A Door that Opens Part 3

The cannon fire had stopped for the moment, all of the Marines stood by with their swords drawn and their boarding ropes ready to swing onto the Panno Marie. Rinji's crew stood ready as well, all of them watching as Vice Admiral Rise walked toward them with a communicator in one hand, and a very large den den mushi held by one of her underlings.

Rise: Catman Rinji! [Through a megaphone den den mushi] You have a bounty on your head for 200,000,000 belli! I am giving you the chance to come quietly! Failure to comply will result in your forced apprehension! You have thirty seconds to comply!

Rinji: Mewhahahaha! Little do they know, I have a perfect comeback for just such an occasion. Chio! Hand me my megaphone den den mushi...

Chio: Ummm we traded it for food.

Rinji: Eh?! Damn, that's right, that was the night we had shrimp and steak. Damn... and it was worth it.

Rise: Ten seconds to reply!

Rinji: Hell! Chio! Send them your butt cheeks!

Without any hesitation, Chio dropped his trousers, and the entire crew gasped. Usagi's cheeks went completely red, diverting her eyes.

Rise: So... [Looking through a seeing glass] It's such a shame, he has quite the attractive rear-end. Oh well. Apprehend them immediately!!

The entire Marine crew roared with the attack as they began to swing into action! After pulling up his pants, Chio kicked up his rokubo and swung it around, smashing it into one of the oncoming Marines as he swung in from a rope. Rinji spun around, slicing the air to create haki-induced energy claws to slice down two of them as they came in, and Usagi drew her sword and charged with the intent to slice them down.

However, her blade was stopped as a very powerful blade reacted just in time to catch her attack.

Hammer: Hmmmmm, I see, so you are the swordsman of the Tiger-Stripe Pirates. [Towering over her with a height of six-foot three inches, his sword was a bastard sword with a much wider range than normal. A grin crossed his face] I love a good challenge!

Hammer swung his sword from the side, making Usagi bring her sword up and block with her hand on the flat side of her sword to add to her defense. The force of the strike caused her to slide slightly and cringe as he put a great deal of force into the blow.

While the others fought off the other Marines, Alice stood there, she frowned as they tried to do harm to her new friends, and one of them even came toward her.

Seaman: Admiral! They have a hostage! We need to get her out of here immediately! [Turning back toward the Vice Admiral]

Rise: Turn back to her, you idiot!!

Just as the recruit turned back toward Alice, she was already two inches in front of him, wielding a knife. The blade cut him deep, and he was thrown straight back with such a powerful force behind the blow. His head knocked into another Marine behind him, and both of them were knocked out of commission.

Rise frowned at this, seeing that her entire crew was being downplayed by these lowly pirates. Even Hammer, who was far too slow, even with all of his power, was cut several times on his torso by the pink-haired samurai girl, and he fell. Then she turned toward their Captain, the Catman, who was surrounded by her men.

Rinji: Mewhahahahaha! Who wants to pet kitty?! [showed his shining, sharpened claws toward them, causing them to take a step back in hesitation] Rinji Nikyu! [Disappeared in a flash!]

Just as they were stunned by the sudden disappearance, the Catman appeared beside one of their heads, and slammed his fist straight into his cheek.

Rinji: Busoshoku! RINJI KEN!!!!!

Haki blaired through his fist, and with a force that went through him, and hit the next one in the face, then the force also struck a third one, just with not as much of a hit. However, the second and first flew straight into him, knocking him into two more, bringing down all five of them! Before any of them could react, the cat went by in a flash of cutting claws, bringing down the remainder of them. That was until Vice Admiral Rise caught his fist in mid-strike and held him at bay with very little effort. Rinji pulled back and landed on his feet.

Rise: HOOYOO! [swiped a blinding-speed kick straight for Rinji, striking him square in the maw]

Rinji: Errrr!!! [Slid back and flipped back onto his feet to gain his balance, wiping his chin] Mewhahaha! Not a bad thrust.

Rise: I see your bounty was well placed, Rinji. [threw her Justice Trench Coat to the side and took a fighting stance]

Rinji: That's Captain Rinji to you, Vice Admiral Rise. And if you think you're going to shoe yourself in for the next position of Admiral, well... that's what Kola said. [Grin]

Rise: [Scowled instantly, and then jumped straight forward, her leg extended into a flying dragon kick] HAUUUU!!!

Rinji caught onto her leg with one claw and powered up one hand with red haki, striking his palm straight into her gut, causing her to fly back and hit her rump onto the deck. She flips back into a kip up, she saw Rinji just in time to dodge his next attack. With no hesitation, she struck him with three fast punches to his chest and then a whirling kick to his head that sent him straight back.

Rise: Hawwww! [Ran straight for him and then skidded across the deck with a kick that was aimed straight for his chest]

Rinji: [Instantly jumped into the air and balled up his haki] Rinji Dama! [Blasted the ball straight into her onslaught]

Rise: Geppou! [Dodged to the side of the attack in midair, but found that the Catman was right beside her as she did, thinking fast, she caught both of his claws by the wrists.]

They both struggled to gain the upper-hand. Neither of them attempted a kick, as it may cause the other to knock them off balance. Both of them, at the exact same time figured it was time to pull out their trump cards.

Rise: Taru Taru no... [Hands began to melt into tar, making his wrists imprisoned]

Rinji: GAH! Nani?!?

Rise: KANGOKU! [pushed his hands against his chest and made them stick there, almost as if to mummify him]

The tar was tough, and even if it did budge, there was no way he could fight like that. Rise's hands turned back to normal now that he was tarred up.

Rinji: What the hell is this?! A devil fruit power?

Rise: Very perceptive of you, kitten. Very few have forced me to use the Taru Taru no Mi. As it makes me completely made of tar.

Rinji: ....Ewwwww

Rise: What do you mean "Ewww?!?" How rude!

Then she noticed that Rinji closed his eyes, and gritted his teeth. Before she could power another Taru Taru attack, she knew it was already to late.

Rinji: Busoshoku! [Burst from the tar entrapment, making tar fly all over the place.] Rinji.... [thrusted his arms forward and powered them with a bright, yellow powerful light.] Two-Palm SLAM!!!!

With his two palms he emitted a gigantic blair of haki energy that went into Rise hard on her torso, forcing her hands to change back from their tar form to normal. She was blasted straight back her spin hitting the rail of the ship with a horrible thud! The rail cracked under the pressure, and Rise, unable to turn into Tar with all of the haki, could not cushion the fall. She crouched on all fours, panting, and sweating. Rinji panted as well, his energy was running low with all of the haki use, he knew that she was a logia, and his normal attacks were not going to work on her.

Rinji: ''She obviously didn't earn the rank of Vice Admiral with a simple devil fruit, that much is for certain. She fights like a demon, and her strength is unmistakable. If this fight carries on much longer, this may not end well for me.''

Rinji stood in his fighting stance, and as Rise rose up into her own, she got as much energy back as she could, but the pain in her spinal cord could not be ignored.

Seaman: Admiral! Look!

Both Rise and Rinji looked to see the Marine pointing toward the front of their ships. Everyone looked to see that they were, indeed, very close to the Red Line. They were at least half a mile away from it, and closing in on it fast with all of the winds pushing them forward.

There was no more time to waste. Rise quickly began to sprint toward the catman, the pain in her back roaring with a great, horrible burn.

Rise: Taru Taru Noo--- wha.... [Stopped in her tracks as a blue, glowing butterfly fluttered by her face.]