Chapter 415 (Kaku vs Cricket)
415 (Kaku vs Cricket)
A bit earlier,
The courtyard of Enies Lobby was in utter chaos. The once pristine walkways and carefully manicured shrubbery now lay in ruins from the intense battles raging across the island. Unconscious bodies of agents and marines lay helplessly on the ground as the attack of Enies Lobby continued.
Amidst the chaos, two fighters faced off in a corner of the courtyard. Cricket ducked and wove, narrowly avoiding the extended blade of his opponent. Kaku pressed the attack, lashing out again and again with his sword Freed. The lengthy weapon shot out like a viper, forcing Cricket to leap and twist gracefully to evade it.
Cricket panted, sweat dripping down his brow. This Kaku was proving to be quite annoying. But the descendant of Noland didn't complain. A wide smile was on his face. "You know our work here is kind of done... so let's finish this!"
It was true, just a while ago, both Groot and Franky passed them, so their main mission was done. Hopefully, it also meant Usopp and Gin took care of any challenges that were back at the Tower of Justice.
"Going already? And here I was almost having fun."
The CP9 agent moved with astounding speed, his lithe frame belying the power behind each swipe of his blade. Cricket knew he couldn't keep playing defense forever. It was time to take the initiative.
As Kaku withdrew Freed in preparation for another strike, Cricket made his move. He dashed forward in a blur, closing the distance between them in an instant.
Kaku could barely react before Cricket attacked with a barrage of deadly swings. The cutlass seemed to flicker like lightning as he assaulted Kaku with a rapid-fire succession of slashes. Although Kaku managed to defend himself, the immense force of Cricket's assault shoved him back relentlessly, each step carrying him further away from safety.
Cricket pressed his advantage, lashing out with a roundhouse kick aimed at Kaku's head. But the CP9 agent was too swift, cartwheeling out of range. As soon as his feet touched the ground Kaku retaliated, sending a Rankyaku blade screeching through the air toward Cricket.
Cricket crossed his arms, concentrating his muscles as he activated his Tekkai technique, protecting him from the attack.
Kaku anticipated Cricket's attack and immediately used Geppo to launch himself into the air. In a split second, he closed the gap between them and used Freed to jab his spear towards Cricket's chest. The pirate dodged out of the way at the last moment, narrowly escaping.
"Not bad," Cricket grinned, "But it'll take more than that to put me down."
Kaku narrowed his eyes, sizing up his opponent carefully. Somehow all of the pirates knew or had a rough idea of the Rokushiki techniques. Meaning they had ways to counter them, which made it quite difficult to fight against. But it didn't matter, there were other ways to win.
Wordlessly, Kaku initiated another approach. He sprinted forward, using Soru to vanish from his spot and Freed shooting out to maximize his range. He came with a flurry of strikes while Cricket countered and side-stepped them, retaliating with his revolver. Shotting at close range.
"I thought this was supposed to be a sword fight?" Kaku mused ducking under a bullet, before sidestepping a sword slash from Cricket. He countered with a slice of his own, that Cricket matched, sparks flying everywhere.
"Eh? Really? What gave you that idea?" Cricket laughed.
With a burst of Soru, Kaku darted forward. Cricket responded instantly, hardening his body with Tekkai just as the slender sword slashed towards him. The blade glanced off his iron-hard skin. Kaku immediately pivoted on his foot, lashing out with two rapid Rankyaku air blades. Cricket leaped upwards, using Geppo to kick off the air itself to avoid the attacks.
Cricket counterattacked in midair, firing off several quick shots from his revolver. Kaku blurred out of the way, the bullets passing harmlessly through the afterimage he left behind. In a green and black streak, Kaku appeared above Cricket and brought his sword down in a heavy overhand swing. Cricket raised his cutlass, parrying the blow though the force of it nearly knocked him out of the sky.
The two crashed back to the ground, the impact sending cracks spider-webbing through the stone courtyard. They exchanged a grin, both having the time of their lives.
They charged at each other again, blades singing as they unleashed a flurry of strikes. Kaku's sword extended and retracted rapidly, the segmented blade twisting in unpredictable patterns. Cricket relied on his reflexes, ducking and swaying to avoid slashes by a hair's breadth. When he saw an opening, he would counter, only for Kaku to blur away with Soru before reengaging.
Cricket realized he needed to disrupt Kaku's rhythm. As Freed came rocketing toward his chest, Cricket swiftly bent his body backward into a graceful limbo stance. The blade sailed harmlessly overhead, missing him by inches.
"Hey, watch where you're sticking that nose!" Cricket called out as he spun back to his feet.
The provocation had the desired effect. A look of anger flashed across Kaku's face at the remark.
"My nose has nothing to do with this!" He shot back hotly. He really never liked when people insulted his appearance, so Cricket's words ticked him off.
Cricket blinked finding it amusing that his opponent had such a bad reaction to some harmless teasing. But it worked for him.
Sensing the lapse in focus, Cricket instantly went on the attack. He blitzed forward, feinting left before diving right and unleashing a blistering combo of sword swipes aimed at Kaku's torso. The CP9 agent managed to avoid a direct hit, but the tip of Cricket's blade nicked his side, drawing a red line across his ribs.
Kaku grimaced, then growled in frustration before charging in. With an angry shout, he launched into a blistering tempest of Rankyaku, bombarding Cricket with a storm of wind blades. Cricket was forced on the defensive, concentrating on hardening his body against the merciless assault. He endured several painful gashes as a few attacks slipped through his guard.
Seeing his chance, Kaku shot forward, sword poised for a fatal thrust. At the last second, Cricket disappeared using soru, causing Kaku to stab through thin air. Cricket came back behind him and slashed a cut across Kaku's back. The CP9 agent grunted in pain but retaliated with blinding speed, his extended sword slicing Cricket along the ribs.
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