Hello everyone! Sorry for the absence again, but it was for a good cause! Another story of mine is having it's ninth anniversary, so I wrote a bunch to celebrate. I'm back, though! Let's continue!
"Girls wake up!" Johnny shouted as he steeled himself, watching the enemy close in on them. "Usopp, take him out of the sky!"
"O-On it!" Usopp shouted. Not one second later shots rang out, Usopp firing four rounds at the attacker. Johnny watched, but none of the shots hit their target. The enemy's bird simply dodged the shots like he knew they were coming.
"What is it?!" Vivi asked, appearing from the cabin with Mari close behind her.
"Enemy incoming!" Yosaku told her, "stay safe, we can handle this!"
"Don't be stupid, let us help!" Mari shouted, but Vivi held her back in the cabin.
"We'll support you with Mari's paints," she said, "be careful though! If it's a priest, he's going to be powerful." Johnny simply nodded in return, looking back towards the incoming enemy. He was now within eyesight for him, and he could see that he was flying on top of a gigantic purple bird that let out a terrifying squawk as they got closer. The man himself seemed to be wearing a leather cap and wooly clothes, probably to protect him from the cold as he flew. Usopp took another shot at him, but the bird dodged again and flew straight up. It landed on the mast of the Merry, and the man looked over it's shoulder at them. When he did, Johnny noted his thin mustache and beady eyes.
"Intruders!" He shouted, "let it be known this is God Enel's land! On my pride as a Priest, I'll sacrifice you in his honor! You should be thankful, as it is a great honor to die for Enel's glory!"
"Sorry, I don't believe in your God!" Johnny replied, brandishing Sutomukora at him. "Don't make us kill you!" The Priest laughed at him.
"You, kill me?" He asked, "in your wildest dreams. Warriors of your strength level could not hope to defend against my mantra and my skill. I'll give you one last warning. Lay down your weapons and die quietly."
"Y-You first!" Usopp shouted. Johnny flinched as another shot was fired, aimed squarely at the man's face. He watched, stunned, as the man simply moved his head to the left, the bullet burying itself in Merry's mast.
"You'll be the first to go," he said. "My name is Shura, invaders. Pray to Enel I kill you quickly. Fuza!"
On his command, the giant bird dove from the mast and Shura raised a javelin. They soared for Usopp on the cabin roof, but Johnny wasn't going to allow him to get close without a fight. Waiting for the perfect moment, he leapt as Fuza flew over his head.
"Sword of the Sea: Inverse Waterfall!" Johnny's uppercut slash was aimed at the bird's giant right wing, but it was dodged easily by Shura. This, however, put him directly in Yosaku's path.
"Sword of the Earth: Boulder Drop!" Raising Jishin over his head, Yosaku swung it down, aiming directly at Shura's head. This forced him to fly off course, off of Merry and into the open air.
"T-Thanks guys," Usopp said weakly, looking pale white.
"No problem, focus on the battle!" Johnny replied.
"Johnny, Yosaku! Over here!" Johnny turned his head just in time to see a vial flying for his head, being thrown by Mari. He raised a hand and caught it, staring at the bright orange paint inside.
"What is this?" Yosaku asked, having been thrown a vial as well.
"It's a new paint I made!" Mari shouted, "Orange of Adrenaline! It should wake you up, let you focus on the battle!" Johnny smiled at this, uncorking it and splashing it into his arms. As soon as the paint had a moment to seep in, Johnny's eyes snapped open as his brain fired up. He could practically feel his nerves buzzing with energy as whatever was in the paint put his system into overdrive.
"Holy shit, Little Sis Mari!" Yosaku exclaimed, "what is in that?!"
"Never mind what's in it!" She shouted, "focus on the battle! I'll try and splash him if he gets close!"
"Okay, you two stay in the cabin if you can!" Johnny said as Shura circled like a predator sixing up it's prey. "We can handle this!"
"Are you sure you don't need us?" Vivi asked, her peacock spinners in her hands. "We can help!"
"Less people fighting on the deck, the better!" Yosaku told her, "gives us enough space!" Vivi looked unsure of this, but she nodded and stayed within the cabin door with Mari. Johnny returned his eyes to Shura, who was still circling.
"I'll give you credit, Blue Sea sailors," he called, "that attack threw me off my target. Still though, you won't be able to stop me. Don't make this harder than it has to be!"
"Shut up and fight us, if you're so strong!" Yosaku called, "don't fly around like a coward!"
Shura's response was to swerve in mid-air and dive bomb directly at Yosaku, who raised his sword to defend himself. Shura raised his javelin and it connected with Jishin, sparks flying. Fuza flapped his wings, and Johnny watched as Yosaku was forced to the edge of the Merry, gritting his teeth and he tried to force Shura back.
"Hold onto him, Yosaku!" He shouted, raising his sword and rushing the bird. He jumped and aimed to cleave Shura's head in two, but the man dodged his blow and struck him in the chest with his fist, sending him flying off and into the mast, knocking the wind out of him temporarily. Johnny struggled to get up as he heard another shot ring out, but Shura dodged it once again.
"I already said, stop struggling!" Shura shouted. With another roar of force, Shura's javelin glowed red hot. Fuza flapped it's wings, and as Yosaku was thrown off balance Shura aimed to impale him with the end.
"White of Blindness!" Shura moved in his seat to try and dodge, but the vial thrown by Mari splashed across his back.
"Gah, what the- Fuza!" Responding to his will, Fuza took off back into the sky, Shura yelling obscenities as he did.
"...Another new paint?" Johnny wheezed out as he struggled to stand. Mari nodded.
"It's not a perfect recipe, so it won't last!" She shouted, "get up, Johnny! It's not over!" Nodding in agreement, Johnny focused on his lungs. He fought against the trauma inflicted and forced his lungs to intake air again, letting him slowly get to his feet. Thankfully Shura was still circling, clearly still blinded.
"Any ideas?" He asked aloud as they watched him fly around.
"Try and hold him still, and it'll only take me one shot!" Usopp said.
"Hard to do when he's got the bird!" Yosaku replied.
"I've got something for him, just distract Shura while I find it!" Johnny spared a glance to see that Usopp was digging around in his bag, looking for something. If he needed time, he'd get it. Shura was flying back down at them, javelin poised to impale. Johnny gripped Sutomukora tightly and raised it horizontally, winding his arms back as far as he could.
"Sword of the Sea: Raging Tsunami!" Johnny's slash created a ranged attack, his slash flying for Shura and Fuza. Shura used his javelin to deflect it, Fuza evading Yosaku as he tried to swing his own sword. Shura let out a laugh as he circled once more.
"You warriors are stronger than I gave you credit for!" He called, "you're definitely holding me off!"
"Wish we had ended this already," Johnny muttered.
"Unfortunately, Enel is going to wake up soon. I don't have anymore time to play with you. Fuza!" The bird cawed in response and dove again, aiming right for Usopp again. Johnny turned, moving in the direction as well to protect him.
He couldn't move.
Johnny's eyes widened as his body refused to cooperate, an invisible force stopping him from moving. He spared a glance at Yosaku, who was also struggling to move.
"I-I can't-" He started, "Big Bro Usopp, look out!" Usopp looked up from rummaging around in his bag, and let out a shriek of terror as Fuza closed in. The sniper leapt from the cabin roof and landed hard on the balcony below him, just barely able to use his arms to stop his face from hitting the deck.
"What's wrong, you two?!" Vivi shouted.
"We can't move!" Johnny shouted, "something is stopping us!" Shura laughed as he circled closer and closer.
"What a terrible fate to be subjected too," he noted, "the two warriors having to watch their weaker comrades die. Fuza!" The bird dove, and Usopp struggled to find what was in his pocket again. He hadn't found it yet, but he was given time as Mari appeared before him and chucked a paint grenade directly into Fuza's eyes. Purple paint splashed all over the birds eyes, causing it to squawk angrily and fly off, Shura cursing again.
"Can you hurry up and find whatever it is you're looking for?!" Mari shouted at Usopp, "Purple of Confusion is new too, it won't last!"
"There's a lot of stuff in here, okay?!" Usopp shouted. Finally, he took his hand out, revealing a small rifle cartridge he'd been supposedly looking for. He re-bolted his rifle and loaded the round, aiming at Fuza as he circled.
"Special Round: Electric Birdshot!"
Usopp fired, and Johnny watched as a plume of smoke flew out of the barrel, a cloud of pellets flying at Fuza. The bird was struck in the chest, and when the rounds made contact they glowed blue. Johnny's eyes widened as the bird shrieked in pain, the pellets electrocuting him. The bird of prey remained in the air for a second or two before smoke rose from it's body, and it began to fall, spiraling down towards the altar.
"What the hell was that?" Yosaku asked in awe.
"Non-lethal birdshot," Usopp replied. "It's a spread that electrocutes whoever gets hit by it!"
"Good work Big Bro!" Johnny replied, watching Fuza fall. As he got close to the deck, Shura jumped off his back and onto the deck, growling as Fuza bounced off the rock altar below.
"You'll pay for hurting Fuza," he growled. Johnny tried to run at him, but again was stopped. Shura laughed as he leisurely walked towards him.
"What's so funny?" Yosaku demanded.
"It's just cute watching people squirm when they realize they're stuck," he replied. "I told you, you never had a chance from the start."
"What're you doing to them?!" Mari shouted. Shura cackled.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" He asked in her direction. "Now, I think I'll take out the girls first. After all, you all fought so valiantly to save them."
"Stay away from them!" Johnny shouted, but Shura ignored him. He casually strode towards the cabin, chuckling to himself as he ascended the stairs. Vivi already had her peacock spinners spinning, and Mari had another paint bomb in her hand. Usopp was still there as well, but Johnny noted he was struggling to move too. He'd been caught in Shura's web as well.
"Get back here!" Yosaku roared, struggling against his restraints so hard veins were bulging from his arms and forehead. "I won't ever forgive you if you hurt them!"
"Whatever would I do without the forgiveness of a few morons?" Shura asked sarcastically from the top step. He looked over his shoulder at them and smirked. "Be a nice, quiet audience. Shows about to start."
With every step Shura took, Johnny's stomach turned more violently. There was no way Vivi and Mari could defeat him, especially on there own. Closer and closer he got, and Johnny fought so hard against his restraints his wrists bled. He had to move, he had to help them!
I came with Big Bro Luffy so I could get stronger! I wanted to protect people! How can I do that if I can't stop one man?!
"I SAID GET BACK HERE!"
Johnny turned just as the sound of wires snapping resounded around him, and he watched in awe as Yosaku, now free from his binds, rushed towards the stairs. His entire upper body was marred by cuts from what looked like wires digging into his body, leaving him a mess. It didn't stop him though. Yosaku leapt from the deck straight over the railing of the upper deck, Jishin over his head. Shura looked up in surprise, only having time to raise his javelin over his head as Vivi and Mari leapt off the balcony.
"Sword of the Earth: Earthquake Impact!"
Yosaku's downward stab was so powerful Johnny felt the blow from where he was. Jishin cleaved straight through the javelin with no issue, Shura forced to leap out of the way back down onto the deck. Yosaku hit the upper deck, Jishin cleaving through Merry's floor and impaled itself up to the hilt. Cracks spread from the stab, the floor groaning from Yosaku's strength. Growling, his partner pulled the blade free and jumped after Shura, raising his sword as Shura regarded his broken javelin in surprise.
"Well well," he said, "looks like the dogs have some bark after all."
"Johnny don't move!" He heard Vivi shout. Doing as he was told, Johnny remained still as Vivi ran behind him, swinging her spinners. In a second he'd been freed from his restraints, his body his own to command again.
"Thanks Big Sis," he said, picking up Sutomukora from where he'd dropped it.
"No problem," she said, "he's using some sort of wire technique. I noticed when Yosaku was getting sliced up trying to free himself." That made sense. Johnny looked back down at his own wrists, which were injured as well. Know that he thought about it, wires made sense. He hadn't seen his restraints, because they were too hard to see in the dark.
Turning, Johnny watched as Shura got to his feet, still holding his broken javelin. Yosaku circled him like a hyena, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
"I see I was wrong about you, pirates," Shura said. "You have my respect. Let's make this more interesting, shall we?!"
Shura turned and drove his broken javelin into Merry's deck, and ignited the weapon. Johnny gasped as the heat ignited Merry's wooden boards, spreading quickly across it's surface.
"Don't hurt the ship, you asshole!" Usopp shouted, still restrained. "It was a gift!"
"Did I ask if you cared for the ship?" Shura asked as the fire grew. He drew a dagger from his belt, and Johnny noted the Dial attached to the hilt. "Let's see if you can take me down before your ship is turned to ash!"
"I'll free Usopp and we'll come up with a plan," Vivi whispered in Johnny's ear. "Keep him distracted, don't give him an inch."
"I'd never dream of it, Big Sis," Johnny replied. Smiling, Vivi clapped him on the shoulder reassuringly before running back for Usopp, leaving himself and Yosaku to deal with Shura as Mari watched from the bottom of the stairs. As he came in closer to circle Shura, he assessed he situation.
Yosaku was in bad shape. Breaking free from his own binds had cut deeply into his skin, and it was showing. He panted heavily as blood drenched his tropical button-up, the tree pattern gone in the red. He couldn't rely on his friend, he had to do this himself. He cast an eye at Mari, who still had a paint bomb in her hands. She met Johnny's eye, and she raised the bomb and gestured to it, then at him. Johnny secretly pointed a finger at himself, and Mari nodded vigorously. He nodded, and began to circle in her direction.
"So swordsmen?" Shura asked, keeping Johnny in his eyesight as Yosaku circled behind him. "Don't you want to save your ship?"
"More than anything," Johnny replied, "I want to beat your ass. Little Sis!"
"Crimson Battle Rage!" Just like Yosaku, Johnny became drenched in red. His was not blood, though. His was Mari's chemical paint seeping into his skin. As the paint took effect, Johnny felt his rage amplify, and his eyes narrow. Nothing else existed anymore, just himself and Shura. An enemy he needed to defeat.
Roaring, he rushed the Priest.
Shura raised his dagger to parry Johnny's slash, and the oddest thing happened. The second the Priest moved to block, Johnny sensed where his arm would go. He swung low to strike instead, but the Priest switched tactics and met his blade there. Shura raised an eyebrow at him as they struggled.
"Did you just-"
The Priest didn't get a chance to finish, as Yosaku swung down on him from behind. Shura jumped to the side, and Johnny followed. The two engaged in an elegant back and forth of clashing steel, neither allowing the other to gain ground. Every time Johnny predicted where Shura would block, Shura predicted his prediction and blocked him. When Shura aimed to strike, Johnny felt like he knew where it would be and avoided it, only for Shura to seemingly guess first and strike where he was headed instead. Neither landed a hit on the other, but Johnny could tell he was losing ground. His predictions were coming slower than Shura's, and his strikes were becoming sloppy. Shura grinned at him as they locked blades again, the fire blazing.
"What's the matter, swordsman?" He asked, "is your ability waning?"
Johnny offered no reply. He kicked away from Shura and prepared another strike, but the back of his head buzzed for some reason. On instinct he fell to the right, and just as he did Usopp's rifle fired. Shura too dodged the bullet, the projectile splashing into the clouds below the altar.
"Fuza!"
Johnny looked over his shoulder just in time to see the fried bird appear from over the railing, raising it's talons at Usopp and Vivi. Vivi used her peacock spinners to fight it off, Usopp trying to get a clean shot over her shoulder. He turned back in time to parry a strike from Shura, who cackled.
"Eye's on me, Glasses," he said. "Don't lose sight of your enemy." Johnny grit his teeth and roared, pushing Shura away. He attacked with a flurry of slashes, all of which were evaded or blocked. Shura turned to kick Yosaku in the stomach as he tried to advance, knocking him to the ground and making him wheeze. Yosaku did not get up quickly, leaving Johnny to fend for himself. Shura turned and deflected his incoming slash off his dagger, using it to get close and punch him in the stomach. For the second time in a few minutes the wind was forcefully pushed out of Johnny's lungs, and he was kicked down onto his knees. He tried to grab Sutomukora, but Shura kicked it away, then kicked him onto his back.
"Damn you..." Johnny wheezed as he tried to stand, Shura putting a boot on his chest.
"You surprised me back there, Glasses," Shura told him with a smirk, his stupid mustache making him look even smarmier. "I thought for a moment you had used Mantra. But it seems I was wrong. It pains me to tell a warrior this, but it seems this is the extent of your current ability. If you had trained harder, or honed your Mantra, perhaps you could have defeated me."
Johnny had no idea what he was taking about. He looked around wildly for help, but saw none. Vivi and Usopp were still fending off Fuza, Mari was looking frantically for a weapon, and Yosaku had still on his back. No one could help him. He returned his gaze to Shura as the man turned his dagger downwards, preparing to stab him.
"You'll regret this," he hissed weakly.
"So will you," Shura said. He raised his arm, and Johnny winced as he swung downwards.
BOOM!
Johnny snapped his eyes open at the explosion just in time to see Shura take a cannonball directly to the back, sending him flying off of Johnny. He crashed through the railing and fell off Merry onto the altar, and Johnny could hear him topple down a few steps. What the hell was that? Turning his eyes to the source of the cannonball, Johnny found it.
Merry's broadside cannon was aimed towards him. No one was with it. Not Vivi, not Usopp or Mari or Yosaku. Not even anyone else on the crew. The cannon was simply aimed at him, all by itself. Johnny watched the smoke billow from the barrel, his confusion punctuated by Fuza's squawking. From what he could tell, it looked as if Merry's cannon had turned a full ninety degrees on it's own and fired at Shura.
But that surely hadn't happened, so what had?
He was too dumb to think about this. Grabbing his blade, Johnny rushed to where Shura had fallen off just in time to hear a whistle. He looked over his shoulder to see Fuza dive past him, down to the altar. Shura jumped onto the bird, and the pair took off into the sky.
"Get back here!" Johnny shouted at him, Usopp taking a shot at them. It was dodged, but Shura looked back at them angrily, blood dripping from his mouth.
"This isn't over, invaders!" He shouted, "you're lucky reinforcements came for you!" Making a face, Johnny looked back at the clouds in confusion. There, racing across the clouds on skates, was a mane of orange hair.
"Big Sis Nami!" He shouted in surprise. Nami was accompanied by two of Wyper's warriors, and they all jumped up onto the deck with the skate's propulsion. Looking back, Johnny saw Shura and Fuza were already far away. Too far away for them to do anything.
Laughing humorlessly, Johnny collapsed onto the deck.
"Johnny, are you okay?!" Nami asked, rushing to his side. He nodded weakly, taking his glasses off to wipe at his eyes.
"I'm fine," he said. "Help Yosaku." Nodding, Nami turned and rushed to the other swordsman, yelling at Vivi and Usopp to help her. The man with them immediately set out drenching the fire with water, which he did with dials they had brought with them.
"Fine work, swordsman," The woman, Raki, said as she approached him. "You managed to fend off a Priest of Enel. Very impressive."
"Fend off?" Johnny asked, leaning his head against the wood behind him. "Nah. We survived. I'd say he won all things considered." Raki's expression softened at this, kneeling next to him.
"As long as you draw breath, you're still in the fight," she said to him. "Take a moment to catch your breath. We'll tend to you and put out the flames. But we don't have long to rest." Nodding quietly, Johnny watched as Raki joined the other man, Genbo, in putting out the flames. He spared a glance towards Yosaku, who was having his chest wrapped tightly in bandages by the others, Mari pouring green paint onto his arms. He snorted and put his head back again.
"...I have to train harder, huh?" He asked, "no shit." He then turned his eyes back to the cannon that had saved his life, which was still aimed towards him. No one popped out to say they had fired it, so it remained an anomaly he could not explain. Johnny just scoffed as he put his glasses back on and crossed his legs.
"Thanks for the help, Merry," he said jokingly.
A warm feeling flooded his mind when he said this, which he attributed to Mari's paint wearing off.
Shura grimaced as Fuza flew through the forest, heading back in the direction of the city. He hadn't expected to take a cannonball to the back, and he was fairly certain it had broken some of his bones.
"Those warriors were stronger than I anticipated," he mumbled to himself. "That one who freed himself from The Ordeal of Strings was a surprise, but that other one...I swear, it felt like he was using Mantra."
Sighing, Shura fought off the pain he felt and reached into a pouch on his belt, pulling out his Radio Dial and clicking the button.
"Gedatsu," he said, "Ohm, Satori. Don't underestimate these invaders. Or they might kill you on accident."
"Went aren't you sweet, Shura?" Ohm's voice came back. "That's a nice way to tell us you got your ass beat." Shura growled as Gedatsu and Satori laughed as well.
"Shut up and listen," he said. "I'm serious. They're actually formidable."
"It matters not what they can do," Gedatsu replied. "Enel will rise from his slumber shortly. They are without a hope when the time comes." Shura wheezed weakly as he sat up straight, speaking into the Dial again,
"I look forward to seeing them all fry."
I hadn't intended for this whole chapter to be this fight, but creativity just took over me. I'm sure perceptive readers won't be surprised by the hints I gave this chapter, as I've done it before. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! I promise I'll be back faster!