War

Let's go back a bit.

"Snake Princess!"

After Luffy left Elder Nyon and the Kuja Pirates exited the mansion.

"What's going on?!"

"A fleet of pirates is attacking the island."

"What? How? Did someone leak the location?"

"You're asking questions I don't know the answer for, Granny."

"Snake Princess, are we going to help fend off the pirates?"

Ran asked. Hancock nodded.

"Luffy wants to protect them...Also..."

She remembered Caria's face the night before and how she looked at her when she knew she was a pirate.

"I want to repay the people here for their hospitality."

"I have no objections, but I need you to keep in mind we being here can't leak to the government or the people of the island. So when fighting don't use your fruit."

"I know. Just go inside before you get hit by a cannonball or something."

Hancock started shooing Elder Nyon.

"...Be careful."

Hancock looked at her and smirked.

"Just who do you think you're talking to?"

Hancock walked away from her.

"Kuja Warriors, prepare for war!"

"Yes, My Empress!"

Present time, Frantz was firing at the ship hidden in the mist.

"Tsk, this bastard is smart. He's spreading himself thin to hide the presence of everybody else on the ships. It's hard to pinpoint where his main body is...From here at least."

He jumped down. As his feet touched the ground a massive crystal spike grew out of the earth. The crystal stretched and brought him across the island and towards the sea. He could now make out presences beyond the fog.

"?!"

His eyes widened.

"There's only one ship?!"

A light flashed and the crystal he was on crumbled.

"Huh?"

He looked at the crystal as he was falling. The crystal looked like a giant took a bite out of it.

"This Gumi's-"

A light flashed again. He fired his rifle and was forced back by the recoil. The light past him the giant crystal was swallowed by an invisible entity. He landed on the ground and the fog cleared up. Only Gumi and her ship were left. Nobody else was there but her.

(So, she sent her crew ahead with the rest? We both can attack from distances but she has the advantage in fire.)

Frantz grinned.

"Like I said, don't underestimate us."

He stomped the ground and gigantic crystals grew out of the ground one after the other. They formed walls between him and his opponent.

"Let's do this!"

He punched the walls and spikes flew toward Gumi's ship. The crystals covered the sky.

"Whew~."

Gumi whistled as the space around her hands started to distort. She swung her hand in front of her and a light flashed. The crystals vanished.

"?!"

However, the sky was instantly filled with giant crystal spikes again.

"Did you think that was all?!"

Frantz repeatedly punched the walls and spikes fired in quick succession. Gumi swung her hands in front of her and countless spikes vanished. She repeated this over and over again.

"It's a deadlock, but that's fine by me! The number of casualties would skyrocket if she makes it to the shores and uses her powers anyway!"

Frantz started laughing.

"But don't worry, I have a gift to give you, Gumi the Devourer!"

Elsewhere, Luffy was moving through the town at top speed. He heard explosions and turned his head to see giant crystals flying toward a ship. The crystals would disappear without a trace.

"What's going on over there?"

He continued to run until he arrived on the shores. The scenery before him looked like a scene out of hell.

"Kill the pirates!"

"Shot those bounty hunters to death!"

Gunshots rang, blades clashed, blood spilled to the ground, and screams created a melody of madness. A loud noise rang out and drew his attention.

"Ahhh!"

Caria and Panthera clashed in a high-speed battle. Caria slashed at Panthera's vitals without hesitation. Panthera coated his entire body in haki as he countered with kicks and punches. Caria ducked under a kick and threw a blade at Panthera's throat. He moved his head out of the way. Caria lunged at him and stabbed him in the chest. Sparks flew as the blade hit his skin. He kicked her in the side and she was forced away. She twisted in the air and landed on the ground. She blinked and Panthera was in front of her swinging his claws. She leaped back and threw her other blade at his eyes. Panthera ducked underneath it and rushed at her. Caria pulled a new set of butterfly swords from one of the sheaths strapped to her.

"Butterfly Cut!"

She vanished and a swarm of butterflies flew at Panthera. A storm of slashes assaulted his body. His hardened body was covered in shallow cuts. He roared and shockwave dispersed the butterflies. Caria reappeared above him. He thrust his claws up while she thrust down. Panthera's claws pierced her shoulder while blades stabbed into his shoulders. Panthera's muscles tightened up around the blade.

(My blades are stuck.)

Caria thought as she locked eyes with Panthera. Her blood leaked on his face.

"I've caught you, little girl. You can't fight with one arm can you?"

"One arm? It's still attached, isn't it?"

Caria let go of her blades and punched his arm. A cracking noise reached Panthera's ears. He pulled his arm back with eyes peeled open. Caria created some distance between them.

"Why do you look so surprised?"

She pulled another set of swords from a sheath.

"I use butterfly swords."

This time she held the swords with the blades pointing down. The guards on the handles covered her knuckles. She rose her fists in a boxing stance.

"Then obviously I know how to use my fists too."

"Hahahaha! I guess you're right!"

Panthera lifted his fist to face the girl less than half his size.

"Lucia!"

Caria called out to Luffy.

"I'm gonna skin this cat, help everyone else out!"

Luffy nodded.

"Alright!"

He ran into the crowd and punched a pirate in the face. The pirate's body flew and hit dozens of his allies before stopping. That one punch caused the battlefield to halt. Luffy grinned as his cracked his knuckles.

"Okay, let's do this!"

He charged at the pirates. He blocked a sword with his hardened fist. He buried his attacker with a punch. He jumped and he kicked a pirate in the chest. That pirate was blasted away. He hit two pirates with a double clothesline. He grabbed another pirate's head and slammed his knee in his face. In a few seconds, he was surrounded by wailing pirates.

"Kill him!"

"Back Lucia up!"

The pirates and bounty hunters' battles once again became fierce. Luffy was taking down pirates by the dozen, but the numbers were still overwhelming.

(While there are 30,000 people here, half of them are either elderly, pregnant, handicapped, injured, or children. They have combat training, but we can't have them risking their lives. Meanwhile, everybody on the pirates' side is healthy bloodthirsty adults.)

Caria thought while evading Panthera's punches and trading blows.

(The Supreme Five could make up for the numbers, but they have 5 Supernovas on their side. Jessie and Astrid are out on a mission, but Lucia and Hanson can cover for their losses. There's also the mayor and the sheriff...)

Caria grinned as a punch grazed and cut her cheek. She lounged at Panthera and punched him in the face.

"We have the advantage!"

"Do you really think so?"

Panthera grinned as he kicked her in the stomach.

"Ugh?!"

She groaned as she created some distance between them. Panthera smirked.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't underestimate the leader of this alliance."

He pointed at the ocean and a fog covered the sea. When it faded huge three ships appeared.

"Panthera, you need help?"

Shelly stood on the bow of her ship and laughed.

"Abstract Pirates, run wild!"

"Mist Pirates, assist them!"

Pirates flooded the shores from the three ships and joined the battle.

"There were that many?!"

Caira couldn't believe her eyes.

"You see we were on our way to Sabody Archipelago to join up with a certain pirate crew with the rest of the Supernovas, however, as we were passing the Calm Belt we intercepted a message from the Navy."

Shelly looked down on Caria as she spoke with an arrogant tone.

"The message talked about how an island of Bounty Hunters existed here and how they were planning to go to Sabody to attack us with the marines' help. So we thought, how about we bring the fight to you guys?"

"What? Nothing you say makes sense! The Navy would never talk about us on an unencrypted line! Also, we had no plan to attack anybody at Sabody!"

"We figured that out already."

Shelly snapped her fingers and a couple of crucifixes appeared behind her. On them were a bloodied Connor and his crew. They had their limbs nailed to the crosses.

"We checked their memories, and they matched what you said."

"Connor!"

Caria's eyes became bloodshot.

"You bitch! I'm gonna-"

"Did you forget you were in the middle of a fight?"

Caria turned around. Panthera threw a punch. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and hardened it. She was forced off the ground and blown back.

"Don't get distracted over simple things."

"You...!"

Caria was about to attack.

"Perfume Femur!"

Hancock popped up beside Panthera.

"?!"

His eyes widened as a leg popped up inches from his face. Hancock's leg slammed in his face. His body bounced off the ground. Hancock lifted his body with her leg and hit him with a spinning kick. He was sent flying through the air until he crashed through a boulder on the shore.

"What the hell?! Who is that?"

Hancock looked at the shocked Shelly and did her signature pose.

"Unknown Harlot, how dare you look down on me? I demand you come down here before I force you down!"

"H-H-Harlot?! You bit-"

Shelly was interrupted by a harpoon flying towards her head. She was forced to dodge. She scanned the battlefield and saw Rindo with a bazooka on her shoulder. The other Kuja girls ran on the battlefield shooting arrows at the pirates. They sniped the pirates one after the other.

"Who the hell..."

"Are you gonna come down or am I going to need to sink your ship?"

She looked down at Hancock.

"What's with this island?!"

Panthera sprung to his feet and spat out some teeth.

"It's filled with strong people!"

He flew at Hancock while laughing.

"Red Admiral Cut!"

A red light flashed and Panthera's scream resounded. A large X wound opened up on his torso. His blood sprayed from it and stained the ground. Caria stood behind him with butterflies flying around her. She flashed the blood off her blades and faced him.

"Don't get distracted, you mangy cat."