A Boatload of Trouble

**Date Started:** November 22, 2020
**Date Completed:** April 1, 2021
**Previous Roleplay:** Arms of Aether
**Next Roleplay:** A Mountainous Dare
**Users Involved:** User:Starving Skeleton, User:GeminiVIII, User:Berserkchart486, User:Arukana, User:DazzlingEmerald
**Setting:** Ford's Ship Shop, Nassau, New World, 1578
**Characters Involved**:
* **Pirates:** Haint Esmeray, Ford Henrietta, Wayland
* **Other**: Shaka, Omen Armani

## Gone AWOL

Nassau. Also known as Pirate Island, is notorious as one of the Underworld's major trading hubs. So as a mercenary, this job was like challenging a shark to a swimming contest. In fact, Shaka only kept his hood up to keep others from recognizing him. His job isn't too difficult but leaving a trail on Nassua might cause trouble for his future jobs or anytime he might want to stop by for one of Nassau's signature drink, **Veno's Fire Fist Punch**. Shaka needed to act in silence. Privacy. He kept his hands in his black sweater, leaving it unzipped to reveal his sculpted ebony body. Black pants to compliment the overall shady look.

Speaking of a Veno's Fire Fist Punch...

"Hey hey, old man lemme get a F.F Punch and make it snappy I gotta job to get done!" Shaka said as he stopped at a stand.

"Ohhh Shaka! When did you get back to Nassau?" The old man replied. Shaka jumped. He grabbed his hood and jumped closer to the merchant.

"Old man how'd ya know its me at this place? I'm wearing a hood so no one can see my face!" Shaka whispered.

"Well I mean...you're a regular here. Not that hard to *not* notice you really. Especially because you're always rap-"

"You're right! I should've worn a different color hoodie...one that's bright." Shaka rubbed his chin. "It's too late. I gotta get this thing before the sun goes down. Bring it to the drop off point and meet Sylvia back at the inn in town." He turned his attention back tot he merchant and slammed his hand on the stand. Leaving several beli. "Old man thanks for the drink. But you ain't see me unless you want me to come back and drain your blood above a sink!"

"Of course Shaka-I-I-mean stranger!"

Shaka bowed, took his drink and continued down the busy market area. Ford Henrietta. The name his client gave him. At least this wasn't an assassination job. Its common practice to pay mercenary's for assassinations since its much cheaper than hiring *actual* assassins. People trained in killing and with special networks to escape charge an arm and leg for their services. Opposing mercenaries who tend to be brutes or powerhouses capable of causing as much destruction as possible. They didn't have any fancy martial arts or weapons.

Not that Shaka minded assassination jobs. Whatever got him paid. Just...too many people died for stupid reasons. Shaka refrained from asking about his client's business. Yet he always found out that his client just sought power and riches. And, unlike Shaka, would rather pay other people to do their dirty work so they could live with a false clean conscious.

Over all, its nice to steal something.

Shaka, so lost in thought, didn't realize that he reached his destination. Ford's Ship Shop. A shipping port for travelers to get some work done on their ship or purchase new vessels. This particular port, however, was famous among the Underworld. For Ford's Ship Shop's owner created engines unseen across the New World. Maybe she might be able to fit Shaka with a new engine for his own personal rowboat which he sailed alongside Sylvia.

Later.

Shaka's target is an engine that a particular client had apparently placed a bid for. Sadly someone else managed to outbid them. Meaning this ship should've been fitted for the engine today. Shaka's eyes, hidden by his hood's shadow, narrowed. There it is. A beaten down boat that looked like it belonged at the bottom of the ocean it sailed. Shaka looked both ways and made his way onboard. Leaping high onto the deck.

His third eye was kept open. Workers. Merchants looking to establish contracts. Cliental. Yet no one of considerable power. And the ship? Empty. Odd but perfect timing is a thief's greatest blessing. Shaka pulled out a crude drawing of the engine, which should be located below deck. He silently opened a door and made his way downstairs where he met his target. A gigantic metallic piece of machinery. Large enough to eclipse Shaka completely.

He held up his paper.

He looked at the engine.

Back to his paper.

And the engine once more. Where, next to the engine's drawing, someone drew an equal sized stick man. "This is fucking crazy. Not drawing a picture to scale is just lazy!" Shaka turned around. "I can't carry this thing for long. I'm not even sure I'm that strong. Even If I was, someone would see me from afar. Like a giant flashlight made from a star."

Shaka turned around and rubbed his chin. "No one's on deck so it is my lucky day...and stealing a ship might even give me some extra pay!" Shaka smiled. He made his way back upstairs, to the wheel and nodded. He didn't know much about sailing. But this isn't his first stolen ship. He'd escaped countless jobs stealing someone's ship.

So in but a few minutes...the ship was slowly moving from port and on its way!!!

"Is this the place?"

A tall purple haired woman stood confused in the midst of a busy street, standing before Ford's Ship Shop, a well known mechanics business in Nassau. She looked up and down the street, taking in the surroundings, almost as if she was trying to remember if she had been there before. She reached into her pockets as if to pull something out, but upon pulling her hand back out, she came up short.

"Oh gosh, I must've left the paper with my other body." She remarked, a sense of worry in her voice as she tapped her foot multiple times on the ground, contemplating on what she should do. "I may as well ask in here, at least they can probably point me in the right direction." She stepped forwards into the establishment. However, instead of reaching out to open the door, she simply phased through it like it was nothing, leaving the civilians passing by her on the street in confusion as they walked past.

She made her way inside, walking through an empty shop for the most part, peeking around every room and corner looking for anyone who could help her out. The shop was filled with many tools, both large and small, it was surprising to see just everything that went into ship building, at least for someone who for the most part never partook in such a trade. However, the tools were not important, she needed to look for the person who would be using them.

"Is anyone here? I dropped my ship of here earlier to get fixed. I was told to be back in a few. My name is..." She stopped in the middle of her sentence, just before giving out her name. She stood perplexed as to what she'd need to say or think up to finish the remainder of her sentence, holding her hand to her chin and crossing her arms.

"*What name did I give them again? I surely would've never used my real one, and calling myself the Purple Lady would've brought too much attention...Oh yes, I remember now.*" She snapped her fingers as her memory came back to her just in time, opening her mouth to finish her sentence previously cut short.

"My name is Belle Anna! I've got places to be, so I hope all is well with it." She remarked in a loud tone, projecting her voice throughout the shop in the hopes that someone would hear her and respond so she could go about her business.

“I heard you the first time,” Henrietta replied, her tone expressing her slight irritation at the woman’s attempt to rush her to service. There were other words that she really wanted to say, but, above all, she was a businesswoman. Her mouth had gotten her fired from a few opportunities before, but she had matured since she was just a little undergraduate student. Within seconds, she emerged from the back of the shop, her clothes decorated with various oils and grease. She approached the front desk and flipped open the ledger, searching for the girl’s name.

“Ah, yes, I see!” Henrietta exclaimed, a smile creeping onto the edges of her visage as she did. “You were the one who asked for the thermal engine, right? Something about fueling it with fire or explosives or something?”

Her question was rhetorical. Henrietta was given liberty to correct and fix the ship to the best of her ability, and therefore she recommended as much stuff as she could in the contract. She knew that the woman was not entirely aware of everything she did, just that she signed off on it. She claimed to have expendable reserves of money, and so Henrietta made sure to give her the best ship that money could buy.

“Anyway, It’s all done. I’ve left the ship in the exact place that you asked of me as well. Still, all that’s left is the payment! I take it that you have the sum we agreed upon at the beginning of the project?”

Esmeray looked down at the female mechanic, the height difference more than a bit staggering. Her tone of voice was less than hospitable in the eyes of a costumer, but Esmeray expected no less from a mechanic. "Ah Yes, the Thermal Engine." Esmeray remarked. She knew very little about the engine itself, all she knew was how it was charged and using her own powers to charge her ship for free. This was much more efficient than stopping for fuel every other island and scaring it's inhabitants with the state of her ship.

"Well, if my ship is where you say it is, then follow me. Your payment in full is on the ship." Esmeray responded, holding her arm out toward the door, signaling to Henrietta to join her as she phased through the shop's doors once again and entered the busy street, looking over the crowd to the docks a few blocks down. She began to walk, assuming Henrietta would catch up shortly.

Henrietta was often drawn away from her store, therefore she had the easiest system to close shop. She grabbed her keys, turned the lock on the door, and shut it, effectively locking her store completely. Though, it was not like that meant much on Nassau. It was a pirate paradise, and pirate paradises were often riddled with crime. If her store was scoured and robbed, locking it was just a measure for her to claim less o a deduction on her insurance. Everything was insured around here.

She glanced forward, noticing her client a few meters ahead, and took a step forward. As she did, three exhaust-like engines manifested along her calf muscles, providing her an immense surge of speed the instance she took a step forward. She quickly closed the gap, appearing beside her client in a literal blink.

“So, what brings you to Nassau in the first place,” Henrietta inquired, folding her arms behind her back. “You don’t really look like the type that wants to be involved with an island of hooligans.”

"I caught wind of your shops existence a few islands back, and it luckily lined up with my route so far. With the shape my ship was in prior to my coming here, I had little choice but to stop and get her fixed up." Esmeray remarked. She hadn't been a pirate for long, but in the time she was she'd already seen and met many different pirates, she was accustomed to their crude nature to the point where she almost saw it as a bit charming and entertaining.

"Allow me to return your question. Why are you here in Nassau? What made you build your shop here, aside from the wealth of customers a place like this provides you with." Esmeray questioned, looking around at the abundance of pirates and sailors alike that walked up and down the streets.

“That’s a good question,” Henrietta replied, lifting her hand onto her chin thoughtfully, “I would say because of the money, and the opportunity, and the safety. Here, on Nassau, marines don’t come looking for me, and I can find whatever I need, whenever I need to practice my work. I’ve missed spending time, sitting in my workshop, and doing what I do best. When you dedicate an entire decade of your life to perfecting your craft, it’s depressing when you can’t continue. So, that’s why I’m here, in short,” Henrietta revealed. “Though, I guess that was sort of a long winded explanation, yeah?”

"Nothing wrong with long winded." Esmeray remarked, peering through the crowd to see the docks cutting into her line of sight. "It seems that we've arrived." Esmeray said, which each step getting closer and closer to the docks with Henrietta at her side.

As they both arrived at the docks, they were met with a large menagerie of interesting ships. Tall and short, skinny and wide, strong and weak, absolutely all kinds. However, the most important one was missing...her's. Esmeray looked around and peeked through every corner in search of her ship. Was it maybe moved by another worker? Had it just been out of site? What was going on? "Excuse me, but um...Are you sure you left my ship here. Because as far as I can see. It's not here..." Esmeray muttered, a bead of sweat dropping from her forehead in an almost comedic manner, though, her worry was all but funny. Not only was that her main form of transportation, but that was also where all her money was stored and her entire library of scrolls and artifacts. She could only hope it had just been missplaced.

Henrietta lifted her hand onto her chin thoughtfully, seemingly taking a few moments to genuinely think about the inquiry made. She glanced to the sides rapidly, and then towards the dock, yet again.

“Ah, yes! I see what happened,” Henrietta begun, raising her finger into the air. “Take a look.”

She approached the dock and picked up a fragment of rope that had been left. It was torn and ripped, as if it were not carefully removed from the ship beforehand, yet, the rope bore her insignia, a signature specifically from Henrietta. It was her method of maintaining that she had in fact left her vessels where she said.

She picked it up and threw it towards her client.

“Someone stole your ship.”

"..." Esmeray stared at Henrietta for a short moment, a short breeze passing in between them, whisteling through the silence.

"Stole my ship...someone stole my ship. The ship with all my possessions and your payment..." Esmeray said in a distraught tone of voice, staring off in the direction just past Henrietta, bringing back the long moment of silence.

"I need to take a seat." Esmeray went to sit down on a rickety wooden chair just to the side of the docks, pulling her hands under her dress to sit properly. However, when her butt would've hit the chair, it simply fell through, her entire body phasing through the chair and the docks below it, Esmeray disappearing from sight.

"OH MY STARS! MY BODY WAS ON THAT SHIP!" Esmeray cried out, her head popping through the wooden docks in a panic, her body floating through the ground and up towards and through Henrietta's body. She darted off into the distance, going in the most logical direction based on where the fragment of rope was found without as much as a word more. If Henrietta wanted to be paid for such an expensive engine, her next most logical choice would be to follow after her as well.

Henrietta scurried behind the woman, her face contorting until her frustration was made apparent with a single glance. “Hoy, get the fuck back here! Where you think you going huh? I need my fuckin’ money!!”

"Well, if you coveted your payment so much, you would've secured the ship properly!" Esmeray remarked, taking off even faster, not slowing down for a moment, after all, it was her body on the line. Part of her wanted to send a fleet of hollows to ensure the safety of her body, but there was a chance they would simply draw whoever stole the ship to where he body was even faster. She could only hope that the "security measures" put in place would preserve the safety of her body while she made her way too it.

## Engineering Relations

"So, this is the fabled Pirate Island..." Wayland softly declared as he stepped onto the dock of Oqia—one of the two port towns created by the current king of the island and member of the Shichibukai, Kenway Veno. Taking in a deep breath through his nose, the brown-haired blacksmith looked around at the sight of people moving around as they went about their business or simply enjoying themselves. It certainly looked more ghetto than he expected, even for a place known for serving as a den for pirates. Still, there was a calm feeling in the air which almost made Wayland want to sit down and relax...

"No, this isn't the time to focus on those thoughts. Need to find Henrietta." Wayland reminded himself, shaking his head before moving forward into the town. He was here for one reason and that was to find his crewmate. It had honestly been luck on his part for discovering she was here, having heard rumors from several pirates who spoke about the "hot mechanic" working in Nassau and the things they would like to do to her. Upon hearing such words and the name they spoke, Wayland took it upon himself to beat the information out of them with a rusty blade. "*Bastards have another thing coming if they are gonna talk about Henrietta like that.*"

Unfortunately, in his anger, he hadn't liberated the information of where she was working at now in Nassau which means he has to find where she was working at exactly. In a big island like this with four cities, Wayland was hoping he had landed at the right one. "Might as well, ask around to see if anyone knows."

With a plan in mind, the red-eyed young man walked around the town and explored in hopes of finding a sign of Henrietta's whereabouts.

"Maybe if I am lucky, she'll just drop right in front of me...or burst through that wall." Wayland muttered before taking a moment think about what he said and nearly doubled over in laughter, drawing the attention of nearby citizens who looked at him oddly. "Yeah, right. She's probably working on some big project or something."

Whether Wayland uttered those words because he knew the universe would prove him wrong, or because he honestly believed them, the result was the same; Henrietta had already worked on something big, but right now, there was no bigger project than securing her funds. It was this project that caused her to tumble through the brick wall situated directly next to Wayland. Though, he was fortunate in being far enough away, perhaps due to his own subconscious prediction of Henrietta’s appearance, that nothing fell upon him.  Henrietta landed on her feet, crouched slightly from the recoil of her jump.

As she stood up, her face deep red in anger, she looked around the main streets.

"Hoy! Where the fuck is she?! I know one you bastards done seen her!"

Wayland could only blink in surprise at the explosive and sudden appearance of Henrietta as she crashed through the brick wall like a woman on mission, and given her words, she was definitely on a mission. Still, it seemed as though luck was on his side by bringing his crewmate directly to him.

"Henrietta, is that you?" Wayland called out, taking a cautious step forward.

Henrietta's head snapped in Wayland’s direction. However, upon looking at him, she tilted her head in confusion. The red tint of her face inclined to a much lighter complexion. At this point, she was no longer angry, but more, confused.

"U-Uh…Damn…" Henrietta muttered, sliding her hands into the pockets of her pants awkwardly. "You went from being cute as shit to hot as shit."

"I-wh-uhhh..." Wayland's face twisted in confusion until Henrietta's words registered in his mind, causing his entire face to turn bright red in embarrassment. Unable to find an appropriate response to such a statement, the blacksmith simply raised his hood and turned away to hide his blushing face. "*Yep, that's her alright...*" Despite the amount of time they had spent away from each other, the mechanic was still able to turn him into a stuttering mess with a simple statement.

"A-anyways, what are doing bursting through walls, Henrietta?" Wayland said, finally managing to get his emotions under control. "You mentioned something about searching for a woman?"

“Oh yeah! Good job reminding me, kid!” Henrietta shouted, clenching her fist in anger. “That huge bitch tryin to make off with one of my engines. She came to me, about a week ago, about how she needed the best engine money could buy, because she was lonely and something, and did not have any dudes that could row her boat for her. So, I did it. I made the best damn engine money could ask for, and it was expensive as hell. Took me forever to get the parts; now she’s gonna *act* like her ship got stolen, and then she just vanished, like we all did. Just, poof. Gone~!”

Henrietta tapped her foot against the ground quickly. “Ahhh, I gotta find her! I need my motherfuckin’ money!”

The blacksmith blinked as he absorbed the onslaught of words spoken until it all registered in his mind. "So, this chick basically robbed you blind after all of the work and money you put into it, huh?" Having fully heard her explanation, Wayland could understand why she was so angry now. If someone had pulled the same trick on him for a commission, he'd do everything within his power to get the money he worked for and even take the weapon back out of spite. There was no way he'd let Henrietta deal with this alone.

"Well, it looks like we have to go teach this chick a lesson, then." Wayland declared, narrowing his crimson eyes. "I think I know which boat you are talking about, too. I saw one leaving the port as I just arrived."

“Hell yeah, I knew you were more than just a hot piece of shit,” Henrietta smirked, and smashed her fist into the palm of her hand enthusiastically. “Now, we can get my money.”

She gestured Wayland forward. “Go on, kid. Lead me in the direction you saw that ship going. If we find them, I’ll treat you to dinner at my place, on me. I know I probably don’t look like it, but I’m one hell of a cook.”

Wayland felt a vein pulse on his forehead at her referring to him as "kid". Did he really look that young still? He personally thought he looked rather mature but apparently not. "I'm like 5 inches taller than you yet I'm the one being called kid... sure, why not." He muttered while shaking his head despite the smirk on his face. "Alright, follow me. If we hurry, we can chase after them and get your stuff. Just be sure to have dish in mind."

With his piece said, Wayland turned on his heel and ran off towards the docks with Henrietta hot on his trail. Maneuvering through various citizens and obstacles at extreme speeds, the duo found themselves arriving at the port in a matter of moments. Looking out the sea, he pointed out at the fleeing ship with a purple dot chasing after it. "There they are. Looks like they've already got a big head start."

“Fuck,” Henrietta announced, stopping right beside Wayland as they looked at the vessel continue forward into the deep blue. “That skank is really makin’ me work here, ya know.”

She grabbed Wayland by the hood of his jacket, and jumped forward, sending them plummeting towards the sea. To her knowledge, the boy hadn’t eaten a devil fruit, so if her planned failed horrendously, he could at least swim them out of the ocean. But, it wasn’t as if she planned on failing. Who did that?

A jet-like engine protruded from the soles of her feet, ripping through the bottom of her red boots. “Hold on!”

That was her only brief warning before her engines spun up, releasing a blast of pressurized air, generated from the ambient air beneath her feet, and sending them soaring towards the sheep like a rocket. Henrietta couldn’t help but chuckle as the duo soared throughout the air at Mach-like speeds. But then, a thought occurred.

“Kid, we got a problem!”

"Is it the fact I'm being choked by my own jacket?!" Wayland shouted over the billowing wind, adjusting his collar to prevent it from digging into his neck. Looking over his shoulder, he was greeted with the sight of Henrietta covered in water and found himself blushing at seeing a state before looking away. "Um, so what's the problem?!"

“Well, we’re going to hit that ship hard,” Henrietta admitted, “Unless you got some way to stop us from doing that. I miscalculated the amount of thrust I needed to get there, and so, I do not think the drag will slow us down enough to prevent us from hitting the hell out of that boat.”

She paused. “Hmmm, yeah, I got nothing.”

"Please tell me you are joking?!" Wayland asked as he turned his head to look at Henrietta once again, only to be met with her sheepish grin while they were rushing towards the deck of the ship at dangerous speeds. "Son of a-! Alright, brace yourself!" Wayland shifted his body and grabbed Henrietta in a bridal carry, making sure she was secured within his arms. The young blacksmith glanced down before kicking with tremendous force at the deck below, forming a cushion of air beneath his feet as their descent slowed and allowed them to land with a loud thud.

"Well, that takes of that." He declared with a grumble. "So, that thief should be on here?"

Henrietta smiled, patting Wayland on his chest. "I guess that shit just ain't for show is it?! You've gotten strong as hell," she complimented, jumping down from his arms onto the deck of the ship. "Anyway, the thief should be here. But, where the hell are they? Ain't know way we missing a broad that tall."

She slammed her foot onto the deck of the ship, sending it directly into the wood.

"HEY COME OUT YOU BIG SON OF A BITCH!"

Shaka heard the noises of people on the deck. Bumping and thudding around causing a hell of a lot of ruckus. "Man oh man I don't know what's that sound...last I checked no one was around." He told himself. Shaka pressed open the door and entered the captain's cabin from the bathroom. His eyes closed as he used his third eye to scour his surroundings. "A shapely broad and a kid half her size...my oh my he's lucky to be with someone that fine."

Shaka opened the door. Walked to the upper deck's railings and leaned over. Eyes caught on Wayland. "Listen kids I ain't here to be rude. Don't know how you got here but you need to go quicker than soon."

"Who the fuck are you?" Henrietta inquired, moving her eyes in Shaka's direction. "Like seriously, who the fuck are you?"

She placed her hands on her hips.

"Actually, that doesn't matter," she dismissed. "I'm here for my money. Simple as that. Give me what we agreed on, and no one is going to get...well, that big bitch is going to get hurt no matter what. If I have to chase you, you can guarantee that I'm going to fight you. But, I won't hurt anyone else...."

Henrietta put her hand to her chin. "I think..."

"I'd listen to her if I were you." Wayland followed up, glancing at Shaka with dangerous intent. "Besides, the odds aren't looking in your favor right now. It's 2:1 and you definitely aren't getting ou-!" Pausing for a moment, he looked over at Shaka before turning his attention back to Henrietta.

"I thought you said the person who stiffed you was a woman?" Pointing at Shaka with a deadpan expression, he continued. "This guy doesn't really fit said description."

"I ain't see no big bitch and even if I did I ain't a snitch." Shaka laughed. "Two to one listen I ain't dumb. I ain't the one who brought this ship to get done. I'm just a guy with a job to finish so I can't run." He jumped over the railing with his hands still in his pockets. "Now leave cause I ain't got time for runts."

"I-wha-huh?" To say Wayland was confused after hearing Shaka's response would be an understatement, realizing this man was speaking in rhymes. It was such a mind-boggling experience to say the least. Glancing at Henrietta, he pointed a finger at the dark-skinned man before him and said in a confused voice. "Is this guy having a stroke or something?"

As Henrietta and Wayland engaged the thief from the main deck of the ship, Esmeray shot towards the air towards the back. She phased through the lower deck of the ship, popping in and out of several rooms before finally making it to her bedroom. She looked around frantically having been a bit turned around due to her flight path before laying eyes on her motionless body covered in sheets and blankets. "Thanks the stars." She let out a sigh of relief, seeing as her body was safe and untouched. She looked around the room, taking in her surroundings for a moment before turning towards the door.

"It seems my defenses have stayed dormant as well, splendid." She phased through the door and before her she was greeted with the shadow of a large man standing in the doorway that lead to the main deck. Esmeray sprinted through the air floating just behind his body and whispering into his ear. "BOO!"

"Oh god!" Shaka jumped. He quickly leapt away from the floating girl yet kept his attention on the three of them. "T-that shit was odd. Doesn't matter how many of ya'll is here I need this boat for my job." He lowered his hoodie. Revealing his bare upper body. "This ship is sailing towards the location. Whether you're here or not don't matter to me so don't taste my patience."

Henrietta took a step forward. "And, I don't care about you needing the ship!"

She threw a glance in Esmeray's direction.

"I just need to be paid!!"

"This is starting to get stupid." Wayland said in a deadpan tone, finding this entire situation to be ridiculous. It was quite obvious talking was just leading them in a circle of "he said, she said" bullshit and Wayland wasn't here for any of that. Fortunately, there was one simply way to take care of this: combat. Without wasting a moment, he reached into into his trench coat and unsheathed his signature longsword Highlander in a swift display of dexterity before kicking off of the floorboard with tremendous force, causing the wood to briefly crack under the pressure.

"Kissaki!" Roaring the name of the technique aloud, Wayland took aim and thrust his sword directly at Shaka's stomach, utilizing the momentum built up from his dash to enhance the penetrating force of his sword.

**Cling**

"**Chainmail."** In that split second, however, Shaka's body changed. Flesh becoming metal. Thousands upon thousands of small links intertwined into one another. Locked into place around his stomach...or rather it was his stomach. No matter how hard he tried to push...Wayland's sword wouldn't budge. Shaka looked down and sighed. "Aye I tried to warn you about wasting time. Shit no one's time is more important than mine."

Shaka's arm grew in size. Or rather it was covered in layers of chains. Wrapping around itself similar to his stomach. He brought it down against Wayland with a ferocious pound. Enough to send the young boy flying through the deck. Meanwhile, another couple chains flew out of Shaka's back. Darting at Henrietta. Aiming to wrap themselves around her neck.

"Chains!?" Wayland muttered in surprise, having not expected such an unconventional weapon to spawn forth from his opponent's body. This had been the first time he had encountered a Devil Fruit which was capable of spawning a specific type of weapon. Nonetheless, he was still confident in his ability to deal with this obstacle. Letting out a small grunt, Wayland tensed his muscles, feeling the soft tissue harden before becoming heavier until he could no longer move as Shaka's chain-covered arm slammed into his shoulder.

Upon feeling the impact, Wayland instinctually let out a grunt and could hear the sound of the wood splintering beneath him until it finally collapsed underneath the weight of Shaka's powerful blow and Wayland's increased weight, causing the blacksmith to fall down until the lower floor. Landing on the wooden floor with a dull thud, Wayland shook his head to shake the splinters out of his hair while pushing himself off of the ground. "Looks like I'll need to up my strength to deal with those chains of his." Rolling his shoulders, Wayland positioned his longsword directly behind him in a reverse-grip as a crimson aura surrounded the weapon.

"**Sori Hamon**!" Wayland shouted, swinging Highlander with tremendous force as an air-compressed projectile exploded forth from the weapon and raced upward towards where the area where he assumed Shaka still was.

The projectile released by Wayland clashed directly against the chains that Shaka released, sending them flailing in several directions violently like a vortex. Henrietta simply jumped backwards as they did, meeting her crew mate by his side as he emerged from his hole.

"I hope you learned how to fight while you were getting all ripped, kid," Henrietta replied, palming her fist in what could only be excitement. "He has a devil fruit that allows him to create chains, It looks like. Which means, we need to be smart about his range of attack. You're a swordsman, and I'm a *hit shit real hard* kind of gal, which means he probably can outrange us. So, we'll counter. Let him deal a blow, and then we'll retaliate ten-fold," she explained, moving her body into her fighting stance.

"I'll make an opening for you, and then you'll end it all in one swing when that time comes. But for now, prepare!"

Shaka underestimated that little brat. He should've been dead. But the next thing he knew, Shaka was flying over the ship's edge in a jump meant to dodge the blast. Luckily he fired a chain from his palm and pulled himself back on board after it latched onto their ship's edge. "Man oh man," Shaka started. "swordsmen are annoying on every land. But I don't give a damn. I want my money even if I gotta bring him ya'll hands."

He darted at Henrietta. Arms still covered in chains as a makeshift gauntlet. He twisted his body, sending his armored fist at her chest. Simultaneously, several tens of chains shot out at Wayland. They were fired from his back as if shot from guns. Enough to pierce through metal. For each ended in a miniature blade. They danced. Flying around one another like silver dragons chasing a meal.

Henrietta gave a small glance towards Wayland, having no need to spare any words for her next course of action. She was going to do exactly what she mentioned, and would pave a way for her crew mate to end this battle. She brought her arm along her hip, the sound of coils, moving parts, and machines echoing amidst the atmosphere as she did. The cylinders that replaced her muscles were pumped within an excess of fuel, empowering them, and allowing them to produce work. The piston, which was positioned where her elbow was, exploded forward, enhancing the power of her punch.

The wind churned in response to the force of her blow, creating a dense wall of turbulence that moved to disrupt the pathing of both Shaka and his chains, ever so slightly.

Having noticed Henrietta's action and the look she had given him, Wayland clicked his tongue as a grin spread across his face at realizing what the shipwright was doing. It was a simple and effective strategy that he could get behind. "Alright, let's do this..." Stomping his foot onto the floor as the wood split beneath him, the sound of metal scraping against metal could be heard as Highlander was slowly sheathed while a dark purple aura began to slowly emit from his body. His crimson eyes flashed brilliantly as he focused his Kenbunshoku Haki on the movement of the chains until he found the perfect moment to move forth.

"**Shiden...**" Wayland hissed, letting out a breath of hot air from his mouth while tensing his muscles in anticipation before taking off in a burst of explosive speed. Dashing from wall to wall as he built up speed until he became a crimson blur, he finally landed in the center of the room before leaping into the air with all of his might and rocketed through the hole he had been sent through. Appearing directly in front of Shaka with his hand still on the handle of Highlander, Wayland loudly declared while unsheathing his blade to preform a powerful rising slash ー summoning forth the strength needed to slice through the iron chains covering Shaka's body.

"**...Zantetsuken!**"

Impressive. Rarely will one find a duo able to so easily fight alongside one another without the slightest exchange of sounds. But this wasn't Shaka's first rodeo, whatever that means. He felt Wayland's intent. Using Henrietta's own punch to help push him out of harms way. The chains couldn't absorb the blow of her attack unfortunately. Causing Shaka to feel an excruciating explosion of force from within. However, he gritted his teeth and created more chains to help lessen the sword's contact. Chains shot out Shaka's back as he flew backwards and latched onto the floor. Snatching him away from the duo and allowing the mercenary to catch his breath.

"Man that hurt like a bitch," He started. His torso bleeding heavily from the massive cut which stretched from his hip upwards. "I mean damn if we could switch. Though ya'll timing was lacking a bit...more communication and it would've been a full split."

He clasped his hand together and shot his palms forward. Choosing to stay away from the two since close combat would surely be more troublesome. Two giant chains fired from each hand with massive weight attached at the ends. They swung around, one aiming to wrap around Wayland's sword and the other Henrietta's neck. However beneath his right palm, a sharp ended chain shot at Wayland's leg. An attempt to pull it from under the swordsman.

A powerful reactionary blast of fuel erupted from the soles of Henrietta's feet, momentarily blinking her from her former spot, narrowly avoiding the chains that Shaka sent her direction. Yet, she manifested before Wayland, allowing the chains that he issued towards the swordsman to wrap around her arm, and the other to strike her flesh directly.

As it did, it simply clanged off, stopping in its tracks as it slammed against her body, as if it was striking metal itself. Henrietta gave off a quick smirk as she clenched the chain-the one wrapped around her arm-with her hand, intended on at least holding the man in place momentarily for Wayland to issue a decisive strike.

"Go, kid!"

While Wayland was certainly expecting Shaka to defend himself against his attack and even retaliate in some manner, the blacksmith didn't think Henrietta would go so far as to throw herself of the incoming attacks without hesitation. It was almost like... "Just like her..." Wayland muttered, seeing an image of the most selfless person who had come to know in the New World overlap Henrietta before fading away in the blink of an eye. It certainly made Wayland wonder what he did to deserve such incredible women willing to do such things for him. However, unlike last time, Wayland was collected and focused. He wasn't going to allow himself to sit back and do nothing.

This time would be different.

"Yeah..." Wayland muttered, placing a single foot on the deck below as his red eyes glowed with great brilliance, focusing his Kenbunshoku Haki on Shaka's life force. "I've got this." Launching himself with as much strength as possible, Wayland blurred forth with an explosive usage of **Soru** before leaping onto the giant chain still attached to Henrietta. With each step he took, a golden aura exuded from his body until it completely engulfed his body in the image of a lion charging with its claws and fangs barred at Shaka.

"**Gozen Tameshi Giri!**" Wayland declared with the ferocity of a lion, being more akin to roaring than truly speaking. With both of his hands tightly grasped around Highlander, he readied himself knowing that Shaka wouldn't simply allow him to close in without a fight.

"Oh this kid got a little bit of a beast inside of him that's awesome." Shaka growled. "But to beat me? Well ya a little bit too young." The chain wrapped around Henrietta's arm would suddenly tighten before pulling itself back into Shaka's body. *"I don't have enough time to dodge this so..."* Retracting at incredible speeds in an attempt to pull the girl towards the two. Shaka hoped to literally throw Wayland's partner at him from behind.

The power of Shaka's retraction was astounding, and almost scientifically unfeasible. But, it was that which momentarily excited her. Had she found someone who could challenge her feats of strength, just as that man once did? The cylinders of her arms ignited, combusting internally, generating a wave of fire within her that pushed her pistons into work, generating an enormous amount of torque that provided her the strength necessary to remain immovable.

Shaka grinned. He was a mercenary and the one thing that job taught someone was how to adapt one's original plan. And so, he immediately released the chain. Allowing her to fly off with it in hopes that the sudden looseness would throw all her force back to her. Sending her tumbling into the ship once more. But more importantly, without the taught chain, Wayland wouldn't have anymore solid footing. Messing up his steps for the oncoming attack.

Henrietta's eyes widened. "Oh Fu-"

Those were the only syllables able to escape her lips before she went flying backwards, surging through the air like a projectile. Though, at that point, if she continued, she would have surely continued off the edge of the vessel. Thus, she pointed her feet towards the sky, spurred her engines positioned at the bottom of her soles into action, and sent herself soaring downwards into the actual frame of the ship. She shot through the first deck, and the second, until she was no longer even visible.

"Shit! Henrietta!" Wayland screamed aloud upon noticing the sudden shift within the giant chain beneath his feet and hearing the familiar sound of someone falling through the deck of the ship. Glancing behind him briefly, he hoped the mechanic hadn't broken through the floorboards and fallen into the ocean. However, his thoughts were interrupted by the movement of the chain as it wobbled wildly and disrupted his footing, in turn messing with the flow of his technique and disrupting the calm mind needed to utilize his Kenbunshoku Haki. "Dang it, that's what his plan was..."

Reacting on instinct, Wayland leaped off the giant chain with a loud *thud* upon landing on the wooden floor and transitioned whatever remaining strength as well as momentum into a extraordinary swing which birthed a large tornado littered with deadly wind blades, heading straight towards the mercenary as a form of retaliation.

"**Hamon!**" He roared.

Shaka didn't have enough space or time to properly. And so the ebony mercenary found himself enwrapped in a tornado of wind blades. He quickly covered his body in chains, aiming to lessen the damage since the makeshift chainmail protected his body. The full force of the tornado, however, sent Shaka soaring back to the end of the ship. He picked himself up and growled. A massive chain flying from his chest like a bullet meant to slam against Wayland.

But more importantly, Henrietta would find herself slammed against a gigantic engine. Smashing several rods and buttons that would cause it to break into a raging charge. The ship dashing out of control without any sign of slowing down. It'd be harder for everyone to stand as the boat rocked back and forth, violently shaking atop the ocean's waves.

"Come on!" Wayland complained at seeing the incoming massive chain rushing through the air with the intention of slamming into him with the speed and force of a locomotive. Seeing there was very little chance for him to properly respond with a slash of his own to potentially slice the chain, Wayland elected to position his sword for a block before activating Tekkai as he felt his body become denser and heavier mere seconds before the massive chain slammed into his body.

"Gruh!" Letting out a small grunt, Wayland found himself being pushed back by the tremendous force of the massive chain as his feet dug into the floorboard, splitting the wood while he was dragged back. Being focused on keeping a solid stance, Wayland's attention was drawn behind him upon realizing he was heading towards the railing leading off of the ship. He needed move or else he would be sent into the ocean.

Briefly releasing his Tekkai, the blacksmith dropped to the ground as swiftly as he could, feeling the air above him shift while the massive chain passed over his head. Reacting swiftly, he rolled to the side before standing up with his blade extended outward, preforming a rising slash in order to slice through the chain and split it in half. "That takes care of that..."

## Queen of the Faeries

Elsewhere...
*"Impressive"*. Titania thought to herself as she walked throughout the gigantic castle. And for her to say that meant a lot seeing as she easily towered over the help scrambling throughout the massive building's halls. *"So this is how nobility lives?"*

Titania stopped at a window which covered the entirety of a wall. Exposing the clear blue skies and endless oceans of the Calm Belt. It'd been a year since she made it into the New World and heard rumors about the Calm Belt's serene view. Not even a slight wind to disrupt its crystal waters. However travelling along it was considered suicide. Especially when taking into account its deadly inhabitants.

*"Was this the world you were keeping from me, mother?"* Titania wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled.

"Oh Titania deaaar!!" A voice called out from the other side of the hall. "I hope you're finding my island to your liking! Its all mine. From the farthest speck of sand on each side. And everyone here works under me year round to ensure its perfect for when I return." She turned around to her benefactor. A fat, sloppy, sweaty man covered in exquisite robes.

"That's nice." Titania answered warmly. She looked down at the man who'd flew her out here several days ago and smiled.. "Thank you so much for your kindness and hospitality my love."

"Y-YOUR LOVE?!!!!" He screamed as blood gushed from his nose. He fell over in an even greater sweat. "I KNEW SEVERAL DAYS AGO, THE FIRST TIME I SAW YOU ON NASSAU YOU WERE THE ONE! B-BUT FOR IT TO GO THIS FAST! I HAVE BEEN BLESSED!!!!"

"Of course!" Titania exclaimed. She placed her hands on each hip. A curvaceous beauty covered in chocolate skin with long red hair to compliment. She had a beautiful gem surrounded by a golden ringlet on her forehead and golden ring bracelets in her hair. But more noticeable was the red mascara and blue lipstick covering her face. "I found myself accidentally on Nassau and was so scared surrounded by *all* those deadly men. Scary pirates and filthy criminals...Little did I know I'd find me a royal noble."

"Really?" He asked while returning to his feet. "Nassau *is* famous as a pirate den. But its also a major trading port for more *exotic* items."

"You mean slaves?" Titania asked. She felt her stomach twist and turn as she said *that* word. Despite being the daughter of a a fearsome pirate and a super powerful pirate herself, or so she described, Titania saw enough in her few years alive to despise human trafficking. But she hid this disgust with a smile capable of charming the gods above.

"Yes my dear. A fate that would've befallen something as exotic as you as well, had I not swooped in and saved you!" He exclaimed proudly.

*"More like you saved those disgusting perverts."* Titania thought to herself. "Oh! My hero!!!!"

"Y-your hero?!" He repeated. "Why yes. I guess I am a hero. Everyone on this island I brought from Nassau. Its so conveniently close to my island!!! But I guess I saved everyone on this island!!!" He turned to a passing maid and roared. "YOU HEAR THAT YOU FILTHY INGRATE! YOU OWE ME YOUR LIFE."

Titania jumped. Her face dropping as she saw the woman's deep frown. *"Just wait. I'll free you all."*

"Anyway, my new ship should be arriving soon and then we'll head back to my Kingdom!" He exclaimed. "There's this brat on Nassau that's good for making ship but the dumb bitch sold the new engine to some no name pirate. So I had to hire a little help to get it back." He grinned.

"Oh!" Titania smiled. "Listen dear, you go bathe and I'll keep an eye out for it."

"Really? You'll do that for me...You're...You're so amazing!"

Titania smiled while pulling her hair back. "And before we depart I plan on giving you one hell of a thank you." She said. "So take your time. Get nice and warm my savior."

"Oh! Oh!! OH MY GOD YES! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!" And with that, the man dashed away to the upper floor faster than she would've ever expected. Titania shook her head and approached the sweeping maid.

"I noticed some armed men ever since I came." She said.

"Aye my lady. That's our lord's personal security. They're here with us to ensure none of us escape...and to protect the island."

"Hm." Titania smiled. "How many boats does this island have?"

"The security detail have their own boat for when they need to restock from the mainland. But other than the lord's, none."

"Good. Listen. Go to your rooms. Tell all the men and women to go to their rooms and do not come out until three hours. There'll be a boat for your escape and weapons to protect you on your journey." Titania turned away.

"B-but my lady that's insane. No one's every survived the lord's security. They're all powerful pirates!" The maid screamed.

"You don't have time to waste. I need you to do this in a half an hour. And don't worry...I'm an even stronger pirate. It's in my blood!"

The old fat bastard had been in the shower for about fifteen minutes meaning that everyone who served beneath him should've heeded her warning. Titania was in the grand ballroom, absolutely mesmerized by its brilliance. Almost jealous that she hadn't been born the daughter of some noble instead of...Well regardless, she needed to do this as quickly as possible.

**8-Wind Rose**

The extent of her abilities relied on her knowledge of the area. That is she could only extend the reach of her powers to that which she'd seen prior. But luckily that bastard's extravagant lifestyle did just what it needed to. She smiled and left the ballroom. Entering the vast hallways of the mansion. She pulled out one of the rifles she found from the guard's armory and aimed it at approaching guard

"I'm sorry but I'm not good at this!" Titania announced to several guards. She pulled the trigger and flew backwards onto her bum while several bullets struck guards in their throat.

"You fucking bitch!" One survivor roared. "Kill her!" He pulled his own gun and fired alongside the others. Sending forth a wall of bullets at the young beauty.

**"Inverse!"**

The guards were riddled with bullets. Blood splattering the walls around them as their bodies bled out into massive pools. Their grunts and confused screams soon disappearing into silence as Titania stood up with her rifle and ran down the hallway. She stepped over their bodies with stern eyes locked on her goal. To find her way to where that damned noble would be.

"What the fuck is going on?!" She heard screams from around the corner. A man who sounded like a captain. "Where the hell are we-I KNOW I HEARD THE SOUND CAME FROM THAT WAY. THEIRS TROUBLE NEAR THE BALLROOM ITS SUPPOSED TO BE HERE."

Titania peeked her head around the corner and saw more suited men racking their head in confusion. She noticed a flight of stairs behind them and smiled.

"Hey guys looking for me?" Titania said after revealing herself. A giant smiled pasted on her ebony face. But before they could answer she darted away from them back the way she came.

"GET HER DON'T LET HER GO."

The last thing she heard before they threw themselves down stairs. Titania smirked. She had a troublesome power. One which made her one of her mom's favorite crew members ever since she was born three years ago. It became apparent she wasn't new to troublemaking as she worked through the mansion. Men shooting themselves. Stabbing one another. Jumping out of windows onto the hard ground below.

It took only an hour for Titania to paint the mansion red. She stood over the noble's corpse and sighed. Her power vanishing from this world with but a slight thought.

"That's it. Now to wait here for the boat to arrive before I head off." Titania said aloud. Leaving the corpse to soak in his favored tub. "I'll help get the security's boat ready for everyone else here."

## Chained Down

Henrietta often plunged herself into her work, but this may have been slightly more literal than she intended. Her body rang against the ship engine, tearing it apart like a knife through a juicy, tenderloin steak. She did not even feel a thing, not that she usually ever did, but the sensors embedded throughout the entirety of her body barely alerted her to any impending damage. In fact, there was none. The only thing that they revealed was that she had struck something at all. As she looked around, watching as the sparks jumped from one broken circuit to another, her face contorted into what appeared to be surprise.

“This metal…that fucker lied. This ain’t that good shit. This that cheap shit!”

The ship shook to the side violently, and had she not weighed literal tons, Henrietta would have been shot to the side of the engine room. Instead, because of her mass, more of the engine went shooting away from its part, splitting in half where her body lay.

“Ah fuck, this ain’t good.”

In a few moments, Henrietta exploded from her place, leaping through the hole she created to the top of the ship only to see both Shaka and Wayland stumbling around like idiots.

"Look what you made me do you stupid fuck!" Henrietta called out, pointing towards Shaka. "Now we're gonna crash!"

"The hell do you mean?!" Wayland said with a confused look on his face, stumbling across the deck as the ship was violently shaking beneath his feet. Glancing over at the hole Henrietta had leaped out of, he wondered what in the world happened down there for the ship to react like this. In the end it didn't really matter as things were looking quite dire for them at the moment. Adjusting his stance to regain his footing, he glared at Shaka and held Highlander in front of him.

"Man, I'm starting to think I'm cursed or something with the amount of things that go wrong for me..." Wayland muttered, wondering if he had a lot of bad karma from his previous life. It would certainly explain the situations he constantly found himself getting in.

"Damn so this ship is fucked and I'm not the type to give up. But without that engine then I'm stuck." Shaka said. "I guess this is a failure of a mission, but ya'll kids gonna go missing for fucking up my chicken!"

He opened his chest and a massive chain flew out like a silver dragon. The large links wrapped itself around the boat several times and starting tightening. Digging into the ship as the seconds started to pass. Soon it would be torn apart with all stuck in the sea. However, Shaka started heading towards a rowboat.

"That crazy rhyming bastard!" Wayland shouted at seeing the wooden floorboard creak from the strain caused by the gigantic chain wrapped around the ship, noticing several planks splintering and cracking at random intervals. To think this mercenary was willing to destroy the entire ship due to his objective being destroyed was insane. Glaring at the fleeing man, he moved to follow after him before stopping and looking back towards Henrietta. While he knew she could take care of herself, it wasn't up to him to choose what they should do in this situation. This was her quest per say and he was here to help her to the best of his ability. If she wanted to leave or continue going after Shaka, he'd do it the best of his ability.

Spinning on his heel and rushing towards Henrietta, he placed a hand on her shoulder before speaking. "Henrietta, what's the plan here? With the way things are looking, I don't think you are gonna get that money but we can still take this bastard down."

“Err…..” Henrietta muttered, glancing down at the ship, back to Shaka, and then out towards sea. In the distance, she could make out Nassau. She was certain that she could get Wayland and herself to safety by escaping to that land, but any further, she wasn’t entirely certain if she’d have the fuel to carry them there in a single go. But, there was something that wanted to see Wayland’s progress. Had he improved? Would he become what she envisioned for him? There was no better time to test than now.

“Yeah, fucking get him!” Henrietta acknowledged. “I’ma, try to slow this bitch down somehow, okay?”

"Got ya. Just don't strain yourself, okay?" Wayland replied, giving her a slightly concerned look before rushing in the direction Shaka had ran off. As the blacksmith chased after the mercenary, his coat billowed in the wind and, for a brief moment, Henrietta could see something on his back; a leather sheathe befitting a greatsword. Leaping over the edge of the ship without hesitating, Wayland threw his leg back before preforming a sweeping kick, building power by gyrating his hips to unleash a powerful blade of compressed air towards Shaka at high speed.

"Rankyaku!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

Shaka had lowered the boat and was just about to touch water when he heard the kids technique. He met it with a giant chain thrown with enough force to clash against it.

"Damn this kid got me stuck. But he cant swim so he's fucked." Shaka said as ten chains soared at Wayland. He hoped to have them dance around him. Becoming a tangled mess meant to ensnare him before slamming him into the sea.

Noticing the ten chains snaking through the air towards himself, Wayland took evasive maneuvers immediately as with a swift yet strong kick against the air propelled him through the sky. Tightening his grip on Highlander instinctively, he continued to dash through the air as the chains followed behind him, tracking his every movement with extreme precision. "Can't being so reactive to this bastard. That's where he excels."

With that thought circulating through his mind, Wayland flipped in-midair before kicking off of the air once more, jettisoning towards the incoming chains. As the young blacksmith took a deep breath, the center of his eyes was illuminated with a red light as he could see exactly an image within his mind where the chains were aiming to strike. "Not gonna stop me!" He roared, swinging his longsword with unbridled strength and slicing through the metal chains with ease while racing towards mercenary.

Shaka's brow furrowed as he fired more and more chains at Wayland. A blast of silver that transformed into the gaping maw of a dragon. "You're not going to get away!!"

"Shit!" Wayland cursed at the sight of chains compiling together in order to form a silver dragon rushing towards him at breakneck speeds. Having no desire to ripped to shreds by the maw of the metallic beast, the young blacksmith spun his sword in hand and preformed a downward slash to cleave through the construct. However, his attempt proved to be fruitless as Highlander barely managed to make a dent on the head of the dragon.

"The metal, it's been strengthened somehow!" With very little time to react, Wayland could do nothing but brace for impact as the maw clamped around his torso, piercing through his skin before he was slammed into the ocean. "*Ugh, this is a deep pain...*" Wayland thought to himself, feeling the salt water causing his wounds to burn.

Shaka raised his hands and commanded the dragon to slam into Wayland with enough force to send him deep underwater. However he released the chains since the sea caused him to lose control over it. He instead turned his attention to the ship and closed his hand as the giant silver chain continued to rip the ship apart. There's a new person on that ship, his third eye picked up.

"I need that thing to sink, quicker than a blink."

## Uninvited Guest

Henrietta had to trust that Wayland could deal with Shaka. If he could not, there would be no way he could manage what she planned for him the future. It was a test. A cruel, grueling test, but a necessary assessment, nevertheless. The best she could do right now was to slow down this vessel, and therefore, she returned to the room that she had designed herself: the engine room. She nearly grimaced at the sight of her work, having been reduced to a pile of ruined cables and tattered metal. The amount of time and money she had poured into the engine would be unrecoverable.

“The shit that happens to me,” Henrietta muttered..

*Here, on Nassau, marines don’t come looking for me.*

Unbeknownst to Henrietta, there had indeed been a marine stalking her party like a hawk, specifically a marine with the rank of Captain. Carefully, a certain marine Commodore who was infamous in her pursuit of high profile pirates had been trailing the now frantically swaying ship from underwater ever since it departed from Nassau. This was none other than "Head Hunter" Omen Armani, whose swimming speed eclipsed even that of the ship. Though she was a Frogfolk, many mistook her for a Merfolk due to her natural beauty and swimming prowess. In fact, her Axolotl breed made her more akin to a fish than it did a salamander and she took full advantage of this fact to keep pace with the ship.

Seeing an opportunity at last, Armani, who had been underwater for literal hours, at last propelled herself towards the hull of the ship with her left leg facing forward. *Ashigan*! She thought aloud in her head as, despite the water pressure, the force of her kick when enhanced by her choice of seastone footwear managed to plunge a deep hole in the ship's hull, large enough for her body to slip through.

A gush of water sprouted through the hole, fountaining into the engine room as if to announce Armani's arrival. She herself surfaced from the hole into the room, landing safely on one far corner opposite to Henrietta. The ship was undoubtedly still feeling the effects of Armani's incredible kick, enough to convince those on its main deck that it may have hit an iceberg or two.

"Don't move an inch, *pirate*," said the woman in a white coat of justice, standing upright to her full height; water continued to spew into the room at a steady rate. "I'm taking you in."

Henrietta turned her head around, her eyes literally scanning the woman before her. Her body computed the information, storing it, making predictions, analyses, and reports.

“Huh?” Henrietta replied, her tone as aggressive as it usually were, “What the hell is a marine doing all the way out here anyway?”

She glanced at the hole. “Not only are you annoying, but you are destructive as hell too, ain’t ya? You gonna pay for that?”

Armani glanced towards the damages she had inflicted upon the ship. Repairing something of this magnitude was certain to carry a hefty cost. "Sure. How about I pay for it with your head?" Armani had little to no knowledge on the Buster Pirates. Her line of specialty was in the Hunting Pirates. She sufficed a guess in imagining that the pirate before her had a bounty of her own. After all this was the New World.

Folding her arms beneath her jugs, Armani balanced herself on one foot and rose the other into the air. "I'm here for the one known as 'Wayland'. No one gets off this ship alive unless I leave here with him. Do you understand?"

“Eh? Who is that?” Henrietta inquired, letting her hands down to her sides casually. “There isn’t no one on this ship called Wayland, ya know. Besides, how the hell did you even get out here? Don’t you know this ship is about to crash land somewhere. I’m down here trying to slow it down.”

She glanced back at the engine. “We all going to die if I don’t that for now. So why don’t you plug that whole with your rack or something in the meantime while I finish this.”

An obvious coverup. Either Henrietta was covering for Wayland or she had genuinely yet to learn his name. Either way, his presence on the ship was undeniable --Armani had seen him board the vessel with her own eyes.

Henrietta'a desperation piqued Armani's curiosity. Was it the collision that worried her? If the ship was going to crash then why not abandon ship and leap into the water? Unless of course she couldn't. "Ah, is that right? In that case, let me give you a hand with that. Or better yet, a leg."

Armani was unmoved by the motion of the ship. Even as the ship raced towards the island she was able to maintain her balance on one foot. Jamming her foot down at the floor of the engine room like a bullet, Armani stomped yet another large hole beside the other, leading more water to gush inside.

This technique was the same as the one she had utilized before: Ashigan, or "Leg Gun". Shigan was one of the most recognizable martial arts techniques used by the marine soldiers. But Armani through her grit had developed her own variation of it which she employed through the use of her foot. A kick as fast as a bullet, backed by the genetics of a Longleg tribesmen and seastone boots. Undoubtedly it was certain to carry quite the force.

The entire ship shook once more as a crater replaced the flooring in the engine room.

In what seemed to be an instant, Henrietta exploded forward from her position in the floor, her jet-like engines at the soles of her feet literally rocketing her towards the marine woman at speeds that blinked her from existence. When she appeared, she was positioned directly to the side of her, her fist retracted along her hip, oozing with power as the cylinders that replaced her muscles were filled with gasoline, and oils that were combusted, sending the pistons within her body spinning and launching her mechanical arm directly towards the woman’s lower thigh, as that was the place that Henrietta could immediately reach upon dashing before her.

Armani had no chance to react to Henrietta's movements. In fact she was so fast that Armani couldn't even recall her moving away from the engine room's various machinery. There was no time to defend and even much less time to react. Henrietta's mechanical arm not only met its mark along Armani's thigh, but furthermore succeeded in completely dismembering the limb from her body.

Blood splattered across all corners of the room. Armani bit her lip tightly to prevent so much as a yelp from escaping her mouth. With only one leg remaining, she couldn't even properly execute Soru to escape from this situation. Instead she was forced to go on the offensive once again. This time she would lift up her other leg, rendering herself airborne. Rather than attack Henrietta directly, she instead aimed at the small specks of air that separated them. Kicking off the air using *Geppo*, Armani launched herself through the wall behind her and into another room of the ship's basement.

*She's some sort of robot...!* She thought to herself, smoke and debris appearing around her. *I can't read her movements. Not without activating that!*

Hoping the smoke from the broken wall would buy her some time, Armani closed her eyes, attempting to repeat the steps her mentor had taught her. *Focus. Focus. Focus...* But it was harder said than done. The heat of battle, especially one like this, made it hard for her to concentrate. She needed to find a means to calm herself or she bared the risk of being stomped by this robotic pirate. The issue was not keeping pace with the robot, but being able to track her movements. Armani was confident is she could just get herself to blossom over this one obstacle that this battle was completely lost.

Henrietta’s eyes traced the woman’s body, imbued with thermal scanners that homed in on the marine’s body temperature. The smoke did nothing to mask her presence, and so, the woman launched herself in that direction again, propelling herself in the same manner as she had the first time.

She shot through the smoke, appearing like a locomotive at the end of a dark tunnel. As she charged her fist up, she allowed the crankshaft in her shoulder to unlock, activating the pistons within it that allowed the shoulder to access its ability to spin a thousand times a minute; with this, she could launch seventeen punches, with the same strength and ferocity as the first, and this time, she didn’t aim to stop until the woman was out of commission for good.

Yet again there was no time to react. All Armani could hope for was to pray that her Haki would bloom under these gruesome conditions. Just enough so that she could live to see another day. The cloud of smoke parted before her to the sight of Henrietta and the pistons in her shoulders snapping into place.

Armani clenched her eyes shut and braced for impact. She was met by a barrage of fists that shook the ship just as she had, only this time relentlessly. The endless blows plastered Armani against the ship's outermost wall and even then they would not end. Henrietta's fists, in their violent never ending saga, plunged several more holes through her body and the ship, making the crater Armani had made before look like a mere donut hole.

The ship's wall gave in and Armani was blasted back into the waters outside. A tsunami of water entered from where she was exiled. Drifting in the pool of red water was one of Armani's arms as well as the leg that Henrietta had severed earlier, with a seastone encrypted boot on it. By now the water from the engine room should have begun to flood the entirety of the basement with the many new holes Henrietta had created only further drowning it.

The ship would now be sinking towards the ocean floor more than it was drifting in any other direction.

"Shit!" Henrietta muttered, propelling herself backwards like a plane, maintaining a form of levitation as her engines repelled the air beneath her body. She was fortunate that she could fly, but that was only for the time being. Eventually, she would run out of fuel, and when she ran out of fuel, the ocean lay beneath. The ship was going down, and at this point, repairing the engine wouldn't do a thing.

"Tsk," was the only thing that hissed from her metallic lips before she turned her attention to the surface, exploded back towards the deck to take Wayland and escape.

Drifting away into the ocean, Armani seemed to be done for. After all she had lost both a leg and an arm and seemed to be bleeding profusely. The blood in the water alerted a Sea King that happened to be swimming nearby and it snaked its way over to her, deeming her an easy snack. Just as the Sea King opened its mouth and took Armani hostage inside, she remembered the many training sessions she had under Grandmaster Bambina's tutelage.

*In a marine base in the New World, a tender Armani is standing with a blindfold around her eyes. Before her quite possibly the most famed marine instructor over the last decade, Bambina. Resting on his shoulder was a canon, aimed at Armani --one of many students that was training under his tutelage. Just as her father, Omen Baterine had learned under Bambina, she too had sought him out hoping she could reach a level beyond he ever had. "I... I don't quite get it yet," she openly admitted. A nervous bead of sweat trickled down one side of her side as she anticipated the firing of the canon.*

*"BAHAHAHAHA!" Bambina roared and gave a pat to the cannon, "I ain't get 't either, no' gon' lie!" Her tired gaze finally reached into his own by then. Oh, of course it had not been that... not that Armani could see him. "Oh- I mean- tha' cannon!!" Bambina pointed at it almost accusingly. His arms crossed, nearly making the cannon drop, "Listen, Mani Mani... yer in ey rush!"*

*What could she do to improve? She would never make it among the big leagues if she couldn’t get this down. This was the New World, full of the strongest the seas had to offer. If she wasn’t going to grow then she may have well quit. She kept her eyes shut, trying her best to focus on the sound of the canon being fired. No, she thought. That would be cheating. She had to concentrate more than that. Rather than the sound she had to interpret the spirit that canon ball carried itself. With her eyes still closed, the canon ball smashed into her stomach.*

*Bambina's eyes threatened to pop off his skull, he cackled his teeth and hurried to approach Armani a fair distance, "H-HOY, MANI!" He cupped both sides of his skull, then, started to wave his palms at her to drive the smoke away, "T' went off befo' I clicked!! Th' hell!!!" While their lessons have been going on for a while, the level of sensing unpredictable attacks had not been reached.*

*Yet.*

*Still, it seemed both Armani and her attacker, the cannon of course, were in a hurry. Damn it, Bambina's father never raised him and got the chance to teach how to use words. "Tis' thing we trynna' do... Mani, y'know it's got a lot aye, ey lot of ways ta' use." With each word, he back stepped slowly and away from Armani. "I ain't tellin' ya to... uh, ta' stop bein' angry or anythin'!" Bambina clapped and caused a shock wave, akin to something to jolt everything awake. "...Yer gotta' focus!"*

*Focus. Yer gotta' focus.* Bambina's words kept playing inside of Armani's mind.

Like the waves that rippled in the ocean around her, Armani's mind began to flow. Her soul began to drink, her body began to act. All of its own accord without her seemingly conscious control, Armani's body spiraled out from between the Sea King's reach just as its teeth clenched shut, escaping death by a hair's breath.

Now opening her eyes, she began to swim back towards the ship. A new arm shout out from her shoulder, where her previous arm had been taken, and a new leg appeared in the same fashion from the stub of her thigh. This leg however was bare, missing the seastone boot that was still stuck inside of the basement somewhere.

The Sea King would not give up its meal. It continued to pursue Armani, who waited until the very last second to yet again evade its attack in a skillful manner. This time however the Sea King's large head rammed straight through the hull of the ship that was in front of Armani, just as she spiraled away from harm's way. With the full might of the hungry Sea King slamming through its hull the ship would undoubtedly be split in half, causing both halves to sink into the waters below.

As for Armani, she had already detected Henrietta using her newly blossomed senses and was anticipating a much better round two.

Fishing around in the debris of what little remained of the once promising ship now that it had been ransacked by monsters that swam in the lesser waters, Armani at last recovered her lost boot and adorned it over her foot. It felt odd to be without it for so long. Her boots had become a large part of her identity after all.

*Who the fuck was that robot bitch? She read my Rokushiki as if she'd seen it a thousand times before.* Carefully, Armani swam towards an anemone, where a school of clown fish were fast asleep. Digging around, she uncovered what she had hidden there before attacking the ship: a bag of goods she had obtained from the black market while in Nassau.

The bag was full of dials, tens of them. She'd been hoarding several kinds of them in preparation of her next hunt. Armani was the kind of marine who did large sums of research before she took any action. These dials would make her hunt a lot more easy. *Good. They're all still here. The Clay Dial, the Light Dial, the Metal Dial. Among others.* After checking the contents of the bag, she tucked it into the inside of her coat and swam towards the surface.

## Surpassing Limits

Henrietta could hardly managed to accurately approach Wayland in the ensuing chaos, between the chains that ravaged the upper decks of the ship, and the Sea King snapping their boat in half, she wasn't sure if Wayland was even in the same place anymore. In the end, Wayland was not a Devil fruit user, and therefore he could survive being plunged into the ocean, but that pesky sea king that had somehow approached them without her noticing would be an issue. She wasn't exactly certain how well he could swim, but he didn't have the benefit of being a Fishman. There was no way that he could outcompete one of nature's most dangerous creatures in its own habitat. Therefore, she **had** to find him before it got to that point.

Amidst her thoughts, Henrietta reached the upper deck, landing on the tilting surface and slamming her palm into the wood as grip. She glanced up, taking note of Wayland and Shaka who were continuing their fight as if nothing was happening around him. There were so many questions; the main one revolving around a Devil Fruit user attempting to sink a ship, but those were answers she didn't care about.

"Wayland!!!" Henrietta called out, her tone almost desperate, "I took care of his fuckin' friend! He probably thinks she's going to save him when he falls into the ocean. But, you gotta end this now! If you land in the water, that sea king beneath us is going to tear us apart! You gotta do it, kiddo! RIGHT NOW."

"*Damn it!*" Wayland cursed to himself as he sunk further into the deep sea, feeling the air escape his lungs from the powerful blow dealt to him by Shaka. It was certainly looking like a losing scenario for him and the blacksmith didn't like that for a second. Here he was, losing against some weird rhyming guy with chains while Henrietta had put her faith in him to prevent the ship from being crushed into pieces. It was straight-up embarrassing, especially considering he was the one who came here to get her back. "*I'm not gonna lose here... Not now!*"

As he placed a hand on the head of the silvery dragon construct, his ears were alerted to the sound of Henrietta's voice, calling out to him from above. Glancing upward, his crimson eyes narrowed as a surge of determination flowed through him as her words registered despite the water in his ears. "*Friend? Sea King?! Like hell!*" Reaching onto his back, Wayland pulled with all of his might and unsheathed his greatest creation thus far, a crystalized greatsword forged during his time on Mythril Island. It held memories which were precious to him and it was created with the intention to serve as a beacon of light, inspiring those around him like the woman who had done the same for him.

"Brave Vesperia..." As Wayland positioned the blade upward, a brilliant golden light began to emit from the sword as with each passing second it intensified until the waters around the blacksmith were now shining with radiance. Feeling his waist free as the chains dispersed, he thrust the sword skyward while kicking downward with everything he had. "*...SHINE!*" Suddenly, an explosive blast of golden light surged out of the weapon as the sea parted from the destructive force, giving Wayland the air he desperately needed. No longer submerged in the deep blue, Wayland soared up high like a crimson rocket as a trail of light followed in his wake until he could see the ship down below, noticing the gigantic chain still wrapped around the sea vessel and the Sea King snapping the ship in two.

"BACK OFF!" Kicking off of the air with everything he had, he raced forward towards the ruined ship with each passing second, he built up momentum until he was a blur to the naked eye. Closing on the deck of the ship, the red-eyed blacksmith preformed a front flip and landed onto the floorboard with tremendous force, splintering the wood into pieces as he swung Brave Vesperia in an overhead slash with every muscle in his body in tandem with the additional force born from his rapid movement. As the blade of light came crashing down, it sliced through the constricting giant chains with ease before continuing down on the head of the rampaging Sea King. With clenched teeth, Wayland summoned forth everything in his body and spirit to cleave through this sea creature.

The scene is such. Two halves of the ship slowly sinking on either side of a Sea King slithering into the sky like a serpent. Its mouth is open, emanating an audible roar that could be heard by inhabitants of Ulka Khidake and beyond. With a stroke powerful enough to split through Shaka's chains, Wayland appears eager to contest the gnaw of the sea monster, whose fierce breath carries with it trinkets of goop and saliva, acidic enough to burn away Wayland's clothing should they meet him.

And why would they not? For Wayland came down on the monster in such a way that he ought to have been eaten. In fact as the illuminated blade of Brave Vesperia landed against the corners of the monster's mouth, it shut its jaw in the very same instance, trapping Wayland inside for no less than several seconds. But for Henrietta who cared dearly for him it would have felt like an eternity before signs of Wayland's victory emerged, with the blade's light shining out from the sides of the Sea King's throat and leaving an impressive incision behind.

The monster bellowed, speaking in a language which among those present only Wayland could comprehend. *You humans come into my territory and consider me the evil one!* With the Sea King's mouth extended midway down its body, it split and fell into the ocean in unison with the two sides of the ship. Wayland had opened his own escape route but was closer to the water than ever before.

"That voice..." Wayland muttered, panting heavily as his lips curled into a frown upon hearing the sudden cry of anguish which reached his ears. It was obvious that the voice wasn't Henrietta nor Shaka judging by how deep and beastly it was and it couldn't be Shaka's supposed friend if Henrietta's words rung true. Glancing over at the corpse of Sea King, an insane idea suddenly popped into his mind as his eyes widened briefly. "Could I have heard...!" His train of thought was unfortunately interrupted by the shaking of sea vessel as it was sinking further into the ocean.

"Shit, Henrietta!" Wayland called out, looking around for the mechanic as he leaped to higher ground until his eyes noticed something soaring around the ship in circles. Initially squinting, his eyes widened upon realizing it was Henrietta flying in the sky with rockets on her feet. "I'm starting to think she got a major buff since the last time I saw here..." He muttered to himself, letting out a sigh of relief at seeing her no longer in danger before launching into the sky, kicking off of the air with Geppo until he reached his comrade. "Yo, sorry for taking so long. Managed to take care of the Sea King but that bastard escaped me in the midst of it all."

“Yeah, I figured as much,” Henrietta replied nonchalantly, her tone doing much to mask her smile underneath of her mask. “Which is why I made sure to keep tracking him down while you were off being a hero and shit.”

She turned her head and pointed towards Shaka who had escaped to a nearby rowboat. “He’s down there. He got devil fruit powers, so I know he can’t swim. All I had to do was search for somebody drowning, or another boat. The broad seems to be gone too, though. The big bitch…” Henrietta clarified.

“Wait, I guess they both were big. But, the non-marine. The Pirate! I dunno where she went though. The marine probably in that Sea King stomach. So, all that’s left to do is take care of him,” she continued. “You know what I’m thinking, yeah?”

"The look on your face tells me I'm *really* not gonna like it." Wayland said in a deadpan tone, already feeling like it was going involve him doing something that would be considered reckless. Not that he really had any right to talk about such a thing considering his entire adventure through the Grand Line was based off of reckless actions. Letting out a small sigh, he glanced at Henrietta with a smirk. "Whatever, let's go through with it. I'm ready to end this whenever you are."

Henrietta nodded, patting him on the back. “Ay, that’s the spirit kid!” In that same moment, she lifted Wayland horizontally, with one arm support his chest and the other positioned at the soles of his feet.

“So, basically, I’ma launch you like a fuckin’ missile, got it? You going to crash directly into that rowboat of his, and you can either cut him as you pass by, or let his ass drown. I do not care either way.... but, the less blood, the better. Got it?”

She did not wait for a response.

The cranks and clanging of her parts in her arm could be heard as her systems began powering themselves, burning the fuel necessary to send Wayland into Shaka at speeds that the man would hopefully find undetectable. She intended for him to finish it before Shaka even realized he was a target, and the only way to do that was to send her partner propagating through the air beyond the sound barrier.

“Alright, kid…go finish this!” Henrietta grunted, her arm kicking forward like a gun, shooting Wayland through the air.

Upon being thrown by Henrietta, Wayland flinched at the sudden level of acceleration his body underwent as he soared through the air at high-speed, hearing a loud *boom* sound accompanying his swift departure. "Okay, seriously! What the hell kind of training has she been doing since I last saw her?!" Wayland screamed, knowing Henrietta wasn't this strong the last time they had been in each other's company. It was honestly insane to know she had developed this much in their time apart. However, this wasn't time to focus on that as he focused his attention on Shaka as he closed in on the mercenary.

Wayland positioned Brave Vesperia behind him and tightened his grip on the weapon, causing the crystalized great sword to once again be enveloped within a brilliant aura of golden light as a radiant trail followed behind him. With a fierce grin on his face, the young blacksmith tensed his muscles in anticipation as he neared his dark-skinned man before swinging with everything he had, aiming for a powerful diagonal slash towards his adversary's torso. With the combination of momentum and strengthened blade of light in tandem with his own physical strength, Wayland was certain in his ability to put down Shaka once and for all.

And with that, Shaka was put down. It was only a split second but everything the mercenary worked for vanished in but a snap of Wayland's wrist. He was enveloped in a bright flash followed by an immediate darkness with only the image of Wayland's mighty face being the last thing he saw.

"Hmph..looks like this is my final job."

Being carried over by the overall momentum he had built up over the course of soaring through the air, there was nothing Wayland could do but brace himself as he passed through Shaka and slammed into the deep blue ocean once again, causing a large splash of water to rise up before coming back down. Upon feeling the cold sea-water on his exposed skin, the young blacksmith unconsciously shivered before moving Brave Vesperia back into its sheath and swimming back up to the surface, thrusting his head out as he gasped for air.

"That's the last time I let her throw me like that." Wayland muttered to himself, pushing his wet hair from out of his eyes. As he did so, his gaze was drawn to crimson pool nearby as it lead to the butchered body of the mercenary once known as Shaka. In the end, when man meets sword which can unleash a mass quantity of light in the form of a beam, the sword usually tends to win and the mercenary's body reflected that. With third-degree burns and burn marks all over the man's body, it almost took away from the spot where his body had been cleave in two. Keyword being almost.

Frowning, Wayland looked on at the wounds of his enemy before shaking his head and spoke. "Sorry, you tried to mess with the best. Now, realize your mistakes in your final rest." Looking up at the sky, he raised his arm up and shouted out to Henrietta. "HEY! THINK YOU CAN GIVE ME A LIFT?!"

"Heh...sure can, Kiddo!" Henrietta replied, charging towards the water, stopping just slightly above the surface of the ocean to scoop Wayland's hand, before continuing forward. "But, I'm fucking pooped. I'm running out of fuel here, and I don't got no choice but to restock...."

She glanced forward, looking at the island in the distance. "We'll have to go there and let my systems recharge. Maybe we can get lucky and find some oil or some shit there, ya know? Anyway, hold on tight. I'm about to go into--"

There were no other words heard as her body exploded forward into the distance, propagating through the world at speeds surpassing the speed of sound, leaving behind a dense echo that shot backwards, churning the gentle tides into a ferocious wave that traveled backwards.