Messy chapter, honestly. Haa... writing a long story is quite challenging. I can see why the quality of many stories begins to drop in the later chapters.
First of all, Marco is stronger than Bullet? Sure, if you say it is, it is. But in this fic, he isn't. Check the finalized power level posted in the auxiliary. I already edited it twice with y'all, and I'm not changing it anymore.
In my personal opinion, Marco is a tank. He's got tons of regen and hitpoint, but his offensive capability is subpar in comparison to the other Yonko commanders. A similar example is Carina. Her reflex and speed are insane, but her destructive capability is pretty garbage too... for now at least.
Oh yeah, you may see some bs stuffs in this chap. Wish I was a physics expert, but nope, I'm not. It is what it is. If you point out the flaw, I won't be able to retort against, cuz you're prolly right.
Honestly, feeling pretty stressed with writing these days. Writer's block perhaps? Think I'm just gonna take a rest tmw, and possibly, Friday as well. Just feel like this app itself is driving me insane lol.
But rest assured. This fic will be finished. And I don't plan on skipping all the detail and ending abruptly on the next chapter either; I hate when that happens.
Anyway, hope y'all enjoy this chap, and have a great day. Imma go play some genshin.
______________________
[Fish-Man District]
"Apapapa! What made you think that you can defeat me, Trafalgar?!"
Apoo laughed boisterously upon hearing Law's claim. However, this laugh wasn't simply based on a mockery—the laugh itself was his attack.
"I already have familiarized myself with your ability, Apoo." Law moved his hand in a twirling motion,
"Shambles."
*Swoosh*
Law immediately disappeared from the spot, where Apoo's sound wave bypassed by. And at the same time,
"Yahoo!!!"
With Bepo's bark, the Heart pirates all entered the scene.
*Clang*
*Bang* *Bang*
As the Heart pirates and On Air pirates have begun their fight,
"Heh, no one can get away from my fighting music!" Apoo grinned before banging his fists on his own chest,
"Check it out, scratch!
Boom."
As his fists impacted his chest, an incredibly potent sound wave blasted out toward Law.
Law frowned as he quickly swiped his finger up,
"Takt!"
A piece of boulder nearby floated up instantly, and at the next moment,
*BOOOM*
The boulder exploded due to the impact of Apoo's technique.
"Apapapapaw!!"
Apoo laughed wildly as his jaw turned into a cymbal. Subsequently, he pressed his head down and generated a noise,
"Slash!"
Law quickly dropped low to the ground in order to dodge Apoo's concentrated wave of sound. Immediately after, having sighted a pebble next to Apoo,
"Shambles."
he quickly teleported himself to the space right in front of Apoo, whose eyes narrowed as he tapped his chest.
"Bop!"
However, in contrast to Apoo's expectation, nothing happened to Law, who was smiling cunningly.
"You... don't tell me...!" Apoo shouted in realization as he saw the plugs on Law's ears, for his ability essentially had no effect on whoever was blocking one's ears. Due to Law's previous efforts to dodge his techniques, Apoo came to believe that Law was vulnerable to his attacks, however, it was simply Law's method of bringing the flow of the fight to his advantage.
"Amputate!"
And now, Law was seen to be swinging his blade, Kikoku, through Apoo's exposed abdomen without any resistance.
Apoo's upper half, not separated from his lower half, was flying up in the air.
However, Apoo did not panic. Instead, using his long arms to his advantage, Apoo quickly took off the plugs from Law's ears.
"Alalala~ echo!"
Immediately after, from Apoo's mouth, a powerful sound wave blasted out and impacted Law at a point-blank range.
*BOOOM*
"...Heh, not bad." Law, with a bruise on his chest, was sent propelling backward. However, he quickly regained his ground and dashed at Apoo once more, whose upper body was about to land back onto his lower half.
"Apapapa!! Do you really think that this alliance can defeat Kaidou?! Just look at you, Trafalgar! You can't even defeat me!" Apoo said with a distorted grin as Law's outstretched hands were now right in front of him.
"Be serious for once, will ya, Apoo?" Law said coolly before his thumbs came in contact with Apoo's body, where his upper and lower halves joined back just in time.
"Scratch~ Slash—"
"Counter Shock."
*PAZZZZ*
Then, Apoo found himself puking out blood as his body momentarily became numb and unresponsive, for the sudden burst of electricity was emitted from Law's thumbs and spread throughout his body.
*Thud*
"Eh...ahh?" Apoo barely managed to mutter as his whole body was now lying on the ground.
"C-captain!"
One member of the On Air pirates cried in worry as he clashed his sword against the member of the Heart pirates. However, there was nothing that he could do.
"If this is all it takes to defeat you, Scratchmen Apoo," Law, sheathing his sword back in, stated casually, "your absence will make no difference to us."
Lowering his hand and touching Apoo's exposed chest,
"Mes."
*Pop*
Law dissected Apoo's heart out of his body and held it with his right hand.
"A-apa?!" Apoo exclaimed in shock, but his body was still unresponsive.
'What just happened?! Why am I down in mere minutes?!'
Subsequently, Law turned his head above and asked,
"You probably did understand what happened by now. Does this prove my innocence?"
On top of the building that Law was staring at, Cavendish was seen to be sitting with his legs crossed.
"Guahaha! That was a little entertaining to watch, I will admit." Cavendish let out a burst of hearty laughter before his demeanour suddenly shifted into a cold one,
"But regardless, we don't accept betrayals."
Then with a bright flash, Cavendish disappeared from his spot.
Then, in a span of a split second,
*SwooshSwooshSwoosh*
All heads belonging to the members of the On Air pirates were decapacitated from their necks and were sent flying up to the sky simultaneously. Apoo wasn't an exception.
"""H-HUH?!!!"""
The speed at which their heads were cut was simply too fast, to an extent where they had enough to let out a scream prior to their deaths.
Then the heads fell onto the ground lifelessly, much to the spectators' fright.
"...You surely are eccentric." Law remarked as he let go of Apoo's heart that he was holding onto. He tried to come off as impassive as possible, but on the inside,
'Speed demon... I didn't see anything.'
this was Law's honest thought as he stared at Cavendish, whose body was glowing in bright yellow.
_____________
[Coral Hill]
*BOOMBOOMBOOM*
The area all around the Bonney pirates was continuously exploding due to the cannonballs that abruptly flew out from Bege's body.
"What reason is there for you to be so angry?" Bege asked in a casual manner as his palm shot out another cannonball, "Is your damaged pride such an important matter to you?"
*BOOM*
Right where the cannonball exploded, the smoke burst out into existence and covered Bege's vision.
"...Not talking, eh? Seems like you've learned something at least, Jewelry Bonney." Bege muttered as he took a step back to widen the depth of his vision.
'The smoke...'
Then Bege noticed—the smoke wasn't disappearing.
'Smokescreen? They placed another one within the smoke produced by the cannonball? Hm...'
*Swoosh*
From amidst the smoke, the whooshing sound of air entered Bege's ears. And immediately after,
"Heh, surprise, you shorty mafia!!!"
Bonney shouted with a grin as she entered Bege's sight while riding on a gigantic sea lion's back.
"RAWRRRRR!!!" The sea lion, whose eyes were full of tears, lashed out against Bege.
This sea lion previously belonged to Hody Jones and his New Fish-Men pirates. However, after Bullet's massacre, it was set free and was busy rampaging onto the empty area of the Fish-Man Island; Bonney managed to tame or threaten it by reversing its age to an extent where it could no longer oppose her.
And now, as the sea lion bit Bege's torso with its sharp fangs with the intention to shred the latter,
*CLANG*
its fangs failed to drive their ways into Bege. His body was more than tough enough to endure the creature's bite.
Bonney's eyes narrowed upon sighting this phenomenon.
"This is why I can't let you roam freely. Capone 'Gang' Bege, you are well-known for pulling strings from the back to partake in the fall of an organization." Bonney growled as she glared at Bege, "It's always the same tactic. You weaken the ranks through whatever means, prior to going straight for the head of the organization. You think I will allow that to happen here?"
"It seems that you took some time to study about me. I'm flattered." Bege simply commented as he grinned,
"But you made a mistake here, Jewelry Bonney."
"Huh?" Bonney, while the sea lion and Bege were in a deadlock, raised her eyebrow.
"Where do you think my family went to?"
Immediately after, Bonney sighted many small-sized men exiting the doors that abruptly opened from Bege's body.
"It doesn't matter! As long as I touch you—" Bonney leaped from the sea lion with her hand outstretched to Bege, but was quickly pulled back by one of her crew members.
"Captain, we can't!" Said crew member exclaimed with caution as the whole crew retreated to some distance away.
"Charge!!!"
Then, with one particular voice booming out, the small men all turned expanded to their normal size, and ran toward the Bonney pirates.
"Tch, brace for the impact!" Bonney quickly said to her men as she lowered her stance in caution.
However, before they clashed once again, both parties had to stop in the middle.
"So,"
With a flash of lightning, Dan was standing in between all.
"what exactly is going on here?"
Bege, upon sighting Dan, dropped his cigar in shock.
"Black Mask... what are you doing here?"
Of course it was a red alarm on his end. Dan himself was quite infamous by now, with him harbouring the power of lightning. However, his appearance meant one thing: Rowan's presence on the Fish-Man Island.
'The worst that I feared has happened...!' Bege quickly raised his hands up in a cold sweat,
"I've got no intention to fight you."
The man in front of them had the power to vanquish all of his armies in seconds. The forces that he brought outside of his body have now become the hostages.
Dan turned his head back to Bonney,
"Why are you fighting them?" Dan momentarily gazed at Bege before continuing, "I don't think you can win against him anyway. What's the point?"
"That man is suspicious! You think he won't do anything if we leave him alone—"
"Look, Bonney." Dan cut Bonney's words in slight anger, "My captain may be quite lenient, but my vice captain definitely isn't. Do you think we are your babysitters?"
Placing his hands in his pockets, Dan swept his eyes through the Bonney pirates,
"Unnecessary fight that stemmed from a fit of petty anger... fine, we're pirates anyway. However, without the power to back it up? Stupidest decision ever."
Bonney, with embarrassment, turned her head away.
The rest of the Bonney pirates gulped with pale faces.
"And as for you, Capone 'Gang' Bege..." Dan looked at Bege in a casual manner as he waved his hand dismissively, "Go. Shoo shoo."
"Yes." Bege slightly bowed his head in gratitude before pulling his troop back into his unique body. After all, he wasn't in a position to preserve his pride; his family came first.
As Bege began to move out from the sight, Bonney spoke up timidly,
"...Sorry."
"Haa... pink-haired women always do be like that—wait, pink hair?" Dan stopped in midst of his muttering,
"Do I know any other pink-haired woman? No, right?"
_____________
[Area Near the Fish Bus Stop]
Hawkins, after the momentary pause due to Nojiko's interruption, was about to draw his card once more. However,
"Jet dial!"
One end of Nami's bo-staff released a powerful current of air that made Hawkins's cards fly out of his grip.
"...Do you really believe that my cards have an offensive ability?" Hawkins's expression-less face twitched for the first time as he watched his cards being splattered across the ground.
"The world is vast, and there exist many abilities that we haven't seen before." Nami replied seriously, "And we are risking nothing."
And Nami wasn't wrong. Those cards indeed had the mystical effects that can turn the tide of a battle, though it may be double-edged.
However, Hawkins didn't seem to be listening. His eyes were locked onto one card that was turned face-up on the ground,
"Death, but reversed... meaning stagnation."
"Nami, support me." As Hawkins was occupied, Nojiko's whole body began to expand and turn cat-like. The white furs grew all over her body as her size grew more and more.
"C-captain!" One member of Hawkins pirates cried out as he pointed to Nojiko.
Eventually, Nojiko's whole body, which was now supported by four legs, stood at an impressive size. If she stood with two legs, she would be around 6 meters in height. Her eyes, which now turned into a pale-green colour, held a mischievous gleam.
"I'm already doing it!" While spinning bo-staff in front of her, Nami stomped her left foot down.
*Click*
On the sole of her left foot, a heat dial was sitting by. Upon Nami's action, it began to emit a moderate heat upon the surrounding air.
"And next,"
From the other tip of Nami's bo-staff, a water dial was attached.
'Those hideous dials that I was overpriced with...' Nami gritted her teeth, 'you better do your jobs properly!!!'
Upon Nami slamming the tip of the bo-staff onto the ground, the stored water began to pour out and instantly evaporate due to the heat. In mere seconds, the area surrounding Nojiko and Nami was enveloped in the vapours.
"Hm..." From some distance away, Hawkins stared at the scene with wariness, "Chance of them attacking me when I try to pick up my cards... definitely 100%."
Nami began to spin her bo-staff at a rapid pace while activating the jet dial. The vapour began to condense around her bo-staff and swirl around magically.
"Nojiko!"
Upon Nami's signal, Nojiko blasted out a wave of pale-green flame from her mouth, and simultaneously,
"Cyclone tempo!"
The swirling mass of vapours left Nami and converged with Nojiko's pale-green flame. An impressive pale-green tornado flew toward Hawkins, who noted that his crew members were standing vulnerably behind him.
"Demon Conjuring Phase."
Hawkins's body grew into a straw-doll-demon-like creature and took the full brunt of Nojiko and Nami's combined attack.
Simultaneously, Nojiko slashed her claw onto Hawkins, causing the latter to take few steps back as the result.
"...Life Minus... two." From Hawkins's right arm, two straw dolls emerged and fell onto the ground. At the same time, two people who were held tight by the ropes by the Hawkins pirates, fell lifelessly.
*Thud* *Thud*
"That's a freaky ability." Nami commented with narrowed eyes.
On the other hand, Nojiko's eyes glowed as her voice boomed out,
"Arise."
Two dead corpses, encased by the pale-green hue, stood back up lifelessly, much to the Hawkins pirates' shock.
*Click*
From the sole of Nami's right foot, a cold chill emanated,
"Cool dial."
The hot and dry air was quickly cooled down, causing the air to condense and become denser in an instant moment.
At the same time, the rest of the Twin Cats pirates seized the opening they saw, due to the Hawkins pirates being occupied with slaying the dead bodies that kept rising back up, to strike them.
"Haa!" One member of the Twin Cats pirates, Sofie, was seen to have turned her body into a pillow to soften the impact of a metal club from one member of the Hawkins pirates.
Meantime, Hawkins clashed his sword against Nojiko's claws.
*CLANG*
"Straw sword."
The sword morphed into a straw and wrapped around Nojiko's claws. Immediately after, Hawkins raised his free hand toward Nami, who was standing at some distance away, and shot the sharp nails toward the latter.
*Swoosh*
However, contrary to his expectation, they simply went through Nami's figure, which dissipated into nothing.
"A mirage?!" Hawkins expressed his surprise.
"Too late." Nojiko, with her claws still tied, grinned as her body began to shrink to a hybrid form to escape from Hawkins's grasp.
Simultaneously, Nami was behind Hawkins with her bo-staff raised up above her head.
*BAMBAMBAM*
Then, she unleashed a skillful combo onto Hawkins, causing the latter to crash into the nearby building.
*BOOM*
Now, standing and taking a deep breath in, Nami raised her head above the roof of one particular building and called out,
"Don't step in, Carmen."
Carmen, who was spectating the scene with seriousness, replied,
"You better finish it quick."
Unlike Bonney with Bege's case, Nojiko and Nami did have enough strength to go toe-to-toe against Hawkins.
____________
[Sea Forest]
"Didn't expect to see all of you again so soon, monsieurs." Alfred stated as he looked at Marco, Ace, and the other Phoenix pirates, "Just what happened to you? How come all of you are looking worse than two weeks ago?"
Marco sighed, "Bullet yoi. He was bulls******g about how he will test our strengths when we were freakin' injured, and left after beating us up."
Ace spat on the floor out of anger, "Something is wrong with that guy on the head."
"Hmm... I see" Alfred said in surprise.
"Haa..." Marco shook his head, "We simply want to return to Sphinx as fast as possible right now. We got to give pops a proper burial. But that damn Bullet, he fought us for like what, 3 to 4 days?!"
On the other hand, Rowan, who was standing next to Carina, had his eyes locked onto one fish-man quivering nearby: Hatchan.
"R-Rowan..." Hatchan gulped as he trembled in fear.
Jinbe, who was sitting nearby, closed his eyes with a grimace.
"Tell me, Hachi," Rowan said in a cold tone as he approached Hatchan, "How should I deal with you?"
"Hey, Rowan! He's our friend—" Ace was about to interrupt, but stopped upon receiving a bloodshot gaze from Rowan,
"Ace. F*** off for a sec, will you?"
Ace unconsciously took a step back.
"H-huh."
As Rowan now stood right in front of Hachi, the latter dropped his head down in a dispirited manner.
"S-stop, Ace. I'm in the wrong here..."
Everyone within the area fell silent, and no one knew what was about to happen at the next moment.