The Strongest

Hancock didn't take her eyes off Shelly, who was still on her ship.

"I don't know if you're one of those Supreme Five we heard about..."

Shelly leaped from her ship and landed on the shore.

"However, it looks like it's time I teach you-"

"I have no interest in your monologue."

Hancock cut her off.

"My head still hurts from the night before so I'm in a horrible mood. So shut your mouth and come at me."

Shelly's eyes became bloodshot. Light gathered at her fingertips.

"Die!"

She fired a beam at Hancock. She evaded it and charged at her. Shelly moved her hands through the air and hundreds of beams flew at Hancock. Hancock's eyes shone red. She began seeing the trajectory of the beams. She moved through the beams and cut the distance. She thrust her leg at Shelly's head. Shelly ducked underneath it and gathered light in her palms. She thrust the palms at Hancock's heart. Hancock leaped over the beams fired. She rained down lightning-fast stomps on Shelly.

"Ugh!"

Shelly tried blocked with hardening, but the force of the stomps forced her into the earth. Hancock didn't let up and stomped on her without mercy.

"Flash Burst!"

"?!"

An explosion of light erupted swallowing Hancock and Shelly. Hancock flew out of the smoke cloud with burns on her clothes and skin. Shelly flew out of the smoke firing a barrage of lasers.

"How dare you step on me?!"

"I saw the ground so I stepped."

Hancock started kicking away the lasers as she approached Shelly. She flew at her with a flying kick.

"What's wrong with that?!"

Shelly clenched her fist and it was coated with light.

"You bastard!"

An explosion erupted as they clashed.

At the same time, Caria and Panthera were still going at it. Their attacks were getting more brutal by the second. Blood covered their weapons and bodies. One misstep and either could lose their life.

"I was going to fight the mayor we heard about, but to think I would get stuck on you for so long."

"Mayor? Keep dreaming, stray cat. You're not in the mayor's league."

Swords and claws clashed as they argued. Caria flipped her blades upside down. Panthera slashed at her chest. She leaped back and lunged at him. She rocked him with quick jabs. He punched her in the chest. She stabbed into his arm to prevent herself from being blown back. She gritted her teeth and started repeatedly punching his temple. Panthera's body started to sway. He roared and grabbed her with his giant hand. She kicked him under his chin. He gritted his teeth and slammed her into the earth. The ground cracked open as she bounced off it.

Panthera stumbled back holding his head.

"Dammit, she messed with my sense of balance with those head and chin shots."

Caria was on the ground gasping for air. Her body was screaming as every part of her ached. Even so, she still stood up and lifted her fists.

"How can someone with such a small body be so tough?"

Caria grinned.

"I was raised by old people, so I'm bound to be stubborn."

"Is that right?"

"I hope she's not talking about me."

"?!"

Panthera turned around when a new voice came from behind him. He was hit in the face with a massive fist and forced to the ground. Tate looked down on him and smiled.

"After all, I'm still young."

On his ship, Niara witnessed as Panthera was knocked down by a giant of a man.

"That must be the Mayor."

He turned his head to the ship next to him. It was the ship of the Origami Pirates.

"Should I go back him up?"

"No, there's someone else you need to take care of ."

"Huh?'

*BOOM*

A thundering noise drew Niara's attention. The screams of pirates soon reached his ears. He saw the pirates being engulfed in a metallic liquid. The liquid was bubbling and burning off their flesh. Some of the liquid even flowed into their mouths and torched their organs. Their screams and the horrific sight before him made his skin crawl. He saw someone walking past the pirates who were meeting a gruesome death. It was a teenage boy with silver hair matching the metallic liquid.

"....."

The boy walked with his head down mumbling something Niara couldn't make out. He lifted his head. His eyes resembled that of a rabid beast.

"HOW DARE YOU PIRATE SCUM COME HERE?!!!!"

His voice shook the whole battlefield.

"The hell?"

Hancock and Shelly stopped fighting after hearing the roar.

"Luka? Did he snap?"

Even Frantz who was a distance away heard him.

"I hope Luffy and Hancock didn't expose themselves, because there's no one on this island who hates pirates more than Luka."

"DIE, PIRATES!"

Luka roared and waves of liquid metal rushed out of his body. The metal moved like serpents and lunged at the pirates, swallowing them before starting to bubble.

"AHHHH?!"

The screams of agony increased.

"What is that?"

"Mercury."

The person on the Origami Pirates' ship answered Niara.

"That kid must be a Logia who ate the Mercury-Mercury Fruit."

"Mercury, huh? I see, our fruits don't affect each other...Alright, I'm on it."

Niara turned into mist and charged at Luka.

"Hold up."

"Huh?"

Someone jumped in front of him. It was Luffy.

"Who-"

Luffy punched him and send him crashing out of the sky.

"That's for torturing Butterfly Girl's friends."

"Guh?!'

Niara struggled to get up and started spitting blood.

"W-Who was that?"

He turned his head and Luffy was running towards Shelly's ship. He leaped onto the ship and started freeing Connor and his crew. While his freeing them he saw something flying towards him.

"A paper plane?"

Hancock's eyes flashed red and she paled.

"Get away from that plan-"

"Release."

The plane unfolded and turned into a real pirate ship.

"?!"

The ship hit Luffy and those he was trying to save. It destroyed parts of Shelly's ship as it force Luffy into the sea.

"Noo!"

Hancock screamed and tried to get to Luffy. However, Shelly blocked her.

"Move!"

She threw a kick and Shelly thrust her palms out. An explosion erupted between them. Hancock was forced back. Shelly waved her hands and hundreds of lasers fired at her. Hancock started dodging them. Shelly lifted her hands over her head and a giant orb of light appeared above her.

"Go to hell!"

A giant beam was shot at Hancock. She did her best to evade it but she was hit by the explosion.

"Shit! I don't have time for this!"

As Hancock shouted, Caria shot past her. Shelly saw her and started firing at her. Caria leaped into the air. Butterflies started emerging from her blades.

"Dance of the Monarch!"

An image of a monarch butterfly covered her. It flew through the lasers splitting them apart and popped up in front of Shelly. A light flashed and blood sprayed out of Shelly's body. Caria appeared behind her. She ran towards the sea and dove in. She quickly swam to the ship that was capsized and on top of Luffy. She swung her swords at lightning-speed. The ship was cut into large chunks. She swam to Luffy and grabbed him. With a swift swing of her blade, she cut up the crucifixes Connor and his crew were nailed to. She somehow got a hold of everybody and began swimming to the surface. She emerged from the water after nearly a minute gasping for air.

"That's my girl."

Tate mumbled. He looked down on Panthera.

"How long are you gonna act like you're knocked out in order to rest?"

"Oh, you got me."

Panthera sprung to his feet.

"I'm a Zoan too, so I know we recover fast."

"Really? Then I'm certain to enjoy this fight."

"Nah, it just means I can beat your ass longer."

Panthera lifted his fists.

"Let's see about that!"

He leaped at Tate.

"Sorry."

Tate vanished and popped up in front of him. He slammed his fist in Panthera's stomach. His eye's rolled to the back of his head and he fell to his knees. Tate walked past him.

"You're gonna have to wait for a bit."

Tate faced the Origami Pirates' ship.

"Aren't you going to join the battle, Origami Killer, Ledger?"

A silence came from the ship for a while.

"I guess you're right."

Dozens of paper planes flew out of the ship and flew all over the battlefield.

"Shit! Everybody take cover!"

Tate roared.

"Release."

The paper planes unfolded and dozens of ships appeared in the air. Tate clenched his fist as his arm grew and became grey and rough.

" Rhinoceros Gun!"

He threw a punch and several ships were hit by a shockwave and exploded.

"Tsk!"

However, he couldn't destroy them all. The rest of the ships started falling one after the other. Dozens of bounty hunters were crushed under their weight. Tate turned around and punched in the Pirate ships' direction. A shockwave hit the ships and destroyed them.

"Why so angry?"

Tate looked up and saw a man floating in the air. He was wearing a white fur coat and dressed in white. His blond hair blew in the wind as he stared down at everybody with his blue eyes.

"You asked me to join the battle and I did. Did you think I would just come and fight you one on one?"

He shook his head.

"This is war. Of course, I'm going to kill the foot soldiers before I kill the General."

He smirked at Tate.

"It's called warming up, Mr. Mayor."

"Is that so?"

Tate vanished from where he was.

*BOOM*

A deafening noise rang through the battlefield. Pirates started exploding one after the other. Their flesh and blood flew in the air as Tate reappeared with blood all over his fists.

"I just killed a hundred or so of your crew, the Origami Pirates, as warm-up."

He pointed at Ledger.

"Since we're both warmed up how about we duke it out?"

Ledger frowned for a bit before smiling.

"I would, but someone else called dibs on you already."

A shadow cast over Tate. He turned around and was hit by a powerful punch. His feet skid through the earth as he blocked it. He looked in front of him and saw Panthera almost twice the size he was before.

"Awakening huh?"

"That's right. I was saving it so I could fight someone strong like you in the New World."

"Is that so?"

Tate's body started to transform. His skin became rougher, he doubled in size, and he grew a horn near his nose.

"I'm a rhino, and you?"

"A liger."

"A hybrid zoan? Now that's rare."

Tate lifted his fists and Panthera did the same. They punched each other and an explosive noise reverberated. Their fists pressed against each other's jaws. They then started punching each other with no intention of defense. They just slugged each other.

"Dammit, that bitch damaged my skin."

Shelly growled as she looked at the cuts on her body.

"?!"

She was kicked in the chest.

"How dare you stop me from saving my beloved?!"

Hancock wore a demonic expression as he lifted Shelly off the ground with a kick to the chin. She then spammed quick kicks before slamming her into the earth with an axe kick to the skull.

"I'm gonna put you all six feet under!"

Ledger watched Hancock's fight and turned to Niara who was still on all fours.

"Stop playing around and stop that Mercury kid before I cut your head off."

Niara sprung to his feet.

"Don't worry, I'm on it."

He turned into mist and flew towards Luka. The two clashed and immediately start trading blows.

"There were a few hiccups but that's to be expected."

Ledger said as he observed the battlefield.

"We need to destroy this island in the name of the great man we're gonna meet in Sabody."

A deranged look appeared in his eyes.

"We're gonna offer the heads of 30,000 bounty hunters to the great Strawhat Luffy before joining the fleet he's gathering to charge into the New World!"

A creepy smile crawled on his face.

"I can't wait to help my idol become Pirate King!"