With her hair now in a bun, Ellis took the time to remove the dainty gold necklace wrapped around her wrist and clasp it around her neck.
Honestly, she dreaded the battle ahead of them. Usopp vetoed her idea to fight less directly in the forest behind them, considering it's only the two of them against potentially hundreds of pirates. He didn't want them to get that far.
She could see where he was coming from, but considering she was the one that had to stand between them and the village while he hid in the bushes, Ellis just knew the plan would fall apart. It was just a matter of time, and relied entirely on just the hope that the others would show up before they got run through.
It's better than having a plan no one follows, but it's risky. It relies too much on chance instead of playing to their strengths.
Too many things could go wrong. Will go wrong. This is a disaster in the making.
Ellis peered up the cliff to around where Usopp would be. Behind bushes. Then she eyes the two ships on the shore they used to sail to the island. They didn't have time to move them, especially with only two of them there in the first place. There hadn't been enough time to deal with them.
Then she spots a ship come into view, a black blur on the horizon.
The pirates approached. (She knew it would be this beach. Why did she split the group when she knew it would be at this beach?)
Ellis watched from behind her boulder as the ship approached, slamming through the jagged rocks Nami had to navigate around the morning before. It didn't seem to slow them down or damage it, as the ship sailed straight onto the sand, only stopping once it was entirely beached.
She watched the pirates toss the rope over the side of the ship to climb down. They all excitedly chatted as they waited for seemingly everyone to group up. There were maybe a hundred people total once they collected themselves, and Ellis prepared her knife.
Why couldn't she have picked a weapon with more reach as a kid? Just another disadvantage I have to play around.
The pirates charged with a battle cry.
Unfortunately for them, just outside the entrance of the slope, Ellis and Usopp threw Caltrops in the sand. The first people to run over them slowed down, but they got pushed farther as the ones behind them didn't realize what happened.
At least, until they themselves stepped on them.
There was a lot of screaming involved, but once they fell back, she could hear them deliberating on what to do. They settled on slowly shuffling their way through the sand so they don't have to step, and hopefully push the caltrops out of the way, but as they approached (more slowly this time), Usopp targeted them.
His first target was in the front, and he nailed him in the head, causing him to fall forward with a shout, into the uncleared caltrop sand. He shouted more once he landed.
The others stopped and frantically searched the cliffs, but they couldn't see anyone. Ellis could see from around her boulder that half of the group fell back, wanting to get out of the line of sight, but with nothing to hide behind.
Some stood still, but the pirates in the front pushed on, giving up on shuffling to head closer to the cliffs despite the caltrops beneath their feet.
The sand started staining red from their blood.
They were so busy looking for snipers as they approached, they wouldn't be looking for opposition in front of them.
Right where Ellis lay in wait. Usopp kept sniping at the pirates approaching, chipping away at their numbers.
She was poised, ready to jump out as they finally made their way to the entrance of the pass. It was slow as they had to map a way past the caltrops (just push them aside already!) and keep an eye out up at the top of the cliffs.
Ellis tightened her grip on the sand she held in one hand, the other adjusting her hold on one of her longer knives.
Now.
She flung sand at their eyes and struck.
Ellis slashed the closest pirate to her right in the gut, staying low and fast. She shoved him back, falling on the people behind him as she moved on to her next target.
He just ran past her so she slashed the backs of his knees. He fell forward from the momentum and she turned to face the oncoming horde.
She rushed at her targets, jabbing at them fast and attacking as in-their-face as obnoxiously as possible. Once she could safely go around her target, she'd spin behind them and strike. Then she moved on.
She tried not to stay fighting one person for more than a dozen seconds so she can keep them on their toes and keep them reacting instead of thinking.
"It's an ambush!" Ellis heard in the cacophony of yells.
Did they just figure that out now?
They stopped mindlessly charging and fell back, collecting themselves in the confusion. Ellis moved back to stand a few yards in from the slope entrance, giving up the element of surprise.
She stood in the middle of her carnage, slick blood making its way slowly downhill. Ellis pulled out a second blade. The one she was already holding matched the ground around her in red.
The pirates on the ground around her groaned (if they were still conscious), one particularly vulgar one got a hard kick in the head as he cursed her out. He didn't make any noise after that.
She won't give them the opportunity to retaliate. Pirates that were able to crawl slowly made their way to the beach, but not before she crushed their hands under her feet.
No hard feelings. This was war, after all.
Usopp took advantage of the lull, now standing on the edge of the cliff and looking over the entrance to the slope, wearing his goggles.
"I am the legendary Captain Usopp!" He shouts over them. "I've been waiting for you!" Ellis sees the hypnotist push his way through the horde to the front, baring his clenched teeth.
Just another stall tactic, and it gives me a breather. It's all about controlling the pace of the battle.
Usopp continued. "All my men and I are ready to fight to the death! Turn back now if you value your lives!"
"It's you!" the hypnotist exclaimed. "I remember! You're one of the troublesome brats who overheard our plan. What do you think you're doing?!"
"I'm warning you!" Usopp replies. "Leave here while you still can! If you don't, my one hundred million crewmen will massacre all of you!"
The crew in front of Ellis watched on, confused. She took the time to wipe the blood off her hand and where she was holding her knife. She doesn't want to lose her grip on it, such a simple mistake could be fatal.
"One hundred million?"
"Are we really supposed to believe that?"
"No way!" the hypnotist exclaimed. "One hundred million?! Incredible!"
"Captain, he's obviously lying!" One of the crewmembers interjected.
So the hypnotist is the crew's captain? The man in charge during the butler's absence?
"Then it's time to call his bluff!" another crew member stated.
"That guy seriously thought he could fool us?"
It was more of a way to put off as much fighting as possible. Especially with such a difference in number between us and them.
"What's that?!" the hypnotist roared. "You've been lying to us this whole time?!"
"Captain Jango!" a man to the back of the crew approached, causing the hypnotist (Ellis now knew to be called Jango) to face him.
"Oh no, is it bad?"
"No, sir, it's good!" he pointed to the two ships Ellis's group took the previous day. "We searched those other ships and found a huge load of treasure!" A man on the boat held up the bag over his head. "It's hard to say how much, but I bet it's around five million Berries!"
I probably should have done something about that, Ellis thought. Well, I can't remember everything. I'm only human.
"What?" Jango breathed.
"I see you found my loot!" Usopp announced, causing Jango to turn back toward the slope. "Well, you can have it!"
Ellis felt her brow twitch. In what world would that persuade pirates to leave? It just entices them to loot the rest of the island more!
"You're just going to let us take your treasure?!" One pirate exclaimed.
"That's right!" Usopp said. "Just turn around and forget all about this place and the treasure is yours!"
The horde of pirates in front of Ellis looked around at each other in confusion.
"I didn't think people that stupid actually existed!"
"At this point, he's just embarrassing himself!"
Jango just adjusted his hat over his eyes. "Okay, do you know what a pirate is? We're going to take this treasure and there's nothing you can do about it!" Then he peered from under the brim of his hat. "And there's no way we're turning back until we get what we came for."
"Well… yeah… that makes sense…" Usopp uttered.
Then Jango pulled out the large ring pendant he used to hypnotize the kids the previous day, letting it dangle before holding it up and slowly swinging it back and forth.
Ellis eyed the pirates around him. Would any of them use this as a distraction and charge her?
"Alright then! On the count of one, two, Jango, you'll let us by!" Jango ordered.
"It's that strange weapon from before," Usopp observed.
"One… two… Ja–"
"DON'T YOU EVER TRY TO GIVE MY HARD-EARNED TREASURE AWAY!" Nami shrieked as she whipped her staff into Usopp's head. Ellis forced herself to keep looking forward as she heard Usopp roughly land on the ground above her.
She fought the urge to look. She's the only thing currently standing between the pirates and the village since Nami temporarily incapacitated her only other ally.
Ellis should have known the way to summon Nami was to threaten her cache.
"MY HEAD!" Usopp screamed.
Luckily for her, the pirates were successfully distracted by the commotion. Small mercies.
Ellis was a bit peeved that her own allies were this distracted in the first place, considering if they charged, she would be fucked.
She just had to hope them being distracting buys her side enough time for the two powerhouses her original plan relied upon. She can't guarantee anything more than a very long stalemate with only her blocking the way.
"Hey! Who is this crazy girl?!" one exclaimed.
"Captain! This isn't the time to be hypnotizing yourself! We've got a mission to carry out, remember?!"
Nami turns her attention to the pirates. "That treasure is mine, and I'm not gonna let you have a single Berry! Do you hear me?!"
"That hurt!" Usopp whined in the background.
"In fact, you better clear out, 'cause I'm coming down there to get it back!" Nami threatened, ignoring him.
Phew, Ellis thought. Another person to help me keep the pirates at bay. The burden no longer rests on me alone.
"Who said you could give them my treasure?!" Nami turned her attention to the liar. "You got what you deserve!"
…That doesn't look like coming down to help me.
Ellis noted the horde of pirates starting to grow restless. Her allies bickering no longer distracting their opponents, only each other.
She can't fight an entire group of people head-on. Not alone. Not like this.
This is what she get for relying on others, compromising on a plan she knew would be doomed to fail. More people just means more variables. More ways to screw things up.
I learned this lesson as a kid. I know better. Why did I think this time would be different?
"I didn't give them the treasure, I just said I would give it to them!" Usopp unhelpfully clarified.
"That's the same thing! And I just saved your life!" Nami complained
"Huh?" Usopp said.
"I guess I forgot to mention to you earlier; don't ever watch his ring routine. That weirdo's a hypnotist!" Nami informed him.
"Tch," Jango muttered.
"Hypnotist?" Usopp repeated under his breath.
"So where's Luffy?" Nami asked them.
"Now that's the question of the hour," Ellis muttered.
"I thought he'd be here way ahead of you," Nami added.
"I don't know," Usopp responded, "he either got lost or he chickened out at the last minute."
I have yet to see him scared of anything, so he probably got lost, Ellis thought. If only he got lost in this general direction. That would really make up for my lapse in judgment.
Nami sighed, disappointed. "The only thing that can keep him from a fight is getting lost. Right when we need him, too."
Ellis could hear Usopp starting to back off. "I'll go ahead and take command here. I think it's about time you go and kick their butts."
Excuse me?
"What?! ME?! What about you?!" Nami wailed.
Ellis could feel a tension headache form as their bickering left her irked. A battlefield isn't the place for trivial arguments. Especially since they both know their roles in the plan.
The plan she screwed up.
And what gives Usopp the authority to command a battlefield? Experience? On this tiny island? She thinks not.
"I can't take on a boatload of vicious pirates by myself! That's just suicide!" Nami continued to shriek.
"What, like I'm gonna do any fighting?! Beneath this calm exterior lies the abject terror of a coward!"
"Oh, so you think you're scared?! Well I'm so scared I'm literally about to cry!"
"Please! Your eyes are completely dry! You'll have to do better than that! Liars can–"
"Will you two SHUT IT?!" Ellis roared from beneath the cliff, turning to look up at them. "If you're not here to fight, you'll only be in the way! It would be better not to be here at all!"
Ellis was furious. Nami's presence, distracting Usopp from the battle, was worse than not showing up at all. And Usopp backing off entirely the second someone else might stand between him and the pirates, leaving her for dead? Don't get her started.
Now's not the time for anger, Ellis thought. It'll only be a distraction, no matter how justified I might feel.
Nami then turned her anger toward Ellis, shouting at her. However, Ellis's attention shot over to Jango speaking.
"We don't have time for this nonsense," he complained. "Alright men! Let's get to work! Crush them and move to the village!"
And the pirates charged at her.
"Here they come!" Nami said, running from the cliff's edge to the exit of the slope and into position.
Unfortunately, instead of staying in position, Usopp followed her, moving closer to the slope exit, and thus closer to getting taken down by anyone that should choose to target him.
Focus!
As they approached, Ellis fell into a stance. As the closest pirate reached her, ready to attack, she danced around him and gouged his side with both blades. Then she sliced the chest of the next pirate with both blades, moving to the side as he fell.
Rush them so they don't have time to react. Get in their face, and strike. Then move to the next one.
"Bastard!" A pirate in front of Ellis shouted as Usopp consistently nailed another headshot.
"Way to go, you're quite the warrior after all!" Ellis heard Nami say over the grunts and noise of battle, patting Usopp on the back. "Looks like you got this handled, so I'll just take a break!"
Ellis seethed as she dodged the swing of a sword. Now's not the time to be angry. Just ignore them and keep fighting.
"But you haven't done anything yet!" Usopp shouted after her as Nami moved toward the treeline.
Then Nami screamed, causing Ellis to turn her attention behind her. Did Kuro finally show up? Are they in trouble?
"What is it?" Usopp asked.
"There are caltrops behind us…" Nami pointed out.
Yeah, in case anyone gets past us!
Ellis got slammed into the cliff face-first, leaving stars in her vision and stunning her. She stumbled and fell to her knees, pirates running past her.
Idiot!
The pirates cheered as she tried to collect herself and tried to ignore the pain. She braced one hand on the ground and touched her face with the other, before looking at her hand, finding blood on it. She felt blood drip down the side of her face and down her shirt.
"Get outta the way!" Ellis faintly heard a pirate shout. Then she heard Usopp shout in pain.
She tried to stand up, but as she turned to face the slope, someone kicked her in the gut and she slammed her back into the rocky wall, head following right after. She took a moment to cough out and catch her breath as a ringing sound filled her ears, before resorting to drastic measures.
Before she could allow herself to think, Ellis spotted the closest downed pirate from before and dragged herself over to him, slipping a little on the blood.
He was face down, and bleeding. Barely holding onto consciousness. Luckily for her, he wouldn't be able to see what she was about to do.
She made sure to position herself to hide what she was doing from view, hunched over him and facing the cliff wall, to block the glow she knew would form.
So, Ellis slammed her knife down into the side of his back. He grunted in pain, but before he could do anything, she ripped her knife out and pushed her hand over his wound, activating her ability.
Warmth flowed through her as her ability glowed beneath her hand, healing his stab wound. And, in doing so, Ellis was able to heal herself with a portion of the energy. She felt better than before the battle even started, though that might just be because of the all-nighter right before battle.
Her ability only allows to heal herself a fraction of the amount she heals others, and only by healing others can she heal herself. Luckily, partially healing a stab wound fully heals a couple scrapes and a head injury, and she was able to force herself into a standing position, only feeling a slight head rush.
No one can ever know.
She forced unwanted memories to the back of her mind. She had more important things to worry about.
It's not safe to explore the feelings it brought up.
Ellis took stock of the situation. Jango was still at the bottom of the slope. The crew was paused by the top of the slope to bask in their victory. Jango was watching them, as far as she could tell.
"Let's go, fellas! Captain Kuro hates waiting!" The crew cheered.
Nami stood off to the side, not doing anything.
The fact that she would just stand aside and let the pirates massacre an entire village will have to be pushed to the side. I can't afford to be distracted any more than I already have.
Ellis picked up her dropped weapons, putting one away, and stalking her way to the pirates.
She spotted Usopp dragging himself to his feet, standing in their way, favoring one leg as he monologued out of her range of hearing, not letting the pirates regain their momentum.
Nami finally stepped in, blocking a sword aimed at him and knocking the pirate down.
Never mind about her, then. Glad to be wrong.
Ellis pushed down the irritation that it took this long for her to follow the plan in the first place, considering her role was just to take down the stragglers.
Not the time.
Another pirate came in swinging, but Nami blocked that sword too. However, the strength of the swing knocked her to her back.
It's good to know that she won't stand by and let people get mindlessly slaughtered, but it's a bit too late to step in.
Ellis shook her head. Focus.
She finally reached the back of the pirate crew, and she wasted no time in getting to work.
The pirate furthest back was her first victim. She jumped up from her crouch, wrapping one arm around his head to cover his mouth as she slit his throat. She quietly lay his body down and moved to her next target.
She picked away at their numbers, as Usopp kept them distracted. It was only once he couldn't get back up that she was jarred from her focus.
"Shut up! I won't tell you again!" A pirate stood over the prone forms of Usopp and Nami.
Ellis pushed through the rest of the group to stand in front of her downed friends, bloodied knife at the ready.
Death is permanent, injuries are not.
Her mind whirled with fragments of plans as she considered the next move.
The pirates can go past us. If Jango follows them, I can take him down in a sneak attack from behind. If he stays here, I'll just have to fight head-on. Then I can rely on guerrilla tactics to get the rest of the crew.
Not to mention Luffy and Zoro are still somewhere on the island.
"We've wasted enough time playing pirates!" Jango yelled at them. Ellis glanced to see the sun had risen substantially above the horizon. They've successfully stalled them for a few hours.
Honestly, longer than I expected. Shorter than we were capable of, considering the interpersonal conflict, but longer than I expected.
"Quit bothering with him and move to the village!" Jango continued. "Or have you forgotten this is Captain Kuro's operation, and he doesn't look favorably on his well-laid plans being ruined by idiots! He'll kill us all!" He screamed. "You understand that, you cretins?!"
Kill his crew? I might be able to use that to my advantage. If he gets rid of the crew, the only thing left in our way would be Kuro himself. He might even get a bit worn out or injured. Two birds, one stone.
"He's right."
"Yeah!"
"Let's get to the village!"
If Jango follows the crew, maybe she could discreetly heal her allies. Or would it just be better to do it herself? Ellis was split.
The pirates suddenly got thrown back, close enough to form a breeze past her face. Ellis turned to see who joined the fight. Could it be Luffy? Zoro? Or is it Kuro?
At the sight, Ellis exhaled.
Finally.
Luffy and Zoro stood at the tree line in a fighting position, sweaty and out of breath.
It's about time!
A/N:
I despised this chapter so I overhauled it lmao. Still not the biggest fan tbh but it's what I had to work with. Enjoy!