The Showdown Of Blood [Pluto/Scarlette]

[BlacKitten]

“Even if I am stronger than you, that does mean I am stronger than everyone else. Unless you know your enemies well, you cannot know for certain that I am strong enough,” he warned her to not underestimate the pirates. Regardless, the scythe-carrying lady had the determination to take ownership of punishing the criminals fot their crimes, and ironically, this was working to his favor. The woman went passed them only to see the very same morbid scene, one that Rebecca must never lay eyes on. Returning back, the young lady hissed at the three figures far out in the distant, causing the siblings to divert their vision towards the same direction.

They appeared to be troublemakers by the fact that they were armed with bladed weapons stained in blood, and the way they strolled confidently as a group with their eyes targeting them made it apparent that some conflict will soon arise.

“These three are small fries,” Pluto concluded. “It would be much faster to slay the lives of others if they split up. Grouping together suggests that they depend on the strength of others. They’re not confident enough to go up against us with just one member, but as a group, arrogance may take control of their heads.” His glance shifted towards his newfound ally, “Scarlette, I trust that you can handle delivering their punishment?” Backing away a few steps, his hand guided his sister to follow him, “Rebecca, we shouldn’t get in her way. Let’s go to a safer place.”

The little one nodded hesitantly, giving the older girl one last glance before tagging along with her brother. With all these obstacles, Pluto found himself running out of options in choosing the right path. A turn around the corner would lead them to a graveyard of unburied corpses, and in front of them were three hostile figures who already determined their next victims. Taking a detour, the brother powerwalked towards another diverging road that led them towards a burning building far out in the distant. Most civilians had already cleared off the streets, and the roaring flames became louder than the voices themselves.

As his legs carried him urgently, he kept his breath subtle to restrict the amount of smoke and contaminated air from entering his lungs. Just a small amount of it felt suffocating to the throat.

All of a sudden, a shadowy figure dashed towards him from the side. His eyes instinctively turned to leer at the incoming attack. Through a sudden change in acceleration, his footwork led him to slid away smoothly from the pair of blades whistling through thin air. Rebecca immediately positioned herself behind the boy while timidly glaring at the man wielding a sword in each hand.

Duel-wielding?

“Pluto!” The girl spoke up while pointing her finger at a second man from the opposite direction. As her gesture revealed, there was a second figure that approached them, holding onto the handle of his twin weapons with three short blades extruding outwards with a slight curve on each of them. They mimicked the shape of claws.

There was a sardonic grin on both of these men as they closed in, surrounding the children that stood idly in the middle of the street.

“I’ve never fought anyone with twin weapons before,” the boy commented on his chances against these two pirates.

“He-he-he! It’s your unlucky day,” said the youthful white-haired man with the two swords, “because we will be the last humans you will ever lay eyes on.”

This isn’t good. If I attack one of them, the other will target Rebecca. I need both of them to have only me as their opponent. No! Why am I standing here? I must attack first!

“Rebecca, stay close to me and do what I say,” Pluto ordered before sprinting towards the white-haired figure, and from behind, the sister rushed with him from behind. The pirate crossed both blades like a pair of scissors before responding with double horizontal slashes from opposing directions, aimed to decapitate the heads of his victim.

“DUCK DOWN!” The boy’s final step was to widen his stance, bending his knees to lower himself. His body was a big gesture for his sister to crouch down. By going low, they have evaded the blades that were striking from above. Furthermore, executing such an attack had left the man’s midsection wide open as the arms were wide apart from the momentum of the swing.

The pirate, however, already anticipated that the boy was about to deliver an uppercut from below. So predictable and obvious, the man simply had to step back and evade it. After that, his opponent will be within range of his swords. “What?” He couldn’t move! It wasn’t simply a duck; this boy was already one step ahead of him. During the duck, Pluto didn’t just simply evade; he pressed his front foot on top of his opponent’s foot while placing all of his weight down to pin the man’s position in place. Now, the pirate could no longer step back to evade the boy’s next attack. Slamming the rising fist into the man’s chin, the swordsman collapsed onto his back immediately. With his foot still stepped on, a crack of bones was audible by the unnatural contortion of the ankle joint.

Without rest, the martial artist grabbed ahold of a sword from his fallen opponent before swiveling around his little sister in order to parry the swipe of the bladed claws of the pirate behind him.

“You…,” the remaining pirate stared at him with a more serious pair of eyes than before. “You’re no ordinary child.”

“Plu-to…,” Rebecca’s eyes widened in awe by her brother’s movements in those short few seconds.

[Vio]

"Scarlette, I trust that you can handle delivering their punishment?" asked Pluto after making a rather pointless assessment of the approaching enemy. Scarlette Grimm-Rosa did not care for such things; to be sure, it mattered not whether they were skilled on their own or reliant on their numbers. The outcome was going to be the same. With a slow and silent nod, never once taking her eyes off the men, she listened as the two youngsters quickly moved away and fled for a safer location. Now it was just herself and these three pirates, and that thought brought a sinister smile to her dark lips. In all honesty, she did not want to be responsible for protecting Rebecca and delivering punishment at the same time. It felt as if it would only dull her efficiency, something which she could not afford to spare. Outnumbered she may have been, but such an advantage did not wipe the smirk off her face.

"Lookie 'ere, boys! We got ourselves a tough little lady!" Sauntering forwards, the three men definitely did seem rather confident in their abilities, brandishing their bloodied blades that dripped and glistened with red. Each wore a smile upon his face, toothy grins of evil, with one of them missing a few teeth. Another had a gold tooth among uneven ones. They did not seem to be dressed in any particularly fancy clothing, not that the reaper woman was really paying much attention to their appearances, concerning herself with how best to punish them for their sins. They were beefy and burly men, hardened by the waves and likely quite a bit stronger than she was. Steadily, she allowed the head of her scythe to fall to the floor, its tip clattering against the pavement. "So, what's yer name, miss?"

She remained silent, staring a cold stare at the leading figure as the group drew closer and closer, stopping no more than a few yards away from her. They were taller than her, too, to a noticeable degree. Everything in the world seemed to sway the odds against her, but once Miss Grimm-Rosa was set in her ways, only death itself could force her to back down. Taking a hold of her sickle with both hands, raising its head from the earth once more, she braced and prepared herself to make the first move.

"Silent treatment, eh? Whatever. We'll soon hear that lovely scream of yours!" By now, the three men were starting to spread themselves out, chuckling to themselves as they tried to surround the lone lady. It was at that point that she charged. Forwards Scarlette dashed, straight into the fray and taking a swing at the leading pirate's torso, all of her intent focused not on killing, but on making him feel as much pain and agony as possible. Pain was the path to being freed of ones crimes, she believed. Unfortunately, her attack was as predictable as always, the criminal doing little to avoid her attack other than stepping back as the blood-stained blade cleaved the air in front of him. Not willing to lose her momentum, the grim girl pivoted on her heel, bringing the heavy head of her weapon around full circle and taking another swing at one of the other pirates. Again, her attack fell short, but the cycle continued. In she pulled her scythe, using both hands to give it an additional rotation before kicking forwards and lashing out for a third time. An arcing swing angled upwards managed to connect, the steely fang hooking the shirt of the one with the golden tooth and tearing open the fabric with a resounding rip. But not a single drop of blood.

I need to be more... Aggressive! Once more, the dark-haired damsel darted forwards, throwing out another attack at the nearest crook. This time, her own weapon was met by the blade of her foe, the man's sword blocking the scythe by letting it be hooked by the steely fang. The sound of grating steel filled her ears, but it was the sight of a second man's fist flying towards her that swallowed up her attentions. With a firm smack she was knocked back but, despite the blow she had just taken to the face, she still clutched the snaith tightly with her right hand. For a moment, everything was dark and spinning, her left hand seemingly multiplied into three as she brought it to her nose. Upon her fingers she could feel the sticky warmth of blood and, drawing her fingers into her steadying view, she could see the scarlet liquid upon them. How strange it was that the first blood to be drawn in this battle would be her own.

"Are you stupid or something?" asked one of the men, his voice alerting the wild woman to his presence as he brought down his sword over her head. As quickly as she could, she dragged her scythe upwards, the wooden shaft managing to block the blow just an inch or two above her cranium. But the blade bit at the farming tool, leaving a deep notch in the weapon as Scarlette managed to throw him off. Seeing the opportunity to strike present itself, she twisted herself about at the waist and ankles, sending the stained steel sickle a short distance and raking into the flesh of the one offender. He yelped in pain as the cold steel burned into his skin, drawing out a light splash of crimson that dotted the sleeve of her coat. Better, she thought, twisting the sickle about and bring it back upon itself for a second strike. Again it hit, digging deep into the meat of the man's gut like the fang of some giant serpent. But she refrained from driving it any deeper, ripping it out with as much force as she could muster. Another, more vivid splatter. Now her lips had stretched to show the teeth beneath, an excited smile upon her pallid visage.

"You little b****!" A heavy whack to the side sending her spinning off her feet, the Grimm-Rosa woman landed upon the ground with a thump, lying face down and feeling out of breath. A cough and splutter soon returned the air to her lungs, but not before a pirate grabbed her hood and hoisted her to her feet. And still she gripped her weapon, doing what she could to swing in around her, but failing to strike anything with it. Upon her face her smile faded, replaced by a frown of frustration as the leading pirate nicked her cheek with his sword before pushing her to the ground again. They were toying with her, it seemed, one of them stamping his boot down upon her calf. A flash of hot pain surged through her body, warning her of the potential damage she had just taken, but it did not feel as if her bones were broken. She was no doctor, but it felt like nothing more than a small fracture. Still, she was surrounded by men armed with swords, her own blood staining her face...

[BlacKitten]

“This is quite a surprise,” Pluto muttered to himself as he pressed the blade of the sword up against the metallic claws. Within his body, the sensation was no different than before, the feeling of skeletal alignment being at work as he remained relaxed. There was no unnecessary tension in his muscles that would kink up the force flowing through his arms, down his spine, hips, legs, and heels.

The pirate before him lashed out his other hand, clawing through the air as the boy took a half step back. Rebecca, who was standing right behind her brother, backed off a few steps to give the two of them some room. Her eyes blinked as she realized her lack of awareness to her surroundings. Turning her head left and right, she saw no more standing figures nearby, but if someone did come close, she would try and be helpful by informing her brother at an appropriate time.

Both hands gripped the cloth-wrapped handle as a razor-thin line guarded the center of his body. One foot in front of the other with the knee bent in the leading leg as the back leg straightened out. Sixty percent of his weight remained on his front foot. The tip of the blade aimed at the opponent’s throat; that was the ideal height for a sword to be wielded at a basic stance. All the body mechanics for using a weapon was surprisingly similar to not holding a weapon at all. Just like throwing a punch, the elbows were the main focus point, not the hands. Martial arts and swordsmanship had a close relationship; he instinctively knew how to utilize the basics of this particular weapon. Holding the blade in front was no different than holding one’s hands up in defense. The driving force of the elbows with the body backing it up from behind was amazingly similar as regular hand techniques. Keeping the blade aligned with the body’s center followed the same theory as unarmed combat.

The boy didn’t possess the mindset of a swordsman; he had the mentality of a martial artist. Truly, weapons were merely extensions of the body; almost nothing new had to be learned. Basics, principles, concepts, and theories were all translated for him.

One of the crucial elements in this fight as the pirate unleashed a barrage of consecutive swipes from a variety of angles was distance. The claw-user could not even get close to the boy without being exposed to the distance of the katana. If he dared to cross a certain boundary of the gap between them, it could determine life and death. The blade was like a barrier between them, and Pluto had the longer reach. Since the pirate’s pattern of combat was lashing from side to side, it left his own centerline completely vulnerable to a slash down the center. Because of that, this man intuitively knew that he shouldn’t get too close.

However, dashing into a close range was the only way to win for the pirate. There were two safe zones, far away and up close. Anywhere in the middle was just asking to be sliced in half. Crouching low, he charged forth, with one hand covering his forehead as the other prepared to grab the flesh. In the event that his opponent’s weapon aimed towards him, he can easily deflect it with his upper defense.

I’ll strike at his legs to destabilize him, and then he’s mine! All of a sudden, the pair of legs in front of him had vanished. The child disappeared? His widened eyes rolled off to the side, noticing a blurry presence that stood diagonally behind him. He’s at my blind spot!

At the last second, Pluto swiveled on his leading foot, turning his entire body to pivot around his foe; it was the same tactic he used up against Scarlette. The edge of his weapon swung across the back of the man’s neck, but there was no blood. Flipping the sword at the instance before impact, he struck with the spine of the katana to deal a non-lethal blow. He did so entirely for the sake of his little sister who was watching him even at this moment in time.

“Now that I think about it, my turning techniques originated from swordsmanship,” he reminded himself on the history behind his movements. The body in front of him collapsed onto the cement. It was over; they were finally safe. 

A chuckle was then heard, drawing the attention of his violet eyes towards the first opponent he had taken out who laid there on his back. Rebecca sauntered by her brother’s side as her eyes glared in surprise at the pirate who was then laughing like a madman.

“What’s so funny?” Pluto slanted his eyebrows inwards.

“It’s funny because you two are about to die,” said the white-haired swordsman as he continued to lay there, staring into the smoky sky. “She’s here at last, second in command of the Dieu-Le-Veut pirates, Mrs. Marianne.”

Immediately, the siblings turned their gaze down the street ahead of them as a blackish silhouette approached in utter silence.

Her presence alone was enough to make the boy clench his teeth. She erased the sound of her footsteps! 

By the time her appearance was revealed after stepping out of the shadows, the young pirate lady held the sheath at her left hip as her right glove-wearing hand seemed to itch in drawing out the concealed blade. Slender built, long black hair, red eyes, Marianne wore a sleeveless black top with some minor red and white in her outfit.

Already, I can tell she’s on a different league than the two pirates I had just fought. If it's a duel between swords, I'll most definitely lose. I don't mind running away, but... Rebecca might tire out first out of the three of us. Great... what do I do now?

[Vio]

Things had certainly taken a strange turn for Scarlette Grimm-Rosa and her current opponents, though that was more or less because she had completely managed to turn a losing battle on its head with a single move. Never once loosing her grip upon her scythe, the reaper woman had taken a single wild swing around her as she lay upon the ground, managing to hook the head of the weapon about the legs of one pirate. From there, she had pulled upon the shaft with all her might, causing the steely fang to bite into the backs of the man's knees and bring him down to the ground. The sudden event had given her plenty of time to stand back up, shrugging off the throbbing pain in her leg and otherwise caring little for the streaks of red upon her cheek. One man was down, though not yet out, and the other two loomed over her with their weapons ready. Right now, the curl of her dark lips and the crimson glimmer in her chocolate eyes were what seemed most intimidating about her; never mind the bloodstained sickle in her hands, just the look on her face was frightening enough.

"Hiihihi~ What's wrong?" she asked, her once dull voice intoned with an unnerving energy and accompanied by a giggle. By this point, all three of the pirates had been at least nicked by her blade, but not a one of them had sustained anything more than a scraping cut through their flesh. Not a single deep wound, but numerous light gashes that stung. And she was going to keep inflicting such wounds until they surrendered and repented for their sins. Jolting forwards with careless abandon, Miss Grimm-Rosa took another wide swing towards the two men still standing, forcing the closest to drop out of the way and the other to step back to avoid being grazed by the weapon as it arced through the air. Fair enough. They had avoided yet another predictable attack, but that did not slow down the grim girl as she twisted her body around with the momentum of the sickle, attempting to strike again from a differing angle. This second swing was not so easily avoided, the woman crouching slightly and taking a step closer to bolster the range of her attack. And it struck true, digging into the target's flesh and leaving a grievous gash.

"What's wrong? What the hell is wrong with you!?" yelled the one crook with the gold tooth, the very same one that had been brought to his knees by a previous strike. By now he was standing again, but barely, body squat and a permanent wince of pain frozen upon his paling visage. The flames that formed the backdrop for this battle were growing more and more intense, spreading towards the next set of buildings which would feed them while leaving blackened timbers and ashen brickwork in their wake. The glow cast an eerie light that accented the looks upon their faces, from the angry snarl of one, to the pained stares of the others; even the joyful grin upon the sinister siren's face.

"Nothing at all~" Scarlette sang, twirling about on the spot and twisting her blade around and around above her head, trailing arcs of dull amber as the infernal radiance reflected off of it.

"She's lost her mind..." whispered the taller of the three Dieu-le-Veut Pirates to his mates, eyeing the wild woman as she twirled and danced about like a little girl in a field of flowers. From a nearby building, a man who had been left behind by the ruckus decided to make his move, darting free of the nearest building's entrance and fleeing down the street. Unfortunately for the rather plump middle-aged male, his eyes caught those of the dancing devil at what was likely the worst moment in time.

"Oh? Oh!? No, no, no!" With a vicious twist of her body - one that threatened to topple her - Scarlette whipped her scythe about her as swiftly as she could, carving the air with its head in such a manner that a slicing wave of wind burst free from it. Through the ashen air it flew, screaming and whistling as it did so, before biting into the thigh of the unlucky escapist who let out a rather high-pitched scream of pain as he fell to the floor. Across the ground the dark-haired dame danced and skipped, still twirling her sickly with careless abandon as she completely disregarded the pirate trio in favour of her latest prey. Indeed, they watched in horror as she did the poor bloke a 'kindness' and ended his life there and then. "There, there! You'll go to a better place now! Hiirororororo~

"But now, back to your punishment!" Turning about to face the three, the smile upon the woeful woman's face subsided, as did the light cheer of her voice. Indeed, the sounds that escaped her blackened lips were far more grating to the ears and, by the quivering responses she received from the three men, it was obvious that they had dug too deep a hole for them to escape from. All she knew she needed to do was make them repent for their sins. Then - and only then - could she allow them to pass on without needing to fret over whether or not she had done her job correctly. After all, she had just spared some time to liberate another poor and innocent soul, her harvesting tool now dripping with fresh blood and she left a trail of scarlet footprints in her wake.

"There's no need to be scared~" Miss Grimm-Rosa informed them, her pace quickening back to a skip as she closed in upon them once more. All three braced themselves, hesitating to take actions that they would have otherwise not cared about before. But now they were frightened, that much she could see...

[BlacKitten]

The first mate of the notorious pirate crew remained silent, both verbally and physically. Those expressionless red eyes shifted between two of her fallen allies before glaring quizzically towards the pair of youths. That boy with the noticeable violet eyes was the more likely of the two to have beaten the two men on either side of the streets. Despite his age seeming identical to her own, it was difficult to avoid underestimating him. Whoever these two may be, they shall share the same fate as everyone else she had come across today.

Like a rabbit meeting a fox, his body wouldn’t budge. Someone with an eighteen million bounty on her head was standing right before him, and while he had no one else to compare the value to, anyone in the blues would deem that as a dangerous amount. This was the first time for him to have met an actual wanted criminal. If it were not for that sword, this girl appeared to be almost normal. His eyes traced along a blurred trail before realizing just how far he had let Marianne close the gap between them.

She’s fast! Pluto parried the horizontal swing with the weapon in his hands after completely forgetting he was still holding the sword like an amateur. A consecutive swing from below swung upwards diagonally, forcing him to take a half-step back. A clash of blades sounded from a vertical swing from above, pushing the boy to stay on the defensive side. Finally, a slash of the blade from the side completely overpowered his hesitant grip, causing the boy’s weapon to hurl to the side, clanging across the street.

Now that her foe was unarmed, the next strike shall end it. The red-eyed girl leaped forward with a thrust of her sword, ready to impale the boy’s heart with the cold tip of her blade that had mingled with the blood of countless victims. In a brief instance, he remembered the words that Maru had once said to him: Do not play your opponent’s game. Do not fall into your opponent’s rhythm. Never forget your own style.

He was not a swordsman, and he shouldn’t try to become one in the midst of combat. Fight the way he was trained to fight. Playing the opponent’s game was only asking for defeat. Immediately, the boy deflected the sword aside with his armored forearm. Sliding into a punching range, he turned his waist and launched out two fingers to jab the tender spot on the throat, but Marianne stepped aside, pointing the blade away before thrusting with the hilt, a fitting counter given the short range between them.

Stopping the attack by grabbing and securing the wrist, the violet-eyed child adjusted his front leg to sweep behind the girl’s knees while his free arm pressed against her neck. With the knees collapsing under her weight and a guiding force unbalancing her from above, she was about to fall onto her back. Arching her back, Marianne pressed a hand against the paved street before agilely flipping herself over and pushing off the ground. Landing back onto her feet at a safer distance, her eyes glared more intensely at the troublesome opponent.

She’s very flexible…

There was no pause whatsoever. Already, her sword had sliced through the air, aiming for his abdomen. Just as a witness once said, this girl’s signature killing style was slashing across the belly. Unlike his fight with Scarlette, there was lack of conversation between them, no pause or rest for either of them. A series of onslaught kept on coming in combos, and Pluto retaliated through deflecting with his forearms and weaving his constantly changing stances to strike at an indirect angle. Marianne ducked, waving her razor-sharp weapon to cut off a leg or two, and in return, the boy lifted up his knee to block with his armored shins.

Rebecca’s pupils kept on shifting side to side, barely able to keep up with the speed of the two fighters in front of her. There were so many sophisticated details in the motions that blurred with the shadows and blended with the light. Both her brother and the swordswoman used a hit and dodge method, competing to obtain the range that grants the greatest advantage. Marianne tried to keep his opponent at longer distance while Pluto tried to get in closer to attack at a shorter distance. Any other range would give either of them the disadvantage. As a result, the two of them were constantly moving, dashing and compromising in complex manners.

“!” His eyes widened at the breeze that slipped past him. Jerking his head back, he saw a large figure in silvery armor swinging a broad sword at the little girl behind him.

There was a high-pitched shriek, but Rebecca had enough common sense to evade to the side as the heavy-looking weapon smashed the ground, cracking the cement by the impact. Her eyes grew fearful after realizing that her body would have been split in two if she had not moved.

“Rebec-..,” a sharp force struck him in the stomach, cutting off his words.

“You shouldn’t take your eyes off your opponent,” Marianne advised after hurling her opponent away with a front kick.

Tumbling and rolling across the ground, the brother immediately clamber himself back up, dashing towards his sister. Only now did his mind register who this fully armored figure was: Captain of the Dieu-Le-Veut Pirates, Mr. Laurens.

Snatching the girl’s narrow wrist, he made a run for it, “Rebecca, get away as far as you can! These two people are the most dangerous of the bunch.” His ears picked up the footsteps from behind. Guiding his hand forward, he softened his grip, letting the girl to move ahead without him.

“We can’t outrun them; I’ll hold them off,” he swiveled around, facing the captain who hurled his giant broadsword. In the bow-and-arrow stance, Pluto defended with both arms fending off the blow, but even then, it felt as if his entire skeleton would crumble.

What is this strength?

Even though he transferred the force down to the heels of his back leg, his structure was still shivering from the aftereffects. There was even a small indentation on the cement below his heel where most of the force flowed into.

---

Marianne text color key: ff5c00

[Vio]

The following moments were naught but a blur of steel brushed and beautiful crimson paint being splattered all across a canvas of flesh and of stone. It was no massacre. It was her masterpiece! Scarlette Grimm-Rosa finally coming to a halt, giggling uncontrollably to herself as she stood there in a pool of carmine, the grim girl had finally bested the three pirates who had been causing this chaos in the first place. Actually, the last minute or two had passed by so quickly that it almost seemed as if it had never even occurred in the first place. But the presence of three lifeless corpses upon the ground assured her otherwise. Ecstatic and shaky breathing succeeded her laughter as she cast her eyes across the area around her, taking in the sights and smells and lack of sound. Three bodies, all of which were likely going to be very hard for anyone to recognise, lay in heaps around her. Each was smothered in countless cuts and gashes, none very deep, and their clothes stained a beautiful shade of red.

"Hi-Hiirorororo~ They all repented for their sins! Hiirororo~ The Otherworld will welcome them so warmly..." Breathing deeply in through her nose, the tang of blood and smoke burned at the back of her throat. But she did not care much for it. Aside from a short cough as she exhaled, the wicked woman paid little attention to the world around her, ignoring all but the flickering flames reflected as orange glimmers in the crimson sea. For a moment or two, she stood there in silence, closing her eyes and calming her shaking form. The head of her scythe fell to the ground, scraping softly against the paving slaps, its blade stained almost entirely red. So much red. Her coat and stockings and boots were all wet and warm as well. But this was not over yet, was it? No. There was more to do. A frightening look of determination sweeping across her pallid visage, Scarlette finally turned around and started to walk the same direction in which Pluto and Rebecca had fled.

I hope she's safe... Knuckles whitening as her fingers clenched so tightly around the weapon's shaft that her fingers burned, the dark-haired damsel suddenly felt another wave of sensation through her body. This time, one that made her feel almost sick to the stomach. It was an inexplicable sensation, to be sure, forcing the femme fatale to double over and retch. In doing so, the dulled pain of her injuries cut through her like a hot knife through butter, the woman biting down upon her lip and hissing as she fought back the pain. Constantly pushing herself to her limits was going to either make her stronger, or end up killing her; and she hoped it was the former.

"Oi, you! Who are y- Oh, s***!" An unfamiliar voice catching her ears, chocolate hues were quickly cast towards the approaching figure. A tall and slender male clad in a black and maroon outfit, a glimmering silver badge upon his breast. As he drew in closer, he seemed to sheathe a short sword, but his fingers remained upon its hilt as his own eyes settled upon the gruesome scene. He looked to the bodies, and then to her, but Scarlette did not look back at him. She did not once meet his eye, but listened to his ramblings. It seemed he knew them - or at least of them - and quickly recognised two of the men. And yet, there was no sound of remorse in his voice. This captured her curiosity, eyes sliding across to look at him from the side. Without a sound, she took up her scythe in both hands and toed her way towards him, raising the blade and readying a swing.

He never saw it coming...


"Rebecca?" A piercing scream echoing through the streets and into her ears, Grimm-Rosa now found herself running at top speed in the direction from whence the squeal had emanated. The wind at her heel, the sinister siren's eyes were wide with fright and guilt. She kept telling herself over and over that she should have stayed with the violet-eyed siblings, but her overwhelming desire to punish the guilty had clouded her better judgment. And then there was that other soul that had crossed her path, his own spirit now drifting to the heavens, she believed. She was not sure. She wanted to be, but that scream had broken her concentration. Some small part of her wanted to turn back and make sure she had done the job correctly, but the reincarnation of her own sister was far more important to her. She had failed before, but doing so again was something she could not live with. Or die with.

Around another corner she rushed, the blood on her boots quite slick and nearly causing her to fall, but the weight of her weapon helped to balance her. Up ahead, she could see figures. Four of them in total. The familiar dark silhouette that was Pluto and the smaller figure that she knew was Rebecca. But the other two. Who were they? A woman armed with a sword, and a towering figure whose form glittered like polished silverware. A massive man clad in armour that coated his body from head to toe. He two was armed with a sword, albeit much larger, and currently had the young boy pinned beneath its weight.

They seem a lot stronger than the others... I may need some assistance... Making a surprisingly accurate (but easy) assessment of the two enemies that currently bore down upon her fellow 'guardian', Scarlette readied her sickle to make a cut. From beneath her sleeves trickled a glowing red essence, mist-like, which ran like water across her fingers and slithered up the snaith towards the blade. With a sharp swing across the earth, the luminous red blade cut into stone as if it were flesh, the powers of her Tane Tane no Mi burning the flesh of her own back as penance for calling upon this cursed ability of hers. Stopping out of sight of her opponents, the reaper called upon what strength she had to summon forth no more than three of her Homunculi; crimson energies pooled from the incision in the paving slabs and bubbled into the childish silhouettes as quickly as they could. Her own blood boiling from desperation, it was almost as if her bodily functions were having a direct effect upon the creatures themselves. They seemed to shiver readily as they awaited their first orders, which she quickly issued as she pointed towards the armoured entity.

"Grab!" Barking her order to them, in a matter of seconds, both herself and her little army were charging into the fray. Scythe ready to strike, she rushed towards the swordswoman, while her companions did the same towards the much more imposing entity. Any and all traces of reasoning in her mind had gone away, leaving behind a bestial ferocity which spurred her on like a wolf defending its pack...

SPOILER: Click to show

Sorry if this seems a little rushed, but there was a lot to fit into this. Anyway, you have my permission to have the following happen in your next post: (1) Scarlette will take a swing at Marianne, and (2) the Homunculi will jump onto Laurens and grab him. He can throw them off really easily, anyway. Just don't destroy them, please!

[BlacKitten]

Footsteps from behind, was it another enemy? If he so much as misaligns his skeletal structure, the massive force would cause him to collapse from above; there wasn’t time to pay attention towards his rear. Whoever it was, the figure slipped passed him from the side, and after making a daring peek with a shift of his pupils, he recognized her as the scythe-user. It would appear that Scarlette had finished dealing with the previous three pirates, and now the black-haired girl was charging towards the opposing black-haired girl. Scythe versus katana, a fight between females was anticipated. If there was one thing he might disapprove of was revealing her powers so early in the battle. If the past was any indication, summoning three homunculi should be taking its toll on the caster’s body, already placing her at a slight disadvantage at close quarters. This was because the three crimson figures went after the armored pirate instead of Marianne, jumping forth to cling onto the enemy by the legs.

Pluto angled his defense and slipped out to the side, breaking free from contact with the giant broadsword.

Mr. Laurens stood idly, gazing at the strange entities that were stuck onto him, “What… are these things?” They were neither humans no animals as far as he could tell; he couldn’t even begin to categorize their existence with something relatable. His eyes turned towards the boy ahead of him, casually walking forth as if the homunculi bared no mass at all.

What? He can still walk effortlessly? His eyes widened as his opponent approached him from the front with a sword swinging horizontally towards him. Nimbly, his feet slid forth as his body ducked under the swing, taking on a low and wide stance. Twisting his spine and waist, the boy implanted a weighted palm strike at solar plexus of his foe, “Pulse!”

A peculiar sensation penetrated right into the core of his armored body; his brain even registered pain and discomfort. “Eh?” Laurens took a half step back. Something was odd; it felt as if he took a direct hit without any armory at all.

No effect? Pulse is designed to bypass one’s defense. This pirate is really study even without his armor.

Swiftly, the youth pivoted on his leading foot, evading the overhead swing before delivering two consecutive palm strikes at the ribs then the spine.

“Your puny attacks won’t work on me,” the brute swung his sword back while turning around. The boy slid away, standing barely out of the sword’s reach. “Tch…,” the silver fighter glanced at his legs before reaching out with his free hand, grabbing one of the homunculi by the neck, and pulling it off by sheer force. “These pesky things are slowing me down,” he then hurled membrane of blood towards the boy.

“Wha?” A flying red object grazed him by the shoulder as he leaned to the side. The humanoid, wobbly, creature tumbled to the ground but still intact as a whole. One after another, the remaining two homunculi were thrown at him single handedly, and the boy responded by somersaulting out the way. His now faster opponent rushed at him, purely on the offensive, leaving full of openings without a true weakness. Swing after swing, he could only retreat back and stay out of the weapon’s range. The pirate captain disregarded all forms of defense, presumably because his metallic armor did all the defending. With this wild savage coming after him, being able to take attacks head on without a care, Pluto found himself struggling to retaliate.

“Is dodging all you can do?” Laurens taunted the boy as he held his sword overhead before swinging it straight down. Intercepting his timing, Pluto grabbed ahold of the pirate’s wrist while slipping his leg right between his opponent’s legs. Using his hip as a fulcrum and through simple leverage with his ascending leg, he took advantage of the swordsman’s downward force which aided him in hurling the entire metal body into the air over his head.

“!” Mr. Laurens momentarily found himself in midair with the world around him upside down before crashing into the cement on his back.

If striking techniques don’t work, there is always grappling and throwing techniques. You may have armor, but as long as you have joints and momentum for me to utilize, I can turn all that against you.

[Vio]

The clash of steel rang through the air as Scarlette Grimm-Rosa's scythe met the sword of Marianne, making clear the differences in power between the two women. Scarlette was, by a small margin, the stronger if one took into account only sheer force. But that was only because she bore not only the element of surprise, but also the weight and momentum of her own crazed motions and emotions. At this point in time, reasoning with the reaper was nigh impossible, her own vicious strikes driven by two distinctly different and yet startling similar fuels. Blood lust. And a desire to protect. Still, such power could not hope to overwhelm the dark-haired swordswoman, whose own physical skill and prowess seemed enough to put her on an equal footing with her unruly opponent.

With a rattle and a grunt of exertion, Mrs Marianne flung back the curved edge of the bloodied sickle, sending Scarlette stumbling a few steps backwards. The scythe was a powerful tool, but the sword was swift and elegant where the farming tool could not hope to be. Not that Scarlette actually cared about such a fact; reddened eyes focused entirely on the similarly coloured gaze of a fearsome foe, the air itself seemed to crackle with anticipation at what was about to unfold. And it was about to do so without hesitation, if it were not for the strangely sickening feeling that manifested within the pit of the grim girl's stomach. This was a familiar feeling, as if something were pulling at her insides and telling her not to go on.

Too far? Turning sharply, not caring for the fact she was turning her back to her foe, Miss Grimm-Rosa looked back towards her little soldiers to check upon their status. Not that she really needed to. They were a part of her, her body feeling pain and discomfort whenever something went awry for them, but that did not stem the flow of cautious curiosity. Of her three Homunculi, not a one remained upon the silvery figure that loomed over Pluto. Actually, it was not looming over him at all, but being thrown overhead. Chocolate hues widened in surprise as what looked like little more than a young man in his teens managed to flip the armoured entity with ease and send it crashing into the paved street. The clatter of metal upon stone was immense.

That strength... I can see why he- Thoughts were interrupted by the jarring sensation of a boot crashing into her side, sending the scythe-wielder tumbling back a few steps further in the direction of her conjured creatures. Unintentionally, her adversary had helped to 'heal' the wound that lay between the Homunculi and herself. The closer they were to one another, the easier it was for her to avoid their unwanted destruction. Too far away and they would burst, that sickly feeling an indicator of just how close to crossing that border they had come. Steadying herself and daring not to take aim, Scarlette made a wild swing, the steely fang arcing about her and striking nothing but air.

"You're just as foolish as he is," commented Marianne, her voice embodying the callousness of her persona. She cared not for the lives of those she brought down with that blade of hers, and knowing that made Scarlette's blood boil even more intensely. With a hiss she took yet another swing. And another. And yet another. Each slow and predictable, her female foe had to do little but step back to evade the graceless and innaccurate blows, maintaining the gap between the girls despite the best efforts of the seething siren to close it. In one last attempt, the pallid woman lunged forth from her strained leg and swung, this time forcing the two blades into meeting with a screech. Steel ground against steel with a shrillness that sent shivers down the spines of both women, a few stray flecks of dull red being cast free from the air about which the weapons clashed.

"So tell us. I understand why he is hindered, but what of you? Who the hell are you?" Glaring with piercing eyes, almost as if she were trying to penetrate deep into her stranger opposition's soul, the wanted woman posed a simple question that it seemed she would otherwise not care for. Something had piqued her curiosity, but the frenzied female was not concerned with such things. Instead, she pushed herself on and on, managing to twirl her sickle in a complete circle before throwing out yet another attack to add to her near-relentless assault.

"My name..." Miss Grimm-Rosa gasped as her first swing skimmed past her target, sending herself into yet another whirl, "is Scarlette!"

A wild flick of her weapon was predicted just as easily as each one before it, Marianne raising her blade to bat the sickle away from her and matching the motions by pivoting upon her heel. A silvery crescent slash was unleashed, the target lucky to avoid anything more than a cut of moderate depth across her chest, the tip of the sword nicking her cheek to add to the scratch already present upon it. A single hand quickly leaving the snaith and heading towards her breast, the livid lady felt the wet warmth of her own blood trickling steady from the opening that had been left behind. But her hand did not stay there for long, instead shifting back to grip the scythe as she launched yet another desperate swing. The fresh wound hurt as much as her leg, but it was not enough to put an end to her furious assault. Much to Marianne's surprise.

"And I," she continued as the scythe locked yet again with the sword, her strike this time causing her opponent's body to buckle somewhat as she channeled renewed vigour. Her black lips curled into a smile. "Hiirororo~ I'm going to make you pay~! Now, grab!"

"What?" Maintaining the force of her attack, the merciless maiden pressured her partner in this deathly dance further, giving as much time as was possibly to the three little soldiers that sat idly in the sidelines. From the shadows they waddled, as quickly as their gelatinous legs would allow them, and jumped upon the legs of the longer-haired lass. Carmine creations clutched to buckling legs as the psychotic slayer finally let up on her assault, drawing back her weapon and pivoting about on the spot, ready for yet another swing. This time, her attack was aimed towards the chest of her prey, the devilish damsel more than happy to try and replicate her own injuries. Indeed, the two barbarous women were already quite alike in terms of hair and eye colour, so why not add to the matching features?

SPOILER: Click to show

Getting this fight on a roll!

Marianne (ff5c00)

[BlacKitten]

Huh… That’s odd. Why am I lying on the ground? What just happened? My strength vanished when that boy grabbed me and somehow unbalanced me. Was it a fluke? The silver swordsman leaned himself up before standing back onto his feet that were firmly planted in place. His gleaming yellow eyes met towards the eyes of violet. This child remained standing there at a safe distance from him, choosing to neither run away nor engage head on in a bloody duel. Even adults would have trembled in fear and scamper like a frightened rabbit, but this mildly armored teenage boy had an unreadable expression.

“Heh… this is getting interesting,” the pirate captain remarked, “I’ve never been thrown like that before. It seems I can’t fight you the same casual way as before.” There was a short pause after that as the armored man let in a deep sigh to strength his focus. Against an opponent who can evade in such a way, it was time to get serious if he were to kill the boy quickly. Gripping the broad sword with both hands, he sprinted forth, wielding his weapon below his waist at the side.

Pluto raised his arms on guard, preparing for the worst, but for once, he had no clue what his next move should be. His opponent was charging at him at a much faster speed than before, showing no movements that would allow for anticipation of the next attack. Normally, when one throws a punch, the said fighter would pull back his hand and arm to charge up before unleashing the blow. When a swordsman holds the sword over his head, one can anticipate a downward swing. But, Mr. Laurens held his blade idly by, hiding his next move until the very last moment. The black-cladded martial artist, who depended on such tiny hints, could no longer predict the next assault, especially with the man’s face covered by that helmet which masked even the intentions of his face.

No matter what sort of attack it might be, its length of reach was known, and thus, staying just outside of his boundary would keep him safe. Like before, the child leapt back, but in that split second, his opponent kept his speed a notch faster in that final propelling thrust of the foot. The boy's head cowered behind his forearms that took the blow from the side, and while he may have blocked it, his feet were no longer touching the earth. The momentum of the swing hurled him away before his back slammed into the brick wall of a building which halted him in an abrupt stop. It felt as if his entire body vibrated right down the marrows of his bones from that impact. This overwhelming strength… was nostalgic.

After a couple of breaths while leaning against the wall for support, his let his own weight collapse towards the ground before somersaulting to the side from the blade crashing down from above. The pirate had no intention of letting him rest. Clambering forth, Pluto grabbed a katana that was lying on the ground from the incident of Marianne knocking it out of his hand. Raising himself back up, his borrowed weapon clashed against the larger sword. His left hand slid across the spine of the blade, pressing it with the back of his wrist to support the heaviness flowing against him.

His teeth grinded as the opposing force was pushing him back little by little. Breaking free of contact, the novice of a swordsman turned his back away and scrammed.

Enough of this! I’m out of here! Rebecca should have had enough time to reach a safer spot. I just need to find her and get as far away from these pirates.

Footsteps closed in from behind immediately, too close! He turned around with a shocked expression. Raising his weapon to defend, he felt the collision of the opposing weapon sending a wave of vibration that made even his internal organs suffer from discomfort.

“Is that all you got?” said the captain with a disappointed tone. As if to show the difference in their strength, he started to charge forth. Despite his firm stance, Pluto’s boots were slid back across the ground as friction was defeated by the brute force pushing him.

Sliding several meters back, the only reason they stopped was because of the wall pressing against the martial artist’s back. Trapped between the pressing broad sword and a solid wall, Pluto found himself cornered. His own arms blinded the sight from below when a kick stomped him into the abdomen, and because he was pinned, nothing cushioned the brutal attack besides his protective vest that did little to aid him.

He coughed, feeling the air bursting out of his mouth as his lungs deflated, “Ugh!” The pressure against him was finally relieved and his body fell towards the ground almost immediately. Kneeling, the boy panted for air, wanting to rest, but he wasn’t so naïve as to give himself the time to take a break. Against his own will, his feet carried him away, slipping to the side and dashing down the street, crossing an intersection.

Mr. Laurens watched sadistically, enjoying the thrill of tormenting his foe, “Running away again? You just don’t get it. None of my prey has ever escaped alive. Your death is inevitable!” He raised his sword over his head despite the large gap that increased gradually as the boy continued to run. As the blade sliced through air at monstrous speed and power, a crescent-shaped projectile of condensed air shot out.

The sudden whistle of the wind had Pluto look back only to glare in horror at the sight of an air slash. Pivoting around, he raised his sword in the desperate attempt to defend against it, but as the long-ranged attack crashed into him, his body immediately flung back a great distance before crashing right through a glass frame that was designed to showcase its items from a clothing store.

Lying flat on his back inside the store, the child remained motionless. The pause of silence was interrupted by broken piece of steel that clattered onto the ground as the weapon in his hand was broken in two.

Shrieks and screams were heard; people inside, who were hiding from the massacre, watched in terror when a human body crashed inside.

[Vio]

The silver fang arced through the air once more, constantly replicating the barrage of attacks that Scarlette Grimm-Rosa had so far done her absolute best to maintain. Despite her injuries, she could not care less about the pain if she tried, though that did not stop her muscles from tensing when her wounds were strained through her own actions. There was no denying the pain she was in, but deep inside she knew it would only serve to make her stronger. For now, she would have to settle with ignoring it as best she could while this brawl dragged on. With Pluto preoccupied with the armoured entity and Rebecca nowhere to be seen, fortunately enough, there was nothing stopping her from pushing herself to her absolute limits in an attempt to defeat this devilish foe.

"Why won't you just accept your fate?" asked the grim girl as her sickle was once more parried by Marianne's blade, the steel of both weapons loosing yet more screams of determination as they fought to overwhelm one another. This time, however, it was the scythe that held the obvious advantage. Through all the twirling, its wielder had been gathering up momentum, each consecutive strike that missed only serving to enhance the power of the one after should it land. And now it was the swordswoman who was suffering for all her evasiveness, further unbalanced by the clutches of the three Homunculi at her feet as tiny hands stuck to her thighs. Now, despite their size being no greater than that of young children, it was apparent that their weight was substantially greater. Where Laurens had flung them off with ease, his callous comrade was not so capable, the liquid bodies rooting her to the spot and forcing her to defend rather than dodge.

"My fate? Who are you to decide it? I'm a Dieu-le-Veut! I am the one deciding your fate!" A sudden burst of power sent Scarlette's weapon back, her opponent's cold rage empowering her to greater extents despite the constant clinging of the carmine creations at her calves. Back the reaper was forced, treading precariously upon her injured leg to send her stumbling further than she would have liked, her own reach now not enough to even nick the girl she fought against. And as if that was not enough, still empowered by the furious outburst, the red-eyed woman demonstrated enough force to kick out and wrench herself free of the sticky grip. Back she tumbled, sending herself into a series of flips that displayed her strength and agility to all those willing to watch, placing a surprisingly large gap between the two girls as she stared at each other across the paved ground.

"It's a shame, really," Mrs Marianne called, "Scarlette. You could have made a good Dieu-le-Veut." At those words, an uneasy silence settled between them, the only noises being the sounds of conflict that raged between the violet-eyed boy and his gargantuan enemy. The deathly quiet was broken when she spoke again. "I'm sure Laurens will agree when he sees your nature. You're so intent on killing me, aren't you? But you're no Marine. You're far too wild and free to be one of those weaklings. Are you a bounty hunter? The price on my head, and on my Captain's head, is that what you're after? Killing for money? Because if that's the case, then you and I are even more alike." Her little speech ending, the cold and near emotionless expression that the pirate seemed to possess was suddenly replaced by a vicious scowl, her body matching that as she readied her sword. By her side she held it, her stance like that of somebody about to begin a race.

"I don't kill for reward!" Hissed the vicious vixen, gritting her teeth as her wounds took their chance and rebelled against her resilience. She very nearly doubled over from the pain, feeling the steady waves of weakness rolling over her as her chest oozed with crimson. "I don't kill for the fun of it!" she barked out, righting herself and stepping in front of her idle 'children' that stared at her with emotionless eyes. "I'm not like you... The reason I kill... Is because everyone needs... To be liberated from this God-forsaken world!" Her voice echoed about the street, both preceded and succeeded by the silent screams of the lost.

Marianne closed her eyes, her face turning down to her feet. And then she bolted forwards.

"Sparrowhawk!" Chocolate hues widened to black for a moment as the seething slayer took in what she was seeing. Marianne had suddenly turned up the heat by quite some margin, first through a display of strength. Then agility. Now speed. So fast she was that Scarlette had barely any time to react, dragging the snaith of her weapon before her in a desperate attempt to avoid what was most definitely intended to be a finishing blow. Near enough as fast as a bird in flight, the aggressive adversary had darted across the two dozen yards distance within a matter of a second or two, her blade striking the flank of the sickle with such force that it threatened to slice clean through the reinforced shaft. It failed to do so, but the vicious strike had worked itself nearly half way through the wood with ease. Had that attack landed, especially where it was aimed at, there was an awfully high chance of the wicked woman's body being cut clean in two. But that was not the half of it.

Wha- What? Caught completely by surprise by the sudden shooting pain that ran through every fibre of her being, the dark-haired damsel let out a shrill hiss of agony as the world decided it was time to let her catch up. So entranced by the attack itself, the demon from Jigokuchi had failed to notice that the blow she had managed to defend against had done far more than had initially met the eye. Not only had it been as swift as its namesake, but it had actually pushed her back a good two or three yards without her realising. In fact, it was only because of her Homunculi that she even cottoned on to what had just transpired, the tree of them now behind Marianne instead of herself and noticeable red streaks across the pavement where her bloodied boots had dragged. Her leg throbbed, her chest burned, her cheek stung. But on top of this all-she-could-eat buffet of pain was yet another sensation. Her Homunculi had been cut as well. The world seemed to slow down as the scarlet silhouettes deflated like balloons, spilling dark jets of red out around them as they met their untimely ends.

"You're weak, Scarlette," whispered Marianne in her ear. "So give it up. Devil Fruit or no, you're no match for me. But, if you want to die so badly, I can grant you that wish..."

SPOILER: Click to show

Phew! Sorry it took so looooong~

[BlacKitten]

A wave of whispers and mumbles questioned and pondered if the boy, who crashed through the glass frame, was still alive. Footsteps of a heavier entity had silenced them; all of them gaping at the sight of the notorious pirate captain who stepped through the newly created opening.

A subtle groan slipped out of him as Pluto crawled back up into a disoriented stand. It surprised him to still be conscious after all that; a regular human shouldn’t be able to get back up. Realistically, he was beaten up far worse than this during his training where most of his commonly used joints were dislocated with decorative bruises covering his body caused by punches and weapons. Even now, there was resentment within him after experiencing that hell. How pathetic. After going through all that, he still couldn’t even handle a pirate as of now. Three weeks were probably just not enough. But, his funny-looking mentor’s last piece of advice was to obtain more experience.

Still, Lauren’s brute strength was on par with the Berserker; that alone was already impressive. With that broad sword to extend the range of that monstrous power, it only made the pirate captain that much of a menace. To have that full-body armor and the stamina to nullify the burden of its weight, how was he supposed to inflict any sort of damage with nothing but skills in martial arts? Let’s face it: the swordsman was superior in strength, endurance, stamina, and fighting spirit.

I don’t feel like myself anymore. Why am I blundering so much? This isn’t me. I’m not like this. I had put up a much better fight than this in the past.

His little skirmish with Scarlette this morning had a similar sensation. Fear and constant hesitation had limited each and every movement he made. Unable to ascend beyond this threshold of trepidation, he realized that the only thing making him weak was his own mentality.

“I thank you for the wake-up call, Mr. Laurens,” Pluto glared intensely at the armored foe, “Now then… hurry up and make your next move.”

The armored man sensed the sudden change in the youth, “Did you hit your head or something? I completely overwhelmed you a while ago, so what’s up with those eyes? Those are the eyes of someone who thinks he can win.” If the lesson hasn’t been learned yet, he shall continue to prove his point of the sheer gap between their powers. This little runt was out of his league. The series of onslaught continued as he forced the teenage brat to retreat back outside. Much to his annoyance, his barrage of slashes and advances was still responded with swift movement of escape. That was all this boy knew how to do; it seemed.

Just when the blade was about to slice the kid in two, the boy vanished out of sight. Dumbfounded, the captain paused, frozen stiff as if waiting for his prey to pop back into existence. From behind, a bat stealthily flew off to a safe distance before morphing back into human form; this evasion tactic was used similar against Scarlette.

A weapon that hadn’t been introduced yet, Pluto activated the little gadget in his left metallic forearm protector that fanned outwards, tugging on four elastic strands. It was a wrist-mounted crossbow. From the large rectangular pocket on his quadriceps, a bolt was pulled out. Despite its appearance, this little arrow was not the same kind that was thrown at the homunculus this morning. Sliding it into the slot until a click was heard; he pointed and aimed at the pirate in the distance, “Over here!”

Jerking around in surprise, Laurens spotted his opponent far out in the distance from behind. How did he manage to get so far away? And that weapon of his, does he seriously think an arrow will penetrate my armor? How desperate. He knows that he can’t harm me with his fists and is now relying on this.

Facing the boy completely, he strode nonchalantly as if daring to be shot at. Immune to things such as arrows, what confronted him was just an empty threat. The trigger was then pulled, and the projectile bolted through the air straight at him, but then suddenly, the arrow exploded upon impact.

A loud boom echoed throughout the neighboring parts of the city. Shrapnel blitzed outwards with no one around to be victimized by them, and the pirate captain lied on his back, several meters away from the explosion that knocked him away.

After the smoke subsided and the view was clear, Laurens leaned forth to stand, completely caught by surprise for the boy to have such a trick up his sleeve. “Not bad, that actually hurts,” he said with rising anger in his tone.

From afar, Pluto focused on the mark that he made into the opponent’s armor, slightly beneath the center of the chest. It tiny dent was made with the colors scorched in black by the burning temperatures. “I never expected that to take you out anyways,” he said calmly. This was the first time he used such an arrow that he devised, so he knew that an explosion at that size would not be enough to take down this adversary.

[Vio]

Still shocked by the sudden display of speed and strength that her opponent had unleashed, and stunned by the searing pain that coursed through her veins like venom, Scarlette Grimm-Rosa was provided with no chance to react to what would follow. With a swift sweep of her leg, Marianne knocked the woman's own legs out from under her, sending the siren to the ground and landing on her back with a thud. Already having wrenched free her blade from the snaith, it was the barbarous pirate who now loomed over her like the shadow of death, red eyes glimmering in the distant light of frenzied flame as the sword's bloodied tip hung readily over her heart. But the act that Marianne tried to follow with was cut rather short by a thunderous rumble. The sound of an explosion not too far from where the devilish damsels currently clashed drew those red eyes away for just long enough to give the would be victim an opening.

"I won't die yet!" With a frenzied yell, the dark-haired dame rolled herself across the cold ground, bringing her scythe about as she did so and taking a swing at her adversary's ankles. Sure enough, the weapon connected, the back of the metal head slamming into Mrs Marianne's legs and sending her tumbling to the ground as Scarlette dragged herself up. But even caught off guard, the former was the faster - unimpeded by injuries and startlingly more experienced. Without even hitting the floor, the swordswoman was able to begin to steady herself, rolling her off hand to the floor in an attempt to start a short roll. No sooner had she achieved this than the crazed killer had launched yet another attack, bringing the steely fang overhead and sending it to the ground where her prey's neck would have been. With a rattle of retaliation, the scythe bounced a little before coming to rest, tip touching paving slabs while the shaft's opposing end was clutched tightly in sore hands.

"Persistent, aren't you," grumbled the longer-haired lady, now on her feet and holding her blade beside her, standing no more than six metres away. It was clear by the tone of her voice that she was becoming frustrated by this battle, likely not expecting someone as tenacious as the woman who stood against her. But it was strange that these two girls were very much thinking the same thing. Indeed, both wished the other would just die, though for entirely different reasons. Marianne just wanted her foe out of her hair for good, while Miss Grimm-Rosa was more concerned with her foe's liberation. After all, she had done nothing worthy of punishment, bound only by the physical realm in which she was imprisoned. Another poor soul that needed to be set free.

She sliced through three with that attack, the vengeful vixen reminded herself, and I'm already close to my limit. But I know I can go beyond that limit now, even if only be a small number. My leg, my chest, my cheek, my insides... They all hurt, but... I can still fight. Besides, her thoughts continued, I still have another trick up my sleeve...

Chocolate hues glaring at her opponent, it was Scarlette herself who made the first move this time, a red essence trickling down her arms and creeping across the snaith of her weapon. Down the shaft it slithered, condensing around the head until the steel was illuminated by a pulsing redness, signalling her intent. Into the stonework the blade sank, forgetting the fact that just seconds ago it had bounced off it, and is it did so she pulled it through. Once more, her skin burned hot as the power left its mark - this time branding her left shoulder with the scar - upon the ground. A dark rift from which crimson started to to seep and bubble.

"I can't summon any more after this... Porte Rouge. Renaissance... Quatre." Out of the dark rift bubbled scarlet energy, pooling and climbing over itself as four new Homunculi began to take form. But as they did so, another sensation soon overwhelmed the summoner's body. This was the last of her strength, it seemed, as she pushed herself beyond previous limitations. The Tane Tane no Mi was one of the most self-sacrificial of Devil Fruits, taking a massive toll upon the user's body as penance for daring such grotesque and horrific acts, and now it was so that its current user would feel that. Normally, she capped herself at four Homunculi, that alone weakening her substantially. But now she had gone beyond that, having summoned seven within recent times without chance for rest. That was her true limit, and her entire form felt like lead for reaching it. Her whole physique was now shivering uncontrollably, as if she had been flung into a blizzard without warning. Her heart pounded in her chest, pumping every remaining drop of blood it could. On the outside, her flesh had gone from pallid to absolutely white, the colour completely drained.

"Giving away your weakness to your opponent isn't very clever, you know. Besides, I already know I can destroy those things easily enough," Marianne called as she raised her blade and readied for another attack, stepping forwards with the speed and grace that the ability user could not even hope to match right now. Indeed, the world swam in front of her as she strained to keep going, hauling her weapon up and over her head. As she did so, the world tilted as if she were about to fall, but somehow she maintained her footing. Barely. "And what do you hope to achieve by holding your only real defence over your head like that? You may have eaten a Devil Fruit, but I'm still much stronger than you can ever hope to be!"

"T-T-Tourbillon Tranch-chant," Scarlette stammered, steadily beginning to twirl her weapon about. But as she did so, she once more called upon her abilities. Crimson crept up towards the sky from her sleeves, captured by the increasingly rapid rotations of the farming tool as she spun it around and around. Through all the pain and the ill feelings that plagued her body, she stood tall, intent on succeeding in her goal. More so now than even before, she had a reason to fight on.

"Another pathetic excuse for an attack? Oh, please," hissed Mrs Dieu-le-Veut as she braced herself for a familiar strike, "I've had enough of this! I'll end you here and now!"

"P-Porte Rou-Rouge..."

"Sparrowhawk!"

"...DU CIEL!"

[BlacKitten]

A clash between a broadsword and his forearm protectors had them both pushing against each other, but the difference in power was clear. Through sheer brute strength, Laruens swung his sword horizontally, carrying the weight of the boy with it, hurling the body to crash into a wall with its outermost layer of bricks crumbling, leaving an oddly-shaped crater behind. Pluto collapsed onto the cemented street, engulfed by a puff of dust.

While this kid was tougher than the average fighter, the result remained the same. Mr. Laurens looked away, scrapping the tip of his sword across the street as he walked off. What a letdown. Just when he thought someone was strong enough to challenge him as an equal, it turned out that he got his hopes up, “Is that it? What a shame. I was just getting warmed up.” Perhaps Marianne’s opponent could provide some entertainment, but there was no way that his first mate would lose anyways.

“It better be,” a silhouette stood within the cloud of dust, “because if that’s all you got, I’ll be disappointed.” Suddenly, black wings fanned outwards, blowing the fog of rubbles away, revealing a hidden form.

Stupefied, Laurens turned back only to gaze towards an unrecognizable figure. A humanoid figure with a pair of black leathery wings extruded from his back stood before him. The creature had triangular, cup-shaped ears along with black claws on hands and feet. If this was the same boy as before, his opponent appeared almost lither as well. What? Is that the same one as the kid from before? What is he? Wings?

With a flap of his wings, Pluto propelled himself forward, and with astounding acceleration, he closed the distance between them in a blink of an eye. His feet gently landed as he had hovered across the distance from only inches above the ground. Pressing his unbent fingers together side by side and putting tension in his hand, the devil fruit user thrust forth his arm as if it were a spear, “Sting!” While concealing an arrow beneath his palm, held firmly by his thumb, the concentrated claws pierced through the armory in a flash.

So fast! A jolt of pain had the swordsman frozen stiff; eyes widened in disbelief. Laurens glared incredulously at the sight of a black hand inside his own flesh, fingers deep within, located right below the center of his chest. Impossible! He broke through my armor. But how?

With a leap backwards, the shadowy figure kept a safe distance after pulling out his blood-stained hand, “I wasn’t able to hit any vital organ. Naturally, you won’t be taken out from just that.”

“You…,” the pirate captain growled, “a devil fruit user? You pierced through metal with just your claws?”

“You didn’t notice?” the demonic figure spoke with the same tone as before, “A certain spot on your armor was damaged by the explosive arrow. A strong piercing attack was enough to break through at that particular point. Of course, I had to strike at that spot when you had your guard down. Otherwise, you would have figured out my plan of aiming towards that one weak spot.”

A small trail of blood oozed down the surface of his armor; the pain was nothing he couldn’t tolerate. In fact, he barely even felt it. From now on, guarding his wound was essential to prevent any further damage. “He-he-he...,” a small chuckle sounded out, “all that effort for a single wound. Unless you have other tricks up your sleeve, you’re still far from defeating me.”

“Save your words until you’ve actually fought me in this form,” Pluto propelled himself forward once more, this time gliding across the air, keeping low towards the ground.

“Ha! I’ll chop off one of your wings then,” Laurens raised his sword over his head, having a clear view of his opponent’s traceable speed. As he swung down his weapon, his opponent vanished.

Stalk! By propelling his wings at a high speed, Pluto can dash at incredible speed, but he wasn’t limited to just a linear blitz. Through the asymmetrical positioning of his wings, he can spiral around his opponent just like a poorly-folded paper airplane. The rotational momentum of his spin flowed right into his next movement. While aloft, the zoan-user swung a kick from the side.

Before the pirate captain can retaliate to his opponent flashing behind him, a sudden blow hurled him off his feet as he crashed immediately into a brick wall, leaving a crater as a mark. Needing very little time to recover, Laurens pressed the tip of his blade against the earth before pushing himself up. How can someone as skinny as him generate this much power? This just isn’t right.

“A zoan-classed devil fruit enhances several physical attributes, including the basic senses. I’m no longer the same opponent that you fought a while ago,” Pluto explained lucidly.

[Vio]

Once more, Marianne rushed forward with blinding speed and agility, the perfect compliment to Laurens' incredible power and defence. Once more, Scarlette Grimm-Rosa swung wildly with her scythe. But what followed these actions was not the sound of weapons clashing, nor of blades slicing through flesh and spattering blood. What followed was unnerving silence, broken only by the uncertain backdrop of noise - roaring flames, crumbling buildings, panicked screams - which seemed unwilling to close the distance. The Dieu-le-Veut pirate, in all her glory, had come to a halt. More than that, she had been forced to abandon her attack and now stood even further away than before, a hand placed over her chest and clutching at a deep, dark wound. The expression on her face told of sudden shock, like any individual taking such a critical blow. A cut as deep as that was certainly painful to look at, but as the pirate ran her hand back and forth along its length, she realised something.

"You cut me with that flying slash... But, then you didn't... Explain!" Shock fading into searing hatred as red eyes glared through the dull light, the figure that stood opposite the woman was barely even able to hear those words. The reaper woman's whole body was fighting against her, to the point where even her fingers and toes were beginning to deny her the power to feel them, shivering intensely as cold pierced deeper and deeper. Her eyes, a dull and almost lifeless brown, were wide. And yet she saw little, the world before them now little more than a gloomy fog that swirled around her head like a swarm of bees. She knew she needed to stop, this exertion could very well kill her before Marianne had the chance to, but that nonsensical call of duty kept her standing. Only just, but it did. It was at the point where the pain from her wounds - the newly forged scar upon her right forearm included - was dull and distant. Pain was the least of her body's worries. Her body could ignore the pain, but it could not ignore the loss of energy.

"Explain!!" The shout echoed through her skull, reaching deep inside and pulling the semi-conscious Scarlette back into reality, not failing to make her feel horrifically nauseous as it did so. Slamming the head of her sickle upon the stone, she used it to prop herself up, knees and elbows like jelly. It took a lot of effort, but she finally managed to clear her vision and meet the eyes of her adversary. She managed a weak smile. "What the f*** are you smiling for!?"

"Because... I... I've won this fight," mumbled the maiden, her stammer having faded as her body no longer seemed to have the energy to tremble. Taking one hand from the snaith, she feebly raised her arm and pointed towards the wound upon her own chest, steadily tracing it with her finger. At the same time, she watched as her foe did the same, the two tears mirroring one another. Marianne swore under her breath, most definitely confused by the power of this Devil Fruit user that she was up against. "My power," Scarlette continued, "makes me an Offspring woman... It's funny... I... I've only just realised it myself, yet I've known this power for... For so long...

"I can cut through... Anything, almost... As long as it's not flesh or bone." Now this was something she was not sure of doing. Never before had Miss Grimm-Rosa explained what she knew of her power and, as she had said, it was only now that she was really beginning to grasp the concept of her powers. It seemed as if Marianne did not like that fact, but she kept her mouth shut. She was shaking with anger, or maybe fear. It was hard to tell. Confusion was ripe in her mind. How had she been cut without actually being cut? That was the strange power of the Tane Tane no Mi. "I cut through your shirt... And into my own body!"

"What the-"

"From my blood I make... them," moving her hand from her chest, the weakened warrior gestured towards the four idle entities that stood not too far from her. "So it's only natural... If they can... Use my veins and arteries to move... From cut, to cut! Ruelle Rouge!" Calling out her last ditch attempt at putting an end to this brawl, Scarlette laughed a silent laugh as she slumped to her knees. From her side, the carmine quartet waddled hastily towards the wound from whence they had come, swarming about the dark rift. But this time, they did not melt and return to her body as others had once done. This time, one at a time plunged its hands into the darkness, stretching open the rift and cramming themselves inside. Wracked with fresh agony, Scarlette clutched her shoulder as the scar burned hot. From it, a dim red luminescence ran through her body, bruising the skin in its wake as it rushed through her and towards the brand upon her forearm. Then another. And another. And another.

"W-Wait! No! Stop!" Mrs Marianne called out in desperation, dropping her blade as she reached out with an empty hand, pressing the other against the rift across her shirt. But it was too late. In a matter of seconds, a gelatinous red arm emerged from the crimson opening, tiny fingers wrapping themselves about the swordswoman's wrist as it tried to pull itself free. It took a few additional seconds, but finally the entity emerged wholly, at which point Scarlette uttered one final order.

"Strangle!" The pirate panicked, stumbling backwards as the first of the Homunculi clambered over her like an infant and wrapped its arm around her neck. Then the next one emerged and tried to do the same, though instead it grabbed her upper arm as its legs slipped free, pushed out by the third bloody being as it tried to replicate what the one before it had done. It could not manage to take a hold, falling free and onto the floor where it instead grabbed a leg. The fourth and final one slipped free, bundling itself about the target's free forearm and weighing it down. Marianne was on the ground, barely capable of moving as the first freakish being held tight about her neck. Certainly, there was no way such a weak-bodied entity could hope to achieve actual strangulation, but it was being rather effective anyway. For all her speed and agility, the dark-haired pirate did not have the strength to throw them off.

"Hiirorororo..." Hauling herself up from the ground with a slow and breathless giggle, Scarlette dragged her scythe along behind her as she stumbled along. Still the world span about her, non-existent gales pushing her body around like a leaf as she approached the barely mobile body of her most recent victim. Everything seemed to be crawling away from her. Or, more precisely, it seemed as if she were being sucked down a drain, away from everything. Still, that did not deter her as she came to a halt before Marianne. Chocolate hues full of sleepy intent met bright red eyes wide with fear. The grim girl giggled again, smiling softly down at the opponent who had very nearly killed her. "Don't worry... There's nothing to be afraid of... Don't fear the reaper!"

SPOILER: Click to show

Well, this is the end for Marianne!

[BlacKitten]

Lauren’s breathing grew heavier than before; this fight had been dragged out longer than he anticipated. His winged adversary had demonstrated speed that far surpassed even his first mate. This was tremendously tedious. It felt like all of his attacks were in slow motion under this boy’s eyes.

Charging in a linear fashion, the pirate captain maintained his sword in a defensive position, masking his intent of the next consecutive move that shall depend on how his opponent will respond. Those piercing violet eyes glared coldly while Pluto backed off, cornering himself against a building from behind. The pirate captain thrust forth his broadsword with a torque on the handle. The blade pierced through the stone wall right after the zoan-user had leapt up, landing softly on the flat-side of the blade on both feet, and standing on top of the newly given platform with impeccable balance.

Growling in rage, Laurens swung his blade across, cutting through and out of the solid wall. The black-cladded figure splayed out his wings and ascended into the air when his foothold was shaken. Swinging his weapon towards the sky, the pirate captain unleashed a ferocious blade of air, unaffected by the fact that his target was aloft. If this distance between them was meant to stay out of range, then this boy was dead wrong.

Curling up his fingers, Pluto swiped his hand across, unleashing five thin air slashes projecting downwards, “Claw!” The mid-range attack from both sides collided and dispersed into a forceful gust of wind that expanded outwards.

With his bare hand? The swordsman grinded his teeth; he never encountered such a similar technique done without a weapon.

The two of them collided head on in the barren streets, trading blows, blocking, and counterattacking. After being exposed the same movements over and over again, Pluto had practically adapted to his opponent’s rhythm. Swings from the eight cardinal directions and a thrust from the center, those were the only angles that the broadsword granted the pirate. When the blade was swung in one manner, through crosses of elimination, the next attack became predictable as there were only so few options left.

“Damn you…,” he panted before scowling at his distant foe, “how long do you plan on running away?”

“Mr. Laurens, your head is worth 35,000,000 beri, correct? Looks like I’m going to be rich,” Pluto amused himself with such a statement, no longer deeming the armored man as a threat.

“Idiot, why are you… talking like you’ve already won?” his words began to reveal signs of fatigue. Despite all the fighting and chasing, his body felt eerily cold.

“The only idiot here is you,” the zoan-user descended like a feather before feeling the ground beneath his feet, “By focusing all of your attention at me, you’ve neglected your surroundings.”

“What?” Laruen’s eyes widened as he gawked beneath his feet. Starting from his wound, a stream of blood was leaking out of the armor, dripping onto the paved earth, “What’s with… all this blood?” Jerking his head back, he glanced at the subtle drips of blood across the streets. It was like a trail of blood.

“As you said before, with all my effort, only one wound was inflicted onto you. I knew this very well, so I made sure that one wound was enough,” a hint of smugness grew on his face.

“I… shouldn’t be bleeding this much. What did you do?” This didn’t make any sense. He had wounds and scars in the past, so from experience, his bleeding was abnormal.

“I hid an arrow in my hand when I pierced you with my claws. A special dose of Draculin was injected into your body. All I had to do is have you attack me to speed up your bleeding,” Pluto revealed the cause.

The pirate squinted beneath his helmet as his heart sank, “Draculin? Is that some kind of poison?”

The devil fruit user shook his head before gesturing towards his mouth, “It’s a substance within my saliva right now. It contains anticoagulants which completely stops your blood from clogging up. In other words, you’ll bleed yourself to death because nothing is stopping that blood from spilling out. But that’s not all. Draculin contains numbing agents as well. Because of that, you feel no pain, so you underestimated the severity of your wound.”

“Bastard!” Laruen’s tone grew more annoyed for each second that his opponent remained breathing. “This ain’t enough. As long as I can still fight, some petty blood loss means nothing.”

Digging the claws of his feet into the ground to anchor his weight, Pluto extended out his wings entirely, “I’m not finished with you either.” His leathery appendages pulled back before springing forth at blinding speed. A sudden burst of air launched forth by the single flap of his wings as a wall of condensed air blasted towards the target. Pounce!

Upon impact, Laruen was hurled back by the large blunt force tackling against him, and even Pluto was dragged a few meters backwards by the recoil.