Jokes and Mayhem: Around The Clock [Gazzerino & Squashie]

[Deleted]

SPOILER: Click to show

Mission #149
Someone appears that has an uncanny appearance to one of the characters in the story. To make things worse, they claim to be that person from the future!

"What the fuck..." The popping and clamor of bubbles filled the fresh cool air with a commotion of miniature moist explosions. Gargantuan green trees with stripes resembling those of candy canes all sprouted out from the ground beneath and towered over the surroundings. The trees extended so far into the sky that the clouds were hardly in view and only the bright morning light peeked through the foliage above. It was quite serene to look at, this picturesque frame of nature. A warmth of yellow and green riddled with various shades of gray and umber made up a majority of the cityscape laid in front of her. How beautiful the architecture, the scenery, and the fashion all was. There was just a single issue with all of this though, a simple question.

"...How the fuck did I get here?" Jades cried out inquisitively.

All around the dual colored clown were ordinary faces in ordinary places. The grassy streets were busy with activity and the commoners all chatted away their trivial chatter. Yet, something was highly off here. Just a few seconds prior, a similar scene processed in Jades' eyes but in a much different light in a much more different world. This was no island the lunatic lass had ever encountered before or ever heard of. How exactly she came upon this destination was unknown and the feeling of uncertainty made her quite uneasy. Unbeknownst to her, this psychotic center of attention was surrounded by the groundwork of something great to come. But what force or forces were exactly approaching?

"Holy shite on a kite...Can someone explain to me what the hell just happened?" The tone in her voice was frantic and desperate but laced in toxic aggression, clearly meant to suggest the bitter frustration at not knowing the phenomenon that brought her to this island of trees. Jades kept a tight grimace locked on her face, with icy blue eyes darting menacingly back and forth and a bare mess of white radiant stones meeting the sight of any unfortunate passerby looking straight at her. None dared to walk directly towards the demented damsel in the shape she was in now. While she seethed in her own irritation and anger, Jades allowed dozens of people to skirt by as they all hoped this stranger would spare them. Alas, this ephemeral moment of peace was not meant to last.

With a flicker and twist, the harlot hand's spun itself and began to expand. Her fingers extended and then they would bend in as both appendages danced around and turned to a symphony of movement. The air became frigid and loose and all around people felt tight like a noose. Their bodies resisted yet a force began to twist them. It twisted them towards the pale painted lady who stood there silently conducting their direction with simple hand motion. Soon enough, their feet left the floor and their bodies were sent flying freed of foreign forces. 

"I have no idea where I am. I have no idea who you are. I don't even know WHEN I am. So answer me this before I send these people off to the New World!...WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?!"

[Kami-Gaz]

Thud. ‘Why does my head hurt?’ Thud. ‘What happened?’ Thud. ‘What’s going on?’ Thoughts ran through the masked Jesters head as she awoke from her slumber, confused and baffled. To her she was just in a bar fight with a strange group of people and one of them had a devil fruit… after that darkness and she was here. Her eyes opened and she was laying inside some old cabin, what was more confusing was the fact that there was this constant popping sound coming from outside. “Wha…? Zis zounds like one of ze ztory books…” She said in a thick accent, obviously not paying attention to her surroundings or what she was wearing at the time.

The girl was still in her trademark Jester costume but her mask was lying on her lap, leaving her face uncovered as she. Quickly she would hop up and run to look outside the broken window, the scenery outside was quite different from the industrial streets she was used too. They world was green, massive trees everywhere and buildings built into them and all around the grassy area. The air was full of bubbles of all sizes and the ground covered in people carrying on their daily lives. This was Saobody? The place that her god talked about constantly, he loved this place. It made her scowl as she realised her mask had fallen to the floor.

As the girl donned her mask and tucked her lime green hair under the belled coxcomb that she wore to conceal it and complete her jesters look. The masks pattern matched the red and brown colours of her patchy uniform, the only oddity here was the fact that. “I think it’s time to burn this place to the ground.” Her accent had faded, she was forcing some fake deeper voice to conceal her gender, and she bandaged her chest up tight for the same reason. The girl’s bells jingled gently as she leant over and picked up her trusty Banjo, the only thing besides her mask that she managed to keep form her time in the sky.

As the masked girl walked out of the cabin, banjo in hand she wondered again, just how did she get here? Was this a dream? If so could she do anything she wanted? Before she got a real chance to think on those questions there was a shout from a girl nearby, well more of a scream… pained? Or not it was disturbing.

“IT’S HER! IT’S IRONWING ERICA! SHE’S ON SAOBODY I GOTTA GET TICKETS!” Rang though out the small area, who? She shared a name with Erica but the jester had never heard of Ironwing, nor did she care for that matter, she wanted to burn this place down.

“Tch, zheese morons don’t know what is hitting zhem.” The girl murmured beneath her mask as she started to strum on her banjo and hum a few notes as she walked, looking for a good target to destroy. “Run and tell all the angels~ this could take all~ night~.” Rang softly in the air as she hummed. 

SPOILER: Click to show

[Deleted]

Each and every person amongst the chaos was silent. Well, that wasn't entirely true what with the swirling, screaming mess of bodies violently thrashing and crashing into each other. For in the center of an unknown street in some unknown grove of Sabaody was the repugnant ringmaster, orchestrating this very show. She patiently awaited a response to her seemingly rhetorical question as none stepped up to answer this highly puzzling interrogation. After all, who could answer it for her? These bystanders were merely minding their own business when this hostile harlot appeared out of nowhere to assault them. If anything, they were the ones to be asking the question of who the hell she was and where she came from. But that thought never crossed their minds, very few ideas pop up when one is petrified in a state of panic. 

Without any answer to satisfy her curiosity, Jades felt the need to provide this population with some incentive. From the looks of things, there were certainly a few loved ones encircling her which meant she could perhaps persuade a preferable solution out of this infernal bedlam. However, it seemed out of character for her. Aside from the orbit she started, Jades felt her actions were unfitting of what the mad maiden would normally do. Hostages? Negotiation? What sort of deranged low life would prioritize diplomatic accord over a homicidal inquiry? Certainly not this gal. Well then, the decision was made. And here I almost showed some kindness. That was close.

The tight sneer plastered upon her pretty pale face disappeared or was rather replaced with a certain other emotion. Her eyes relaxed almost to a state of suggestiveness, leering over the masses unsure of which of the countless methods she had planned would be used to deal with them all. Those bright red lips loosened and smoothed into a gentle voluptuous curve of crimson, veiling the ghastly rows of ivory planted deep within. Even her body language was translated to a much more delicate and conservative frame. Before her pose implied the desire for combat, yet now the malevolent minx held a stance of collected determination with no distinct aura of malice or aggression. The whole world continued to breathe on with suspense hanging in the air by a thin strand of faith. Faith, the people had, that she would not do what they thought she would. A wide grin stretched over Jades' cheeks.

"Thrust."

Shouts, cries, screams and wails all resonated through the town. As couples and parents, children and siblings all flew uncontrollably in random directions, the blonde buxom bitch cackled in joy. Mothers ran in terror to catch their sons whilst boyfriends jumped up in distress to protect their spouses from the hard ground beneath. All around her, Jades witnessed chaos at its finest. The public was in shambles and ready to start talking. Only there was a slight problem. The public was in shambles. As loudly and urgently as they were cried out to, no one stopped to respond for the masked menace. Why all of the townspeople present were just about ready to call in the Marines or even some other local bounty hunters to settle this mess. Hell, even another pirate would be good enough if it meant that they could relax the situation. Whatever the case, it was no good for this gal. 

Interestingly enough, the harlequin chose not to express herself as she had done before. Jades knew well enough that increasing the tension between herself and this crowd would only serve to make things worse. If she could just get them to sit down, shut up and pay attention then everything would be fine and she could go on about her day as normal. Okay...so these people aren't gonna listen to questioning and they don't react well with a little bit of the ultra violence...How do I go about this? For a good second or two, our mad maiden of mayhem stood pondering in the middle with chaos and disorder playing beautifully in the background. She thought it over, with chin in hand and eyes to the floor, what exactly she could use to get someone to answer...And that's when the bulb glowed with ferocity. Someone. One. Jades knew, or thought in her batty little mind, she only needed one person to tell her the truth. All this vixen had to do was simply mash up the past two choices before. 

At the top of her lungs Jades shouted into the panicked frenzy, "So I'll say this once again and you have three seconds to reply." The citizens of Sabaody paused themselves in motion, clearly terrified of this woman and her incessantly strange questions. "Where am I? And how did I get here?" Only hushed murmurs and desperately distraught whispers were heard throughout the crowd, nothing understandable. A mere sigh left the scarlet crescents of flesh upon her face.

"3..."

"2..."

"1..."

[Kami-Gaz]

Screams and shouts muffled the sounds of the jesters music, people were either having fun or being targeted. Either way it was over on the next Grove and Erica had to cross the bridge, it was not too far away. As she moved she would hear more and more screams, and one distinct voice shouting over them. What was going on? It was certainly odd, even for a place like Saobody, and this was a place where nearly every major name on the sea gathers.

"So I'll say this once again and you have three seconds to reply." A female shouted, silencing the crowd, she seemed angry and confused… Erica was confused herself, and was going to worry about how she got to Saobody herself later but she wanted to cause havoc first. The silence as broken as the girl went to carry on moving forwards but was stopped by this crazy clown next shouts. “Where am I? And how did I get here?” Now this was something that rang with Erica, she herself had only just arrived here by some unknown means and wanted to know how… The jester didn’t get time to think because the odd woman started to count.

“3..” Should Erica answer?

“2..” She had no idea what this person was capable of.

“1…” Erica strummed her banjo after clicking her tone dial as the music played she walked closer and closer to the angry woman with a tilted head and a smirk hidden behind her patterned mask.

SPOILER: Click to show

“You’re on Saobody archipelago Missy, just like me you got here and don’t know how… I say we work together to find out.~” She sang in a feigned male tone, still hiding who she was female. This entire situation could go south, this person could turn hostile, so she kept playing the tune as she took a few more steps forwards. The jester was stepping through the crowd and after a few moments she got to the front and saw the woman who was causing all of this commotion. As she arrived at the front of the crowd the music started to die down and so did the peoples confusion.

There was an odd feeling that hit the jesters stomach as she saw a woman who had a very similar dress style. The smirk turned into more of a friendly smile but no one could see it. “Or you can carry on screaming and shouting like a baby!” She joked, her banjo till in a position ready to play, though she was in a stance that looked like it belong to a fighter more than the musician she was pretending to be.

More strings were played as she started to hum the song she was singing before the screams started and they disrupted her. The people who had cause them were on the bridges that lead out of the grove now, the only other sound besides Erica’s banjo and hum was the sound of popping bubbles.

[Deleted]

"Baby?..." Her eye twitched noticeably at the remark. Did he just call me...a fuckin' baby? Her bright blue eyes widened in disbelief as further convulsions pursued. Although her question had been answered, Jades felt an inkling of indignation at the attitude this preposterously pompous stranger emitted. Who the hell was he (or she?) to come down to this cesspool of insanity and tell her what to do? Not to mention this jubilant jester played on its instrument as it talked on and on. Did it not realize the level of damage and destruction the haughty harlot was capable of? Why Jades was so infuriated she neglected to realize that those involved in that outrageous display before were running off to find medical assistance and any Marines in the area to help settle this situation. It was of no importance though. She knew where she was now, Sabaody Archipelago. The name didn't ring a bell but she was certain that it wasn't in South or North Blue. But wherever it was didn't matter at all. Now that Jades was aware some otherworldly force had brought not one but two to this strange island, she had time to interrogate, and with only one victim to worry about.

Her stance shifted to match the direction from where the stranger stood. Maintaining a calm composure, she inquired of the thing, "So you know enough about this place, eh? What's your name and uhm genetic disposition?" Indeed it was a bizarre question to ask but it'd be hard understanding this fiend without getting a grasp on who they were as a whole. And once the blonde babe got her answer, male or female, the stranger was sure to answer once Jades exerted a bit of pressure. She kept a firm grip on the iron hammer beside her thigh. Soon enough...though, why wait? After all, the citizens reacted naught to a mere shout in the wind but did express themselves clearly after an orbital ride of disorder. Surely it wouldn't hurt to engage in another round of this destructive debauchery she found so pleasing, would it?

I just need her to stay in range for me to use it...Maybe I'll get closer in. I still have some inches before I can blow her away... Creeping ever so gently, she tip toed her way over to the masked madman and attempted to strike a conversation with them to keep up the facade that she wasn't about to attack. "So I see you have uhm wings? That's new. I uhm never heard of anyone who...who had those on their uh back, and can you fly with those, are th-they even real, what kinda instrument is that, do you like music so much that YOU HAVE TO PLAY IT WHILE YOU'RE TALKING?!" At the final note of that articulate barrage of conversing, Jades immediately swept her arm across the air and restarted the circle of influence used before. With nothing else to stand in her way she rushed on toward the figure with a raised metal mallet and extended right hand.

[Kami-Gaz]

Was she angry? Did the jester say something to offend her? Ehh she could not have Erica was being friendly and joking after all. The jester nodded slowly in response to her question, watching each movement as she continued to play her banjo, not even singing, just watching. It was when the woman started walking forwards with her hand near the shaft of iron hammer that Erica chuckled and started taking a few steps back, if this were to break out into a fight she would need to keep the ranged advantage. “Oh me? I am nothing but a zimple jester~. And this iz my first time ‘ere so, so I am lost too~.” The masculine sounding voice faded and her accent slipped into her words but she essentially maintained her ruse. The feeling of an over bearing pressure was looming on Erica, was it her instincts going wild? Or was it something else, was she sensing an ominous danger?

“As for my disposition? I feel inclined towards both ends of the spectrum~.” A smirk returned to her lips that were hidden behind the mask. This was when many questions were asked in a hasty manner, why? Erica didn’t know but this clown baby woman was certainly inquisitive. The questions came thick and fast and the girl barely had time to open her mouth before the act of violence begun. Erica jumped backwards and with her arms gripping her banjo as she did a reverse roll to gain that extra distance she sneered. “Un baril de rires!” She shouted before pulling the hidden trigger on her banjo, as she held it down the same sound came out loud *Thonk* and then a slight clicking noise in quick succession. Out of the base of the banjo fired out bolt after bolt through a small hole in the wood. It was about a second before the noise stopped and a flurry of about 30 bolts had been unleashed in the mad woman’s direction. All the while Erica was running backwards

“These wings? I was born with them….” She finally answered as she turned around to run away faster, taking full advantage of her sky person physiology and natural lightness to get away quicker and use this vital time to mess with her pursuer. “I’m a sky person, these are real but they are too small to let me fly~. Though I don’t need to fly to escape you~.” The trigger happy jester jested as she leapt over a large chest height tree root that was in her way, her light body letting her jump so high. “Oh come on you don’t like a jester that can play and talk at the same time? You are just being a spoil spot!”

The girl jumped onto another root of a tree and stood there lining up a shot, though it was hard with the angle and all of the roots making the terrain so difficult. “Gah, juz a little clozer.” She said now in her feminine tones, confident that one shot should take the aggressive clown woman down. It is a real shame that Erica did not realise she was a devil fruit eater and her devil fruit ability would catch her sooner than she thought.

[Deleted]

As if the day couldn't get any more bizarre, this seemingly feminine foe decided to hurl off an entire nation's worth of arrows straight into Jades' face. If it hadn't been for her active movement and rush of adrenaline prior to initiating the offensive, she would not have had the reflexes to quickly duck and roll away from the incoming onslaught. However, the counterattack was indeed successful in causing a state of momentary panic seeing as how it nearly skewered the white faced clown. She kept rolling across the dirt floor until she was sure that the enemy was far enough to be considered at a safety distance. Jades looked on in shock and anger knowing she had been upstaged by this avian assailant. That instrument served as a huge disadvantage as well for the golden hair girl what with its ranged capability and blazing fast firing rate. Twas a shame, she thought that the Kidou Kidou no Mi was unable to form an orbit strong enough to intercept such tiny projectiles. In that moment of patience, she had only the most enlightening words to express her opinion on such matters, 

"WHAT THE HELL?!!" 

Oh how profound. But quite accurate. Jades had always resented those who preferred the use of ranged weaponry over those of close combat. The reasoning for it was quite biased as the logic behind the preference solely derived from her desire to entrap her opponent into the orbit. There was no philosophical palaver on the unfairness or cowardly act of hiding behind distance rather than engaging in a fight head on. None of that. She simply hated that this blood clad angel had gotten the better of her after she assembled the entire idea of distracting and attacking it. "Ohohoho, I am so calling you out for cheating, Bird Brain! Come down and fight me like a uhm whatever you are?!" 

Recovering from the surprise before, Jades stood herself upright and resumed the remnant force of the orbit she used a few minutes ago. Though the spinning gesture of her hand gave off the impression of something other than a strange physical quirk (like say a Devil Fruit), Jades knew that she had to gain back the advantage regardless if her opponent was aware of her ability. Because if this battle was going to be decided by firepower, then she'd give it to him/her. Around and around it went, the air itself flowing along the circular path acting as the indicator that the ring was ready. She smirked once again and this time began to chuckle to herself as her free hand slowly slipped onto the slithering steel belt wrapped around her waist. Adorned with dozens upon dozens of small argent shells, the belt fell apart from Jades' pants and hung from her free hand.

"Y'know." she remarked with an aura of arrogance around her. "Normally I'm not one to stoop this low with the guns and the arrows and the bullshit ammo that people like you tend to choose." Her belt wrapped arm cocked back into a throwing position. "But well, you've drawn my hand." Jades swiftly jerked her arm, releasing all the bullets from their individual cases and flinging them into the air in front of her. "Now let's see what the prize is!" In an instant, the soaring pile of metal scraps all seemingly froze in midair, almost suspended in a petrified state of time. The widest grin flashed on Jades' dopey pale face. One second later and the gray bits all moved in conjunction, collaboratively swimming around in a transparent ellipse of air and nothing else. Their speed gained and faster and faster this silver ring of shells became. At first, there were merely a few stretched lines of metal forming along a horizontal plane perpendicular to the clown's vertical body. But soon, the broken circle of steel accelerated and transformed into an argent ring of destruction.

"I hope you haven't eaten in a while! Cuz you're gonna need some iron in your diet!" With her trusty orbit of bullets, she had probably leveled the playing field. However, the jumping jester did not appear to be the type one could lure in so easily. And guessing by the rate of the weapon "IT" had, a closer encounter would only spell doom for Venus. Then it was settled. If she couldn't go in headfirst, then there was only one tactic to use, hit and run. A crackling cackle shred the silence of Sabaody as the celestial sinner began her assault.

[Kami-Gaz]

These reactions were glorious, the clown woman was angry and fuming and it made the winged Jester gleeful. All of this happiness caused Erica to grin widely as she lined the shot up to be perfectly on the woman’s forehead, it was to be a kill shot to end this. That was when the multi coloured hair girl shouted the greatest of insults. “Bird brain.” Erica’s grin vanished as she clicked a small button changing the banjo’s firing mode from rapid shot to sniper, she was making sure that this bitch had a hole in her skull now.

Re aligning the shot was hard, the clown was fidgeting with her belt, taking it off? Was she going to strip down and distract her? Did she really believe Erica was actually a guy… well most people do but she let herself slip a lot today especially… ‘Oh well just wait for her to stop and wait… is she going to throw zhat belt?’ She thought in her mind as she realised that this was a weird revelation, not even considering that there was a devil fruit in play. “Bonsoir Mademoiselle Baby~” Erica sang as she pulled the trigger, in unison with Jades throwing her belt in front of her.

The bolt flew and was just above metal and just as Jades threw up her field they all stopped in their tracks, aloft in the air. The jester froze, fear gripped her as she realised this. “Non non non non…” Stuttering in fear Erica tried to move but all that happened was her muscles clenched, her feet were firmly planted and her arms still locked with her banjo aimed at the clowns head. However she just couldn’t move, couldn’t pull the trigger. ‘Bad bad very bad… I gotta shoot, gotta keep shooting! MOVE.’ The scared jester internally screamed before tears streamed out of her eyes and out from under her mask, whether or not Jades saw them was a different question.

The feeling of fear and resentment welled and welled as the girl remembered bad things, watching so many deaths… After all Erica had been running from a man with a devil fruit her entire life, she never had a chance to really stop and understand them. “I-I I Give… ” She said softly, barely loud enough to hear herself. The girl was visibly starting to shake as she watched her bolt and this metallic line spin around the clown.

Erica to sum all of this up, was a mess and no longer able to fight, the sight of a devil fruit power being used devastated her mentally… She thought she was dead as something strange happened, one of the civilians who was hiding suddenly pointed to the sky and screamed out “IT’S THE IRON ANGEL!!” As the scream echoed a beam of blue light shot through the air piercing the sphere of orbit and landing by Jades feet. It came from above, from an angel like figure. The light behind it makes it look like a silhouette, their face unable to be seen but the sound of iron metallic wings could be heard flapping.



“Leave ze girl alone!” Shouted a familiar voice from above.

[Deleted]

"Wh-what...?" A scorched patch of earth smoked next to her trembling leather boot.

All the talk, all the buildup she had done for this moment collapsed at this very instant. Jades stood in shock and awe, petrified by the power she had just witnessed. As a matter of fact, the ghastly faced ghoul was even more terrified of the fact that she had not the slightest idea what crossed her eye. One second, the 'Celestial' pirate began to rush toward her foe and the next, a flash of light interrupted her cycle. Wh-what just happened right now? Is this a dream? she nervously asked in her head. Suddenly, a voice out of her view exclaimed upon the arrival of someone named the Iron Angel. Could that person have been responsible for the attack that saved little miss dodo over there? She had to see this stranger with her own eyes. Doing the best she could not to move her body, Jades eyed up to where the blast seemed to originate from. And...suspended above the town, cloaked in darkness with the sun behind it, stood the Angel itself. The haunted harlequin's heart dropped at the sight of such an ominous being. Wh-who is that? Wh-what? What is that?! She was absolutely speechless...But the person in flight wasn't.

"Leave ze girl alone!"

A chill passed through her body with the sudden realization that this was all so very very wrong. That accent...That voice...It couldn't possibly be...Wings! It- no she -has wings! It sounded absolutely insane even more so coming from this girl. Yet there was a quality to this woman- Jades was sure of her gender now- that screamed she was something more than just a fearsome legend. The traits she possessed were undoubtedly similar to Bird Brain over there, that was for sure. A peculiar accent, wings and ranged weaponry...One doesn't see all those in a single person just like that! The only question Jades had for this predicament was how? How on earth could there be a deadlier version of the woman she had faced prior to this interference? Perhaps she was a relative? A teacher? Maybe even a guardian? It just all didn't add up in her blonde pretty head. If it weren't for the fear that froze her in place, Jades would have been smacking her face at such a puzzle. Instead, she was confined to stand in place and watch this figure making her way toward her. Ahhh, shit. Where did this bitch come from? I can't believe this is happening right now. Of all the days to meet up with...with...what's that noise? 

Silently, a vague mishmash of sound crawled on upon the three fighters. Closer and closer it approached them until the din of human uproar was made clearly audible. Various shouts and exclamations were emanating from the nearing entities, steel clanged with each rumbling stomp  the mysterious adversaries took, and inhabitants all ran out of the way with visibly joyful smirks upon their dopey dumb faces. Jades threw caution to the wind and turned her head to see what was the problem. Just as she had done before in her first conflict with these residents, the heated harlot wasted no time in reforming her visage to match her mood. With bare teeth seething in rage and wide open eyes staring, she said exactly what any pirate would logically answer to this situation, "No fucking way."


The Marines had arrived.

[Deleted]

Three minutes ago...

She walked on toward the noise. A tumultuous symphony that resonated with the sentimental frequency of her own heart. With every explosion, every terror-filled scream, her chest boomed in excitement. The crowds around her were not fans of the bedlam rumbling across the other grove. Sabaody was full of trouble but even this sounded like a mess best left to the Marin...oh. Speak of the devil. The enigma thought to herself just as the crashing of boots came roaring in from behind her. Only now did I the woman realize just how dire the situation may be for the ones responsible for the ruckus up ahead. This was no ordinary Naval force heading in their direction but several squadrons worth of Marines. Whoever was to blame for today's eventful afternoon was sure to have an audience with this maiden of mystery. 

As she stalked the troops toward the area of interest, the most peculiar target caught her eye. Oh my...that couldn't possibly be? The nameless lady stared on at the disaster that was about to break open in this scene. ...Let me get this party started, shall we?

---

Present Time

Jades moaned in misery as the Marine threat approached her and these bird brained morons. "Why do I have the worst luck of all time?!" she screamed out as the men in the white coats surrounded her, a usually unwise decision considering her ability. However, in that moment, the men with clear knowledge of who she was were prepared for any startup of an attack by straying far away from the psychotic clown's field of influence. Jades grimaced at every angle at which her face met the visage of another squared jawed soldier. Each of these men were highly experienced and unbeknownst to her were far above the cut of Marines in the Blues. In other words, there was no escape for the lovely lady lamenting her losses. "Just kill me now already..." All around her she could hear rifles being cocked, all aimed at her dainty little figure. No hope, there was no hope. Venus swore to whatever higher power there was and only wished she could have eaten Kaiser the Fishman as a hardcore sushi plate. "Sushi...save me." Every firearm ignited with a boom and the blonde buxom closed her eyes in fear...

"I didn't take you for a coward, y'know." There was merely a pause of disbelief and amazement. Jades opened her eyes, unsure how she had survived that ordeal. She was unsure of many things but especially at the marvel of her still living, breathing self. The second concern? Standing right beside her with an enormous ellipse of argent fragments was a slightly aged reflection of herself, devoid of a black mask and appearing more confident than smug like she is now. If it weren't for the collective gasps of shock by every Marines in the area, Jades' own scream of surprise would have deafened the entire archipelago. The very next words by a nearby soldier confirmed Jades' own fears. "TH-THAT'S?! THAT'S THE REAL JADES?!" Those last two words sent arctic level chills up and down each orifice of her complexion. Real Jades? As in, she wasn't the one they were looking for? Yet even as her widened eyes stared deeply into the matching blue hues in front of her, Jades couldn't help but think they were both genuine Venuses. They were both the real Venus Jades.

"You're a mess, sweetie...Let's go global." At the instant this woman's words left her lips, every intercepted bullet rocketed out of their locked positions and were sent soaring through the air in an orchestrated massacre of Marines. Blood spilt from three hundred and sixty directions all with a pained shout following the incantation of death uttered by this older duplicate. "Wh-what?! Who the hell are you?! What is going on?! Why am I here?!" Her aged twin simply looked on with pleasant eyes, completely ignoring everything her younger counterpart asked. Jades only kept interrogating this stranger without any answers to satisfy her inquiries. The insanity continued when further navy men armed to the teeth moved on with ruthless aggression against this pair of doppelgangers. They only fought in vain since with the wave of a hand, they were all swept away in one swift motion and sent flying to the next Grove over. Holy shit, man...If this is me, I turn out pretty awesome. Praises aside, Jades saw that the two marksmen from before were still around and for some reason chose not to do anything. The older pirate took notice of the disturbance and faced the elder winged sniper with posh. Even with the distance between them, Jades saw her older self begin to twist her wrist just as she did before only a stranger sensation could be felt all across the Grove.

A soft rumbling and crackling could be heard across the ground. Certain lines across the air were beginning to distort and beginning to form into blurred streams of gas. Underneath her feet, the Celestial assassin sensed the trembling and violent jerking of dirt and wood working behind this veneer of grass. "Um...what are you doing?" she asked with curiosity and wonder. As expected there was no response to meet the question but an oral reply was unnecessary in this situation. This was no time for declarations but the time for demonstration. The older harlequin abruptly crossed her arms and without warning, the titanic trees adjacent to the Angel above came crashing together and seemingly crushed the menace in a single instance. A flick at the masked clown and future Jades sent the woman propelling toward the next city. In a matter of seconds, this woman had cleared up the Marines and the two enemies her younger self had fought prior to this arrival. The only thing the 'real' Jades could say was, "hAghuwhatthaHWgawApgdahhhhhh."

"Oh dear...I hope this doesn't mean much for m- uhhhhhh."