Chapter 4: A Frog in Need

Chapter 4: A Frog in Need

It had been touch and go for a while, but Sasori finally deemed Tsuyu safe to move. Halibel and Kisame carried her from a makeshift stretcher onto his table, with his usual chemistry set pushed aside. Until the poison had been analyzed, Sasori had advised the ship to halt its advance, maybe retreat if the situation proved dire enough. So, Jinbe and Franky were still on deck, eyes peeled for any other movement, especially from that desolate-looking island in the distance.

Sasori's treatment was painful. He was no Medical Ninja, but he did know poison. Plus, he figured out that the grimy water was filled with heavy metals, much like his own concoction. While Sasori had deliberately added a paralysis effect on top of drawing out the time of death, it seemed no such refinements were in this grime. Another commonality was that the Ninja had put his own Chakra into the toxin to accelerate its potency to lethal levels. Whatever sort of Energy their new enemy used, it had been applied to the grimy water in the same way. Essentially, Sasori just had to make minor adjustments to the cure for his own poison. The biggest change was due to the toxin being able to enter through both oral ingestion and skin contact. Mid-treatment, Sasori noted the irony. That pink-haired Leaf brat must've done something similar after he had poisoned Kankurō. Still, the Ninja didn't let this distract him.

Another notable variable was the girl herself, Tsuyu. Sasori was utterly fascinated with his patient. Her features had subtle differences from every other human that the Ninja had ever met. Aside from the obvious tongue, her hands and feet were slightly bigger than any human's. Her eyes also seemed to have some frog-like traits. The epidermis revealed a talent for camouflage when tested. Even her skeletal structure seemed more ideal for crouching and leaping. There was also a secreted fluid that Sasori figured out was a few steps short of poisonously lethal. If the Akatsuki had to guess, the girl's frog-like anatomy and her own tolerance of toxins were the only reasons she had even lasted this long. Anyone who was purely human would've died an hour ago.

Regardless, the girl had clearly been pushed past her limit, as the occasional convulsion proved. Hence, why Halibel and Kisame were holding her still. There had been screaming when Sasori basically forced the poison out with Chakra, in the exact same way Sakura had. At least, the girl had calmed down and stabilized, giving the Ninja enough time to synthesize a cure. They were lucky that the poison had been so like Sasori's own, or they might've not had the materials to save her. After that, Sasori went to a closed off part of his quarters to synthesize the cure.

When Tsuyu had finally regained consciousness, Halibel started talking to distract her.

"My name's Tier Halibel, and you said yours was Tsu, right?"

Still a bit shaken, Tsuyu settled for nodding as she sat upright.

"Where're you from?"

"I lived in Japan. I…I was a Pro-Hero."

"A Pro-Hero…"the words sounding foreign on Halibel's tongue. Still, she pressed on. "I'm assuming that you saved lives."

"Yeah," Tsuyu answered.

"Well…from your learned perspective…are we doing a good job?" Halibel asked with a gentle smile, albeit hidden behind her collar.

Tsuyu found herself chuckling at that. "Yes…thank you." At this point, she turned to Kisame, who was standing off to the side, a small smile as he watched. "And who're you?"

"Name's Kisame Hoshigaki…pleased to make your acquaintance." He made a conscious effort to show less teeth than usual.

Tsuyu on the other hand seemed fascinated. "Do you look like a shark because of a Quirk?"

"Nah kid…my family was already unusual. I just had their traits up to eleven."

Halibel spoke up. "I don't think anyone on this ship is from this Japan that you speak of. And all of us have completely different…abilities as it were."

"Oh," Tsuyu gave a dejected sigh.

The Hollow sat down next to Pro-Hero. "I know this might be hard, but we need to know what's going on. How about starting at the beginning?"

Tsuyu steeled herself, taking a deep breath. "I'd landed a few months ago, after I…died. I spent most of that time raising enough to get a boat. I'd heard that everyone with abilities was heading West…so I figured that's where most of my friends were. I just…didn't want to face this sea alone," she finished quietly.

"I understand. I know how you feel," Halibel gently reassured the girl. "You can take your time."

"No…you need to know," Tsuyu determined. "I heard a lead about a friend. People said they saw him by an iron mine. So, I went to the closest one and started asking around."

"There's a mine on that island?" Kisame questioned under his breath.

"I was getting supplies. Then…it happened. A giant black tsunami came out of nowhere. It…It destroyed everything. The docks, boats, shops, people…everything was crushed." Tsuyu struggled to tell her story.

"I got some people out to high ground…but there were so many. So many." A far-off look started developing on the girl's face. "Even when I pulled people out of the water…there was nothing I could do after it got in their systems," she rationalized to herself.

"Then…I saw him." Tsuyu froze at the memory. Still, she pressed on, wanting everyone to know about what did this. "He was huge…almost as big as your helmsman. His skin was made of dark pink scales. He had a big fin on his head and a pointy chin. He wore a dark brown, fur-lined coat."

Halibel and Kisame both made it a point to remember that description, getting the feeling they'd see the perpetrator themselves some point soon.

"He just swam through like it was nothing. The currents and poison were no issue to him. He even…" Tsuyu put a hand to her mouth as her eyes got watery, recalling the brutal slaughter in the grime. Her two listeners used their imaginations.

"He pushed everything aside…there was no mercy. He was heading for the Mine. I was so angry…all this for a mine?"

"I screamed…'why did you kill all these people like it meant nothing?!'

"They were in the way.' He answered. I just lost it when hearing that."

"And you attacked?" Kisame asked.

"Yeah…I know I'm not exactly the best in terms of strength…but he…he wasn't even trying. He said something about how foolish it was to fight a Demon before breaking my arm." Tsuyu instinctively grasped her left arm. "I tried to stay at a distance when I figured out how strong he was, but he was fast and only needed a few hits to get me in the grime. That slowed me down enough for him to knock me out."

Halibel and Kisame glanced at each other, both wondering the same thing. "Why did he leave you alive?" the Ninja wondered.

"I don't know…he probably thought I would die soon enough in the water. I'm not even sure how I'm alive," the girl admitted.

"Sasori, the man who treated you, says it's because of your frog-like qualities gave you a tolerance for poisons. I'm assuming that's your 'Quirk' you called it?" Halibel noted.

"Guess that makes sense," Tsuyu decided as she put a finger to her mouth. She then frowned as she came back to the topic at hand. "I knew I couldn't beat him, so I started swimming. I knew it wasn't much of a chance, but help was the only hope for me…and the other survivors."

Suddenly, Tsuyu got out of bed and fell to her knees. She bowed her head with her hands folded beneath. "I know you've already done so much by healing me…but I'm begging you. Please help the people I left behind." Tsuyu had gone far too quiet to be healthy, barely holding herself together. "Please," she whispered.

Halibel quickly went to help Tsuyu back into bed, doing her best to comfort her. "It'll be alright. I promise that we'll do what we can." The Hollow was a bit surprised when Kisame approached. He gave Tsuyu an awkward squeeze on the shoulder, clearly not used to the whole 'comforting' thing. "You just rest now kid." Tsuyu couldn't help but be reminded of some of her more eccentric friends. Comforted by that comparison, the Pro-Hero drifted off.

Sasori returned at that point, carrying a syringe and some vials filled with silver liquid. "The rest of this should be relatively painless, so you two won't need to hold her down again." Nodding, the two headed back to the deck.

Kisame turned to his compatriot. "You've already made up your mind, didn't you?"

Halibel scoffed at that. "Don't act like you haven't."

The Ninja sighed. "Well…as entertaining as this 'Demon' sounds as an opponent, I get the feeling he and I just won't get along."

"That's putting it mildly," Halibel agreed. She gave it a bit more thought. "The second Sasori finishes, I want to move out."

Kisame nodded. "Yeah, we're already taking a risk just sitting here. At least we can choose the battlefield if we do it your way."

The Hollow turned to her companion, "You're giving this a lot more thought than I expected."

"Well, I may love a good fight, but I'm not stupid. I wouldn't have even lived past graduation if that were the case."

"Fair point," Halibel admitted, restraining from asking more about whatever 'graduation' meant.

Soon enough, the two had reached the deck, and told the Straw Hats everything. Jinbe and Franky appeared particularly thunderous at hearing what happened to the settlement. After the whole story, Jinbe came to a decision.

"We move, but we won't get too close to the island. I'd rather not make it easy for this 'Demon' to get to us. Since Sasori is working on an antidote, you three will need to help with the sails."

"Right," the others chorused.

"We'll move to the mine the second Sasori has enough antidote for all of us," Jinbe declared.

Half an hour of travel through the grime passed. Sasori had come out, saying that Tsuyu was on the road to recovery, thanks to his synthesized antidote. Unfortunately, he still needed time to make enough if the others were exposed. They only had a couple spare vials. So, he handed them out and returned to his quarters to see if he could make more.

Deciding it would have to do, Jinbe set the course for the island. Once close enough, the Fishman exerted his Observation Haki. Towards the far end of the island, he felt a few dozen 'voices' hanging on. Looking around, he felt a far more powerful 'voice' in the mine.

Apparently, that went both ways, since that presence was shooting towards the Cutty Sark. Jinbe's eyes shot wide open. In a few seconds, Kisame and Halibel had felt the energy coursing through their coming foe. It was almost on their level of Chakra and Reishi. Unlike their own energies, this was saturated with negative feeling, hate especially.

"Halibel, get in the air. I want to make sure at least one person doesn't get poisoned," Jinbe ordered. The Hollow quickly complied, taking position over the ship. She managed to see the water being displaced, with a red fin breaking the surface. Kisame and Jinbe quickly backed up from the railing. The Fishman himself injected the antidote, having a good idea of what was coming.

"Franky, protect Tsuyu and Sasori, at least until he's finished."

The cyborg ran down to the sick bed, knowing he'd be the final defense against this 'Demon'. The second Franky closed the door behind him, a figure splashed onto the deck. He was just as Tsuyu described. Big, dark pink, and scaly. He was top-heavy to the point that he was stooping over, almost like a gorilla. There were even two large and pointed fins on both forearms. He glanced around the ship, eyes locking onto Jinbe and Kisame. He smirked.

"At least I don't have to deal with anymore of those humans for a while," he growled in a rumbling voice.

Kisame couldn't help but feel insulted.

"My name is Torafuzar, and I'll only say this once. Leave my territory. Do not speak of what you have seen, and I'll let you go. We have no reason to fight."

'HA…he has to be lying' the Ninja thought to himself. Aside from Kisame's own cynical nature, he believed that no one trying this hard to keep a secret would leave witnesses. So, this just came across as a pitiful attempt to get their guard down.

Jinbe seemed to be thinking along similar lines. "And what of the others on the island?"

Torafuzar actually seemed confused at that. "And why do you care what happens to some humans?" he asked.

Jinbe saw red as memories of his old crew and Fishman Island played through his mind. He had had enough of that sort of talk in his first lifetime. "Thousand Brick Fist!" The Fishman yelled as he lunged at the Demon.

Torafuzar smirked as he raised his left forearm, easily blocking the punch. The Demon glanced to the right, and that smirk died. He was noticeably more frantic in blocking Kisame's slash with his other fin blade. Samehada had already sprouted some of its scales, managing to painfully scrape down the fin like coarse sandpaper.

"AHH!" The Demon roared as he jumped back to the railing.

"Hehe…Samehada says you taste rotten, but you'll do just fine for us."

Torafuzar suddenly felt a minor drop in his Curse Power. He turned, and saw that…thing start to tear through the bandages. He briefly extended his senses, finally noticing the woman glowering at him from midair, yellow energy forming in her hollow blade. He then sensed nothing from the big one. 'Fine, Divide and Conquer it is,' the Demon decided.

So, he took his chances and propelled himself forward, barely avoiding the Ola Azul fired at him. He grunted and grabbed the Fishman around the waist. With a mighty effort, Torafuzar had pushed both himself and Jinbe into the grimy water.

"Oh dear," Kisame said with no real concern as he hopped onto the black water's surface. "Aren't you going to go down and help him?" Halibel asked as she tried and failed to get a clear shot through the murk.

"Nah…did you see how pissed Jinbe was? I'm just going to let our Fishman buddy get his pound of flesh for now." Still, Kisame was crouched and ready to gut the Demon the second he surfaced.

Beneath the waves, the duel was turning into a slugfest after Jinbe had yanked Torafuzar off of him. The two charged at each other, completely ignoring the currents or water resistance.

"Water Shot!"

"Slash Arm!"

The Demon wasn't slowed down in the least as he dispersed the attack with his left fin. "What a pitiful use of water," Torafuzar derided. Fist met fist with a "BOOM" that was felt throughout the ocean. Evenly matched for now, both fighters swam back for some distance.

"He's already matching me ?! One of the elite of Tartarus ?!" the surprised Demon thought to himself. "No, calm down, I just need to draw this out enough for the poison to take effect."

Jinbe himself had simply remained in place, much to Torafuzar's confusion. "Fishman Karate," he rumbled as he assumed position. "Arabesque Brick Fist!"

For a second, the Demon was perplexed at his opponent punching nothing. That is, until he felt his insides shoved back. "URGH!" Torafuzar was sent hurtling back, Jinbe pursuing.

"The hell was that?! He didn't even touch me!" the Demon frantically thought before coming to a realization. He stopped his backwards trajectory and smirked at his opponent. "You can affect the water inside a person with that Fishman Karate of yours, can't you?"

Jinbe simply narrowed his eyes, still charging. "You've shown an impressive skillset, but it won't do any good against me," the Demon boasted as he met the charge. With that, the duel descended into a brutal brawl. Shockwaves bellowed out whenever fists clashed. The two exchanged dozens, scores, and hundreds of punches.

Jinbe saw the first opening, bending his opponent's already bruised right fin at an angle with a powerful punch. Hissing, Torafuzar retaliated with a rib-breaking punch to the Fishman, on top of a Slash Arm that cut across the stomach. Both ignored the pain as they continued their fisticuffs.

A knocked out tooth there. A chipped scale here. Torafuzar forced the Fishman back with a head-butt, leaving a gash in his chin. Jinbe returned the favor by slamming his joined fists on the back of the Demon's head, forcing him down a few feet. Torafuzar was barely fazed, zooming back to pummel the Fishman. While it was hard to tell on Torafuzar's dark scales, both fighters were starting to get heavily bruised. It had gotten to the point that even blocking direct punches were starting to take a toll on both.

"I shouldn't have let him drag me under like this. I let things get personal. All right, time for a change in tactics. I'll need to get some distance for my more powerful attacks," Jinbe realized.

As if in answer, a flash of blue zoomed right past Torafuzar's back. "URGH!" blood leaked out of the new wounds on the Demon's back. It looked like the skin had been shaved off. By the time Torafuzar turned around, the perpetrator was gone. Not one to waste an opportunity, Jinbe pushed himself back, gearing up for one of his stronger moves.

At the surface, Kisame was already drying off whatever skin had been exposed to the grime. Halibel raised an eyebrow at her comrade. "I thought you said you'd let Jinbe handle this."

"No, I said Jinbe should get his licks in, and I think a few hundred punches more than qualifies. Besides, I can tell that he wants to get serious now, so I figured I'd give an opening," Kisame explained. "Plus, I have been meaning to feed Samehada, and this Demon has been the only opponent with a decent amount of energy so far."

Halibel noted the half-exposed Samehada, blue hooked scales jutting out of the bandages, black blood and grime dripping. She then turned back to where the two fighters were, just itching for the chance to nail the Demon.

Torafuzar returned his attention to Jinbe, who had just finished his preparations. The Fishman shot forward, too fast for the Demon to dodge. "He's been holding back?!" the Demon realized to his horror.

"SHARK BRICK FIST!"

"AUGH!"

The Demon was nailed in the midsection, his mouth open in pain, arms splayed out. The force then propelled Torafuzar towards the surface.

"Ola Azul!" Halibel nailed him right in the wound Kisame had created, earning a roar of agony. On top of that, Kisame was running at the Demon, bloodthirsty grin apparent. Sure enough, the Ninja cut him on the side, managing to take around a quarter of his power. Desperate, Torafuzar quickly submerged, dodging what would have been another devastating slash from Samehada.

"Heh…if I know his type, he's going to pull out the big guns real soon," Kisame chuckled. Halibel for the life of her couldn't figure out why her new friend looked forward to such a thing.

Back below, Torafuzar had finally noticed something about the fight. "Why hasn't anyone succumbed to the poison?! The big one should've been weakened to the point of death by now!" Then, something caught his eye. The man walking on the surface (he was wracking his brain trying to figure that sorcery out) had taken something out of his pocket. Kisame quickly injected the vial into his exposed left forearm, emptying it of its silver liquid. He then turned to Torafuzar, eyes meeting. The Ninja gave a jolly wave as he showed off the empty vial.

That pushed Torafuzar over the edge. Panicked and enraged at the thought of his greatest strength meaning nothing, he began to change. He grew larger, his bulging arms now bearing a resemblance to gauntlets. Two fins grew out the side of his face, while the one already present extended down the top of his back. His scaly skin took on a more silver color, with holes appearing throughout his now bare chest. The Demon had revealed his Etherious Form.

Everyone present had sensed the Curse Power skyrocket. Tsuyu shot up out of bed when the familiar menace made itself felt. "Whoa there," Franky rushed to her side.

The Pro-Hero had a haunted look in her eyes, but she steeled herself. "You need to get on the wheel. There's a huge poison tsunami coming," she said in a remarkably calm voice. She then started hopping back to the deck, Franky behind her.

Back to the grime, Torafuzar roared in fury, attracting everyone's attention. "You may have made yourselves immune to my poison, but I'll still drown you all! I AM TORAFUZAR THE DARK! TENCHI KAIMEI!"

Waves of black water materialized out of nothing, merging with what was already present. Then, with a gesture of his arms, the poison tsunami charged forward. Instead of at his opponent, Torafuzar had aimed it right for the Cutty Sark.

"There's no way this crew has seen land since making that cure…meaning that everything they have is on that ship. I have to make sure no one can counter my Curse ever again."

"I WON'T LET YOU!" Jinbe screamed as he charged the Demon. "Shark Brick Fist!" This time, Torafuzar matched the fist with his own, his enhanced strength now equal to the Fishman's. Smirking, the Demon shot up above Jinbe.

"Deep Impact!"

Torafuzar slammed a fist into Jinbe's midsection, sending the Fishman down into the murk, out of sight. Moving before his opponent could recover, the Demon turned his attention back to the wave. Within moments, it was bearing down on the ship.

"Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave!" Kisame jumped in front of the grimy wave, belching out a lake's worth of clear saltwater that pushed back the Cutty Sark while delaying the poison. Having bought enough time, the Ninja readied a proper defense. "Water Style: Water Wall!" His clear water stopped the crashing wave.

Unfortunately, this was only a temporary measure. The grime was melding with the Jutsu, diluting Kisame's control over it.

Torafuzar was not impressed. He made a pushing gesture, urging the wave on. "This is the Black Water of Darkness. No mere humans can halt it."

"Well…I have been called the Monster of the Hidden Mist…how about I show you how I earned that?" Kisame retorted. While the Ninja was seriously tempted to charge forward, he had no intention of simply letting the Demon do as he pleased to the ship.

"PLEASE STOP!" Everyone's attention was diverted by a scream from the ship. It was Tsuyu, who was leaning over the railing. "HAVEN'T ENOUGH PEOPLE BEEN HURT?!"

Torafuzar glared at the girl. "So you survived. I'm impressed. You must be how this crew managed to make a cure." The Demon realized. "I WON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE AGAIN!" He put more energy into his dark wave, managing to push Kisame's defense back.

"Please stop…no more…" Tsuyu mumbled. Halibel turned to the young girl, seeing her on the point of tears. She had had enough. No more innocent girls would suffer on her watch. The Queen of the Hollows unsheathed her sword, pointing it down.

"Hunt, Tiburon!"

Reishi burst around Halibel, completely encasing her as she began to change. Everyone's eyes were drawn to the water materializing around her. Soon enough, the water parted. She was now holding a pata that looked like a massive shark tooth. In fact, it seemed that her new form strongly invoked a shark, with her shoulders resembling dorsal fins. Transformation complete, Halibel raised her Tiburon.

"Cascada!"

An absolutely massive deluge of water formed from the air, crashing down to combat the grime. Combined with Kisame's Jutsu, the clear water managed to bring down the tsunami of poison.

"What?" Torafuzar quietly asked. With the Demon stunned in disbelief, Kisame started spinning Samehada through the water Halibel created, absorbing enough Reishi to completely tear through the remaining bandages. Satisfied, the Ninja used Body Flicker to take Torafuzar by surprise.

The Demon managed to jump away in time…mostly. Samehada had grown so large that it still managed completely separate Torafuzar's right foot. "AHH!"

"Huh…I'd hoped to get both feet. Still, I got enough Chakra, Reishi, and whatever the hell you use to have some fun," Kisame laughed as Samehada's handle started to wrap around his right arm.

Sensing the massive amount of energy pouring into the Ninja, Torafuzar backed away, starting to realize that this was a crew he couldn't beat. Still, the Demon refused to leave empty-handed. So, he swam as fast as he could to the Cutty Sark, determined to destroy whatever it took to make the cure to his poison.

"Che…damn coward," Kisame muttered as he started his own transformation, fins growing out of his elbows and head, tearing through his T-shirt. Oddly enough, he wasn't worried for the safety of his crew.

"WEAPONS LEFT!" Franky unleashed a barrage that forced the Demon to take evasive action. Before Torafuzar could get any closer, Halibel appeared in front of him with Sonido, easily blocking a punch with the flat of Tiburon. The Demon's eyes went wide, his irises shrinking as a look of utter rage consumed him. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Torafuzar raised his free right fist.

Before either fighter made another move, Torafuzar was stopped, his forearm covered by long tongue. Tsuyu had wrapped herself around the main mast, gaining leverage against the mighty Demon. Having been inspired by the others apparently giving their all for her sake, Tsuyu shouted her resolve. "I WON'T LET YOU HURT ANYONE ELSE!"

Halibel smiled at the girl. "Well said." With her own free hand, the Hollow pointed at her opponent, yellow energy forming into a ball. Knowing what was coming, Torafuzar immediately disengaged, swimming away as fast as he could.

"Cero."

An insane amount of Reishi charged forward, roaring as it destroyed everything in its path. Torafuzar hadn't gotten out unscathed. The rest of his right leg had been blown to smithereens. It was a miracle he had still been fast enough to protect his main body. Knowing that, the Demon was finally ready to retreat, tail between his legs (or leg as it were).

Unfortunately for him, a monster had swum up right behind him. "You're mine now." Before he could turn around, Torafuzar was overwhelmed by the energy emanating from it. There was even a bit of his own Curse Power in that potent feeling. "This…this is as bad as Master Mard Geer's," the Demon thought in horror.

The transformed Kisame grabbed Torafuzar by the throat, and quickly dragged him back to the clean water made earlier. "I really must thank Halibel for all the water and Reishi, I wouldn't have been able to do this so easily without her," the Ninja chuckled.

"Water Prison Shark Dance." The words sounded like a death sentence to Torafuzar.

All the clear water formed into a massive sphere, with Kisame himself at the center. Not a drop of grime was close enough for Torafuzar to manipulate. Seeing this, the Demon frantically tried to wrench himself from the monster. Surprisingly enough, Kisame let Torafuzar go. His relief turned to dread as he saw the Ninja's bloodthirsty grin. "You're going to find out what it's like to be prey."

Tsuyu and Halibel grimaced at hearing that. "Ya know, Kisame really sounds like a villain right now," Tsuyu couldn't help but observe. "You have no idea," Halibel added with a shake of the head.

Desperate, Torafuzar swam as fast as he could, hoping against hope that he could at least get back to his element. After a few seconds, the Demon realized that he wasn't getting any closer. He turned back to the pursuing Kisame with a look of growing fear. "Oh no! That monster is moving this entire ball of water, keeping himself at the center!" he thought in near panic.

Right at that moment, Kisame zoomed forward with a push of his newfound tail. The Akatsuki then sprouted spikes from the fin extended from his left arm. He swam right past the Demon, leaving gaping gashes in his side. As Torafuzar gasped in pain, Kisame smirked as he took more Curse Power. The Ninja quickly turned around for another Curse-draining run. Over and over, Torafuzar groaned in pain as he was sucked dry.

Halibel's eyes wandered to the horizon. She noticed that the mass of black grime was shrinking. It was clear to her that it was only the Demon's power keeping the poison active. If he was knocked out, the poison would vanish. Tsuyu also saw the grime contracting. She was utterly shocked that this crew was managing to take down an honest-to-goodness Demon.

Torafuzar himself had been pushed to the brink, both physically and mentally. Physically, he only had enough Curse Power left to pull off a couple moves, on top of maintaining the grime. As for his mental state… "NO, I did not die and come back just to be defeated again. I came to this mine to better myself and show my strength to all who wronged Tartarus. I will survive and defeat that damn Dragon Slayer…no matter what it takes!" Seeing an opening, Torafuzar made his move.

"CHOKOGAI!" Air shot out of the holes in the Demon's chest, the bubbles obscuring him from view. Regardless, Kisame charged, knowing he just needed to take a little more to end the fight. The Ninja shot forward. Unlike the other times, Kisame was stopped dead in his tracks.

Torafuzar had completely covered himself in what appeared to be solid steel. All the bones in Kisame's right arm had shattered thanks to how fast he'd been moving. "Son of a bitch, that's tougher than Kakuzu's," the Akatsuki observed as he slowly healed himself.

Taking his chance, Torafuzar shot towards the grime as fast as his remaining leg could push. Before he had a chance to relish victory, a very angry Fishman swam up and blocked his path. "DAMN IT!" the Demon yelled as he raised his left arm to defend, having completely forgotten about this opponent.

"FISHMAN KARATE SECRET TECHNIQUE: VAGABOND DRILL!"

Jinbe roared as he slammed into Torafuzar. The move utterly pulverized the Demon's arm, turning it into a useless appendage. It didn't stop there as it sent an incredible shockwave through all of Torafuzar's body. The Chokogai shattered from within. Right at his most vulnerable, Kisame and Halibel appeared before him.

"This is for my arm." Kisame grabbed Torafuzar's limp left arm and pulled. Then, Halibel brought Tiburon down.

"CRUNCH!" The combined strength of Akatsuki and Espada had torn off the Demon's left arm, shattering the bone in the process. Torafuzar could only scream in pain as he clutched his new stump. On top of that, Kisame had left only bits of Curse Power. The grime had completely vanished.

As one, Jinbe and Kisame brought back their fists, spikes protruding from the latter. Halibel raised Tiburon in tandem. The three warriors slammed into the Demon's chest with all their strength and a mighty "WHOOM!" was heard for miles around. Finally, Torafuzar lost consciousness as he was sent hurtling miles away by the sheer force of his foes.

Tsuyu's mouth had dropped open in sheer shock, reminded of All Might defeating the Nomou when she faced a villain for the first time. Once she believed her eyes, she gave the biggest smile she could manage. True there were some tears, but a wave of relief was washing through Tsuyu. She wasn't even fazed by Franky's Dance of Joy.

By now, the three had returned to the ship, brushing themselves off. Tsuyu eagerly hopped to the three, hearing them mid-conversation.

"I'm hurt that you didn't tell me you could use water in such a marvelous way," Kisame laughed as he turned back to normal, Samehada reappearing in his right hand.

Halibel simply rolled her eyes at that. "You're one to talk of holding something back," giving a wary look to the eldritch blade. That wasn't helped in the least when a happy-sounding chitter came from it.

"Well, she likes your Reishi. Mind giving us another taste now," the Ninja leered.

Halibel stared him down. "No," she said in a manner that broached no argument.

"Umm…" Tsuyu interrupted, drawing all eyes to her. She had briefly bowed her head to the others. "You three have done so much…I didn't even think it was possible to beat him." The Pro-Hero walked closer to them, extending an open hand. "Thank you."

Halibel was the first to accept the handshake, giving Tsuyu a gentle smile. Jinbe was next, his hand almost completely engulfing Tsu's. Kisame hesitated for a bit, eyeing the open hand. Tsuyu just stared at the Ninja, blushing at the sight of his bare blue torso, hand still extended. Sighing, Kisame accepted the handshake. "Think nothing of it kid."

Tsuyu seemed to relax, before turning her gaze back to the island. "I know it's a lot to ask, but the survivors will need help. Every hand is appreciated," she put it bluntly.

Jinbe shook his head as a small smile peaked through. "Of course we'll help."

"Will we? Ooph." Three guesses as to who said that, and who elbowed him.

"We'll be glad to," Halibel assured the girl. "Won't we?"

Kisame rubbed his side. "Yeah, yeah."

In a few minutes, the Cutty Sark had weighed anchor a few feet from the ruined dock. At the edge of the crew's sight, a small group of people (around 40) cautiously made their way to the new arrivals. In somewhat familiar territory (thanks to her own experience with disaster relief), Tsuyu hopped off the ship, moving through piles of debris back to land.

Once she had gotten close, Tsuyu stood to her full height. "It's alright. They're here to help." The citizens visibly relaxed at that. The one in the lead stepped forward, taking Tsuyu's hand in his own.

"We were so worried after you charged in after that Demon. I never got the chance to thank you for saving me. Saving all of us."

Tsuyu looked morose when she saw how small the group really was. "I'm sorry for being too slow…too weak. I should've done more."

"Okay, that's enough mental self-flagellation". Kisame stepped forward, an unusually serious expression on his face. "Look kid, it's damn near impossible to save everyone, especially against someone that far out of your league. It's a miracle you managed this much. Most of the time, you won't save everyone. That's a damn fact."

Tsuyu's head bent down, near the point of tears. Halibel would've stepped forward if she didn't catch something in the Ninja's tone. "So…what're you going to do about it? Are you going to just stand around and pity the dead, wondering about what-ifs? Or will you actually put in some effort to be better for those who are still around?!"

The Pro-Hero was silent for a moment. "Well?" Kisame asked with a hint of impatience.

Tsuyu glanced up, looking more determined. There was something else in there. "Is that admiration? Huh…feels weird to be on the receiving end," the former Akatsuki thought. Unnoticed by the Ninja, Halibel was smiling.

Pleased with the change in demeanor, Jinbe felt it was time to get back to the reason they came. "Tsuyu here convinced us to lend a hand to you all. Our services are yours," the Fishman humbly offered.

"Thank you. Sir, you have no idea how much this means to us," the leader graciously accepted. "Please, follow me." So, the crew was led to the other survivors, who were suffering from lingering effects of the poison. Thankfully, Sasori had managed to make enough of his antidote, providing treatment for the civilians. He'd also snuck in some adrenaline to get the people moving. After all, he hated waiting.

Afterwards, everyone present had enough energy to start helping. The townsfolk had cleared most of the debris in a few hours, with the help of the crew and a liberal usage of Water Clone Jutsu.

By midday, the people were already working on putting up the biggest homes, so they'd at least all have somewhere to sleep tonight. It was truly remarkable how quickly things were coming together. This was no doubt helped by the near half dozen super-humans pitching in. Jinbe and Franky certainly earned their due just from the heavy-lifting alone. The cyborg was a miracle worker once all the materials had been brought together, assembling the pieces at speeds thought impossible by the civilians. Sasori contented himself with giving the occasional Chakra String to hold some structures together. Halibel just zoomed through her tasks with Sonido. Plus, being able to stand in the air makes it much easier to hold something up. Kisame had done double-duty with his small army of Water Clones giving aid all over. He noticed Tsuyu holding things in place with her tongue. The Ninja shuddered. "That thing could put Orochimaru to shame."

By sunset, enough shelter had been made that the people could just focus on making dinner before turning in. Thanks to some great planning against tsunamis, the foodstuffs had all been stored on high ground, avoiding the poison from Torafuzar's Tenchi Kaimei. Once the fires had been built, the people kept it simple with kebobs.

Kisame had built himself a small fire, keeping his distance from the crowd gathered around the bigger bonfire. He saw Jinbe turn down countless offers of more food, and Franky showing off his robot parts to a fascinated Tsuyu. As he watched this, slowly roasting his own stick of red meat, Halibel took a seat across from him.

The Ninja smirked. "You going to make this a habit, sticking with me whenever we have a fire?"

The Hollow let out a tired sigh. "That depends on how you answer my question."

Kisame paused, and indicated that he was listening.

"Why'd you go to the effort for Tsuyu?" Halibel asked, genuinely curious. When she had first met Kisame, she brushed him off as simply a brute looking out for his next good fight. Now, she knew that there was more to him. It was just a question of what.

The Ninja glanced at the girl, seeing how much Franky's antics were cheering her up. He then turned back to Halibel, staring at her across their little fire. "She said she was too weak, and she was blaming herself for what happened. It reminded me of Itachi, my partner. I just knew he constantly blamed himself for what happened to his clan. Hell, he was probably thinking those exact same words for awhile."

Halibel was instantly transfixed. "And did you say something similar to him?"

"No," Kisame glumly admitted. "I didn't even think of it until after he had died. For years, all I could do was watch him march on. He was never the most durable person, but he got sick. His condition just kept getting worse, to the point he was coughing up blood after anything strenuous. Eventually, he just committed suicide by a fight with his own brother."

Halibel was uneasy at how quiet Kisame's voice had gotten.

"Looking back, I wish I had said something like that to Itachi. Maybe he could've fought his illness if he actually had the will to live. Maybe I wouldn't have had to watch my only friend wilt away. I just don't know. All I know is that no one should have to go through that."

The two were completely silent for a long time. Only the smell of Kisame's burning kebob snapped them out of it. The Ninja quickly removed his dinner from over the fire, and started digging in as he changed the topic.

"Now that you mention Tsu, I did notice something," Kisame noted. Halibel instinctively tensed at that. "You only changed into that stronger form of yours after she came out screaming. Can I ask why?"

Halibel actually seemed thoughtful at that. "I don't know," she admitted. "I just snapped at the sight of her begging a monster for mercy. I had enough of that in my first lifetime." The Hollow quickly suppressed a scowl as bad memories nearly came to the surface.

Deciding not to press the matter, Kisame returned to his meal. Halibel cooked her own stick a while longer. "I don't feel like dealing with a crowd, do you mind me spending the rest of the night by your fire?" Halibel asked.

"Sure," came the measured response. So, dinner passed in a comfortable silence for the two.

A ways back, Sasori was utterly confused at how trusting everyone else was being. Not needing dinner, the puppet had resorted to fiddling with the tube in his left arm. He could not for the life of him figure out why these people were so at ease with each other. He was especially shocked at his fellow Ninja actually opening up about his past to that woman. Putting his thoughts aside, Sasori returned to his work.

After dinner, Halibel started to nod off. "Kisame…do you mind taking first watch this time? I think Samehada pigged out on too much of my Reishi."

Said sword gave an irritated chitter, as if in protest. Kisame chuckled at that. "Sounds like Samehada was actually starting to like you before you said that. I think you should apologize," he joked.

Halibel turned to the legendary sword. "I'm sorry Samehada," she said half-heartedly. Still, that was enough to earn a pleased chitter.

Kisame sat in a more upright position. "Sure, I'll keep an eye out."

"Thanks," Halibel responded before drifting off to sleep, now sure that a decent man had her back.

Several miles into the ocean, Torafuzar struggled to stay alive. He had woken up from the impact of hitting the ocean's surface, having long since returned to his normal form. Bleeding out, the Demon was desperate to find somewhere to recover. With just two barely-functioning limbs, Torafuzar wasn't getting very far. On top of that, his blood had already attracted sharks. Oceanic Whitetip Sharks to be exact. They had been patiently following him for miles. He managed to punch one or two away, but other sharks took their place.

After hours of this, Torafuzar started to give up. He was finally slowing down, his limbs unable to take any more strain. The sharks were getting close. In that moment, Torafuzar started to accept that he wouldn't make it. And it terrified him. "I don't want to die. Not like this. I'll do anything for more time."

Midnight struck. Suddenly, the sharks all swam away, scared off by something massive. Torafuzar felt the water beneath him being displaced. He didn't have time to move before he felt himself shoved off the water's surface. The first thing he noticed was the sound. It was utterly horrible yet beautiful. It almost sounded like a pipe organ, but it was far too discordant and inhuman to be mistaken as such. The Demon found himself washed over with a sense of despair and rage that came in tune with the horrible music.

As Torafuzar was enraptured by the haunting tune, a truly massive galleon had shot out from beneath the sea. Its bow was in a state of disrepair, with the appearance of a gaping maw filled with cutting teeth. The entire hull was covered in barnacles and seaweed. The little wood that could be seen was rotting away from all the water exposure. Every crashing wave earned a groan from the ship. The cannon ports, once a shiny copper, had morphed into a sickly green that blended in with the rest of the ship. Even the sails (rife with holes) and rigging had been covered with the scum of the sea.

Torafuzar had landed on the deck of this ship when it had surfaced. His attention was then diverted from the ship itself as the water leaked back to the sea. The Demon was utterly horrified at the crew that came to greet him. Oh, they had all once been human, but that time was long gone. True, they had the upright position of humans, and the general shape, but that was it. What little skin could be seen had turned a cold, clammy gray. The vast majority were covered in barnacles and coral that had painfully latched onto them, even taking the place of limbs in some cases. A few of the smaller crewmembers were in a permanent stoop thanks to the weight of their parasites.

That was just in general. Many had had limbs mutated into fins, spikes, and tentacles. One crewmember had the entire top half of their head turned into a jellyfish, its tentacles protruding out of his eyes and ears. Another had the spikes of a puffer fish pointing out of his cheek. One's head had assumed the form of a hammerhead, his left eye having been stretched and enlarged to fit. Torafuzar even noticed a woman. Her entire lower body had morphed into that of a sea snake's. She tried to keep her mouth hidden with a long moss-ridden sleeve, but the Demon still noticed two large fangs sticking out, dripping with venom. Suddenly, the largest crewmember, a 9-foot behemoth with beady eyes, the nose of a sawshark, and webbed hands, grabbed Torafuzar and started to drag him across towards the Captain's Cabin.

It was at this point that Torafuzar finally got a good look at the hull. It was filled with half-decayed faces, barnacles and coral covering everything in between. To his horror, one of those faces had its eyes shoot wide open when he passed. The creature then yanked itself off the wall with a sickening squelch, joining the rest of the crew. The Demon nearly wretched at the sight.

Suddenly, the music came to a stop. Then…"Clunk…clunk…clunk…clunk." The barnacles and mussels all retreated into their shells as the noise became louder. Then, the door to the captain's cabin opened. Torafuzar felt nothing less than the shadow of death at the sight of what came out.

It only had the shape of a man. What had once been a lustrous Captain's coat had been taken over by the parasites of the sea, losing all its color over the centuries. The ends of the coat had been frayed to pieces. The right leg was that of a crab's, making that resonating "CLUNK" every time it stepped. The left arm was in a similar state. What had once been a hand had painfully fused together into a massive and powerful claw. The rest of the exposed skin had morphed into that of an octopus's. His right pointer finger was now a particularly long tentacle that began wrapping its way around Torafuzar's remaining hand. A faded tricorn hat completed the imagery, giving the figure a devil-like appearance.

The Captain leaned down, giving the Demon an up-close look at his face. A mass of tentacles were writhing on his face in place of a beard, each appendage seeming to have a mind of its own. A siphon poked out from the left side of the captain's face, bringing air in and out of the bulging sac on the back of his head. But what struck Torafuzar the most was the eyes. They were a piercing blue. Slowly, the Demon realized that these were the eyes of a human. He was terrified to see such power and hatred for the whole world in those eyes.

Then, the figure spoke, as if with the voice of the drowned.

"Do you fear death?"

Torafuzar nodded, unable to bring himself to speak.

"Do you fear that dark abyss? Where every deed will be laid bare and every sin punished?" he said while taking a deep breath through his siphon.

When Torafuzar didn't respond quickly, the Captain grabbed the Demon by the throat with his claw. "Don't make me ask again," he advised.

Torafuzar frantically nodded, earning a deep chuckle from the Captain as he let go. "That's better. Now, I can offer an escape from all that." He paused as Torafuzar made eye contact again. "Join my crew to postpone the judgment. Serve me for 100 years before the mast…and you will be rewarded."

Desperate, barely clinging on to life, Torafuzar managed to speak. "I will serve."

Giving a smile that could haunt nightmares; the Captain grasped his right hand. "Do you swear your power to the Flying Dutchman, and to me, its Captain?"

"I swear."

A burst of Curse Power erupted from Torafuzar, and was completely absorbed into the Captain. The Demon could now feel his own power merging with the ungodly energy that was already within the creature he had bargained with. Testing it out, the Captain made a gesture with his claw, and grimy water appeared around the Flying Dutchman.

Davy Jones laughed as he turned to the demon. "Hahaha…welcome to the crew, lad."

Before Torafuzar could realize what a horrible mistake he made, his mind was overwhelmed by one thing as he blacked out.

'Part of the crew, part of the ship'

'Part of the crew, part of the ship'

'Part of the crew, part of the ship'

'Part of the crew, part of the ship'

A.N. Well…that took a turn. Still, I've been itching to find a way to introduce the good captain. He's definitely going to be a big player in this story for a while. So, keep an eye out. I've also given him a HUGE power-up, so he'll more than keep up with everyone else in this story. All will be explained soon enough. So I just have one question for everyone: "Do You Fear Death?"

I absolutely loved writing for this chapter. Definitely my biggest one so far. This is the first real fight that I've ever written, and I'm pretty happy with it. I wanted an opponent strong enough to deserve some of our crew's best moves, and I'd say that Torafuzar fit the bill. Let me know what y'all thought of the fight. I hope everything made sense.

Now, Tsuyu…she was actually a bit of a last-minute decision. I'd always known that Torafuzar would be the crew's first decent fight, but I couldn't figure out a way to set it up for a while. That is, until I decided to bring in Tsu. After that, everything just sort of came together. Let me know what you think of how I'm treating her so far.

One last thing, one reviewer asked when this story takes place relative to One Piece, so I felt it was time to address something. For every character I bring in, this takes place 'after the end'. The only thing that every character has in common here is that they have died, whether from battle or age. For One Piece specifically, I'm assuming that the Straw Hats manage to take down the World Government and Emperors (on top of finding One Piece), so from their perspective, this is after all that. Still, I will go ahead and say that 'Time' is a funny thing in the Sea of Second Chances. If, for example, I brought in Ace, this story would take place right after Marineford. Expect something similar for every other universe brought in, whether they're still being written (like My Hero) or not (like Naruto). Hope that cleared things up.

Also want to give a shout-out to all my Reviewers, Followers, and Favorites. I never imagined that my story would hit double digits for all those in just a month. So, thank you all.

Til Next Time…Have Fun!