The Leviathan cut through the open sea, its massive hull slicing through the waves like a beast hunting its prey. The salty wind howled through the sails, but the atmosphere on deck was anything but calm.
"Oi, Captain!" Reon bellowed, his voice booming over the crashing waves. "I say we test out that new weapon I installed!"
Yuji glanced over, intrigued. "New weapon?"
Reon smirked, slamming a fist into his palm. "Damn right! Let's see how well it works!"
Just then, a massive pirate ship appeared on the horizon, its sails adorned with a jagged, eerie insignia a warped skull with twisted eyes. The Warp Pirates.
On the enemy ship, Chezare stood at the bow, his long black coat billowing in the wind. He leaned casually on his wickedly curved scythe, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Looks like we've got some feisty ones," he mused.
One of his crew snickered. "Captain, do we wipe them out now?"
Chezare grinned, spinning his scythe lazily. "Not yet… Let's give them a little fun first."
The Leviathan roared to life. Cannons boomed, their iron payload hurtling toward the enemy vessel. The Warp Pirates fired back, cannonballs crashing into the sea, sending massive geysers of water into the air. The battle had begun.
Reon cackled as he adjusted a lever near the helm. "Time to see what this bad boy can do!"
With a deafening boom, three cannon blasts erupted from the Leviathan's dragon-shaped figurehead, their fiery glow reflecting in Reon's wide, excited eyes. The cannonballs shot forward like meteors, tearing through the enemy ship's hull.
The Warp Pirates staggered, but their expressions didn't change. They were still grinning.
Chezare smirked. "Enough warm-up. Everyone, on me."
His crew placed their hands on his shoulders.
"Warp," he muttered.
They vanished.
Yuji's eyes narrowed. He felt it an ominous presence. Without thinking, he whirled around and threw a devastating punch forward.
*CRACK!*
Chezare and his crew materialized mid-air, just in time for Yuji's fist to collide with one of the Warp Pirates, sending him flying into the mast.
Chezare landed gracefully, chuckling. "Quite the sense you've got there."
Yuji cracked his knuckles. "You're going to need more than cheap tricks."
Before he could say another word—
"BASTARD!!"
Reon came barreling in, his massive hammer swinging for Chezare's head.
Chezare twisted, raising his scythe just in time to block the attack. The impact sent a shock wave across the deck, rattling the Leviathan.
Chezare grinned. "Quite hot-blooded, aren't you?"
Reon's eyes burned with fury. "I'll show you hot-blooded, you teleporting piece of sh—"
"Oi, boys!" Chezare interrupted, still grinning. "Attack!!"
The battle erupted across the deck.
Kisame leaped forward, slamming a massive water bullet toward a towering Warp Pirate. "I hope you don't mind drowning!"
The pirate twisted away, teleporting behind him only for Hancock to appear with a devastating kick. "Pitiful men should know their place!"
Law unsheathed his sword. "Room."
Bepo, meanwhile, stood shaking. "A-Ah, I'll help too!"
As the crew clashed, one battle stood out among them.
Reon lunged, his hammer a blur of motion as he swung with all his might. Chezare dodged by mere inches, his scythe humming through the air in a deadly arc. Sparks flew as metal met metal.
Chezare twirled his weapon, teleporting behind Reon in a flash. His scythe came down—
*CLANG!*
Reon barely raised his hammer in time, gritting his teeth as the force sent him skidding backward.
Chezare laughed. "Not bad."
Reon growled. "Quit talkin' and fight!"
He stomped forward, his hammer carving through the air like a battering ram. Chezare warped again appearing at Reon's side this time.
A wicked grin spread across his face. "Too slow—"
*BOOM!*
Reon spun on his heel and slammed his hammer into the ground. The sheer impact shook the entire ship, throwing Chezare off balance.
"Gotcha!"
With a roar, Reon swung upwards, his hammer colliding squarely with Chezare's ribs. The air cracked as Chezare was sent flying across the deck.
Chezare twisted mid-air, his scythe catching on a railing. He flipped, landing gracefully. He wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth.
Then, he grinned.
"Now that," he chuckled, "was actually impressive."
Reon spat to the side. "Damn right it was. And there's more where that came from."
Chezare gripped his scythe tighter. "Good. Then I won't hold back either."
In the blink of an eye, he warped again appearing above Reon. His scythe came down like a guillotine.
Reon barely rolled away, the blade missing his head by inches. He countered with a wide, brutal swing, forcing Chezare to warp once more.
They clashed again and again, hammer and scythe colliding in a symphony of destruction.
Chezare teleported rapidly, appearing at different angles attacking from behind, from above, from the sides.
But Reon wasn't falling for it.
"Predictable bastard!"
As Chezare warped one more time, Reon swung his hammer before Chezare even appeared.
*BOOM!*
Chezare reappeared just in time to *eat* the attack. His body slammed into the mast, wood splintering.
The deck went silent for a brief moment.
Reon panted, gripping his hammer tight. "You done, or what?"
Chezare staggered to his feet. His breathing was heavy. His smile had vanished.
Then—
He laughed.
A deep, dark chuckle.
"You know," he muttered, rolling his shoulders, "I really underestimated you."
His eyes gleamed.
"Too bad for you… that was just a warm-up."
A chill ran down Reon's spine.
Chezare lifted his scythe. The air around him warped.A swirling void of black mist expanded from his body, distorting reality itself.
Reon took a step back, gripping his hammer. For the first time he felt a sliver of unease.
Chezare grinned.
"Now, let's see how long you last against this."
To be continued…