Chapter 112: Rapid Evolution

Chapter 116:

Rapid Evolution

"This is it," Chopper stated, shifting so Grace could melt the lock with her acid paint. "It smells of chemicals." The room inside mirrored a greenhouse of sorts, the right side made of glass and the left concrete. Every tray bore some kind of spherical, pink-and-white plant. While most of them were planted in dirt, several were uprooted and soaking in some dark pink fluid. The group entered the room carefully, Usopp carrying the navigator.

"It looks like they're using the moonlight to grow these plants," Chopper observed. "Based on what Nami was able to tell us and what we know of the animals, it can be theorized that these IQ plants act like my Rumble Balls do, but for all creatures."

"Huh, neat," Grace shrugged, understanding, while Coby blinked in confusion. Chopper's nose twitched.

"This way!" They followed the doctor up a short flight of stairs and into an upper room. A shelf-desk wrapped around the wall, covered in notes and chemicals. Other shelves and cabinets littered the walls, filled with chemicals of all kinds.

"Piro-piro-piro!"

"Who's there?" Coby demanded, his swords following the sound. On a ledge above them sat a clown.

"Impressive," Indigo complemented. "I wasn't expecting anyone for several more minutes. Not after I lost that green-haired swordsman in the halls."

"Are you Shiki's head scientist?" Chopper asked.

"Indeed I am! Doctor Indigo, at your service."

"Give us the cure for Daft, now!" Grace ordered.

"Oh? You mean this?" Indigo pulled a tiny vial of purple fluid from his coat before throwing it behind him. "Oops! My finger slipped. Piro-piro-piro!"

"Bastard!" Coby growled.

"Usopp, Coby," Chopper muttered. "Take care of him. Grace and I will synthesize a cure from his notes."

"Right! Gunpowder Star!" Usopp's pellet covered the area Indigo had just occupied, the clown flipping away from the smoke.

"Adrenaline Amber," Grace whispered, marking her design on Coby's neck.

"Let's go, Doc!" Coby growled, shifting into his Hybrid form. "Five Point Style: Meteor Swords!" The clown dodged again, Coby and Usopp corralling him out of the room and away from Chopper, Grace, and Nami and into the greenhouse. "72 Caliber Phoenix!"

"Chemical Juggling!" Indigo cried, intercepting the flying slashes with will-o-the-wisps of green flame with a purple center. "Watch it, you oafs! These IQ plants have more worth than your pathetic sea!"

"Oh really?" Usopp smirked, grabbing a nearby IQ plant. "IQ Star!"

"Nonono!" Indigo cried, trying to catch the plants he could. They were moving too fast, however, and the majority splattered on the walls and floor. Eying the ruined plants, the clown's form trembled.

"You know, what's one greenhouse in the grand scheme of KILLING YOU BAFOONS?! Chemical Juggling!" The same will-o-the-wisps from before grew from Indigo's gloves, forming an arc over his head before the mad doctor launched them at the pirates. Coby and Usopp tried to intercept, but there were just too many, the chemical balls exploding. Green fire licked at the tables and plants just outside the smoke.

"HA! Let's see you survive the power of my Chemical-Chemical Fruit, East Blue trash! Piro-piro-piro!"

"Cretaceous Charge!"

"Gah!" Indigo jumped at the yell, reacting as quickly as he could to the charging triceratops coming for him. "Mass Juggling Flame!" A massive flame grew from the clown's hands too quickly for Coby to dodge, not that he would have had anywhere to turn in the isle between tables. The attack exploded underneath him, launching the Ancient Zoan to his left side and into a table of juiced IQ while sending his swords in the opposite direction. "One down, several to go."

"Coby!" Usopp yelled. "You bastard! Firebird Star!"

The battle between Usopp and Indigo reached Coby in a muffled haze through the ringing in his ears. He felt heavier than he was use to. Carefully, the Zoan lifted one hand to rub his head, but was surprised to find that he didn't touch skin or scales, but flat horn. Trying to shake the dizziness away, Coby turned, catching a glimpse of himself in the glass.

He'd gained weight, his form a squatter version of his Hybrid Mode. Bone plates now ran along the outsides of his arms and legs and down the entirety of his back like armor, leaving his front bare. The bone plates on his back sported dozens of small spines that promised traction and pain. The most notable change was in his face, his forehead horns now bending to frame his face while the horn on his nose was flat, shaped up toward his forehead and over his cheekbones like a mask. More bone grew over his crown, its edges rough and dangerous. Finally, his tail had grown four spikes, two on each side. All in all, he now looked like a cross between a triceratops, an ankylosaurus, and a tank.

"I don't know what the Hell just happened," Coby rumbled, his voice deeper than he was use to, "but I don't really care. Like Zoro-sensei says, trust your gut. I'll call this Armor Mode. Rolling Tank!"

Indigo was so focused on Usopp, he was unprepared to be bowled over by a spinning ball of bone and meat, Coby's new form steamrolling over him and plowing into the opposite wall.

"That might have been a bad idea," the rosette groaned, upside down with his back stuck in the concrete.

"Mother of Mercury!" Indigo swore, pushing himself to his feet. "What...? Oh I see. How interesting!"

"You wanna tell us what's going on?" Usopp asked.

"Whyever not?" the clown laughed. "You'll be dead soon anyway. It seems the IQ reacts with the animal DNA present in Zoan Fruits, causing the user to mutate like the animals of these islands. Fascinating! I wonder if it affects the user only or the Fruit itself." His eyes narrowed. "I'll keep you for future study."

"Like Hell you will!" Coby and Usopp yelled. Coby tried to change form to free himself for the wall, and he did, but he was unfamiliar with the form he became.

His next form was taller than the previous, rivaling Brook in height. While tall, his limbs became shorter and wider, thin upper arms leading to buff lower arms and hands with thick, clawed fingers. His horns now twisted clockwise, obscuring some of his vision as their points met in front of his forehead. His tail was now wide and flat and his crown covered the top of his head like a helmet.

"Uh... Drill Mode! Spiral Horn!" Using his jump-and-spin maneuver perfected over months of practice with his Five Point Style, Coby threw himself at Shiki's right-hand man. Indigo tried to block the Zoan, a thick, gelatinous mix of chemicals ballooning out of his gloves, but Coby's twisted horns drilled through the defense and bloodied the doctor's hands before he could jump away.

"What a pain in the ass," Indigo muttered, tossing his red-stained gloves away and pulling out an orange vial. The clown splashed its contents over his hands, the solution closing and healing his wounds instantly before he pulled on a fresh pair of gloves. "Now-"

"Firebird Star!"

"I'd almost forgotten about you," Indigo scowled, Usopp's attack exploding against a ball of chemical fire. The resulting smoke cleared to show Indigo pointing at Usopp. "Magnesium Firework."

An arrow of fire launched from the scientist's finger, flying at the sniper with a sparkling WEEEEEEEE. Upon contact, the arrow exploded into its namesake. Usopp felt his skin burning as the force launched him backward. Indigo only had time to smirk before having to jump away from Coby's raking claws.

"Chemical Juggling!"

"Carving Paw!" Moving as fast as he could, Coby used his claws to slice or redirect the chemical spheres, more than a few slamming into his tough hide. Willing himself to go faster, Coby felt himself change once more.

Coby's limbs rapidly thinned, increasing in speed as his claws lengthened. His horns changed once more, the two on his forehead shrinking until they were basically nonexistent while the other grew thin like a needle. His body became lithe with wirey muscle while long needles of bone grew from his elbows and knees. His tail shifted from flat to long, ending in a painful-looking barb that swished, cutting through the air. His feet narrowed, slicing the ground with four claws each. Finally, his crown curved backward slightly, covering the top half of his hair.

"Slasher Mode: Prehistoric Ripper!" Tensing his legs, Coby shot toward their foe, his nails slashing chemical balls in half as he danced his way around them in mere seconds. Reaching the Golden Lion pirate, the rosette brought his claws over the clown's torso, carving three cuts across the doctor's chest. Indigo stumbled, one hand idly coming up to feel his own blood. Frowning, the doctor spewed a black chemical the sizzled on the floor, eating away at the tables and concrete while forcing Coby back.

"So this is it, huh? What a shame. I was so looking forward to seeing Captain Shiki rule the world. Chemical Juggling: Hydrogen Death!" Raising his hands, Indigo began gathering his attack, a ball of blue fire that rapidly expanded, but before it could come to fruition, the pirate felt a chill spread from his heart. Looking down, Indigo saw a scalpel, still quivering, embedded in his chest. "Wha-?"

"Stay the Hell away from my home," Usopp hissed. Indigo's attack, unfinished, dissipated into the surrounding air as the doctor fell to his knees.

"I'm sorry, Captain Shiki..." Indigo cried, a single tear rolling down his cheek. With that, Doctor Indigo closed his eyes for the last time and crumpled.

"Wow," Coby breathed after a moment. "How are you holding up, Usopp?" Coby turned to see the sniper with his face buried in a nearly-empty bag of potting soil, wretching. Coby couldn't blame him. This was probably the first time Usopp had aimed to kill.

"That's it!" Chopper and Grace yelled from the upper room. Coby's new form scaled the stairs in less than a second, reaching the doorway as Chopper tipped a vial's contents into Nami's mouth. Almost immediately, her breathing eased and her eyes opened.

"You did it," the rosette smiled, Grace tensing at the sound. "I knew you could." The girl turned to see Coby as his Slasher Mode faded into his human form.

"You're the one that bought us the time we needed," the redhead deflected, her cheeks rosy.

"And I'd do it again a thousand times."

"Dinosauric dork."

"I'm so glad Luffy and I skipped the flirting stage."

"Nami!" The teens all dogpiled the poor navigator as Usopp hobbled into the room.

"Easy! Easy!" she pleaded. "Not so tight!"

The fighting continued to rage throughout the palace, the animals of Merivelle adding another layer of chaos. The bodies of slain pirates and animals littered the compound, though none belonged to the members of a certain East Blue crew.

Robin coughed as the paralyzing powder of the giant moths she'd just killed started to override her motor functions.

"Shit," she hissed, her arms going numb. "I need to find someone."

Something massive crashed behind her, Robin just managing to turn as Shiki's gorilla came into her few. Snatching her up in one paw, the gorilla punched his way out of the room and into the snowstorm outside.

"Kyahahaha!" Amy laughed, her umbrella deflecting bullets and swords alike. "Now this is a party!"

"You're telling me!" Gin laughed, bashing in another pirate's face and shocking their heart into cardiac arrest.

"Yohoho! Indeed! All this excitement rattles my bones!"

"Three-Mast Galleon!" Merry backflipped away from her now-unconscious foe, completing the back-to-back square of pirates as their opponents surrounded them once more. Channeling her inner Gin and Luffy, Merry cracked her knuckles. "Let's show these mooks who the real bosses are around here!"

End of Chapter 116

High Seas Hijinks:

Love is in the Paint (part 2)

(Set after Skypia)

Coby had learned early on in his time with the Straw Hat Pirates that crazy was absolutely normal and that everything should be expected. Climbing down from the crow's nest after evening duty, the one thing his did not expect was to see a shorter redhead giggling to herself as if waiting for something. Coby sighed.

"Who is it this time?"

Grace jumped, having not heard him approach. Despite her face trying to match her hat in shade of pink, the girl smirked around a rice cracker.

"Let's just say our dear captain might be down a shirt."

"Oh no..." Closing his eyes for a second and sending a silent prayer to the One True Goda for mercy, the Zoan turned toward the figurehead where his rubber captain was staring out over the sea, blissfully unaware of the pink paint that stained the back of his shirt. As Coby watched, his teacher began a slow trek toward the teen. "No, Zoro-sensei! Don't!"

"Oi! Luffy!" Zoro called, not noticing or not caring about the paint. "The witch, I mean, your girlfriend's yelling for you."

"Oh? Thanks, Zoro." Luffy seemed to turn in slow motion. Coby almost tried to shrink into himself in preparation while Grace got more excited at the idea of the upcoming chaos. Luffy's eyes landed on Zoro.

...

...

. . .

...And nothing happened. One could tell the paint was having some effect by the way the captain slid off Merry's figure rather than jumping or bouncing, but his only showing for any affection toward the swordsman was a slightly-uncharacteristic pat on his arm. Luffy strode across the deck without his usual bouceyness, patting or side-hugging every crewmember he passed. Reaching the two younger teens, each of Luffy's rubber arms wrapped around each one, pulling them into his sides.

"I love you guys," Luffy mumbled. "You're the best Nakama I could've asked for." Releasing them after one more squeeze, the captain turned around and started up toward the upper deck.

"Is it just me," Gin began with a waver in his voice, "or is Don Luffy acting weird?"

"Luffy's always been touchy-feely," Usopp waved off, his chemistry set spread out before him.

"Not that I'm for your scheme, Grace," Coby began, "but are you sure you mixed that paint right?"

"I'm certain," Grace answered with a cute pout, digging a list out of her pocket and checking over it. "And I added extra endorphins because it was Luffy, but why doesn't it have any effect?"

"Oh, my beautiful mellorienes~!" Sanji sang, exiting the kitchen with a platter of desserts. "I've made you all something special from the bottom of my heart!"

"Why thank you, Mr. Cook," Robin said, taking the snack from the blond. Next to her, Amy reached for her own. "I believe Ms. Navigator is somewhere on the upper deck."

"Thank you, Robin-dearest~!" Sanji noodled toward the stairs only to freeze a second before reaching the first step. Nami's voice echoed across the ship.

"No, Luffy! We can't do that here!"

"Wait, what?" Nearly everyone floundered, a puff of purple smoke engulfing Usopp's head as he dropped his chemicals. His coughing echoed across the silent deck.

"Come on, Nami!" Luffy's voice whined. "Just real quick?"

"No, Luffy! Last time you couldn't control yourself and almost damaged the trees!"

"We won't get too wild!" the captain argued. "You don't like being pressed against stuff anyways! We'll stay away from the trees!"

"What does that bastard think he's doing?" Sanji demanded, taking only one step before Gin had him pinned in a full nelson, Sanji still impossibly balancing his tray. His visible eye caught fire, threatening to burn his hair. "Let me at him! I'll teach him some manners!"

"I said no," Nami stated. "You might usually be on the bottom, but you can't control your arms. You'll still hit the trees."

"Then pin them like you did last time."

"Oh Goda," Zoro face heated up in a rare showing of emotion, this time embarrassment. "Are they talking about..."

"So it seems," Amy chuckled over Robin's quiet laughter. "I knew Luffy was a bottom."

"That's not the issue here!" Coby complained, Grace still as a statue beside him with her eyes as wide as saucers. This prank had spiraled way too far.

"Come on, Nami." Now the crew could hear the pouty face Luffy had to have. "We haven't fed each other tangerines since after that Rainbow Fog stuff!"

"Rainbow Mist," Nami corrected. "And none of these tangerines are ripe yet!"

Usopp blinked. "Wait. So they aren't talking about that?"

"It appears not," Robin waved off. "My apologies, Ms. Goldenweek. It seems your Love Paint does not affect the captain the way you had intended."

"I..." Grace muttered. "I just wanted to mess with the captain. I didn't think things would get that awkward."

"In what world does eating tangerines involve being on the bottom and pinning arms?" Usopp demanded.

"At least it wasn't me this time," Gin commented, rubbing his forehead.

"Aww, come on, Gin," Amy teased. "I thought you and Sanji looked cute together."

"We don't speak of that!" both Gin and Sanji roared in tandem, Zoro letting out a bark of laughter.

"At least you can improve?" Coby tried, awkwardly trying to console the redhead.

"I'd rather not," Grace responded as pleased moans started making themselves known from somewhere in the trees. It appeared Nami had found a ripe fruit and Luffy got his way. At least, Grace hoped that was the case. "I think I'll forget about pink for a while..."

Fin.

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-SwordOfTheGods