LW: More shit going down, but I'm sure the Straw Hats can handle it. Probably
Rubber King and Mirror Master - New World Chaos: Out of the Tower, Where it's Dourer, Take It From Me!
Osakana Bus stop
"Is that…. Legal? Or more importantly, safe?" Vivi asks as she looks at the glassy-eyed Ammoknights currently surrounding them
"Don't worry Vivi, the hex only scrambles their brains for 10 minutes" Artemis assures her, not really caring but impressed with herself for managing to hit everyone at once
"Pretty!" Medusa Jr. cheers, giggling from her place in Robin's arms
"Yes it was sweety, your sister made a very pretty light show to save us from these gruff-looking fishmen" Robin coos, ruffling her hair "Though the part about psychics does concern me, I didn't think the Fishmen were that primitive culturally"
"They're not, at least I hope they're not. If this Madam Shyarly is a powerful mystic she might be able to peer into the void and glimpse the future, apparently Auntie Shaula can do the same with some herbs and scorpion venom, at least according to Sensei, though the accuracy and reliability does vary depending on the psychic" the artist/sorceress defends
Robin clicks her tongue and smiles "You really do learn something new every day, if these people had their minds I'd apologize for judging them without all the facts" she muses, but gives it no more time as the bus arrives and the foursome depart, leaving the ammo knights to recover on their own 'Onward, to the Ponyglph'
Ryugu Palace
"They're not very strong, but they are annoyingly persistent" Brook notes as he cuts down more of the invading pirates.
"How did we go from invitation to a banquet, to having to repel an invasion after technically taking the King hostage?" Nami whines, getting helpless shrugs from Carue and Kaya, the latter of which had her guns out of her arms and ready to fight if needed.
"I don't know what everyone's complaining about. I got to drink some good booze and now I get to fight people, this has been a great day" Zoro laughs, his near-feral grin unnerving even the desperate slave-pirates.
"Can you please not sound so eager, this is very bad news over here!" Ussop shouts, gesticulating wildly as he does.
"Nobody cares if pirates fight other pirates, it's almost expected of us. All that matters is that we win, because otherwise whatever these goons are planning will come to pass" Zoro explains bluntly "Where are Kaos and Val when you need them, even Robin would agree we just kill them now and get it over with, they're practically dead already, those zombies in Thriller Bark had more life to them"
You can't just solve all your problems with murder Zoro" Carue scolds, though her tone at least lead the swordsman to believe he could pull her to his side if this fight took long enough.
"Come on, we just need to get to the gate controls"
"We get it open we get to live"
"Sorry straw hats, nothing personal"
"KILL THEM ALL!"
"See" Zoro sighs, not even needing 2 swords to dispatch anyone who attacks him, during which point the others reluctantly join the fight, Nami simply smacking them with her climatact rather than using any Tempos, Brook one shotting anyone he struck and Kaya slamming them into walls with syrup tentacles, having reabsorbed her guns as she decided weren't worth the effort. Carue even got to join in, smacking a few around with her wings and spin kick Shakky taught her.
Elsewhere
"Luffy, Kaos. How did you get so strong? You weren't born that way were you?" Shirahoshi asks, her voice much quieter through the reflections, almost like she was a normal mermaid rather than a giantess.
"Nope, but we've been training since we were like 7. We have to, especially with our lifestyle, because there's always someone stronger" Luffy answers, sagely compared to his usual responses
"Child abuse for the win" Kaos cackles sarcastically "But in all honesty, you saw Marineford, you know we're not on THEIR level. That's at least something to aim for though, so we keep training, every day, to get to that point"
"I see. I wish I could be even as strong as you guys" Shirahoshi sighs, curling in on herself "The only strength I have is simply being so much bigger than you 2, in a real fight you could easily beat me"
"Yeah…. But we have no reason to fight you" Luffy points out "And you can just train, get stronger, and be the person you want to be"
"I see" Shirahoshi hums, then goes quiet, though not before commenting "It's echoey in here, is there anyone else besides me and the flower in here?"
"Just you, me, and Lily" Kaos answers as he knocks on the gumline to peer out of Megalo's mouth.
"So like 10 of you then?" Luffy winks, getting a kick to the ribs that knocks the wind out of him, but otherwise does no damage.
Ryugu palace
"There's nothing wrong with liking to fight, it's not like I started it, they came at me and I defended myself" Zoro argues with the catfish minister
"As I suspected, you pirates are bloodthirsty savages, slaves to your bloodlust, you'll soon kill us all too, to satisfy your urges" the minster claims as he screams.
"Can someone punch him, I would, but I think that would just prove his point" Zoro grunts, putting away Wano with a scowl.
"Why did Vivi have to go exploring?" Carue cries in the corner "She'd have sorted this out so much easier"
"I hate to agree with the duck, but that was in her job description as ship diplomat" Brook nods, getting a wing slap for the start for that comment "Ow. Also, I wonder if Luffy and Kaos managed to meet the mermaid princess when they wandered off, I still hope to meet the lovely creature sometime before this visit concludes"
THUMP
"My babygirl! What did you fiends do to her? TELL ME!" Neptune bellows between sobs.
"Jeez, we may have tied up your guards, but we didn't lay a finger on your daughter" Ussop defends.
"LIARS! You or that dreaded Straw Hat Luffy stole my precious child, I just know it!" Neptune scowls.
"Hey old man, how…. Big is your daughter?" Nami asks seemingly out of nowhere.
"Um, about my size, maybe a couple of feet shorter. Why?" Neptune stops crying, but is now more suspicious than ever of the pirates.
"Because Kaos can make gates in reflective surfaces, but I've never seen him able to make one larger than himself. If your daughter was the size of Camie, I'd say him and Luffy at least have the means to sneak the princess out of the tower, but someone your size? Kaos is only 12ft tall, not even ⅓ the size of you or your daughter, it's just not possible" Nami defends.
"The girl does make sense" the king hums
"You can't be buying this poppycock your majesty, she just admitted her crewmate could have stolen all of those mermaids they were accused of kidnapping!" Minister Seahorse shouts
"She admitted they were physcially capable, but the display in front of us proved that too, at least in their ability to overpower and kidnap mermaids. All it proved is that they are at least innocent of kidnapping Shirahoshi. BUT THAT'S EVEN WORSE!" Neptune shouts "That means someone ELSE has kidnapped her in the commotion. Oh Whoa is me Jamon!"
CLICK
"Crap, they got around us while we were talking. Damn it Zoro why did you toss them closer to the gate?" Carue shrieks as the mechanism began to power up, the gate between Ryugu and Fishman island re-established
Sea Forest
"There you are Sunny, am I happy to see you safe and sound" Franky cheers as he steps onto his vessel, Tom's brother Den not that far behind
"1st to arrive, of course you are Franky" Sunny coos as her prescience brushes against his mind "Merry and I are fine, we just need to round up the others and it's off to the New World"
"That's all I needed to hear" the cyborg chuckles as Den examines the ship.
"I have to say, I don't know how you managed to get Adam Wood, but you've made a remarkable ship out of it" the fishman praises with a soft smile.
"Of course I did, she's my masterpiece. Tom made a ship from the same wood and it sailed the entire Grand Line, so mine needs to be made of the same stuff if I want to complete my dream. Plus, nothing less would be worthy of my Captain" Franky grins, raising his shades to wink as he feels Sunny blush and Merry giggle.
"I'll get the ship coated in no time, and I'll do it…. With Gusto!"
Franky's smile softens, a melancholic edge forming "Haven't heard that in a long time, brings back a lot of memories Den. Also, no offense, but despite the fact I know you're his brother, you don't look a bit alike, even just the basics as he was a fishman and you're a merman, were you adopted, or only half brothers or something?"
Den laughs, luckily not offended by the question "That's a pretty human-centric way to look at things there Franky, but I suppose that is how it works on the surface so it's a safe bet most of the time. Nah, we fishfolk carry the genes of our ancestors, which can be expressed in any number of ways. An octopus mermaid can give birth to a shark, if there is shark somewhere in either her or the father's direct lineage" the Bering Wolffish merman explains.
"Sounds complicated and messy, but as long as there's some logic behind it why should I complain" Franky says with a shrug
"Though while we're on the topic, was one of your ancestors a robot perhaps?" Den asks, Franky unsure if the merman was serious or not
"Not how it works up there Den, I wasn't born like this, this is all stuff I did to myself, some out of necessity, others upgrading those previous parts" Franky explains as simply as he could.
"Yeah, I get it. By the way…. Granny Kokoro keeps in touch with me, so I already know about what happened to my brother, have for years. But, it's still pretty nice of you to come and see me and tell me in person while you were passing through, you could have easily just gone about your day without even thinking about it"
"I couldn't do that to you, you were Tom's family!" Franky argues, to which Den smirks.
"So were you. As I said, we never know what our kids are going to turn out as, so them not looking like us doesn't mean crap. You and Iceberg weren't even the same species as Tom, but you two were his sons, don't ever forget that"
"Don't worry Den, I'll never forget everything Tom stood for, and what he did for me and Iceberg" Franky nods, wiping away a tear "Though, and this seems weird, but do you know who that guy over there is? It just seems like an odd place to just go and sit on your own, know what I'm saying?"
"Oh him, that's the Boss, Jinbe" Den answers with a grin
Franky blinks "That's Jinbe huh? Probably best I wait for Kaos or Luffy to introduce me rather than barge in on his alone time" the cyborg muses, running his fingers through his short hair.
Ryugu Palace
"Intruder Alert!"
"But the front gate? How did he manage to get in here?" Seahorse minister questions
"Well, this is easy. I was expecting a fight but clearly someone got there first, oh well at least that means the spoils go to me" Vander cackles as he enters the palace, grinning maniacally
"After all this time trying to keep Deken out, and now he just strolls right in" Catfish minister grimaces "And if I'm not mistaken, that's Hody Jones from the Fishman district right beside him"
"Hody…. Why does that name ring a bell?" Neptune ponders aloud
"You! This is clearly your doing, you are accomplices to Hody's treachery!" the ministers accuse "You let them in and are going to kill us all!"
"Firstly, I neither know nor want to know any of the scary fishmen over there" Ussop argues.
"Secondly, we're only here because we were invited by the king" Carue adds "Something these guys couldn't have predicted"
"This place is getting an awful lot of uninvited guests, hope these ones can actually fight" Zoro mutters in a tired and bored tone, hands resting on the hilt of his swords.
"Hey straw hats, give us our weapons back, we're going to need them as a fight is clearly about to break out" One of the guards pleads/argues.
"Vander Decken! Of course, it would be you, after all these years. Clearly, Straw Hat is innocent of his accused crimes now we know you were part of this debacle" Neptune scowls as he tries to break free of his chains.
"Oh Father-in-law, all parents say those things, but you'll come around by the end of our honeymoon, I suspect" Vender coos, grinning widely as he does.
"I will never allow such a thing to pass, now return Shirahoshi to me! If you've harmed a single hair on her delicate little head I'll run you through and feed you to Seakings!"
"Jeez, calm down old man. Seriously, if I already had Shirahoshi….. Why would I even bother coming in the front door with these losers?" Vander asks, pointing his free hand at Hody's men with a shrug.
"Don't play your mind games with me Decken. You are here and Shirahoshi is missing, the conclusion is obvious!" Neptune scowls.
"Wait a minute….. SOMEONE KIDNAPPED MY SHIRAHOSHI!" Vander screams "What a tragedy! However, If I were to rescue her from his captors, she will fall madly in love with me and beg to be married on the spot, I suspect" the Fishman muses, then giggles perversely.
"Enough bullshit. The old fart is bluffing" Hody snarls "All the men you threw ended up here, meaning Shirahoshi is here too. And even if she has been kidnapped, they can't have gotten far in the time between when you threw them, and now" the shark explains "Besides, one little toss and you can track her anywhere in the world, she's never really lost to your Decken" Hody laughs "Has love really made you so blind you've forgotten how to use your power?"
"Power?"
"10 to 1 odds it's a Devil Fruit" Ussop stage whispers to the crew.
"He does seem the kind of idiot to eat a Devil fruit despite being a fish, so I agree" Brook nods, though wishes Kaos were still here so they'd be able to figure out what said power was sooner.
"Oh yeah, good point. You know Hody, for a meathead you can be pretty smart and crafty sometimes" Vander chuckles, then turns to leave, snagging a piece of Bubble coral on the way and making himself an air bubble before leaving the palace.
"He's leaving already? That can't be good" Kaya grimaces.
"Now coral, find my love!" Vander commands, slapping the large coral structure after ripping it from the ground, the material shooting forward, away from the palace "He was right, my love is out there. I'm coming Shirahoshi!" Vander sings, leaping onto and riding the coral in pursuit of his love.
"NOOOOOO!" Neptune wails, people-sized tears falling onto his guards and advisors "Vander Dekcen is going to capture my sweet Shirahoshi! Please Straw Hats, I'd grant you any wish, just free me so I can go after Vander Decken and rescue my daughter from his filthy grasp. You can have all the riches in the palace, even the lives of my soldiers, it all pales in comparison to Shirahoshi" the merman begs and pleads.
"Well you really are a pitiful sight Neptune" Hody scoffs "But it is quite a surprise. I was confident I could take the palace, but this, I never thought I'd get to deal with the Straw Hats at the same time, what a time to be alive" he cackles
'He knows us, strange given how insular and up their own as these goons are' Nami thinks, then freezes, seeing a familiar tattoo on Hody's left arm, Arlong's mark 'Shit, that's why, because we took down Arlong, just like that long neck fish said when we first arrived'
"Now, I may have been part of the royal army, but it was never for pride or honor, I just wanted to learn combat skills, so I could turn this world upside down, and show the surface dwellers True Fishman Supremacy!" Hody declares arrogantly, "Arlong had the power and vision, along with a fierce determination to suffocate the arrogance out of humanity, he was my greatest inspiration. And now, I stand before you, to fulfill his dream in his absence. The New Fishman Pirates will show the humans on the surface their place beneath us! He was the reason I cultivated my strength, he inspired me to go beyond what even I thought I could achieve, to one day stand by his side as he conquered the world from the East Blue… Well, I did, until you humans came along, snuffed out his dream, and stole his life, like you have so many of my people's!"
"Um, I joined after they beat the shit out of your idol, can we avoid the revenge plot?" Carue asks, pointing to herself and Brook.
"Damn it, I hoped we'd heard the last of Arlong after Luffy and Kaos dealt with him before we left the East Blue" Ussop whines
"Nobody cares, are we fighting or yapping?" Zoro asks gruffly, getting bored of this Fishman, though at least this time he was in good health and could actually fight, unlike with Arlong.
"You're right for once human, the time for talking is over. Observe" Hody smirks as he walks over to the archway his men had just entered through "Shark Grip" he whispers, muscles bulging as the stone crumbles under the force he exerted upon it, the other side effect being that water began to flood into the gathering hall.
"Shit, knew the Fishman wasn't going to fight fair" Zoro grunts, then pauses, seeing Hody gather water in his palm and toss it, just like Arlong did to them 2 years ago
"Shark Arrows!"
The difference being, that after his new World training, Zoro was able to block the attacks, at least the ones aimed at him, the tied-up Ammoknights on the other hand were taken out swiftly in 1 hit, 2 at the most. This fact was chief amongst many, for why Neptune pushed himself to fall forward, blocking the soldiers with his own body
"Sentimental fool, risking your life for mere pawns, no wonder you were able to be captured so easily by humans" Hody scoffs as he continues to volley at the prone Merman.
"Why's he doing this, they're tied up and defenseless, it's just cruel and unnecessary. He's vicious and way stronger than Arlong was" Ussop panics, hiding behind Brook, though also keeping Kaya behind himself.
Meanwhile, Zoro was getting bored of the splash fighting so slowly began to approach, all the while either blocking or dodging the water arrows that came his way.
"One Sword Style: Bird Dance" Zoro states before sending a pressure wave at Hody, however this is when the great white decides to show how he and Arlong differ, using one of his men as a meat shield to take the blow rather than block or even dodging the attack.
"Well, I didn't actually think this guy could get any worse, but if even his own men are meat to him, what can we do against him?" Carue frets, trying to hide herself behind Neptune.
"Guys, untie the guards, ministers and Neptune" Zoro orders to the surprise of everyone "Negotiations failed the moment Hody killed some of them, we promised we'd return everyone alive and well, and no we can't, so there's no point in keeping them as hostages any more"
"That's so honest. Maybe there is a sliver or honor inside this pirate after all" the Catfish minister whispers in shock.
"Ok, between the 5 of us…. And Nami's missing now too! For Goda's sake what's with everyone today!" Ussop screams in frustration, before then now 4 besides Zoro get to work cutting the soldiers loose.
"I recommend running now. Oh dear this isn't going to work out for us for much longer" Brook groans, using his cane sword like a proper cane as the water begins to suck the life out of him, Carue and Kaya not doing much better
"Please, help the others get loose" the syrup girl asks, before latching onto Ussop's back and her eyelids droop closed.
"Come on men, get the others loose and take up arms. We must defend the King from these invaders!" one of the ammo knights ordered once a decent amount of them had been freed by the Straw Hats.
"Don't let them do anything. Destroy Neptune's Army AND the Straw Hats! Kill them ALL!" Hody bellows, his men rushing forward as a mob of angry fishmen.
"Special Attack: Green Star Raflegia!" Ussop shouts as he unleashes a new attack, the ammo pellet skipping across the water surface before a large red flower pops out of it "Breath deep boys" he chuckles as the noxious fumes begin to affect the New Fishman Pirates.
Clang
"Hey old guy, do me a favour and get them out of here" Zoro asks as he cuts Neptune free, cocking his head towards Ussop, Brook, Carue and Kaya, 3 out of 4 of whom were whoozy and semi-conscious due to their Devil fruit powers.
Neptune stares down at him in confusion "Hm, and how will you get away?"
"We won't, not with Shark Boy on our asses" Zoro responds before diving down to hold him off, glaring at the shark with his one good eye.
"This is a Revolution, and you're in the way" Hody sneers,
Sunny
"So this is where you drifted off to" Robin chuckles as a familiar ship enters their line of sight
"At least she appears undamaged" Vivi sighs in relief "And we're not the first ones here either"
"Robin! Vivi! Artemis! Kiddo!" Franky shouts from the deck of the Sunny, the fishman beside him confused but still gave the girls a friendly wave "You guys finish your little detour?"
"Almost, just one last stop on the tour" Robin winks, Medusa jr waving up at them as their group venture into the forest
"Wait a minute, outsiders aren't supposed to go in there!" Den shouts over to her
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind" Robin responds, yelling over her shoulder, but continues walking without even breaking stride.
"Yeah, Robin can be like that sometimes, but she's an archeologist, she's not going to damage or disturb anything" Franky attempts to assure Den, which the merman accepts as the cyborg obviously knows his crew better than he does
Ryugu Palace
"I'm actually a little impressed, you were the only one quick enough to dodge my arrows, but then again….. You've seen that attack before, haven't you?" Hody taunts, hoping Zoro will react or respond in some way and end this fight with a drowning "I had a lot of respect for Arlong, even if he had the bad luck to be taken out by East Blue hicks, but I've surpassed him" he boasts before lunging at Zoro repeatedly "Your skills are inconsequential here, no matter how strong or fast you humans are, nothing can defeat a Fishman in the sea" Hody boasts even as Zoro blocks each strike of his trident, even managing to deflect and send the weapon flying away and into the wall "You won't be able to detect my arrows in the water, boy. Now Die!" Hody shouts, cupping the water and shooting another volley as the dust settles
'3 Sword Style: Dragon Twister' Zoro thinks as he spins in the water, forming an artificial waterspout around himself which in turn deflected all of Hody's arrows.
"Oh, not bad. I guess this means I can let loose" Hody boasts, as apparently he was holding back or not trying up to this point… great. Zoro didn't care, besides the fact he knew he only had a limited amount of time before he ran out of air to kick this guy's fishy ass.
Fishman island
"Don't worry Hachi we'll have you feeling better in no time" Chopper assures the octopus man as he dresses the wounds and removes arrows, while Valentina assists with the small number of healing techniques she was able to use.
"You don't understand, you need to get out of here" Hachi repeats, why did these humans have to be so difficult?
"Quit worrying about us, especially with how injured you are, we'll be fine. Now come on, focus on recovery, and let me treat these injuries" Chopper argues.
"Hey guys, there's an angry mob forming, any idea why?" Sanji asks, mostly as he'd been unconscious for most of the previous stuff.
"Oh, they think we kidnapped some mermaids, and are ironically being just as racist as they think we are in the process" Victor explains as simply as he could.
"Because they think we kidnapped the mermaids?"
"That and that because we're humans we don't see Fishmen and merfolk as being on the same level as we are. Load a crap honestly, Kisame's a Fishman I'd call a friend to anyone's face, even a Celestial Dragon" Valentina mutters through gritted teeth, as all their yelling and slurs were making it hard to concentrate on sealing up Hachi's wounds.
"Hey look, Sanji's awake and spry again" everyone looks up to the cheerful yelling of Luffy, as he hovers in the air, waving from inside the jaws of a giant shark.
"Isn't that the shark the Kraken spat out?" Victor asks, the shirt looking familiar to him.
"Did you find your friends Luffy?" Shirahoshi asks, Luffy turning around to answer, then frowning as he sees Kaos wasn't looking too good. Drooping eyes, and sallow skin, not to mention he looked drained and exhausted.
"Are you ok Kaos?" He asks, getting a handwave from the older pirate as he peers out to the rest of the crew.
"Just land the damn shark" he sighs deeply, bloodshot eyes scanning the clearing "Also be prepared to fight, I think an angry mob is forming"
"I'll be careful. Try land gently ok shark?" Luffy nods and lightly slaps the upper jaw on Megalo, who makes a noise they assume was agreement before settling down in the water beside the coral, Luffy jumping out while Kaos more so falls out "Hey guys, oh, there you are Hachi" he greets with a smile.
"Straw Hat, you need to leave" Hachi wheezes, eyes barely able to focus on Luffy.
"Did some asshole do this to you, tell me who it was I'll kick their asses!" the rubber boy declares, rage building as he takes note of the condition of his friend
"It was worse before you arrived, I'm no expert, but I can make do as a field medic" Valentina adds, her face set in a grimace.
"He won't tell us, he just keeps telling us to leave, like we can even do that without a ship or a pose" Sanji scoffs, before taking a drag of his cigarette "Least we could do while here is kill time by helping him deal with whoever hurt him after all" the cook adds with a shrug.
"And, times up. Shit!" Kaos hisses before he melts into a puddle of silver sludge, startling everyone, merfolk and pirate alike, almost as much as the Mermaid Princess herself popping out of it like some kind of cannonball.
"Owwie. That wasn't supposed to happen" Shirahoshi mumbled, rubbing her bruised flank, then realizing everyone's eyes were on her squeaked and hid her face in her hands "Oh no, oh no, oh no, this is bad!"
"PRINCESS SHIRAHOSHI!" The citizens bellow in shock
"Quick, someone shield Sanji's eyes!" Chopper orders, only for the cook to already have looked and had to pinch his nose to prevent a severe bleed.
"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelll, we're not doing that again for a while" Luffy tenses, the voice was wrong, but the tone, the slow lol, they sent shivers down his spine.
He looks to the reforming puddle to see Kaos, a lazy grin but besides that, it was all different. His hair was short, similar to that of Zoro, and a slightly lighter shade than usual, dressed in a dark purple suit and a black coat, as well as an almost dead look in his eyes as he stares at the growing mob of merfolk, most likely about to lynch them for 'kidnapping the princess'.
"You look confused" Kaos purrs, slowly rising to his feet, Hebi forming a cane sword to keep him steady, that the strangest thought popped into Luffy's head, that his brother was taller, and to most people might actually look more imposing than the Admirals, though maybe it was how closely his current outfit mirrored theirs that was the cause of that particular idle thought "Even an awakening has it's limits, usually stamina so there was no chance we'd be able to hold her indefinitely, it was always going to come apart like this, we were just lucky we were out in the open when it happened"
"Fair enough, and this?" Luffy waves his hands in Kaos' general direction, getting a rictus grin and a laugh.
"The primary is just as drained mentally as he was physically, so while he recharges the rest of us are having a free-for-all. Benefit of our 1st fruit, it means the body can shift to show who's at the helm, so to speak. For the record, names for most of us are still up in the air, while we figure out what bits and pieces of Kaos we're made of, but I'm going by Justice for the moment, Bitter, but still Justice" Justice explains, looking unbothered by the clear issues taking place within his head.
"Explains the Admiral get up, and the drawl" Luffy mutters, the parallels to Kizaru out of the 3 really rubbing him the wrong way, cousin or not.
"Fair. Also if that guy behind me gets any closer I'm feeding him that broom, or just punting him and seeing what I hit, understood?" Justice asks, pointing to the Fishman who thought he was being stealthy, despite the fact Shirahoshi was on Kaos' left and therefore anyone attacking him had to come from his right.
"Come on men, they can't take us al…"
PING
The response to the Fishman who said that, was dropping to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, a coin-sized hole burned right through his skull, while Justice just smiled and pointed his fingers in the crowd's direction.
"Of course, this one has the laser beams" Luffy deadpans "Hey, isn't Justice supposed to be the NOT homicidal one?"
"You're thinking of Azazal, he's the moral aspects of us. Besides, you've seen a Buster Call little brother, and were there as Marineford, you know this is exactly what you'd expect from Justice" the alternate says with a laugh
Luffy pauses and frowns "I can't argue with that, but can I at least have a less homicidal sibling out here, we need to de-escalate not kill everyone" he argues, getting a sigh from Justice
"Fine, fine. No Mayhem, Ruler or Abyss, base is still recovering, Azazal isn't combat ready, I guess all we have left is Saria" he muses "Try not fuck this up Luffy, ok?" he winks then his features blur before an at this point familiar Kuja takes his place "Hi Luffy, seems we had to take a slight detour on the way to showing Shirahoshi a good time ay?"
"Yeah…. And I think here comes another one" Luffy groans, pointing up above the angry mob, to where a giant piece of coral was flying toward them.
"Oh crap, everyone hit the deck it's Vander Decken!"
"I'VE FOUND YOU PRINCESS! I suspect. Bahohohoho!" Vander screams as the coral he was riding gets closer to the group "Come here sweetie"
"Oh no….. He found me" Shirahoshi begins to twitch and fret
"Hey, if Hachi won't tell us who beat him up, can we fight this guy instead?" Victor asks, getting an eager grin and a nod from his blond companion.
"It's time for your answer Shirahoshi! Yes, or Death?" Vander shouts "If you truly wish to live, then you'll…. MARRY ME!"
"Ok… we're definitely kicking his ass now" Sanji scowls, his legs already starting to smolder, to Chopper's growing concern.
As her eyes scan the clearing, they find just what she was looking for, to stand tall "Y….our just not my type" she admits, internally wincing as she'd just completely failed that response even if just in her own eyes
"WHAT!" Decken screams, while all the other merfolk have similar yells of confusion.
'I think I know her type' Luffy sniggers, but he had more important things to worry about than that right now.
"You…. you Tramp! Who is your type then? How dare you string me along for 12 years you big-titted whore. If you refuse to love me Shirahoshi, then I refuse to let you live another minute. I promised you love or death, and I'm a man of my word" Vander swears, hefting 2 more rose axes then tossing them right at the princess, at this point he probably could have killed her even without his aimbot of a Devil fruit power.
"Luffy" Saria hisses.
"I know. Protect the princess. I'll handle the bastard" the rubber boy nods, activating Gear 2nd while his 1st mate moves to intercept.
"You're not getting another chance to hurt Shirahoshi!" Luffy declares, leaping up to his level, before smashing the coral he was riding with a kick.
"You brat, you were the one who kidnapped MY Shirahoshi. This is a matter between her and me, don't interfere in matters of Love!" Vander shrieks, just before being ensnared by Luffy's legs.
"You won't get to throw anything else, I'll make sure of it" Luffy scowls, his eyes burning into Vander's soul
"You'll need more than words to stop me kid, you need the strength to back them up" Vander sneers, thinking this was just another human punk he could kill with a single touch.
"I fully intend to" Luffy retorts as he flips over, then slams Vander into the ground with a cry of "Gum Gum Jet Hammer!"
"Mirrorgate: Hammerspace!" Saria yells, her cloak managing to neutralize one of axes, before having to block the other with her body "Damn it, well guess Gramp's training pays off sometimes" she scowls before with a tightening of her muscles the axe shatters in her grip, landing unsteadily but relatively unharmed "And that's a wrap. We should probably leave now though, while everyone else is focused on Vander" she suggests, getting a nod from the princess.
"I'm sure they'll be fine" Luffy agrees, having bounced back to the group "Hey guys, we'll meet up later, kind of promised the princess I'd bring her to the sea forest so I kind of have places to be. See yah" he grin, before bouncing onto the shark.
"Having fun Luffy?" a voice coos, causing him to turn
"ALVIDA! You're ok, but also why are you here?" Luffy asks in confusion
"I went to eat, then I think I went down the wrong street and heard screaming, so I got curious" the smooth woman admits "Who's the hottie? Kaos bag a new babe?" she teases, winking up at a now furiously blushing Shirahoshi.
"Princess Shirahoshi of the Ryugu kingdom actually" Saria answers, her eyebrows knit as her haki pings "And I don't think we're leaving just yet I'm afraid" she says with a sigh.
"Begon peasants!" Vander shouts as he comes to, blowing away the civilians who'd tried to capture him "Wadatsumi! Stop them from escaping with my love, at least until she's a beautiful corpse for rejecting me!" he shouts, revealing his secret weapon, the same giant blowfish Fishman the Straw Hats had encountered on the way here.
"Hm, the big guy looks familiar" Luffy muses, as he unconsciously shifts into a 'thinking' pose
"He was the guy with the anglerfish that tried to destroy the Sunny" Chopper explains "The one Surume fought off when we all reunited"
"Yes. Now, swat these pirates like the insects they are, they can't be allowed to get in my way, I won't be kept away from Shirahoshi any longer!" Vander cries
"YOU GOT IT BOSSMAN. HERE I COME!" Wadatsumi bellows, raising his fists in the air, and prepares to smash them.
"You want to handle this one Captain?" Alvida asks, looking less worried than the Fishmen crowd believes she should be.
"Sure. Saria, you're on Vander duty, I'll handle the big fish" Luffy decides, reactivating Gear 2nd, then leaping at Wadatsumi, and landing a clean shot to his face with a "Gum Gum Jet Pistol", sending the giant flying backward and snapping one of his front teeth.
"You always have to make things look easy don't you Luffy?" Sanji chuckles.
"My turn" Saria grins, leaping towards the Fishman, with a savage grin, only to grimace, her head tilting like she'd been struck "No, that's not fair at all, it's MY turn" she hisses "§You're not ready yet§" gripping her head, her jaw clenches before with a cry of "Fine you lanky bastard, go fucking die!" she leans back almost like she's reenacting Hancock's pose, only for her features to melt and Kaos to stand there looking pissed off, worse for wear, but also itching for a fight.
"Hello Dicken"
"It's Decken, peasant. Now get out of my way, my bride awaits" Vander orders, but Kaos ignores him and just walks closer "Are you deaf, I said get out of my way! Fine, have a taste of my curse for yourself" he snarls, lashing out to grab Kaos and mark him, only for the taller pirate to catch his hand, interlocking his fingers to the point their palms are touching
"One down" Kaos grins, his bloodshot eyes annoyingly reminder Vander of Hody, usually right after taking the energy steroids "Still think you can beat me?"
"I'll do more than beat you, I'll mount your head over my fireplace and make love to my wife in front of it just so you can see how pointless standing in my way was!" Vander cries before swinging his right hand, sure the glove meant he couldn't mark him with it, but he could still fight with that hand…. Until he couldn't.
"And then there was none" Kaos hums, grabbing Vander's gloved hand and watching as the Fishman flails "Someone's been a very bad man, touching little girls, that's just not right. I may be a criminal, but I do have some standards. Time, for you to get what you deserve"
WHIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Vander screams as a rotating blade shreds through the centre of his palm, all the while Kaos watches him unblinkingly, before with a heave, tears the sword through his hand, leaving it a mangled mess of meat and bone, pain not the only reason he could not longer get the appendage to work
"My, hand. My mark" Vander whimpers, then scowls "You ruined everything!"
"Oh I did a lot more than that Pedofish, but I'm on a time crunch, so I leave you with one parting gift" Kaos winks, and Vander's face switches from anger to confusion, even if just for a moment "Good news: The blade in your gut isn't poisoned!"
"The wha…." Vander begins, only to gasp as he's impaled in the gut, he looks down to see a shortsword with a green feather/scaled hilt attached to Kaos by a tether, just before the younger pirate rips it back out and kicks him into the nearest coral.
"Bye asshole, I've got places to be!" the researcher shouts, before zipping away in a burst of Sonido, joining the rest of the crew who had climbed onto Megelo, the shark now functioning as a boat as Kaos was in no condition to transport Shirahoshi, or anyone else.
Ryugu Palace
"BOSS! That girl and her mermaid friend have escaped the palace" One of Hody's men relayed frantically.
"Who gives a shit, it's not like any of them are a threat to us. Once I deal with this bastard I'll just have an old fool and his weakling entourage to kill. Easy picking" Hody boasts before unleashing another barrage of Shark Arrows "You're getting weaker human, it's only a matter of time before I break through that pitiful defense of yours, then you'll see why it was foolish to fight a shark in the water" he laughs before blitzing past Zoro, blindsiding him as he slams the butt of his trident into Zoro's gut, pushing him back and causing the swordsman to wince and nearly lose his grip on his swords.
"That swordsman's as good as dead"
"There was never any other option when fighting a Fishman underwater"
"You're pretty resilient, I'll give you that much" Hody admits as he sees Zoro is still conscious even after the impact "But I'm afraid, it's time to die. Your time is up…. YOU MISERABLE APE!" Hody bellows, before shooting forwards, just as Zoro grabs the hilt of one of his sheathed swords….
'One Sword Style: Lion Strike' he thinks…. As he cuts down Hody Jones.
TBC
LW: Oh boy, things have gotten so very messy, but at least it shows things are happening and getting more intense by the minute.
By the way, who's seen the Live-Action One Piece? I have for one, and I really enjoyed it, but I'm curious about what others think. If anyone has, please tell me your thoughts in a review/comment.