"Stay behind, Grand and I; you're not meant for the front lines, Trenza." Advised Scar as he retracted his dagger from the throat of a pirate, causing the man to choke on his blood before quickly dying.
"I know, you don't need to tell me twice; now go assist Grand, or he'll defeat everyone by himself." Replied Trenza as she backed away while shooting several pirates, killing most in just one shot.
Glancing at Grand, I saw him surrounded on all sides by tens of pirates, yet I wasn't the least bit worried about him; every punch of his laid a pirate out, while the unlucky ones were even sent overboard. His large frame isn't just for show, after all; he's got massive strength to back it up.
Just as I was about to lunge toward the group, someone intercepted me, causing me to frown since I could tell he was stronger than everyone else with one glance, though it wasn't enough for concern.
"As the Vice-Captain, don't think I'll allow you three to leave th-" Said the man as he hurriedly unsheathed his curved sword just in time to stop Scar from stabbing him in the stomach.
"This is a battle, no time for speaking." Said Scar with a serious gaze before spinning around and kicking the pirate in the chest, causing him to grunt in pain as he slid back a few meters, colliding with other pirates.
"Y-You bastard! How dare you interrupt a speech of the Bear pirates! I'll kill you and offer your head to our Captain!" Yelled the Vice-Captain angrily as he slashed toward Scar, who was already lunging toward him.
Bringing my dagger forward at an angle, I deflected the sword to the left before swiftly slicing him, and although I got him, he managed to back away before I did any real damage; I, at most, only caused a flesh wound, nothing that would inhibit his abilities, though it did serve to anger him, which only ended up helping me.
Keeping calm, I stood my ground while waiting for the man to approach me; once he was near, he started wantonly slashing at me in anger, seemingly trying to overwhelm me with his power and speed. However, his attacks were very predictable, so I was able to deflect each one easily, and slowly, I started walking forward while also pushing him back. Noticing a wooden plank not properly nailed to the ground, I carefully shifted my body as I intended for him to trip on it, but I also wanted to make sure he didn't get suspicious, although I highly doubted that would happen.
"Why. Don't. You. Die. Already!?" Exclaimed the Vice-Captain angrily while speaking with every attack of his sword, which Scar was easily deflecting.
Just as he was about to speak again, as I planned, he took a step back, only for his foot to get stuck on the extended plank for a second, resulting in him losing his balance and falling backward; that was all I needed as I switched my grip and slashed at him, causing a bloody gash to appear across his upper body.
"Ughh!" Grunted the Vice-Captain in pain as he clutched his chest, using his backward falling momentum to do a backflip and land a few meters away from Scar.
If this were just a normal battle, I would've used this opportunity to land another deadly blow, yet since this fight was mainly to display our capabilities, I allowed the man a few moments to regain his composure.
"Are you ready? Can this fight start again?" Questioned Scar as he slightly lowered his body and held his dagger close to his body while eyeing the bleeding man.
"I'll kill you!" Said the Vice-Captain in calm fury as he clutched his curved sword with both hands and charged toward an unphased Scar.
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Sitting at the helm while overlooking the battle, I watched as Trenza killed pirates with incredible efficiency; not a single shot missed their target, though I would notice her frown whenever she was forced to use two bullets instead of one. Grand was being swarmed with pirates from all sides, yet most of their attacks hardly damaged him; from where I was sitting, even I was able to discern that they were only able to cause superficial wounds on his rather robust body; then again, that was only because Grand was allowing them too. While Grand wasn't as efficient as Trenza, he was just as fast, not to mention the speed of his punches was incredible despite his large muscular frame; they sounded like cannons every time his fist landed on the body of an unfortunate victim.
Scar, on the other hand, wasn't fighting against a bunch of cannon fodder; he was fighting against the second strongest person on the ship, and if logic told me anything, I'd assume he'd be the Vice-Captain. Scar was very level-headed, cunning, and quick on his feet; he also was very proficient in handling a dagger, as he efficiently dealt with the man's swift, strong blows.
"So, what do you think of them, Freyja? They may not be monsters like you and Captain, but they aren't your run-of-the-mill pirates either." Asked Sebas curiously as he observed the one-sided battle on the ship before glancing at the smirking Freyja.
"In all honesty, they're much stronger than I anticipated; with their strength, they shouldn't have any problems taking down the ship's Captain; well, depending on whether they've eaten a Devil Fruit and its abilities." Stated Freyja lightly while observing the battle unfold.
"Hoho, I wish Captain were also here so he could witness them. You've been with him quite some time, Freyja; what do you think he'd say about them?" Remarked Sebas with a soft chuckle before slightly frowning while shaking his head.
"Knowing that fool, wherever he is, he'd most likely be indifferent about the whole thing; his idea of strong is very skewed. Though, seeing how easily they're taking down this random pirate group, I'm confident he'd allow them to stay aboard the ship." Replied Freyja with furrowed brows as she glanced at Naga-sa, who was resting beside his hammock.
"That is somewhat refreshing to hear, I suppose." Muttered Sebas with a slight smile.
"Also, don't think you can exclude yourself from the term monsters, Sebas; I've seen how quickly your strength has been growing ever since we left Briss Kingdom. At the rate you're improving yourself, I might start getting worried that you'll take my Vice-Captain title." Said Freyja with a grin as she looked at the seemingly harmless Sebas.
"Hoho, well, what can I say? The brain is the most adaptable and powerful organ in the Human body, so it is only natural my strength grows at an impressive speed. Though you don't need to worry about me ever stealing your Vice-Captain title, I'm satisfied with being the second mate." Replied Sebas with a hearty laughter as he suddenly shifted his attention to the enemy ship.
"Seems like the Captain has finally had enough waiting." Commented Freyja lightly as suddenly, the doors to the captain's quarters were busted open.
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"Seems like you just finished." Said Trenza calmly as she approached Scar, who was in the process of retracting his dagger from the corpse of the Vice-Captain.
Nodding at Trenza, I pulled my dagger out of the man's body before flicking it, expelling a decent amount of the blood from the blade before sheathing it. Turning around, just as I was about to near Trenza, we suddenly saw a body come flying right between us before it went overboard, followed by a splashing noise a few moments later.
"Watch where you're throwing them; they nearly hit us." Admonished Scar with a frown as he and Trenza eyed the approaching Grand.
"Ahh, my bad; I'll make sure to be more careful next time." Replied Grand with a slightly apologetic expression.
Unlike Trenza or I, who were perfectly fine, Grand's body was covered in numerous wounds, yet they might as well have been decorations on his body; none of them had managed to pierce through his large muscles, so while it may look bad, he was nearly at full health.
"I know you've always had unnaturally dense muscles, Grand, but don't just rely on them to defend you; what happens when you come across someone that is able to pierce through your muscles, just like what Captain did when you first met him?" Remarked Scar as he eyed Grand before shifting his attention to Trenza.
"Same with you, Trenza; you've got incredible eyes, but you sometimes rely on them too much and ignore your other senses. If I hadn't arrived when I did, that pirate might've been able to seriously harm or kill you." Added Scar solemnly as he looked at Trenza, who awkwardly looked away.
"Haa, yes, we understand, Scar; we'll work to improve ourselves." Said Grand and Trenza simultaneously as they lowered their heads, seemingly not being the first time such a thing had happened, and most likely won't be the last.
Seeing them act like that, I just shook my head and sighed as I had a feeling this wouldn't be the only time I'd have to admonish them; though just as we were about to explore the ship, a loud noise was heard, prompting the three of us to look at the origin of such noise.
"Who awoke me from my hibernation!? You've better got a good reason, or I'm eating you for lunch!" Exclaimed a large hairy man angrily as he busted through the doors of the captain's quarters.
"Is that your long-lost brother, Grand?" Asked Trenza quietly as the three viewed the hairy man, who was roughly the size of Grand.
"If it is, it looks like I got all the handsome genes." Replied Grand with a smirk, his words causing Trenza to roll her eyes.
"Haa, a bunch of children." Muttered Scar with a shake of his head as he hardened his gaze and eyed the large hairy man.
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Created a discord server, so if anyone wishes to join, it also works this time; I've reset it again, https://discord.gg/bCfBVPXS (Note: this link only lasts for one week)
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Elven Legacy (Chapter 161: Anger Of A Phoenix!) || Hero of Harmony (Chapter 41: Lavenders Love Life) || One Piece: Chaos Kong (Chapter 67: Mini Vs Diddy!) at [patreon.com/Ozonelayer691]