(Bellamy POV)
"It's quite the reception party you've got there." I quip, my gaze wandering across the deck. Frankly, it's a sorry sight. "Should I feel honored?"
Around three dozen goons, Needless and General Gasparde as well as a half-dead body of a certain bounty hunter. I don't particularly expect a challenge and that's a good thing because if I remember correctly, there should be a cyclone coming. Granted, this is taking place at least a month after it did canonically so who knows what sort of butterflies are flapping their wings, but I like to believe in the elasticity of the plotline.
Things that are meant to happen will try to happen, no matter how little sense it would make for them to do so.
"One has to be prepared when facing someone like you, Bellamy the Hyena." Gasparde answers, but contrary to his words, there is no hint of apprehension on his face. Probably because he still has a higher bounty than mine and because he's a logia. "So, what do you want? You want to end up like him too?"
"Probably not. I'm no bounty hunter."
Shryer doesn't even react when Gasparde begins kicking him with his boot. "He came for my head. He did…show me a good time."
I'd call him condescending but then again, I've met Enel. Compared to that guy, Gasparde is pretty much a little girl scout with flowers. What does bother me is his aura of absolute ease, which he keeps up even as my crew begins to line up behind me.
"Well, I hope you can show me a good time too." That earns me a tick mark on his temple. He assuredly did not like having his words thrown back in his face like that. "Though, I won't be the one fighting you, my crew will."
"…are you joking?" The poor man looks like he can't decide between getting angry, being dumbfounded or being suspicious so he tries to be all three. As one would expect, this doesn't work particularly well and has near disastrous consequences for his barely acceptable appearance, so I try and help him out a little.
"Not at all. Thing is, if I were to fight you, it would be over too quickly. So, this is more like a little game I play to stave off boredom." One common trait amongst arrogant pufferfish is that they absolutely despise being on the receiving end of their own attitude. Gasparde treated everyone weaker than himself as a source of entertainment and haven from his boredom, which primarily stemmed from his dislike of the sea.
Now that I am treating him like he is MY entertainment, his rage meter must be shooting though the roof right about now. And an angry opponent is perhaps a ferocious opponent but a much simpler one to fight, an advantage that my crew will need.
"You dare?"
"I dare nothing. One only needs to dare something if there is a risk and, in this case, there really isn't. Only the weak must dare things. I do not." This is utter bullshit. Everyone risks something every time they do anything. The risk may be trivial and the price negligible, but I am not in such a situation and I'm definitely not powerful enough to justify such an attitude.
But it doesn't really matter because Gasparde is rapidly losing the mental capacity to think clearly and rationally. "I took to the seas and left the marines because this was the quickest path to power! And I have become more powerful than a boy wet behind his ears could ever imagine! You will beg for death when I am done with you!"
"Promises, promises." I blow my nails to clear them of some imagined specks of dust before glancing at my crew. "Like we planned guys. Nero, Ross, you two take Needless, the guy with that X-shaped scar on his face. Sarquiss, Lily, Mani, and Hewitt…Gasparde is yours."
"And the rest of his crew?"
"Why, I think Muret needs some exercise."
"No, I don't!"
"Anyone have objections?
"Yes, I do!"
"Great! Go and kick some ass!" I shout as I give Muret an encouraging pat to the back, motivating her to go…'figuratively'…flying into battle. Spurred on by her enthusiasm, the answer from my crew is as earnest.
"Aye aye, captain!"
(Muret POV)
Her captain was an asshole, Muret reflects as she does her best to stay alive, dodging all manner of sharp implements being swung at her from all sides. And she wastes no time in letting him have a piece of her mind.
"Captain, you're an asshole!"
"You're doing great, Muret! Keep up the good work!"
To think that she had thought the days of the sadistic Bellamy were behind them, but no, it was still there, waiting just beneath the surface. Only a psychopath would ever dream of putting someone cute and fragile like her into a combat situation…the accident with Ohm notwithstanding.
"Didn't anyone teach you morons not to attack a doctor!" she screams, ducking beneath a wild haymaker from one very burly thug. One syringe later, he is twitching on the deck grasping his side and Muret is twirling away. "Who's going to keep you dimwits alive if you take out the medic?"
When she realizes what words just tumbled from her mouth, Muret has to pull up short. Lily is rubbing off on her, the absolute horror! The moment's pause almost costs her dearly as another two pirates take the opportunity to try and spit roast her from both ends.
Muret hurriedly vacates the space, leaving only small satchel of powder in her place. By the time those two are enveloped in a small cloud, she is sliding underneath another to jab a needle into his thigh.
The sound of three bodies hitting the deck like sacks of rotten potatoes ushers in a small lull in the fighting. A lull which Muret uses to the fullest by drawing out eight more scalpels, grasped between her fingers.
"You know something? Doctors spend most of their time putting bodies back together." She growls. It's not really in character for her, but after being almost breaking her manicured nails and ruining her hair, Muret finds that she is rather short on patience. "But that also means, we know the best way to take one apart."
Brandishing the tools of her trade Muret takes a small step forward. The crowd takes a large step back.
"Eight spots. The Larynx, the spine, the lungs, the liver…the jugular and the subclavian veins. The kidneys, the heart." She intones with a deadly calm voice. "Eight vulnerable spots on your body for certain death."
And with that, she releases her scalpels with pin point accuracy, eight pirates keeling over moments later, spurting blood everywhere.
It's not very becoming of a doctor, but Muret can feel herself wanting to grin. And as she brings out Funkfreed, she indulges in that desire with a pearly-teethed smile.
"Welcome to Anatomy 101."
(Ross POV)
Man, Muret was really letting them have it. At this point it really isn't a fight anymore, having more similarities with a game of tag. On the other hand, the fight between Needless and Nero wasn't quite as one sided.
This didn't mean that their new instructor didn't have the upper hand. The former government agent was hounding his opponent, firing off air blades with his feet whenever the man tried to gain some distance. Not that Needless had much more success in close quarters fighting as Nero just weaved around everything, almost like a flag fluttering in the wind.
In fact, Gasparde's first mate was so hard pressed that he couldn't spare any attention to Ross, leaving him free to observe the fight. And Ross had to admit that he was impressed.
When the captain first mentioned learning a new martial art, most of them had been skeptical. They all knew how to throw a punch, so how useful could it be?
The rokushiki, as the techniques were called, were difficult to fully appreciate without witnessing them with one's own eyes. And Ross was liking them a lot.
He imagines that he'll have an easier time learning them than the others, because many of them seemed to rely very heavily on a well-trained lower body. And what had Ross been doing since Skypiea? Training his lower body and his core.
In fact, he's pretty certain that he could match Needless when it comes to a contest of pure strength, though the man easily trumps him in the speed department. Then again, that's what Nero is there for.
Now, how was he supposed to join the fight without getting in the way?
(Sarquiss POV)
When the captain had told them that they would be fighting a 95 million belli pirate, he hadn't known what to think. No, to be more precise, he had too much to think that he couldn't focus on any one thought.
Much of it revolved around "Is Bellamy crazy?" or some variation thereof. But for some reason…some inexplicable reason, his mouth refused to cooperate and protest, putting him in his current situation.
Trying to stay alive as Gasparde tried to squash him like a bug.
"Stop buzzing around!" The man is a tricky opponent for a whole different reason when compared to Satori. With the round, sadistic idiot you just couldn't hit the guy because he knew everything you were going to do before you did it. But at least Satori was human, if one extended the definition of humanity to include the sky dwellers and was thus bound by the physical limits of the general human form.
Gasparde had no such limitation, and he used that freedom well. Sticky appendages stretched out to grab him out of the sky and it was taking nearly everything Sarquiss had to maintain flight. At the same time, the man was creating even more 'arms' to fend off Lily and Hewitt.
Things would have been much worse had Hewitt not covered the man in flour in the opening moments of the battle. There had been a moment of stupefied incomprehension after Gasparde punched a hole into an incoming projectile, releasing a cloud of the white powder into air.
And that single, simple act had turned an untouchable logia into a functional paramecia whom they could kick the shit out of. Of course, that is if they could get past these tentacle limbs to get at his main body. At least Gasparde's efforts to scrub the flour off of him had been spectacularly ineffective. Flour stuck to candy syrup, who'd have guessed it?
As he watches Hewitt & Lily dance around Gasparde's extremities, Sarquiss really wishes that they had some long range support right now. But no, the captain had kept both options back to take care of the black pearl. It would be too easy, he said. You need training, he said. Why was he becoming more sadistic with every island they went to?
And where was Mani anyway? Wasn't she supposed to do something?
Diving back into the fray, Sarquiss allows his body to enter free fall towards Gasparde. The expected counter is interrupted by Sarquiss stabbing the offending limb with his new stingers and injecting some of his toxins into it, and it to jerks back as if burned.
Unfortunately, that didn't end the fight because Gasparde detached that appendage before the toxin could reach his main body.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Sarquiss nevertheless keeps going, this time aiming his new weapons at Gasparde's heart while the other two are doing their best to keep the former marine occupied.
It almost works but Sarquiss has to swerve off course at the last minute to avoid being sandwiched between two limbs.
"This isn't working." Lily grouses when he rejoins them to regroup and plan. "He has too many of the fucking tentacles."
"Think we should get the others to join in?" Hewitt asks, "The captain didn't say we couldn't ask for help."
"No, we're doing this." At the least, this didn't seem impossible. Difficult? Certainly, but not impossible. "If things really get dicey, the captain back there is going to step in."
Currently, Bellamy looked completely at ease as he is sat on the stairs with Aisa beside him, giving her the occasional head pat, meaning that he had faith that they could handle this.
"You know what the most annoying part is of this whole shitty fight? The fucker hasn't moved at all during our fight." Lily points out. A second glance confirms her observation, Gasparde's feet still being firmly planted where they had been at the start. He even had the audacity to cross his arms. "That's it, I'm killing the fucker!"
"Hold it!" Sarquiss has to grab Lily before she can rush off. "You can kill him after we plan how we're doing it."
"Got any bright ideas, shithead?"
"No, but…" He'd been hoping his Lily would have something. She was the smart one. Then Hewitt pipes up.
"Actually, I have something that may work."
(Bellamy POV)
"You sure you don't want us chipping in, captain?" Rivers looks decidedly uneasy as he watches his crewmates making no progress.
"They're going to be fine." I reassure him. "They've got several things going for them. First, thanks to Hewitt's flour, Gasparde is vulnerable. Second, Gasparde is severely underestimating them. And finally, all of them have forgotten about Mani."
"You're right. Mani was supposed to be there too."
"U-huh." I nod, but don't explain further. They'll learn.
"Captain, we do want to wrap this up relatively quickly." Eddy calls out. "There's a storm coming."
"Don't worry, this won't take long." Even as I say this, my trio of combatants start to move, remaining bunched up together so as to guard each other's flanks.
Personally, I feel that spreading out and forcing Gasparde to divide his attention would have been better, but they probably have a plan. Still, I make sure I'm ready to jump in at a moment's notice.
And for a moment, it looks like I may have to, Gasparde's tentacles converging on them from all sides. But some flour and axe dials later, most of them are sliced through, clearing the way.
Come to think of It, we've used flour in combat twice already, once against Shura and now against Gasparde. At this rate, we may have to start calling ourselves the Flour Pirates.
But even as they get closer to Gasparde, he keeps sending more and more tentacles, often covered in spikes or candy plates to protect against the axe dials, though it does hurt their mobility. That does turn out to be a mistake when my crew pulls out fire and breath dials to start baking his syrup into solid candy.
Visibly alarmed, Gasparde finally shifts away from his arrogant pose into a ready stance. And with only a few meters to go, Sarquiss suddenly speeds away from his teammates onto a direct collision course with Gasparde's chest.
He dodges the first punch, Lily takes care of the second with an impact dial but my crew doesn't see the kick that knocks Sarquiss away. Probably because that's the first time the man used his legs.
"And that is why you never assume that your opponent isn't going to use everything at their disposal." I sagely explain to Aisa, who nods along, eyes glued to the fight. She's come a long way in just such a little time. I'm no psychiatrist but I think confronting her with her fear and praising her afterwards probably did a lot to reduce the fear she felt from voices disappearing. She still doesn't like it, but she's no longer crippled by it.
"You thought you could take me down! With such pitiful…hurghk?"
"And that is why you never let your guard down during a fight. It's not over until its over." I finish as Gasparde stares uncomprehendingly at his unblemished chest before his head turns mechanically backwards to see Mani digging her knife into his back up to the hilt. I'm fairly certain he wants to say something from how his mouth is moving, but all that comes out is a bloody gurgle. She must have gotten him in the heart or something.
Nearby, Ross and Nero have also dealt with Needless, Ross having tackled the wolverine wannabe to the ground before getting him into a grapple hold and dislocating both of his arms. Nero finished him off with a pistol shot.
"What do you think Muret?"
"Can't really tell, but I'd give him a minute, max." she says, while Funkfreed sits down unto the last of Gasparde's underlings.
And wouldn't you know it, the great traitor falls to his knees before slumping over…dead.
Author's note:
And there we have it, Gasparde is dead. Cheers and Hoorays for everybody.
Sarquiss gets some practice with his new fruit and dial warfare proves to be useful once again.
Also, credit to Coolio101's masterpiece "Walk Two Lifetimes" for scene inspirations.
One of the best fics about badass combat medics out there.
P.S. what's stopping you from leaving like and a comment? It's free and makes me write faster.