Chapter 16: So Many Sides!

Chapter 16: So Many Sides!

Circe narrowed her eyes at Hanataro. It was easy to see how nervous he was, even from the other side of her bars. The witch wracked her brain for a way to turn this to her advantage. She couldn't do anything blatant just yet. For now, her hands fiddled with the binding. That, and she played for time.

"So, are you the one who tended to me?" Circe asked the young-looking Soul Reaper.

"Ye…yeah," Hanataro nodded.

"I have to admit, you're a talented healer," Circe gave an apparently grateful smile.

"Oh, it was not…nothing really," he scratched the back of his head.

"My boy, in my world, nothing short of The Gods and their progeny could do what you did."

While she laid on the praise, her hands kept fiddling with the Chakra-binding. She was careful not to move any other part of her body, so as not to incur suspicion.

"Really, I'm nowhere near as good as Captain Unohana, or Ms. Isane for that matter," Hanataro was blushing at the compliments.

"That so?" Circe couldn't help but pause at the thought of such a skilled medic. 'It seems that these other worlds have barely begun to show what they're capable of.'

"Yeah, and Ms. Orihime just blew us all out of the water. She could even regrow limbs and organs blown to dust," Hanataro reminisced.

"Very impressive," Circe admitted. From behind, her hands were starting to make some leeway against the paper.

All of a sudden, Circe was completely frozen.

"Hanataro, get back on deck. The medic should be on standby whenever half the crew is in a serious fight, don't you think?" A far colder voice interrupted.

"Oh, of course!" With a quick Flash Step, the Soul Reaper was gone.

Circe glanced down her body, and saw strings with a light blue glow attached to her.

"You know, if you'd had a few more minutes with that idiotic Soul Reaper, you might've gotten out," Sasori gave an amused smirk.

"Such a low opinion of your own comrades," Circe sneered.

"Comrades is stretching it," the Ninja muttered. "But enough of that, we have much to discuss." He pulled out a small book from his sleeve.

Circe's eyes widened. "That's mine."

"It was. Such fascinating insight into the interactions of 'Mageia' and the human body. I'm assuming 'Mageia' is your word for Chakra or something of the like."

Circe gave no response beyond a glower.

"However, that's not what interests me at the moment." Sasori paused, before taking out a half-wilted lotus out of his pocket. "How about we start with this?"

"Why the Lotus?" Circe couldn't help but be curious.

"I consider myself an exceptional chemist, but I've never come across anything with such narcotic effects. I simply wish to learn more," Sasori put it simply.

"To what end?" the witch wondered.

"That all depends on if you will translate some of the more…arcane entries in your journal. I'd rather be in possession of all the facts before making any major decisions regarding the Lotus," Sasori explained.

"That may be so, but even you won't get any use from that sample. Not after the main root and pod were destroyed by that bloodthirsty friend of yours," she grinded her teeth at the thought of Kisame's taunting grin.

"Perhaps, but if you inform me on this flower's biology, such as dietary and environmental needs, I could recreate the plant. At least, after I've analyzed the chemical makeup of this single Lotus. And if I'm successful, I'm sure we could come to an arrangement," the Ninja offered. "After all, I reward those who aid me."

Seeing this as her best chance, Circe began to divulge the secrets to growing, pruning, and maintaining a Grecian Lotus. When she was about halfway through detailing the ideal fertilizer for planting the seeds, the two were interrupted.

"Hey Sasori!" Franky's voice echoed across the ship. "Usopp spotted a BIG ship heading to the island. And there's some weird-looking birds coming right for us, with this blonde guy riding the one up front!"

Sasori's eyes momentarily widened. In an instant, he unlocked the cell, wrapped Circe up with his stinger intestine, and ran up to deck.

To his relief, the birds weren't white, and it was short blonde hair rather than long in a half-ponytail. Still, he could feel a certain manic energy coming from the rider.

"Sasori, why'd you bring her out?" Tsuyu gave him an appraising look.

"Because I'm not letting her out of my sight," the puppeteer coldly replied as he unrolled a scroll. With a single Hand Sign and a puff of smoke, a new puppet was revealed. It had an incredibly bulky chest with six arms and a horned head. A flick of his finger opened the chest to reveal a hollow compartment. He threw Circe inside, quickly closed the chest, and slapped another Chakra-restraint Seal on his Puppet.

"Black Ant should be sufficient. And I'll know if she tries to escape." Sasori slightly raised his voice to be heard over the indignant shrieking of Circe over her new prison.

As this was taking place, the black birds shifted course. "Wait a minute, they're heading for the other sloop," Usopp realized.

In less than a minute, they heard a shout. "EXPLODING SPIRAL!" With a single motion, Jackal annihilated the sloop with a "BBOOOOMMM". Half his job done, Jackal then directed the birds towards the Cutty Sark.

"Because of course he uses explosions," Sasori grumbled to himself. "I did not come all this way just to have my greatest work of art turned into a thing of fleeting beauty. Everyone!" he suddenly shouted. "I'll handle the leader!"

Usopp found himself turning back to the enemy ship, and saw three figures sprinting ahead of the others making their way to shore. Upon closer inspection, the pirate instantly recognized two of them.

"FRANKY!" he shouted from the Crow's Nest. "IT'S ROB LUCCI! HE'S WITH GUSTAVE!"

The cyborg paled as he dashed to the railing. He indeed saw the three leaders, with hundreds of enhanced animals either swimming or rowing behind them.

"If what you said about Lucci is true, there's no way our friends can handle Cipactli's troops on top of the Guardian and whoever else they're fighting now," Tsuyu bluntly put it.

"What do we do then?" Hanataro was weighing the options.

"Franky…get below and prep the artillery! We and Sasori can handle the birds!" Usopp shouted down. "You two try and thin out Cipactli's numbers, or get the others out of there!"

"Right!" Tsuyu, and Hanataro linked arms, before the Soul Reaper took off with Flash Step. As this happened, Franky proceeded to ready the ship's armaments.

Growling at the sight of half his prey breaking off, Jackal directed some Nevermores to pursue.

"Green Star: Platanus Shuriken!"

In an instant, the two leading Nevermores were cut into pieces, shrieking as they dissolved in black dust.

Jackal smirked and pushed his steed to the Crow's Nest.

TIKKA-TIKKA-TIKKA-TIKKA-TIKKA!

An iron spike sailed through the bird's head, and Jackal was barely able to sidestep it. Feeling his mount dissolve, he quickly hopped onto the nearest Nevermore, assuming direct control. Jackal gave a crooked grin at Sasori, who merely narrowed his eyes as he kept the 3rd Kazekage close, his Jutsu creating an Iron platform for him to stand on mid-air.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of his opening, Usopp brought out a Baby Den-Den Mushi.

OoOoOoO

'BBOOOOMMM!' The inside of the cavern rumbled to the point of giving everyone pause.

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes. 'Judging by the distance…That was MY SHIP!' he frantically thought. Seeing his options dwindle down, he picked up the pressure on that annoying opponent of his.

"Earth Style: Earth Dome!" Kakuzu slammed his Hands together and stomped the ground.

Jinbe watched the earth rise around him, and quickly sent Haki to his arms. Not even bothering with Fishman Karate, the Pirate easily tore through the wall. He then charged at the Akatsuki, who attempted jumping back.

'He's slower than before. Most likely a Clone then,' Jinbe realized.

Sure enough, with a "Black Shark Skin: Thousand Brick Fist!", 'Kakuzu' crumbled into pebbles. Not surprised in the least, Jinbe was already covering his back in Haki.

The real Kakuzu popped out of the ground, yards behind Jinbe, and readied his Lightning Mask. "Lightning Style: False Darkness!"

Thanks to his caution, Jinbe was merely bruised by the strike, instead of charred to a crisp.

"Hmm…you were barely thrown off by my Clone. Did Kisame blab about what Ninjas could do to you otherworlders?" the old Akatsuki growled.

Not responding, Jinbe jumped forward towards Kakuzu. At that moment, the Wind Mask suddenly appeared behind the Fishman.

"Wind Style: Pressure Damage Barrage!"

Jinbe managed to avoid most of the wind, thanks to his Observation Haki, but he wasn't completely unscathed. The Mask had been quick enough to at least draw blood from glancing blows.

"GET BACK HERE!"

Suddenly, Apacci roared as she unloaded her Bala cannon towards the Wind Mask, pursuing with Sonido. It quickly evaded and flew back into the maze of bejeweled stalactites. The Hollow wasn't far behind.

In the meantime, Kakuzu had rushed forward. His palm flattened as he covered the limb in his Iron Skin, all the better to jab the Fishman.

Moving far faster than his size would indicate, Jinbe managed to sidestep, allowing Kakuzu's own momentum to work against him. His left palm batted the Ninja's outstretched right hand.

"Black Shark Skin: 5000 Brick ELBOW!" and he slammed his Haki covered elbow into Kakuzu's mouth.

"GAH!" The mask came clean off, and the left side of his mouth had torn open. Some threads were simply hanging limply, while others frantically tried to repair the damage. A tooth was completely gone. 'I don't want to imagine the damage if I hadn't started using Iron Skin at the last second,' Kakuzu thought to himself. 'At this rate, I'll have to combine my Hearts to get some actual lethal blows.'

Jinbe simply assumed his stance, ready for whatever the old Akatsuki would do.

OoOoOoO

Hidan was utterly furious. Never before had he faced an opponent with no blood. Then, his eyes turned to Juvia, who was standing off to the side. Smirking at his new idea, the cultist picked up the pace against the skeleton.

Despite holding the initial advantage, Brook was being pushed back. The pirate could not believe that this madman was the slowest and weakest Akatsuki. If this man was their idea of weak, the mere thought of their idea of "strong" sent a shiver down Brook's spine. At least it would, if he had a spine…Oh wait, he does.

Anyway, Hidan's speed and strength were more than enough to force Brook on the defensive. The pirate didn't even have time to build up to his more special moves, it was all he could do to simply deflect that three-bladed scythe.

Then, a retractable spike suddenly shot out of Hidan's sleeve, forcing Brook to block. With his opponent completely occupied, Hidan sent his scythe flying with a flick of his wrist. It came right at Juvia from behind. The cultist grinned at the thought of finally getting some blood again.

Unfortunately for him, Juvia reflexively turned into water. Her own body parted as the scythe sailed back, completely dry.

"Huh, guess that training with Samehada paid off," the Wizard couldn't help but observe. She was about to turn her full attention to the Ninja, but the Water Mask started flying to the aid of Kakuzu's partner.

"Water Slicers!" Juvia managed to fend off the mask for now.

Hidan's response was a bit less eloquent as he finally realized what happened. "WHAT THE FU...?!"

Before he could finish his curse, Brook pushed the spike back and slashed. "Swallow Banderole!"

Hidan barely moved his hand back in time, but the cord connecting to the scythe was completely frozen over, and shattered when it fell to the ground.

"Oh! Now you're PISSING ME OFF!" the cultist roared as he leaped over Brook, grabbed his fallen scythe with both hands, and charged back.

Brook reacted! "Soul Parade!"

Scythe and blade clashed, sending small shockwaves throughout the cavern.

OoOoOoO

Tamatoa skittered his way to Halibel. In an instant, she used Sonido to get behind him. She found where his shell had cracked from Kakuzu's attack.

"Ola Azul!"

The crab was fast enough to at least make sure he wouldn't be hit in the same spot. Still, his shell still got another small crack.

Not wanting any more surprise attacks, Tamatoa picked up his speed.

In a dazzling display, Halibel seamlessly switched back-and-forth between parrying the claws with Tiburon and blasting them back with Balas.

CLANG!

Tiburon clashed against the right claw. The Hollow simply didn't budge, until she did. She let the claw sail by her, and set her feet down on the offending limb, still giving that perpetually unamused look of hers.

"Get Off!" the crustacean slammed his other claw into her, only to see her use Sonido to get right in his face.

"Cero."

Miraculously, Tamatoa was fast enough to retreat into his shell, allowing it to take the brunt of the damage. Yet more gold came tumbling to the ground as slivers of his natural shell began to peak through. Some of the precious metal had even melted down completely from the sheer temperature of the Reiatsu.

At this point, Tamatoa began lashing out again. This time, he didn't even care whenever he hit the walls, nor did he pause at the shuddering whenever he did so.

'That prideful fool,' Halibel thought. 'He'll bring the whole island down on us at this rate.'

CRISSHH!

"Well, at least some of us are having fun," Halibel scoffed.

OoOoOoO

Kisame and Grimmjow were indeed having fun. To be honest, they were the only people within miles actually enjoying themselves.

The Hollow was starting to switch things up. He wielded Pantera one-handed, while punching with his Hierro-covered fist, or kicking with equally enhanced feet.

The Ninja stuck to keeping both hands on Samehada, constantly overpowering the smaller blade's thrusts and slashes while narrowly dodging the brawler.

"OOF!"

Grimmjow managed to slip a punch past Samehada, right on Kisame's stomach. "Haven't been punched that hard since I fought that odd green beast," the Ninja couldn't help but groan as he countered with a slash of Samehada. This time, he managed to get a scratch on Grimmjow's outstretched forearm, despite the Hierro.

"Huh…so that's how much force is needed to break your Hierro…neat." Kisame gave an experimental swing of his legendary blade before showing a bloodthirsty grin.

Looking at his injury, Grimmjow licked the blood, giving his own unsettling smile as he turned to his opponent. "I guess that's to be expected from a sword that takes energy. Still, I wonder if that could actually get through any Hollow's Hierro."

"Well…from what Halibel told me. If that Nnoitra guy had the strongest Hierro, then yes," Kisame guessed.

"Oh? Halibel told you about him?" Grimmjow raised an eyebrow, while his smile slightly strained at the thought of that waste of space.

"Yeah…sounds like a real asshole to be honest. Hell, he seems like the 'Hidan' of Hollows…going on and on about being invincible," Kisame remarked.

Grimmjow gave a look at the cultist as he fought Brook and Juvia. "Huh…you're right. No wonder I hate him!"

"I HEARD THAT!"

"BLIZZARD SLASH!"

"DAMN IT!"

Kisame and Grimmjow both laughed at Hidan's indignant outburst and subsequent evasive action, at least until he got serious again.

"Ya know, I still don't understand how you and that Nami girl managed to stay sane sailing with those two," Kisame admitted as he swung Samehada.

"The promise of a good fight with the guardian was all that kept me going whenever they'd start an argument," Grimmjow replied as leaped over the blade, taking to standing on the air.

"Let me guess, Hidan would whine like a brat, and then Kakuzu would snap at him. And then the insults of 'heretical miser' and 'damned fanatic' would get thrown out," Kisame mused after he spat a "Water Style: Water Bullet".

"Wow…it's almost like you know them or something," Grimmjow laid on the sarcasm as he zoomed around and countered with a few precise Bala. "But you know what, I'd gladly suffer that obnoxious voyage again."

"Oh?" Kisame paused after absorbing the Bala, a few scales beginning to poke out of Samehada.

"Because this is the best fight I've had in this whole damn sea!" Grimmjow gave a joyous shout as he zoomed forward with Sonido.

Kisame blocked Pantera with Samehada, while catching the attempted simultaneous punch. "Aww, you're making me blush," he laughed as he gave a head-butt.

Grimmjow barely flinched, still grinning that grin of his.

OoOoOoO

Puru-puru-puru-puru. Gacha!

"Hey, what's up?" Sanji picked up the Den-Den Mushi. Mirajane looked up, having just finished patching up Nami. Silver kept an ear open while eyeing that chest on top of Tamatoa.

"Sanji!" Usopp yelled through the line, panic evident in his voice. "You've got company! It's that Gustave guy!"

"You mean the crocodile who put Jinbe's arm in a sling for a week?!" Sanji asked.

"Yeah! And he's got hundreds of animals with him! Green Star: DEVIL!" Usopp interrupted himself by taking out a Nevermore. "He's got a flock of birds and a bomber hitting the ship. But that's not all. Rob Lucci's here!" the sniper revealed.

Every Straw Hat in the cavern instantly turned pale, before the chef gained a steely look. "Thanks for the heads-up! Let me know when things calm down on your end." He then hung up.

Sanji quickly spun his feet around, instantly unveiling his Diable Jambe. "You three, get some distance."

Noticing Mira and Silver's hesitance, Nami got up. "He's right, the best we can do against someone like Lucci is long-range support."

"Fine," Silver huffed. "But you be careful my boy!"

Sanji nodded and turned back to the entrance.

"Thump-thump-thump-thump," the chef narrowed his eyes at the noise.

"Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump!" it was getting louder and quicker.

"THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!"

And Gustave came stomping out, sprinting right towards Jinbe.

Sanji kicked off with a "Sky Walk!" He then shot forward to the crocodile-man. "Flanchet Stri…!"

"SHAVE!"

Suddenly, a hand reached to grab Sanji's leg mid-attack.

"Hello, Black-Leg," Rob Lucci sneered at the Pirate.

The chef barely managed to avoid the assassin's hold, and brought his leg back for another attack.

"Collier Strike!"

"Tempest Kick!"

The force of the colliding attacks blasted Sanji back into the wall, while Lucci was only pushed back a few feet.

Meanwhile, Gustave was charging right at Jinbe. Apparently, crocodiles can hold a grudge.

"Soul Extinctor!"

Gustave simply raised an arm to cover his face, not even slowing down. Granted, the attack was singing his scales, but he was on a mission.

"Jinbe, look out!" Mirajane shouted.

The Fishman quickly jumped to the side as he disengaged from another barrage of punches with Kakuzu.

"What the…?!"

With the Ninja taken completely by surprise, Gustave slammed a punch all the way through his chest.

"GAH!"

As he felt his Lightning Mask crumble away after taking the hit, Kakuzu was hurled into the wall.

Seeing that Jinbe was waiting for him to make the first move, Gustave raised his voice and glanced at The Chest. "Child of Tiamat!" Tamatoa turned to face the crocodile. "Relinquish that which is Cipactli's!"

Already in a foul temper, Tamatoa snarled at the crocodile.

"I don't take orders from stinking reptiles!" the crab turned and started charging at the two.

"Cero!"

A golden blast sailed beneath Tamatoa, heading right for Gustave. At the last second, the crocodile-man leaped to safety. At least, it would've been safety if not for an irritated Fishman.

"Arabesque Brick Fist!"

Gustave landed and ran to the side just in time to avoid the brunt of it, allowing Tamatoa to take the hit in one of his legs.

Halibel appeared with Sonido, standing back-to-back with Jinbe.

For a brief moment, the four glowered at each other. Then, the Fishman and Hollow zoomed forward.

OoOoOoO

Rob Lucci took another look around the cavern, licking his lips at the sight of all the fighting. He sped towards the most intense duel, drawn by the carnage.

At this point, Kisame and Grimmjow were still clashing, all their attention on each other.

Unfortunately, that's what allowed Lucci to grab them both by the head and fling them into the nearby wall.

He waited for a few seconds, and he gave a disappointed scowl when nothing emerged from the dust cloud. He turned his gaze back to the Chest, the reason they were all here.

"Moonwalk!" he started to make his way to it.

"CERO!" VVOOOMMM!

Lucci only avoided the massive blast of blue energy with his Observation Haki.

Grimmjow stepped out, no worse for wear, and showing an angry snarl.

"I have spent MONTHS wandering around this accursed sea. I have been shot at, stabbed, blasted, and punched by utter losers. I had to listen to THOSE TWO argue every hour for the past four weeks."

The Hollow was tightly gripping his sword.

"And when I finally start having fun, YOU have the GALL to butt in!"

For the briefest moment, Lucci's dispassionate gaze reminded the Hollow of his cold senior amongst the Espada, which did nothing for his temper.

"I HAVE HAD IT! GRIND, PANTERA!"

A burst of Reiatsu sent all the loose change around him into the air.

Off to the side, Nami gave an uneasy laugh. "Yeah, this is why I never tried stealing his wallet."

Lucci smiled at the sheer power. Deciding to respond in kind, he activated his Cat-Cat Fruit: Model Leopard, assuming his Hybrid Form.

When finished, Grimmjow's appearance was now more bestial. Nails had grown into claws, while his feet were now paws. Blades peaked out of his forearm and hind legs. Wild blue hair unfurled behind his new pointed ears.

"Hmm…that's neat," Kisame walked up, nonchalantly rubbing his neck. "Hey Grimmjow, how about we settle this after all the annoyances are gone. Besides," he slammed Samehada down, "I've got a score to settle with that crocodile over there."

"Alright," Grimmjow gave a slight smirk. "But don't die before I have a chance to kill you myself."

"Wouldn't dream of it," the Ninja gave a mock-salute before running off.

Then, Grimmjow shot forward with Sonido. Lucci matched him with Shave.

With a covering of Haki on his claws, the assassin halted the Hollow's attempted slash, with the shockwave being felt throughout the cavern.

OoOoOoO

Apacci doggedly pursued the Wind Mask, blasting Balas at it.

"Stay still you jerk!"

Not heeding the command, the creature made an abrupt course change. The Hollow's eyes widened as it started heading for the chest.

"Oh No you don't!"

As Apacci bore down on the Wind Mask, the Fire Mask appeared right behind her, already priming up a "Fire Style: Searing Migraine!"

"SHIT!" Apacci didn't have time to evade.

Suddenly, an open purple palm went through the Fire Mask, crushing it when making a fist.

Youpi flapped his wings as the threads fell apart into a heap. An arm sticking out of his chest had done the deed. His right forearm had transformed into a scythe, while his left arm stayed normal.

The Chimera Ant turned to Apacci, who belatedly realized that she was between him and the chest.

"Out of my way." he growled as the fist that killed the Mask lunged at her.

Apacci was just about to shoot her cannon, but something came up.

"I felt that a woman was about to get punched. NOT TODAY! Poele a Friere: Spectre!"

Sanji's barrage of kicks managed to reduce the extra arm to ash.

Hearing something, Youpi grew a few eyes out of the back of his head, and they widened at the white-haired witch behind him.

"Evil Explosion!" Mirajane tossed a black orb.

Enraged at these interferences, Youpi's left arm mutated into an amoebic sac with a grotesque face taking the place of his shoulder. With his Rage Incarnate, he sent a blast of pure golden Aura out of its mouth that countered the Magical Attack.

"The hell was that?" Sanji raised an eyebrow.

"I can convert and channel my rage into pure Aura," Youpi gave a mean smile. "So go ahead, keep pissing me off and see what happens."

As the cook and barmaid faced off against the ant, Apacci got back to her assigned task, only to find that the Wind Mask was gone.

"Huh…where the hell is that little shit?!"

OoOoOoO

Kakuzu groaned as he got to his feet, the Lightning Mask's remains leaking out of him. "Damn, I'm already down two masks. Time for some drastic measures." With a mental call, the Wind and Water Masks flew back to Kakuzu. Then, they both dived into his back. The old Akatsuki shuddered as the stitching on the skin of his arms came undone. Wads of thread were all that connected his hands, elbows, and shoulders. Some were even peeking out of his Glasgow Grin. From the web of threads on his back, the two Masks peeked out. For the finishing touch, the threads beneath his Masks coalesced into wings. His transformation complete, Kakuzu took flight.

Then, he headed back towards the three-way fight. He saw Jinbe deflecting Tamatoa's claw with a "Sharkskin Palm Thrust!, while Halibel was pushing Gustave back with an unending barrage of Balas.

Seeing an opportunity, both his Masks opened. And what could only be described as a storm descended on the four. The roaring wind combined with pelting rain forced the four on the defensive.

Avoiding the crab's claws, Kakuzu flew right at Jinbe. 'His heart is MINE!'

Suddenly, an arc of golden Reiatsu cut through Kakuzu's waist, separating him from his legs. Thankfully for the Ninja, none of his Masks were hit, so he simply sent out more threads to reconnect himself. Still, he glowered at the former Espada as he flew around for another go.

Gustave moved to take advantage of the opening, nearly bringing his fist down on Halibel.

SLAM!

Out of nowhere, Samehada rammed into Gustave's chest, sending the crocodile-man stumbling back from the sheer force.

"I got this guy. Just get Kakuzu out of the air!" Kisame shouted.

Jinbe briefly gave a salty look. "How come I'm the one dealing with Tamatoa? I don't even like crab all that much," he mumbled.

"All right," Halibel pointed her sword down, knowing it was time to get serious if she wanted to beat the Akatsuki quickly. "Hunt, Tiburon!"

Golden Reiatsu formed around her, turning into an orb of water that fell throughout the cavern. The water was now knee-high.

With her transformation done, Halibel spotted Kakuzu coming back, both Masks' maws open.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough. Water Style: Great Waterfall!" Kakuzu then combined them. "Great Maelstrom!" The wind and water came hurtling down.

Halibel glared at the Jutsu, infusing Tiburon with Reiatsu. "Trident!" With a mere three slashes, the Jutsu was cleanly cleaved in half, revealing a shocked Kakuzu. 'Where the hell did Hoshigaki find these freaks of nature?' thought the man with extra hearts.

Seizing the initiative, Halibel got a lot closer with Sonido. "La Gota!"

Kakuzu frantically evaded the high-speed water with a flap of his thread-wings. He slammed a palm on the ceiling. "Earth Style: Falling Earth Spears!"

In an instant, brand-new stalactites shot towards Halibel. She simply stood her ground, as the Jutsu failed to even pierce her Hierro.

However, the attack was meant as a diversion, giving Kakuzu the time to appear behind Halibel, an Iron Skinned thrust aimed for her stomach.

She turned in time for the attack to merely take out a small chunk of her side right beneath her ribs. Ignoring the pain, Halibel pointed a finger at Kakuzu's face.

"Cero."

VVVOOOOMMM!

When the glow subsided, Halibel didn't see Kakuzu, but a large ruby fall to the ground. "Damn Substitution," she grumbled.

"My, my," Kakuzu leapt out from a newfound hole in the wall, with an Iron-Skinned Karate Chop coming down. Halibel blocked with Tiburon. "You even know the name of some Jutsu. You must be someone special for Kisame to blab to you. I wonder how his old village would feel, seeing the monster they made to kill snitches so freely giving secrets," his voice now carrying a distinctly mocking edge.

Halibel angrily narrowed her eyes. "Bala!" The golden Reiatsu tore through Kakuzu. "I won't dignify a mere Clone insulting my friend." As said Clone crumbled, the Balas didn't stop as they cratered the ceiling.

Having no choice, Kakuzu popped out of another hole, his hiding spot rendered useless.

The Water Mask gave a quick blast, but Halibel raised her sword. "Hirviendo!"

Just like that, the Jutsu evaporated into nothing.

'Damn, that narrows my options,' Kakuzu thought to himself as he flew off. Halibel quickly pursued.

Midflight, Kakuzu's Wind Mask turned around and began pelting Halibel with "Wind Style: Pressure Damage." The first one hit hard enough to daze her, but she managed to avoid the others as she flew after him.

OoOoOoO

Down below, Nami and Silver had found some cover as the battles raged around them. Both still had their minds on that chest, wondering if it could be taken away from here.

However, those thoughts were abruptly halted by the sound of shrieking coming from the tunnels.

From the darkness, black creatures with white bone masks came charging out. They mostly took the forms of wolves and bears, although there was the occasional gorilla.

"What the hell are those things?" Nami asked as she readied her Clima-Tact.

"Grimm! Don't give 'em an inch!" Silver replied as he brought out his Howitzer.

"BOOM!"

"Thunderbolt Tempo!"

At the very least, the front line of the Grimm was obliterated. Still, that did nothing to slow down the others. On top of the dozens of Grimm, hundreds of Cipactli's regularly-enhanced animals were coming within sight.

The creatures came up fast enough that Nami and Silver were forced into melee combat. With a cutlass taking the place of his right arm, Silver began to take down all the Grimm within arms reach. Nami, while not quite keeping up with her newfound friend's body count, was still managing to handily keep all the Grimm away from her as she let out an occasional Weather Egg. Once her set up was complete…

"Yukigumo!" A snowstorm appeared and quickly froze the nearby Grimm, meaning Nami could shatter them at her leisure. She never got the chance, as the other Grimm and Cipactli's raiders trampled over their frozen comrades.

Just as they got near Nami, a barrage of red Balas came hurtling down. With the new opening, Apacci zoomed in, grabbed Nami and Silver, and fell back.

She set them down as the line of animals recovered and prepared to charge again.

"Alright, try and stick to long-range attacks, keep those little shits bunched up at the entrance!" Apacci roared as her cannon let loose. Still, she was careful not to use Cero, lest the entrance collapse.

Not willing to argue, Silver quickly changed hands into a pistol and started aiming for the heads. Nami kept up a barrage of wind and lightning. For the most part, the animals were contained…for now.

OoOoOoO

Still, a few animals were able to break off and go to the nearest target.

"SCREW OFF!"

Unfortunately, that 'target' was Hidan.

With barely any effort, the Akatsuki completely tore through the Grimm with his scythe, not impeded in the least on his way to Brook.

At this rate, Hidan was steadily pushing Brook back. To be honest, the only reason that the skeleton hadn't been overwhelmed was thanks to Juvia's occasional long-distance attacks at Hidan.

Case in point, "Water Claw!"

Hidan managed to leap above the Magic attack, and immediately raised his scythe to block Brook's attempted surprise attack of "Aubade Coup Droit!"

The blast of air gave Hidan some minor cuts where he couldn't block, but overall, the attack did little to slow him down.

"I don't care if I can't use my ritual on you! I'm gonna chop you to pieces!"

With that threat, Hidan pressed the attack once again.

OoOoOoO

Outside, the Queen Anne's Revenge approached the island. But first, Cipactli's mighty galleon needed to be dealt with. Even with the vast majority of its fighters off the ship, it still was preventing any other ships from getting close.

Down below, Pintel and Ragetti were barking orders to the cannoneers. "Port Side, Load! Prepare for broadside!"

As the pirates did so, the two took their positions at the Queen Anne's secret weapon.

"I just got an idea," Ragetti's face lit up and he whispered in his comrade's ear.

Giving a mean laugh at the idea, Pintel ran up and asked Captain Barbossa for permission. The wily Pirate gave an evil smirk. "Yes, that'll do nicely. Very well. Proceed."

Eager to get on with it, Pintel hurried down. "All right you maggots! We're getting the Wildfire!"

A wave of cheers and jeers were heard throughout the deck. Very carefully, the crew brought a few jars filled with glowing green liquid. Pintel and Ragetti sealed them in timed blast-proof containers and put them in the cannons. With nary a word, the duo fired them onto the ship.

Midair, the containers broke apart as scheduled. As a result, the glass containers shattered when they hit the enemy ship. The animals briefly smelled and looked at the strange green liquid starting to cover their ship. They then started scrambling to their own cannons.

Back with Barbossa, Emerald had loaded a single long-distance Fire Dust cartridge. "Ms. Sustrai?" the Pirate gave a slight bow as his hand gestured to the enemy ship. Not able to resist a smirk, Emerald gave one shot.

The second the bullet hit the enemy deck, it exploded.

BBBOOOOOMMMM!

In the blink of an eye, with a flash of green light, Gustave's ship was reduced to splinters. The vast majority of those onboard had perished with the explosion. Only a few were still alive, and judging the green fire still burning them in the water along with their screams, they wouldn't last long.

"Now then, the second we get close enough, you and Compress hop onto the shore. Get in and get out with the chest," Barbossa got back to the helm. "We'll lay a bombardment on all the animals onshore."

"Understood," Emerald nodded, feeling a little more confident.

"Very well, I'll turn into a marble to avoid detection. Throw me out when we're at the chest," Mr. Compress gave a theatrical bow. "I'm putting my life in your hands…literally." With that, he used his Quirk to shrink into his trademark glowing blue marble.

Emerald pocketed Mr. Marble. "Leaving me to do all the hard work," she grumbled. "At least this'll make my illusions easier to manage."

OoOoOoO

Tsuyu hopped forward, with Hanataro running by her side. They'd been caught off guard by the explosion, but were pressing forward.

"Do you think the others can handle all those animals and scary fighters?" the Soul Reaper wondered.

"Yeah…I believe in them. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't help," Tsuyu laid it out.

Before they could further discuss, they were now within eyesight of the horde of animals. Sniffing them out, a group broke off and started charging.

Tsuyu assumed her Fishman Karate stance, until Hanataro tackled her. "COVER!"

Then, a cannonade tore through, with one blasting through where the Pro-Hero was just standing. The rest decimated the animal horde.

Hanataro got back up. While giving a helping hand to Tsu, his eyes widened. "It's heading for the Cutty Sark!"

"Franky!" Tsuyu shouted in worry.

But the Queen Anne's Revenge closed the distance, and flames spewed out from two openings in the front, obscuring their ship from view.

As Tsuyu and Hanataro watched on in horror, a small empty hole appeared in the animals' ranks. It slowly made its way towards the entrance to the cavern.

The animals themselves split up between charging into the cave and dealing with the Pro-Hero and Soul Reaper.

Having no other choice, Tsuyu brought back a fist. "Thousand Brick Fist!" she watched with grim satisfaction as the first animal was sent hurtling back. Still, there was no time to celebrate as the animals didn't let up. Hanataro was right behind her with his katana.

To their relief, they heard cannon fire from their ship, meaning Franky was unleashing his own artillery.

And so, the stage is set.

Franky and the Cutty Sark pounded back against the Queen Anne's Revenge.

Usopp kept up the defense against the Nevermore flock.

Sasori engaged with his Iron Sand against the Mad Demon Bomber, Jackal.

Circe struggled against her bonds as the world roared around her.

Tsuyu, Hanataro, Apacci, Nami, and Silver held off Cipactli's horde of minions.

Sanji and Mirajane double-teamed Menthuthuyoupi.

Brook and Juvia desperately attempted to contain Hidan.

Grimmjow and Lucci slashed and bit and clawed at each other.

Halibel flew after Kakuzu, who rained down Jutsu indiscriminately.

With Kisame and Jinbe stuck in a three-way battle with Gustave and Tamatoa.

All the while, The Gold called to them all.

Omake: Sea of Second Chances Alternate Universe #1

After waking up, Naruto Uzumaki wasn't in a great mood. I mean, who wouldn't be if they saw a giant snake coming at them?

"Well…I'm in a different world…let's see if this works," Naruto started forming Hand Signs after biting his thumb. Granted, he could've handled it himself, but he was unsure of what worked and what didn't in this second life.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

In a poof of smoke, something that definitely wasn't one of his summons appeared.

"Hello, my name's Tsuyu Asui. Please, call me Tsu." Naruto stared at the frog girl.

"HUH?! Who the hell are you?"

Seeing the snake, Tsuyu grabbed a nearby log and bonked the snake's head with it. Then, she gave an intense look to Naruto and walked up real close.

"I. Said," she narrowed her eyes. "Call. Me. Tsu."

The Ninja gulped, having learned to keep a healthy fear of angry women. "Yes Ma'am…I mean Tsu!"

Tsu patted him on the head. "Good boy."

A.N. Alrighty…this chapter was a struggle to get out…especially with the end of the Holidays and School starting up again. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying this arc so far. This is my first time writing a battle with so many sides…so let me know what might need some work…and what I did right.

Although, I will say that I had way too much fun with certain parts. Kisame and Grimmjow were just such a joy…I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier. It's also really fun to expand on all these abilities and powers.

But yeah, this will undoubtedly be my longest arc so far. The aftermath of this will definitely be essential in building up for my Big Bads and a few other villains…so don't let any character slip out of your sight.

Til Next Time…Have Fun!