Nojiko vs Hanafuda Pirates

A sharp chill ran down Nojiko's spine.

Something was coming.

Something wrong.

She could feel it in the air—a sinister presence, creeping toward her like a shadow stretching over the sea. Her eyes narrowed, muscles tensed.

She dropped the empty tray beside Alvida.

Without a word, she rushed outside.

Alvida noticed the shift. Her lips curled. "Oi… what the hell was that?"

Nojiko didn't answer.

At the garden outside, Reiju's eyes snapped to the horizon.

A ship was approaching.

Its dark sails swallowed the sky, and its sinister fox figurehead bared its wooden fangs as it cut through the sea.

Hanafuda Pirates.

A Warlord's crew.

Reiju immediately turned, her voice sharp. "Tamanegi, Neji, Piiman—go home. Now."

The children hesitated, sensing the tension.

"But—"

"Now!"

Something in Reiju's tone made them flinch. They didn't argue. They ran.

From the forested path leading to Jacob's old house, Nojiko appeared, breath heavy.

The two women locked eyes.

Nojiko nodded. "You feel it too?"

, Reiju clenched her fists. "Yeah."

They both turned toward the approaching ship.

***

The battle exploded across the beach, sand spraying as two powerful people clashed.

Reiju's poison-laced fist crashed down with earth-shattering force, but Oroshi slithered away, his black-scaled body twisting.

A wicked grin spread across his face.

"You're quick, pinkie girl." His forked tongue flicked out. "But not strong enough."

He lunged, fangs bared, striking like lightning.

Reiju twisted midair, activating the jet propulsion in her heels. A burst of speed sent her skimming above the sand, dodging his deadly coils by inches.

Oroshi didn't stop.

He slithered low, his body a blur of movement, striking from multiple angles.

Reiju countered with a spinning kick, it humming with the deadly poison coating her heel.

At the last second, Oroshi twisted his body unnaturally, evading the strike and launching his own attack—a whip-like tail lashing at her ribs.

Reiju gritted her teeth as she barely managed to block with her armored forearm. The impact sent her skidding back, her boots digging trenches into the sand.

This guy's reflexes…

She narrowed her eyes.

He wasn't just dodging—he was predicting her movements.

Tch.

This was going to be a long fight.

***

Nojiko's tree roots shot out, massive and writhing, lashing toward Jigu's legs.

But the hulking man didn't even flinch.

With a stomp, he shattered the ground beneath him, sending a tremor up the roots. They splintered and snapped apart, unable to hold his sheer weight.

Nojiko's eyes narrowed.

Brute force, huh?

She leapt onto a thick, remaining branch, just as Jigu swung his enormous trunk-like arm in a wide arc.

CRACK!

The wood exploded into splinters beneath his monstrous strength.

Nojiko twisted in midair, flipping onto another branch just before the debris could hit her.

Jigu grinned, his sharp tusks glinting in the sunlight.

"Your little tricks won't work, girl. I tear down trees for fun!"

Nojiko exhaled slowly.

Her roots couldn't bind him. He was too strong.

But… maybe she didn't have to bind him.

A plan formed in her mind as she landed lightly on another branch, her hand glowing with green energy, channeling her devil fruit power.

***

While battle raged on the beach, Syrup Village was in chaos.

Eighty ruthless pirates swarmed the town, their weapons gleaming under the afternoon sun. They kicked down doors, ransacked homes, and threatened villagers, demanding only one thing:

"Where is Fire King's house?!"

The frightened villagers didn't dare resist. Even the more courageous one knew they stood no chance against these bloodthirsty pirates.

Finally, an elderly man, hunched with age but steady in his steps, raised a trembling hand.

"That way," he said, his voice weary but firm, pointing towards the outskirts of the village.

The pirates turned.

There, standing alone on a vast stretch of open land, was a large two-story wooden house, far bigger than any other house in the village.

The leader of the raiding pirates, a scar-faced brute with a heavy axe slung over his back, grinned.

"Search the house. Find the woman!"

The crew let out roars of approval, torches igniting in their hands as they marched towards the house, ready to ransacked it.

The pirates scoured the house, kicking down doors, overturning furniture, and tearing through Jacob and the girl's belongings. It wasn't long before one of them shouted—

"Found her!"

A group of pirates dragged Alvida out of a locked room, her hands secured in sea stone handcuffs that nullified her Devil Fruit abilities. She struggled, but without her power, her strength was no match for them.

"Hoho, who would have thought that the woman is so beautiful?" the leader sneered. He looked at Alvida's voluptuous body, clad only in her bikini top and pink trousers. "We got good plaything boys!"

As they forced Alvida toward the exit, three small figures stepped onto the path.

Tamanegi, Piiman, and Neji.

Despite their fear, they stood their ground, holding a slingshot loaded with a flaming rock.

"Let her go!" Tamanegi shouted, his voice shaking but determined.

The pirates laughed. "These brats think they can stop us?"

One pirate lunged forward. The rock launched—smashing into his face, burning his skin. He roared in anger, but his comrades were already on the children.

With a brutal swing of a rifle butt, Neji was knocked to the ground. Piiman tried to run, but a pirate grabbed him by the collar and threw him into a crate, smashing it to pieces. Tamanegi turned to flee, but a boot caught him in the stomach, sending him crashing into the dirt.

"Stupid kids." The pirate leader shook his head. "We're done here. Move out!"

With Alvida bound and the children groaning in pain behind them, the pirates made their way back to the port.

***

Nojiko clenched her fists, her breathing heavy as the female tiger zoan, Ayame, rushed toward her at breakneck speed.

With a sharp motion, thorned vines burst from the ground, writhing like snakes to block the tiger's charge.

SHING!

Ayame's claws slashed through them mid-dash, shredding them with ease. She never slowed down.

From the front, Jigu was even more relentless. Every time Nojiko summoned massive trees to shield herself, he crushed them with sheer brute force. His massive frame bulldozed through the thick trees, leaving behind a path of destruction.

Nojiko needed to change the pace.

She raised both hands, summoning a field of blooming flowers—their petals shimmering with toxic spores. A single breath of them would be enough to paralyze a normal human.

With an effortless leap, the tiger Zoan twisted midair, dodging the spores as if she had sensed them before they even spread. She landed lightly on the ground, closer than ever.

Nojiko's eyes widened.

Too fast!

CRACK!

At that moment, Jigu shattered another thick tree in front of her.

Nojiko was trapped between the two enemies, the tiger closing in fast from the side and the hulking ancient monster tearing through her defenses from the front.

SLASH!

Nojiko gasped as Ayame's claws ripped through her shoulder, sending a burst of pain through her body. Warm blood splattered onto the grass below as she staggered from the sudden attack.

But she had no time to react.

BOOM!

From the front, Jigu's massive fist crashed into another thick tree, shattering it like brittle glass. The force of the impact sent a shockwave through the battlefield, knocking Nojiko off balance.

She was wide open.

BAM!

Jigu's giant fist slammed into her, sending her flying backward. She crashed through layers of foliage before slamming against a boulder, the force cracking the stone behind her.

Blood dripped from her lips. Her body ached.

Ayame grinned, licking the blood from her claws. "You're tough, I'll give you that," she purred, crouching low like a predator ready to pounce again.

Jigu stomped forward, his voice a deep rumble. "Stay down, girl. You're out of your league."

Nojiko gritted her teeth, forcing herself up. Her Lush Fruit had given her a powerful connection to nature—but even the strongest tree could be uprooted.

If she wanted to win this fight, she needed to fight like a jungle, not a tree.

Her eyes glowed green.

Nojiko's eyes blazed with an intense green glow.

Her breathing steadied. The earth beneath her quivered, and the vines around her thickened like muscle fibers. The air was filled with the scent of wildflowers and fresh soil as her power surged.

But before she could react--

BOOM!

Jigu's body shifted, morphing into his full hybrid form.

His already-massive frame expanded, his arms growing thicker than tree trunks, his legs turning into powerful, prehistoric limbs. His face elongated into the monstrous snout of a Chalichothere, his teeth bared in a savage snarl.

"Not bad, girl," Jingo rumbled, his voice deeper, rougher. His hooves tore into the ground as he charged with terrifying speed—far faster than something that large had any right to move.

Nojiko barely had time to react.

CRASH!

Jingo slammed into her like a battering ram.

A thunderous impact echoed across the battlefield as her body soared like a ragdoll.

She didn't even have time to scream.

BOOM!

Her body smashed into the earth, creating a small crater upon impact. The lush greenery around her wilted instantly, her connection to them severed.

She wasn't moving.

Ayame landed beside Jigu, watching the fallen Nojiko with an eerie smirk. "Is she dead?"

Jigu snorted, shaking dust from his fur. "If she isn't, she will be soon."

The battlefield fell silent.

Nojiko's still body lay motionless. The green light in her eyes flickered… then faded.