.: I thought I could get the entirety of the battle done in this chapter, but I think I got more ideas in mind to make it high staked and more exciting, so we'll split it into two chapters instead. I love the monster fights that happen in Attack on Titan, so I rewatched a few to help me. I also love how Kenpachi LOVES to fight in Bleach, so I wanted to use a bit of that masochism because why not? It's fun! Plus, I think it could be me as a writer planting seeds for something later. I will say that I got a lot more things figured out, especially for the next installment, and I'm beyond excited. First we have to ride out the rest of this backstory, and then finish the actual story strong. Trust me, it's going to all come together so beautifully, even if it takes me another 150,000 words and thirty more chapters. :.

The Girl with A Half-Soul

Chapter 47:

The Wolf Woman: Loyalty

That miserable sensation of falling terrified Lakota. It was out of his control, and all his internal organs lifting upwards made him nauseous. An unforgiving wind blew at his hair and muted his screams. He was awaiting death with the ground quickly approaching.

The last thing Kiyaya thought about in that moment was death. She held him firmly as she looked ahead at the mass. It was too far off to make out the soldiers, but something about it made her think of the white uniforms the Marines wore. The only thing she was sure about was that the large bodies leading the charge were big enough to be giants. She knew the Navy had some giants in their ranks, but she did not know they were on the island. It seemed that the Mink Tribe was not the only race to be recruited for this quandary.

With her fur and hair being blown, she sensed no people beneath them. She was going to land straight back into the forest. It was not going to be peaceful, but she knew how to remain unharmed. Both of her legs and bare feet developed what felt like a solid black shell. This was a situation requiring Armament Haki. Shielding Lakota, she crashed into the tree canopy, tearing through and causing a lot of splintering sounds. When the soles of her feet hit the ground, the sound of thunder boomed for a mile at least. But nothing about it hurt. The absorbed impact sent a residual shock up her legs as she bent her knees to squat. The earth cracked from the impact.

She stood up straight to gaze up at the hole she created. Many branches were barely holding on as they dangled, but a lot of them stood no chance, so they littered the area around her. "Sorry about that," she said, uncovering Lakota.

He was on the verge of blacking out. His eyes were open, but his pupils were missing. Being completely unharmed did not matter apparently. Luckily, she wasted no time running. Coming to, he felt a little discombobulated but also relieved to be grounded once more.

"Where can I find Cherokee?" she asked above him.

He glanced up to answer her with uncertainty, but quickly realized she was speaking to someone else. While his ankles dangled from her grasp, he had his arms draped over her index finger. A small group of warriors stood in front of them as she crouched. They all seemed unsure of the wolf mink.

"Please, this is urgent," she continued. "There's a whole army of outsiders coming straight here, and I need her to know."

Hearing that got them all sharing glances of concern. If an invasion was coming, then a reconnaissance team would have been spreading the word by now so they could prepare. To have the potential traitor be calling the shots conflicted them. For all they knew, this could be a ploy.

"She's telling the truth," Lakota corroborated.

They all looked at him with surprise.

"I was with her when she saw it. We need Cherokee now."

"She was going west," a female warrior answered.

"Thank you," Kiyaya replied, standing up fully. "Please gather all available warriors here. I'll try to do the same." After a compliant nod, she jogged off. "Thanks for that," she told Lakota appreciatively.

"You're welcome," he said, then pointed in a different direction. "West is that way."

She suddenly skidded on her heels and wanted to twist around a couple of trees to change course, but she was too clumsy to be that graceful. Her feet slipped from under her and she landed flat on her back. Lakota watched the world go sideways as he remained unharmed in her grasp, but it did not stay that way for long. She quickly got up to continue running.

The way she barely reacted to the blunder tickled Lakota. He tried to suppress a laugh. "Are you okay?"

Then she let the embarrassment set in. "We got no time to be hurt!"

He let the quiet, airy laugh out. It probably would have been more of a spectacle if it did not hurt his core so bad.

"Quit laughing at me!" she demanded playfully while holding him closer to her eye level.

"I'm sorry! It hurts but I can't help it!"

They ran off together with a lighter disposition despite the knowledge of what was to come. Something told them to enjoy it while it lasted because the outcome of today would alter the trajectory of the Lun'aecho Tribe's fate severely.

The news grabbed Cherokee's attention instantly. Time was of the essence. She sounded a horn that was meant to alert all factions of a gathering. The warriors who were with her were told to get everyone to meet at the bottom of the mountain Kiyaya jumped from. After that, Kiyaya held Cherokee in her other hand so they could reach more people, too. The wolf woman would tell them what she saw, Lakota would confirm he was a witness, and Cherokee would urge any and all warriors to head to the meeting spot.

Soon, all of the Lun'aecho Tribe were hiding under the treeline that separated their mountains from the expansive grassland. The Naval army was still three hundred yards away, but their marching never ceased. What was a gray mass was now clearly white. There were so many Marines that they seemed to go as far back as the coast. Just as Kiyaya feared, giants were leading them. Around their feet were the higher ranked Marines; she knew because they rode on horseback. Mixed in were the minks from her mercenary group. Rodencia, Gomer, and Mogul stayed close to the Commander they followed the orders of.

Lakota looked toward Kiyaya, who laid on her stomach so they could be eye-level for once. "How bad is it?"

"Bad," she emphasized. Then she pointed her finger at the three giants. "If you-teia think I'm huge, you have something like twice bigger coming this way."

He saw how they were armored with helmets and carried massive weapons like swords and axes with thick wooden shields attached to the other arm. Questions about how tough they were aside, he chose a different approach. "How would you fare against one?"

"I've never fought one before, but I doubt I could do much other than hold them off a little bit."

The way she spoke made it sound like this was the end. He had never seen her fight an opponent her size, so he was unsure about her combat skills. Even the extent of her electro abilities were a mystery. One thing he was positive about was she knew herself more than anyone else did. If she was apprehensive about this, it had to be a defeat before any fighting ensued.

"Hold on, Kiyaya," Cherokee intervened, turning away from the prairie to address her tribe. "They use the giants as a shield because they know we can hit them with an aerial attack. I say we get them out of the way."

All of the warriors were silent. Better said than done. How could their numbers even make a human that big budge? It would not matter how hard they pushed. And if she was thinking they could lead them away from the front, that would not happen either. By the time the giants were out of the way, there would not be enough warriors remaining to combat the Marines and minks, not that there were enough as they were.

She could see their reluctance written all over their faces. The Lun'aecho Tribe was so beaten down after years of war that they were starting to shy away from the mere idea of battle. There was only one thing she could do to sway them in the opposite direction, and that was to inspire them.

"I know exactly how to do it. They got three giants? Well, we have three warriors. I know saying that makes no sense, but that is because many of you don't know about my devil fruit powers."

Gazes morphed into mixed reactions. Despite some knowing, the news and gossip had not reached all corners of the mountains yet. Now she really had their attention. Lakota felt a little nervous about the way she was going about it. He may have reacted smoothly to her reveal, but that was because of their history. This was exactly why she refrained all her life. Unfortunately, their circumstances forced her to swallow her trepidations. If the tribe wished to persecute her for it, then that was their choice, and frankly, their death sentence.

To prove her claim, her witchdoctor manifested without a command. Some of the warriors stepped back from the foreboding aura that came with it. "Eating the Curse Curse Fruit as a child has allowed me to suppress things about myself so I could utilize others. Without it, I would not be standing before you today as your leader. I have not slept or eaten in three weeks, yet I feel fine. It allows me to be anywhere I am needed and to train in times of stasis. If my powers grant me ways to manipulate my human capabilities, then I can do the same to others. There are risks, yes, because they are curses I cast. If I go too far, there are consequences. I have five days left until my body starts to deteriorate from lack of nutrition. I have two days until I collapse from exhaustion. This power does not make me invincible.

"But that should not deter us from using curses to our advantage. I do not wish to be feared or to use fear as a submission tactic. I only wish for you to consider our options at this very moment. If you choose to not fight, then we must evacuate immediately and forfeit our livelihood in this place. If you choose to fight, then all I ask is that you trust me. I kept my secret for as long as I did because I did not trust my tribe, but I believe you will trust me now. So, what do you say? Prepare for battle, or prepare to leave?"

As they all stared, one glanced down at the small child clinging to her leg. The thought of not raising that child in the same place all the previous generations had, pained her. But was that worth the possibility of orphaning him? Or even losing him altogether?

"What is your plan?" a different warrior questioned.

"Wait," Kiyaya interjected before Cherokee could answer. "Before we do anything, I wanna talk to Rodencia."

Everyone looked at her with various depths of judgment.

Down in the prairie, the Marines and minks kept their gazes straight ahead with the sounds of the giants' footsteps drowning out their thoughts. They were going to penetrate the mountains today and clear out all who remained inside. The minks wondered if Kiyaya was in there and what had become of her since she fled. It was possible that they had put her to death for being an enemy, but the possibility of her being accepted piqued their interests the most. What they truly wished to know was what her goal was. To turn her back on her own kind was something none of them expected of her.

To their surprise, the wolf mink with piercing white fur emerged from the forest and descended the slope. She walked, and she was alone. So the savages knew they were marching up after all. Maybe Kiyaya accepted that switching sides was a mistake and she wanted to return where she belonged.

"Hold on, Commander," Rodencia alerted.

He made a signal for everyone to stop, and so did the giants. Kiyaya continued to walk until they were in earshot. "I wanna talk to Rodencia," she called.

The minks glanced at their leader, who started walking again without consulting the Commander first. "Wait for my signal," she told them.

It was drilled into their heads that this may not be the reunion they were hoping for. Although they were hurt by Kiyaya's betrayal, they still wanted her on their side rather than be against them.

The rat mink met Kiyaya halfway, making sure to keep her distance in case anything went awry. She looked up at her, already sensing something was off. "You-teia seem well," she said with some relief.

"So do you-teia."

"What is it you-teia wanted to speak with me about?"

"I'm hoping I can get you-teia to understand why I bailed."

"Fish already told us about the Marines not providing medical assistance to the savages–"

"They're not savages," Kiyaya interrupted. "They're the natives to this land. And yes, I was upset about the Marines mistreating them like that."

"Okay," Rodencia defensively replied. "I think it's also bad that the Marines wouldn't treat them. That is inexcusable of them, and I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

"That's only part of the problem. Making sure that stops won't fix things."

"Then what will it take to bring you-teia back?"

"I'm not coming back."

The vibrations of her words entered two pairs of eardrums very close by. The Lun'aecho warrior suspended next to Cherokee blinked with admiration as they both clung onto her fur for dear life, hidden from the world thanks to her luscious locks of white hair. Now they knew for sure that the wolf woman would not switch back to which she defected from.

Rodencia narrowed her eyes and tipped her hat forward a little bit. "We have a contract."

"I'm not coming back," she reiterated firmly.

"Kiyaya, you-teia are making a mistake."

"No, you-teia are making a mistake. Forget the contract we signed. Have you-teia not stopped to think about why the Marines are doing this? They're the ones coming to the Lun'aecho's home. They're the ones bringing this war upon themselves. The Lun'aecho only want to be left alone, but they're pushed to fight for that peace."

"The Navy is only doing this because the World Government ordered them to. The natives won't share the land. What do you expect to happen? If they would share, there would be no war to fight."

"They can share. They did with me. But I'm not here to take from them. That's all the Marines want to do: Take anything and everything in the name of justice. You know just as well as I do that if the Marines marched into Zou, we would be defending ourselves just like these lesser minks are."

For once, Rodencia paused. The point was driven, but was it received? Whatever was going on in her head, she was conflicted about it.

All of the warriors left in the forest held their breath as they listened closely. The visible tattoo on Lakota's back acted as a transponder to the one embedded in Kiyaya's fur. They heard the entire exchange, and their reservations about the wolf woman evaporated like water. Her compassion for their people was genuine because she could emphasize with them.

"Kiyaya," the rat mink repeated sternly. "If you-teia stay, you are going to die. Why waste your life like that?"

"I'm not wasting my life if I live the rest of it fighting for people who need help," she countered. "I hope you-teia learn to do the same."

She grimaced and returned her gaze, only to find she was craning her neck farther than usual. Kiyaya had always been taller than her, but being looked down on this much was abnormal. And the longer she stared, the more she realized this was not something she was imagining. Not only did Kiyaya seem taller, but she was growing even taller.

Rodencia's ears pricked at the sound of a deep guttural horn followed by high pitched screams emitting from whistles. It was a signal, but what she did not know was that it was also a trigger for a curse to take full effect.

From behind Kiyaya's neck, Cherokee and the other warrior climbed onto her shoulders and proceeded to jump off. Kiyaya looked down at her hands as she felt the growing pains get worse. Those deep aches she felt in her bones were familiar, but these got intense quickly. She yelped out involuntarily when her size suddenly doubled what it originally was, then tripled. Some of her fur shed in the process. Her heart palpitated from the unnatural augmentation, making her head feel too full. But next thing she knew, she was standing face to face with the giants.

Rodencia reverted so fast to run back to the army. It was a ruse the entire time. They were about to be counterstruck to thwart their plans. "DO IT!" she screamed.

Cherokee landed with a thunderous boom that could have caused an earthquake alone. Her transformation came quickly, as she matched Kiyaya's new size. Rodencia's balance wavered with the second earthquake that immediately followed. The Marines and minks watched with wide eyes in a brief moment of panic. Behind all the chaos in front of them, the forest opened up with Lun'aecho warriors charging out. The curses on them had also activated. They grew bigger and bigger with each step taken.

The Commander who led them all here swallowed his fear, pulling a rifle from around his torso and raising it above his head for a call to arms. His horse reared on its back legs. "Onward!" he ordered callously. They could avoid the giants as they fought the imposters and meet the savages head-on. The mountains were left unprotected. This was their chance.

Kiyaya had never been the same height as someone else before. Most often, she was stuck seeing the tops of heads. There were a few minks who bested her, but very few and far between. But here she was with a giant, catching herself staring into his eyes that laid just under the protection of an iron helmet. His skin was brownish, and his beard was a faded orange color. Despite being round, his muscles bulged for all to see. There were just leather pants, boots, and a white Marine coat hanging from his back. On his left arm was a worn shield covered in fissures from weapons slicing into it. In his right hand was a recently sharpened sword.

She squared up to him by taking a solid stance and raising her fists. The sword did not frighten her; rather, it was what strength he possessed compared to her. Males were already biologically stronger than females. Just by appearances alone, she had to wonder if giants were the superior race. There was only one way to find out. When he made that first swing, she coated her entire left arm in Armament Haki. Her body would be her shield, and if he managed to draw blood, then it must have been true of the giants' strength.

Instead of chopping through her flesh, the blade sparked from the collision. She held him there. There was no Haki of his own added in the mix. That might be the key to making them equal opponents. Excited, she grabbed the blade with her right hand and yanked it. She wanted to find out more.

Horses and foot soldiers evaded the three different confrontations that dwarfed them. Their presence became more obvious with them out of the way. With a better view of the warriors coming straight for them, it was almost relieving to see that the growing had stopped. Now they were nearly the size Kiyaya originally was. If the massive army could overwhelm them one by one, this was sure to grant them access to the mountains.

The warriors planned to just trample them all. Some remembered how Kiyaya overpowered them in the battle at the camp, but they had numbers to deal more damage. There was also the other part of the plan they were still anticipating. Nothing about the pace of their charge changed. The instructions were strict: Do not look back, do not move out of the way, and do not doubt their fellow tribesmen and women. The ones marked with growth curses were able-bodied and relatively healthy, but a whole slew of injured and sick were left as the last line of defense.

Lakota kept his bow drawn as he sat with his core hurting and his dominant eye peering down at the gap as it closed. It had to happen before the two sides intertwined. He could feel gazes burning into the back of his head as they lined up single file. "Not yet," he told them.

A hundred yards apart.

"Hold it."

Seventy-five yards apart.

"Aim."

Everyone lifted their arrows toward the sky. Sixty yards apart.

The other curse tattooed onto his skin personified by splitting and moving off his body. The words formed into copies of him, forming an entire row on either side of him. The warriors behind him trembled as the same happened to them. They had an army of their own now. It was the perfect setup for their aerial attack.

Fifty yards apart.

"Fire," he communicated with all his copies doing the same in unison.

Together, all their arrows were fired. The materialization of a moving haze in the sky caught the Marines' attention. Their perplexed reactions turned into alarm when they noticed all the arrows curving downwards toward them. But it was too late to avoid it or turn back. Many of them cried out. Then a lot of them were pierced and taken down. The Commander's horse collapsed, throwing him off so that the ones still standing could engulf him in the pandemonium. The only ones completely unaffected by the attack were the minks, who used Armament Haki to deflect any arrows away.

But just because the arrows did nothing to them did not mean they were home free. The oversized Lun'aecho warriors pounded all who remained. Even when they tried impaling the entire blade of their swords into flesh or using their electro abilities against them, none of them budged. Barb and Carlos were a couple of the unlucky victims of getting stepped on. One warrior swung his club close to the ground just so he could fling people through the air. Marines screamed, leaving the ones following them expecting the worst. Still, they shot their rifles at the enemy until they could no longer, whether it be abruptly dying or suffering from a blow that incapacitated them.

The giant that Cherokee faced had more armor than just a helmet. His breastplate was going to make it harder for her to deal damage and injure him. No matter. She evaluated how vulnerable his limbs were instead. If she could disarm him of his ax and shield, she could wrestle him to the ground until he yielded or died. It was his choice.

She scanned what was going on around her first. Kiyaya had both hands on the sword blade as she pulled the giant around her in a circle. How she did not slice her palms open in the process dumbfounded the stand-in Chieftain. On the other side of her was the other warrior she recruited for this part of the battle. He was skilled at hand-to-hand combat like her, so she had faith in his outcome.

When she caught a glimpse at what was happening at her feet, she saw a massive swarm of white ants moving rapidly while warriors cut through to divide and conquer them. It weirded her out how small they were from her new perspective. If she did not have to deal with a giant, she could easily plow through and leave no survivors to report back.

There was no time to think about that right now, though. She just had to watch where she stepped to avoid hurting her warriors. The giant did not hesitate to strike down his ax's iron blade. It was aimed at her shoulder. Her gender nor her sudden transformation fazed him. But the joke was on him. She may have appeared defeated by the way she did not react by dodging his weapon, but that was because she wanted it timed perfectly. When the ax was meant to make contact, he would let his guard down for a very brief moment. For her, that was plenty of time.

She ducked purely so she could sidestep to his right side. Now there was suddenly no target for him despite the force of his swing continuing in the same direction. It left her on the outside of his body and clear of his range. His ax and shield were no longer hurdles for her. She came from underneath with an unorthodox embrace for him; wrapping her arms around his armpit and neck made him stiffen. In addition, she was able to plant her left foot behind his foundation while her right foot tried to curl around his knees.

Her momentum overruled his balance in the blink of an eye. The giant wanted to gasp when he realized he had been tripped and was falling backwards. Some Marines ended up as collateral damage when they both slammed into the ground still locked together.

Lakota inhaled sharply as he watched the two go down. It happened so much faster than he ever anticipated. Around him, the warriors cheered and whooped at the sign that Cherokee's battleplan was working.

Immobilizing him was done. Cherokee pinned him down better to try landing a punch to his face. The giant was irritated. Real warriors fought with weapons against shields. To be handled this way would be humiliating if the giants of Elbaf had witnessed it. Still, he clenched his ax's handle tighter and overpowered Cherokee by freeing his left arm. His shield smacked into her ribs to propel her off.

The tremendous strength he demonstrated awed her as she rolled, bringing him with her. He tried to raise his ax once again to strike her, but she read him faster. The embrace she had him in before was traded with her legs. Her knees crossed around the back of his neck, and she locked his arm stiff again. The giant grunted from the discomfort. It was impossible for him to fight like this. And when he tried to wrench her leg from around him, she just strained the angle of his arm more.

She was trying to hyperextend his elbow. He panicked and pushed off his knees to stand, thinking he could free himself if he broke the leverage she had against him. But she was smarter about it. She swiftly twisted his hand the wrong way, snapping his fingers and wrist, and then unwrapped her legs just so she could bend them around the side of his body. He was bulldozed into the ground so hard that it broke underneath him with dirt discharging into the air. The final straw was bearing all of her weight on top of him. His locked arm came up from between her legs as she sat on her knees, and she wrenched it back so far that his elbow joint ruptured.

The giant shrieked in agony from the barbaric maneuver. Throughout the entire encounter, he stood no chance.

Kiyaya was positioned in the middle of the battle from the very beginning. When she swung the giant around, his refusal to let go of his sword just worked to her advantage. She let go so he could stumble out of the traffic. When he caught himself and regained a steady stance, he lifted his sword again and got a better look at what he was up against. The first thing he noticed was the lack of injury she sustained.

"Oi. Yer not bleedin'," he commented, eyeing her snow-white fists.

She grinned. "I'm surprised you-teia don't know how."

He curiously inspected his blade. It was as sharp as he could get it.

"I bet you-teia couldn't cut me no matter how hard you tried," she taunted.

He returned his gaze to her to see her lowering her fists. She slightly pulled apart the v-neck of her tank top as a welcoming.

"Go on. Try."

"Are ya mockin' me?"

"Kinda. Are you-teia up to the challenge or not?"

Offended, he answered by showing he was not to be taken lightly. The sword was given a mighty swing with one arm. If the wolf woman truly wanted her life to end this was, it was going to be gruesome. Her entire chest would be split open with her ribcage destroyed and heart torn apart. But she never flinched or tried to evade the attack.

That invisible black shell formed on the area he aimed for. Kiyaya could not help but wickedly smile as he slashed her because although she felt the contact, there was no pain to go along with it. She was only shoved backward and forced to take a few steps so she did not fall. There was no blood splatter that stained her clothes or the grass. His eyes widened as he found himself confounded. Was he truly not strong enough to pierce her flesh?

"My turn!" she declared, not waiting for him to prepare.

All he saw next was her clawed hand being pulled back and then driven across his face. His flesh barely resisted the assault. He received four lacerations that spanned from one cheek to the other. It burned like a pure white sun would. Stumbling back, he quickly held his face as hot blood fell. She had struck him right beneath the helmet where he was vulnerable. When he pulled his hand away, he saw how much blood was coming out. But what startled him the most was seeing her with the fur stained on her fingertips and a crazed gleam in her eyes.

For the first time in her life, she was evenly matched in a fight. It electrified her soul. She wanted to truly fight this giant to see who the dominant warrior was. Giants were physically the strongest beings in the world with an equally as long lifespan to go with it. Their fighting skills for duels and battles were simple, but it did not matter because they could overpower their opponents without much effort anyway. They were only truly challenged when going against another one of their kind. So, this was going to be the first time a giant went head-to-head with a different race.

"This is going to be so fun!" she exclaimed, going for another attack.

The giant blocked her claws with his shield. The wood audibly splintered.

"Fight me!"

He blocked her claws again and pushed her away. When he ground his teeth together, he tried swinging the sword again. She instinctively coated her hand in Haki and collided against it. Her wicked smile had all her pointed teeth showing. Fighting also thrilled giants because it brought them glory with every victory, but something about her enjoyment was off.

"If you-teia can make me bleed, I'll declare you the winner," she wagered. "But if I break your helmet, you-teia must declare me as the winner. How does that sound?"

Both of their arms strained from the deadlock happening. A couple sparks fizzled out of sight until they both pushed off to detach. "Ya don't wanna fight to the death?" he questioned, a little surprised.

"What's the fun in that?"

"You just seem…"

Bloodthirsty, he wanted to verbalize.

"You-teia are the strongest thing I've ever fought," she told him. "I want nothing more than to surpass my limits today."

He was unsure how breaking his helmet would accomplish that, but he liked the challenge. There was no way her flesh was impenetrable. If he could get even one droplet of blood out of her, he would walk away a little better than he did getting here. "Very well. No dirty tricks. We fight for honor, for glory."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she agreed, holding up her hand to charge some electricity among her fingers.

Lakota listened to their exchange as it transponded through the curse on his back. At the same time, he watched her from a distance. They were very far, but her newfound size allowed him to see everything. He believed in her. All of what she was doing was for his people. If they could not liberate themselves, then she would shoulder the burden for them. To her, it was worth losing her friends and what her life used to be like. The amount of respect he reserved for her grew by the minute.

Without a doubt in his mind, he knew she would come back. He wanted to feel her fur again, to sit on her shoulder again. Thinking about it made him realize that he missed her a little bit. His heart beat a tad faster.

Someone tapped his shoulder and his attention was directed down to the area between the battle and their mountains. A small group had broken away from it all, heading straight for them. It was like they knew barely any defense was left. And the worst part? Lakota could already see their mammalian characteristics.