Mission #119 : Security Bypassed! [Pluto/Roin]

[Roin]

Not only had the fight below become a horrible sight, but the youth had even asked if he knew this other giant. A frown could only come to his face, but just as his attention shifted... the other giant pulled free his sword and started forward, leaving Caribou to watch the smaller Giants both succeed in defeating the guards... but then the other fell. Immediately, the man cursed under his breath and had started pulling some fancy tech-gloves over his forearms and preparing to rush over at where the threat had vanished. Unlike Fallow, Caribou wasn't a pushover.

The other fight, however, was ended with Albion sweeping his foot along the ground and essentially tossing the guards and the smaller Giant stumbling with them. The Giant had made his choice... to take on the other Giant so he could help the guards. Especially after doing that to ensure they'd be out the way of the Giants. The sword-carrying opponent could only laugh at Big Blue, the two of them raising their weapons. Albion and his carving knife against the unnamed mercenary and his sword. As the two rushed forward, all Albion could do angle his blade forward and down, the other Giant's vertical slash crashing against the blade in a shower of sparks... but more like a rainstorm for those below thanks to the massive blades. If not for how durable the knife was, such a defense wouldn't be possible... but Albion didn't give the other Giant a chance to capitalize on his weapon's better combat skills. Instead, Albion tightened his left, free hand into a fist and brought it as far back as he could... all before yelling directly at the face of his opponent.

"Kókkini̱ Grothiá!"

The other Giant was in awe at the powerful punch coming his way... but rolled away from the deadlock just in time for Albion's fist to miss... and instead hit a column. The weak, decorative stone layer shattered as the support's interior cracked and split, the wooden, massive beams sending splinters flying over the area. Albion could feel the nails of his fingers dig into his skin just as much as various cuts formed from where he'd hit the stone... but the bigger issue was the ceiling lurching as the beam collapsed. It didn't fall, rather it dipped greatly to reveal the break-away hall on the Royal Grounds hadn't been built for any sort of Giant versus Giant combat.

"Kakakaka! That's the spirit, Blue! Nice punch!"

Albion turned just in time to see the other Giant raise his sword, the weapon breaking through the ceiling with very little effort thanks to its size and weight, as the other Giant rushed forward. Albion dodged back, the sword cutting air for just a moment before the other Giant shoulder-checked the Bounty Hunter and sent him stumbling away. Albion paled at the idea of stumbling... but at least he wasn't stumbling toward the guards. Instead... he was stumbling toward the body of the fallen Giant. Just as he almost gained his footing, however... Albion's foot collided with the rolly polly-shaped man... and tripped.

Pluto and his sister would see the light sources above them vanish beneath a large shadow, Albion passing over them before colliding into the wall with all his weight... and the wall didn't hold. Tossing people had been one thing... but the wall couldn't stop all his mass and weight crashing into it. As a result, a large portion of the western wall blew outward, the supports on the entire side of the hall buckling and some even cracking from the brief tension of losing the main support. It was clear that they wouldn't hold forever thanks to Albion being used as a weapon... and from the laughing of Caribou and the big Giant, it was clear their intention was to destroy as much of the hall as possible. Without the walls, the Giant would have far less ability to "funnel" their forces... and now it made sense why they had brought three Giants in to assault the independent treasure hall. Two to hold off the others while the largest set about destroying the hall and defeating the Giant that bolstered their forces so considerably.

All of this, however, didn't change a thing as Albion crashed into the forest outside, thankful that he'd been thrown out away from the castle grounds and only further into the forest bordering the independent hall. Trees snapped and some branches dug into his clothes, but overall Albion had ceased his fall and stopped without too much distance between him and the hall... just as the other Giant started after him with that damned, booming voice.

"When I'm done with you, Blue-Boy, you're going to wish you had just walked away! I'll tear this hall down, get paid, and defeat another Giant in combat! My honor and pride will only flourish while yours diminishes! Kaaaakakakakaka~"

[BlacKitten]

Swift as the wind, a shadowy figure breezed by the scattered bodies and dashed straight towards the brother and sister who were striding along the edge of the grand hallway.

Gingerly, Pluto gestured his sister to take a few steps away before crossing his arms to cushion the incoming punch. “! GAUURRRHH!” He cried out when his every nerve in his body felt like they were stimulated by some invisible wave of shock. The force of Agent Caribou was also tremendous, hurling him back due to his instable stance with his back crashing against the rubbles of the cracked wall that Albion mostly destroyed.

“I see,” he spoke in a weakened tone, “Those gauntlets shock whoever you touch.”
Proudly, the agent explained why he wouldn’t be defeated, “That’s right. Any close-range specialist would have a hard time against me because if I so much as touch you, you’ll get zapped.” Furthermore, the clothing they he wore would eliminate the probability of accidently shocking himself by mistake.

Being more suited to fighting at close-quarters, this would put Pluto at the disadvantage. If attacked, he wouldn’t even be able to block it without getting shocked; just the mere contact with those gloved hands would be painful. Electricity would run through his body and electrify him as well as burning his skin.

Damn him! Pluto leapt back as soon as Caribou rushed forth to close the gap between them. A flowing series of combo punches were executed towards him, and all he could do for the time being was to continuously step out of range in a zigzagging manner. His opponent laughed sardonically, “What’s wrong? Afraid to get to close to me? You can’t dodge me forever!” The boy’s agility led him to buy himself enough time to at least get a few glances on his opponent’s prowess in close-range combat. His opponent focused entirely on offensive movements, completely skipping out on defense. With those electrocuting gloves, Caribou had no reason to defend, and even Pluto was hesitant about carelessly throwing out a strike.

Indeed, it’ll be rather hard to take you down without physical contact.

Suddenly, he halted and stood idly at one spot; his eyes sharpened with his furrowed brows. A punch flew towards him without restraint, aiming for his chest. Both of his hands acted simultaneously, one to grab the gauntlet with his barehanded hand as the other reached out to grab his opponent’s face. The current flowed through his body and into his opponent’s face due to the direct contact. While Agent Caribou wore protective clothing against electricity, that did not include a mask to cover his face. The two of them endured the uncomfortable shock and damage, turning this fight into a contest of pain tolerance.

Pluto disengaged this voluntary torture, taking half a step back to have his body return back to its regular senses. Most of the pain was on his left reddening hand that received most of the intense burning heat; it felt like someone just cooked his left appendage in boiling water. Meanwhile, Caribou gaped uncontrollably, staggering his steps a bit. The two of them had trouble coordinating their movements. 

“Tch…,” Pluto held back the pain in his hand, but when he tried to flex his fingers, they began to sting.

“You little runt,” Agent Caribou scowled as he steadily moved his limbs. While he had been shocked before my accidents, this was the first time anyone countered his weapon by directing the electricity into his face. From then on, his arms raised in a more cautionary pose.

Taking him out with his own weapon won't be that easy then. The boy moved his legs, but his entire nervous system felt funny, unusually disoriented.

“Rebecca,” he said while keeping his eyes directed at his opponent, “keep your distance but stay within my vision.” Almost immediately, he lurched to the side as Caribou began his assault with those dangerous fists. Staying low towards the ground, Pluto swiveled on his foot, sweeping his other leg around that came from behind his opponent. In response, the criminal agent jumped off the ground as the leg slid beneath him before restoring the gap between the two of them with a rush of his body.

From his pocket, Pluto quickly slipped out three dart-like objects, held between his fingers as he continued to evade with circular footwork, forcing his opponent to constantly change direction. His eyes glared sharply at his opponent but kept a cautious check on his little sister whenever possible.

What a troublesome opponent.

[Roin]

The fight within the remainder of the hall was underway, but the hall itself wouldn't be there for much longer. Albion was just getting back to his knees by the time the Giant turned to face the building, a smirk on the criminal's face and the massive sword in his hand... and then, with a wide swing of the blade, cut easily through the remaining pillars on the broken wall's side. The entire building visibly buckled as the pillars fell to match cut through them, debris falling from above even as the last Giant and the other guards fought on the other side and the forms of Caribou and Pluto zipped about in their brawl. On the scale the Giants had... they were nothing but ants as the better armed Giant turned to grin at the finally risen form of Albion.

"Kakakaka! Soon, that hall will come crashing down and I can get paid! So all that's left is to handle you, Blue Boy!"

The other Giant had begun to level his sword, the slightly curved weapon either hand-forged in such a shape or custom-ordered no doubt. The blade was certainly powerful, as it had been used along with the Giant's strength to cut stone... but Albion had no other choice. Carefully replacing his utility knife back into his grip, Big Blue squeezed his left fist together in another fist. Unless he beat his foe, then it was going to definitely happen. It'd only take one other swing of that blade to bring down the other side of the hall... and Albion had to ensure that girl and her brother at least made it out. They were still young even for Humans!

"We'll see how you handle me, then! I won't lose so long as Nina needs me!"

Rushing forward, the larger of the Giants extended the small knife to his full range, the blade and the larger sword clashing in a near literal rain of sparks once more. As the hand came back for the same punch, much to the other Giant's brief disappointment, the punch wasn't thrown... Albion's eyes were fixed solely on his opponent as the blades between them were on their way to the side after the parry. There was nothing stopping Albion from simply walking into his opponent... but Albion had a different plan.

"Lef̱kó Koutouliá!"

The giant's loud cry only gave warning to what was about to happen... specifically because the boom that echoed from the collision shook the hall with the trade of force. Albion's forehead had turned white from the sheer tension of focus, right before crashing into the other Giant's face. It had sounded as if stone had been cracked with a massive hammer, the smaller Giant's eyes losing focus as the weapon fell from his hand and the man went into a dangerous stumble. Albion, on the other hand, had staggered backward, a gash on his forehead visible from the might of his headbutt. The other Giant had a similar gash, of course, but Albion didn't stumble... the Giant caught his balance in time to watch, first with terror, and finally laugh as the massive opponent neared the hall once more...

---

Caribou and Pluto had been fighting, specifically Caribou on the attack with Pluto dodging and thinking, but the sound of the ceiling cracking and giving way even made the man jump away and briefly glance upward. The hall collapsing had been the plan... but not with him in it! Landing a distance away, the man in the suit cursed his luck immediately.

This wasn't part of the plan! If that Giant isn't careful-

Caribou didn't even finish his thoughts, gawking and screaming at a sound that none of the fighters inside could possibly have imagined hearing. The crack of the ceiling's beams giving out... and something even louder. As the wall on Pluto and Caribou's side at last caved outward, the ceiling above seemed to fall almost in slow motion... before a miracle struck in the form of the larger giant intercepting all the debris by smashing into it with his massive body! Carrying it on his hip with the sheer momentum of his fall, the previously superior Giant had been carried the debris back before crashing into the hall's doorway and furthest end... and causing the walls to buckle and trigger a chain reaction. Meaning, along with his bed of debris... the Giant simultaneously had the ceiling and some of the opposite and front walls of the hall to fall on him, Albion's booming laugh carrying easily from outside.

"Byohohohoho~! It's been a while since I've fought someone who seemed tough! You couldn't even stand after one headbutt! Byohohohohohohoho~"

Visible through the massive hole in the wall, Albion had torn away some of the massive rag-like shirt he wore and already wrapped it around his forehead to cover the bleeding wound. It was tight and a hindrance, as the headband prevented him from using the headbutt again, but it would stop the bleeding for the most part. There was one thing the Giant understood well enough. The debris that had threatened Pluto and his sister had been taken out when that Giant crashed into it... and that meant the only parts of the hall still standing were over no one or the other guards, who already had their own problem. On top of that, his opponent no longer had the large sword... specifically as Albion used his foot to push the massive weapon further aside, the large weapon plowing the earth slightly as the blue-haired Giant started forward, fists raised.

Albion didn't have to use his knife... and that meant he could fight the best way he knew how... using his body as a natural weapon. Even for the defenders below, as Albion half-stepped into the hall with one leg while the other remained outside as a pivot foot, this was visibly a good thing. It meant that Albion wasn't restricted movement-wise... and as the other Giant brushed off the debris with a loud yell that shook free tiles from the remaining ceiling sections... well, Albion simply rolled his previously wounded shoulders. The tingle of the burn wounds slightly healed was enough to make the man remember his times as a Gladiator when he was much smaller... and that alone inspired a new look to come to his face. The look of a man certain he'd win.

"Try coming at me again... it won't be me sent flying like the first time we fought in this hall!"

While there was no ceiling, at least Albion was correct by having his foot within the ruined side of the hall. The scenery was vastly different for the left side, the ruined walls having left bricks everywhere and the lower halfs of many pillars still standing... it was as if they were fighting in some ancient-time ruins rather than a standalone treasure hall for a modern nation. The King wouldn't be too pleased, Albion imagined... but the man would pay up if they kept his treasure safe. It made him wonder, however... just what was it they were protecting?

[BlacKitten]

Through a sharp and brisk pivot of his foot, he faced his opponent from the side, quickly stabbing his opponent’s back with one of the arrows he held loosely in his hand. As his adversary turned to face him, Pluto leapt back while hurling the last two arrows at a short range, piercing the man’s quadriceps on each leg. Blood oozed out from the open wounds, darkening the clothing that the man wore. However, despite all this, Caribou felt no pain at all, barely even taking notice at the damage on his body.

The agent grinned sadistically at how the boy continued to avoid him. It was futile; as long as this coward couldn’t get close to him, this fight might as well be over. With a ruthless lunge and a persistent punching combo, Caribou continued his assault at his foe who continued to evade nimbly at the last split second.

Despite being on the defensive side, Pluto kept his expression filled of aplomb; his eyes could still foresee victory.

“Your weapon means nothing if it doesn’t hit me; evasion is my specialty. Do you think you can keep up with me?” Pluto challenged his opponent. Caribou was just as confident when it came to speed, and chasing down frightened rabbits was so much fun.

“Each and very punch you make is limited by a certain distance,” He swayed his head as a gloved fist slipped past his cheek. “Dodging is easy as long as I keep myself at the borders of this range.”

“I know what your plan is,” Caribou claimed hastily, “are you hoping that I’ll ran out of stamina? Or perhaps you’re thinking that the batteries will run low? Is that your plan on defeating me?”

“I have already defeated you,” Pluto said calmly. 

The ceiling, walls, and pillars were crumbling and collapsing from the battle of the two giants, enough to put their fight on hiatus. Pluto scooped up his sister who was heaved into his arms, making sure none of the debris would fall on top of her, and even Caribou flinched as if something unexpected had occurred.

“Rebecca, close your eyes,” he said softly. Hurried footsteps could be heard from behind; he knew his opponent was about attack him. However, he was willing to risk using his powers but only just a glimpse of it would be seen. On his back, a pair of dark wings sprouted out instantly. Unlike a bird's wing, there were no feathers or fluff; they were the demonic wings that resembled a bat. A thin dark membrane that was supported by several long, lithe bones, his wings was the only feature transformed. The rest of his body remained human; this was neither an animal form nor a hybrid form. As a sign of his masterful control over his Zoan powers, this was a partial transformation.

The wings were folded like a paper fan. Pluto turned slightly as his baleful eyes glared murderously at the figure charging towards him. With a single swing, the black claw of his folded-up wing sliced through the air, projecting a crescent-shaped air slash.

Claw…

With widened eyes, Caribou froze. A long, narrow cut extended from his right shoulder to his left hip. Blood spilled and rained down on his feet. “Y-you’re a Devil… F-fruit… us-…” His back smashed the floor, lying in a puddle of his own blood. Such a severe wound would’ve normally kept him on his feet, but those arrows that stabbed him in three different locations from before had all been part of this trap. That boy had been dodging him this whole time for the sake of straining his body. The more the agent moved, the more blood leaked out. Those arrows contained a substance that caused him excessive bleeding as well as numbing his wounds that tricked his mind into thinking that they were only minor wounds.

Wings sunk into his back and vanished. “You can open your eyes now, Rebecca,” Pluto said quietly, but in return, he was given with no response. The eyes of his little sister remained closed; she was fast asleep with her arms wrapped around her older brother.

“Those arrows contained a high concentration of a substance called Draculin. Unless you tend to your wounds, you will bleed yourself to death,” he spoke, assuming his opponent could still hear his words. Normally, bleeding would stop because of the wounds clogging up, but Draculin prevented it from clogging. This substance also contained a numbing agent, and that was why Caribou felt no pain. Draculin was a substance found in the saliva of a vampire bat.

[Roin]

[OOC: Battle Theme]

As the blue-haired Giant let his mind briefly wander, the opposing Giant burst from the rubble with a yell, the unarmed swordsgiant rushing forward with poor footing. Albion's distant mind was just enough to make their clash even, the blue-haired Giant opening a hand to catch the other's fist. The Bounty Hunter winced at the sheer power. It had been a while since he'd faced another Giant... but it wasn't the first time. The man threw a wide kick, a loud bang-like noise filling as it hit Albion's hip, sending the blue-haired Giant stumbling away and to his side. The other fight had been slowly winding down, most of the guards defeated and the second of the smaller Giants now injured gravely... but the fight was ended as Albion's stumble connected the side of one foot with the smaller Giant's head, sending him barreling across the floor while Albion was stopped by crashing into two of the large pillars like they were some sort of fence for the fight. Wincing, Albion felt the back of his shoulders cracking stone with the sheer force of impact... but he didn't get long to reflect on the pain as the other Giant rushed forward, throwing a wide kick toward Big Blue's head.

Albion slid down to the ground, causing a mini-quake throughout the remainder of the hall, as the kick soared high and crashed against one of the pillars, the other Giant letting out a yell of pain while drawing the foot back in agony. Seeing the opening, Albion shifted to his hands and knees before lunging forward and to his feet in one simultaneous rush of movement, the tackle-like grapple successful as his right shoulder pressed into the other Giant's waist and his arms went around him. Albion was strong, but even with his strength lifting a Giant for very long was impossible... but lifting him just long enough was all he needed. With a yell, Albion pushed his weight and strength toward the sky, the other Giant's eyes going wide at the mix of shock and pain from the tackle-lift combination. Raising his hands, he began throwing blows down on Albion's back and head, his voice booming as Albion shakily raised him from the ground and toward the open sky formed from the missing section of the hall.

"L-Let go of me, you bastard! No one is going to-"

The enemy Giant didn't finish... he was too busy panicking and letting out a yell as he realized Albion's plans. Specifically that Albion had him raised on his shoulder... and had his back to the remaining wall of the hall. One hall had hurt like hell... and being slammed into another head-first, as Albion planned, would likely end the fight and maybe even the Giant's life. Rapidly throwing more blows, Albion even winced as they began to add up, his steps shaking both the ground and his whole body. The weight of the other Giant was unbearable... it pushed the wounds and the pain of his shoulder to new levels entirely... but he had to end this fight. For the sake of everyone on the ground as much as for himself. With a yell, Albion's left hand moved to grab the lower back of the Giant's belt, the other arm wrapping tighter before the beast of a man shifted his weight back... and naming the unofficial move on the spot.

"Giant's Grapple!"

The yelling of the other Giant filled the air the entire fall... right before his face slammed into the roof and then through the ceiling as the two combined weight of Albion and his own fall combined into once force. The Giant's eyes rolled back as they passed through, the remainder of the building giving a horrible shake as tiles flew free and the pillars even buckled... and then it was over the moment he crashed into the wall, Albion's back slamming into the pillars before he released the Giant to his own momentum. As the other Giant went crashing and took the last section of walling with him, the guards on the floor were ducking and fleeing the falling rubble. The pillars Albion had collided with had left cuts on his back... but the blue-haired Giant was laughing as the remainder of the hall collapsed outward from the trading force of the big men.

The vault was lucky in that regard... mainly because as everything collapsed, the iron box of it wasn't even phased by the falling debris. The fancy doors that hid the iron door fell away, the walls around it broke... but the vault stood proudly even as the rest of the hall collapsed. Lyneel hadn't ever known there would be a battle between Giants... but the kingdom's vault was built to last. No debris fell near Pluto and the fallen combatant... but it was no doubt still terrifying to some degree to see the sheer display of power between to crashing Giants. Neither alone could damage the building like this... but fighting, they could use one another's large forms like living wrecking balls. At last, however, obvious from the still pile of debris covering his opponent, Albion had ended the night's last combatant's hopes of besting the defenders. The Giant, however, let out a groan from his resting place the moment the hall (if it could be called that anymore) was quiet of crashing debris.

"Nina won't be happy about this... but nothing I can do about that now."

The wounds on his back were small, but at this point they were numerous. He'd need to spend the night getting patched up again, no doubt... but the bigger concern was that now the few remaining guards wouldn't have a hall to funnel the attackers... they'd have to fight while encircling the vault. Caribou was alive, despite his horrid condition, and they had a few more captives to interrogate... with luck, they might even find out just how much longer they'd be enduring these fights. If they had enough to bring in three giants... there was no telling what they'd see next.

[BlacKitten]

It was beautiful. The pleasant harsh sound of walls and ceiling crumbling, the sheer destruction of it all was gorgeous. A little loud for his taste but he enjoyed watching the once organized, fancy hall turning into a chaotic, ruined battlefield where horrid expressions gawked at the two giants. The smart ones paid more attention to the falling rocks over their heads. Moreover, it was hilarious. All this damage for the sake of some gemstone, he had to ask himself if this was really worth it from the King’s perspective. To go this far for the sake of stupid stone, didn’t these thieves have a more practical way of earning money? That would be assuming that obtaining the jewel was for the sake of selling it for money.

None of that mattered. As curious as he was, what mattered most was fulfilling this job, and it was likely that more of them would be coming. Already, the second night revealed their second attempt, so naturally; more attempts would follow through until they ran all out of manpower. However, as hired guards, their own forces were crippling; it may all depend on who had the superior arsenal of combatants.

As he stood between the arbitrary border of what was inside and outside, Pluto held his sleeping sister in his arms while nonchalantly observing the battle between the two massive brutes. A collision between two freaks of nature, the earth-shaking battle provided a certain level of entertainment. With common sense, the guards dashed away from the giants, staying as far as possible while evading the falling debris.

“Albion seems to be enjoying himself,” he turned away and stepped outside. His eyes glanced at the girl in his arms; he was worried. It wouldn’t be long until he would have to start getting serious about his duty in guarding the vault, but in order to be serious, he would have to enter a full transformation and achieve all the physical enhancements. The problem was that he wasn’t ready for his little sister to see him in that form; he never got the right opportunity to explain the concepts of Devil Fruits to her. Plus, the bigger problem lied in the fact that Rebecca barely had any fighting skills of her own; it was too dangerous to have her stay anywhere near this castle. Without properly knowing his future opponents, he cannot guarantee his own sister’s protection.

---

The next morning, Rebecca woke up, finding herself in a bed. Leaning up, she was unfamiliar with the room she was in, but a familiar face at her side kept her at ease. Her older brother stood there with a lethargic expression on his face, probably from not obtaining enough sleep last night.

“Pluto!” she called out in alacrity, “How are you feeling?”

“Mmm?” the older one rubbed his eyes as if he had just woken up himself, “Better, I applied some ointment, and my left hand is recovering fast.” His eyes scanned around the room as a gesture for her sister to check out her surroundings, “I also rented this hotel room. I know you like to follow me around, but from now on, I need you to sleep here each night for as long as we’re here, alone.”

“A-alone?” A face of betrayal grew on her face, “Are you disowning me?”

“HUH? What kind of question is that? I don’t own you to begin with! You’re not a pet nor am I a parent,” Pluto then sighed afterwards before clearing things up, “I’m here from morning to noon; you’ll be seeing me practically whenever you’re awake. At night, I’ll be with that giant, loitering around the vault.”

“It’s too dangerous for me stay there, right? I’m just a burden to all of you,” the girl caught on as to what her brother was trying to say.

Pluto nodded hesitantly, but what she said had summed up his thoughts pretty well. “Remember to lock the door and the windows at night. Do not open either of them no matter who it is until I return the next morning.”

The girl nodded, obediently willing to follow those steps of caution, “Don’t be reckless because that’s how you hurt your hand.”

“Tch…,” he avoided eye contact, suppressing his irked expression, “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

[Roin]

The third day started off... somewhat similar for Albion. Specifically, the Giant was sitting up with rather hastily built scaffolding built around the remaining pillars allowing doctors, medics, and anyone with basic knowledge of medicine to help tend to the Giant's wounds. Not far away, the snoring of the defeated Giant could be heard from the series of ship anchors, both the chains and weights, and trees dragged and put over him to keep the massive opponent down and secured. There wasn't exactly a cell to hold him, so the best option was to simply keep the tired out, injured Giant under heavy weight. The unsure nature of the men who'd secured him had resulted in Albion spending the late night and early morning on the nearby grassy divide between the ruins and treeline that now lacked much of its wood. How was it similar? The Giant had his right hand holding the Den Den Mushi in front of his face, not minding that the crew working to stitch up and bandage his newest wounds might hear.

"What do you plan to do if you get too hurt to even grab onto a ship for a ride? It's not easy arranging transportation when you're so big, Albion!" "I know it's not, darling... I'm just saying I might get beat up a bit more to make sure the job gets done. I didn't expect to face a Giant, you know..." "I've known you as long as I've been alive Albion! Don't even think you can lie! You might be a big target, but you could walk away just like any of those other men and women there!"

Albion made a face at the final comment... specifically because of the large group that had started the task of defending the vault was down to a handful of marines and one or two mercenaries. Without counting the younger man and his sister, there wasn't much hope for a strong defense. Truth was, the vault had a newly formed scaffolding defense. The few remaining people had fortified the scaffolding with extra lumber from the quick effort to weigh down the captive Giant, but for the most part it wasn't exactly a good defensive point. If the enemy somehow brought out another Giant, it'd be a miracle of the defense group could hold... but at this point, it was more or less Albion acting as a natural defense from any thieves.

"If I quit now, Nina... I will not be able to hold my head up in pride. People have died defending this... to quit now-" "Don't go spouting that Giant nonsense! I love you, Albion, but surely you realize that an honorable death would leave me alone, don't you!?"

Albion was quiet at the final bit, mainly due to the sighs and whispers of the men behind him. While he'd initially not cared... the fact was that Nina was so worried about his safety that gentle human was appearing more like the decision maker than the large, brute of a giant that had destroyed their hall last night. And it made him look as if Albion had no ability to gauge his skills for the work he chose, obvious from his injuries. Carefully raising the Den Den Mushi so it'd focus on his eyes and no doubt make them bigger on the other end, Albion simply gave a smile.

"I won't die, Nina... I'm going to keep this thing safe, get paid, and head home... and once I get back, I'll use that money to help the town... I promise you that. My honor will be saved with this job... but you know I don't break my promises."

The silence over the line was no doubt killer on the third party of healers working on him... but at last, the Den Den Mushi's eyes watered up and Nina's voice rang out clear as day. "You better, you big blue-haired ass! I want to plant some roses when you get back and I need you to help me dig the holes with those big fingers!" Albion immediately let out his booming laugh, the Den Den smiling to show Nina's mood and acceptance of the situation. The Giant had got through to his lover his intentions... and she was making her order as a way to hide her reluctant acceptance. All of her life, Albion had fought... and no doubt she'd finally realized that Big Blue could handle himself.

"So... what are you going to do tonight? Surely you don't plan to fight another Giant, right?"

The words brought a silence of everyone within ear shot... all except the other Giant who let out a pained laugh in the distance. It was clear that the idea of another Giant wasn't just bad to Albion... it was bad to everyone who worked so hard to keep the defensive force going. Carefully looking toward the large Giant, the bounty hunter's mind raced... before he finally came to his decision.

"If I must... then I will. I doubt I can take hits from one as big as this fat-head... but I'd rather fight a Giant than those humans like the first one with his cannon. I won't say anymore... I should probably get going, Nina... they will likely need me to pull a few trees up to toss on him for good measure." "... Alright, Albion. I love you! Don't get yourself killed and make sure to drop an extra tree on that fat-head for me!"

The click of the Den Den Mushi let everyone know the call was over, Albion slowly moving the small snail to his pocket once more. While he wasn't going to get up quite yet, the medics still working, the Giant had a lot to consider. If the opponent was a Giant... then he'd need a new plan. If they weren't... then perhaps it was time to use his size in an offensive manner, rather than purely defensive. There were trees to rip up and no doubt large enough rocks in the area... Albion would have to gather some piles of them up. Debris could make good shielding for the vault... or it could be turned into a deadly projectile for the next night...

[BlacKitten]

On his way back to what was left of the hallway –if it can still be called that-, Pluto plugged his ears with his fingers, trying to dilute the sound of Albion’s conversation with Nina. It was irritating him. All those ‘I love you’ were grossing him out just by hearing them; it made him want to vomit out of disgust. By the time the giant was in plain view, he commented, “Don’t you get tired of being bossed around like that?” It was as if Albion was a slave despite possessing the power to be freed whenever he chose to. And, promising to not die was a pretty easy promise to make because if it was broken, there were no consequences because you’re dead. However, he wasn’t too worried when it came to this giant’s longevity; he couldn’t imagine this monstrosity to end up dead.

“At any rate, I’m just here to check up on things. My sister shall no longer be present on our guard duty from hereafter. Now, I no longer have to hold back,” he simply wished to inform that he can be a bit more helpful from now on when it came down to fighting. His eyes shifted over towards the enemy giant who lied there with several masses pinning him down. “Are you sure you don’t want to kill him? It’ll be problematic if he wakes up. Well, since you’re still recovering, would you like me to end him while he’s still asleep?” His fingers curled up into the shape of a claw before clenching into a fist while pictured his hand crushing someone’s flesh. Although, chances were that the giant probably would decline such an offer. Giants seemed to have this large sense of pride, so it stood to reason that they may also have a sense of honor as well. Killing someone in his sleep might be seen as dishonorable. But, since he didn’t know the giant all that well, it was still worth asking.

The afternoon was spent with his little sister, wandering around town to explore. They entered to quite a number of restaurants to eat. Clothing stores were the ones that bored him the most, but Rebecca found them cute. Later on, the sunset had been their signal to separate and head off to their designated spots for the night. They weren’t quite use to it being off alone on their own. Even for Pluto, he felt like something was missing as if he had forgotten what it felt like to be an only child again. Or perhaps, it scared him. If far away, he couldn’t protect Rebecca when needed, but if up close, his presence only brought more danger. There really seemed to be no possible way to ensure the girl’s safety. Every step of caution only brought more risks along.
“Should I… quit this job?” he asked himself. Then, his head shook, “What am I saying? If I can’t handle a bunch of thieves, then I have no chance against the real threat. Each and every fight gives me experience, making me stronger.”

What bothered him the most was the number of days that he might have to do this, just how many waves of enemies were there? How many of those “agents” could there possibly be. Well, one thing was for certain, at least they couldn’t wreck the environment anymore. The hallway couldn’t possibly be any more unrecognizable.

Fine then… bring it on! No more mercy from me! I’ll kill every single one of them! If they want to play thievery that much, then I, too, play along. They can go steal the jewel; I’ll go and steal their lives.

Once he was settled near the vault, he was prepared to stand there for an eon until something happens. Scanning around, it was debatable if he was inside or outside the castle. Their numbers of guards had dropped even further, meaning his involvement would be quite inevitable if they were attacked the third time. 

"How's your health, Albion?" he asked, wondering if the hulking figure could still perform as well as the previous nights. Like before, he wore a poker face to mask his emotions and thoughts. His arms were cross over his chest,only briefly making eye contact with the giant. On the other hand, with this much open space, the big guy can possibly go more wild now.

[Roin]

The questions from Pluto had reached his ears, but the fact he thought it as simple bossing around was humorous to the Giant. The young Human hadn't found love, otherwise he'd see well enough Nina was more worried than daring to boss him around. It had been her elders that mistreated the Giant, after all. The youth mentioned not holding back, however, and quickly redirected the conversation to the hostage. The moment he so idly considered killing the other Giant made Albion immediately narrow his eyes.

"I could kill him as I am now, regardless of my wounds... the reality of it is that I won't kill him. A life is more valuable than simply something to be taken and thrown away, little one."

Albion had slowly begun to rise to his feet once the last of the medics finished their work, the very awake Giant turning his head to watch. After all, the other Giant had awoken in time to laugh at Nina's inquiry about facing another Giant. However, Albion didn't move to finish him off. Instead, the large man gazed down to Pluto, slightly leaning forward to ensure he had a good view of him from above.

"When you fight for your life as long as I have, little one... you learn that a situation such as this is no reason to end his life. If I were to kill him, I'd just be some glorified vigilante... and that only leads to darker roads. The only time I'd kill anyone... was if they were to truly be a threat to my health. To say I didn't intend to kill him before would be a lie..."

Rising to stand straight up, Albion rolled his shoulders in a slight check. They stung like hell, even with all the bandages and ointments lent toward patching the behemoth, but Big Blue could still move... and that meant the Bounty Hunter wasn't out of the fight by any means. However, it did mean one thing. Even if he was prepared for fighting another Giant... there was no way his body would be capable of surviving the shock in its current state.

---

As the third night rolled around, this was only further reinforced by the fact Albion had moved to sit on the other Giant, a lake of sweat practically spotting him. Pluto's question cut through the air easily enough to the Giant, but Albion finally smiled and ushered his voice to carry the distance to the vault, roughly a good Human-throw away.

"I'll hold my own... worry for the others and yourself, little one."

Albion slowly lifted from his seat, the other Giant letting out a sigh of relief as breathing came a bit easier. Albion's shirt was now absent, the shirt loosely wrapped around his waist. It had been damaged in the previous fights, leaving the Giant to not bother even wearing it. To be honest, the deeper reason was that Albion felt strange... as if the wounds on his shoulders had begun acting up again. And to be specific... it was if the blast wounds from that damn cannon on the first night had reignited cinders. It was the reason the Giant had been sweating, but to remove the bandages now would likely leave the wounds exposed during whatever might attack tonight...

---

The dark room had one lone camera at this point, the shadowed figures of the man and one operative only in the room. It was the shortest of the trio, quietly watching the display as the boss pet his creature with a snarl.

"First that idiot Fallow and now Caribou... two of my best operatives brought down as if it was some child's play... Agent Chital had best pull this off... I'm growing impatient for the-" "Don't wowry, bawse! Chitawl isn't nearly as bad as those chumps! Rest assuwred in her skill!"

At a distant cafe near the ruins, a group of men armed to the teeth stood sweating over the shoulder of a woman. They had all been waiting for the order to start the operation... but none dared talk to the woman who was enjoying a meal... that is, until one of them nervously moved forward.

"C-Chital, m'am, it's time to-"

The man's voice was cut off, followed by a muffled scream from a nearby couple who had been unfortunate enough to be eating there when the thieves arrived. The man fell to the ground quietly, the woman looking toward the nearest man.

"Let's go ahead with the plan... I wouldn't want to kill too many of you, now would I?"

All of the group immediately rose or straightened up as the woman quietly stood. Idly turning her strange scarf toward her back, the woman smiled and took a step onto the corpse of the fallen lacky.

"If Agent Chital is happy, then everyone's happy boys! Let's make sure the boss is pleased with me!"

---

By the time Albion had rose to his feet, the steps of an organized group cut through the night... just in time to draw Albion's gaze. The group was easily two or three times larger than the remaining guards... and they all held rifles and assorted cannons. There was a difference from the men of Fallow, however... these men were clearly the elite of the thief group, their rank and file making any charging approach a suicidal act... and it only became more clear they were in for a new type of fight as the woman appeared with her scarf and hat, only to smile toward the remaining defenders.

"All of you have met Fallow and Caribou, I assume... so let's cut this short. You'll surrender to me, Agent Chital... and you'll let me take that precious treasure. If you don't... I'll kill all of you here in this horrid place."

Albion frowned at the very idea of this woman doing anything like that. Even with superior numbers, Albion could go all out with the area like this... so why did she assume their group was stronger? The fastest logic... was that they had a secret weapon laying in the rear or nearby... or that she was actually strong enough to think such a thing. For now, however, without proof Albion would simply have to trust instinct. Big Blue clenched his hands together in loose fists, sliding his foot back and gazing down from the side, a bead of sweat falling between his eyes as the Giant narrowed the gaze as the switch to his battle state occured.

"Even if they were all to surrender... I'll crush you until you stop getting up. Fallow and Caribou could use company, after all..."

[BlacKitten]

“If we don’t surrender, you’ll kill us. If you do surrender, you’ll crush us,” he summed up what the magenta-haired woman had just said. The proposal was too ludicrous to even bother considering. Their decision was obvious, and that was to fight them. But, before they begin, Pluto revealed his crossbow from his left forearm, and then inserted a particular bolt into the slot. With the guards on one side and the enemies on the other side, the division allowed him to attack without harming an ally.

“Let me give our answer as to whether we surrender or not,” leaping forth into the air, several meters above the ground, the boy aimed his left hand downwards towards the enemy group and fired his bolt into the center of their forces. This single arrow wasn’t intended to strike anyone in particular; its true power came after. With the trajectory of the arrow seemingly to be missing everyone, the thieves had no need to react. Instead, they all thought the boy had terrible aiming skills.

Once the arrow struck and pierced into the ground, an explosion sounded into the air. It was neither large nor powerful because the explosion wasn’t intended for mass damage. The true deadly weapons were the nasty shrapnel contained inside the arrow that now scattered in all directions. Already, several men had either fallen to the ground by the force of the explosion or stood with painful splinters embedded deeply in their flesh. No one could have predicted an arrow that would explode like that; there had been no intel of it ever being used when the previous two agents fought them. The lady merely glimpsed at her subordinates without any empathy or pity towards them; she couldn’t care less about them. They were all tools at her disposal in her eyes.

With that first arrow as the declaration of the fight, most of the guards advanced forth with weapons armed in their hands. Likewise, on the enemy side, they retaliated with their own weapons. Those with assorted cannons were targeted at Albion as they knew just how much more effective they were than bullets, and history has shown that when the first agent used a similar tactic, it caused a wound on the giant’s shoulder. With someone that large, aiming wouldn’t be too much of a problem; their biggest challenge was to make sure not to get grabbed by the giant’s massive hands and get hurled away like human cannonballs.

In the midst of the anticipated bloodshed, Pluto chose that woman to be his main opponent who identified herself as Agent Chital; this implied that she might very well be the strongest enemy so far. Her looks were quite deceiving as the boy couldn’t spot any weapons for her to carry. Was she a close-range specialist like the previous agent?

Pluto dashed towards Chital, closing the gap in a matter of seconds. The lady smirked as she partially unraveled her lavender-hued scarf. The boy continued to charge forth, prepared to implant a solid fist into that arrogant-looking face. Suddenly, the left side of his vision was blinded, causing his eyes to roll to the side. Raising his free arm under the impression that he could just grab, the child was smacked by the heaviness of the cloth, knocking him to the side and disrupting his attack.

Somersaulting to cushion the fall and to regain his footing, he stood up, calmly staring at the agent, trying to figure out what just happened. That scarf… felt heavy. It was as if he got slapped just by the flat surface of the fabric, but was that really her weapon? Did she really come here under the assumption of winning with a mere heavy scarf? Nonsense, there must be some other weapon; there had to be.

[Roin]

The flash of combat had signalled the start of an all-out war. Even with the disruption of the explosion, the enemy combatants surged forward, guns and blades raised. The defenders paled from the makeshift defenses, raising their own weapons and firing into the crowd. The only issue with this was the sheer amount of enemies... until a factor that had been ever-present reasserted himself with a yell. A few of the men looked up in time to spot the Giant's open palm descending toward the group, the bunch of mine shooting into the hand. Albion let out a yell to match the cries of pain and agony of the men he'd swatted, the small group sent rolling away and their weapons sent even further.

As long as I don't dwell on it, I can null the pain... I have to ignore it for now!

The sting of bullets, even as minuscule as they were to a being his size, was still akin to splinters in the hand of a child. The difference, of course, being that these were bullets and the child was a big giant. The blue locks of the Giant swung through the air as he turned, looking down to a sight no Giant enjoyed. The defenders were pinned by an even amount of attackers... and the rest had surged forward. Some were already on his right ankle, climbing the man's pantleg, and the others were throwing hooks skyward. The most alarming part, even as Albion cursed and tried to pull away from the surging attackers, was that two of the men were moving toward the restrained giant. While there was a lot of weight on the Giant... the scary reality of it was that the bindings kept him from thrashing about to dislodge.

A stinging glance of a pistol bullet passing his eyelid snapped Albion to the current, one of the best climbers of the attackers already at his collar. The man's shoddy pistol had meant the aim was pointless... but it left a small trace along the side of Big Blue's face. In a flash, Albion's left arm whipped forward at the same time the man let out a panicked yell... and just like the men before, he was swatted from the Giant's shirt-sash and sent flying through the air to a no doubt horrible if not lethal fall. The danger of climbing a Giant was that of an ant climbing a human. Should they become a pain, they'll be dispatched as fast as they attack... but the difference was that an Ant could survive the fall a lot better than any human could survive falling from the Giant.

"Puny thieves! First you burn me, then you shoot me... and now you dare to climb me!?"

The eyes of the Giant darkened to a sensation of cold remorse. The danger of the few who were successfully climbing him was a very real one... and Albion would have to ensure that the few still trying to climb onto his foot met a horrible fate. With hooks landing along his right arm as the series of stronger men began to pull, the dark nature of the man burst to light as the Giant's left hand grabbed the ropes. The men on the ground attempting to climb him could wait. With a yell, Albion tugged the ropes leading back to the men attempting to pull and drag the hooks through him. Their strength against his own was, however, nowhere near enough to win the momentary tug-of-war. Screaming, and finally casting chaos over the group assigned to attack him, Albion's rope-holding assailants were lifted, fearfully clinging to the rope despite being aware it would be their downfall. Albion didn't blame them, as they were simply fools in the first place, but there certainly was hatred in his eyes as he brought the collection of ropes back down... and the ground split as men slammed and cracked into it, their bodies combined with his natural strength simply too much for the ruined area to endure. And then, at that moment, it happened.

---

Chital smiled, quietly making a "come hither" gesture toward Pluto. It was clear he had yet to identify the strength of her weapon. The plan had so far gone according to plan in drawing the Giant away... now all she had to do was kill the one who seemed to be the strongest among the Human defenders.

"You're certainly stronger than those two louts... the boss was right to send me to take care of you. With your defeat, we can at last take our prize and I can get a promotion for taking that pretty little head of yours!"

The woman let out a venomous smile, carefully uncoiling the scarf. The brief exchange they had allowed her to witness in the distance the rage of the Giant... but it seemed as if they were successfully overwhelming him. Letting out a soft laugh, the woman completely removed the scarf and took it into both hands... and at last returned her gaze to Pluto with a now deadly look.

"Now hold still so I can take your precious-"

Just at the moment she had begun her next line of villainous banter, however... something truthfully terrifying occurred that no one could have predicted.

---

As the cracked ground from the men put the last strain on the ruins, the entire area and reaching easily to twenty yards around the ruins... simply cracked. The group was not aware of it, of course, but the vault had been built over the top of an ancient smuggler's cove... and with the last collision of such mighty force, Albion had simply shook the ancient, earthy supports loose. The earth cracked and defenders and attackers alike panicked as the Vault, rubble from the hall, and even the Giant began a tumble downward. Though Chital and Pluto could no doubt maintain their footing through the fall... the very scary reality was that Albion went reeling back as the floor fell out from under him, a booming yell filling the skies of Lyneel.

And as fast as it began, it ended. Not because Albion hit earth and died, but because the Giant splashed down in an underground lake, the cavern system spilling over with water that covered the first bit of rubble, bodies, and anything else doomed to fall. The cliff face even gave out, spilling away as Albion's mighty splashdown sent a wave far strong enough to hit the sea-battered wall on its untested side. The result was an even more chaotic event... the event of a new gulf or cove being formed. And the battlers, save the restrained Giant above, had all been dragged into the chaotic mix. The sea was thankfully not going to flood the cove, but it was certainly going to make things slick... and it wasn't going to be easy to find a way to safely endure the fall, obvious in the case of the Giant that was now submerged in the waters of the cove.

[Gotta love missions. Destruction abound, as it's not even canon!]

[BlacKitten]

The earth that they all stood on was cracking. An earthquake? The floor that their foot stood on crumbled beneath them, sending each and one of them, including the giant, down into a colossal pitfall below what was once the hallway. Rocks, dust, boulders, debris, and weapons, everything and everyone plummeted into the depths of the abyss. There was only darkness down below; there was barely any light from the black heavens. The night sky hardly gave any light for them.

Pluto’s concentration did no deviate from his opponent; his face remained calm. He feared neither the heights nor the darkness for he was used to it. Falling gave a sense of freedom, but it was also where he gained the greatest advantage than anyone else. His body went through a transformation almost instantly. Wings sprout from his back, black claws grew on his hands and feet. Ears migrated towards the top of his head, taking on the form that resembled the ears of a cat. Hybrid form, the combination of human and animal form, was the reason why he held no fear. With his wings, he can easily fly, hover, and glide around with ease and brisk agility.

Echolocation remained a superior choice than seeing with his eyes. He produced a series of pulses, emitting a volume of ultrasound around 70,000 hertz, rapidly sending and receiving the sound waves. His ears caught all the pressure waves that bounced back to him as his mind quickly formed a mental image of his surroundings. It was an image of shapes and form without color; the power to see with his ears could only be understood for those who could use the process of echolocation.

In a flash, he propelled himself downwards and swept beneath the falling Agent Chital. Swirling his body in midair, Pluto swung out a powerful kick into the woman’s midriff, launching the body upwards with the damage doubled as she accelerated straight into the attack. He had three major advantages over the agent: flight, echolocation, and power. 

“Sorry,” he said confidently, “I have a bad habit of striking when my opponent is vulnerable.”

Chital descended once more, hurling one end of her scarf downwards to strike at the monster below her. At the very end of her scarf possessed a razor sharp edge, and the abnormal weight of the scarf was what the power of her weapon derived from.

“Good instinct,” the winged figure swayed to the side as the scarf flew past him with an impressive accuracy given the circumstances. Outstretching a hand, he grabbed and tugged the scarf, pulling his opponent downwards as his swiped his claws diagonally with his free hand. Chital kept her grip of her scarf as she was reeled in. Anticipating the next strike, other hand raised in defense, catching the swipe by the wrist.

“Not bad,” Pluto commented. Both of their hands were preoccupied in a stalemate, however, the Zoan-user had another pair of limbs. Folding up his wings as they dived downwards, the boy slashes the woman’s midsection with the single claw on each of the appendages. Anatomically, those claws were the ‘thumbs’ of his wings. The wound was shallow, but blood stained the woman’s dress.

Ignoring the pain with sheer mental toughness, Chital acrobatically flipped herself over the boy, strategically pulling the scarf on the opposite side of his shoulder and grabbed the other end. The fabric yanked on Pluto’s neck as he was dragged further down the pitfall. The woman held onto both ends of the scarf that tugged and choked on boy’s throat.

“You may be a Devil Fruit user, but…” the redhead smirked at the sound of splashing water down below from the others that have already crashed. “Not being able to swim is your curse,” she remarked. The woman embraced herself as she dived into the lake, pulling the scarf with her. Upon a great splash that was miniscule compared to Albion’s tidal wave for a splash, Chital felt her scarf without the weight of a body attached. Perhaps the boy was drowning below the lake already.

“As expected of an Agent whose skills are greater than the last two,” Pluto soared far above the surface of the water in his animal form, a tiny rodent-sized dark figure. “I’m a Zoan-user. Transformation is my power; I can easily escape that little ensnarement.”

[Roin]

As the agent and Pluto battled in the air and finally in the new battlefield, the other fight had resumed... one being fought in the cove's waters. It was deep, but Albion was large enough to still be surfaced... and the attackers now swam and desperately clang to the Giant. A few had already climbed onto him, but no one was truly recovered from the fall quite yet.

A small distance away, a crash and cloud of dirt and dust marked where the vault had fallen, wood and bodies raining around it. Somehow, no rubble had fallen to cover it... but the new position left it atop a pile of rocks that formed a bumpy, new field for human-sized fighters. Big Blue had begun to stir the moment it crashed to earth... and the large man wasn't pleased.

Surely they didn't have us defend knowing this place was here... why would they hire a Giant like me?

The sting of small blades, however, reminded Albion of the dire situation. Turning his eyes toward the first pings of pain, the century-old Giant saw a handful of enemies... almost quite literally! All the men were stabbing at him with small knives, most of them not even breaking the large being's skin. Part of being a massive individual was good muscle mass that protected him from pathetic attempts at harming 'em. Raising the unoccupied hand, the Giant brought it down like a person swatting a bug off their hand, the crack of his hands sending plenty of the attackers flying and the rest when he hit it again. The survivors of the fall from both sides were duking it out... which meant Albion couldn't sit around in the water.

The water parted, casting waves as the massive figure within sat up. How long had it been since Albion had bathed in the sea... it had been a while, but the Giant thankfully wasn't the "quick to smell" type. Water dripping in large globs, the rest of the attackers at last lost their grip and positions as Big Blue rose to his feet. The water was easily up to his shins at the deepest points, but even with his impressive height... Albion seemed smaller. It was due to the fact the large being had lowered and raised both arms to protect from some late-falling debris.

At the moment, the hectic scene was starting to calm down... but Albion hadn't gained any sort of bearings. The Giant turned and occasionally waved a hand through the nearby waters to disperse anyone who might be attempting to close distance with him once more.

"Damn if this place isn't huge... big enough to fit the entire hall in if it had still been intact... what sort of cove was this!?"

A stray bullet passing well ahead of the Bounty Hunter's face redirected his attention, quickly turning and swatting a man away that had somehow kept his firearm dry. These pesky bastards were distracting him from finding the other defenders... and there wasn't anyway Albion could move down here without sending waves over the shoreline in the newly-freed cove. For now, he'd have to wait until the other defenders called out or made it clear where to avoid splashing house-sized waves at...

[BlacKitten]

Streams of blood dispersed in the way like a small reddish cloud as the woman partially floated in the water. This wasn’t going as planned at all for her and her forces of men, but on the other hand, things didn’t appear to be going smoothly on the opposing side either. An arm wrapped over the two horizontal slashes on her abdomen while tensing her eyes. She never expected that boy to have eaten a Devil Fruit. However, it was now a stalemate as she could neither strike above nor could the boy strike at the waters. After all, if he comes too close, he might get tugged into the waters, and both of them knew very well what that meant.

Her eyes glared towards their prize for coming here, the jewel inside that vault that rained down with the rest of them in this underground mystery. The secured case settled upon a pile of rocks beyond the shoreline. If she could just reach it, but how would they carry it? How would they escape anyways? Even if the jewel was snatched, how would it be returned to the boss?

With her intentions being read like a book, that tiny little bat flew towards the spot and beat her to it, before morphing into his hybrid form. Folded up wings behind his back, ears at the top of his head, and those claws on his hands and feet, he appeared more like a devil than anything else. The boy simply sat there, leaning his back against the vault while keeping his eyes on the surroundings, utilizing his echolocation to analyze what the eyes cannot. Through the soundwaves he emitted, he noticed the giant who was preoccupied with knocking humans away that were crawled onto his body. 

Agent Chital drifted forth, slowly swimming towards the shoreline. It would be easier to deal with that freak on land than it was in the water. She ignored her underlings completely at this point. With all the scattered chaos, distinguishing between comrade and enemy was already an issue. Those gleaming violet eyes, that boy was her biggest threat, the only obstacle between her and her main objective. Simply sitting there, mocking her, that arrogant little brat needed to be taught a lesson for handling a lady so roughly.

The waters became more and more shallow the closer the approached the vault as she felt her feet firmly press against the rocky terrain. Unraveling her drenched scarf that was now heavier with all the water soaked in, Chital could now deal a bit more damage than before.

At long last, the devil fruit user stood up, forming a peculiar sharp with his right hand where his fingers were straightened out and pressed firmly side to side. “Sting!” The name of a technique was called out.

In a flash, a sharp pain rushed through her entire body as she lowered her head to notice at the hand that went straight through her chest. It all happened in a blink of an eye. One moment he was standing over there; the next moment the boy stood right in front of her. His speed was too quick; the darkness only augmented it. The blood-stained claws were pulled out as fast as they went in, and blood spilled everywhere. Chital coughed out crimson fluids from her mouth as she dropped to her knees.

“Don’t worry, I angled my hand vertically and purposely missed your vital organ. Whether you live or die depends how resilient you truly are from all this blood loss,” the cold words sounded into her ears as her vision grew blurry. Sting was a technique where all the force was concentrated on the fingertips to deliver a penetrating strike. Alongside with the power and speed boost of a Zoan-class devil fruit, the sharp claws could pierce the flesh with ease.

This very environment, a dark spacious place, couldn’t be any more fitting for a bat that dwelled in such cozy pitch black. In the end, Agent Chital was at a disadvantage in every single way.

[Roin]

The dust had begun to clear as the fight between Chital and Pluto winded down... but the night had one more surprise waiting for the batboy. The sensation of water washing along his feet and near the fallen woman made one thing clear. The water was being swished around due to the Giant in the cove moving.

A bullet struck Albion's ear, the sensation causing the man to wince. Bullets and the like had begun to bombard the Giant while remaining still... and it had reached the point that there wasn't anymore waiting. Turning, Big Blue put on the look of an angered beast rather than a man... and pivoted to throw a kick. The entire firing squad that had lined up vanished as the Giant swept them aside with the leg, some rolling or outright flying away after the raw impact.

This is bad... I can't hold on like this... not yet!

Giants had a ton of blood... but this was steadily wearing down on the man. Open wounds, more wounds, and all the brief action of the night was bearing down hard on Albion. There was only so much the Bounty Hunter could fight through... and the moment the kick completed, it became obvious as the massive man's foot sluggishly struck the bank and brought more rubble to raise the water level. Another firing squad let loose a volley, striking the slowing warrior in the back of one of his legs.

"AAAAH!"

The pain blistered from the accuracy of this group... and quite literally brought the Giant down. Falling forward, the leg wasn't even trying to respond... and the result was Big Blue slamming into the shore near Pluto, the stone buckling from the force but keeping the wounded Giant from going right back into the water. Dust picked up through the cove once more... it wasn't as large, but it was enough to hold off the fire of attackers for a few moments.

With the wounds he'd suffered, there was little the man of Elbaf could do at this point. The wounds from days before were still healing... and on top of all that, the group tonight had seemingly been aiming to take him down. If the enemy was attempting such a thing... it likely meant they saw him as a very real threat to their plans. Idly looking up, the Giant could get a glimpse of Chital and Pluto, the situation made clear.

"Ngh... not bad. You seem to be taking down far bigger fish... than me..."

Shakily moving a hand to the rocky ground the two humans were on, Albion attempted to rise... but there wasn't any luck. The fact of the matter was the last volley of shots had likely pushed the pain threshold and done enough damage that the big body had given up. The sensation of death wasn't unknown to Big Blue, but this wasn't one of those times... which meant rather than give up, Albion's body had decided to "take a break".

"Unfortunately... ugh... you should... probably finish the rest off if you can... there's only a handful left... and I doubt they're aware of their leader's... defeat."

Eyes fluttering, the Giant was more than likely going to fall asleep with the makeshift bed... of rock supporting him. It wasn't a very comfortable position to be partially in the water and bumpy, rocky rubble... but when you're suffering from blood loss, pain, and exhausted from previous days? Well... you just kinda don't care. As the big man's eyes slipped and shut, the dust had begun to clear. The firing squad wasn't firing, however... they had no reason to. The giant wasn't moving, and after his yell, it was quite possible the bastard was at last dead in their eyes... and as such, the group let out a battle cry that rallied the handful or so of men remaining, all of them turning and rushing toward the largest pile of rubble. Why would they do that?

The vault was resting on the top of the largest pile, the cove's moonlight reflecting brilliantly off it as if the treasure box was a legendary sword of some old story. The cove was massive enough... but the unique geography made the vault not at the highest point in the place... which meant the group would need to climb to reach it, the only thing that kept them from outright reaching it!