Well hello there! It's certainly been a while. I would have gotten this chapter out sooner, but the computer that served me dutifully for eight years died a while back, so if I wanted to update I had...My phone, and that was it. I am not writing on my phone. Anyway, I am back!
Enjoy!
Nami glanced worriedly at the sky, which seemed to be getting lighter by the minute.
"It's close to sunrise," she said warily. "I hope Luffy's already at the city."
"Unless they got stopped, they should be," Raki replied. "Wyper wouldn't let something small stop them."
"And, uh, what if he isn't there?" Usopp asked. Raki grimaced as they trudged through the jungle.
"We hope he makes it there before sunrise, and Enel wipes us out." Silence fell upon the troupe at this, Johnny finally laughing awkwardly.
"That was a good one, Big Sis Raki!" He said, "you're funny." It was very clearly no joke, but Nami appreciated the attempt at lightening the mood. Looking up at the trees over their heads, she watched as birds she had never seen before squawked and flew all over the place, seemingly disturbed by something. This caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand up on end, and she didn't like it.
"Move over, Mari," she said, moving to stand between Johnny and Yosaku where the painter was standing. They stood a better chance at surviving an attack than she did, after all.
"Do you see anything, Usopp?" Mari asked. Usopp was standing at the back of the pack, using the goggles he always wore on his head to scan their surroundings.
"Nothing yet," he replied, "but that doesn't mean they aren't out there. Let them pray they don't run into my seven thousand soldiers!"
"No one is looking Big Bro, you don't have to lie," Yosaku replied pointedly.
"Let him fantasize," Vivi said, "maybe one day he'll have some men worship him like he worship's himself."
"Maybe we should install Usopp as the new God once we topple Enel," Mari said with a smirk. "Maybe then he'll finally have his army."
"That'd be hilarious!" Johnny agreed. "God Usopp! I can't even imagine how dumb you'd look, Big Bro."
"Johnny the only one who looks dumb here is you!" Usopp exclaimed. "It's dark, take off the sunglasses man!"
"No! It's a part of my aesthetic!"
"Aesthetic?! How can you even see in such low light?!"
"I have good eyes."
"Is that why you stumble around the ship like a blind mole at night?" Mari asked, "I've seen you wearing those things on your way to the bathroom."
"That's because I'm sleepy, not blind."
"Whatever you say man," Usopp said with a shrug. "I'm just trying to make you as cool as me."
"Then go after Yosaku! He wears that head brace all the time, but no one says anything!"
"That's because Yosaku needs a helmet on at all times," Mari said. "He's in need of it."
"Exactly!" Yosaku said. "...Hey! Was that an insult, Little Sis?!"
As the group descended into a comical argument about aesthetics and necessity, they failed to notice that they had entered into a dangerous place. A place that was dominated by one of only five men in Upper Yard who was feared by all. And now they were right in his circular sights.
The group's bickering made them miss the floating, white spheres that had started to fade in and out from among the trees. And if you listened closely enough, a goofy sounding laugh.
This fight would have been over if Luffy was able to move freely.
After stepped on one of Ohm's Dial traps that shot out barbed wire clouds, he and the others moved much more carefully. This was no issue for Ohm, who seemed to know the exact location of every single dial and how to avoid them. This was to say nothing of his wings, which he could use to hover off the ground in case he somehow stood on one of his own traps.
"Captain," Robin said from his right. "I do believe we could end this quickly." Luffy raised an eyebrow at her, before realization set in, making him smirk.
"After you, Robin," he replied. Smiling back at him, Robin raised her arms and crossed them, palms facing upwards.
"Tres Fleur!" She said. Instantaneously, three arms sprouted from Ohm's body. Two came from his shoulders and latched around his neck, pulling him backwards in an attempt to hold him, while the third came from his forearm and wrestled for control of the sword. Luffy smirked at the Priest struggled to move.
"Nice one, Robin," He said, "Get him now, guys! While he's held down!" Chopper and Kamakiri jumped forward with him, intent on wiping out the Priest with one combined blow.
"An interesting technique," Ohm said, "unfortunately, it seems it's strength is limited by the users."
In one swift movement, Ohm freed himself from Robin's clutch, the arms disappearing into a flurry of petals. He didn't even waste a single second, allowing his body to follow the motion and dodged all of their attacks with relative ease. Luffy landed and turned back, aiming another punch at him. This one, as well, was dodged and Ohm grabbed his extended arm.
"This is an interesting power as well," Ohm remarked as he pulled Luffy closer, who grunted as he tried to fight back. Sadly, his reduced physical strength in the sky made it harder than it should have been. Just another thing holding him back. "Your body seems to be stretchy and malleable, but still holds all the psychical strength of a normal humans. Combining the two together must make you a dangerous foe. A pity your journey ends here." Luffy grunted in annoyance and tried to punch with his other fist, but Ohm dodged this as well and effortlessly tossed him away.
"What the hell is up with this guy?" He asked as he adjusted his straw hat and got up. "We can't hit him at all."
"It's Mantra, Straw Hat," Kamakiri called. "He's reading your moves before you make them. it's why the Priests are so formidable."
"I'm impressed you natives know so much despite being so difficult to catch," Ohm said in his direction.
"Don't we just have to overwhelm him?" Chopper asked. "Surely he can't handle all of us!"
"Please don't be ridiculous," Ohm said. "I'm more than capable of handling a few Blue Sea rejects and Wyper's underlings. This won't be any trouble at all."
"He's not really wrong," Kamakiri said irritably. "He can read all of us, it won't even be difficult for him." Luffy frowned at this and turned back to Ohm, wondering how such a broken power could even exist. The world had so many unknowns about it.
"If you can't even handle this, I fail to see how you planned on fighting Enel," Ohm said. He rushed at Luffy, who tried to clothesline him when he got close. Ohm ducked underneath his attack and slashed at his back, but Luffy let his momentum carry him and jumped out of the way. He turned to see Ohm fighting against Robin's created hands, which were trying to wrestle the blade away from him again. As this was happening, Kamakiri and Warashi appeared behind him. Warashi swung a large axe down on Ohm, who still had enough control of his body to fling himself out of the way. Kamakiri grabbed something off his belt, a Dial attached to a handle, and aimed it at the Priest.
"Burn Blade!" he shouted. Clicking the Dial, flames erupted from the exit and roared towards Ohm. The Priest tried to dodge again, but Robin had ensnared his legs with her arms, causing him to fall over as the flames engulfed him. Luffy watched the enemy disappear into the flames, not hearing any screams. This wasn't over from such a weak hit.
Soon enough the flames faded, and Ohm got back to his feet, brushing ash off of his shirt.
"As I expected, fighting so many opponents makes it hard for me to deal with you all," he noted. "Especially that woman's ability. Even though she is limited by her own strength, her holds are very annoying. Robin laughed softly at this.
"I appreciate the praise, Priest," she said innocently. "I'll remember to work out my arms after this."
"There won't be any 'after this'" Ohm said. "I just need to keep you distracted, and I'll be able to defeat you all." With this, Ohm brought his hand to his mouth and used his fingers to whistle. The shrill, annoying sound echoed around them, reverberating off of the iron clouds that surrounded them. There was a brief second of silence, and then the ground began to rumble.
Luffy turned towards the sound just in time to see a massive, white dog barrel into the opening, growling angrily.
"Where the hell did the dog come from?!" He demanded in surprise. In reminded him of Chouchou somewhat, if the dog was thirty times bigger and angrier.
Holy!" Ohm shouted, "go after the woman!" The dog howled in response and turned it's eyes to Robin, who was watching it warily.
"Robin, run!" Luffy shouted, trying to run to her. He was stopped by a sword hilt to the back of the head, making him stumble. He rolled out of the way of the following slash and jumped back to his feet, searching for Robin.
He found her standing a ways away from him, the dog still facing her. However, there was another figure in between them. Chopper, in his Heavy Point transformation, holding the mutt back from trampling her.
"I can handle the dog, Luffy!" He shouted, "Focus on the Priest!" Luffy grinned as the reindeer shoved the dog back with all his might, making him tumble over and knock a tree over.
"I'm counting on you, Chopper!" He shouted, turning back to Ohm.
"I don't want your praise, jackass!" he said, clearly enjoying being relied on.
Shaking Luffy's praise from his head, Chopper turned his eyes back to Holy as the dog got back on it's feet, clearly sizing him up.
"Get out of my way, you disgusting creature," The dog spat angrily in a heavy accent, similar to Gan Fall's bird Pierre.
"I won't let you hurt Robin!" Chopper replied, holding his fists up. "Luffy told me to protect her, so I will!"
"She's a sinner who must receive God's Judgement!" Holy replied, "but I suppose I have to deal with you first, you mangy pet!" Holy charged at Chopper, who centered his gravity as he did so. The dog rammed head-first into him, and Chopper slid back as he used all the strength he could must to push the dog back. Soon they came to a standstill, neither able to move the other. Chopper grunted angrily as he tried to shove the dog away, but to no avail. If he was gonna beat this dog, he had to be tricky.
Grunting, Chopper activated his Devil Fruit and shrunk back into his Brain Point, jumping off to the side. This caused the momentum Holy had been holding back to disappear, and the dog tumbled forwards before falling onto his face in the dirt. Returning to Heavy Point, Chopper rushed at the mutt as it tried to get up, jumping onto his back.
"Take this, you stupid dog!" Chopper shouted as he rode on Holy's neck like a horseback rider. "Heavy Fists!" Chopper drove his clenched fists into the top and sides of Holy's head, causing the dog to growl angrily and try to shake him off. using the longer and more powerful legs of Heavy Point let chopper stay atop the dog, punching him roughly.
"Enough of this!" Holy shouted. "I will not be ridden by some common animal!" Chopper gasped in surprise as his world turned sideways, Holy having jumped and tilted his body. He slammed into the ground hard, his leg grip on Holy trapping him underneath the dog. The dog moved quickly, holding Chopper down with his front paw as he leered down at him.
"Get off of me!" Chopper shouted at him, struggling against the dog's grip on him. Where was this strength coming from? He was just a dog!
No, it wasn't just that. Chopper knew it was the oxygen deprivation of being so high in the sky. He was already not the strongest on the crew, so the lack of air was making it hard for him to deal with the mutt in a timely manner. He was probably going to need a rumble ball. But how could he get one? His pack was with Robin, who was standing nearby and intervening in Luffy, Kamakiri and Warashi's exchanges with Ohm.
"I don't know how you've gained this power, you insignificant spec," Holy snarled down at him, "But you will not best me. Ohm has trained me since I was a pup in martial arts! I won't be taken down by the pet of some Blue Sea pirate."
Pet?
Pet?!
Chopper's arm muscles bulged angrily in response to his own rising anger.
"I'm not a pet!" He roared angrily. With one mighty push, he managed to free himself from underneath the dog's paw and quickly transformed to his Walk Point, running a bit away to get some distance. He turned and retook his Heavy Point, rage still coursing through him. "I'm a Doctor! Not a God damn pet!"
"How dare you take God Enel's name in vain?!" Holy demanded.
"Screw your god and the cloud he rode in on!" Chopper shouted back. "Once we're done with you and your handler, we'll go usurp that God! Then we'll steal his throne and sell it for gold! How does that sound, mutt?!"
Chopper's jabs were twofold. First, he was mad about being called a pet and wanted to make Holy angry too. Second, and more importantly, making the dog angry made him turn his attention to him and not Robin. That was his overall, if not only, goal. Holy, for his part, looked positively furious. Veins were bulging from his forehead, and his eyes were going bloodshot.
"I'll make sure you get your punishment delivered last!" Holy yelled, "so you can watch all your friends be condemned and die first!" The dog charged at him, and Chopper readied himself for another push. He was caught off guard, however, when Holy jumped up, and curled one of his front paws into a fist.
"Huh?" He asked weakly. He had not time to properly figure out why Holy could do that, instead jumping to the side. The earth where he'd been standing crunched under the dog's blow, creating a small crater where he'd been just moments before. Chopper stared at it in surprise as Holy got up, on his hind legs, and faced him again.
"I told you," Holy said, "I was trained in martial arts since I was a pup. are you scared, you mistake of nature?" Chopper chose not to focus on the insult, and instead looked towards his pack by Robin's feet.
He definitely needed a rumble ball. He just hoped the others were safe with Wyper.
Wyper had no idea where the Straw Hat crew had gone.
At one moment, they were at his side rushing towards the city. In the next, they had been enveloped by fog and lost sight on one another. Sound did not seem to carry very far in the fog, as his shouts for anyone to respond garnered nothing.
If their information was correct, they'd been ensnared in the Ordeal of the Swamp. Gedatsu, one of the Priests, was probably stalking him somewhere in the fog. Wyper cast a wary eye down at the ground beneath his feet, searching for Dials or tripwires in his vicinity. From what he and the others had gathered, Gedatsu used Swamp clouds as traps, which could quickly consume someone and trap them until they suffocated. If the Straw Hats with him were not lost, they might have been taken under when no one noticed.
Wyper grit his teeth as his weighed his options. Like Ohm had by trapping Luffy and the others, Gedatsu was trying to either kill them, or slow them down. If sunrise came and Enel woke, they were all dead. The fog served as a labyrinth to trap them and leave them at his mercy.
As if.
Shouldering his launcher, Wyper cocked the handle and changed the Dial that loaded into the back of it.
"Face me like a man, Priest," he muttered. "Jet Blast!" The Jet Dial in the launcher activated, a powerful burst on air roaring from the mouth of the weapon. The swamp clouds, thick as they were, were helpless against the onslaught of the wind. The Jet Dial tore a circular hole in the fog around him, but he wasn't finished yet. Clicking the button again, Wyper fired another shot and cleared more Fog. And more. And more. Before long, the fog surrounding him had dissipated massively, leaving him more aware of his surroundings.
Which tipped him off to the person trying to flank him.
Cocking the launcher handle again, Wyper exchanged the Jet Dial with a Flame Dial. Turning, he ducked underneath the punch aimed at his head and nearly shoved his launcher into Gedatsu's mouth.
"Hi, asshole," he said, pulling the trigger. Flames burst forth from the weapon, but Gedatsu was already avoiding and slinking back towards some of the fog.
"Your weapon is powered by a Jet Dial, Shandia warrior," Gedatsu's voice came from nowhere. "You must have countless weapons like them stockpiled in your village."
"I'll make sure to tell the Elder you approve of his Dial collection," Wyper replied, warily watching his surroundings. "Where are the Straw Hats?"
"Who knows?" Gedatsu asked. "Maybe they've sunken into the swamp. Maybe they abandoned you and fled. I think you should focus more on yourself. After all, you face a Priest of Enel-"
Gedatsu's words ceased to be understandable, as all Wyper could hear was pathetic babble that sounded like he couldn't move his mouth.
"What the hell's wrong with you?" he asked.
"Ah, my bad," Gedatsu said. "I was talking with my tongue on the roof of my mouth. Where was I? Ah yes. I'm a Priest of Enel, warrior. I won't let you past me." Wyper couldn't help but grin at this, aiming his launcher towards the fog.
"Then come and stop me, Priest," he said, "or I might accidentally topple your false God!"
A shorter chapter than I'd have liked, but we'll use it to get back into things. I hope you enjoyed, see you next time!