LW: And now for the time skip adventures of Zoro, Perona, and [Redacted], hope you all enjoy this one
Drop in the Ocean - Exorcism for dummies
Mihawk's castle - Walachia - Gloom Island
"So, I've got 2 years to make sure both of you are New World-ready and won't immediately die when you get to the other side of the Red Line. This is not going to be fun for any of us so let's get started" Mihawk sighs, before draining his wine glass
Perona blinks "Wait, BOTH? But I don't wanna go to the New World, I wanna stay here, or go somewhere safer and cuter than this dreary Hellhole" the ghost girl whines
"Tough, you're on my island and I might as well make sure the Humandrills won't kill you while you're stalking Roranoa so you're being trained too. So, besides your Devil fruit, what do you have as a weapon?" the Warlord asks
"Um, I have my umbrella" Perona suggests with a sad look, surprised when Mihawk seems to nod in approval
"Good, good. With proper reinforcement and technique, it could be used as both a spear and a club" Mihawk muses
"Wait seriously?"
"Yes. I trust you know how a spear and club are supposed to be used, little Miss?" Mihawk asks
"The 1st one is for stabbing things and the other is for hitting things, not that hard" Perona snarks
"Good, this means I'll just be refining your technique to something bordering on competent, as well as sourcing a weapon capable of actually being used as such"
"Thanks, I think" Perona shrugs
"From tomorrow onward you will be dueling each other or the Humandrills outside if you progress fast enough I will personally begin training you. We will also work on your haki and see where your talents lie" the warlord explains
"Seems reasonable" Zoro nods
"He just said we're going to have to fight him! Nobody is that stupid, there's no way you think being cut open by Yoru would be fun!" Perona screams
"You're right, it sucks, so I won't be, not again" Zoro agrees with a determined shimmer in his eyes
"Wait what? Please explain" the ghost girl asks/demands
Zoro shrugs "You treated my injuries when I got here. Do you remember the diagonal scar across my chest, that if it were a little deeper might have bisected me?"
"If I wanted to do that it would have been straight down on straight across" Mihawk argues
"THAT was done by Yoru after Mihawk beat me with his cross knife at the Baratie. I wasn't ready to fight him then, but I needed it after being the greatest in the East Blue for a couple of years at that point" Zoro admits, running his hand across the stitching "Kuma was another lesson, that I NEED to get stronger, my crew NEEDS me to be stronger"
'That's the spirit Roronoa, but how long will you be able to keep it up? I look forward to seeing if you can make it to the end or bow out before' Mihawk hums, while Perona scolds him for being a wreckless idiot
Clang clang clang clang
"This is hopeless, I can't fight a monster like you or Mihawk, I'm support at best not frontline combat" Perona whines, her hands shaking as the reinforced umbrella Mihawk provided for her was nearly touching the ground, it's (retractable) dagger length bladed tip hovering inches from the stone floor
"You aren't meant to, or at least don't have to be. This training is to survive and handle yourself in the New World, nobody is expecting you to arm wrestle one of the Yonko by the end of this" Zoro argues, trying to be supportive, and not sure if it was going right
"But I don't wanna go to the New World, it's scary over there" Perona shivers, moving her umbrella to hold it to her chest "Plus you're not even fighting with all your swords, so this isn't even real training for you, just beating the shit out of me!" she adds with a scowl
The swordsman sighs deeply "I'm actually skilled in 1 and 2 sword style, 3 sword is simply my preferred and solely unique method, so yes me holding you off with just Wado IS training, it keeps my 1 sword style sharp and helps me look for flaws in my stance and technique" he explains, then, in a move some (mostly a cook and a witch) would say he was too oblivious to notice, makes a suggestion "Perona, how about a little challenge"
"I'm fighting you, that's already a challenge idiot" the pinkette growls
"It's a relatively simple one. If you manage to draw blood from me anywhere at all…. I'll let you cuddle up to me without being too sore to move, and meaning you won't have to sneak in at night like you normally do" he offers, a small part of him amused when the woman's face turns strawberry red
"YOU'RE SERIOUS?" she half screams before coughing and instead denying "Yo-you, can't prove it was me"
Zoro raises an eyebrow "Well, only 3 people live in this castle including me. So unless it's Mihawk…"
"It could be!" The Hollow girl shouts
"Maybe, but 1, he has no reason to sneak around, he's Dracule Fucking Mihawk he could just walk in, slip under the covers and say 'Goodnight Roronoa' before snoring loudly and other than go somewhere else there's not much I can do. Plus, he'd have no reason to be gone by the time I wake up"
Perona emits a stream of gibberish before pulling on her pigtails and groaning "Fine, it was me. Are you really offering this to me, and aren't mad I've been doing this?"
Zoro shrugs "I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't serious, and honestly… I think your prescience seems to have an almost calming effect on me somehow, I sleep better when you're curled up against me" at that point his own cheeks flush "Which brings up the other reason I know it's you and not Mihawk, he very clearly has a flat chest and washboard abs"
"Now that is interesting" Mihawk hums with a ghost of a smile as Zoro defeats his current humandrill opponent
"What, that his swords turned black?" Perona asks in confusion as, just as she said both Wado and Kitetsu's blades were a murky black, though the very edge was a vivid green
"No, that's merely a sign the boy has managed to activate Armament haki on demand, it's the other color that interests me. It appears Roronoa will be contacting his ninja friend in the near future, as his haki seems to tilt towards Wind Elemental energy almost instinctively, a great element to have for a swordsman" he explains, fairly sure it was a mix of armament and Wind that allowed him to slice through his opponent's blades as well as slice a deep X in the ape's chest "Think of it like self-sharpening, but with extra damage and force behind it" he adds with a low chuckle as Perona looks on in shock and Zoro calls for the next monkey to fight him
"Um Zoro, is it true?" Perona asks softly as the swordsman crumples the bounty poster and tosses it behind him, she was already afraid of her sweetie's 1st mate after Thriller Bark, but if what they said was accurate, the lanky bastard was going to be appearing in her nightmares for at least a few months, Zoro's prescience in her bed be damned
"Of course, it fucking isn't" he scowls "For one there's no way the witch would have left the ship pure if that was his moral failing, he'd have thrown her over his shoulder and found a nearby alleyway or used that weird pocket dimension thing whenever she pissed him off enough and knowing our luck she'd start to like it and intentionally antagonize him so he keeps doing it. Also, I don't think he'd have aimed for your throat in Thriller Bark if his greatest sin was Lust" (That's Sanji, and Gother's job)
"That, annoyingly makes sense. Just out of curiosity, what is his moral failing as you put it?" Perona asks, this time more curious than fearful
"Murder. Or I suppose he casual uncaring attitude to it, not quite getting off to the act but it's clearly at least Plan C in most situations" Zoro explains
"Oh. I'm not sure if that's better or worse" she grimaces "So the new bounty is bullshit?"
"Are you really surprised my dear?" Mihawks asks, drawn in by the conversation "Fire Fist was going to be executed for being Roger's son. They could have done it for all the various crimes he committed on the journey to becoming a Yonko commander, albeit it's shorter due to being Whitebeard's Commander rather than BigMom or Kaido's but still, instead he was up on that platform for the crime of being born. If they can make Whitebeard's only true blood son out to be a sexual deviant and a rapist, they will, because it hurts both the boy and his father"
"At worst the lanky bastard is an honest pervert, and the cook makes him look like a saint and a virgin, if you forget he and Robin were very active since Skypeia up to Sabaody. He has looked at women, practically scanned them with a stare that pierces your soul, nods and grins, then he and Robin discuss how the girl is a sweetie with some nice curves and would be quite a lot of fun in bed" Zoro argues, then turns to Perona with a slight blush "They were right about you being a lithe little thing with a firm, pinchable rear, so I'm going to guess their other discussions were just as accurate" he says, getting a chuckle from Mihawk while Perona hides her face in her hands, then decided to just bury her face in Zoro's shirt
"As enlightening and entertaining as this may be, your next session with the humandrills is in 20 minutes, don't be late they get cranky when you are" Mihawk hums as he walks away
"New move!" Perona shouts as she rolls under Zoro's sword swing, then releasing her right hand from her umbrella flashes the bullhorns "Negative Hollow: Berzerker Rage"
Tensing his leg muscles to dodge, curiosity got the better of him when instead of the simple, silly looking ghost that was normally formed, this one's head looked more like an oni mask and the body had small sinewy arms and strong legs, as seen when it lept at and through the swordsman. Rather than depression and weakness, his entire body heated up and tensed, his eyes flashing red as adrenaline and bloodlust washed over him, before he lunges and slashes at Perona, only her umbrella managing to keep her from being disemboweled. Though as quickly as the adrenaline flooded his brain… it passed, leaving him drained and panting "The, Hell was that?"
"My new Hollow" Perona squeaks, her own heart going 90 "I wanted to see if I could fill the targets with other feelings after they've been hollowed out so to speak, and the simplest option was anger to replace depression. It kind of worked…. But clearly needs work" she sighs
"It's an interesting idea, and could be used on enemies and allies depending on the scenario" Zoro muses "Anger can make you stronger, but also sloppy, plus I nearly cut you in 2, so if you hit the right opponent in a group, they might deal with a few of the enemies for you"
"Friendly fire huh?" Perona muses, then cackles in amusement at the mental image
"I really HATE 7-7 duty" Smoker grumbles as he and Tashigi set foot on Gloomy island "Essentially checking up on and playing babysitter to the damn Warlords, and of course, this one is in the middle of nowhere"
"At least it'll all be over soon, the transfer has come true right?" Tashigi asks hopefully
"Another few months and we'll be stationed in G-5" Smoker nods, as the castle comes into view and the sound of combat fills the air "Of course it's never that simple" the marine grunts before both rush forward, finding Mihawk sipping on some wine while 2 unexpected visitors/residents clash.
"You going easy on me sweetie?" Perona teases with a wink, eyes flaring red before the tip of her umbrella cuts the outside of Zoro's thigh "You look less cute covered in blood than you think you do given how often you get injured around here"
"Getting cocky on me Spectre, just cause you got 1st blood, let's see if you can handle the Dragon Twister" Zoro smirks launching the spin attack, the Hollow woman dodging and sliding between his legs, though the return swing was blocked by Kitetsu "So close, but not quite" he hums as the red fades and Perona collapses onto her back "You're definitely getting better with that trick of yours, your stamina still needs work though" he critiques as he puts his swords away and helps her stand
"Seems the Adrenaline boost Berzerker gives CAN be controlled, it's just a battle of wills at the start, even for it's owner" Perona sighs as she retracts the blade into the main body of her weapon "Least I know you can handle almost anything on this island" she winks and kisses his cheek
"Very good both of you, that counter attempt is why I was trying to drill into you the importance of learning and refining Observation haki, the you that first arrived here wouldn't have been able to react to and dodge Roronoa's attack, instead be forced to simply take it head on and merely hope to survive it" Mihawk comments, as the marines reach them
"What are one of the Straw Hats doing here? Stay right there Roronoa, you're under arres…" Smoker begins only to stop when Mihawk steps between the Commodore and the swordsman
"I wouldn't attempt that, a Warlord's crew is under the same protection as they are after all"
"Wait, Pirate Hunter…."
"Is, I suppose you could call it on loan to me yes. Same with Miss Perona, though I'm unsure if she even had a bounty before she worked with Moria" Mihawk argues
"You expect us to believe Straw Hat 'loaned' you his swordsman?" Smoker grunts, eyebrows raised to their peak
"What you believe has no bearing on the matter, plus pirates are notoriously bad at paperwork so it's not like there would even be proof. Some of them can't even read" the Warlord retorts with a half smile
"He's right, Brook once joked that our crew was impressive for having a 90% literacy rate, though I'm pretty sure he was including the duck, bazooka dog and elephant sword" Zoro chuckles as he and Perona walk over to their current captain, and the 2 marines "What are you guys doing here?"
"Warlord inspections" Tashigi answers flatly as Smoker scowled, for once not trying to set the green-haired swordsman on fire with her eyes
"Hm, this a new thing, might have caught Crocodile a lot sooner if you were?" Zoro asks curiously
"No, it's been something that's been done since the project's inception" Smoker responds tensely "And, while you may be right in theory, and we wouldn't be having this conversation if you were, Crocodile is a bad example due to the nature of how Baroque Works was set up" he argues, getting a nod from the swordsman
"Nobody knows anyone, and Croc had Robin be his face as the public half of the Zero pair Miss All Sunday, plus most of their work was extremely covert until the final clash in Alubarna and the attempted bombing" Zoro agrees "Fair enough. So we all have to get along until you guys finish your inspection in….?"
"A week. Which is going to be a pain as unlike say Hancock or Doflamingo, Mihawk doesn't exactly do anything as or besides being a Warlord. I hope that massive castle over there has free rooms"
"They do but they're not exactly ready for guests, not that it would take very long" Mihawk answers with a shrug
"Hey Roronoa! Fight me!" Tashigi finally shouts, surprising only Perona with the declaration and challenge
"You sure about that, plus weren't you not supposed to arrest or kill me as part of a Warlord's crew, which you were just informed of a minute ago?" Zoro asks with a smirk, eager to have a go against the marine swordswoman, but more curious if this was a spar or a potential fight to the death
"I'm sure and given the last 2 times we met we worked alongside each other, I need to get the taste out of my mouth by actually clashing swords AGAINST yours. I've gotten a lot better since our little exchange in Loguetown, don't you worry" she states, clicking Shigure just slightly out of its sheath
"I already knew what, like you said we fought together in Alabasta and Mervelle, I've seen how strong you're becoming. Sure why not, if I'm going to become the greatest swordsman, why not have a rival within the marines to keep me from getting sloppy" he teases, deciding to at least give her the respect of starting with all 3, remembering their fight with DR Indigo, and knowing Tashigi was a lot stronger than the crazy clown.
"Oh I'll be more than a whetstone 3 swords" Tashigi scowls before drawing Shigure and the Jian, drawing Zoro's attention to the fact that like him, she wore 3 swords on her hip, even if she only uses two "I'll make sure you never underestimate me or any other woman ever again!" she shouts as she lunges at him, her eyes shimmer as energy ripples across the blades before clashing with Zoro's, the verdette managing to block the strike fairly solidly
"Is there a reason blue thinks Zoro would disrespect women? Is it because of his crewmates or something I missed?" Perona asks as the 2 swordsmen clash
"There are very few powerful swordswomen, so I get the feeling the girl wasn't exactly respected for her craft, that or Zoro handled her rather easily with one sword and she assumed it was because she was a woman, rather than a much more logical one of he's just an asshole, or like when I used a knife to beat him when we first met, that he didn't need 3 when 1 would suffice. Best guess is the latter, given he jumped straight to 3 and she looked pleased rather than surprised" Mihawk guesses
From there the battle continued more or less evenly, Zoro's guard good enough to keep Tashigi's swords from getting more than superficial cuts on his limbs, while despite having fewer weapons her secondary blade's size and weight made it the better blocker for his swords, particularly Wado which should have been at least able to slip between most guards. Haki did help, but the way the 2nd sword flickered green when the blades struck made him consider she was like him, the chill in the air more or less confirming it
"Didn't think you'd jump to ice so quickly, am I really giving you that much trouble?" Zoro taunts/asks, watching something in Tashigi's eyes before she responds
"You're the 2nd one to mention that, and both of you were Straw Hat pirates. I don't know what you mean, not that it matters as I'm still going to kick your ass!" she shouts as the metal of her 2nd sword flares green and manages to break Zoro's guard, allowing her to cut across his chest with Shigure "Seems I'm supra….fuck" she hisses as the flare increases, green flames starting to crackle and puff along the length "Why won't you behave?" she mutters as forest green flame pattern tattoos begin to snake up her arm toward her neck
"You ok there, seems that sword is getting away from you"
"I'll be fine" Tashigi shouts then her face blanks for a moment, before sliding into a more sinister smile as her glasses flash red "Once I feed on your blood! Yokazan" she cackles as she slashes the sword against the ground unleashing a flash of green flames, using the mystic fire as a distraction to get around the younger swordsman's guard, drawing them defensively too late to avoid the Shichiseiken cutting across his left eye
"ZORO!" Perona screams, about to rush forward only for Mihawk and Smoker to grab her shoulders
"Damn it Tashigi, you said you had this under control" Smoker curses, biting through his cigar, and causing the spectator's attention to focus on him for the moment
"You KNEW this could have happened?" Perona shrieks, getting in his face
"Not entirely, just that the last owner of that sword went insane, and Tashigi had to cut him down to end his reign carnage" Smoker explains gruffly
"She ended one curse, only for it to transfer to her instead" Mihawk hums "Shame really, she seemed like one with a lot of potential"
"Do you know what's wrong Mihawk?" Perona asks
"Our little marine girl down there has been possessed by the darkness of the Shichiseiken, a well-known Cursed Blade, similar to the Hebi no Oni no mi, or the legends of the Kitetsu blades. Possession occurs when a powerful blade is wielded by someone either not yet, or just not powerful enough in general to wield their might, being overwhelmed and corrupted by the sword itself. It sounds like it happened to whoever she killed to take this sword, and will happen to her as well, soon enough"
"Is there anything to do to stop that from happening?" Smoker asks, not wanting to have to kill his subordinate, especially Tashigi given everything they've been through
"It's possible though unlikely. The wielder would need to overpower the sword with their own willpower and drive it out, mostly because there's no way anyone could get close enough to perform any other exorcism rituals on a madman with a sword" Mihawk argues with a sad sigh, though as he looks back to the battle he was glad his student was holding his own despite his new handicap, even managing to push Tashigi back a couple times
"We can't go down there, at least not physically" Perona mutters as a lightbulb goes off over her head
"What are you thinking?" Smoker asks, considering if his smoke fruit would be much use against the cursed sword
"I can use my Hollows to try wear away at Tashigi's outer shell, while my spirit can help her from within" Perona states with a determined grin
"Can your Fruit even do that Perona?" Mihawk asks
"In theory, from my experimentations while I've been here, I believe so, that I can use my astral projection to link up with Tashigi and help her expel the Demon from her body, meanwhile, Zoro will need to keep fighting to keep the monster's attention split between us"
Smoker sighs "That's, honestly the best plan we've got, so yeah go for it. Just try not do anything that would kill her unless absolutely necessary"
Perona nods "Got it" she states before sitting down a safe distance away, releasing a few Negative Hollow and displacing her soul into it's Astral form and gliding just below the surface until she gets to Tashigi, having just leapt away from Zoro using more Green Fire as a deterrent, she didn't see the hollows or Perona nail her in the back as she caught her breath
Tashigi - Inner Realm
"C-c-c-c-c-c-c-cold" Perona shivers as she feels like she was dropped on her face in the middle of a winter island "This, was n-n-not what I was expecting" she notes as she pulls herself to her feet and brushes the snow off her dress "Wh-here are you Misssss Marine" the hollow girl wonders before trekking through the mental tundra, until she felt a waft of heat and decided that was the correct path, either to Tashigi, the Demon or both, either way, better than getting lost in the snow forever.
Maybe not her best plan given it nearly got her impaled, and she was already thanking Mihawks training for at least giving her enough Observation haki to jump back and avoid a sword through the throat "Yeep! Hi, Perona here trying to not get us all killed…. And you're not the marine" the pinkette notes now she was out of stabbing range, sure there were similarities, the glasses, and severe scowling face, but besides that, they were nothing alike
"No, I'm not" the woman states flatly
Perona blinks "any intention of telling me who you are?"
"No, not really"
"It's fine, if she's in here she's probably on our side" Perona jumps as Tashigi appears behind her, guess her haki still needs work after all "You were the girl Zoro was fighting when we arrived"
"Yep. As I said a minute ago I'm Perona and here to help fight the demon or whatever that thing is" she nods
"Well, it's better than nothing, and probably the best we're going to get when it comes to fighting Shichiseiken. I'm Tashigi and that's Shigure or at least a mental representation of it" the marine explains, getting a nod from the swordswoman, which Perona now notices had tried to kill her with the non-cursed sword Tashigi had been using against Zoro outside
"Ok then, honestly I have no right to judge given this is the 1st mind walk I've actually attempted, though I'm now curious about what Zoro's swords look like in his head. Anyway. If she has or I suppose IS your other sword, same as the Demon Sword, and I have my umbrella, what are you going to use?" Perona asks in concern
"I have 2 other swords, Shigure and SSS are just the ones I use the most as they're stronger and there's something odd about when I use the other 2 together" Tashigi admits, pushing back her marine jacket to reveal 2 white hilted katanas, one of which had a snowflake shaped guard/tsuba
"You going for a winter theme or something?" Perona half-jokes "The tundra mindscape and the snowflake sword at least seem to lean in that direction"
"Zoro seemed to think so too, given his comment before SSS took the helm" Tashigi hums, drawing one and Perona could feel the way the energy around them flowed through the sword "And given what the Sword spirit of Shichiseiken looks like, maybe an ice sword or two would be just what we need in this fight" she smirks and her eyes flashed an icy blue
"Filing that away for later" Perona mutters as she removes her umbrella from its position on her hip and extending the blade "It's your head missy, lead on" she half orders, though falls in line behind Shigure as Tashigi does indeed start to lead their trio onward toward the heat, the numbness leaving the Hollow girl's body, though fear was quick in its attempt to replace it.
She didn't need to ask if the thing in front of her was Shichiseiken's spirit, bathed in emerald flame and covered in rock-like armour, the thing looked exactly as demonic and monstrous as she'd expected, though one thing that worried her was that the cracks in the armour seemed to reveal metal or at least metallic bones, fitting for a sword spirit but bad news for them given she at least wasn't going to be much good against steel
"So, this is all you have to face me, a pervert, a spectre and a weak sword" SSS growls as they approach him, molten slag pouring out of his right hand before forming into a version of his sword form "At least it won't be that much of a challenge to kill all 3 of you as well and then the swordsman"
"That won't happen, I contained you once, I can beat you and do it again" Tashigi declared
"A sword does not cut all it touches, only what it's master wishes to be cut" Shigure states, sliding into a stance that fittingly reminded Perona of Zoro's 1 sword style
"I honestly don't understand much about swords, besides the fact I'm going to regret volunteering in less than 5 minutes, but I'm still here to deal with a Demon, so there's that I suppose" Perona sighs and was happy to see that somehow she was still able to summon hollows in this other plane of existence, even if they looked less cute than normal
"It's true that you had managed to contain me after defeating my previous wielder" SSS chuckles as he blocks and pushes back against Tashigi's swings, Shigure's blows glancing off his stone greeves "But I was weak from the loss of a host, so was unable to put up much of a fight. Now, however, I've recovered and even been fed by your sins, enough to break your spirit and burn this world with your twisted form"
"I would never help a demon, I'm a marine, sworn to uphold justice and liberate the greatest swords from unworthy hands!" Tashigi shouts, ice forming along her hands and forearms as her strikes increase speed, some slipping past the guard and glancing against the armour as well as weakening the escaping flames
"Oh, is part of your creed to worship and love all those great swords?" while phrased like a question it was clearly a taunt "I'm sure all marines would use an O Wazimono as a masturbation aid!" it's skull-like face twisted into a scowl and blazed brighter, the truth of his statement clear from the luminous blush on Tashigi's face, as well as the slight twitch in Shigure's expression
"I, fadbjriobnein" the marine splutters and if they weren't fighting for their lives Perona might find it funny…. And is mentally storing that information for future teasing about how much the girl LOVES her sword, but for now they have bigger things to worry about
"Negative Hollow: Berzerker Rage" Perona shouts as she slams the hollow into Tashigi's back before sending normal hollows at SSS, the ghosts passing through him just as well as anyone or anything else before detonating with a snap of her fingers. Sure they wouldn't do much to the demon's metal frame but it deepened the cracks in its armor and more importantly, it served as a distraction before, despite the blazing demon in front of them the temperature sank like a stone and a blizzard began to pick up
"Gaze upon a frozen Hel…" Tashigi whispers as she steps forward glacial blue streaks in her hair as well as a crown of icicles "...Kyōki no aisudoragon" she shouts as she leaps forward with a spinning slash, on her heels a shimmering Velkanna partially made of energy but mostly ice and snow.
SSS parried Tashigi's first spin, but a mix of the dragon and a pinning strike from Shigure alongside more of Perona's exploding Hollows rattling it's skull meant it failed to block the follow up, Tashigi showing she was retaining all her lessons as she cleaved through not just the stone armour but the metal skelton beneath, sheering off SSS's arm and causing a mini glacier to erupt on his right side
"Finish this quickly, none of us can survive the storm for long" Shigure shouts as the weather continues to get worse
"I am the BLOODLUST OF MAN you stupid child, no human can kill me, your attempts will only delay the inevita…grrk"
"Yeah yeah yeah, shut up and die already I'm not built for the cold" Perona groans, having shoved her umbrella down the Demon's throat as deep as she could get it, and while the weapon was starting to smoulder, she didn't feel to guilty as it was just a spectral representation rather than the real thing
"Consider this, me beating you and taking the power. Onigoro kushi [Demon slaying skewer]" Tashigi hisses, Hyorinmaru piercing its chest as Sode no Suriyuki slices it's head off, the demon rapidly freezing over and crumbling to ash in a matter of moments.
"I think we did it" Perona cheers as the storm begins to calm down "Hope things are going better outside. Actually…. Yeah this should work" she muses before her body fades away leaving the marine's inner realm to the outside world
Real World
"I must commend you Roronoa, on lasting this long against me" SSS laughs, the swordsman dripping from the multiple slashes they'd managed to inflict upon him, most notably the one across his left eye "But I believe it's time to end this little spar and move on to a real challenge" the demon smirks as fire wrapped around it's limbs like some kind of infernal vines or serpents
"Yeah, maybe I should get serious" Zoro grunts and a dark prescience fills the battlefield
'What! How can a human emit this much Yōki? And how did he manage to hide it until now?' The Demonic sword spirit thinks with a grimace and slight twinge of fear
"Demon Aura: 9 sword style: Asura!" Zoro declares and a burst of haki rushes through him, the phantasmal extensions shimmering with armament haki as well as demonic energy "This is my most powerful attack, I didn't want to use it but if my life is on the line then so be it" he sighs before engaging in direct combat with the possessed Tashigi
"Your tricks mean nothing to me" SSS snarls as she blocks, parries and dodges the 9 sword storm, until she felt something was wrong, shuddering and coughing up a small amount of blood, her red eyes flickering between firely crimson and dark brown just before Perona popped out of her back
"It's untethered, take him out Zoro!" she shouts, then holds back a scream seeing Asura for the first time
"You got it Spectre. Asura: Spiral Razorfang" Zoro nods before striking, his final move a spinning attack that cut all across Tashigi's body, most notably one to the left side of her face (same as his own) that pretty much tore open her cheek. As Asura faded Tashigi drops to her needs, emerald flames spilling out from her as an inhuman shriek of rage escapes her lips, before flopping sideways like a puppet with its strings cut, only Smoker's smoke plume stopping her from splitting her head open on the stone floor
"Take her into the castle she'll need immediate medical attention" Mihawk orders, Smoker complying as patching up his subordinate was more important than being mad a pirate was giving him commands "Good work Zoro, though a little unorthodox. I believe the demon has been dealt with, at least for now" he gives a smirk before making one last comment "That last technique of yours, we'll be adding it to your training schedule, it's too powerful to just leave to gather dust"
"You got it Captain" Zoro sighs before collapsing himself, Perona rushing to her body so she can help him back into the castle to treat his own wounds
"Fuck, I feel like I was trampled by a seaking" Tashigi groans then hisses in pain from Perona's attempt at stitching up her cheek
"Sorry, not medically trained, but getting there due to this lug" the ghost girl apologizes, then points to Zoro sleeping in the other bed
"So even with a demon inside me I couldn't beat him, figures" she sighs "I need to get stronger!"
"So train with us" Perona suggests before her brain has time to process what just came out "I mean…"
"I wouldn't mind another training partner, and I doubt the Humandrills would either" Zoro responds, revealing he was awake, just lying there with his eyes closed enjoying the silence "After all, you're here what a month? Plenty of time"
"A week actually…. But maybe we can extend it to a month as that is the standard time for a full inspection" Tashigi admits "It was just shortened due to Mihawk not really doing anything that required such a thorough investigation"
"What about sheltering and training a Straw Hat? Off the record of course" Zoro asks, only Perona seeing his smirk
"That might be a reason, unofficially of course" Tashigi agrees "I'll discuss it with the Commodore, later"
"Sounds great, it should be fun to see what we come up with when not trying to grisly maim each other" Perona grins and claps "Now get some rest you two, otherwise the week will be over and you'll have not done anything" she half scolds, then kisses Zoro before leaving with a spring in her step and a swing in her hips, eliciting a low chuckle from her swordsman, and an odd burning in her core on Tashigi's part
"I'm starting to see how you're so monstrously strong, what sane person willingly fights Humandrills just for training?" Tashigi groans as the trio take a break
"And that's just since I got here, from what little I'm gotten from Luffy and Kaos, they spent their childhood doing something along these lines"
"That….makes way too much sense" she sighs
"A childhood of fighting insanely strong animals and unconventional Devil fruits, those 2 are just nuts" Perona groans, curling up to Zoro's side, the teen chuckles but slips his hand across her shoulders, holding her close, the girls' eyes meeting as Tashigi puffs her cheeks and pouts, her eyebrows knitting as something bubbles under the surface
"So, how did this occur, you two seem oddly close for random pirates?" Tashigi asks, too tired to be coy or subtle
"Oh that's a great story, my cutie leap in like a dashing hero to protect the fair maiden from a feral beast when our paths crossed on Thriller Bark" Perona swoons, getting an eye-roll from Zoro though his lips did quirk in amusement
"You were on Thriller Bark? Were you a prisoner?" Tashigi gasps
"Collaborator. The incident I saved her from was her finding out a little too late that using her powers on a Zoan Devil fruit user causes the body to run 100% on animal instinct, and given Kaos' 2nd fruit was a carnivorous Zoan…. It meant he attacked her"
"It was so scary, like a demon from the depths of the ocean, but Zoro rescued me and held back the foul beast!" Perona cheers, kissing his cheek and nuzzling "Then while here I won the right be cuddle and sleep with him" she chirps
"EXCUSE ME!" Tashigi shouts, Zoro groans but waves her off as he sits up properly
"Not like that Shigi. I was trying to motivate her for training, and said that if she could draw blood I would let her snuggle up to me in bed. She was already doing that most nights but snuck in after I went to bed and left before I woke up, the prize was acknowledging and consenting to her prescience, and she managed to do it" he explains
"Wait a minute, I've done more than just draw blood from you, where's my reward?" the marine teases, then yelps as Perona climbs across Zoro and straddles her
"And I drew yours" the ghost girl grins before running her fingers across the thin cut between her 3rd and 4th ribs "So I get a prize. You're lucky you're cute you know that because I'm not usually a girl who shares"
"Shares?" Tashigi asks in confusion, her cheeks a flaming red before both girl's lips meet, tongues caressing as the marine gasps, Zoro holding in a chuckle at how forward his Spectre was, she sees something cute and she wants it, that's for sure.
"Seems there's more than cold steel in you Tashigi, and I knew you were staring" Perona coos and winks as she feels the younger woman lightly squeeze her left buttcheek, before moaning when a much larger hand slaps the other cheek
"Don't overwhelm her Spectre, this is kind of a big deal" Zoro half scolds, before cupping Tashigi's face "If you have a problem with this, just say"
Tashigi smirks as she rolls her eyes "You're girlfriend just took a tour of my mouth with her tongue, you're the one I actually hoped would kiss me. Sorry pinkie stole my 1st kiss, but I'm sure ours will be just as good" she says despite the heavy blush and leans forward, Zoro meeting her in the middle as they share a much softer, chaste kiss
"Awww, so cute!" Perona coos as the 2 separate, then shiver as 3 eyes look her up and down like a predator stalking prey "I may have overdone it a little"
"Oh definitely" Zoro and Tashigi growl before pulling her towards them, Perona moans as the swordsmen nip and suck on either side of her neck, Zoro's hands roughly groping her wide rear, while Tashigi's surprisingly long, narrow fingers caress and pinch her pert bust
TBC
LW: And that's a wrap for now, I think Zoro's having a nice adventure ;)
Next on the list for mid February….. Is Vivi, so that's something to look forward to, right? I hope so.