LW: Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Yeah, not much else happens this week. Sorry.
Rubber King and Mirror Master - New World Chaos: Tick Tock, Tick Tock! Battles Against a Waterlogged Clock.
"Wait, what do you mean the power is flickering? Devil fruits don't work like that, it's like flicking a switch it's either on or off" Nami asks in confusion and a little annoyance.
"Usually, but for something like this, where the effect influences other objects it may be more common than you think. Plus given most activated Devil Fruit powers will deactivate if the user loses consciousness, and all Devil Fruits are cancelled out when the user dies, I'm going to guess Hody managed to get his hands on Decken, and the guy's now on the brink of death, or fading in and out of consciousness" Kaos explains "Only good news is this means the ship will no longer tilt, and instead fall straight down"
"Tilt?" Artemis repeats, confused and curious.
"The Mark Mark fruit causes things thrown by Vander to seek out their target. He 'threw' the Noah at me, therefore it's trying to hit me, not the ground. Unfortunately, if he dies or even passes out, that means plan B of asking Neptune or one of his sons to give me a ride off the island to find somewhere to park the thing is a bust" Kaos sighs.
"Wait, THAT WAS AN OPTION!" Carue shrieks, mostly in anger.
"Not with all the people trying to kill us, but yes once things had calmed down and I wasn't going to be shot out of the sky it was at least something I had started to consider"
"Mama, Pops, I'm gonna go free some slaves, any arguments?" Artemis asks as she stands up and readies her staff and paints.
"As long as you don't free them by killing them, go nuts kiddo" Robin chuckles "The Fishman leading them though….."
"I know, he's the one who hurt you" the artist snarls "Pops got the one who lighting blasted me, I'll deal with the one who threw you around like a ragdoll" she mutters before leaping off the Sunny.
"Chēn no sabi, rokku no hason"
"Hold still you little punk" Wadetsumi bellows as he flails his arms around, trying to slap Sanji out of the air, but he continues using SkyWalk to near effortlessly avoid the slaps and punches. With the giant distracted, Jinbe was able to quickly and easily land a strike on his leg, causing the blowfish Fishman to once more wail in pain, now over his injured knee "Ok, that's IT! Intimidation Mode: Mega Monk!" he shrieks before sucking in as much air as he could handle, becoming exponentially bigger than his already massive frame had been, though he was also almost perfectly spherical at this point.
"Well shit…. Didn't expect to see something this stupid within a week of rejoining the crew" Sanji hums, not all that worried about the big dumbass getting EVEN bigger, just makes hitting him easier for Sanji & Jinbe, and also makes him more of a hindrance to his allies, increasing the odds of friendly fire.
"What the Hell? We're free!"
"The chains, and our collars they just crumbled to dust"
"What? Who did this? Who freed my slaves!" Hammond the Eel Fishman shouts, just before his palanquin/tank hybrid falls to the ground, with no slaves forced to carry it around.
"Hi asshole" the Fishman looked up to see Artemis glaring down at him "Remember me?"
"No, but you humans all look like scum to me, I'll have you chained up nice and pretty in a second" he sneers, just before getting the barrel of a gun pressed to his cheek.
"This won't kill you, but it will hurt like a bitch, if I do it right of course" Artemis winks, muttering Crimson Blaze before firing, the paintball pellet covering the left side of his face in red paint, and the screaming starts about 3 seconds later.
"What the fuck was in this shit, it feels like my skin is on fire!"
"That human's attacking Hammond, get her!"
Click Glacial Blue
Pap
Pap
Pap
Pap
Pap
"So ccccoold"
"It's like I've been shoved in an ice box"
"What did she do to them, there's no way she could do that much damage to Fishmen with such weak shots" one of the former slaves gasped
"Technically correct" Artemis chuckles "But that's the beauty of my color traps. What you see here is when the correct amount of magic is used to activate them, 90% mental damage as if the affected area is being burned to a crisp or frozen solid, if I overclock the paintballs, then Crimson Blaze will spontaneously combust and Glacial Blue will cause a creeping frostbite to form from the point of impact" she explains, taking a step forward before leaping back just before the ground directly in front of her exploded
"See, I told you Landmine was a stupid power" a Nurse shark Fishman sneers "Couldn't even kill one damn human"
"It should have worked, nobody should be able to tell when I use the power until it catches them" a Frogfish Fishman grunts, glaring over at the redhead who smirks in response.
"Normally I'd probably point out the stupid decision to lay a magical trap for someone with mage sight" Artemis begins, her eyes shimmering like a kaleidoscope "But, I'm pretty sure anyone with decent Observation haki would have been able to avoid that trap, so fish A is correct, you were an idiot for taking a useless power this deep into the Grand Line" the artists taunts
"Get her! Someone get Hammond back on his feet!" One of the Fishman angrily bellows as most charge her, a smaller one slipping away with an energy steroid, tossing it in the eel's mouth and while he almost chokes, the pill is swallowed.
Eyes widen and turn blood red as the Fishman twitches and pulls himself to his feet, the drugs managing to at least hold off the pain of the burning paint, at least for the moment "I'm going to tear you limb from limb you little bit…gurrrgg" Hammond splutters and chokes mid threat as with a spin of her glaive Artemis splits his throat open vertically, his long neck just ensuring he bleeds out faster than most.
"Anyone else want to fight me?" Artemis asks, as the blood is absorbed into the blood-oak staff.
"Not really" One of the humans pipes up nervously.
"Good decision. Now run along and either stay out of our way or help Neptune's army deal with these bastards"
"Men, use ranged attacks to kill her, she's just one human damn it!" A Viperfish Fishman snarls, to which Artemis spins her glaive and draws a glyph on the ground.
Color Trap: Bullfight Red.
"What? How are we missing? She's right there"
"How is a lot more complicated to explain than most have time for, but the simple answer is a sygil I created back when I believed my powers were hypnosis based. Essentially, you can't hit anything but the red target, until the target is destroyed. Best part…. I'm not affected by it, so I can do this, and actually hit my target" Artemis cheers, before pointing her hands at the Fishmen, red energy collecting in her palms.
"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Shakkahō"
KABOOM!
"My niece is such a badass ain't she?" Alvida laughs as she clashes with Dosun, their hammers clang as each strike is blocked by the other "And you know what, I realised something from this fight"
"That you should give up, and accept your Doomsun?" Dosun asks as he raises his hammer over his head
"I don't need it"
"WHAT?!"
CLANG
The Hammerhead Fishman stares in shock as this puny human stops his strike by simply blocking it with her Warhammer, held in both hands "I said, you're so weak, I DON'T NEED THE GLUTTON TO BEAT YOU!" She gains a manic grin before leaping back and spinning the hammer like a baton "Doheki" she cries on an upswing, earthen walls forming on either side of their conflict.
"You're just boxing yourself in human, I'm already 10 times stronger than you, but with the Energy Steroid it's even moresun!" Dosun laughs
"Technically true, but what's more important, is I can't miss if you're boxed in here with me" the hammer wielder grins before the earthy brown shimmering head of Brunhilde hits the ground "Earth Cracker: Displacement" she shouts, as the ground in front of her violently shifts, the left side rising up, while the right side buckles and depresses, causing Dosun to lose his footing "And now for the grand finale. Thank goddess Diane-sensei and Valentina had earth affinity, or I'd have never gotten this down" Alvida laughs as she runs up the left branch like a ramp, spinning her hammer as an aura begins to encompass it, the entire weapon coated as she leaps off the top into a spin "Heavy Metal: Planet Cracker!" She cries as her hammer now looks like it was carved from obsidian, with almost neon orange veins running up and down from head to hilt. Dosun reacts by lifting his hammer to block her strike…
CRUNCH
… only to be shocked as Brunhilde just continued onwards, the shark's hammer giving little resistance, nor did his hammerhead, which had been her target from the start. With an almighty THUD, and a cracked skull, Dosun was out cold, and Alvida was no worse for wear.
1 down, 4 to go.
"God damn it, how many people can make clones of themselves? Valentina with her ninja stuff, Kaos and Robin cause of the bloom power, and now this weirdo with his ink clones" Franky grumbles as he punches the head off of Ikaros Much's 'ink clone'
"You can never stop me, the spirit of the squid is…" Ikaros begins to boast, before having to roll away from a Franky Fireball, screaming "I don't wanna be dried squid!"
"That was so cool! What else can your giant robot do?" Chopper gushes
"Chopper look out!" Usopp shouts as Hyozou appears from the dust cloud Franky and Ikaro's fight created, all 10 swords ready to cut the reindeer down
Shing
"Head on a swivel there Doc, you almost got hurt" Zoro teases as he sheathes his swords "I gotta keep looking, no way this dumbass was the strongest swordsman on the island, I barely even broke a sweat" the swordsman complains, as those around him watch all 1 swords shatter before their eyes and Hyozou face plant as numerous wounds open up across his body.
2 down, 3 to go
"Hello, Mr Stripe, are you still here?" Brook calls, having rather embarrassingly lost his opponent in the dust cloud "I know he was here a minute ago. Very strange. I hope I don't step on him again" the skeleton mutters to himself.
"Foolish fool, I am right here, where you will never suspect. You'll be dead long befor…" Zeo monologues, as he slinks across the ground in camouflage mode, only to get stabbed in the back by a panicked Brook.
"Why did it sound like the ground was talking? Oh it's you, what are you doing on the ground again, did you trip or something?" Brook asks as the camo fades and he pulls Soul Solid out of the Fishman's shoulder blade.
"Foolish human, you've fallen for my trap, my Bodily harm weapon crusher technique. Now your sword is worthless" Zeo attempts to bluff.
"No, I stabbed you" Brook deadpans, seeing through his lies, partially because of Usopp, but mostly because of how bad this guy's were.
"Your arrogance will only lead to your defact, I mean defeat" Zeo slurs.
"Stumbling over your words already? You must be star struck" Brook teases "That's fair, I am the Soul King after all, Yohohoho!"
"Shut up you dumb head, and die" Zeo sneers before vanishing.
"Invisibility… but I thought that patchwork guy had that Devil Fruit. Wait, Kaos never mentioned any fruits besides Vander, so this must be something else" Brook theories as Zeo circles him, churning up dust to help obscure him, before pulling out his weighted chain.
"Hidden Flail: 66 Head lock" Zeo declares before throwing his chain and wrapping it around Brook's neck. Then, as he leaps out of the dustcloud he yanks on the chain, tearing Brook's head clean off "And it is done. I popped his head off like a cork. I Zeo of the New Fishman Pirates, killed a Straw Hat!" he declares with a laugh.
"No you didn't" Brook of all people correct him, even with his head detached from his body and sitting upside down a few feet from the rest of him "I'm fine just so you know" he says, just before the pale green energy of his Soul links his skull to his spine, the body standing up as his head floats back to its correct position "You can chop me up as much as you like, it's neither flesh, organs or even bones that bind me to this world. So what is it that gives me life you might ask….It's my SOUL!" he confesses, to the shocked screaming of everyone who had been watching the fight (well as much as they could see through Zeo's dust cloud)
"Ahhhhhhhhhh… Um… I mean. I killed him so hard he came back to life, I'm that awesome!" Zeo boasts, attempting to save face, and just looking like an idiot by those within earshot.
"Are you quite done?" Brook asks "None of your attacks can kill me, I'm already dead and it's clear you don't have the power to kill me a second time" he then draws his sword "Also, this blade is quite special, sharpened by masters of the Long Arm Tribe and given a fitting name. Engrave the name Soul Solid, upon your heart" he cries, as with a single swipe a streak of ice forms on the ground as well as cutting Zeo's left cheek"With a single slash, it can chill you to the bone with the essence of the frozen Hel"
"That was AWESOME Brook! You're such a badass now, you've made me a Soul King fan for life!" Usopp cheers from a small distance away.
"Oh, thank you so much, you'll make me blush if you keep this up… oh wait I can't blush because I'm a skeleton, Yohohohoho!" Brook laughs, momentarily forgetting he was supposed to be fighting. Which was how Zeo was able to once more camouflage and slip away into the cloud "Now where was I? Oh…. shit I lost him again. This is really starting to get annoying damn it!"
"Well, with everyone else showing off how cool they got over the last 2 years it seems we need to step it up ay Chopper?" Usopp asks, getting a grin and a nod from the reindeer "Alright, let's show them what we got!"
"Cya Cya, you won't be saying that when I bite you in half!" Daruma cackles, before self-igniting and charging at them
"Hey no fair, how is a fish on fire!" Usopp whines as he leaps away from the flaming shark, launching a flurry of Green Star pellets as Daruma does an impression of a jumping bean mixed with a coked-up bullfrog.
"Cya cya, seems I found the weak link of the Straw Hats. No real strength and you couldn't hit me with over a dozen shots. You and that reindeer will be nothing more than an appetiser" Daruma taunts, laughing until he notices, Usopp smirks.
"You really do love the sound of your own voice, ay mole fish?" Usopp chuckles.
"I'm a cookie-cutter shark Fishman you long nose bastard!" Daruma shouts.
"Whatever. Still, shame for all that jumping around, you didn't notice, the little trap I just set for you. Guess you're not as smart as you think you are"
"Oh there you are buddy, I wouldn't have been able to find you if you hadn't been monologuing over there" Brook chuckles as he once more locates Zeo, yelling from a rocky outcrop.
"I'm not monologuing, I'm given the men an inspiring speech about keeping the fires of hate alive, how even as we're killed by the forces we're facing we must press on, ensure our hatred lives on in the next generation, so the humans will never no peace so long as our will endures" Zeo declare with a laugh.
"Ah, so you're all flash and no substance? Well, I already feel less guilty for kicking your ass then" the skeleton mutters to himself "
Gwaaaaooooor
"Well crap, when I said keep the goons off me I didn't think you'd pull that out" Usopp yelps as Chopper's Monster Point trudged through the plaza, slapping aside any Fishmen in his path
"Oh Usopp, I know what I'm doing" Chopper laughs, surprising sniper and Fishman alike. "You didn't think I'd make Kaos his own personal Rumble Balls and not upgrade my own did you? It took 2 years of trial and error, but I now have full control" the Mega sized Reindeer monster bellows in triumph "These little fishies are nothing, I'll handle them you deal with the frogfish"
"I'm a Shark you furry bastard!" Daruma screams
"Luffy, are you there?" Kaos calls into a summoned mirror
"I'm alright, just got on the Noah. Hody just stabbed Dicken, I don't think he's going to make it" Luffy relays.
"He wasn't going to see the sunset, all Hody did was speed up the counter" Kaos sighs deeply "You still think you can take him?"
"We don't have time to find anyone else, plus the rest of you are keeping Noah from crashing into the island. I'm gonna kick Hody's ass, and make sure he can't just swim away and watch the place burn. He's still in the section of the ship between the bubbles, so there's nowhere for him to even go right now even if he tried to escape me"
"We're all counting on you Luffy!" Nami cheers from over his shoulder
"Given your failure will probably result in our violent and bloody demise, I do hope for your victory" Robin adds with a wry smile.
"Alright. This fight ends here and now. Stay safe!" Luffy shouts before ending the call. Target located, the rubber boy dives straight at Hody with a Gum Gum Rocket to the gut, slamming him through the deck of the Noah in the process.
TBC
LW: And that's it for this week, sorry it's shorter than others, just how things turned out. Luffy/Hody fight next time, just before Christmas :D