The Graceful Fall of Noble Justice

[EJ]

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1

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The old, Wanted kunoichi of South Blue’s Karate Island had traveled a great distance from her homeland. After being released from her captivity in a bottle by the young hero, Hihiro Red, Noone and her savior had parted ways. The young man revealed to her that he had a very important matter to handle personally, and while it saddened her to have to depart from one she was ready to give her life to, she had no choice but to respect his wishes and that of The Creator. In doing so, she went on to follow The Creator’s celestial guidance – which lead to a voyage from the waters of the southern globe to those of the north. From ship to ship, island to island, the old maid traveled, living rather peacefully as she witnessed the sea and new lands for the first time in her seventy-year life.

It was exciting, but got a bit mundane to the Vapor Woman after a while. From the time she left Karate Island, she had zero sparring bouts or friendly hand-to-hand duels. Her old soul was beginning to stir. The fight she had in her youth was still with her – something her spar with Red made very clear. So, since hitting the port of the land she ended up in, she had to do it. The first chance she got, she would have a spar with whoever she could. And that she did with the first ruffian heartless enough to try an old lady for what she had on her in the Un-Noticed Alleys of Notice Island!

“Huh?! Where’d she go?!” A tall, stocky, bald man fumed in anger as he looked back and forth and spun around. He stood in the middle of a pretty sizable crowd that had grown in the slums of Notice Town, all laughing at the spectacle he had become. “Your head!! Bwahaha!” A civilian crowed. “You don’t even have hair! You can’t feel anything?! Mahahaha!” Another cackled. As the man looked to and fro, Noone made a visor over her eyes out of one hand, looking back and forth as if she were searching for something as the man twisted to each direction... All while standing on top of his head. “Fufufu!” She giggled before revealing herself to the rather dense outlaw. “You should take heed to what they’re telling you, you know,” the snowy-haired kunoichi looked down at her opponent – who appeared more like a victim at this point – arms folded comfortably behind her back.

“Grrrr!!” The muscleman grunted, looking up without tilting his head much as if to not disturb the old woman’s balance. “Get off my... HEAD!” Bonk! The man’s own thickset fist came crashing down on the top of his own head, which Noone had gracefully leapt from in time to evade his clumsy assault. He stumbled a bit, eyes swimming in circles in his head when the rogue kunoichi landed a few feet in front of him. Her sea-green irises scaled upward at the man before her head lowered and eyes closed. “Rattled your own brain too much,” she said, shaking her head in discontent. “Congratulations. You have successfully,” a few steps forward and a palm was placed on the bruiser’s torso, “-defeated yourself.”

Without much effort, Noone tilted the man backwards, leaving him to fall to the ground like a huge sack of dirt. Everyone in the crowd began cheering at the little show they had witnessed – mostly just the tawny-skinned woman playing ‘matador’ to the brute’s ‘raging bull.’ She gave a hearty giggle and smile to those around, but only because their glee was more amusing than the fight was to her. “Fufufu! Well, at least you’re all satisfied,” is what the victor said to the audience, but surely someone watching had to feel the same lack she did; that is: if any true fighters existed on this humble island.

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yumi222

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[yumi222]

While Notice island was far more accepting of her mannerism's than her home island had been, it still wasn't quite enough for her. Sure people were raring for a fight, and out on the seas, the motto of 'survival of the fittest' was one many pirates adopted, but with the noble presence on the island tending to give some people the vibe that, like the celestial dragons, the island was protected by default, it meant not many budding pirates came to the island, and those strong enough to give Mia a challenge tended to just skip it on their way to the stronger seas of the grandline.

Long story short, Mia could fight, but the fights she had weren't all that satisfying. She was still trying to be on the good side of the law, afterall as many fights as she could have in prison she'd heard the food was quite shit, and marine's tended to favor public executions over long term holding anyway. Saved them transporting criminals who could just escape all over afterall.

Course she had her fun here...the food was good, the tropical setting was a lot nicer for her than the usually frozen islands of this blue and, well, now and then it seemed something just came along to spice things up. Her eyes caught the crowd forming around this little situation. From behind the crowd she'd just thought it was some circus act from the way the white haired woman was elevated so high, but as she pushed her own way to the front of the crowd she immediately found herself scoffing back a laugh, covering her mouth as she chuckled at the man subjected to this humilation.

As the woman finished her little show of the man, Mia had to say she was a little impressed. She was more the go in, rough 'em up, really get the feelin' of sweat on her skin and the taste of grit in her mouth from having to hit the pavement once or twice kinda gal. Still though, someone able to make a guy defeat himself...she might get frustrated, but this girl'd definitely pose her a challenge. As she told the crowd they were satisfied, Mia scoffed and pushed herself through the crowd enough to be noticed, pushing her fingers into her lips and pinching them for a sharp whistle, grabbing her attention.

Mia was dressed in a tench-coat like jacket, with only one tail cascading down her left side, an orange shirt that hugged her frame well, and the equivalent of cargo pants with some thick boots on her feet. Her other hand lifted out of her pocket, clapping along, her thick gloves giving a dusty sound as they met over and over.

"Impressive lass...but I ain't satisfied...~" She smirked and tipped her head up, gesturing towards the woman and herself in equal measure. "You think ya can pull those tricks off on someone who's prepared for ya?~"

[EJ]

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2

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The white-haired kunoichi turned in the direction of the whistle when the young woman from the crowd stepped forth. Sea-green orbs scanned the blonde missy up and down as she clapped and spoke. The people of Notice sure were theatrical. Noone gave the girl a high score for her entrance, but it was whether or not she could back herself up that really mattered. Everyone in the crowd began making sounds of curiosity in the process of the two fighters squaring off with each other; a kunoichi sporting a red, long-sleeved shirt tucked into light arm warmers on her forearms, black leggings and black, lightweight shoes against a dame that looked like a street brawler.

“Fufufu!” The young-looking old lady chuckled. “We’ll just have to see, now won’t we?” Her arms folded behind her back as she pivoted on her left foot to face her next challenger properly. Body slightly turned sideways with her left side facing her opponent, Noone invited the spunky gal to attack first.

“Whenever you’re ready, young one.”

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[yumi222]

Mia's grin grew as the woman seemed to accept her clear challenge, and those in the crowd that recognized her too started to back off. To them the white haired woman was clearly some unique challenge, but the blonde was familiar and dangerous all the same. She flicked her head left, and right, letting out a loud set of cracking noises each time, before lifting her hands into her palms and doing the same to her knuckles, loosening up as she prepared to move forward. Unlike this graceful woman, she was much more of a brawler, which meant-

Rushing forward she moved without much thought, a fist rearing back and going to strike the woman square in the chest. Perhaps not the best approach given what she'd just seen, but Mia liked to get a feel for her opponents first, especially before she considered showing off her trump card. Afterall, why waste her devil fruit on someone who wouldn't be a challenge otherwise? nah, she sought a challenge everytime, so until it was a must for her, or unless she was very very pissed off, her Exploding palms were never her first move, and in some cases, never turned to at all.

[EJ]

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3

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A soft smile reflected from the lithe kunoichi’s lips back to the spirited blonde as she revved herself up for a friendly battle. The girl almost reminded Noone of herself. She seemed really excited for a fight, and was devoid of any maliciousness that the tawny-skinned ninja could sense. This one feels a lot different from the last, Noone noted to herself while doing her best to contain the butterflies fluttering in her tummy. Despite her calm exterior, a cerement of thrill always came over her before fighting a new opponent. Ever the humble optimist, the rogue kunoichi regularly imagined her challengers being capable of skill that’d push her past her current limits and give her a great fight! The Creator taught her to never judge one based on their outer appearance.

When the fairer woman made her first move, Noone remained still and unwavering, holding her initial stance until the young woman was within range to strike. The moment the fist came flying forward, the white-haired traveler leaned a bit to her left in the motion of her left hand whipping from behind her back to meet with the side of her assailant’s hand with intentions of steering the punch off course to miss the kunoichi’s body completely. Immediately following the parry, Noone threw a swift, strong kick to her competitor’s abdomen from her back leg, hoping to catch the young fighter off guard after abruptly striking subsequently to the parry.

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[yumi222]

Mia, ever inherently a brawler and never one to think many steps ahead, wasn't quite ready for the counter that came, but at the same time, she was all too prepared. Growing up on an island of practical monks and constant, 'artistic' fighting, as she referred to it at least, the graceful motions of her opponent were ones she knew well, and ones that had once been almost forced into her as a motor reflex. Thankfully she'd unlearned all that fancy, hoity toity, stupid smarty pants shit years ago. Such fluid motions to her meant your head was too far up your own ass to enjoy a real, guttaral fight.

Still, despite the fact she had not been home in a long time, the nuisance that was the other fighters there still rested in her head, and she'd been waiting to face another one of those types every since she'd gotten her fruit. As she was dipped to one side by the guiding hand, Mia turned her wrist and opened her palm, making sure she had only one foot on the floor before finally-

BOOM.

Not big enough to actually reach her opponent, but maybe enough to throw them just slightly off balance, Mia's hand ignited with an explosion, and with only her toes touching the ground she spun quickly with the force, closing her fist again as she spun. Sadly, she still took the kick, just it was now to the base of her back and still hurt like a bitch, forcing her to grit her teeth as she likely staggered forwards afterwards. Only instead of taking a gut shot like a bitch, now she had an explosion propelled back-handed fist aimed right for this woman's jaw.

[EJ]

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4

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The move in reaction to Noone’s counter was quite clever! The old kunoichi was taken by surprise when a small explosion went off in the palm of her opponent’s hand while her leg was in mid-strike. Shoved slightly off balance, there was little the snowy-haired woman could do when she saw the back of four knuckles flying toward her face. However, the young lady’s fist would pass through Noone’s chin as if she were air, and the kunoichi’s face fluttered into pure white vapor in the likeness of some type of illusion! The ninja’s leg returned to the ground after the trade of blows, but no head sat upon the shoulders of her body!

“What the hell?! We all knew the Blonde Bombshell was a monster, but to knock a woman’s head clean off?!”

The crowd was shocked at the development of the fight that had just begun. One highly-skilled retaliation after another lead to many dropped jaws and bulging eyeballs. “Ayahaya!” A whimsical laugh bellowed throughout the expedient arena. Mist rose up out of Noone’s neck, slowly forming the shape of her head and hair prior to returning to full solidity. Members of the audience appeared even more shocked as the scene unfolded.

“That hasn’t happened to me in decades,” the rogue kunoichi smirked. Even though Noone had been a Logia-class Devil Fruit user since her early years, from the time of being released, she only fought as if she were a normal human being. None of her opponents ever made her use the Misty-Misty Fruit’s power up until this moment. The reactionary transformation that had become like second nature to the kunoichi over the years had slipped her mind.

“That was a really witty move you made,” Noone complimented the girl in front of her. “If I weren’t a Cloud Woman, you would have hit me square in the face!” The green-eyed combatant’s excitement was evident as she spoke – despite many individuals in the crowd staring on in befuddlement. They were still trying to wrap their minds around Noone’s head bursting into a puff of mist.

“What was that explosion in your hand before you started spinning?” The kunoichi inquisited. It was her first time witnessing a fighter with such a potential that the brawler displayed. “Did you eat one of those demon fruits, too?”

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[yumi222]

Letting out a hot breath as she caught her own footing after the kick, Mia had felt her fist connect with something but the kick had sent her forward and bent over before she could see the effect it had...though...as she brought her fist infront of her, why did it feel wet? It didn't have any blood on it...

The cry of the crowd caught her attention, and as she caught the headless woman out the corner of her eye she snapped back around, lifting up her fists cautiously. Unlike everyone else who was scared and worried, Mia was cautious and analyzing.There was no blood, no actual head...yeah. This wasn't right, and the laughter to follow only proved her initial theory right. Gritting her teeth in annoyance as the little twist in her opponent was revealed.

"Heh, so that's your shtick eh? Ya hear rumors o' your types but I didn't think they'd be true...how you're invulnerable and shit!" Lowering her arms, she let her palms open up at her sides, small sparks coming from her skin as she gazed down her opponent as she revealed they were on equal footing. "It's a devil fruit, and thanks for giving me an excuse to use mine...Now I won't feel guilty when I kick your ass!"

Both hands infront of her she lifted her feet off the ground and fired off two blasts, sending herself flying backwards, tucking in her legs and moving her hands behind her, blasting off rapid-fire this time as she pushed herself through the air like a cannonball, ready to shoot out her legs in a double footed kick to the woman's torso.

"Lets see how invulnerable ya are!"

[EJ]

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5

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Noone braced herself into a fighting stance once again after the blonde’s words about kicking her ass. Her lips still shaped into a smile, she observed the movements of her opponent as they began their next assault. One thing she picked up about the Blonde Bombshell so far was that the woman appeared to be very gung-ho. She liked to charge forward with immense power and energy, but thanks to her Devil Fruit, she didn’t suffer from the same consequences one would normally face from that. Both combatants were irregular fighters in their own rights, and knowing a bit more about what to expect, the svelte kunoichi upped the ante herself.

The ivory-haired old lady jumped straight up into the air, throwing a punch down toward her challenger as she ascended high enough to evade the girl’s trajectory. The punch was no ordinary strike however, for the entirety of Noone’s appendage was a thick plume of white vapor, blasting forth and extending at an incredible speed for Mia’s face! While her whole limb was an unnaturally long, arm-shaped cloud, the Vapor Woman’s fist still remained the same size as normal – although that didn’t mean it wasn’t packing a lot of brawn. The vaporous arm was also a condensed one, which’d feel every bit of solid as a regular fist – especially considering the impact of the water molecules traveling at a high speed. Both women were moving fast, and as such, Noone’s punch was lined up to meet its targeted area with intentions of smashing the younger woman down to the ground to prevent her whiffed attack from flying into the crowd.

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[yumi222]

Used to far weaker opponents, the sudden motions of the older woman easily caught Mia before she could truly react. Her eyes grew wide as she spotted that arm coming down towards her, yelling out instinctively, caught midair with very little she could do in terms of movement. She threw her arms forward, trying to hit the breaks and reverse but it was too late. She thankfully managed to kill her momentum with another explosion but the impact was still hard and heavy, and without skidding along the floor, she still managed to hit it pretty hard.

"AGH FUCK!"

Gripping the back of her head, thankfully her more trained and durable body not bleeding from the heavy impact, she rolled to her knees, grasping her head for a moment till the pain subsided, her eyes glaring through her messy hair at her opponent as they landed. How could she test if she was invulnerable if she couldn't even land a hit on her!?

"Fine! All out for you then!" Lowering her hands, Mia tore off the lower half of her pants. The sound of a zipper said they were probably designed to be turned into shorts. All the same she tossed away the excess fabric and her hands flickered once again, barreling forward, propelled by her explosions. This time she went for a zig-zag motion, making it hard to tell where she was ultimately coming from, finally going in for a last burst of speed, swinging her leg out and across her bare-calve hard as a rock, and as she got close, Mia would set off her devil fruit, firing off an explosion using the entire surface area of her calve to try and make the explosion as large as possible.