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Chapter 20:

Battle of Wills (Part 3)

"Hah," Hyouzou breathed, gashes carved into the ground around him. His swords hovered around his sides, ready to move at the slightest provocation as the merman tried to catch his breath. Zoro, in contrast, grinned at him through Wado Ichimonji, only a light sheen over his skin. Hyouzou's shirt was soaked through with sweat. He gritted his teeth. "As I thought, you really aren't treating me like a real threat."

"You're more of a threat than the rest of your group," Zoro shrugged. "Had you still thought how you did before, I would have only used Kitetsu, and that's all I would have needed."

"I see… So I'm strong enough to warrant all three of your swords. What an honor." Hyouzou raised his swords, their blades dripping with his self-secreted toxin. "One way or another, the loser of this battle will no longer be a swordsman. Should you win, my blades are yours. I would not deserve them."

Zoro smirked. "If that's the case, then the same to you. I'm sure that if you killed me, you'd earn the loyalty of Wado, Kitetsu, and Shusui anyway. And the names of yours?"

"Hoshokusha and Emono. Come for them, human. Fangs of the Hunter!"

"Tiger Trap!"

Hyouzou's swords divided, half coming down and the other half rising so each group had its own collision course with the other somewhere in the middle where Zoro stood. The human, understandably not wanting to be cut to ribbons, moved his own swords to counter. The impacts between blades produced a concussive force that blew both fighters backward, Hyouzou completing a whole backflip before catching himself with his tentacles.

Neither fighter waited for the other to move, the merman already scurrying to the side as Zoro completed a trio of flying slashes that pulverized the ground where he'd been standing. Hoshokusha and Emono redirected those that came later as the octopus charged the human. He spun into a whirlwind, all eight of his swords at varying heights and distances to maximize his chances of landing a blow on his foe.

"Returning Hunt!"

Unable to jump or dodge the attack, Zoro tanked the blow. Metal screeched against metal as eleven swords scraped and sparked. Zoro's feet carved trenches into the dirt as the force pushed him back, but the verdet focused solely on the minor adjustments he needed in his swordsmanship to avoid being stabbed. Hyouzou began to slow after several seconds, allowing the Straw Hat Pirate to toss him away before giving chase.

"Oni Giri!"

The merman jumped, letting the force of Zoro's counter blast him backward without the resistance that could result in something slipping, which would result in a sword or three to the gut. As it was, the blow only sent him away, putting distance between the two fighters once more.

"Die, Pirate Hunter!" a trio of fishmen roared, interposing themselves between the two dueling swordsmen.

"Get out of our fight!" human and merman shouted, their combined weaponry cutting through the foolish pirates.

"Honestly," Robin sighed to herself as the two swordsmen met in a flurry of blades again, their footing only slightly hampered by the film of blood running over the cobblestones below. "One would think such a bout would become repetitive, but I suppose when each revolution carries just as much threat as the last, only us spectators feel unsatisfied by the reiteration." She closed her fists, breaking a pirate's back without a care before tossing his groaning body over her shoulder with the assistance of six arms.

"What kind of powers are those?" a fishman hissed, flitching as Robin turned an eye-covered arm in his direction while her primary pair still watched the duel. "You're a monster!"

"Oh dear, that's not very nice," the archeologist cooed, now turning to eye the one who had tossed such an accusation since Zoro and Hyouzou has somehow found their way to the other side of the plaza in seconds. "Flattering, too, but I'm certain that was not your intention and I'm afraid I don't qualify for such a title on our crew. This war of yours grows dull. I believe the time has come to force your stronger pieces to the board, and for that, we must make room. So sorry."

"Are you mocking me? I'll rip your limps off!"

"So barbaric." The pirate and his friends charged, swords drawn to finish off the freakish human woman. Robin crossed her arms, seemingly unconcerned of the danger approaching. "Mil Fluer Gigantesco Manos: Stomp."

Behind the woman bloomed a massive pair of slender legs, slowing the advancing pirates to an awestruck stop. They swallowed, most in fear (though one looked torn between two conflicting feelings). All at once, the legs descended to decimate the battlefield.

The ground shook with each step of Robin's attack, but this difficulty only seemed to improve the moods of a certain pair of fighters. Red eyes stared into black as the Parrotfish Fishman Fore and the Klabautermann Merry battled for dominance.

"You're pretty good," Merry admitted, grinding her horns against the fishman. They sunk slightly into his bulbous forehead, negating their momentum before it could reach his brain and cause any definitive damage. Merry took that to mean she'd just need to try harder.

"You're not so bad yourself," he grinned. Or, in actuality, he made the closest approximation of a grin that he could with his beak, but his eyes told the story in the way his mouth could not. "You're at the same level as back in the palace."

"And you've traded maneuverability in the water for brute strength." Fore punched, his fist meeting Merry's crossed arms and blasting her away. She kicked, several Moonwalks being needed to counter her backward momentum before she began making headway. She moved upward, rising over her opponent before disappearing into a Shave. "Fleet Barrage!"

The Klabautermann multiplied, her form blurring into existence in seemingly multiple places at different angles. Fore reacted as quickly as he could, but he only blocked three attacks before Merry's horns found purchase on the back of his left knee. His supporting limb dropped, opening his right side to another attack. He waist twisted with the force of a blow pushing his shoulder the opposite direction he wanted it to go.

"Damn," he growled before a rounded horn slammed into his cheek. Those aforementioned horns slammed into his ribs with enough force that he was sure only the Energy Steroids prevented injury. Even so, the hit still knocked the wind out of him. His jaw clenched, the man tensing before throwing himself to the side. Merry passed through the air where he'd been before headbutting the ground in a spray of pebbles.

Fore pivoted, driving one foot into the Klabautermann's gut. Merry hacked, her eyes widening as the fishman punted her like a small, mammalian pest. Bile rose against her tongue as her spectral body compressed with the force before she ragdolled, rolling over the ground as it absorbed her kinetic energy bit by bit. She spat red, said spit disintegrating into naught but energy as it was separated from the main aspect of her spirit, leaving nothing behind.

"Ow," she groaned, catching sight of Fore swallowing another few pills as he advanced on her, a malicious gleam burning in his red eyes. Merry forced herself to her knees, one arm around her abused stomach. "Just because I'm a manifested spirit does not mean I can't feel pain, you bastard."

"I've heard tales about your kind, Klabautermann," Fore said, his body reacting to the increased dose of chemicals in his system as his countenance changed. He tilted his head, quite literally looking down on the young pseudo-human. "We've gotten a few through here in the past couple of years, and we've learned some things. For instance, did you know that your essence, like blood, is limited?"

He blurred forward, far faster than he had been before. In the blink of an eye, Merry felt his arms grabbing her shoulder and forearm before a great ripping sound and a scream reached her ears. It took her a second to recognize the voice as her own and another for the phantom pain to hit.

"Holy shit!" the spirit screamed, instincts kicking her off of and away from the being that caused her such pain. She turned tear-blurred eyes on the man who laughed, her own now-slowly-disintegrating arm still in his grip. Her remaining hand clutched at the jagged stump where her elbow had been, crimson essence already slowing its flow and beginning to reform what had been lost. "What the Hell?!"

"I suppose you could say I… disarmed you?" He chuckled, one eyelid twitching uncontrollably. He squeezed, the torn limb powdering in his grip.

Merry's eyes narrowed as she reevaluated the fight. Fore was suddenly taking this much more seriously than he had been a moment ago, so the Energy Steroids must have some compounding, cognitive effect on the user that either increased aggression or decreased empathy. Or both. In other news, her elbow had reformed but it would take another minute or so before the rest of her arm regrew. Good thing she had her legs.

"Tempest Kick!" Merry yelled, the arc of compressed air cutting through the distance between them. Fore growled, trying to catch the attack with a hand and only receiving a split palm for his lack of effort. His eyes narrowed as the drugs in his blood clotted the opening while a swarm of Tempest Kicks began raining down on him. The chemicals he'd imbibed made his body denser, so the downpour of cutting winds only served to cover him in long, superfluous wounds that bled more than hurt. He grinned, knowing most of those would scar and look pretty badass. Assuming he survived the day, of course.

"Ha-ah-ah!" he laughed, digging his fingers into the ground and tearing up a slab of rock for a shield. He spun once before flinging the chunk at his airborne foe. Understandably, Merry dodged, the piece of ground heavily landing somewhere else with some impact on the battle that Fore didn't care about. "Come at me, Klabautermann! Show me your power!"

"And this is why you should never do drugs, kids," Merry muttered, more to herself than anything. "Fine! You wanted to take this up a notch, Fore, so I guess I just have to knock you back down a peg."

She charged, propelling herself through the air with each Moonwalk kick, but she refused to move in a straight line. Doing so would have resulted in another hurled piece of earth, so her advance resembled the path of a balloon losing its air more than anything. But this served to confuse her opponent, making targeting where she would be next next to impossible for the fishman. He had no way to predict what her next move would be until she was right on top of him, halfway through a flip with one leg extended, air compressing around her heel. "Falling Ax!"

Fore raised his arms to block, his wrists catching Merry's ankle in a sudden stop. This only increased the force of the air her leg had been directing, a personal variation of the Tempest Kick she'd been working on with Kaku releasing itself into the parrotfish's unguarded shoulder. Blood flew as the ax-like gust dropped down his front, carving his shirt apart. Merry flipped away, landing on the ground once more as she took in the results of her labor.

"That hurt," Fore said, his arm with the uninjured shoulder ripping the ruined remains of his top off.

"Isn't the that point of a fight?" Merry enquired. "To hurt each other? I mean you did rip my arm off." She gestured to her stump, now healed nearly to her wrist. "That wasn't very nice of you."

"You're trying to distract me. You want to waste time until you have your hand back."

"Got it in one!"

"…" His eyes narrowed. "You admitted that far too easily."

"Did I?" Merry grinned. "I guess that's because I don't even need it. Rigging Art: Starboard Bound! Baaahahaha!"

Merry laughed, rope pouring from every open hole in her clothing, those being the holes for her legs, arms, and head, so the multitude of rope took on a vaguely star-shaped shape. It solidified into a more defined star for only a moment before all five of the rope tentacles shot toward her foe. Fore spat a cure and flung himself to the side, rolling over his good shoulder as the woven weapons bounced against the ground. The Klabautermann controlling them gestured with her lone hand, the rope turning on her command to chase him.

He would have none of that. Turning on a dime —not that dimes existed in this world— before slamming his foot into the earth. Another rounded slab of the stuff rose, pivoting around the hinge of his foot, before his hand caught it. The lengths of rope smashed into it before he pushed, planting the slab back where it had been but now with the ends of the rope firmly trapped underneath.

"You aren't the only one with a few tricks up your sleeves, literal or not!" Fore shot forward, appearing before Merry with his fist already cocked back. She tried to pull away, but her ropes grew taught with their ends trapped as they were. "Ten-Thousand Brick Fist!"

The rope frayed and snapped, the noise a sharp crack in the muted gurgle of pain that was meant to be a scream. Crimson essence flew from Merry's mouth as the fishman's fist buried itself into her gut and out the other side.

"O-Ow," she managed, her voice ne'er a whisper. Fore brought her close, his glowing eyes staring into hers. Blood-like essence ran from the corners of her mouth and, though her vital organs were, contrary to the name, not so vital, that didn't mean being impaled was ineffective or not damaging.

"What happened to all that boasting from before? Weren't you prepared for someone trained in Fishman Karate?" Merry whispered something, her mouth barely moving. The parrotfish leaned in. "What was that?"

"I said…" Merry coughed, just a little louder, "Cannonball Barrage."

A flurry of tiny cannonballs launched themselves from Merry's pockets, ripping through the cloth before impacting the fishman. He gasped as they carried him backwards, pulling his fist free from the new hole in Merry's stomach. Working in tandem to achieve the vision of the ship-girl, the miniature spheres lifted Fore off the ground before pivoting and driving him back-first into the earth. Cobble and pebble alike crunched as the force drove him into a humanoid-shaped crater. He, like Merry, spat red, but his did not dissipate into the air.

"Damn," the girl hissed, her one-and-a-half hands clutching her abdomen as she curled inward and flopped over. Her life-essence continued to flow from within her, the pain making thinking far more difficult than it needed to be. "Damn, shit, ow…"

"Uuugh…" Fore offered, the pellet that had been pressing on his lungs lightening somewhat.

"Come on, Merry," the Klabautermann muttered to herself, her form starting to waver. "Stay conscious, Merry."

Like her severed parts before, Merry's body wavered before turning to particles of dust and further vanishing into the Heart on her choker. Her clothing crumpled to the ground, empty. She hoped Fore wasn't looking to see her greatest weakness as her soul gathered. Once she was sure she would be whole without the rather glaring hole, her spirit poured from the Heart and into the material plane once more, though distinctly less dense than before, she noted. It turned out having your arm ripped away and most of your innards blown into non-specific spectral energy really takes the weight off.

Oh, and Fore was getting back on his feet.

"Can't you just stay down?" Merry complained.

"Hah." A puff of steam came from his beak, the man wobbling somewhat. Half-a-dozen punctures oozed blood over his form and the blow had re-opened the Tempest Ax Kick cut Merry had put in his shoulder. He could feel the steroids draining from his system and into the pool of red forming at his feet. "'Course not. You didn't."

"I'm a pirate. Being a hypocrite sometimes is part of the job description."

"I guess." He coughed, spitting up a glob of red. He winced, digging a cannonball-pellet out of his side. "I don't have anything left. It's like a sugar crash."

Merry didn't respond. It wouldn't be sporting to lie and say she was on her last leg when she wasn't. Sure, she felt queasy from the new and empty stomach, but the pain was all gone and she had both her hand and all her organs back after remanifesting. The only sign of her previous injuries was the hole in her shirt that exposed her lack of a bellybutton.

"Heh, I know when I'm beat," Fore sighed. He tried to take a step, only for his leg to give out. He crumpled like wet sand, the red glow in his eyes draining away as they shut. He smiled. "I guess you win this round…"

Merry blinked.

"Wait, that's it?" she demanded. "Come on! I was expecting some big, final, ultimate move or something!"

Fore did not respond, though the reason for his silence was unconsciousness rather than disrespect. Feeling distinctly dissatisfied with how the fight ended, Merry turned to the rest of the fighting around her only for the ground to rumble. A shadow rose over the battlefield, attracting the girl's attention to the hulking, orange mass of tentacles rising over the side.

"Oh, it's Sarume," she commented, said cephalopod roaring. Her eyes widened. "Oh dammit, it's Sarume. He's probably pissed at us."

Minutes before…

Gin flashed forward, catching the twins off guard if their surprise was any indication. First managed to react before his brother, the younger trying to pull the older away, but he wasn't as fast as the lightning-man. Both of Gin's tonfa landed glancing blows into Second's chest, the fishman hacking up blood. Gin's grin widened for only a moment before a sharp pain pierced his shoulder.

"What were you saying about hubris?" Second asked through a bloodied smile, the man pulling a thin rapier –more of an oversized needle– from the Logia's shoulder.

"Sea Prism Stone," the human gasped.

"That's right," First nodded, pulling out a matching weapon. "We knew we were going to take you on, so we prepared for it. Come meet your end, human!"

"Shit." Gin grit his teeth through the pain, flashing backwards to put distance between himself and his two enemies. The adrenaline in his system turned the signals from his newest injury into only a dull throb, the kind which he'd almost forgotten the feeling of. This was no simple bruise. "It's been a while since one o' those stuck around."

"Then it's time to make up for the past!" First laughed, charging forward with his rapier trailing behind. The older brother mirrored the younger. They split, trailing different directions as is the common practice in two-on-one combat, while their free hands tossed a pair of old Energy Steroids into their mouths.

'This ought to be a good show,' Rum commented. Gin could hear his parasite's metaphysical smirk widen. 'If only you had the Mantra of the Mind.'

Gin directed his internal electrical impulses to slow his heartbeat. He closed his eyes, allowing his hearing and his sixth sense of ambient electricity to keep track of his foes. As Sister Artemis had always said, if you cannot track all your targets with sight, then it is only a distraction. This technique of his was a poor substitute for Observation Haki, but it would do. He grinned.

"The tongue may lie and the eyes may fail, but the world is of many senses, and each tells their own truth. That truth is yours to find."

'And he's gone theological…'

Second was the first to attack, the older twin coming in on his left. Gin flowed like water, his tonfa rising to parry the coming stab. He did not stop there, spinning around to slam the ball of his other weapon into the electric eel's side.

There was no time to savor Second's grunt of pain or his tumble as the other twin moved in for a pincer maneuver. Gin dropped, rolling onto his back before twisting into a low sweep, a move Brother Apollo favored in his weaponless 'Back Break Dance' fighting style. First tumbled, flailing, as Gin flowed with the momentum into a headstand and, from there, into a handstand-jump onto his feet. He hopped over a swing of the Sea Prism Stone weapon and kicked First away.

"I need ta call th' Council," the monk-pirate mused, schadenfreude for once making him and Rum of similar mind while they watched the twins wallow on the ground. "I need ta thank 'em again fer all th' trainin'."

'I am still of mixed opinion about taking up that newbie's choice of fighting style as an additive,' Rum offered. 'Though effective and powerful, it makes one's clothing soiled with all the groundwork away from the Cumuloregalis. How is one meant to keep a suit clean if you're rolling around in the dust like a worm?'

"I don't wear a suit."

'But I will, and you are giving our body—'

"My body."

'—our body poor muscle memory.'

"Look, First," Second said, wiping blood from the edge of his lips. "The human's gone mad talking to no one."

"Indeed, Second," First agreed. "Though we knew he was a little mad already with those stupid clothes. Who fights in a long dress?"

Across the plaza, Amy sneezed, just missing a fishman's body with her Fifteen-Thousand Kilogram Press to flatten his arm. She blinked as he screamed. "Whoops. Excuse me. Let's try that again."

'As I've been saying.' Rum's voice sounded smug.

"Shuddup, all o' you," Gin huffed. "First, it's a robe, not a dress."

"Okay…?" First muttered.

"Second, I'm not talkin' to myself, but it would take far too long to explain that ta you."

"Why would I care…?" Second asked.

"And third, I outrank both o' you in every physical why, even with this hole in my shoulder, so you're jus' delayin' the inevitable at this point."

"Oh!" First realized. "You weren't talking to us. Well, you were, but not to us individually. You were making a list of points. I thought it was weird that you answered us since most people don't—"

That was as far as he got before a gold-incased ball of iron bashed in his snout. He recovered quickly, swinging his arms around as he tried not to fall. By luck or some karmic comeuppance in response to Gin's ego, First managed to grab the shaft of his needle sword on the other side of the Logia as Gin turned. The human remained standing, but the fishman's fall pulled the Sea Prism Stone weapon against his gut, almost instantly sapping his energy. Encumbered by this, the Electric Devil could not react as Second ran over with an attempt to stab him in the abdomen.

"This is your end, human!"

A similar fear of death flashed through the dual minds in Gin's head and, for a moment, the two became one. Time slowed and reality cleared as Second approached. Gin could see the needle-sword's path, the arc Second intended for it that would skewer one of his kidneys. Neither he nor Rum would allow that to happen.

They would not die here.

Dropping his tonfa, Gin's hands moved. The human grabbed First's fists so he could not let go while his head snapped backward in a reverse headbutt. The electric eel cried out as his already-broken nose was subjected to more abuse. With his captor's sense of balance compromised, Gin raised his legs. Second's sword, already in motion, could not stop as it pierced Gin's shin, the point going all the way through and into his calf behind like some poorly-imitated shish-kebab.

The centrifugal force ripped the sword from Second's grip as his target and brother tumbled to the cobblestone in a heap of limbs. Gin landed of First, knocking the wind from his lungs while breaking his hold on his own blade. The human rolled, taking both swords with him. His good leg kicked out, knocking Second's knee from under him. All parties involved took a moment to recover themselves.

"That didn't go as planned," Second groaned. First muttered something in response through his bloodied snout. Across the way, Gin grit his teeth, slowly pulling the rapier from his leg.

"Shit," the human hissed as his mind and Rum's separated again. "All that warnin' and I still fell inta that invincible Logia mindset. This is embarrassing."

'Do not expect that form of resonance often, Gin-kun,' his other voice warned. 'We are of radically different ideologies. Such resonances will be few and far between.'

Ignoring him while making a mental note to ask about whatever 'resonance' entailed, Gin tossed the Sea Prism Stone rapiers behind him and focused. Electricity from the surroundings buzzed, sinking into his skin where his injuries showed. The flesh there sparked, threads of lightning forming to knit the wounds together, leaving scars behind.

"I hate that stone," Gin said, looking up to find the twins each holding one of his tonfa. "Oh, come on!"

"Sorry, Electric Devil," Second laughed. "Looks like this is your—"

And the slab of rock fell, crushing him beneath its bulk. Gin and First stared at the boulder, mouths agog. They blinked.

"Big Bro!" First screamed, running to the boulder. One arm remained unsquished, reaching in the vague direction of the voice. The younger twin swung the tonfa in his hand, beating it against the rock but only managing flakes and cobbles for his trouble.

"Heh," Gin chuckled. "That's convenient for me. Need some help?"

"Not from a human," the remaining fishman responded, but the venom his words had had was missing. Another slam of the tonfa yielded a similar lack of results as before. "It's gonna be ok, Second! I'll get you out!"

"Not at that rate."

"You shut up! A human wouldn't help a fishman! We all know that!"

Gin shook his head, raising his arms in the universal sign of placation. "Listen, ya need my help right now iffin ya wannna save your brother. I'll help, but ya gotta promise you both'll bow out 'o th' fight. That sound reasonable?"

"But Captain Hody—"

"He won't be a problem by th' end o' th' hour."

First wavered for only a moment before brotherly concern won out over hateful, specist ideology. "Fine! Please, save my brother!"

"Alright, give me my tonfa." The human strode forward, taking his weapon back from the twin. A single flick of the wrist sent the weighted weapon spinning, kicking up a breeze as he built up its speed. Sparks sparked as an electric charge began to permeate the air. First watched, awed.

"Ha!" Gin gave a cry, swinging his weapon. The weighted ball struck the boulder with a thunderclap, his electric current running through the golden trims on the tonfa. The rock exploded as if struck by lightning, charred rubble and burnt stone flying away to reveal the bruised form of the older twin.

"Second!" First yelled, rushing past the human to cradle his sibling. Injured as he was, he was still breathing. The twin that had not had the misfortune of random flying boulder turned to Gin. "Thank you. We'll keep our promise. I'll even give you a shock if you want — we are electric eels, after all."

"Once Hody's gone, maybe you two should consider joining the Ryugu Army," the Logia suggested, retrieving his other weapon before tucking both and his hands into his sleeves. The image of a pious monk stood opposed to the terrifying warrior he'd been only moments before. "You both can atone for your crimes through service. Unless ya've got other trained skills than fightin'."

"…We'll think about it."

A sudden rumbling sent the fighters off balance, the brothers tossed to the earth. Gin turned as a roar of rage echoed over the battle. He turned, a massive octopus slithering over the edge of the cliff and into the plaza.

"Oh, it's just Sarume," he said.

"You know the Kraken?" First questioned.

"We ran inta him on our way in. Why's he here?"

"Captain Hody's forcing him to help by threatening his brother at the North Pole."

"That…" Gin blinked. "I think that's one o' th' stupidest things I've heard in this fight so far."

"Dutchman!" Vander Decken IX yelled, the green glow of his bisected ship fading slowly. Pieces of driftwood tore themselves from where something had crashed both halves of the aged boat together, peeling off into the swirling waters around until they were lost in the darkness one by one. Somewhere out there was Angle the soldier from when Decken threw him overboard with a burst of adrenaline-fueled strength. That was much less of a concern to the legacy pirate than the results of the battle before him. A small light in the distance before the ship remained unnoticed, behind Decken's back as it was. "Dutchman, what happened? Answer me!"

No answer came as the ship's parts groaned and creaked, lodged together as they were. The sickly light coming from the waterlogged wood flickered weakly, nearly reminiscent of the eyelids of someone fighting the inevitable pull of sleep. The bubble-ensconced fishman took a tentative step toward the broken and jammed-together rift.

"Dutchman? Can you hear me?"

Wood shifted, a hand breaking its way free through the mass of splintered deck. Wisps of red diffused into the water around from dozens of small punctures and lacerations only made worse from the effort. Decken stumbled back as a matching arm broke through next to the first, the pair working in tandem to pull the rest of their attached body from beneath the mobile wreckage. With a gasp and a spray of wood chips, Prince Fukaboshi's upper body exploded from the warped rift.

He, like the ship, was a wreck. His arms had not been alone in their abuse at the hands of Dutchman's desperate final play. Splinters ranging in size from less than in inch to nearly a full foot stuck from points of his muscles while those that had come loose left open wounds oozing his lifeblood behind. He coughed, reaching up to pull a thick shard of wood from where it was lodged much too close to an eye for his comfort. Not that anything about the whole situation could be considered any variation of comfortable. A gash ran from his hairline, around his face, and ended at his chin with a width and depth that were sure to scar.

"Ah, F-Fukaboshi," Decken stuttered. "I-I see Dutchman gave you a run for your m-money. Uhh… N-No hard feelings?"

"There are many, many hard feelings, you psychotic madman," the prince hissed, hauling the rest of his body from the ship. He winced, shuffling over to where his trident was stabbed into the railing. One yank ripped the tri-pronged weapon from the wood, the injured prince twirling it without so much as an obvious impediment. He finished its spin with all points now pointed at the pirate captain. "There is nothing you can do at this point to make the royal family even consider forgiving what you've done to us, but I've got a few questions for you. I expect answers, Vander Decken, or else."

The fishman across the deck made a noise somewhere between a whimper and a gasp with its approximate spelling somewhere in the range of "gehuerk". Fukaboshi took that as acceptance.

"Tell me, Decken. What is Poseidon?"

"You…" The fishman blinked. "You don't know? I assumed all the royal family knew."

"I would not ask if I did," the prince rebuffed. "Now answer me."

"It's the ancient power to call on Sea Kings, passed down from princess to princess through the royal line. The first Decken came to Fishman Island looking for the power, but no Mermaid Princess awoke the ability until my dear—" He stopped, the trident at his neck. He reconsidered his words. "U-Until Shirahoshi. She's the current Poseidon."

"How do you know she is this Poseidon?"

"It was ten years ago," Decken began, his wistful tone allayed by another reminder of the weapon at his neck. "When that Celestial Dragon washed up on the island. He threatened the queen, awakening the first use of Shirahoshi's power. I witnessed it and knew in my heart that Shirahoshi was the newest Poseidon. I reviewed the logs of my forefathers and confirmed her power was the one my ancestors had longed to find. That day, I swore to marry her."

"That won't happen," Fukaboshi hissed. "Now call off your power on this ship and I'll take you in alive. You can have your disgusting fantasies from a cold jailcell for the rest of your life instead of dying here and now."

"Yeahaha," a weak voice laughed. The glow of the ship slowly condensed, creating the mangled form of Flying Dutchman. The line down his middle where the prince had bisected him was now a mess of poor healing, as if her were metal and his center had veen welded together with too much heat. He sat against the railing, supported, as if manifesting was all he could do with even standing out of his abilities. He hacked, spectral essence disappearing into the ether. "Me 'pologies, Cap'in. I lost."

"Oh, Dutchman," Decken said, true lament in his voice. "What have I done to you?"

"Worry not about me, Cap'in. I gladly give me life in yer service, but I can't watch as ye consider givin' up." Anger smoldered in the Klabautermann's eyes. "Now's yer chance, Cap'in."

"Silence!" the prince ordered, turning his trident on the spirit. "You admitted to wishing for the death of my sister, counter to your captain's wishes! Now that I know—"

A squelch cut Fukaboshi's declaration short. His eyes turned downward, where Decken's extended leg connected to his torso just beneath his ribs. The merman shifted back, revealing the steel blade protruding from the pirate's shoe slick with his blood. The royal coughed, thankful that they were underwater or else his punctured lung would have proved more immediately fatal. Strength left his arms and he collapsed, glaring.

Dutchman grinned a pained, essence-stained grin as his body started to decompose for the last time. This battle had not been in vain.

"D-Decken…!"

"Sorry, Brother-in-law, but you're standing between me and my Shirahoshi. I'll be sure to tell her how you bravely fought waves of foes before—"

A female scream tore through the water, punctuated by the Sea King that ripped through the ship from below. Dutchman let out a final, strangled gasp of pain as he exploded into chunks similar to the bits that now hung in the water. The bow of the ship came to a screeching halt as it impacted another Sea King's side, throwing Decken and Fukaboshi headlong into its mucus-covered hind before bouncing back. The face of a beaked eel turned hungry eyes on what remained of the once-proud ship.

Behind the second Sea King floated Shirahoshi, her bloodshot eyes leaking tears into the surrounding waters. This contrasted with the look of rage twisting her beautiful features into a horrid expression Fukaboshi had never seen on his sister before. Shine and Dave, the guards he'd left with her at the start of this mission, backed away slowly.

"You hurt my big brother," Shirahoshi hissed, the Sea Kings with her echoing her words with their own language. Their eyes glazed over as the overwhelming power of Poseidon directed them without finesse nor control. The emotions Shirahoshi had buried the last decade, the fear, rage, grief, and all other manner of negative feelings poured forth all at once, burying her usual placid temperament under a tsunami of murderous intent.

"My sweet Shirahoshi!" Decken smiled, spreading his arms to greet the image of rage whose countenance he ignored with all the skill of a love-blind fool. "You've finally come to me!"

"You hurt my big brother," she repeated, the Sea Kings tensing as waters on the edge of their view colored with battling monsters filled with the princess' terrible feelings. "Get him."

The Sea Kings attacked.

End of Chapter 20

Please Read and Review, everyone! I desperately need your feedback!

-SwordOfTheGods