The Duelist and the Runaway. A Grand battle at Whisky Peak! Part two



Anouncer: And now for round two! The Obsidian pirate team, captained by Dimitri Marcellus, vs Zeroth Kelp of the Crimson Pirates! Kelp has so far decimated everyone he faced instantly! Should he do so again, he will be against his own captain for the position of finalist.

''Dimitri takes one step forwards, and Byrn holds out an arm to stop him. ''

Byrn: Save some for me captain. You can have the final.

Dimitri: aww.. ok. Make it quick.

Byrn: two minutes at the most. I guarantee it.

''And with that the marksman turns and strides, quite nonchalantly, out towards the centre of the ring. ''

''Zeroth Kelp, coming from the other way, wears an eerily similar outfit to Byrn; a dark subdued trench coat. However, his is a very dark blue-green colour, and has a much more elaborate collar and trim in black, complementing his untidy mass of dark hair. And while Byrn’s only obvious weapon is the holstered pistol at his side, Kelp holds a huge, jagged, vicious looking mace in each hand. The fact that he can hold that much weight is a testament in itself to extraordinary strength, and as Byrn reaches him, and the announcer calls to “Begin!” Once again, he literally twirls them elegantly, before clashing them together with a shower of sparks, and ends in an unusual stance, with one held out in front like a sword, and the other resting on one shoulder, no doubt in preparation for a devastating blow. ''

Byrn: hmmph. Not bad.

Kelp: Will you not draw a weapon? Do you intend to fight?

Byrn: No.

''There is a brief moment in which Kelp cannot hide his startled expression. The gunman, with his scarf and shades masking his face, appears impassive at first, but in response to Kelp he takes off the shades, revealing a piercingly intense glare. ''

Kelp: Explain.

Byrn: If the intent is only to fight, then the battle would be prolonged unnecessarily. I will fight, but my goal is not battle but victory. I intend to defeat you.

''And at this the opposing pirate gives a grin of grudging respect. ''

Kelp: True.

<p class="MsoNormal">''And then he moves again, whirling both maces with sudden aggression. They smash into the ground several times, and kick up a huge cloud of dust, accompanied by the crash of stones being shattered. At the end, he is advancing on Byrn, his maces sweeping out a deadly pattern. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''The marksman’s only response is a roll of the eyes, and then he points his outstretched, open, gauntleted hand at the attacker, turning sideways as though bracing himself for something. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: I said I’d make this quick.

<p class="MsoNormal">''There is a moment in which he appears to be tensing, or trying to move the fingers of his hand in an unusual way, and then he suddenly flexes and splays them. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">'' Nothing happens whatsoever, and Kelp doesn’t even flinch. Byrn blinks, then peers at the gauntlet. The holes in its knuckles, which had been glowing the previous night, were obscured by small shutters, and the whole gauntlet overall looks a lot less animated and shiny than it did. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: Oh... Not now!

<p class="MsoNormal">''Kelp has closed the distance between them quickly, and he is forced to throw himself clear of the whirling vortex of the spinning maces. He steps back quickly several times, all the while circling around, putting distance between them, and eventually they end up swapping places, with Kelp now advancing back across the arena towards Byrn. In response, he finally pulls out his gun, and holds it left handed, with several quick flicks of his wrist, the pieces of the gun slide around each other, and it changes shape slightly. The purpose of this becomes clear when he opens fire, releasing not a hail of bullets but a handful of slightly larger rounded pellets, or rather bombs, for they explode sharply when Kelp bats them away with a mace. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Kelp: You would have been better off just firing bullets. With my speed and power, I can deflect slow moving objects easily.

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: Bullets kill. This is a friendly tournament.

<p class="MsoNormal">''He lashes out with his gauntleted hand, and several large shuriken unfold mid-flight to whirl towards Kelp. He follows up the distraction with a barrage of even more bombs. Kelp ducks under the Shuriken, and then smashes away the bombs. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Kelp: hmmph.

<p class="MsoNormal">''One of his maces smashes into the ground and kicks up several solid chunks, and then with another swing he sends one of these blocks flying at Byrn. He is caught off guard, and barely manages a dodge. Fortunately, it was mainly dust and dry soil, and so the glancing blow didn’t hurt him, instead disintegrating. However, the blow provides enough of a distraction for Kelp to close in with a vicious swipe. Byrn goes sprawling. He rolls clear of the next heavy strike, and back onto his feet just as Kelp comes in with another swing. This time he drops into a stance, and uses his oversized gauntlet to block the impact. There is a resounding clang as the two meet, and then Kelp allows his mace to be pushed back, using the extra momentum to add to his following up swing. However, Byrn manages to parry this as well, this time moving with it rather than resisting, and the excess swing leaves Kelp off balance. Byrn then slams his gauntlet straight ahead, almost like a punch but with outstretched fingers, and Kelp hurtles away. His spinning mace meets a stone column at the edge of the ring, and smashes it into several sections. For a second he lies, there, and then he stands back up. At the same time, on Byrn’s side of the arena, there is a very faint pinging noise and a tiny click. He flexes the gauntlet experimentally. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: And now you decide to work. About time.

<p class="MsoNormal">''He tenses his fingers. There is the faintest flickering spiral in the gauntlet’s palm, and then an inrushing. A spinning ball of condensed air blooms there, glowing faintly blue-white. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Kelp: So now you are fighting seriously? I am glad.

<p class="MsoNormal">''Kelp stands again, then, with half a smile, he picks up one of the sections of the stone column, and hurls it with all his might, sweeping up one of his maces again to give it an extra hit in the right direction. Byrn looks up calmly at the approaching lump of rock, and then flings his hand forwards and splays his fingers. All that is seen of the air globe is a ripple in the air, which makes a whistling noise, but as it hits the boulder there is a popping sound. Then an abrupt and sharp explosion, and the rubble shatters violently around the sphere, blown into harmless pieces. Once more, Kelp’s impassive expression turns shocked. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Kelp: What?! An explosive weapon… Made out of air?!

<p class="MsoNormal">''Without waiting for an explanation, Kelp charges forwards, weaving to avoid too more thrown blasts, barely avoiding the fast moving projectiles. Byrn pauses as he closes in, and mimes cracking his knuckles, oddly producing an audible metallic crack. Then he draws back, as though for another gauntlet strike. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''Kelp, without having to avoid attacks, closes the distance rapidly, realising that his newly active weapon would be useless at close range due to the blast radius. His first clue that something was wrong was when Byrn actually lets him get close. But he only knew for sure when he realised the Byrn’s gauntlet wasn’t even drawing in any air. By this stage, however, he was already committed to a wild charging swing with his maces, and so couldn’t avoid Byrn’s thrusting strike, or the wave of concussive force that resulted. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Kelp: ''Not air this time?! ''

<p class="MsoNormal">''There is a sound like a thunderclap, and a huge explosive shockwave, and with it a cloud of smoke, with what looked like flickering fire in its centre, bursts forth and engulfs the pirate, before surging outwards in a steadily growing mass. Kelp emerges from the cloud and staggers, before toppling over backwards, both his maces dropping from his hands. After a pause, Byrn pulls out a largish watch and checks it. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: one minute, fifty seven seconds. Close.

<p class="MsoNormal">???: Merde!

<p class="MsoNormal">''He looks up. The speaker is a man wearing a ragged red shirt and a cross belt. Tucked into the belt are two swords; a scimitar, and some kind of straight blade, as well as a pair of pistols. His face his covered with small scars, and the large bandana he wears also covers one of his eyes. Suggesting another wound. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: Drunken Devil Monroe?

<p class="MsoNormal">Monroe: You will pay! I’ll cut you down myself!

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: I see. I’m afraid I must withdraw for now, although my teammates will be along to deal with you shortly.

<p class="MsoNormal">Monroe: mostra il tuo volto, vigliacco! Sbarazzarsi di quella sciarpa ridicolo!

<p class="MsoNormal">''Ignoring the chain of expletives, Byrn turns away, putting his shades back on, and strolls back to his nakama. Dimitri is talking with Jessica, apparently explaining the gauntlet. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Dimitri: …except it doesn’t always work. Sometimes, like earlier it just stops. So really, marksman’s folly is a good name for it..

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: Your turn George. Shooting him won’t cut it.

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: Cut eh? Sure, I can cut it. Right now in fact. Why not? Tag bro.

<p class="MsoNormal">''The two slap a quick high five as they pass, and George walks back towards the ring, where Drunken Devil Monroe is already waiting. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: Hold on….. does he have any weapons? I mean.. well, Monroe is a pirate captain!

<p class="MsoNormal">Dimitri: heh heh don’t worry. In a battle of swordsmen, Marley cannot lose.

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: You sound pretty confident..

<p class="MsoNormal">Dimitri: Of course. Thanks by the way.

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: Thanks?

<p class="MsoNormal">Dimitri: for actually worrying. Even if you hate pirates.

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: What?! I told you.. I…

<p class="MsoNormal">''She frowns and looks away. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Dimitri: You…?

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: …. I… I’ll make an exception.

<p class="MsoNormal">Anouncer: And so we find ourselves advancing to a semi final match! The team that wins this will be competing as our first finalist! And we face a clash of pirate crews once again! “Drunken Devil” Monroe, undefeated single-handed fighting captain from the Crimson pirates, against the representative of the Obsidian pirates, George Marley! Now begin!

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: Hey, how come he gets an awesome title and I don’t?! I want to be called something cool!

<p class="MsoNormal">Monroe: Hey!

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: huh?

<p class="MsoNormal">''The red-shirted swordsman is already striding forwards, weapons ready. In a surprising gesture of fairness, he has abandoned his pistols, and just carries the two swords. He holds up the longer straight edged blade in a challenge. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Monroe: Come meet your fate!

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: Huh? Sorry, I can’t exactly right now, I gotta try and-

<p class="MsoNormal">Monroe: HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGH!

<p class="MsoNormal">''With that sudden feral bellow, Monroe charges straight towards Marley, his swords held across his body in preparation for a lethal two way slash, which he unleashes just as he gets to Marley. And that would have been the end of the fight there and then if the dreadlocked man had not hurled himself sideways, using one hand to absorb the impact, and turning the evasive dive into a roll back to his feet. Monroe, once he recovered from the charge, spins on the spot, and raises his swords again. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Monroe: I would have thought you at least wounded. Truly you were fortunate!

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: Nah, I just dodged..

<p class="MsoNormal">''Monroe’s one good eye narrows. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Monroe: Vous excuse présomptueux et ridicule pour un combattant!

<p class="MsoNormal">''And with that, he lunges again, this time with a spinning strike from the cutlass. Marley flips backwards to avoid it yet again, and lands in a ready stance. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: uh.. that sounded kinda angry..

<p class="MsoNormal">Monroe: Enough! Fall or fight!

<p class="MsoNormal">''He thrusts out his other sword. Marley quickly moves to intercept it, and there is a sudden impossible clang of metal meeting metal. Monroe draws back, surprised to find his attack blocked, and Marley smiles. An unusual, incoherent glow, vaguely resembling the edge of a sword, projects from his hand. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: Devil fruit power. I have a mind-sword.

<p class="MsoNormal">''And with that the Obsidian pirate makes a comeback, charging and swinging the blade back and forth. Monroe literally stagers back out of the way, almost appearing drunk, as per his namesake, and then transitions back to the offensive with a volley of angled strikes. George manages to block them, and prevents himself from being overwhelmed by further attacks by striking faster and faster, light blows, but still with enough force that Monroe’s aggressive fighting style is delayed for a while. On the side lines, Jessica smiles with realisation. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: I get it. It’s not a real sword, so he can swing it around much faster than Monroe does, as a trade-off for less offensive power. That’s it isn’t it?

<p class="MsoNormal">Dimitri: Yeah, seems so. Of course, it can’t go unmentioned that Monroe’s fighting seems to be all offense as well.

<p class="MsoNormal">''Somewhere in the skirmish, Monroe manages to assume an attacking stance, and repeats the crosswise slash he opened the fight with. Lacking forward momentum, the strike wasn’t as powerful as previously, but it still creates an opening for a double attack that comes from two separate directions at once, in theory making it unavoidable for George. And yet somehow, Marley still manages to block it. Exactly why becomes clear almost instantly. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: Ain’t no rule I can’t have two swords.

<p class="MsoNormal">''And sure enough, a second blade now hovers by his left hand, holding back Monroe’s scimitar. And then Marley falls back, dissipating both blades even as he falls clear of the swing, and slams both his feet into the captain’s stomach, sending him hurtling back several paces to crash in a heap. Marley rolls and picks himself up almost at the same time Monroe does. The latter, having been outwitted, is visibly shaking, and looks utterly furious. His speech is accompanied by aggressive slashing and waving gestures with either sword. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Monroe: La tua lotta è puramente inganno! Non hai abilità vero! Lei non potrà mai diventare un grande spadaccino! Ora io vi tagliato!

<p class="MsoNormal">''He sheaths his sword, pulls a small bottle from where it hangs on one hip, and drinks deeply. Then, corking it again, he draws the sword, and assumes his crosswise attacking stance again. Marley, in response, summons both of his mindswords, and holds them out. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: Ok, I-

<p class="MsoNormal">Monroe: HAAAAA!!

<p class="MsoNormal">''Monroe charges at a speed far exceeding his previous one. Georges tries to dive out the way of the slash, and Monroe immediately follows it with a backward spin that allows him to swerve back towards him and onto the offensive yet again. Marley blocks and the recoil blows him back a few feet, dragging up a huge cloud of dust. Monroe rushes forwards unrelentingly and clashes with Marley several more times, kicking up even more dust. Before long, all that can be seen of the battle is the showers of sparks from their blades meeting, and faint unidentifiable figures twirling and weaving at extreme speeds in the cloud, punctuated by the swishes and clangs of swords. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Dimitri: Typical. Just as it was getting interesting!

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: Is that what you call it?! This is getting out of hand!

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: Not yet.

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: I’m sorry?

<p class="MsoNormal">''The dust cloud is starting to settle, and the fighters are becoming more and more distinctive. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Byrn: For all his fooling around, George is a surprisingly skilled swordsman. He picks up on the connections between similar techniques, and finds their weaknesses. And in certain select areas he is very imaginative.

<p class="MsoNormal">''The cloud has cleared completely now, but Marley is still being pushed back over and over, Monroe’s strikes hitting so hard he can barely block them. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Jessica: What do you mean by that?

<p class="MsoNormal">Dimitri: This fight is about to turn ever so slightly more surreal.

<p class="MsoNormal">And then, with perfect timing, Marley literally hurls himself backwards, using the force of a particularly heavy strike from Monroe, and unexpectedly hurtles around in a spiralling circle, recovering from the blow above ''Monroe, and slightly to one side. The captain realises what has happened just in time to throw himself off balance, getting his swords up to block. The descending strike that follows this odd evasion knocks away Monroe’s straight blade, as well as sending him staggering back a good few paces. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Marley: I don’t have to use my swords to hit you directly, you know. Anyway, want to call it a day?

<p class="MsoNormal">''George’s second sword, from his left hand, is stretched out and downwards, and stabbed into the ground, creating the pivot around which Marley had swung. He lets that sword vanish, and holds is other one ready in a stance, matching Monroe’s own. Then they charge one last time, and swing horizontally in the same instant. Marley somehow twists his entire body in a backwards spiral, leaving Monroe’s swipe to fly past harmlessly, inches in front of his face, whereas his own sword slashes across Monroe’s stomach, leaving a large cut. Marley twirls back to his feet as Monroe staggers out of the charge, and drops to his knees. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Monroe: Zut!

<p class="MsoNormal">''He falls face forwards and faints. Dimitri enthusiastically starts explaining the fighting technique to Jessica, but then makes a shocked realisation. ''

<p class="MsoNormal">Dimitri: you see? He holds off on risky offensive tactics in favour of evasion, in order to improve his ability to counterattack. And because he uses Devil fruit powered swords he.. hang on.. He’s nicked my move! That’s what I did to Nelson!

<p class="MsoNormal"> Anouncer: And that’s that, ladies and gentlemen! The first finalist position has been claimed by the Obsidian Pirates! And now there are only two more fights remaining before that. Now for the last Semi-final round. Rachel Cain Vs “Stonewall” Eddie!

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:240px;">To Be Concluded

<p class="MsoNormal">