Blood of the Throne

Proposal
Seated upon a throne located within the very chambers of a old and broken castle of Cartecielo, Freyja steered down upon the individual currently standing in front of her with a bemused look on her face as she awaits his answer to her proposal. Having heard so much about said individual she was determined to enlist him with her growing crew already seeing the benefits of having him by her side.

"What say you to my proposal, Constantin?" she questioned leaning slightly forward as her Ascalon merely crossed his arms watching the Pirate in front of her closely. "I believe my proposal would benefit both of us rather well." she finished as she smiles towards him.

"You say there are benefits," Constantin's gaze drifted from the silver-haired woman seated upon the tattered throne before him, and the large lionesque figure behind her. "I do not doubt you," He returned his gaze to her, "make that certain. Though, I would prefer to witness these benefits myself. Might I suggest a counter proposal, if you would hear me out?"

Raising her right hand to stop the outburst that was building within Ascalon, Freyja merely crossed and uncrossed her legs as she stead herself in a more comfortable position while registering him with a raised eyebrow. "That is highly reasonable, Very well I’ll hear your counter proposal" she replied while mentally taking notes of his bartering skills.

While Freyja was humoring Constantine by listing to his counter proposal Ascalon was not he continued to glare at the lone pirates believing he should just join Freyja without fuss seeing as she clearly was the stronger party, however knowing he’d only upset Freyja with his disagreement he kept his mouth shut.

Constantin gave her a brief and respectful smile as a form of gratitude. "I hear there is a war between a crew of pirates and the World Government for claim over this island." His ears pricked and twitched just a bit at mentioning the World Government, With a wicked yet subtle grin, the pale pirate requested, "Allow me a one-night-admittance into the base held by the marines, allow me to slaughter whatever marine I set my gaze upon, and then I will return to you. If you assist me in getting in and out of the base alive, I will ungrudgingly offer you my service and sword to use at your disposal. What do you say?"

At his request a large smile broke out upon her face as her mind went into over drive at the prospect of his involvement, dispite it’s recent downfall Cartecelio is a excellent place where she could essentially build her crew, the surrounding islands have an abundance of recourses and are mainly protected by Sea Kings. "That is an excellent idea Constantine" she finally replied with a look of pure excitement and greed within her eyes.

"Yes, it’s is a very wonderful idea" she repeated as she noted Ascalon giving her a Questioned looked at her sudden excitement. "Very well I will allow you t participate within the war and slaughter to your pleasure". She spoke as she rose from the throne and began walking towards him. "I’ll also guarantee you a way to escape alive when you had your fill of flood in exchange for your loyalty". Freyja finished as she stood infront of him with her hand help out for a handshake in a gesture to seal their deal.

The large, monster-like man couldn't help but grin maliciously once more, again shifting his gaze between the two. He turned his gaze back onto Freyja, who was now standing before him with her hand held out in front of him. "So be it. Once the sun rises and I've had my fill, I'll be yours to command." He held out out his cold, dead hand and shook hers. His eyes glowed a deep red. ''A step forward in the right direction. ''He thought to himself. "The night's hunt will surely be an exquisite one."

Shallow Graves
Far away from the ruined castle of the once majestic kingdom of Cartecilo in one of the ruined towns of the lower section of the island a large battle could be heard thriving as gunshots rung out and screams shatter the silence of the night as Pirates clash against Marines for dominance of the town which would proven a corral location for victory in this war.

"Don’t allow thoese Marine scum to get any closer we have to defend our postion" yelled out a random Pirate before he was silenced by a gunshot to the head as a marine rifle squad lined up along a roof top before they too were killed off as a stray canon from one of the ships currently engaged in naval battle. Not far from that location is another group of pirates currently being outnumbered by the Marines who themselves looked to be nearly winning and another group of Pirates celebrating their small victory of taking control of the docks. Standing on one of the ships currently docked within the docks is a man of large physic watching in satisfaction as a marine vessel sink and the crew aboard it killed off. "That’s it men slaughter all the Marines this battle will be our win" he shouted out towards the scatter of Pirates all whom shouted in agreement before resuming their battles.

"I Kai Sanjō, Swear this kingdom will be ours and then we will live like gods with all the abundant resources it contains" he shouted out as he began to slaughter a group of marines who attempted to ambush him from behind all the while unaware of the looming danger that was approaching which would turn the war on its head.

While the Pirates held strong along the coastal town, the Marines decided to make their stand a bit deeper with the island setting up their stronghold within the thick of the forest which had the added effect of supporting protective disguise.

"It seem’s that the Pirates have managed to take control of the costal ports Sir." Saluted a marine as he stood within on of the many tents surrounding the area. "We also revived word that our reinforcement supplyship was sunk by the Pirate Captain, Commander Springfield" another saluted as he awaited the reply from his superior.

Gritting his teeth in anger at the prospect of losing such an excellent location to Pirate scum Springfield glared heavily at the map in front of him. "Send support to the western border squad of they took the beach them the west coast is next" he ordered as his eye’s scanned the location around the map trying to find a place that would give them the advantage.

I cannot afford to lose this place this will be my big chance I need to get myself that promotion I rightfully deserve. He thought furiously as he once again ordered his troops to spread out and support the putter ring, which in his anger he failed to realize was a mistake as it left a large hole with the southern section of their base camp.

Making his way towards the room, which he knew Gerhard had converted into a temporary office, Ascalon squeezed his massive frame within the much smaller door frame, knocking a few objects over in the process. The room itself was simple, a few candles in different heights and over various objects, as several medical items stood spread there.

"My mistake Gerhard, I'll pay for the damage later. However, we have a bit of urgency at the moment," he started as his eyes fell upon the Horseman of Conquest, arguably one of the more dangerous members within their growing crew. "Freyja has instructed you to guid our new prospect in his mission". Ascalon finished, as he made his way over toward the smaller man before placing a map down in front of him.

"She requires you to smuggle him into a Marine base located here, within the western woods along the coastal border". He instructed, pointing towards the location. "Then, when his fill is to be finished, you're going to bring him back out, unharmed." Ascalon stated, glancing at Gerhard out of the corner of his eye. "If he appears to be in danger, you're permitted to intervene and eliminate the threat. Subtly, of course, as we don't want to bruise the ego of a possible recruit". He finished while awaiting his response.

Cheeks puffed, Gerhard rose his eyebrows and replied, "Nah, Boss, don't worry about it." Being somewhat tall himself, at seven and half feet, Gerhard found it hard to step into some rooms. Ascalon had arrived to a shirtless Gerhard, as he had been patching a few wounds on his chest, on his shoulder and upper biceps, tattoos of crow's wings were found. Nevertheless, he still had his signature mask.

"Sorry for not answering t'call of earlier," He mused, rubbing some cotton against the gushes on his chest, "Y'see, I came across a rather troublesome Marine." His neck tilted, eyebrows back on place. As soon as the rubbing had been done, Gerhard continued, "Commodore Kurosho, or rather, Naosaki Jun. Her Logia and Busoshoku combination were fearsome..."

Nevertheless, he listened in to Ascalon's words, all the while donning his signature shirt and jacket, "Ah, I see, I see." Gerhard slipped his hands into his white gloves, helping the new recruit should be fun, and Gerhard thought of himself as okay for the job. Should anything happen, he would surely heal the person. "Where is this man, then?"

Stepping back slightly while making a mental note to question his previous battle later Ascalon merely pointed towards the main hall of the castle where he had instructed Constantine to wait. "I had him wait within the Main hall". Growled how Ascalon in his gritty voice.

Consantin waited patiently in the main hall. He was fully clad in his usual attire, consisting of armor underneath a black cloak that covered his entire body down to his shins. Upon his head was a wide brimmed hat. He leaned against the outer wall of the main hall, his arms crossed and his eyes closed, as if he was catching up on rest.

"How odd," Gerhard mused, eyebrows rising, had his observation not been keen on finding the person? Even then, he moved towards the room's door, gently opening it and glancing just outside, "Come in, man," His muffled voice filled the main hall, as Gerhard snuck back in the moment after.

On the cue that this new person would hear him, Gerhard sat down in one of the room's chair, further commenting, "Introduce yourself." His right eyebrow cocked, just who had been this character that interested even Freyja?

Constantin opened his thin eyes towards Gerhard, and approached the door with a solemn expression. He examined the man before him, and took of his hat as he entered the room. "My name is Rozetă D. Constantin. You must be the one assisting in my infiltration of the marine base. I must thank you for that. It's been more than 20 years since I've infiltrated an enemy hold in the midst of war." It must have been strange to hear a man such as Constantin say such things, for he didn't look a day over 30. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He added with a nod.

"Of course, of course," Gerhard mused in reply to Constantin's grattitude, the latter really seemed to be a humble one. His eyebrows had sporadically risen and lowered as he observed the man before him, taking in his words.

However, Gerhard didn't need to judge them in order to know this man was indeed older, and nodded, "Th' pleasure's mine, I am Blumenthal Gerhard." His gestures... the way he walked, the way he looked at others, there was more to a person's age than their wrinkles. "I assure ya', good Spy," Gerhard pointed a finger at him, "That this'll clear out yer' rustiness." Then, he opened his arms wide. "And it'd be real nice to see ya' benefit from this as an individual too."

Gerhard let out a muffled sigh and his cheeks rose, "I'll make sure y'don't die, looking forward to see you prove your worth," He eyed Constantin directly into his eyes. Clutching the collar of his jacket, Gerhard brought it over his head, "Are y'ready?" He pushed his sleeves to his wrists and snuck his feet into furred boots.

"Gerhard..." A voice called out in the distance, yet it seemed to have been increasing in volume as if the person had been getting closer. In a few seconds, the man's image came whole and he continued on with his sentence. "...Stop all that muffling shit, you always do."

The man was about seven foot even, he was muscular and wore a long coat with fur around the collar. His abdomen was out for the world to see as he possessed no shirt, but what a fine tone he had indeed. Obviously the results of some intense training. His pants were short and fitted, signs that he'd gotten them custom made by a tailor. He wore diamond shaped plaided socks and loafers to cover his feet.

His most noticeable feature, not his silver strands of silk for hair, but the massive scar across his left eye. A wound he'd gotten from his battle against Ferrothorn Solomon a while back. He was Muzan, another member of the Notch Pirates, a Hell Knight holding the seat of Lucifer. "Get a move on you two, we ain't got all damn day!"

"Aye, our comrade is correct, we haven't much time before the sun fully sets." Consantin placed his hat on his head. "Guide me towards the base, and I will return to you before dawn breaks." He uttered solemnly, gesturing towards Gerhard to lead the way.

Gerhard glanced at the newcomer, Muzan, for a brief moment, eyelids half-way open, every sound had been gone from the surrounds, while Gerhard's eyes bore into Muzan deeper. Only then, he directly changed his gaze to Constantin, he and Muzan could joke during another time. "This is Muzan-san, the Leader of our Hell Knights," Gerhard pointed at the man in question, and held in his explanation about the crew's hierarchy.

Seeing they all set, "A'right," Gerhard replied and put on thick, dark protector glasses. Gesturing for the two to follow him and giving a quick good-bye to Ascalon, Gerhard walked out of the room. Observing this all unfold should be nice, he still had much to learn in this life.

Just before he trip made their way towards the large double doors of the main hall, Freyja made her presence known as she tossed a Baby Den Den Mushi towards Muzan and a Black Den Den Mushi towards Gerhard and Constantine. "Thoese should help with the picking up transmission between the marines, I want us to be one step ahead of them at all times". She said towards Gerhard and Constantine before sending them on their way and turning her eyes towards Muzan telling him to stay behind for a bit as she walks over towards him before standing on the tip of her toes to whisper within his ear. "Your mission is different from theirs Muza-Chan" She began as Ascalon threw a bounty poster towards Muzan.

"Your Job is to eliminate the first and second division commanders of the Imperial Pirates and ensure that they understand the Consequences of crossing us". She finished with a devious smile as she pulls back away from Muzan and made her way back towards the throne room. "Your free to run as wild as you please". She called out towards him without turning back.

As she made her way towards the throne room, Ascalon pulled out another Den Den Mushi holing it in his hand as Freyja picked it up with her devious grin still upon her face in full force. "Lazlo, I have a very important mission for you something that only you can accomplish...Death-Chan". She stated as she awaits the response.

"I still don't know why we have to use these stupid things," Almasy D. Laszlo huffed, his voice tender with grit, like a man whose dedicated himself to years of whiskey and cigarettes. "I can hear whatever you need to me hear. Though, I guess you need to hear me though...By the way, I'm running out of alcohol, Freyja-sama. I'ma need to restock after this mission from you."

Giggling at the response she received Freyja sat herself upon her throne setting herself into a relaxed position. "Of course Death-Chan, I’ll Supply you with all the alcohol you could possibly drink once you finish your mission." Came her amused response signally to Ascalon to make a mental note to order it before her face became serious.

"Your Mission is simple I need you to contact Famine and head over toward the northen area of Cartecilo and eliminate the Pirates there". She ordered as she turns to Ascalon as if asking for confirmation on the information giving. "Currently they have two of their commanders on a war path, I want them eliminated and their heads brought to me for decoration." She finished as her eyes pan across the table situated to the left of her throne showing the locations of everyone currently located on the island.

Proven Worth
A redhead woman stormed into the Marine base, literally kicking the door off of the hinges. She had a fierce look on her face, as the Marines lounged around the base as though they didn't have jobs. Her teeth grit and her face as red as her hair, she looked across the immediate room of the base.

"Seems Solomon was correct. Get up you pansies!" The woman shouted. Yet, she was ignored by all the soldiers. Her eyes widened, she was surprised to say the least. Not only were they all lazy slouches but they were ignoring her. "I said....." She took a long pause as her hand erupted with lava. With a simple punch to the air, a fist of Lava went crashing towards the back wall of the building, melting everything it came into contact with.

"Get the hell up, or I'll kill all of you!" Every living being within the base turned their attention towards the collapsed door and the woman that stood there. There was a moment a silence if they existed, one could hear the rodents running within the building.

She sighed, "I am, Captain Chartinger Roselia. Appearantly HQ hasn't been getting any reports from this location. And, I now see right... I'm gonna whip all of you punks into shape! Line up, tell me who you are from name to rank. And where is the man in charge of this base?"

Upon hearing the commotion Springfield made his way towards the outer section of the encampment with a scowl on his face and upon seeing the melted wall and new person wearing a marine coat he growled in obvious anger. "Who the fuck do you think you are Woman, barging with my base and ordering my men around as if your in charge here" he called out as he made his presence know.

Roselia placed her hand on her chest. "I am appalled." Her face was filled with the expression of shock. "I know you well, Springfield." She held her hand up to her face and began to survey it as if it were a notebook. "Ah, the illustrious Springfield. He who has accomplished nothing!"

She pulled her hair behind her hair and took a deep breath. "I am, Chartinger Roselia. I work under Commodore Gintaka and was sent here by him, due to lack of reports this division has been making. Byakko needs an explanation and he needs it now."

Snorting at her questions Springfield merely grabbed a bottle of wine from one of the near counters and began pouring himself a glass. "If the Fleet Admiral was as concerned about our updates and succession then he’d have given me a bigger force to work with" He began as he took a sip before offering Roselia the bottle.

"You want to know why we having sent out a report, it’s simple we are outnumbered 10 to 7, any amount of free time we have that we could use to report is consumed by their ever present attacks" Springfield continued as he pointed to the wallmap to the corner of the room that was covered with red pin all across. "As you could see I’m barely holding out on the western and eastern borders, we have had 20% of our troop killed or captured and even the. We have yet to lay eyes on their Captain let alone commanders." he finished throwing his glass against the wall in a fit of rage.

"At this point I don’t give a fuck about Kurama or his reports as far as I care he left us to die here and all I can do is attempt to get as many troop out of here alive as possible" he stated as he turned towards Roselia with a blank look. "If you want to take charge then go ahead I don’t however be warned that as soon as the opportunity shows itself I’m ordering my troop to retreat we will not be wiped out here today for some crooked pull of "Justice"." Springfield finished looking at Roselia as the other troops in the room looked at Springfield in suprise not knowing he cared that much about them.

"Oh?" Roselia chuckled, at the speech given by the very sloppy man. Everything about him was just bad, the way he acted, his pattern of speech, even the way he smelt. "You want to know why we having sent out a report, it’s simple we are outnumbered 10 to 7, any amount of free time we have that we could use to report is consumed by their ever present attacks." She repeated, mocking the man's terrible pattern of speech.

"I see where your men get their lazy and half-ass working from then. If you weren't up for whatever there was to come, then why did you take coming here. No man is forced to work anywhere unless specifically order or tasked to do so by the World Nobles." By this time her hair had fallen back over her neck and with her finger, she placed it back over her ear. "You sound like a second-rate pirate who'd just entered the New World and found out things weren't gumdrops and lollipops."

Honestly, she wasn't mad. She was mostly disappointed in the state of the Marines and just how low they'd fallen. "Feel free to leave, Springfield." She ended, her face filled with disappointment.

Seeing that his entire disguise was up Springfield simply grunted and took a seat as his one slim build became more pronounced and fat making his face resemble that of a pig. "Ah fuck it I don’t care to play this game anymore we’re all possibly going to die anyways feel free to do what you want" he said in a tone of voice that resembled a pigs grunt as he began eating a bag of chips completely ignoring everything thing. "Honestly of all people they had to send they chose to send the cum bucket of that brat Solomon" he muttered to himself.

Just outside the castle valley of Cartecielo, much to its west and close to the sea, stood the island's Marine base. It was not extremely fancy, yet, it was a rather tall building, looking much like the world's many other branches of Marines, in other words, it had a round design. However, instead of high walls, it had thick fences surrounding it.

Gerhard had no doubts when it came to this base's appearance. Cartecielo had many Pirates operating within it, it was no surprise that the sole Marine base had been lacking, "There's a trio of guards, who always patrol tis' fence," Gerhard said as aloud as possible to Muzan and Constantin, whatnot with the wind helping his words getting more muffled.

"There're many soldiers within 't," He pointed at the base, "And th' guards are on the other side." His Kenbunshoku, while not the best, could already pint-point all of the presences within the entire area pertaining to the Marines. Gerhard approached the fence, "With tis' wind, they won't hear me, and I can still rebuil' it after destroyin' it."

Constantin kept his eyes on the base, his own Kenbunshoku active. He listened to Gerhard, his ears twitching so that the Horseman knew he was listening. There was an eagerness in his gaze, a strong desire to kill was easily recognizeable from his expression. "Good. I suppose you'll be waiting around here till dawn break, then?" His gaze shifted to Gerhard, "And you? Are you coming with? Or do you have plans elsewhere?" He then shifted towards Muzan.

"Nah," Gerhard closed his eyes and his cheks rose, despite such act not being easily visible. His knees bent as his left hand touched the ground, "DUNGEON," Gerhard muttered, after several seconds of staying in contact with the soil, a barely existing gust of wind originated from him.

Getting up, his right hand touched the fence before them, "Y'going in, right 'way." Gerhard mused to finish his reply. "Chaos," A barely audible sound ressonated within the area, as the wood creaked, almost like it was alive. Some seconds passed, and, possibly to Constantin's surprise, an entire section of the fence had crumbled away, falling into several shards upon the grass.

Muzan turned to the opposite direction of the two and headed the way completely opposite of the two. His hands were resting in his pockets as he called out to the duo, "I have something else to take care of. You two can handle things here." He shouted, referring to the task Freyja had given to him just before they left their hideout. "And do me a favor, Muffler," He added, referring to Gerhard, "Keep your hands to yourself."

With that, Constantin nodded. He placed his hand against the back of his neck, gripped a handle hidden underneath his cloak, and pulled out his longblade, Sângesatana. He let the blade down to his side. "I'll be back soon." He uttered, before taking a step into the base. His eyes immediately set upon his first three targets. Gerhard was right about the guards.

With a quick ready of his blade, the man darted towards his first kill, stabbing him in the chest before he could even react. He kept eye contact with the marine, grinning maliciously, before twisting his blade and ripping it out through the rest of the man's chest with his brute strength. The other two turned back to see their fellow marine bleeding out, but Constantin was no longer there. A blade ripped through the second marines stomach from behind, pulled out as quickly as it went through and the last marine could only see a blur of black and glaring red eyes before the pirate's blade slid cleanly through his neck. Careful to not to waste a drop, Constantin brought his longsword towards his mouth and licked it clean of blood, just as the last man fell to the ground.

His eyes lit up, and his grin grew. The man couldn't help but let his killing intent release for just a moment, the ecstacy of tasting marine blood was just too invigorating. After a brief moment of gathering his composure, the vampire like man continued his slaughter, leaving the bodies there for later. He didn't enjoy allowing his meals to spoil, but there was far too much work to be done. Too many sheep left in the flock, and he only had until dawnbreak to finish them all.

Roselia's nose ruffled as though she'd smelt something. Finally, she'd done a full sniff and turned her attention to the former man in charge. "Tuh, utterly pathetic." Quite literally, Roselia had sniffed their intruder out. It was seemingly an ability possessed by all those who worked under Solomon.

In an instant she would, only to reappear in front of her opponent. When she reappeared, her body had been covered in lava. It bubbled around her body as though she were the center of a volcano, though her body was completely unaffected. In a single motion, her hand pulled back and thrust forward filled with lava smashing against the man's face, launching him back in the direction he'd taken to get there.

Down the way she could see three Marine soldiers, all three bathing in their own pools of blood. Roselia remained calm, now wasn't the time to let her emotions get the best of her and instead kept her sights on the man responsible. "To your feet." She commanded to the man she'd attacked.

Constantin flew back, the side of his face set ablaze from the intense heat of the lava. As soon as he hit the ground, he forced that side into the dirt, making the flames go out. The damage was done, and the side of his face was heavily burnt.

The pirate laid there for a moment, before arching his back to a gruesome point. His legs bent and he lifted his entire body up with the strength of his upper legs. As he rose a black coating ran up his blade, still clutched within his hand. His one open eye (the other closed from the heavy burn) met his new opponent's. "My oh my..." His grin grew even more maliciously, further revealing his long, sharp fangs. Having no other reason to hide it, Constantin released the full extent of his malicious killing intent. His wicked thoughts spread over the entire marine base, any marine immediately felt an overwhelming threat on their life.

"A guard dog for all these hopeless sheep? What a mighty strong nose you have." Without warning, he started towards his opponent, darting left and right like a blur. He knew he would have to keep a moderate distance from this woman, which he could, thanks to his blade's length. He kept his gaze upon her the entire time, making it to one of her sides and slashing towards her calf. With her remarkable speed, he couldn't feed in order to heal this nasty burn. He would have to immobilize her before he could continue.

"Order," Gerhard breathed out, as the fence reformed itself through his continuous contact with it. He put his glove back on, as Constantin had stormed ahead of him, the dude should have fun, and Gerhard would not get rid of that opportunity of his.

Screams filled his ears and, then, Gerhard just preferred to sit by the fence, his backside hitting against it with a soft thud. "Hmph," He grunted, taking dust off his legs, and took his furred collar off his head. From inside his beaked mask, Gerhard took out a burrito and silently also took the mask off as well.

From an angle in which his face couldn't be seen, Gerhard began to munch on the burrito, using Kenbunshoku on his eyes to observe the fight that unfolded.

Busoshoku Haki was like a requirement in order to work under Solomon, everyone under him seemed to have some form of mastery over it. Unbeknownst to her opponent, underneath her coat of lava was a layer of protective haki which only amplified her laval defenses. She decided not to budge not one inch and her as easily followed each one of his movements. There was no element of surprise she knew exactly where he was and where he'd land.

She did, however, manage to be caught off guard by the speed of his slashing blade. Even then, she did not move an inch. The blade would come into contact with her leg, but would only be swallowed by the molten hot temperatures of her lava coat. Roselia held the rank of Captain, but that rank did not transition to her powers and abilities. She possessed skill far beyond any current Captain of the Marines with the exception of one, who'd been blessed in his own way. Nonetheless, she was powerful and if her spirit was not enough to overpower him it would at least be equal. Roselia possessed charisma and willpower, as seen when she first entered the base.

With her lava coat shrouding her body and her strong haki, she'd easily be able to break through the man's own haki and her lava would smelt the blade into a liquid form. "Shigan: Tehō", With a simple thrust of her first she'd launched a fist of a compressed win at the man's face. Had he not been able to react in time, the force of wind would collide with his cheek and throw him back a great distance.

"You picked the wrong time to come here. You call me a guard dog with those teeth." Roselia, cleared her voice. "Good evening, I am Count Dracula." She mocked, using the dramatic voice of the old time Count Dracula movies.

Constantin dropped his body onto all fours, and followed the wind, keeping under it. His buso covered blade, though heated up, nicked the side of her leg, not breaking through her buso but skid through speedily enough to avoid getting too damaged from her lava. "You must be pretty confident..." He said as he stood to his feet. Her defenses were pretty well drawn out, but he doubted she could move that quickly while her body was coated in molten lava. His blade wasn't heavy enough to deal too much damage to somebody clad in buso and lava, but he had another trick. He needed a boost, he needed to feed more.

With a grin on his face, he continued, "Then I'm sure you're prepared to handle the reinforcements I brought, correct?" The air changed, and seemingling, as if out of nowhere, silhouettes appearing as pirates began to creep over the fences surrounding their fighting area. An illusion was always a great trump card of Constantin's. He concealed himself behind his illusion and moved swiftly towards his kills left in the field. He sunk his teeth into one of them, beginning to suck them dry, though his senses still keen on his opponents reactions.

As mentioned, Roselia's spirit was heightened past her rank. Her Kenbunsoshoku Haki made it easy for her to tell that the beings created were nothing but an illusion. She knew he'd been trying to buy time for something else, I mean why else wouldn't someone use illusions in the middle of their fight. Unless he was obviously less intelligent then she'd thought.

He's also seemingly forgotten that, the lava was not a weight on her shoulders, as earlier she had appeared at great speeds to land her first blow which ignited her battle, courtesy of the Marine Rokushiki technique: Soru. With this, she was able to make up for her naturally slow speeds. With the aid of her sixth sense already active, she'd scoped the man out as soon as he moved from his previous location.

She'd yet again appear in front of the man who'd let his guard down to sink his teeth into the deceased Marine. With a swift punch to her unguarded foe, she smashed against his face this time with more power than the last, sending him crashing through the Marine base wall all the way outside of the facility where he'd meet his comrade who'd aided in getting him here.

"I'm always confident," Roselia began to walk towards the crushed wall she'd sent him crashing through. "when I'm facing a fool."

Constantin, still keen on his senses and taking as much blood as he could, managed to raise his free hand to meet his opponents fist, taking the blow in his palm yet still flying back from the sheer will power. He kept on his feet for the most part, before losing his footing and crashing against the fence of the base. His body slid back just before Gerhard, a wild grin still on his face. He had managed to drain a few pints from the dead one, enough to begin regenerating his burnt face as well as give him a small boost in his reflexes. He could feel more of a rush, and rose to his feet as quickly as he could. He didn't even glance at Gerhard, his full attention on Roselia. He flopped his free hand, to free it of any flames. Man, did he hate fire.

"I bet her blood tastes spicy," Was all he could mutter, gripping his blade even more, readying it, and dashing towards her at an immense speed. Within a couple seconds he was right below her, ready to make a slash. Instead, he used his crouching stance to boost himself in a leap over her, doing a horizontal spin over her. Using his immense strength, dug his Busoshoku infused blade into her shoulder to test and see where she still had her own armor coating. He let the blade run down her back before landing behind her, his body perpendicular to her back. He waited for any reaction that would tell him his hit landed, if it had not, he had a plan.

Gerhard blinked, "Oh," As Constantin came crashing just to his side, prompting him to look at the fighter. His burrito had been finished and then he took a small beer from inside the mask, quickly opening it. "Should I intervene?" Gerhard muttered between sips, eyebrows normal.

The sound of an explosion filled his ears, with Constantin still attacking the marine, "Seems not." He shrugged and took a bigger sip of the beer. Maybe this recruit had been way more than their other recruits, who had merely been just Pirates trying to gain some name. This dude, this dude really wanted to oppose the Marines.

Roselia was in the best position right now. Her opponent had literally been using his ass, rather than his brain. Again, he dug his blade into his lava armor, this time with much more force, but the result would be the same. The blade would this time surely melt due to it intruding of her laval armor for a second time, especially since he'd allowed it to travel from her shoulder down her back.

For the moment, she did not move as he'd decided that getting close to was the best course of action. With each passing second from the time she'd knocked him outside of the base, to the time he'd reentered and attacked, her laval coat grew in density.

Finally, it was time to act. Swiftly, she reached behind herself, showing off her double joints, literally flipping her arm around as if it were a piece of paper, grabbed hold of Constantin who'd placed himself in a very bad position, and lifting him over her head by his waist. Her lava would travel from her hands and latch ahold of his own body. By the power of the gods and a very quick swing of the man over her head, she smashed him into the ground.

"LAVA BOMB!" She shouted, as his body made contact with the ground it would break the very pavement they stood on caving the ground in and unleashing a powerful shockwave of wind, with just the power of her own.

His blade was done for, but Constantin's will was not diminished. As she grabbed him, Constantin coated his body in Busoshoku Haki. He understood that this was his last possible attack, and so, with all of his remaining strength, swung his body and rammed his foot into her shoulder, dislocating it, just as she slammed his body into the ground. Regardless the force of her placing such weight into that arm to put as much force into Constantin's body, and through that, the earth, must've been considerably large, having dislocated her shoulder, the damage to the arm itself and the pain must've measured pretty high. He laid there in the crater, his body burnt up, his foot smoking to a crisp and his neck still aflame. He laughed as his haki began to diminish. "Who would of thought...somebody with such strength would allow themselves to be decieved so easily." His glowing red eyes stayed upon his opponent. "You can see through my illusions, but not the facade of your own superiors?" He coughed, and eased his head back.

Constantin's question lingered in the air and the disastrous wind currents carried through the area, some of them being so strong that they created storm walls. Had Roselia and Constantin noticed it at all? But, of course, its own mental state along with the scenario and its interest on the fight had certainly allowed it to stay hidden. Drool went to the sides of its lips and onto the metal mask, due to the wind carrying it away, while its red eyes shone over the figure of the two.

With its hands, it held a rather large battleaxe, which soon got coated in a black aura, as the thing's Haki sipped into it. Its prey would love it. The figure swung the axe at the distracted bodies of Roselia and Constantin, seeking to take them down all at once. "EEEEEEEHAAAHAHAHAAAA!" It caused such pressure that the wind wall around the figure dissipated and the axe blurred.

The large figure's eyes widened. A double-handed slam, also coated in Haki, against the hands of the monster was enough to distort the trajectory of the attack, prompting the axe to land upon the ground. Such action caused a fissure to rip through the area, extending from the fight's location over the borders of the Base.

The owner of the double slam hopped backwards, landing just behind both Roselia and Constantin, while the large figure stood in front of them. "And 'ere I thought this was going to be a simple campaign," The arriver mused, revealing himself to be none other than Gerhard, who rubbed his hands and glared at the duo, "I was just keepin' an eye... and this lad happ'ned to appear in field."

Roselia's own lava coat, and additionally added haki defenses, would not allow for just an ordinary kick to even fracture her shoulder. Her spirit was strong, as shown once before in their clash of haki. The kicking leg of her opponent would find itself swallowed by the lava and in a sense, burning it.

Leaping back with a simple, Roselia was able to get a distance between the now three different beings that stood within the facility. Three beings, neither she'd ever seen a day in her life, but she knew for a fact that they weren't Marines. The man with the beaked mask's posture was much different than the rest, which she could determine a lot from just a single look.

She'd had her fair share of times on the sea as a Pirate, prior to changing her life and becoming a Marine, she was easily able to deduce who were the opponents and the ally. Straightening herself up, she locked her eyes on the group of people on the other side of the room.

"State your name." She commanded, her fist held high pumping molten lava all over her arm.

So the Marine still held a fight within her, Gerhard quirked his eyebrows up and glanced at Roselia, just as she had given him a glance of her own. "Judgin' from that look," He pointed at her, "Y'already know me, right?" Even as he asked it, Gerhard wouldn't wait for an answer and touched the ground, bringing a small earth pillar up.

Turning to the other antagonistic figure, Gerhard began, "This behemoth 'ere," A bed of sweat ran down his face, "is an elite of the Imperial Pirates... one of the Four Archdukes,  Ragnar, the Red , who is known for his skinless body and has a bounty of 300,000,000." Ragnar stood over the trio, gripping his axe with all his might, whilst his shining eyes hovered on their figures.

"Eeeehaaaaahahaha," Ragnar laughed, drool coming off the metal of his helmet. His arms swung around, they were abnormal and had additional joints, a clear sign of his race, "LET'S FIGHT, YOU MONGRELS!!" He roared, the wind parting once it neared his figure, while his red skin glistened in the moonlight.

"I'm sure ya've heard the stories," Gerhard mused, offering another side glance at Roselia, "He spends s'mercenary money to buy alcohol. All the wars he's participat'd in, conflicts on mining and resource islands; all the Marine heads he's killed, whole squadrons; all th' towns and civillians he's killed as a side-effect..." He pondered for a moment if Ragnar felt proud of it, "were mostly for alcohol." Gerhard's eyebrows narrowed, "And he's been doin' it for five years, which means... if you want to back down, the moment is now." Ragnar's smirk only intensified.

Ragnar had only stood there, licking his lips and listening to the small piece of story. He has always liked to hear about himself, it only made him feel greater, Vikings were just like that. Or so, he tried to be. His most recent deed, the Purifica Incident, had him attacking a fleet of ships set to deliver the finest brands of alcohol to the World Nobles.

Just then, a large object was spoted across the distance, destroying part of the fence as it flew by and landed just in the center of all these figures. Knowing what it was, a large katana, Gerhard snatched it off the ground and looked at where they had come from. It seemed his doctors made good use of their catapult, having a Den Den Mushi around was really useful.

Eyeing the great katana, Gerhard rubbed his hand along its hilt, "My Meito, the scalpel Caladbolg." He held the nodachi, one hand at the hilt and the other at the scabbard. Such hilt was long and weak-yellow colored, wrapped by a dark-gray silk. Meanwhile, its buttcap, collar, and scabbart tip had this same yellow tone. "I shouldn't be fightin' ya'," Gerhard snickered, "So, bare 'ith me." Was the marine really going to help him or back down? After all, she stood toe on toe with their new recruit.

Roselia could hear the sword in flying in the distance. Obviously launching something through the winds like that would not go undetected even by a fool. Standing firm, she watched it land in the middle of the many warriors that stood but also kept his sights on the member of the Imperial Pirates.

Her lava armor remained active, but as the man in front of her continued on, she allowed her invisible armor underneath her cloak to disappear, to save time for when he'd actually need it. She heeded both Gerhard's words and Ragnar's, but remained silent for a moment. She closed her eyes to get a better understanding of the situation at hand, it was like a mini-meditation method shared among the soldiers of Solomon's squadron.

One done, she spoke. "Blumenthal Gerhard, the Doctor of Games, and Xros Pirate member... That voice is what reminded me. Just the affili-, no I mean, former affiliation with that crew places you with at least a bounty of 100,000,000." Her eyes shifted from Gerhard to Ragnar.

"Ah, that Ragnar, of the Imperial Pirates... He's achieved quite a few things, but it isn't anything for me to document as important. I've seen worse and I've been involved in worse. Killing Marines, robbing cities, I've done it all before those things don't excite me." Roselia brought her hand to her face and tightened her fist and the lava around it began to boil violently.

She shifted her eyes back to Gerhard and took a pause for a moment. She reflected on the question she'd been indirectly asked. "You should not fight me, it will end catastrophically if it has to. I know what it's like to be face to face with an enemy Pirate and only want that one on one without the interruption of others. Ah yes," Roselia took a trip down memory lane and visualized herself in the past. She was petite but fit at the same time. She wore an all black spandex suit with a fur coat hanging over it. In her hand, a rest saber bladed rapier.

"Yes, the greatest time of my life." She claimed, "Boy what I'd do to go back and stand as a Royal Guard Commander of the Royal Pirates under Captain Amaka." Roselia hadn't realized she'd been talking loud enough for the rest of the group to hear her and she began to blush.

Squatting into a sitting position, she crossed her legs and her arms. "I won't intervene, you have my word. Though, he who loses will be captured and taken back to headquarters. Is that fair?"

"Seems I am well known," Gerhard muttered, not even glancing at Roselia, though, why would a Marine even claim to have comitted crimes? From the tone of her voice, she wasn't joking in the slightiest, and Gerhard certainly didn't know what to think of that. It seemed that even Marines were desperate for members, but, he wouldn't pity that.

Roselia wasn't arrogant, which was a plus for Gerhard, it made his desire to fight her lessen. Gerhard and Ragnar had begun walking towards each other, the latter's steps causing some rumbling. The grip on their weapons only increased, the wind parting now once it came in contact with both of them.

...However.

Their glinting eyes finally turned to Roselia, as, with a shockwave, both came to an abrupt halt. Even the wind itself seemed to stop its noise, only because of that crew's name. The shine in their eyes held a different light, although. Ragnar looked on in drunk glee, while Gerhard glanced in fondness. "Royal Pirates!" Ragnar cheered and Gerhard uttered.

Ragnar really wanted to know how they were faring, currently, at least. The Royal Pirates had been some meta for him to achieve, both as a Warrior and a Pirate. He walked towards Roselia, before even realizing it, "Oi! Royal Pirates girl, gimme' one autograph!" His steps continued to make loud sounds, once again.

Gerhard himself merely stood back, his hand touching the grass, while some memories filled his mind, memories of a rainy night, cold weather. His skin still shivered.

"No one..."

It was a grim oriental alley, since only one lamp worked, and even then its light flicked constantly, specifically, Gerhard was inside one of the many houses, sitting over his feet with his hands on his lap, whilst he glanced over a figure on a futton. An adult, nevertheless young, woman. Even when she was bedridden, she clutched some kind of clothing to her chest, it had a Jolly Roger printed on it, one with wings and a crown.

"Should get this sick..."

She was smiling, Gerhard wished he could cry. The droplets hit against the ceiling, producing extremely thick sounds. But the skies were doing it for him. The woman massaged his hand, the only source of warmth on that long night.

"Specially you, mama."

Crash. Another of Ragnar's steps, they were capable of snapping Gerhard out of his daze, that shouldn't have happened admist a battle. He was not one to doze off. His hand had still been touching the ground, and that made his cheeks puff up, eyebrows rising as well, "Sorry for making ya' wait." A flash came and his eyes widened.

"EEEEEEEHAAAAHAHAAAAAAAAA!" With a simple glance, that was what Ragnar accomplished, as he looked back too, then, both of them flash walked towards each other, getting closer with each blink. An explosion followed through the flash, wind and dust rose and covered the base within seconds. Shadows flew through the smoke cloud, creating several other shockwaves as they met.

Saliva flew from Ragnar's mouth as he drew his axe back, Gerhard grunted, sword still inside its sheath, both their eyes shining. They didn't know when it started, but, they didn't care.

The clash was one of high caliber she'd seen it many times as a Marine but even three times that as a Pirate. The explosion, flash, wind, and dust all made her happy and she'd been doing nothing but observing during this time.

Even then she couldn't help but to think what her last words would cost her. She knew that in the past her crew had caused some trouble, but even then no one knew the true intentions of the crew nor Amaka's main purpose. Roselia did though, but per request of Amaka, was forced to keep these reasons secret.

For now, she had to continue observing the battle before her. The two pirates were clearly about action as they both lacked words following the mention of their accolades. That made Roselia happy on its own, creating a large smile on her face. Despite them both being her enemy, she couldn't help but acknowledge the fact that they'd rather duke it out head-to-head than opposed to underhanded tactics.

"You two are getting me excited! I'll have to have the both of you turn this up a notch!" While still in her cross-legged sitting position, she slammed her right palm onto the floor. The force from it alone case the ground to dent upon contact, showing off her raw strength as a commander of the Royal Pirates.

The lava transferred from her hand sliding its way to the floor until it would completely surround it in no time. She left the spot that the two stood in completely untouched, but once they moved, the lava would move over and cover up these opened areas. A small area of lava in front of Roselia vanished, revealing a deep hole.

"Once you two move, the spots you once stood in will be covered in lava as well." She nodded her head in the direction of the hole, signaling the two to look that way. "The ground is no more, you touch the ground even once after you move, bye bye to you. You'll fall into a pit of lava. Show me the thought process of this generation of Pirates."

With Roselia's sudden interference, Gerhard's eyes widened and for some reason, his face got smashed in, "EEEEEEHAAAAAHAAAAAAAA!" The sudden surge of lava actually lowered his guard, long enough for Ragnar to hit his fist against the doctor's face, sending him flying and crashing into a nearby mountain.

Looking down, Ragnar widened his smile at the visage of lava, even though... his body started to approach it. "OH, OF COURSE!" Ragnar gripped his axe tightly and, with quick movements from his fingers, began to spin it. It gradually gathered brutal speed, generating a small tornado from beneath it, "This is the RAGNOCOPTER, EEEHAHAHA!!!" Wait, how was he even managing to think of concrete ideas?

At least, then Ragnar could stay afloat safely, his eyes darted downards and landed on the figure of Roselia. He had to- This time, it was his face getting smashed, as Ragnar himself got pushed several meters while mid-air, his axe stopped. "Hey, hey!" It was Gerhard's yell, while he stood above this earth pillar, hands touching it. Not that... Ragnar could hear him, due to the speed they were going at and Gerhard's mask. "To think y'd make the same mistake as me," Gerhard mused.

"GRAAAAAAAAAH!" Ragnar roared and coughed some blood, both his hands dugging at the earth, whilst his eyes darted furiously and searched from where this pillar came. Gerhard touched Ragnar's hand with one of his fingers, "Yer' power shouldn't allow ye' to do that!!" The pillar stretched from the mountain and had several connections to the lava.

And there it was again, Ragnar's train of thought... it was becoming normal. "Just like the Marine whore said!! Yer' a doctor with the powers of the Ichi Ichi no Mi, a game fruit!" Gerhard's eyebrows rose at that, "BUUT, even if yar' a Game-Master Ningen, a mere Paramecia-" Ragnar's skin went even more red, as claws and horns sprout from throughout his body, "RAAAAAAAAAH!" A tail waved from his behind, two large horns visible from above his eyes. "-STANDS NO CHANCE AGAINST AN ANCIENT ZOOOOAAAAAAN!" A triceratops zoan, he possessed.

"Fuck," Gerhard uttered as Ragnar delivered a single blow against the side of the structure, breaking both of them off the rest. However, "If y'know about my power... you know that as the Master, I can issue Chaos and Order to... anythin' within my Dungeon." His cheeks puffed, "As long as I continue to touch it, aye." In fact, his hands remained in touch with the earth for quite some time, and the earth was connected to the lava itself.

"Eh?" Was all that Ragnar could mutter, eyes wide.

"Ca-" Gerhard breathed, "-TASTROPHE" A red flash overwhelmed everyone's eyes, while a large boom filled their ears.

As if the lava acquired a will of its own, outside of Roselia's, an eruption burst forth from the ground, sending both rubble and magma upwards. The ground quaked, shards of lava hitting and burning everywhere, Ragnar had even more parts of his skin burnt off, flying towards the nearby beach. Gerhard himself had been thrown too, exploding through the building of the Marine base, though, he got more worried about Constantin, whom he had left behind.

All for One
As Constantine began his mission of attacking the Marine stronghold Kai Sanjō began his advancement towards the Northen border with a small band of pirates slaughtering anyone that stood within his path. He was a man on a mission and no one would disrupt that mission after all he will claim this kingdom and use it as a pivotal point in expanding his crew, building his strength then he would seek to take down one of the Yonk and take his rightful position of ruler of the sea.

While Sanjō was marching his way towards the Northen border one of his crew members, Copral Coral had already began his siege of the surrounding area of the southern border casually wiping out all the "Stains" in his captain’s path to ensure his dreams became a reality. Coral himself wasn’t just your typical crew member something he always bragged about he was one of the three elite members of the crew holding the title of "Grand Archduke" which makes him the second in command of Sanjō’s growing Empire.

As he neared the central hub where one of the larger marine bases other then the main encampment was located Copral began his usual attack by "wiping" away the surrounding buildings eliminating any hidden marine in the process as his small troop began their "Cleanup" of the base. "That is it my dears clean,clean,clean let us remind these filthy savages that cleanliness is the only way to live" Copral yelled out as he to joined in the cleansing of the base.

"Alrigthy then, this looks like the place." Famine spoke as his ship neared the island. His devil fruit powers were already at work, as the plants close to the shore began to wither and die as their nutrients were drained and drawn back to him. As the crawling wave of death moved on Dimitri grabbed his Den Den Mushi and dialed up his boss. "Hey Freyja, what exactly did you want me to do here. Laszlo told me to come here and attack whatever was here but he didn't give me any other specifics, I think he started yelling at something and dropped my call. I think I heard him yelling at a ship. Anyways can you give me the rundown on the plan here?" Dimitri spoke, as he poured himself a smoothie and awaited a response.

“It’s because you don’t fuckin’ listen,” Laszlo interrupted, climbing onto his comrade’s ship from the ocean itself. “It’s probably cause you’re too scared of the damn water or somethin’, I dunno. Hang that shit up, I’ll tell ya what’s happening here, cause it’s pretty simple.”

"It's not my fault you're always interrupting yourself to talk to inanimate objects." Dimitri shot back, hanging up the Den Den Mushi. "And I'll remind you that I am a devil fruit user after all, we can't really swim you know." He grinned through his wicked smile. "So please do inform me already, Death."

"Don't call me death, call me Laszlo; you'll stir up all the ghost and they won't leave me the hell alone." Laszlo sighed, taking a bottle of alcohol from his robes, "Anyway, what we pose to be doing is killing some people. They got two commanders this way; we're pose to like bring back their heads to Freyja or somethin', know what I mean?"

"Drink away your problems, that'll do you well." Dimitri shrugged, "Laszlo." He turned, looking back towards the shore. "I've already send a scouting party up ahead. I think those pirates will feel be feeling mighty weak quite soon. Those heads should pop off like a carrot from the dirt."

"You know, you don't hafta talk so much, I can fuckin' hear ya." Laszlo responded, sipping his alcohol. "Anyways kid, whatcha mean scouting party? That aint gonna do shit to those commanders, ya know that right? And remember, ya don't need to talk."

"Yeah yeah you can listen to me sleep or whatever, I'll talk as I please." He replied, spinning back to look Laszlo in the eyes. "Besides for a guy who doesn't need to me to speak to get me you're sure bad at picking up what I'm putting down." He grinned, pointing his thumb over his shoulder towards the land. "That crawling wave of death you somehow missed is what I'm referring to."

"I didn't miss it, kid..." Laszlo said, looking over the edge of the ship towards the island as Dimitri's devil fruit powers ripped across the coast. "Yeah, those fuckin plants are happy, I can tell ya that. No wonder I heard all that damn screamin. Why'd u do all that? Couldn't we have just killed some pirates instead of everything else?"

"Well you sure sounded like you did, Old Man." He spat. "Death doesn't discriminate between the sinners and saints. It only takes and takes and takes. So why are you being so glum." He continued, cutting off Laszlo before he could answer. "Oh right, screaming. Do the voices in your head have an off switch or something? Or is this some sorta taking the bad with the good type of deal. You can talk to a wall but when you step on a blade of grass you hear it's bones crunch beneath you."

"I dunno about the voices, but I wish your fuckin mouth had an off switch," Laszlo responded, gulping down the last bit of alcohol before throwing the bottle into the ocean. "Alright, so let's head to the shore finish up though, and before you say anything, remember I already know what the fuck you're gonna say, so don't say it. Your voice is annoying as hell!"

"Aww I knew you loved me Laszlo." Dimitri chuckled, giving him a small wink and a smile before turning away from him. "Alright lads listen up, park us at the dock and grab a snack from the basket. Then you know what to do, get in there and make some chaos." He called to his men, garnering a cheer from the ship. He gazed back at Laszlo. "You know I'm not going to shut up right, just accept it and move on already. If it's any help to your worried little mind. I can just bring your little plant friends back after we're all done here."

One for All
Marching towards the eastern settlements, with a large pack of rowdy abnormal looking human/animal hybrids, was another elite member of the Imperial Pirates. A fierce woman of tall figure, she, much like the other Elites, held the prestigious title of Archduchess and was well known as the strongest woman within the crew. This was thanks to the abnormal powers gifted to her by some Devil Fruit power.

This was Betty Levu, a Pirate holding a Bounty of 220,000,000 in her four-year career. As a former Marine, she had comitted many sacrileges, experimented with many taboos, and leaked much of the Government's plans. And here she was, about to pay them back, again.

Levu's hair was silver and went to her shoulders, while partially extending into several blue snakes and tail-like horns. A skin pale like a ghost's, a texture scaly like a fish's, Levu was a woman who had seen how cruel the world could be. Her right arm had many feathers throughout its frame, while her left one possessed blue fur and claws.

Without ushering a single word, Levu's pack of hybrids charged ahead and began ripping apart a group of marines stationed at the borders entrance. Limbs and blood flew high, as screams substituted the sounds of a violent breeze. Levu merely stared at it with a neutral expression, eyes slanted as the carnage was into their view.

Troublesome. Perhaps too troublesome for an old war horse like Zakihan, yet probably exciting and entrancingly bloody in equal measure. The old leader of the Chiba clan had been standing hidden all the time, listening to the trumpeting and scheming of the Imperial Pirates. Unwelcome guests as they might be, their collective aura and performance against her indicated a certain measure of challenge. Particularly that of the woman in charge, whose spiritual presence towered above the barking rabble. Given his return to Cartacielo, the old man would had barely the time to step in Cartacielo, that they already ordered him to take care of some foolish, yet worthy intruders.

Zakihan shrugged his shoulders, making it careful, slowly, to not reveal his wearing and croaking junctures to any enemy. Usually, after a long journey, he had plenty of time for rest and leisure. Holding pleasant conversations with his captain, exchanging bits and confidences about their personal life while discussing of future planning for the most prosperity of Chiba and the Notch Pirates as whole. All while drinking fine sake and enjoying a most delightful sight of his captain fantastic rack.

Well, the woman he had to challenge arguably a worthy replacement. Fighting against beautiful amazon ranked among his favorite activities with them, even above conventional forms of flirting. No surprise he had found himself so attracted to Freyja since the very moment his eyes laid on her. An perfect blend of statuesque body and an adamant mind, a lust for power and life matching her own tremendous stature...

Noises of crushed bones and broken screams hooked back the old ninja from his daydreams. His Kenbunshoku returned focused, sharp and his ever. With the help of his Fruit, he had molded a perfect camouflage, a spore like rock from which his eyes were barely visible. So subdued was his presence that Haki alone couldn't have noticed it. Not until he decided to reveal his presence with a blow aimed at Betty Levu's throat, felling her in one swoop.

It was in such predicaments that Zahikan's expert craftsmanship truly shone. His replicas of everyday object was as perfect as human eyes could grasp. While no one was watching, he had littered the battlefield with traps, tricks and misdirections. Palms, rocks and seemingly innocuous pieces environment all made of venomous spores. Zahikan's scope had grasped the full extent of the geography of the battlefield and the logistic of the enemy. Knowing both yourself and the opponent means to win a fight before the first blood had been spill.

Time was of the essence. An old ninja, clad in a greyish vestsuit, suddenly emerged in the chaos of the battlefield. He dashed his ways between the frantic slaughter without emitting sound, crossing through the enemy lines like a lightning with no thunder. None of the beastmen nor the marines noticed it, too busy either to massacre of being massacred. The ninja got close Levu: his golden eyes searched from a spot in her neck among the scaled. Once he found it, his kusarigama swung true.