The First Step to Freedom! The Real Fight Starts

The Two Big Dangers
One guard is seen desperately running towards Stephen's room.

Guard: KING!! KING!! KING!!

He busts inside Stephen's room, which slightly angers the leader.

Stephen:*annoyed look*What happened?

Guard:*catching his breath*Sasagawa Kenshin...! He...He...HE SANK OUR SHIP!

Stephen's eyes open wide as he remains speechless.

Stephen:*shadowed eyes*What...did he do?

Guard': He sank...

''Suddenly, Stephen's entire body turns into a cloud of black smoke and he starts flying towards the guard at an amazing speed. Stephen forms his right hand out of the black smoke and grabs the guard by his neck, pinning him into the ground.''

Stephen:*angered look*On that ship are...the crystals I managed to gather during the last few years! My entire work...MY ENTIRE IS NOT GONNA GO TO WASTE LIKE THAT!!

Guard:*scared*I-I know king! However, there was nothing any of us could do!

Stephen: I can't return to Demetrius like this...

Guard: From what I know...there are still some crystals left in the basement of this building!

Stephen: That's right...so I guess I'm just gonna tell him that's all I could find.

Stephen frees the guard and returns his body to normal.

Stephen: You better catch Sasawaga Kenshin quickly.

Guard: Yes, King!

The guard runs out of Stephen's room as fast as he can.

Outside the building, a large number of men wearing black armors are seen running towards Marimo.

Marimo: If you care for your lives...you should get out of my way.

Despite Marimo's warning, the soldiers continue their attacks.

Marimo: Demon's...

''Marimo partially unsheathes his swords and starts walking slowly towards the guards. The time seems to move slower for them as Marimo is simply passing by all of them.''

Marimo: Song!!

Blood is seen splashing in all directions as the large group of soldiers gets taken out with a single attack.

Marimo: Guess you're more afraid of Stephen than me...idiots.

''A large soldier is seen sneaking behind Marimo. Once he gets close, the solder swings the axe he was wielding, aiming to execute Marimo. Due to his Kenbunshoku Haki, Marimo realizes the danger he is in time and turns around, however, before he could block the attack, Revy blocks the large man's attack.''

Marimo: I'm pretty sure I told you to run away.

Revy: This is also my fight! So...

''Showing some impressive strength, Revy pushes the large man back, then she swings her swords twice, releasing two flying slashes. The large man gets hit directly and falls on the ground, defeated.''

Revy: You can't just get rid of me, you know.

''Revy looks at the soldiers mecilessly took down earlier and understands how serious he is now. Suddenly, a skinny man with only a stick in his hands is dashing towards Marimo. Revy expects Marimo to easily get rid of him since he seems to be much weaker, however, Marimo doesn't react in any way.''

Revy: Hey, be careful!

The man starts swinging his stick, trying to hit Marimo, but neither of his attacks land.

Marimo: You're not gonna stop...are you?

''The man continues his attacks, knowing he has no other choice. Marimo catches the man's stick and smashes it, then calmly places his right hand on the man's left shoulder.''

Marimo:*shadowed eyes*When you'll wake up, you're gonna be free.

Marimo releases a wave of Haoshoku Haki, knocking out the man.

Revy:*surprised*[What...? Earlier, he took out these guys without any mercy and now he tries to get rid of that guy...without even hurting him? What's wrong with him?]

Marimo: Hey!

Revy: Y...yes?

Marimo:*serious look*Make sure to make the difference between soldiers and people that are just forced to fight.

Revy:*surprised*You mean that's why...

''Suddenly, two big persons appear above Revy. They both punch down in the same time, aiming to crush her. Marimo appears near Revy and pushes her away, then catches the fists of the two men with his bare hands. Their strength is immense as the ground beneath Marimo's feet breaks. After a few seconds, the two men jump away from Marimo.''

Kotaro: Seems we have a strong one here, brother!

Motaro: Indeed! We might not be able to fight him alone.

Marimo:*sharp look*That's why I told you to run away in the first place...I knew guys like them are gonna come out after all.

Behind Marimo, a tall and skinny knight is seen standing.

Marimo:*nervous look*When did you...

Chishin: When did I get behind you? If that's your question, then...

Marimo:*smiles*I'm not gonna let you finish your sentence either.

''Chishin picks up the lance he keeps on his back. Marimo realizes he doesn't have enough time to turn towards him in order to block his attack, so instead, he releases a wave of energy with his Devil Fruit that pushes Chishin back a few meters.''

Marimo:*grins*3 against 1 eh? While we're at it, why don't you call Stephen as well?

Revy steps in front of Marimo.

Revy:*serious look*That knight looks stronger than the other two, so I'll leave him to you. However, I'm gonna take the twins.

Marimo: Do you really think I can't handle all of them at once?

Revy: That's not it. They don't seem to be that weak, and you'll eventually fight Stephen soon after this fight. You can't afford to get too tired or get any serious injuries.

Marimo: Alright then.

Marimo draws out his swords and takes his normal Hachitoryu stance, with his back turned at Revy.

Marimo: You better be careful.

Revy:*smiles*How caring of you to say that.

''Marimo dashes towards Chishin while Revy dashes towards the twins, Kotaro and Motaro. Revy starts swinging her swords at the two, but the twins easily dodge any of her attacks. Understanding that this way she's not gonna get them, Revy scratches her swords on ground and then swings them at the twins, releasing two big flying slashes.''

Kotaro: Let's take care of this together, brother!

Motaro: Yes! And after defeating her, let's go after Kenshin!

Kotaro/Motaro: Double Palm Block!!

''Kotaro and Motaro push their palms forward, clashing directly with the flying slashes. The flying slashes get shattered instantly after the impact.''

Kotaro: Let's show her what we're made of!

Motaro: Yeah!

''Both of them take a step forward, and instant, they appear in front of Revy. In an instant, the twins punch Revy in the stomach, sending her flying into a nearby building. Revy gets back on her feet after a few seconds, coughing blood.''

Kotaro: She's not that strong, is she, brother?

Motaro: Nah, she really isn't.

Revy starts remembering about what Marimo told them during their short fight, that she doesn't have any style as a swordsman.

Revy:*serious look*A style...

Revy starts walking calmly towards the twins.

Revy: I wonder...what would suit me?

Kotaro: Is she talking alone, brother?

Motaro: Seems so.

Kotaro: Then let's finish her fast!

Motaro: Yeah!

''Kotaro and Motaro dash towards Revy at once. Kotaro jumps in the air and curlps up like a ball, then Motaro does the same.''

Kotaro/Motaro: Double Human BUllet!!

''The two try to crush Revy by landing on her body. Revy jumps away in time, however, the power of the impact sends her flying some distance. Kotaro and Motaro start rolling on the ground after Revy. To stop them, Revy releases a few flying slashes, however, the slashes have no effect on the twins.''

Revy: This is gonna be troublesome.

At some distance from where Revy was fighting Kotaro and Motaro, Marimo and Chishin are seen clashing.

Chishin: The king is not gonna be happy that you sank that ship.

Marimo:*smiles*Your king's happiness is the last thing I care about.

''Chishin furiously thrusts forward with his lance, aiming for Marimo's head. With an arrogant look on his face, Marimo empowers his forehead with Haki and his Devil Fruit and takes the hit directly. Chishin's attack wasn't able to put a single scratch on Marimo's forehead.''

Chishin: How foolish to underestimate someone like me.

''Suddenly, the top of Chishin's lance opens, revealing a large gun. Chishin quickly shoots his gun, which results in a big explosion taken by Marimo from point blank range. Marimo jumps out of the smoke left by the explosion with his forehead bleeding heavily. He wipes the blood off and then takes an offensive stance.''

Marimo: Since when are knights using guns?

Chishin: My mission is not to have a honorable fight or anything like that, but to eliminate any target I'm given.

Marimo:*demonic look*Since I want to get to Stephen faster...let's just finish this as fast possible.

Chishin: I approve.

''Some holes appear on Chishin's spear. He points the spear at Marimo and shoots a wave of bullets. Marimo, using only his natural speed, dodges all the bullets then dashes towards Chishin.''

Marimo: Demon's Shadow!!

''Marimo throws one of his swords at Chishin at an impressive speed. Chishin prepares to block the sword coming towards him, but suddenly, he notices Marimo behind him.''

Marimo: Demon's Shadow Step!!

''Marimo swings all his swords at once towards Chishin while his other sword is still on the way. Some flames can be seen coming out of Chishin's boots as he is sent flying to his left side, dodging all the attacks.''

Marimo: Demon's Silent Aproach!!

''Marimo catches the sword he threw earlier in his mouth then dashes after Chishin, quickly reaching him. Once he's close to him, Marimo swings all his swords at once, but Chishin blocks all of them using his spear.'''

Marimo: Demon's Assassination!!

''Marimo takes a step back, then in an instant, appears behind Chishin. Sparks can be seen coming from Chishin's body, but no blood.''

Chishin: Your Haki was not enough to actually go through my armor? How weak.

''Chishin turns around and his armor only has a few scratches. He points his spear forward and dashes towards Marimo. With a quick reflex, Marimo jumps away from Chishin, then jumps in the air.''

Marimo: Demon's Last Whisper!!

''Marimo starts swinging all his swords like crazy, releasing endless waves of flying slashes. Chishin starts thrusting his spear forward many times, clashing and destroying all the slashes that are coming his way.''

Chishin: It's amusing for me to see you trying so hard.

''Chishin releases a jet of flames from his boots and starts flying towards Marimo. While in the air, Chishin disappears.''

Chishin: And to see that all your efforts are useless.

''Marimo quickly tries to swing his sword to the right after hearing Chishin's voice, but Chishin simply catches his right arm. A spike comes out of Chishin's palm, impaling Marimo's right arm. Marimo uses his Devil Fruit to empower his enough to not drop his sword.''

Chishin: You're certainly not as dangerous as the king was describing you.

''Two small cannons are seen coming out of Chishin's left shoulder. The sound of something charging can be heard and Marimo opens his eyes wide, in surprise. Back on the ground, Revy is getting pushed back by the twins' endless attacks.''

Revy:*panting*[Nothing is working against them...what am I...what am I supposed to do?]

Kotaro: Looks like we're close to finish this fight, brother!

Motaro: Indeed we are.

The twins jump high air, then start falling towards the ground with their fists pointed at Revy.

Kotaro/Motaro: Double Meteor!!

''Revy quickly releases two flying slashes, aiming for the twins' arms. Her slashes land on their intended targets, leaving only a little scratch is left on their arms. However, the hits were enough to make the twins' fists clash into each other, thus sending both of them flying in opposite directions. Revy prepares to dash towards Kotaro, but suddenly, she hears a loud noise coming from the other fight. She looks back and sees Marimo on the ground, in a crouching position and bleeding while Chishin has a large cut on his chest and portions of his armor seem to have been melted.''

Chishin:*panting*What were...those black flames? Just melting my armor like that and then slashing...it's not...possible.

Marimo:*panting, but smiling*That armor is not gonna protect you forever.

Marimo prepares for his next attack, but he notices that Revy is in trouble since the twins started attacking her again.

Marimo: Tch...

Chishin:*catching his breath*Are you worried about your friend? You have a very strong opponent, so you should be more worried about yourself.

''Suddenly, Marimo releases a burst of energy under his feet, creating a large crater on the ground. In an instant, Marimo is seen in front of Chishin, in the same crouching position.''

Marimo: Demon Dragon's First Flight!!

''Marimo swings all his swords in a circular manner, releasing a powerful wind current that strikes Chishin's chest directly, making it bleed even harder. Because of the incredible force of the wind current, Chishin is sent flying high in the air. Marimo sheathes most of his swords, leaving only one out. He grabs it tightly with both his hands and using his Devil Fruit, he creates an extension of his blade made of energy. Channeling Haki through his sword, he makes the energy blade solid.''

Marimo:*serious look*REVY!! TAKE THE ONE ON YOUR RIGHT AND I'LL TAKE THE OTHER!!

Revy:*smiles*What's up with you calling me by my name...and understood!

''Marimo presses his feet into the ground really hard, destroying it. The area around Marimo seems to be getting darker as his eyes are glowing red once again.''

Marimo:*demonic look*Ittoryu, Ougi: Demon's Conqueror!!

''Everything in front of Marimo becomes darkness. After a few seconds, Marimo swings his sword forward, his blade leaving a line of light wherever it goes. Marimo releases a wave of Haoshoku Haki which makes the darkness and light disappear. Kotaro notices a trail of blood on his chest. He places his left hand on his chest and in that instant, blood is seen gushing out of his body as a huge cut appears on his chest. Shortly after, Kotaro falls on the ground, defeated.''

Revy:*smiles*Not bad, guess now it's my turn. I'm not so sure about the name of my style...but I guess I'll just go with this.

Revy takes a few steps forward, towards the shocked Motaro.

Motaro:*scared*Br...brother! I'm not...I'M NOT GONNA...

Revy:*determined look*Samsara Style: Nitoryu: Raging Tiger, Patient Dragon!!

''Revy simply appears behind Motaro, with her arms spread open and her swords full of blood. Two cuts appear on Motaro's body, a very big one that covers his entire chest and another small but deep cut on his stomach. Motaro coughs some blood and tries to keep his balance, but he fails and falls on the ground, defeated.''

Marimo:*smiles*Not bad at all.

Revy: Thank you! Guess that's it for the twins. What about...

''Before Revy could finish her sentence, a wave of rockets is seen raining down towards them. Marimo quickly reacts and dashes towards Revy. As soon as he reaches her, Marimo picks her up and starts running away.''

Revy: Hey! Aren't we gonna take out that other guy as well?

Marimo: At this point, it's not a good idea. Because the army is all around the place as well. They clearly outnumbered us.

Revy: And what's the problem?! We can take them out!

Marimo:*serious look*Unless you want me to destroy this entire island, we can't. Don't worry though, I think I know a way we can deal with this.

Marimo lets Revy on the ground and they start running away together.