Chapter XXV: Record Scratch

Jaune woke to nightfall. There was little to observe in the make-shift camp Blake had set up for them other than her sudden waking. It was the distant noises that woke them together. At least now he felt somewhat rested.

"When did you fall asleep?" Jaune asked as they began moving again.

For a second, Blake glanced at him, but then turned away. "Sorry, I was supposed to be keeping watch, but I got too comfortable."

Shaking his head, Jaune held up a hand to stop her. "You were right that I needed to rest, but the same goes for you. Don't push yourself past what you can take."

Over the tops of the viny trees, the light show had already begun. It flickered and flashed across the twilight soaked land, a flare in the inky night.

"I guess it's obvious where we're headed," Blake commented. It really was like a neon sign that said 'this way.'

It made Jaune wonder if anyone had tried to confront the partiers at night yet. "Do you think the Shandians are camping up somewhere for the night?"

"They would have to be. It's not as though everyone can just always keep going."

"It seems like those guys can," Jaune muttered to himself. "Do you think that means any of those DJs are still out here? I mean, there doesn't seem to be any fighting, but shouldn't the Shandians be headed there when there's no one in between?"

Blake hummed lightly. "It could be that, but we don't know. It might be that the Shandians don't want to fight during the night, and the DJs know that."

Ren slowly opened his eyes. It wasn't easy to sleep when the bass was rattling his teeth. Curled up on the ground and using her cloak like a blanket, Ruby laid across from him, trying to sleep. Sitting up made his side ache, so he used a stone to prop himself against. It wasn't as comfortable as a bed, but it beat carrying his own weight for a moment. Pushing himself to his limit had taken its toll, but it looked like Ruby was able to handle the rest.

In the corner of his vision was the culmination of their efforts. Ruby's weapon was laid carefully next to her. Chuckling to himself, Ren almost imagined her holding it like a stuffed animal; he could see her doing it. The glove at the end made him wonder just how much force Ruby had put into her attack. Satori had been using those dials the entire fight and his gloves had been fine, but her one attack had left them shredded. It left little doubt in his mind that Ruby shouldn't be underestimated.

With a grunt, he tried to stand. It was glaringly obvious that he hadn't rested enough, there wasn't much he could do about that now.

"Ren?" His movements had caused Ruby to stir, and she propped herself onto her elbow. Gently, Ren sat himself back down onto the rock he had been leaning against earlier.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he broadly gestured toward the music. "If you were managing to sleep with that, you deserved the rest you were getting."

Ruby brushed his comment aside while getting up and dusting herself off. "It's fine," she told him. "I'm just glad to see you're okay. Nora would kill me if anything happened to you." Her concern gave way to a pout. "And I didn't know you were capable of doing something that reckless."

Ren sighed, as if he wanted to lecture himself. "I just didn't feel as though we had many options left at that point. It was either we gave up or did something risky."

In response, Ruby seemed to deflate a bit. "I know. And we couldn't really just give up with our friends out here. I just — I want to be strong enough that they can rely on us."

Silently Ren wondered if Ruby realized just how strong she already was. But, what would it hurt to encourage her growth? "Then we'll just have to train more. Jaune wants to be pirate king, so we'll need to be a matching crew, right?"

"Right!" Ruby pumped a fist into the air. Ren laughed at her actions, but suddenly grimaced. Concern made its way back onto Ruby's features. "Ren, are you still hurt?"

"A bit," he admitted. "But I should be fine with a bit more rest."

"Not out here," Ruby insisted. "Let's go back to the ship and you can rest there." Stowing her scythe, she began herding him along. Ren wanted to protest, to tell her that it might slow down the crew's progress for them to take that time, but he knew she was right. So, he simply grabbed Stormflower and let Ruby push him along.

The moon hung high in the sky, shining brightly down as she moved through the motions. What Pyrrha had seen not too long ago had left her mind wandering. They had been investigating the region where the last sighting of the Straw Hats had been, but there hadn't been any reports so far. Either everyone they spoke to was lying, or the pirates' ship was still drifting around.

That wasn't what was on her mind though. When they had initially begun sailing through the area, a heavy fog set in. All hands were on deck to help avoid any obstacles they might encounter, but luckily their log pose still worked and the waters were open. However, while this wasn't the strangest weather phenomena they had seen out here, there was something else that happened with it.

Cloaked in the fog had been a silhouette. It was humanoid, but there had been a pair of wings jutting from its back. If that wasn't enough, they were tall: hundreds of feet in height. It was a wonder that the waves felt relatively still with the force it should have caused walking alone. To top it all off, there wasn't just one figure in the fog, but three.

When the weather cleared, there was nothing left behind. Not a single trace of the mysterious beings could be found. Others were convincing themselves that what they had seen was only a trick of the light. Already, she could hear some of the marines aboard their ship talking as if the outline had not been nearly as defined as it was. There was something to be said about growing used to one's world. Being an outsider, Pyrrha didn't allow herself to brush this matter aside.

If there were devil fruits, sea monsters, and an entire section of the world unknown to much of Remnant, what else could there be that even the Grand Line didn't know? Thinking about it made her worry. She didn't think that those creatures would come after them, but they were in the same area where the Straw Hats had gone missing. There was always a chance of coincidence, but something about it just didn't sit right with her.

Thus, after everyone else had gone to bed, Pyrrha made her way to the top deck to think. Instead of just sitting and doing nothing, she busied herself with light training. She was running through different techniques trying to perfect them. Her whole life, she had trained for an arena, and it showed in her movements. It was almost as if her fighting style was more for show than practicality. Fighting as often as she did now against actual opponents had shown her the shortcomings of her form. It had yet to be an issue, but it was something she could address before it did so.

Quickly, Weiss darted to the side. In the briefest moment that she was out of sight, she had to act fast. Yanking the door open, she rushed inside.

It all annoyed her to no end. Weiss knew that in a perfect world, she wouldn't be thinking about making a forehead shaped dent in the wall. Somehow, beyond her abilities to fathom, Whitley was just as much of an annoyance in the ship's brig than he was on the loose.

First, he made a big deal that the food he and his crew were receiving was bland and stale. Sure, they weren't eating like kings, but maybe that would teach him how criminals were treated. Then, he began going off on how they were suppressing dreams. He even made a comment that she was acting more like Father by the day. Weiss bristled at the nerve of him to say such a thing when he was the one following in his footsteps for years. Then again, perhaps that might not have been so true after all.

Now there were reports that he had acquired a harmonica somewhere and was playing it nearly endlessly. Weiss wasn't sure if he could be more overdramatic at the moment.

With all of that in mind, she had another vexation. Winter had always been a sanctuary in her life, but she had been stifling ever since their conversation. Nearly the moment she left the room, Winter found her, and Winter's eyes watched her like a hawk. Everywhere she went and everything she did, Winter was there. Her only times of solitude were the room she shared with her team and the restroom.

To think that this was all over some small act. Surely, this could be forgiven — her superiors already had. Then again, her superiors didn't know that she was sneaking up to the top deck to feed them every night, which was something she couldn't do now with Winter.

Weiss let out a defeated sigh. Her father was just as controlling as always, her brother had become a criminal, and she had just dipped into a broom closet to avoid her stalking sister. The proud Weiss Schnee was cramped in the small room, sitting on a paint bucket with a mop leaning on her shoulder.

Her only hope at the moment was that Winter had gone to bed. It was late when the idea struck her. Walking toward her room only to rush off, hopefully Winter might think she was off to bed herself. The chance was slim, and it was more realistic for her to hope Winter had simply given up for the day. Maybe that would give her a chance to walk the ship without her sister breathing down her neck.

Tentatively, Weiss turned the knob to the closet door and let it open. Her heart sank. Winter was in the middle of setting up a sleeping bag in the middle of the hallway.

Hearing the door open, Winter glanced up. "I wasn't sure how long you would be in there, but sleep is important for a marine."

Ozpin wasn't one for pacing. One must stay calm through the turmoil; that was the best chance of pulling through with minimal damage. After all, thrashing about as things went south only ever led to worsening a situation. Any person that viewed him would believe they were seeing this in action, but more than practicing keeping calm, Ozpin had done well to master keeping that facade. At the moment, his emotions were anything but, and his only life line keeping him sane was the relief of his special brew of coffee.

Imported from a particular plant that grew in just the perfect conditions far into the Grand Line, it was unlike any other beverage there was. In a sense, it helped to calm the mind and even make it feel as though time was passing slower. It helped with thinking and, more importantly, planning.

Ever since Qrow had betrayed his trust, Ozpin had been doing everything he could to salvage the situation, but he had been acting irrationally. The philosophy of staying calm had proven true this time, and he let himself be the victim. So now, above everything else, he needed to be more methodical. No more blind chasing, no more all-ins, that would not do any longer.

It was actually thanks to the disappearance of the Straw Hats that helped with this. If they hadn't, he might still be blindly following them. One would think that after all of his years he would have grown more careful, but perhaps having that much time in restarts had numbed the pain of consequence. Whatever the case, this must be a lesson to him to not become complicit in confidence. Also, maybe to pay more attention to the bounties on the Grand Line — then the situation with Qrow would have been known much earlier.

Neptune felt like he had been dragged across a field and bumped his head on a few rocks along the way. He was unaware of how real his assessment was. It had long since grown dark, and Neo clearly wasn't worried about smoke drawing attention. The small pit of blazing wood cast an amber light over everything, which drew his attention to the strange scene across from him.

Half sunk into the clouds was a pair of kicking legs that faintly reminded Neptune of a dying bug. Also, tied around the waist of the person, whom the legs were attached to, was a vine wrapped around a tree branch. So, the person also looked like bait on a fishing line. Neo, clearly the cause, sat unapologetically near her victim. In any case, Neptune decided it was best not to poke the hornet's nest and left it alone. Whatever happened, the guy probably deserved it — and if he didn't, Neptune had no desire to join him.

After regaining his bearings, he noticed the box he had found laid on the ground near him. Glancing up to Neo, he noticed she was eyeing it intently.

"You haven't opened it yet?" He asked her. She looked at him as if he should have never even thought she would. He had only supposed that the girl obsessed with exploration would want to know what was inside. Even now, she was fidgeting while keeping her eyes locked on it, but then she slid it closer to him. "Oh," Neptune dumbly said, taking the box off the ground. She must have been waiting for him to wake up.

The lid of the box had swirls carved into its surface, flowery and flowing from the corners inward. Compared to the blocky carvings in the ruins around, this felt more elegant — more mystical. Tentatively, he tried pulling off the vines keeping it closed, but they snapped at the slightest tug. Then, as gingerly as he could, he opened it.

Neptune's eyes narrowed in confusion as he peered inside of the box. "How has this not gone bad?" Neo, who had moved into a position where she was peering over his shoulder, began to shake him in excitement.

"Woah, hey," Neptune freed himself. Slowly pulling the object from the box, he asked more to himself than to Neo, "What is this?"

It appeared to be a small, blue, palm-sized melon with flowing patterns formed by ridges along its surface. While it looked like something out of fiction, it remotely resembled something edible — ignoring how it was in a box that was a century old minimum. Yet, of all the influence Neptune could have had, Neo began trying to shove it in his mouth.

While the act was vaguely reminiscent of the cheese, it was lacking the same malevolence. All the same, Neptune resisted. "Hey, if you want someone to eat it, why don't you eat it yourself." Neo simply pointed between the fruit and him. "If you're trying to say it's mine, then I give you permission to eat it." Neo shook her head and made an 'X' with her arms.

Neptune sighed, inspecting the odd fruit in his hand. "Do you really think I should eat this?" As he already expected, Neo nodded fervently. With one last breath to steel himself for whatever was to come, Neptune took a bite of the melon. Then, he immediately spit it back out.

"Ugh, that's disgusting." He spat repeatedly at the ground in hopes to banish the taste. While he would note it unsuccessful, it was all in vain. Before he could react, a deft hand shoved the melon back to his mouth. Neptune tried to push away in a desperate attempt to escape, but it was all for naught.

As he finally managed to get a bite down, he could only think to himself that he had met a similar fate to the dead-bug guy after all.

Ren headed to the coast where their ship was, still clutching his side. "Ruby, I'll be fine. My aura will help me recover, so you don't need to worry so much."

Ruby, not relenting, insisted, "I know. I just don't like my friends getting hurt." She trailed off, noticing Ren had stopped moving. Craning her neck around him, she could make out the figure of their ship against the White-White Sea. However, just on top of it were two, large orbs.

"There's two more of them?" Ruby quietly lamented. It was difficult to make out any defining features in just the moonlight, but the outline of their orb-like bodies definitely reminded both of them of a certain person they had just fought. "Do you think we've had long enough to recover?" Ruby asked, her eyes darting to Ren's side.

"I'm not sure we have much of a —"

"So the plan is to set their ship off sailing and sink it so they have no escape. Absolutely genius!" One of them crowed out into the night, laughing and clapping his hands. The other was not so amused.

"Why do you always do this, Hotori?" He hissed. "There's no need to say anything; we both know exactly what we're doing. There's no need for you to reiterate what we both know."

Hotori harrumphed. "Well, all the big villains in stories like to monologue. It helps make the heroes squirm in dread, which is so fun. Why can't I do the same, Kotori?"

Kotori did not budge. "You know what they all have in common? They all fail in the end, and I'm sure that giving away their plans doesn't help!"

Ruby and Ren shared a look. "I guess we stop them," Ruby muttered.

Jaune ducked under the chunk of metal hurling at his face. Instead of sinking into the ground, he chose to roll forward, pivoting at the last moment to face his attacker. Cardin, who attacked before looking to see who he was attacking, slowly put his mace away. At least he managed to look like he had a shred of guilt.

"Are any of the others with you?" Blake asked, having arrived just after Jaune.

Cardin gestured to the empty space behind him and Sun. "No, you two are the first ones we ran into."

They kept moving as they went over what had happened so far. While Jaune and Blake's tale of finding the Shandians and fighting DJs was lengthy, Cardin and Sun seemed to skim over their own encounter, merely labeling it as both "daunting" and "epic." Before Jaune could get them to go on, there was a loud thunk and they were enveloped in a sudden brightness.

In a moment, night became day as giant lights cast down onto them, washing away the darkness. Jaune cursed under his breath as he shielded his eyes, trying to get used to the sudden change in brightness. Across from them, previously hidden in the shadows, was a large rectangular table. And though what laid on top was near impossible to see from where they were, the array of speakers behind it made it easy to tell. Not to mention the person standing at the table was dressed to fit the bill.

"Is this one of those DJs you guys were fighting?" Cardin asked.

Jaune, still having to squint, shook his head. "He's different from the others; we shouldn't underestimate him." The DJ was bald, wearing dark glasses, a green tank top, and baggy pants. There was a slight sneer to his lips as he gazed down over them.

"It's impressive that you got this far," he taunted. His hands moved deftly across the surface of his station. "However, this is the end of how far you will go. I, the great DJ Ohm, will not let you pass." There was a scratch and the speakers pulsed to life. Blake and Sun were the first to react to Ohm flicking his wrist.

From the table launched two discs. They looked like clouds, but the moment one clashed against Jaune's blade, sparks flew, and he had to bat it out of the sky.

"What the hell is this stuff?" Jaune asked, side stepping as one of the discs barely missed him, embedding into the woody trunk behind him.

"I don't know," Cardin responded, clubbing one out of the air with his mace. "But whatever it is, it's deceptively strong."

Blake led a charge in with Sun following close behind. However, Ohm wasn't alone. The same DJs that they had been fighting all day sprang from the bushes in mass. She kicked off a tree over one that lunged at her, Sun knocked the DJ in the head with his staff.

Spotting the new struggle, Jaune glanced at Cardin. "Do you think you can handle this here?" Cardin nodded, and Jaune dove into the ground.

Each time Jaune used his devil fruit, it became just a bit more natural to him. It was almost like how learning to use a sword had gone from waving a length of metal around to an art he understood. Even if he wasn't perfect at it yet, it was far less foreign to him than when he began. That didn't mean it was exempt from hurdles.

The largest issue Jaune faced now was a lack of navigation. Short trips under and back weren't too difficult, though the only surefire way was to keep his head above the entire time. Right now, he didn't have that luxury: he wanted to get behind the DJ stand. It would take that Ohm guy off guard and maybe take away some of his attacks. The glaring issue was the distance between them, so Jaune only had guesswork to deal with.

The sounds above him were muffled, cries and shouting overpowering most other sounds. The distinctive vibrations of music rattled through him, slowly taking away his confidence in the direction he was heading. For only a moment, he popped his head out of the ground to gauge his situation. Stomping feet trudged overhead and loud voices echoed above with the blinding lights.

Jaune dove back under, at least confident that he hadn't gone upside down. There was a buoyancy he felt which helped him know which way was up, but he knew he was tunnel visioned. One careless mistake could leave him plummeting down to waters — and he couldn't swim anymore.

By this point, the beat of the speakers was all he could navigate by. The bass drowned out all other noise, and every time he surfaced, he was greeted with the same sight of stampeding feet. An uneasiness was growing in his stomach the farther he went. Had he really not gone far enough yet? The speakers were still far away from him, and it looked like he was still in the middle of the fight every time he went up. Yet, he was certain he should have been there by now.

Reluctantly, Jaune left his trust in the speakers over his gut. Once he was there, he burst up from the crowd. Was it really this much louder up close? The noise was deafening and the speakers were larger than he imagined. That didn't matter though. Right in front of him was the DJ stand, and Jaune didn't have the time to give Ohm a chance to react.

Swinging Crocea Libertas in a vertical arc over his head, he cut deep into the equipment before kicking it toward the DJ behind it. In an instant, the speakers cut, and the chattering voices around him overtook the night. For the first time in weeks, it was quiet at night in Skypiea.

Glancing back, Jaune wasn't greeted with the sight of his fighting friends. Instead he saw a crowd surrounding a single, dancing man.

AN:

I had a lot of fun with this chapter and a couple spur of the moment ideas. I was going to write out Neo and Gedatsu's fight, but I needed room for other stuff to happen and I thought it was still funny for him to challenge her to a fight, and the next time they're shown he's just defeated. Also, besides comedic purposes, he was tied up because Neo thought he might come back up from the lower layer. That leads to my next point that I don't remember the actual structure of Skypiea.

I've been mainly using some pictures from google as a reference, but it's not going to be perfect. It doesn't matter too much since I don't need to have it right, but this is just me saying why it might be wrong. I watched that stuff like seven years ago.

Anyways, next chapter: Party's Over