huge bolt of lightning burst outwards, shaping into a falcon as it arced towards Marcus. There wasn't even time to scream as it hit, the power zapping him backwards and landing roughly through a nearby stone wall.

After a few seconds, Marcus grunted with pain as he climbed out of the ruins. Around his body, the stone was turning to dust everywhere he touched.

Enel paused, touching his stomach gingerly. A large nasty bruise had already formed, and the nearby skin was covered in scratches. But it was more than that; Marcus' blow had a penetrative power to it, as if it cut through the skin and hurt the organs and bones inside.

Marcus glared at Enel. The Devil fruit hunters' clothes were smoking and his skin was scolded. Still, he laughing as he started to walk towards Enel.

"I see…" Enel muttered coldly. "You use your power to amplify your physical attacks. Anything that gets close you to gets hurt."

"I cause atomic bonds to decay, if you want to be scientific about it," Marcus shouted happily. "Energy or matter, it doesn't matter. I can just shred it all. You really think you're the first overpowered Logia I've faced?"

Enel didn't look so arrogant anymore. He was bleeding, and that caused shivers to go down his spine. God shouldn't bleed. This man was clearly an abomination against nature and needed to be destroyed.

"Hmm…" Enel scowled. "So fighting you in close combat is clearly a bad idea. Still…" He slowly extended his arm. "If I just keep this distance and shoot lightning at you, is there anything you can do to stop it?"

The air cracked as the bolt of lightning shot forward. Marcus raised his hands and the air pulsed red in defence, yet the lightning just shot straight through. Every nerve felt like it was on fire. Marcus screamed, charging forward madly but Enel's assault never paused.

Marcus tried to shred the lightning away, but there was just too much power charging towards him. The Shred Shred fruit was best at shredding kinetic energy, and electricity cut through his defence. He couldn't stop it all. Marcus felt his hair burst into flames, his body writhing as the lightning caused him to thrash, staggering forward madly.

As Marcus got closer, Enel flashed away, carefully keeping his distance. Marcus was clearly a close combat fighter, but the Rumble Rumble fruit worked best at a distance. Marcus caught Enel unprepared at the beginning, but Enel could still control the fight.

Marcus' screams were ear-splitting. "Still alive?" Enel muttered coldly, frowning darkly. "I can still up the voltage!"

The blinding arc of light intensified, but Marcus just didn't fall down. His clothes were being burnt to cinders, yet he just kept on screaming.

It took Enel a while to realise what was wrong. Marcus wasn't screaming; he was laughing loudly in a hysterical howl. The Devil fruit hunter was being burnt alive and he was laughing.

Enel stopped the arc of lightning, lowering his hand. Smoke was billowed from Marcus' body. Every inch of his skin was blistering painfully.

"More!" Marcus demanded, his eyes bulging madly. "Give me more! MAKE ME FEEL IT!"

He sprinted towards Enel. The god growled, and lashed out with a blast of lightning so powerful it took Marcus off his feet, zapping him straight through the ruins with a shower of debris. Marcus was in absolute agony. He loved it.

"Come on!" Marcus roared. Enel stared incredulously. "Hit me harder! I'm going to take everything you've got and I'm going to pay back with interest!"

The god didn't respond. Marcus laughed like maniac. "You think you're the first Logia that's been able to throw me around like a ragdoll?!" He bellowed. "I've been buried in mountains of mud, frozen under piles of snow, stabbed by a hail of glass, choked by candy syrup, and drowned and then ignited in a goddamn pool of oil! All of those Logias thought they were invincible, but I still just kept on getting up for more!"

His eyes gleamed. "I. Don't. Die!" He shouted, throwing his arms up wide. "Hit me with all the lightning you want because I am still just going to keep on coming for you! Sooner or later you're going to run out of charge and when that happen, I'm going to rip you in half!"

The laughter started again. Enel just glared at the mad man silently. "Oh, it's going to be fun! I'm going to pull out your spine!" Marcus yelled cheerfully. "I'm going crack your rips open and yank your heart out of your chest! I'm going to pound your skull to dust! I am going to hold your organs in my hands as I count them one by one!"

With a flick of Enel's wrist, a bolt of lightning crashed through the ruins. Marcus went shooting for the air, only for another thunderous crack like a whip to bat him in the other direction. Even as Marcus went crashing through tonnes of rock, he didn't stop laughing. Blood was pouring down his body.

"Is that best you can do?" Marcus taunted, brushing the rubble off his body and staggering towards Enel. The air around him was igniting in sparks of flames. "Come on! Fight me! Do you want to see how long you'll last up close and personal?"

Is this his Devil fruit power… Enel thought quietly, or is he really just that insane? Either way, Enel was going to kill him.

Marcus grinned as Enel raised his hand for another attack. "Huh. Some 'God' you are…" Marcus mocked. "Not brave enough to fight someone on equal terms, eh? You're just a goddamn coward!"

Enel paused, glaring at Marcus furiously. There was a moment of silence. "Oh very well…" Enel muttered finally, his body tremoring with barely contained rage. It had been years since his heart pounded so hard. "If you want a fight, then let's make a game of it!"

The sky ruptured with a thunderous crack. Suddenly, a huge arc of lightning shot downwards, slicing through the Island Cloud in a smooth circle. The sound of Marcus' laughter was deafening, just as gravity reasserted itself.

In an instant, they were both falling downwards along with a mountain of rubble, crashing towards the surface of Upper Yard.

"It's this way…" Luffy muttered to himself, walking across the soft cloud surrounded by the ruins of Shandia. The base of the Giant Jack was just in front of him. "Aisa definitely said that the loud voices came from this direction…"

From above, there was a huge crack, followed by a large chunk of cloud plummeting out of the sky in a flash of light. It crashed on the other side of beanstalk with so much force that the whole island tremored. Luffy started sprinting to take a look, glancing around quickly for any sign of Robin.

He paused as he glimpsed a figure lying on the ground, not moving a muscle. Luffy rushed over to see a tall, dark man with really cool hair lying unconscious on the cloud.

"Hey! Mister!" Luffy exclaimed, shaking the man's shoulders. "You alright?"

Slowly, the man's eyes flickered open. "Oh… how careless of me…" He murmured weakly, glancing around in panic. "… I am Gedatsu…"

Gedatsu's head was still spinning. His neck felt like it was at the wrong angle. He was looked side to side, his eyes spinning with disorientation. "What happened to you?" Luffy asked curiously.

"It was that woman… she…" He gulped and winced as he tried to move his neck.

Realisation dawned slowly. "Woman? Do you mean Robin?" Luffy's eyes narrowed as he looked Gedatsu up and down. "Are you a priest?"

Luffy's voice changed slightly. "Did you hurt Robin?"

Gedatsu clearly didn't notice the change in tone. "I tried to—!" He started in protest, but he was cut off quickly.

Luffy's arm moved all by itself. As soon as Gedatsu muttered the words 'I tried', Luffy's hand was already curling into a fist and slamming forward, planting itself into Gedatsu's face with extreme force. Not even Mantra could predict that one.

Luffy took a deep breath. The blow took the priest off the ground and crashing through the ruins. "Had to be done," Luffy decided after a few seconds, walking in the direction of the flying priest.

Enel used a Ball Dial to halt the fall, sitting cross-legged on the floating cloud as he drifted slowly to the ground.

Marcus wasn't so lucky. He crashed straight into the earth just as a mountain of stone collapsed on top of him. It took nearly thirty seconds for him to crawl out of the pile of debris on top of him.

The Devil fruit hunter glanced around. They were at the edge of the Shandia ruins, surrounded by rubble and looming trees. The looming shadow of the beanstalk towered covered everything. Marcus brushed of the dust from what little remained of his clothes.

"Yeah…" Marcus announced. "You're going to have to do better than that if you want to kill me."

Enel grinned. "Oh, I wasn't trying to kill you," he said, holding his arms out wide. "I just thought this would be a better place to a play a game."

Marcus chuckled, staggering towards the god over a pile of stone. "Fine by me!" He said happily. "Bring it!"

Enel waved his finger chidingly. "Not yet," he scolded. "We've got to wait for the other players first."

Almost as soon as he said the words, there was a flapping of wings shooting overhead, and a man in heavy armour clanked to the ground. Enel's grin widened.

"So Gan Fall…" The god muttered. "Are you finally ready to face me?"

The ex-god stared at Enel coldly. His eyes were dark as Gan Fall raised his lance. "This ends here," Gan Fall threatened coldly. Behind him, Pierre, in horse hybrid form, snorted angrily.

"Oh no," Enel laughed. "This is just the beginning."

There was an explosion from the trees. In a blur, Gedatsu shot through the sky and crashed into clearing. The priest was missing teeth, and stammering almost incoherently. Marcus, Enel and Gan Fall just watched with mild surprise.

Gedatsu pulled himself up to stare at Enel with wide eyes. He didn't even notice the dark shadow walking up from behind. "Oh God!" The priest begged desperately. "I'm so sorr—"

There was a dull thud as Wiper slammed his bazooka down on Gedatsu from behind. The priest collapsed. The raider grunted as he heaved the weapon upwards, wiping Gedatsu's blood of the nozzle.

"I've wanted to do that for years," Wiper growled, turning to stare at Enel as he readied the God-Slayer. "Now it's your turn!"

The raider looked injured, with a deep cut across his chest that had been hastily treated. Still, Wiper's eyes glowed with fury.

A few seconds later, Luffy burst out of the trees on the other side, looking at Wiper, Enel, Marcus and Gan Fall in surprise. "Whoa…" He muttered. "Is there a meeting happening here?"

No one said a word. They all stared at each other, one by one. Enel turned to face the other side of the clearing, just as a large billow of smoke shot through the trees. Smoker instantly materialised, casting a dark glance at Luffy and Enel as he clutched his revolver.

"Hmph… !" The captain snorted, judging the situation quickly. Everything was tense.

After a few speechless seconds, Marcus broke the silence with a burst of laughter. "Well, this makes things easy!" The Devil fruit hunter exclaimed happily. "I love it when everyone crowds around me to die!"

Enel chuckled, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Well then, we've got the mercenary hunting my power…" He pointed towards Marcus, who waved at everyone. "… The old soldier fighting for his country…" Enel motioned at Gan Fall, who clutched his lance tighter. "… The warrior fighting to reclaim his homeland…" Wiper cast a murderous look at the god. "… The captain fighting for law and order…" Smoker cocked his revolver. "… And the pirate fighting for his companions…" Luffy looked around the group, slowly clenching his fists. He could feel the fight coming.

Everyone was staring at Enel with hatred.

Enel's smile was happier than it had been in years. This looked like it might actually be fun, the god mused. It had been years since Enel had had fun. "… And, of course, there's me. The God."

He slowly pulled his golden staff forward. "It looks like the semi-finalists are all here! So I suppose the question is…"

"… Who wants to go first?!"

Usopp vs Berrit and Isaac

A shrill scream broke through Usopp's lips as he charged forward, swinging his hammer blindly. He barely managed to duck under a right hook from Berrit, just as Isaac shot a bullet into the cliff face behind him.

"Will you just stomp the bastard already!" Isaac shouted with annoyance. His eyes were pulsing blue, but Usopp was very carefully avoiding his gaze. The skinny man was already suffering a major migraine from using his powers for so long.

"I'm goddamn trying!" Berrit shouted, nearly tripping over his feet as Usopp darted around him. Berrit sounded almost embarrassed. "He's a goddamn squirmy little bastard!"

Usopp couldn't spare the concentration for a snappy retort. It was taking everything he had just to avoid Berrit's attacks. He twisted around the large man as he lunged with a heavy fist, before slamming into Berrit with his shoulder and pushing Berrit into Isaac. In the moment of confusion, Usopp took the opportunity to slam his hammer down over Berrit's head.

It felt like hitting a brick wall with a toothpick. Usopp's wrist jarred. The hammer was a heavy mallet with a wooden handle, more suited to carpentry than battle but still quite heavy. Berrit just brushed the blow off like a insect bite. Usopp had to dive to avoid a furious kick.

Berrit charged after him furiously. Usopp rolled across the ground desperately, just as a boot slammed inches away from his face. Berrit was big, incredibly strong and surprisingly fast, while Isaac was an unnervingly good shot. Only by staying close to Berrit, dancing around his attacks by staying close and using his body to avoid Isaac's line of sight had Usopp managed to survive, but he was already talking injuries.

His bones felt like they had shattered from Berrit's repeated blows, and he had already been shot in the arm and shoulder by Isaac. Still, the adrenaline was pounding through his body so furiously he couldn't even feel the pain. There was no time for weakness here. If Usopp missed a step, he would die quickly.

I'm facing two guys who are stronger, faster, tougher and, hell, probably smarter than me, Usopp thought desperately, spinning around just as Berrit tried to tackle him to the ground. They've both got dangerous powers, and they are very angry with me.

Yes, well, that's alright because I've got… umm… I have… He was still trying to work out where his advantage was.

Berrit swung a furious elbow. Usopp tried to dodge, but he was milliseconds too late. The blow hit him in his stomach firmly, and then suddenly Berrit grabbed him by the collar and heaved his whole body off the ground.

"I've goddamn got you now!" Berrit roared triumphantly, holding Usopp up high with one arm. Usopp's head spun.

Oh hell, Usopp thought desperately, I've never had that much dignity anyways…

Usopp's whole body shuddered. Berrit's eyes widened in shock, and then the next second Usopp was gagging just as he puked everywhere. It wasn't hard; he had already been hit in the stomach enough times. The sick sprayed outwards just as Berrit dropped him in disgust.

"You fucking goddamn bastard!" Berrit roared furiously. The sick covered his face and shoulders. Berrit was still staring with horror and revulsion, just as Usopp slammed his hammer down on head. Usopp honestly didn't care if it was clean or fair. He just couldn't afford to lose.

Thank god no one else saw that, Usopp thought desperately, but if it works…

Isaac stared at him incredulously, raising his gun. Usopp lashed out with the first thing he grabbed; which happened to be an elastic band left in his pocket, flicking in it blindly. The little rubber band flicked against Isaac's eye, and the man winced in surprise as he tripped over.

Usopp was left momentarily speechless. You mean that after all this time… He thought in shock, that 'Usopp Rubber Band' actually works?!

Berrit was already pulling himself up, staring at Usopp with fury as he tried to wipe his face. Isaac was recovering quickly. Usopp made a snap decision. I've got to separate them, he thought finally, I could maybe beat one of them, but not both together.

He cast a worried glance towards the unconscious Chopper, Vivi and Carue. One stray bullet could be fatal. And I've got to move the fight away from them…

"Come on!" Usopp taunted, already running down the path. "If you want me, come and get me!"

Berrit screamed and gave chase. The large man looked murderous. Isaac hesitated and followed a second later.

"Berrit!" Isaac warned. "Don't let him infuriate you!"

"That's easy for you to say when you don't have goddamn sick on your goddamn face!" Berrit retorted, sprinting down the pathway and catching up to Usopp in an instant. Usopp ducked and dodged to the side, while Isaac tried to take aim from behind. The path was too narrow and Berrit was blocking the way.

Usopp danced around Berrit blows, walking backwards as Berrit launched forward. They were approaching the Devil fruit hunter's ship, moored on the side of the Milky Road. Usopp's heart was pounding like a drum. The ground is stony and slippery, and he's angry, Usopp thought suddenly, big boots have a disadvantage here. I've just got to trip him off the side…

Suddenly, Isaac darted behind Berrit, and for one frantic second Usopp made eye contact. He shut his eyes quckly, but it was enough to mess up his pace. Berrit's face slammed into his shoulder, and suddenly Usopp felt a force stomp him to the ground.

"Got you!" Berrit roared.

By pure force of will, Usopp managed to pull himself up, but he had lost the flow of the battle. Berrit's fist slammed against his chest, followed by a boot in his stomach. The impacts caused his head to spin, but he somehow managed to stay standing.

Isaac got his shot and a bullet pierced into Usopp's shoulder. The pain felt cold. Berrit grabbed Usopp from the throat, punching him repeatedly with his other hand, before finally stomping him into the ground. His hammer dropped over the cliff. Usopp could barely feel his heartbeat anymore.

I'm not going to win here, Usopp realised suddenly. His body was too numb to feel any pain, but he knew he was going to die if he kept on fighting.

With a wheezy breath, Usopp still stood up again. There were tears in his eyes. He had no weapon, so he raised his fists in a crude boxing stance.

Berrit just stared at him incredulously. "Won't you just stay down already?!"

Usopp forced a grin. "Never."

If I'm going to die, then I'm going to hold these guys back as long as possible, Usopp vowed. He wondered briefly how much longer his body would last. He was a bit surprised it had lasted this long.

A hulking fist slammed into his face. Usopp's nose cracked again. He tried to respond with an uppercut of his own, but it felt like punching a solid brick wall. With a desperate scream, Usopp launched himself at Berrit, trying frantically to tackle the man off the side.

Berrit scoffed as he simply sent Usopp flying with a powerful backhanded swipe.

The world blurred around him as Usopp twisted through the air. Usopp landed roughly on wooden planks, crashing on to the Devil fruit hunter's skipper. It was so hard to breathe.

"Just kill him!" Isaac ordered, raising his gun to shoot at Usopp. With energy that he never realised he had left, Usopp dived for cover into the hold of their ship. They were both already sprinting after him.

Usopp's strength failed him. He had to crawl through the hold of the skipper, down a narrow alley surround on either side by cupboards filled with crates. His legs weren't responding anymore. Two long shadows loomed over him.

There was a sound of a gun being cocked. Usopp turned to see Isaac readying his flintlock. Berrit stood behind Isaac, washing his face with a towel.

"Let's finish this…" Isaac sighed, aiming his flintlock at Usopp's forehead. At this range, he wasn't going to miss. His voice was almost sympathetic. "You fought hard, sure, but you were never going to win against us. Just let it go already."

Usopp tried to squirm. He grabbed the cupboard and tried to pull himself upwards, but he never had the strength left. He couldn't even stand up. The nozzle of Isaac's gun touched gently against his head.

Finally, Usopp stopped struggling. Isaac's finger was on the trigger. "Any last words?" The man asked, slowly pulling the trigger in.

Usopp grinned, a light chuckle bursting from his throats. Tears were flowing freely down his cheeks.

There were no lies left.

"Yes…" Usopp stammered. "… I am a brave warrior… !"

Isaac pulled the trigger.

Suddenly, Usopp found the very last reserves of his strength. He dropped to the ground just as the bullet skimmed through his hair, but Usopp's hand was still holding on the cupboard next to him. With a huge creak, the cupboard toppled, causing the huge crates to crash onto Isaac.

The chaos was enough time for Usopp to drag himself backwards. The crates were smashing down around him. One of the crates burst open and spilled its contents over the ground. Usopp's eyes bulged. This was a Devil fruit hunters' ship, after all. Suddenly, he was laughing again, more furious than ever.

"Oh screw it!" Usopp shouted loudly, his hand wrapping around green Devil fruit shaped like a plum. Isaac's eyes bulged in shock. "Everyone else has one… !"

He slammed the fruit into his mouth. It tasted as foul as swamp water, but Usopp swallowed it whole anyways. He almost gagged, but then his outline wavered like water and started to shift.

"Whoa…" Usopp muttered in shock, staring at his hand while his body changed shape. His skin rippled and started to change colour and texture. Everything around him looked like it was getting smaller. Or perhaps he was growing bigger. Much bigger.

Berrit and Isaac stared with speechless shock. Isaac took a step back nervously. "Umm… Berrit…?" He asked in a hushed quiet voice. Usopp was still growing, and becoming broader. Isaac could see the muscles taking shape. "Which fruit did he just eat…?"

Berrit blinked, sniffing the air hesitantly. Usopp was a hulking shape now, covered in dark shadows while his new body continued to take form. "Umm… It's definitely Zoan… Very pungent… smells like…"

His eyes bugled. "OH GODDAMN… !"

Round 2:

Berrit and Isaac vs Monster Usopp

Author Notes:

Well, this was an extra long, bloody and violent chapter. But we're coming up quickly to the big climax now, and the contenders are dropping quickly.

Next chapter: 'Monster'