First Impressions [Senshi/Puck]

[Puck]

It was the low throb of pain that woke her up.

Sad to say it wasn’t something new to the dark skinned woman, her bleary yellow eyes cracking open as her gaze fell upon an unfamiliar ceiling. Also not unusual, as her traveling habits kept her mobile, but even so Puck couldn’t help but feel a light twinge of homesickness. The marine base in Viktas was more or less average compared to some of the more colossal marine bases but it was home to her and waking up to that bland metal ceiling (or floor, whatever) was oddly comforting. But now the color was a light blue that lent a cheery air to her surroundings, which looked a bit more upscale than nay inn she was used to staying at.

“Wha’zzat?” Puck muttered, sitting up as she lightly rubbed her temples. “Ah…hm.”

Okay, so the memories of last night were filtering, as they often did after a night of heavy drinking. With a slight turn of her head Puck laid her yellow orbs upon the sleeping beauty next to her. A noble of some kind, Puck recalled hazily, though squinted eyes and a scrunched nose didn’t do much to help jog her memory on a name. Also not unusual, if a bit cliché, but in her own defense there was a lot of booze involved, and Puck was rather proud of her ability to drink many of her fellow marines under the table regardless of their size. With practiced ability Puck made her way out of the oversized bed, her stealth techniques being the best, bar none, when she was sneaking away from ‘the morning after’.

“Morning~”

Puck turned and flashed what she hoped was a winning smile and not a light grimace of pain. Yeah, the headache was coming a bit harder now but she still kept the smile. After a moment it grew into a genuine smile as she remembered more and more about the previous night. No, she wasn’t a random bar wench or a lonely pirate maiden that she’d bagged, no. This woman (whose name Puck still couldn’t recall) was someone much like Puck herself; lonely and in need of warm companionship. Still, her voice was soft and her eyes a dazzling light blue that melted Puck’s heart.

“Leaving so soon?”

“Gotta,” Puck nodded her affirmative before she began dressing in her usual marine attire, her whiskey-on-the-rocks voice a tad deeper due to the harsh alcohol she’d ingested hours earlier. “Trainin’ an’ all dat muck at da’base. Gonna git tossed ‘round bah mah superiors, den who knows…mebbe ah’ll be back? ‘Course, if’n you’ll have meh…”

She let her voice trail off for a moment as she locked her eyes with those light blue ones that made Puck’s heart beat just a tad bit faster. She was an older woman, one that knew what she liked and probably wasn’t used to being told ‘no’. Still, the slight nod Puck received made her tingle all over. She finished dressing and went back, giving the woman a light peck on the forehead before winking at her. Turning on her heel Puck was just about at the bedroom door…

“Sarah,” her voice was full of laughter. “You never asked, Puck.”

Well, at least she managed a light blush when she looked back, her yellow eyes a deeper amber gold now due to her happiness. She nodded and left the rather luxurious house, lightly pondering just how these people could afford such lavish luxuries with the place seemingly always under siege. It was a passing thought as her more pressing concern was being able to go back to her bunk and take a shower before she got tossed around in training. Not to say she couldn’t fight, quite the opposite. She just wasn’t much for fighting those that clearly needed more training before they could lace up her boots. But if they learned, she was game to help teach. Or whatever, she just followed the orders that were given.

“Looking good Puck. Doin’ your old man proud,” a fellow marine…Joseph, she recalled, fell in step beside her as the dark skinned woman gave a huge yawn. He was a good man, someone who’d known her father though she was barely knee high at the time Joseph worked with him and she didn’t see much of him growing up. “By the by, thanks for stiffin’ us at the bar. You know how high the damn bill was?”

“Pffft,” Puck snorted through her nose before rubbing her face and doing her best to make her hair more presentable. “Ya know da rules, Joe. Ah drink ya under da table, ya pay de bill. Goes fer all’you light-chumps.” A pause. “Ya headin’ ta trainin’?”

“Training began half an hour ago, lazy ass,” Joseph laughed as he pat Puck on the back. “Good luck!!”

The light growl came from the back of Pucks throat, though it was more of irritation at herself. She was normally punctual, but…well, things happened. Senshi Odayakama was a firecracker, from what she was told, and this was probably not a good first impression. But Puck had a motto when it came to things that were out of her control; ‘It is what it is.’ All she could do now was buck up and hope Senshi wasn’t in a terrible mood. What could go wrong?

[Dandead10]

Senshi was most certainly not in a terrible mood. At the moment, she had been called into an extended duty at Winchester to not only deal with the extensive crime, but train the recruits as well as the seamen and whoop them into shape. So far, her members have gone through an obstacle course, as well as a light physical training regimen of 25 pushups, 25 squats, and a mile run around the base camp. Most people were exhausted, and there was a break after that for ten minutes. Lunch would be coming sooner or later today. However, right now there was going to be sparring matches between the marines to get some basic combat practice and understanding to see how a human enemy moves in combat. So far, things were going great at least until she realized one of the marines had been missing from duty. A...Puck based off the list with no last name. It was a little troubling, but as the Ensign had watched over the basic training, she turned her head to see that a marine had been running as fast as she could from the gateway. “Eh?...Someone is running in a little late huh? Nearly an hour late. That’s certainly not good.”

Odayakama Senshi was a 16 year old girl with long, wavy red hair which flowed to her back. She wore the navy cap on her head as well as the justice coat on her shoulders followed by a white blouse and long black pants. Her eyes were a shining cerulean and she was completely unarmed. Around her neck, she wore a pocket watch in the shape of the World Government’s logo made from silver. She was completely unarmed and she looked relatively attractive. Her skin was a fair white with no blemishes. Her bust was a CC cup size. Her body was slim, curvaceous, but yet toned at the same time with a muscularly strong build. She decided now was the time to greet her late subordinate and get her quickly into work. “Soru.” By kicking off the ground at a fast speed, she would blur to the human eye as she seemingly flew like a bullet with dust kicking from where she previously stood. She was now a master of this technique after having used it so many times in places detrimental to her survival as a marine. She stood at the height of 5,4 roughly as she smiled cheerfully bright. “Konichiwa. My name is Ensign Odayakama Senshi. It seems you are running a little late...am I correct Puck?” She had crossed the name out on the list now that she was attended. She said that in a voice as sweet as honeysuckle or honey melon dew in the blazing summer.

“Mmhm...I won’t punish you this time, but please try to make it on time please. Seeing there are an odd number of people training today, I suppose we will be sparring if that doesn’t trouble you.” The young woman had smiled brightly before slowly turning and walking to one of the empty rings before motioning for Puck to come. Afterwards...Senshi had stood straight with posture with both hands behind her back. “Hajime.” Senshi now awaited to see how Puck was going to react to this situation. As a marine who originally hailed from the east, she was called a monster. However, now that she was an Ensign, she had only grown ever stronger. Hopefully, Puck could keep things interesting and maybe learn from their spar. Who knows? Ever since the end of the war in Illusia Kingdom she took part in, she was training ever harder so that she could enforce her own strength of justice. Those thoughts still haunted her, but less now that she had a goal to work to become stronger. Justice was something that she fought for, and while she didn't always agree with the government's ideologies, she would give it a shot. Surely the world was not fully evil as marines still did a lot of good for the people of the world. They did more good than they did evil...or so she would like to believe. Hopefully, she wasn't lying to herself in some sort of twisting cacophony of lies.

[Puck]

She had a bad feeling about this.

The sprint wasn’t so bad. At least she was warmed up by the time she reached the training grounds, though she was sweating lightly. A few of the other marines had turned their heads upon her arrival, snickering as she slowed down to a jog and then a steady pace before she stood before her superior. She was rather easy to spot among the common marine rabble; for one she was the only one with red hair, which alone made her easy to spot, though the long white trench coat with the ‘Justice’ symbol on the back was usually a dead giveaway.

A moment later, however, and the redhead was right in front of her, though Puck knew she didn’t blink. She recognized the Soru ability, having seen her father do it many times in an effort to let his daughter know that she, too, held such prowess within her if she simply tried harder. Puck remembered having argued that she was only seven at the time, which only made her father laugh at the puffed cheeks and frustrated expression his only child gave him. Still, it was surprising to see it again, and from someone so young. Puck had heard that Senshi was younger than most Ensigns, though she hadn’t really taken anything away from being told that. In the marines, if you were an Ensign at that age odds are you probably deserved it. Probably.

>>“Konichiwa. My name is Ensign Odayakama Senshi. It seems you are running a little late...am I correct Puck?”

“Apologies ma’am,” Puck snapped a salute, standing stock still. “I…”

Senshi didn’t seem to notice Puck’s light stammer and instead walked off, informing Puck that since an odd number of them were there that she’d be sparring with her. The dark skinned woman considered it an incredible feat that she didn’t groan out loud right then and there, but that particular habit was forced from her by a Drill Sergeant who just loved to punish complainers. A moment later, however, that strong sense of adventure and the unknown took over and it rushed over Puck like a tidal wave. Marines sparred all the time, though usually they were on equal footing with one another. Puck was never on equal footing, having mopped the floor with her comrades any time combat sessions came up. But now, this was a time to really cut loose and see how she could measure up against someone like Ensign Senshi.

Already more than a few marines had slowed their training regimens or outright stopped altogether to see how this sparring session would turn out. Puck paid them no mind, instead rolling her shoulders much like a boxer would, craning her neck from side to side and sighing at the satisfying ‘pops’ that came fourth. She followed Senshi to the empty ring and immediately set about doing stretches. She was warmed up thanks to her jog but she enjoyed the ritual of it, and you really couldn’t warm up too much. Standing up straight she raising her arms to the sky Puck stretched as far as she could before returning to a normal stance and taking off her shirt, tossing it to the ground next to her. The teasing whistles only made her turn her head towards the perpetrators and smirk before her yellow orbs fell back onto Senshi. This might not end pretty for her, but at least she could make Senshi work for it.

“Ya ready dere Red?” Puck questioned, her body moving like liquid into a traditional Muay Thai stance, her right leg bent slightly upwards with her toes barely brushing the ground while her fists were raised in front of her. The sun shone down on her already lightly sweating body, giving her dark skin a bronze gleam, her yellow eyes a deep amber gold due to her apparent happiness. “Less’dance, you an’ I.”

[Dandead10]

When she first got up close to Puck it seemed that she was going to apologize. Senshi didn’t need any apologies. Instead she declared that they would be sparring together and that was final. Senshi had stepped into the dueling circle as the spars around her gradually stopped. Odayakama Senshi understood that they were probably interested in watching this latecomer be absolutely destroyed by the superior officer, however looking to her subordinate...Senshi saw that Puck was at least brave. She didn’t seem scared or worried whatsoever as she just stretched herself while preparing to spar. Senshi herself had waited for her opponent to act as Puck entered into her martial art stance. It was something that Senshi hadn’t seen before as the fighting style but it seemed to be light and meant for swift attacks as compared to heavy blows. Senshi had adjusted her footing so that her most dominant foot would be symmetrical to Pucks’s as well as her footing being placed into a triangular stance. Her small dainty feet had brushed the sand that rested as Puck referred to their spar as a dance. Senshi’s eyes were rested on her opponent with a calculating gaze. Senshi was going to take this easy as to gauge the strength of her foe. Likely with one punch, she could knock someone’s teeth in.



Her stance was similar to Aikido, and at this moment she had dashed forward at a faster than average human speed before delivering a sidekick with held back force. Her legs were stronger than her arms were like most forms of martial arts. She was aiming particularly for Puck’s arm to see just how strong it would be, leading into a clash of strength. While Puck was sweaty likely from running all the way over, Senshi was in perfect fighting condition. That was already one advantage. “Oi...if you’re going to face me. Make sure you come at me with full force. Otherwise...you will have a bad time” It wasn’t a warning but a promise. She would then retract her leg back to herself before leaping backwards around two feet. Senshi was going to keep herself ready to dodge any and all attacks from her foe before delivering one of her own most likely. Either that or grapple her and throw her over her shoulder. There was a lot of things she could do, but she needed to evaluate...not annihilate. She stood tall and stiff, to greet her foe in a bout of combat. Now...to see what Puck was going to do in retaliation to Senshi’s brief move. The sun was shining high in the sky as now surely the entirety of the marine recruits were watching this situation.



The marines watching in the background would begin to talk amongst themselves in hushed tones as to observe the battle without disruption but also so that their words would not be heard so easily by the two combatants. “That’s Ensign Odayakama. I feel sad for that girl facing her. Odayakama-San is a monster...although she’s so hot!” There were cheers from other marines although another would reply to the first. “I bet that new girl is gonna get knocked out the ring in less than five minutes.” More words as a third voice called. “Five minutes? More like five seconds. I bet 1000 Beri that this girl is gonna get the stuffing beaten of out of her without even landing a single hit.” And just like that, there was a bidding ring out of it as marines began to gather round to bet on how the battle was going to end. There were two sides, a side that was betting that Odayakama Senshi was going win flawlessly without a single hit being landed on her. The second side was one that decided to bet that Puck was going to at least land a single hit on Senshi before the spar was over. Little did the marines know, that there was something sinister happening out of the camp.



As the marines of Winchester would know, there was always a constant struggle of crime and justice on the island with small skirmishes or wars between both sides were common. Somewhere outside the training boot camp in the middle of the woods was a rather sizable amount of rowdy individuals armed with rifles and swords. “Boss Al Pacino! We really gonna take em all out?” There was a chuckle and a stern laugh in the background. “Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa! Course we are. You think I would bring everyone here if we weren’t? Father would get really upset if we brought everyone here to do nuttin. We are gonna attack when the inside man gives us the signal.” There was a cheer amongst the individuals gathered to attack the forces of justice. There were around...maybe sixty of them total as the boss and his lower officers would gather around a large stump used as a makeshift table. There, they would discuss how their assault would begin and what measures they would take to take the marines down. In this marine camp, there was roughly 100 marines being trained, although the enemies would have the advantage of surprise of course seeing nobody knew that there was going to be an ambush all of a sudden.
 

[Puck]

Puck didn’t consider herself a very serious person.

It was a realization she’d come to early on after she’d endured the abuse of her step-mother, when her father really was trying to make up for his mistakes. It was a time when they grew together as father and daughter and, really, when both discovered a lot about themselves in the process. Ferid came to notice just how lax he was in his daughter’s upbringing, deciding to fix that with an intense training regimen, with Puck’s life course teaching her various things about herself that she now had the freedom to explore. One was her love of combat, regardless of the nature it came up. Another was, of course, her deep love for the female form, but another aspect that came to light was just how light of an attitude she presented when things got ‘serious’.

The blow that Puck blocked with her left arm from her superior was jarring, the force solid and well proportioned. Had she been a lesser martial artist it might have actually sent her reeling, and had her body been less conditioned it might had done more than the light shower of sweat that erupted from the point of contact. What it did, however, was serve to awaken that part of Puck’s brain that told her that this wasn’t going to be some one-sided bar brawl but a fight with someone who actually knew what she was doing. It wasn’t a rare occurrence, but it was enough to make the lopsided grin Puck was almost infamous for back in Viktas to come forth in full effect, her eyes gleaming as she pushed off from Senshi’s contact and skip to the right a bit on light feet, her stance now lower to the ground as she gained her footing, the counterattack already planned in her mind.

>>“Oi...if you’re going to face me. Make sure you come at me with full force. Otherwise...you will have a bad time.”

Senshi had leapt back two feet, her warning being heard loud and clear. Puck only grinned wider, teeth showing now as she closed the gap between them with a rush of movement. Muay Thai was a martial art based on impact and hard strikes using the ‘eight limbs of the body’; your legs and arms, but also your elbows and knees. It was a style suited for her and one she favored, but it wasn’t the one she liked using the most. That would be reserved for the dancing styles of Capoeira, which she displayed in full when on her approach to the Ensign she went low to the ground and spun her body in a fluid motion, her left leg lashing out in an effort to make contact with Senshi’s arm, in an effort to make the other woman know that she wasn’t going to win this sparring contest easily by any stretch of the imagination.

“How’ya doin’ Red?” Puck asked lightly, the grin never leaving her face as she continued her assault, refraining from leaping back and instead kept close to her opponent. “Dun ‘spose any soul not beh tellin’ ya how ravishin’ ya look today, hm? Shame. Girl like’ya needs ta beh told dat err’day, in appreciation.” Although Puck was inches from Senshi’s face now, her inappropriate wink could be seen by the marines standing close to them. “How’s ‘bout when’ya wake up in’da infirmary ah lavish ya in all’da affection ye’kin handle, savvy?”

No, she never took herself seriously, though it was a trait her father was careful to nurture. He’d explained to his daughter that you could never underestimate anyone in today’s world, as the person standing next to you could be a child and still hold a one hundred million beri bounty on their head for any given reason. However, in that the Vice-Admiral also never dissuaded his only daughter from the one thing she excelled at; talking trash and trying to invoke a response from her opponent that would lead to a mistake or miscalculation. Puck was a natural in this, never goading fights if she could help it but always trying to push her opponent into doing things they normally wouldn’t through subtle gestures, words or actions when the fight actually began.

This fight was no different from the hundreds of others she’d had. Maybe her opponent was stronger than most, maybe not. But Puck was going to have fun with this one.

[Dandead10]

SPOILER: Click to show

www.youtube.com/watch?v=daFi4MScfl8

As the kick was connected, her opponent smiled in delight as a light shower of sweat was released from her opponent’s sleeve. However, it seemed her opponent was able to take the kick nonetheless and for that, Senshi was glad to see. ‘So it seems that she is at least capable of blocking a hit. Good...now let’s see how hard one of her blows are then.’ The marine had gained her distance as her opponent had also taken a moment to recover from the impact of the blow. Her opponent recovered her footing and had skipped to the right just a little bit. That grin showed her that her subordinate was eager to fight and Senshi’s right eye sparkled as she saw potential in this marine. She was going to take her seriously. Thus she warned Puck to come at her full force or else there would be consequences for not heeding her warnings.


Senshi didn’t know how the fighting style of Muay Thai worked, but it seemed that she was going to find out soon enough. As the dark skinned warrior had rushed at Senshi to close distance, she entered a low sweeping motion. Senshi’s eyes had followed the low sweeping leg blow aimed for her left arm, and so Senshi had taken an over exaggerated swerve to the right as her left hand was raised so that her palm would be the target of the kick. However...if Puck was observant, she would see that suddenly a black substance would form on her hand and harden. If her kick was to connect, it would feel as if she were kicking...something solid unlike human skin. It coated all of Senshi’s palm including her fingers. Then, Senshi would push off of the sole of Puck’s foot lightly to make it go back to position. Then...a small smile had adorned Senshi’s own face at the enthusiasm of the seaman recruit. The way to stop a fluid motion was to make a rigid form to stop the fluidity of the blow and make it come to a standstill. The redheaded marine had used her Nama Nama no Mi to make a thin coating of lead on her hand to deflect the kick but very subtly. That kick had been decently heavy with the flow of motion and momentum, but Senshi has seen worse before. The kick had made Senshi tilt slightly back, but it could have been far more powerful.


As her opponent would have time to recover, she had the gall to talk. However...what she was asking was rather surprising. “I’m...doing fine...although I haven’t had anyone tell me about how good I am looking.” As her opponent had taken the liberty to say that she should be complemented everyday, Senshi’s cheeks turned a light pink in color...especially at the wink that was soon delivered. Senshi had never thought about getting together with anyone seeing her father would kill her if he ever found out. She especially never considered being with another girl. The marines in the crowd began to cheer as suddenly several marines had started howling like dogs with hearts in their eyes. Although the females had varied reactions and some of disgust at either the males or the situation. However...Senshi quickly shook her head clear as she decided to go back on the offensive. “About the infirmary...we will see.” Suddenly, Senshi would push off of the ground, to jump nearly fifteen feet in the air before suddenly twisting her body as her left leg was extended while she began to spin in the air doing flips.

The marine would gain a good amount of speed and momentum as she was going to bring the kick straight down on Puck if she didn’t move out of the way in time. However...if Puck were to look again, she would see the underside of Senshi’s leg was seemingly colored black yet again. What was this mysterious coating that seemed to be guarding Senshi’s body? Puck would simply need to ask and find out. If Puck had successfully dodged, she would see the ground would crack in the shape of a spider web, heading outward slightly before a few shards of stone would be visible coming out of a small crater with sand and dust rising. However, Senshi would quickly recover from that and would charge at Puck with this time a jump kick aimed for her solar plexus. Now what would Puck do? The marines watching had been in slight awe as one of them spoke again. "That's the ensign for you...truly frightening when she wants to be. Uhh...excuse me everyone. I gotta go to the can." The mysterious marine would leave the sight of the thrilling spar as he head to the east side of the camp to see that the defenses were weakest there...perfect.
 

[Puck]

Well that was…different.

Having hit it enough times Puck knew what contact with human flesh felt like and that was not human flesh. Which meant one of several things; Senshi was some sort of cyborg, which would make her made of some sort of metal, or perhaps she had cyborg limbs? Perhaps just that arm? If not that then her superior was a recipient of some sort of Devil Fruit ability, which would mean this already slightly lopsided affair was going into the ‘oh that’s bullshit unfair!’ territory. Still, her attack was no dice, Senshi’s reaction to Puck’s attack seemingly nonchalant, which was to be expected. The Ensign was more experienced in actual combat, after all, where’s the only time anyone actually tried to kill Puck was usually done in a drunken rage at a bar, or perhaps a husband returning home slightly ahead of schedule.

The jump was fast, with Puck looking at the height with an impressed look on her face. The light discoloring that her opponent’s leg took was an indication that yes, Senshi was some sort of Devil Fruit user as no human she knew could do that…well, except her father with some highly advanced techniques he told her he’d teach at some point. While Senshi was an Ensign, could she have mastered martial arts to a point where she could harden her body to the same black material that engulfed her father’s arm when he’d demonstrated this ability? These thoughts flew through her mind in a nanosecond as she had little time to do much else before Senshi crashed down back to the ground, some bits of debris exploding from the contact and lightly cutting up parts of Puck’s arms and shoulders as she held up her arms in a cross in an effort to mitigate the damage.

Puck took a moment to recall the light blush on Senshi’s cheeks and decided that it was a good look on her. Her lopsided grin returned as the redhead didn’t relent in her assault, the jump kick coming her way like a ballistic missile giving her only moments to react. She was fast, though Senshi was a good head shorter than her and probably fifteen pounds lighter, give or take. Gritting her teeth in what was sure to be a really bad idea, Puck held out both hands and took the hit, her arms bending from the impact as her dug in heels slid back a good two feet. Yeah…yeah, that probably wasn’t smart but it allowed the dark skinned woman to take a step back, her face fierce and full of determination…

…and then she held up her hands and blew on them as if to cool them down, a full on pout appearing on her countenance as she looked at her opponent in an accusing manner.

“Das not fair, bein’ so small an’ still packin’ sucha hit,” the marines around her roared with laughter, though as they did Puck rolled her shoulders just as she’d done in while stretching and wiggled her hands loosely before she held them up defensively as a boxer would. “Ya dis rough in’da sack, Red? Tsk, tsk. Ain’t no strangah ta aggressive women, but’ah hafta say yah take’da cake. Well…lesse how’ya take dis ta task, hm?”

The dark skinned marine began to bob and weave in a manner that could only be described as hypnotic, each bob taking her a step closer to her opponent. It was a tricky technique to be sure, but if she could pull it off it would be explosive. The best thing about it, however, was just how versatile Puck could make it. She could block attacks while doing this, though evading and going in for the final setup was the ultimate goal it was also a good way for her to gauge just how much her superior knew about combat in general. Puck found that many of her styles she’d picked up were ones some had never seen, but even then a form or attack could be from a school of martial art that was fairly common but only a few select could pull off. If Senshi wasn’t aware of how this attack worked, Puck would have a slight advantage when it came time to rain punches down upon the redhead.

Sweat poured from her body now, a combination of the heat and exertion from the fight making her body almost glow with a bronze sheen. The almost holographic tattoo on her back glowed brightly now, as if enhanced by the combat and sweat that covered it. As the marines around the two women watched Puck bob and weave her sideways figure eight pattern the tattoo began to blur the faster she went, some even stopping their cheering and betting to observe the pattern and unusual tattoo their fellow marine had on her back. Puck’s eyes never left Senshi’s form, though her eyes were more focused on the woman’s torso. It was easier to predict movements this way, at least until she was right up in the Ensign’s face. Her grin was wide, her yellow eyes gleaming with apparent happiness.

“Watch’meh now, Loveycakes,” Puck gave a low growl, sounding like a coiled cat ready to strike, though that didn’t stop her from tossing a wink the other woman’s way. “Ya might miss sum’ting.”

The speed which Puck used to kick off the ground was as fast as she could manage, using every ounce of her considerable leg power to surge fourth while still maintaining her bob and weave pattern. She wanted to be inside of Senshi’s bubble as fast as she could while dodging or blocking any given attack before she setup the final assault. She kept her legs apart but firm, planted to the ground like the deepest root of a massive tree, her shoulders and elbows were tucked in, only her eyes peeking out over clenched fists. No time to think, no time for regrets; Puck began to throw her punches as fast and furiously as she possibly could, the now almost manic smile and dangerously narrowed eyes focused on the sole purpose of putting this marine down to the ground.

[Dandead10]

Her opponent was logically thinking about what was going on. Well, while Senshi was spinning rapidly and coming down to earth, she wouldn’t have much time to contemplate that. The kick collided with the floor as her opponent managed to evade on time, and as a result had sent shards of rock slicing Puck’s arms and shoulders. “You’re leaving yourself open!” Hence she had went straight in for the flying kick. Puck thus far had been performing rather well...certainly better than what Senshi had expected. However, she didn’t expect Puck to actually STAND her ground and take the flying kick. As her opponent raised her hands to take the brunt of the blow and slow it down, Senshi’s eyes widened before she pushed harder and used the palms as a springboard to backflip into the air and onto her feet with a serious look on her face. Puck was performing so well, she should be commended for lasting so long. Even if she was holding back, that was impressive as it seemed that the dark skinned woman had some experience in a fight. Well...now Senshi was going to let her have her moment of glory. She made sure not to make her blows so strong that they would break bones, but it might hurt a bit. “Wow...I am really impressed you were able to take that strike. But show me what you’ve got Miss. Puck. I know it might not sound fair, but I never said you had to play fair did I?” The redheaded Ensign had adjusted the cap on her head as she would leave Puck to consider those words.

The marines had looked with gross interest as several were rather surprised by how well this no name Seaman Recruit was doing. Perhaps...she could turn the fight around and land a hit? “Wooh! Go Puck! You can do it!” It was then that he looked over to another marine. “Uhh...Gerald, switch my bet. I’ll give her a shot.” The marine dubbed Gerald had made a “pfft” noise before chuckling. “Hey, it’s your money you are about to lose.” Senshi had listened to Puck speak to her and she couldn’t entirely understand what was being said. Soon enough though, her opponent began to bob and weave. Senshi recognized the stance well...boxing it seemed. Senshi was well aware of how this martial art worked and the motions of the bobbing. The only thing she had to look out for was...suddenly, the blood caught Senshi’s attention. The blood that would drip from the shoulders and arms of this fellow marine. Senshi blinked and seemed to blank out as suddenly...the buildings around her were on fire and screams were sounded with gunfire and swords clashing. She was lost for a moment, until she saw a figure in the distance with red hair...with a gun aimed at her face, and then it fired. BAM! She felt a sharp punch to her face bring her into reality as the illusion was dropped, and then another to her stomach...and a third to her chin. The punches kept coming...and then after the sixth punch, Senshi raised her right hand grasping Puck’s punching hand. There was silence before Senshi raised her head and looked Puck in those odd yellow orbs. “Thank you...I was lost in thought.”

“NANIIIII?! DAMN IT MY MONEY!” There was a cheer as a single marine had leaped in front of the rest, dancing and whooping into the air. “PAY UP LOSERS! I TOLD YOU SHE COULD LAND A PUNCH! YAHOO!” There were glares at the marine as Senshi looked to the crowd in confusion. At this moment, the two girls were so close to each other, that they could almost rub their bodies against each other. During her trip, Senshi did not have any recollection of what happened a few moments ago...or about being called loveycakes. Senshi then let go of the closed fist before feeling her right cheek. “Umm...good job. I’m thinking w-” Suddenly...there was a bang and a roaring red light followed by two more as the marine messhall and the barracks lit into flames. Bombs...someone had planted bombs. However, next the gates leading to the inside of the marine camp was blown open in a fiery blast as well. “ATTACK!” Suddenly, men had charged in from the main gates and now there was a predicament. Around half of the marines out here were recruits and unarmed, and the barracks also contained the armory which was blown up. The other half had been guards and were quickly being assaulted by bullet fire and swords. Screams began to fill the area as well as battle...and then Senshi immediately went serious and graved face. “Everyone! All that training I gave you! Put it to use! Go to the armory and hurry back here doubletime! The rest of us will hold down the defense!” Suddenly, a stray bullet had hit Senshi right in the skull, and then she stood there perfectly fine as the bullet sank into her head and was absorbed. A lead bullet. Now was the time to get serious...but she questioned why in the hell bad things always happened to her.

[Puck]

It was a good fight.

Puck could tell it was a good fight because it’d taken a moment and a serious amount of self-control to not continue after Senshi had skillfully caught her fist mid punch, her body almost screaming to keep the fight going until one of them, it really didn’t matter who, was on the ground and unable to move or continue. There was an odd sense of guilt for a moment, the feeling one gets when they ruthlessly take advantage of a weakness without hesitation. Her father said that such a feeling was normal in any given fight, especially ones where lives were on the line. But lives weren’t on the line here. It was a spar, a test of abilities. Puck felt her muscles relax the moment Senshi let go of her grip, Puck pursing her lips and looking away in disappointment. Not at Senshi, but at herself.

>>“Thank you...I was lost in thought.”

She knew. She’d seen it an instant before she’d dashed in for her attack. That blink, the odd, empty look; the redhead wasn’t there, not on this battlefield. She was elsewhere, her mind reliving something that Puck could only imagine took the younger girl to a place she’d rather not be, a place where she’d give anything to never see again. It was a look Puck recognized well because it’d taken her years to stop giving it herself, to force her mind away from the memories her step-mother had instilled, to drive away the thoughts of self-harm and hopelessness and focus on forging new memories to drive out the darkness that threatened to constantly overwhelm her.

It’d taken more time than she’d care to admit to even begin the recovery process, but by that time her father was more of a solid foundation than he’d been before, and the two had leaned on each other for support ever since. It was why Puck could hardly refuse a request from him, and why Ferid could never say no to her. While it wasn’t a traditional arrangement, they both knew it was the one they needed to maintain to help the process of healing. It was something Puck had also seen around marine bases, soldiers who were stuck in the past and unable to continue with their lives because of something terrible that had happened to them, their comrades or loved ones. Your mind was a prison, and Puck almost felt like vomiting for having taken advantage of that. Senshi was someone that was still healing, someone that was still trapped in that hopeless cycle.

Puck wanted to say something, anything, but was unable to form the words. She knew from her own experience that for a long while she hated talking about her step-mother or anything having to do with her. Her usual jovial face was deadpan, the light in her yellow eyes dulled as she looked back towards the redhead. And while she wanted to apologize, she didn’t dare. A marine’s pride, regardless of what station they held in life, was something sacred. Senshi was an Ensign, and Puck could tell from their short duel that this was someone that had earned that promotion, unlike her own earlier promotions that were influenced by her father. Still, she did look rather cute rubbing her cheek like that…

>>“Umm...good job. I’m thinking w-”

The explosions that suddenly rocked the areas around knocked all thought from Puck’s mind for a moment before she regained the balance she’d lost momentarily. Blinking rapidly the dark skinned woman barely had time to take stock of what was happening before more explosions happened, this time being accompanied by the ever familiar sound of gunfire and steel clashing against steel. Puck turned towards her commanding officer and was stunned into further speechlessness as she saw a stray bullet, or perhaps a bullet meant for the young Ensign, hit her right in the head…and disappear, as if it were sinking into her flesh.

“Huh,” was all her brilliant mind could come up with, watching the process with fascination. Did she absorb metal? A quick shake of her head and Puck cleared her throat before she took the strides necessary to stand next to the redhead, her face now scanning the waves of men that were invading the compound. “Seaman Recruit Amelia DeLioncourte at yer disposal, Ensign Loveycakes.” A wink. “Where’ya be wantin’ me?”

[Dandead10]

As the Ensign grasped her subordinates fist...there was calm and then quiet despite the marines cheering. Puck seemed to be very quiet, not responding to anything in the world until the explosions rang through the air and then the sounds of battle. Senshi didn’t fear bullets or guns much anymore seeing they seemed to be unable to hurt her. Well...so long as she wasn’t shot in the back anyways. Her Nama Nama no Mi (Lead Lead Fruit) granted her the ability to create and control lead whilst receiving a resistance to it so long as she was standing still and could see the lead bullets. However...two marines in the back were quickly shot down by stray shots. They fell to the floor with a yell and the superior marine had narrowed her eyes. The armed marine guards had been engaged whilst the recruits began to run at a rapid pace. “I’ll have to create cover.” Puck had come by her side to state she was ready to serve Odayakama Senshi to the best of her ability. Also...she addressed herself by her full title. “Stay by my flank for now. We need to buy time for reinforcements to arrive.” Senshi had suddenly clenched her fists before holding them out and spraying a large amount of black substance out onto the floor which rapidly grew into a wall of black metal 8x8. “Nama Nama No:Wall!” Now there was cover for the recruits to hide behind when they returned. Now was not the time to be distracted...there was work to do.

“Fatha! Somethin’s goin on!” The subordinate would call as he stabbed a marine through the stomach with his sword. “I see that you dummy! Get the boys to deal with it! It’s the devil fruit eater that Lima was talkin about!” The marines guards would be overwhelmed quickly and immediately Senshi knew what to do. “ALL MEN! REGROUP AND FALL BACK!” The marines in combat had looked and nodded in acknowledgement as they fell back from the horde of enemies back to where there was more reinforcements. Now...Senshi needed time. “Puck. Hold the line and when the men regroup, tell them to push forward. My commands.” Senshi had looked stern...serious as she then vanished from sight. “Soru!” Several enemy men would begin to charge to the lead wall and the buildings where marine forces took refuge. Bullets exchanged back and forth as they pelted the forces with heavy suppression fire. Senshi...did not have this weakness. Immediately she appeared in front of a fellow before delivering a fierce slam of her fist into a face to send one rolling and crashing on the ground before she went for a flying knee into another to send them hurdling. She stood still the next moment as a bullet flew into her eye and was absorbed. A swordsman had yelled in anger to swing down a cutlass down on the redhead before his face was grabbed and he was tossed like a ragdoll into another vagabond. “Don’t underestimate me!” She was going to fight with full force now.

Now...six men had surrounded the Ensign all with swords and they would swing down at the same time. “Lead Armor!” A thick coating of armor had went over her whole body as the swords collided into her frame. Then...six snaps as the blades shattered against her tough defense. Quickly breaking the shell open, she shoved both halves on either side, each hitting three men and sending them onto the floor. “I-It’s so heavy! AAAGH!” Senshi was indeed powerful...and within less than a minute she had already disabled ten men with relative ease. “Ey! Lady! Take dis on for size!” The fellow had come before shooting a bazooka round at her...and then a red explosion enveloped her as now all the marine forces were gathered enmasse. The smoke cleared as Senshi stood there with a completely destroyed marine justice coat and stumbling in pain as she seemed badly bruised and burned. However...wordlessly, she blurred yet again before using a lead coated fist and slamming it into the face of the bazooka user. The man had gagged as he was sent flying back nearly five feet with two missing teeth and eyes blank like dishplates. Then using Soru again, she appeared in front of a gunman nearby and slamming her heel into his face. “H-Hnngh…” She took deep breaths as she composed herself. The battle was just beginning. "RAAAAGH!" Her goal was to take down the gunmen and lower suppresive fire and to compensate for the losses they took in the surprise ambush. They took heavy hits in the result of all of this, and almost immediately she took a hit as soon as the battle began. A small price to pay.

[Puck]

>>“Puck. Hold the line and when the men regroup, tell them to push forward. My commands.”

“Ya heard’da ladeh!!” Puck roared, her usually calm and steady voice, always deeper than most girls, rang out over the chaotic battlefield. Immediately, as if by some unseen force, her fellow marines rallied to her as Senshi disappeared from sight entirely. Recognizing the ability as Soru, the dark skinned marine could only smirk before she turned to the marines that had gathered. “Give’er time, hold da line!! Gunnahs, getch’er asses behind dat wall an’ give’us some covah fiyah!!”

No questions were asked as to why a mere Seaman Recruit was giving orders, only that they’ve been given and they needed to be followed to survive. Puck immediately followed the gunners and ran ahead of them to meet the incoming melee forces that were attempting to intercept them from gaining the advantage the wall Senshi had built gave them. It was no time to be friendly, no time to think about how this would turn out afterwards. Her mind was blank now, seeing only the battle in front of her, Puck willing her mind to steel herself for what was to come.

A quick sidestep saw Puck duck underneath a high sword swing, though her momentum didn’t stop. She quickly reached out towards the pirate’s belt, snatching the dagger from his belt and slashed backwards, shoving the deadly instrument into the back of his neck. The man gave a sickening gurgle and fell to the ground face first, his face smashing onto the ground with nothing to break his fall. Puck left the dagger in his neck, already onto her next opponents.

No time, no thoughts, just go.

Much like in her spar with Senshi Puck was now bobbing and weaving in a figure eight pattern, placing her trust in the marine gunners to not accidently shoot her in the back. Her yellow eyes, glowing yellow with anger and frustration, scanned the immediate area as two more pirates came charging, all sense of strategy lost if it had been there at all. Three more were behind these two, then countless more behind them. She spun to dodge one sword slash and caught the hand of the other, using his momentum to drive the sword into the one that had just passed. The sword severed his spinal column and he dropped, eyes lifeless as Puck was quick to spin around behind him, her hands reaching out to grab his head from behind. Her fingers slipped under his chin, her other hand reaching to the top of his head. The snapping motion was smooth and effortless, the man falling to the ground as his neck snapped cleanly.

No time, no thoughts, just go.

The rhythm of the battle was coming to her, becoming easier to grasp. She saw the pattern now, even if it was a bit more chaotic than usual. She had never faced so many opponents at once, but then again she had comrades to assist in the battle. Three more now, with the middle one reaching to his belt for the gun he had holstered. A low dash in saw her come up from below the man, her shoulder driving into his chest. Puck grabbed her opponent’s sword hand to block the downward swings the other two brought down, a moment passing in a test of strength before the dark skinned marine laxed her strength and pushed back, the two pirates falling to the ground at the unexpected leeway. Immediately Puck twisted the sword arm of her captive pirate, breaking his wrist before she snatched the dropping sword and drove it into the man’s gut, then pulled it out and spun backwards, the sword catching the two off balance pirates in the face, rendering them unrecognizable as they screamed and clutched their maimed figures. Blood sprayed again, this time as Puck gave a single, ruthless slice that left their throats wide open. The red liquid sprayed over the woman’s shirtless body, dousing her in the lifeblood of those whose light she had just snuffed.

No time, no thoughts, just go.

There was a momentary pause in the fighting as Puck turned, her yellow orbs taking in the sight before her. A line of pirates had all stopped, eyes wide as they spied the scene before them. The blood soaked woman turned dangerous eyes on all of them, taking in their faces and forms before she held up the sword in her hand and tossed it aside. The metal hitting the ground was impossibly loud, the ringing noise making a few of the pirates step back, their hands now shaking on their swords and sabers as the face of the woman in front of them suddenly took on a more manic appearance as a lopsided grin appeared on her face, the blood that soaked her form sluggishly dripping off of her nose and cheeks.

“She…SHE’S A DEMON!!”

No time, no thoughts, just go.

Her rushing form was almost like a signal, accompanied by an explosion from elsewhere that sounded oh so far away to her ears. Bullets began to rain upon them once again but now Puck was too far into the enemy line for the less experienced pirate gunners to get a clear shot, while the marine gunners were far more disciplined, each taking their shots carefully while the pirates seemed to adopt a more ‘spray and pray’ strategy, concentrating their shots on more densely concentrated marines in hope of catching them. Puck went back to her task, becoming a whirlwind of limbs as she alternated her style of fighting as often as she could. Ever since one of the pirates had declared her a demon, however, the fight she’d seen in their eyes was dying as fast as they were, with her cover fire being far more efficient than the pirates own. Puck took a moment to wonder, hope beyond hope, that Senshi was okay and that afterwards they could share a drink and a bed to forget the events of today.

No time, no thoughts, just go.

“Come’on ya louts, gimmie’yer best shot!!” Puck bent her knees and went low to the ground before she went back into the fray. Her muscles screamed, her very bones seemed to beg mercy. “Fer’erry one marine life ya take, ah’ll take a’hunred ah yers!! Ya hear me ya bastards?! AH. WILL. END. YOU!!”

No time, no thoughts, just go.

[Dandead10]

SPOILER: Click to show

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Sword clashed on sword. Bullets pierced flesh. Blood spilled on both sides. Senshi stood there seemingly breathing heavy from physical strain. However, it wasn’t. She was breathing heavily from the fact that bazooka shot had harmed her more than what she would have thought. Squeezing her hands, she released a black substance which extended and hardened into her weapon of choice, a lead Jitte made entirely from her lead. She no longer used sharp bladed weapons normally. The Jitte itself was three feet long total and was as black as ink. Several gunmen turned to her, and as they began to fire rapidly, Senshi charged whilst dodging at a fast speed going from side to side, legs rising and falling to the ground in rhythmic patterns. She vanished like blurs with each rise and fall of her leg. However, she soon stood standing five feet away from her foes with her lead Jitte held horizontally with a chilling glare in her eyes. A seemingly powerful radiance of energy had washed over the marine as her stance was widened with her head bent low. The gunmen closest to her looked fearful with beads of sweat dripping down their heads. “Ittoryu:Kurimuzon-Fū Surasshu! (Crimson Slash)” She raised her head with a red glint in her eye as her hair seemed to rise and flow. Kicking off of her legs at full force using her superhuman strength, she seemingly blurred and vanished from one point to another...ten feet past each of the enemy swordsmen. Senshi then crouched onto her knees as there was a slight delay.

Each of the pirates had suddenly been propelled into the air with a cry of agony as a strong burst of wind had intercepted the area and cracked the very stone on the ground itself with the bodies flying into the air...and unceremoniously crashing down. Senshi then stood full height as she flicked the blood off of her blade. It seemed the tables were turning for the marines despite the ambush and the sudden assault of these criminals. Senshi then turned to engage the pirates once again as the marines had charged in with vigor now that enemy gunners had lessened. Fatha Alpacino! This ain’t goin our way! We gotta get outa here!” There was a devious smirk though on the enemy leader’s face as the red headed marine began to step forward. From behind...there was a marine rushing with a katana in hand. Before anyone could guess what was happening, a blade had pierced Senshi’s back, going through her stomach and piercing the other end. “I think we just turned the tide.” The pirates had cheered in that moment as they pressed forward with greater vigor...and within a moment the tide of battle turned. Senshi on one hand though...was not dead yet.

There was a gasp and a sensation of pain...but she had grasped the blade piercing through her with her bare hands...stopping the blade from leaving and or going forward. “What?! I stabbed you through! Why aren’t you dead!?” There was a cough of blood onto the floor as Senshi clenched that blade to the point where her fingers bled. Blood dripped onto the sodden ground as she labored her breathing. The marine traitor behind her soon felt his arms would be paralyzed with fear and it bound him to the handle of his sword. “U-Urgh!” Another cough of blood onto the floor as she looked behind her with strong eyes. “H-How stupid can you get? I’m not dead yet because I’m a pillar of Justice. So as long as there are scum like you! I’ll never fall down!” Tensing her right arm, she had swung backwards in a backhanded fist...and sent the traitor rolling and skidding five feet as she was vulnerable. Weak. Then...she coated her left hand in the lead she so commanded. Holding the front blade of the katana with her right hand, she swung back with her left and shattered the Katana at the lower section. Then, she pulled two halves of a blade from either end of her wound with blood dripping in copious amounts. Suddenly, there was a relapse of pain as her eyes widened and she screamed into the air. A massive surge of it as the wound brought her onto one knee.

“You’re mine!” That was heard...as ahead of her there was a enemy criminal running in with a cutlass and two more men behind him. Within a brief moment, the enemy pirate stood above her with his cutlass aimed to slam down on her skull to end her existence. The other marines were so preoccupied in their own battles, they did not notice this scene. Was this the end for her? With Senshi’s head pointed to the ground with blood dripping from her lip, she was frowning in pain. There was nothing she could do in time to save herself. It was over. Her lead Jitte was long forgotten and on the ground next to her as she was barehanded yet again. It was a shame she couldn’t do more...to reach her dream.