Chapter 9: The White Castle

Chapter 9: The White Castle

Juvia woke to find herself back in The Grotto. Wondering how long she was out, the Wizard pushed the blanket off and stiffly stood up. Walking over to the port railing, she saw that floating bar/grill. It looked like most of the ship's crew was enjoying lunch. The only person she couldn't spot was Sasori, though she made a note to thank him for treatment later. As she made her way down, she started hearing their conversation.

"You sure you don't want to come with us?" Franky asked.

Camie nodded with a sad smile. "Yeah, I'd only weigh you down…especially if you're going to Samebito Island." The mermaid knew she wasn't a fighter, plus she just couldn't forget how she failed in her task of beating Ursula to the Trident.

"Shame…we could've used a great cook," Apacci sighed as she dug into a seafood ramen bowl, though she didn't sound too broken up about it.

Halibel rolled her eyes at her friend. "Still…we thank you for your hospitality, and the efforts you went to in helping us."

"Oh, it's nothing," Camie laughed. "Anytime you come by, all of you can have a plate on the house."

"Just a plate?" Kisame teased.

The mermaid sweat-dropped as she looked at the mountain of remains. Kisame and Halibel had completely torn through her entire stock of crab legs for the day. "Yeah…"

The group heard chuckling behind them and all turned. Slightly embarrassed, Juvia brought a hand to her mouth, though she was still smiling.

"Hey, didn't think you'd be up so soon." Tsuyu stated.

"Yeah, mind if I take a seat?" the Wizard asked. The second she did so, a plate of Takoyaki was laid before her. "Thank you."

"Young madam?" Brook waved to get her attention. "If I could ask, would you show…?"

Before he even finished his sentence, Halibel and Apacci glared at the skeleton, hands twitching over their blades. Feeling a shadow of death upon him, Brook stayed quiet. Kisame was actually waving him on, as if daring him to finish what he was saying. Wondering why her new companion got quiet all of a sudden, Juvia turned around. All she saw were three friends innocently finishing up their lunch.

Jinbe cleared his throat. "If I may, I do have some questions for you."

"Of course, it's the least I could do," Juvia agreed.

"Those powers of yours…what do you call them?" the Fishman wondered.

"Oh…it's just my Water Magic. I don't really know how else to explain it. I've had it since I was a little girl and it became a part of me," Juvia explained.

"Do you have to consciously turn into water…or is it automatic?" the curious Jinbe asked.

"Well, it used to be conscious, but I guess it became instinct by the time I joined Fairy Tail," the Wizard recalled.

"Fascinating," Jinbe mused as he stroked his chin.

"A little off-topic…but what're you going to do next?" Tsuyu chimed in.

"Well," Juvia paused as images of her friends popped into her mind, settling on one in particular. "Oh, my Darling Gray!" The Wizard suddenly blushed up a storm and swayed back and forth. Kisame, Halibel, and Apacci all started inching away, very uncomfortable with such over-the-top affection. The Straw Hats were all laughing, even Jinbe chuckled.

"Oh…how I wish to be in your cool arms again! Now that I know you're in this Sea, nothing will stop the Power of LOVE bringing us together again!"

Completely unfazed, Tsuyu pressed on. "Anyone else you're looking for aside from this Gray."

"Umm…"Juvia snapped out of her love trance. "There are quite a few old friends I'd like to see again."

"Hmm…seems to be a bit of a running theme here," Kisame grumbled.

Halibel gave him a decidedly un-amused look. "I don't want to hear it from you, Mr. I'm finding my old partner."

"You want to stick with us until you find them?" Tsuyu offered. This out-of-the-blue suggestion sent Apacci into a coughing fit. After a quick slap on the back from Halibel, the young Hollow righted herself.

"Since did we become the express lane West?" Apacci indignantly wondered.

"To be fair…it's incredibly rare for a ship to make it this far past the storms and monsters," Tsuyu retorted. "There aren't that many guaranteed ways to actually get West. All of us were just incredibly lucky to meet on the Cutty Sark."

"I wouldn't want to impose," Juvia hastily added.

"Don't worry about it," Kisame dismissively waved a hand. "Besides, I've been looking to find some variety in my Water Jutsu. You'll be the perfect opponent for that." The grin he gave the Wizard greatly unnerved her.

"Kisame," came Halibel's stern warning.

"Oh, I promise not to use Samehada on her…much."

"You're not going to make this easy, are you?" the elder Hollow sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Anyway," Jinbe's commanding tone put a stop to that little debate. "According to Brook's map, Samebito Island is over two days away. So, we should leave when we've finished lunch. Did we get everything we needed?"

Franky nodded. "Yep…got enough provisions for months out at sea. Can't believe that this Grotto had everything."

By now, everyone's meals were done. As Camie started saying her goodbyes, Sasori leaned over the railing, looking impatient. "If we want there to be any daylight when we arrive, hurry up. I don't like to be kept waiting."

Frowning, Juvia thanked Camie before walking up. Tsuyu followed after a firm handshake.

"Well…we'll tell the others we ran into you. Hell, maybe we'll all come back this way," Franky gave a light hug to the Mermaid. Brook tipped his hat.

Apacci gave a mock salute before heading up.

"Thanks for the crab," Halibel and Kisame bowed their heads and took their leave.

Finally, Camie embraced Jinbe. "If you run into Hachi…could you send him my way? I miss him."

"Sure."

After a few seconds, the two let go. As Camie waved goodbye, Jinbe hopped onto the ship and returned the gesture.

Sasori scoffed at the sight, taking his Lotus position beneath the Main Mast. By the time his Strings had all connected, everything else was set. With that, the Cutty Sark made its way out of the Grotto, heading south by southwest.

Over the next two days, Juvia found herself enjoying her time on the Cutty Sark. While Sasori and Apacci were their usual abrasive selves, everyone else was at least welcoming. Most of her days were spent in Tsuyu's (excuse me, Tsu) company. The Wizard was admittedly fascinated by the concept of Fishman Karate when told about it. Still, she didn't ask to be a living test dummy for the Pro.

"Hundred Brick Roundhouse Kick!"

Juvia gasped as she was forced back, her own Magic working against her, considering how Fishman Karate was twice as effective on her compared to regular people. Agitated, she decided to take Kisame's advice on a new move, pointing her finger with the thumb raised up.

"Water Gun!"

"HA! I knew it wasn't just Hozuki who could do it!"

"Pipe down and watch Kisame," came Halibel's irritated voice. "We're supposed to be giving advice, remember."

Unfazed, Tsuyu simply hopped onto the mast, earning an un-amused look from Sasori.

"Hundred Brick Tongue Slap!" In an instant, the unnaturally long tongue whacked Juvia across the face, flooring her.

"Excellent technique!" Jinbe actually clapped at how innovative his student was.

"Thank you Sensei," Tsuyu stoically replied. Kisame and Sasori both grimaced as they watched Tsuyu retract her long, slimy tongue. This didn't go unnoticed by Halibel.

"Something wrong?"

While Sasori tried to hide his discomfort, Kisame gave a wry grin. "Well…let's just say I knew a snake who could do that. Creepiest man I ever met…if he even was a man."

Halibel found herself wondering just how unsettling this snake was to give Kisame and Sasori of all people shivers. Before she could ponder it further, Apacci came running back on the air.

"We Got Trouble!"

Taking his cue, Jinbe stretched out his Observation Haki. To his concern, a hundred 'voices' of unspeakable malice were charging at their ship.

"On our starboard!" the Fishman called out. As the whole crew turned, they finally lay eyes upon the Dolphin-riding Samebitos. Their dark grey skin, ragged appearance, and shrill war cries would've sent any lesser crew on edge. Still, Juvia knew what these creatures were.

"Samebitos. I thought they only raided in smaller groups." The Wizard was admittedly concerned at the implications.

Unfortunately for the raiders, Halibel wasn't impressed. She pointed a finger, and Golden Reishi became visible. "Cero."

The middle of the pack was vaporized. Still, only the ones right in the center of the explosion were gone.

"Well…looks like they're not just average Joes." Kisame grabbed Samehada. "This'll be fun."

"Everybody," Jinbe commanded everyone's attention. "Let's all move as one. That should be enough to beat them."

"Che…fine," Apacci grumbled as she unlinked her wrist collars. "Pulsera Cuerno!" The younger Hollow threw her blades, managing to bring down a few before they returned. Deciding on a more direct approach, Apacci grabbed her trusty cannon, and unloaded Balas on the crowd.

"Strong Right!" Franky pulverized another half-dozen, sending them flying off their deranged dolphins.

"Dual Hundred Brick Fist!" Tsuyu knocked two Samebitos in their faces, crashing them into their fellow raiders behind them.

Brook appeared right behind some more. "Three Verse Humming: Arrow Notch Slash!" He sheathed his sword and deep cuts suddenly appeared throughout the crowd.

"Water Jigsaw!" Juvia charged at the raiders. "And a Water Claw!" Another dozen Samebitos fell to the passionate Wizard.

Around a score made their way to the ship.

"I don't think so," came a coolly dispassionate voice. Sasori opened all the hatches, with streams of fire and lightning annihilating all the raiders too close.

Realizing they were already down to a third of their strength, the remaining Samebitos turned to flee, only to find Jinbe, Halibel, and Kisame blocking their way. The Ninja frowned. "Already trying to run? Pathetic."

With a swing of Samehada, Tiburon, and a solitary punch, the Samebitos were all beaten. Only one was still on his dolphin. Before he could even blink, Kisame was already grabbing his throat.

"What should I do with you?"

"Go To HELL!" the Samebito impotently raged.

"Ooh…a talker. Wonder if you're a squealer too?" Kisame tightened his grip.

"That's enough Kisame. I would prefer his throat be functional." Halibel added.

"I don't need your pity, you lowly bitch!" the Samebito spat black blood on the Hollow's face.

"On second thought…do what you will." Halibel wiped the blood off and scowled.

"Hold on!" Jinbe pleaded. "We need to know if there're more of them."

"Thousands more," the Samebito started to chuckle. "Once Captain Usopp's fortress is destroyed, nothing will stand in our way!"

Jinbe's eyes widened at that. "Where is your army?!"

"It's too late. By dawn tomorrow, we'll put that cursed sniper's HEAD ON A PIKE AS WE BURN THE WHITE CASTLE TO THE GROUND!"

Enraged, Jinbe slammed a fist into the Samebito's stomach. Somehow, the raider found the strength to grab his dagger. Unfortunately for him, Kisame still had a hand on his throat when he noticed. In an instant, the Ninja crushed his neck.

Looking frantic, Jinbe leaped back to the ship.

"Apacci…which way did they come from?"

The younger Hollow pointed south by southwest. Brook's eyes widened (that is, if he had eyes) as he pulled the map out of his noggin'. "As I feared…those ruffians came from the direction of Samebito Island."

"We should be seeing it within the hour, if the scale of distance is accurate," Tsuyu pointed out.

"Everyone…get ready for a fight," Jinbe commanded as he took the wheel.

Sure enough, within half an hour, Tsuyu gave a shout of "Land Ho!" from her perch on the Crow's Nest. The keener-eyed members were able to spot a cluster of white mountains, with miles of plains stretching between them and the coastline. They could just make out a similarly colored multi-layered castle in front of the biggest mountain. Upon closer inspection though, that wasn't quite accurate. There was half a castle. The rest was apparently in the mountain itself.

The crew didn't admire the sight for long, because they spotted what was coming. Hordes of Samebitos were already marching in formation on the vast plains. Even more were coming up out of the water. Jinbe counted at least Ten Thousand! On top of that, they were bringing in catapults and towers that could latch onto the main castle wall if they got close enough. All were being drawn by massive Polar Bears, whipped as they were forced to pick up their pace. Above it all, the pounding of drums could be heard, keeping the army in step. The sound of stomping feet added to the cacophony.

It truly was an army. Already uneasy, Jinbe stretched his Observation Haki into the fortress. There, he 'heard' a familiar voice.

"Usopp's in there!" the Fishman cried out.

"What?! We need to get in there now!" Franky roared.

"Hold on," Halibel interrupted. "They haven't completely closed off the castle yet. You might be able to make it there without fighting if you're quick."

"Easier said than done," Kisame pointed out a mass of Dolphin-riding Samebitos heading straight for the ship. "Must be the rearguard."

Despite there being several hundred, possibly a thousand, of screaming Samebitos heading for the ship, Apacci smirked. "We can take 'em on."

"Not all of us," Tsuyu pointed out. "Some of us need to join up with Usopp and whoever else is in that fortress. By the time it'd take to get past this rearguard, that army would already destroy the castle."

"Jinbe," Halibel came to a decision. "You go ahead and lead a party to aid the castle. I'll stay with the ship and fight what's coming." She drew Tiburon. Instantly, Apacci appeared by her side.

Kisame chuckled. "Well, who am I to get in the way of Straw Hat bonding? Besides, that last bunch put me in a bad mood…and I'm dying to take it out on someone." He hopped onto the water's surface, slamming Samehada down.

Deciding that would be enough to deal with the thousand angry dolphin-riders, the rest formed up. Jinbe jumped into the water, full speed ahead. Franky shot forward with the rockets in his feet, with Brook quick to run after him, both eager to see Usopp again. Tsuyu hopped onto Juvia's back. Then, the Wizard thrust forward with a Water Jigsaw, quickly catching up to the others.

Kisame, Halibel, and Apacci turned to the screaming horde. Sasori barely twitched his finger to open all the hatches. "Hmm…I'll take the 800 on the right, y'all can share the rest," Kisame smirked. Apacci growled at that, "Screw you!" Then, the three warriors charged.

OoOoOoO

The Straw Hats, Wizard, and Pro dashed out of reach of the Samebito army. In just a few minutes, they could begin to make out some of the figures that stood on the castle wall. All of them were aiming at the little group.

"Hold your fire!" A voice cried out amongst the castle defense. "They're friends! Open the Gate!"

Instantly relieved at the familiar voice, Jinbe felt a smile. Still, even he paused when he saw the absolutely gargantuan door. Steel and wood came together to create this near-impenetrable defense. Then, with an almighty groan, the door barely parted enough to let the five through.

Once they had stopped, over two dozen burly fighters pushed the door shut with all their might. Even more were needed to put the bars in place.

"You Guys!" Someone hopped down from the top of the outer wall, running full-speed. He tackled Jinbe, Franky, and Brook in a hug. It was a young man, with a long nose, and a large black slingshot holstered on his back.

"Usopp!" the rest of the Straw Hats cried out as they returned the hug.

"Wow. They're really affectionate," Tsuyu couldn't help but observe.

"I know! It's so sweet," Juvia gushed.

"Umm, Usopp?" A new voice made itself heard. "Mind introducing us?"

Two tall, ivory-skinned, and raven-haired women walked up. One wore nothing but a red leotard, with her hair tied in a spiky ponytail. She wielded a staff with one hand. The other was a complete contrast in skin coverage, opting to wear a lady's business suit. Mechanical gauntlets sparked as she took in the newcomers.

"Momo?" Tsuyu hesitantly asked.

The staff-wielder lit up in excitement and waved. "Tsu!"

They had a brief hug. "Are you all right?" Momo wondered.

"Yeah, thanks to these guys. How long have you been here?"

Momo Yaoyorozu grimaced. "I washed up here a few months ago. My only real option was to make this place as defensible as possible. Even then, I've barely managed to do enough."

"Come on," the other woman scoffed. "Don't sell yourself short."

"Yeah," Usopp broke from his pirate hug. "We'd all have been crucified if you weren't here." The sniper nervously laughed at his own overactive imagination, noting to himself that he should stop thinking like Robin.

"Oh, sorry!" Momo babbled. "Tsu, this is Asami Sato. She, Usopp, and I have been coordinating the defense here."

The inventor/businesswoman removed her right gauntlet, and extended a hand. "It's a pleasure. Any friend of Momo or Usopp is a friend of mine."

Once introductions were made all around, Usopp noticed something. "Guys, you hear that?"

"I don't hear anything," Jinbe quickly said before he grasped the implications.

"Exactly," Usopp hopped back on the outer wall. Once there, he got a good look at the Samebito army. They'd completely stopped. The drums weren't beating. One figure moved to the front of the army. "That must be the general," Usopp concluded as he zoomed in with his goggles.

He saw a Samebito that was at least a foot taller than the others. At least, he would've been if he wasn't stooped over. His left arm was malformed to the point that it was permanently in a sling. He was also walking with a noticeable limp in his left leg as it rubbed against his sword's sheath.

"General Gomog!" A slightly taller Samebito with mangy hair and a scimitar called out.

"What is it?" the leading Samebito growled.

"The catapults are loaded."

"Good," Gomog leered at the White Castle. "I want this fortress to be rank with fear before we crush them." He raised an arm. "BRING THOSE ARCHERS AND CAPTAIN USOPP DOWN!"

As one, every catapult launched balls of coral.

"TAKE COVER!" Usopp yelled. The second everyone hit the deck, the coral balls sailed over the outer wall. They crashed and exploded in a haze of shrapnel. Only Jinbe, Brook, Franky, and Juvia managed to stay completely unscratched. Everyone else lost at least a few drops of blood.

"THEY'RE RELOADING!" Usopp called out, as he slammed his Black Kabuto down and pulled. "Green Star: Devil!"

His aim true, Usopp destroyed a catapult with his oversized Venus flytrap. On top of that, another dozen Samebito nearby were devoured. Unfortunately, that still left dozens of catapults, and they were all ready for another strike.

As most of the fighters hurried inside, Momo used her Quirk to create a metal dome for the Cutty Sark crew and Asami. As the barrage clanged against Momo's shield, Jinbe turned to the girls.

"How many fighters do you have?"

"Around 500," Momo quickly replied.

"My wife went out a few days ago to an Atlantean outpost to gather reinforcements, though I doubt she'll make it before sundown," Asami chimed in.

"All right. Give the order for anyone capable of long-range strikes to join up with me," Usopp called out from his perch. Once the order was heard, around fifty soldiers from various worlds climbed up the outer wall.

"We need another 50 to man the cannons!" Usopp yelled over the shattering coral implosions.

Once everyone was in position, Usopp held up his arm. "On my mark." While his legs slightly shook, his voice was steady.

"FIRE!" The cannons (made courtesy of Momo) roared as they tore apart the first line of catapults. There were even a few Ninjas, Wizards, Benders, and a couple of Soul Reapers launching a variety of Spells.

Unperturbed, General Gomog narrowed his eyes at the defense, noticing where the greater clusters of attacks were coming from. He turned to his lieutenants. "Concentrate our fire at those intervals," he pointed to a few spots throughout the outer wall. "Then, have our towers move on the opposite ends first." As the aims were adjusted, Gomog gave a nasty smile. "Add a little something extra to our barrage."

Laughing, the Samebito soldiers poured black oil on the coral balls. Then, they lit them on fire before hurtling them to the Castle.

A cluster of fighters a few meters to the right of Usopp were obliterated by the first explosion. Just as the rest of the balls were about to crash, "WATER SHIELD!" Juvia instantly conjured up protection for everyone else. While it did put out the fires and slowed the projectiles down, the shrapnel still grazed most of the fighters, with those closest not being so lucky.

At this point, Asami was getting to her feet. "Can any of you fly?"

"Count me in," Franky gave a thumbs-up.

"Good, follow me. I'm going to need cover."

Asami ran across what appeared to be a runway in the middle of the courtyard, opening up a sizable shed at the end of it. Inside was a biplane, loaded up and ready to go. She hurried into the cockpit and revved the engines. "We're going to take out those catapults. I'll need you to bring us back if the plane goes down."

"All right. After this though, you have to show me the blueprints for this SUPER design!" Franky quipped.

With that, the two mechanical geniuses blasted over the castle wall, heading right for the catapults. Seeing this, some of the Samebitos shot fiery arrows at the duo. With some evasive maneuvers, Asami was able to avoid them all. As for Franky, the arrows just bounced right off.

Asami then prepared for a strafing run. Her eyes narrowed as she pulled the trigger. Guns on both wings unleashed a barrage that tore through a few more catapults. Not one to be left out, Franky joined in with a "Weapons Left!" that took out some more.

Unfortunately, there were still over 50 catapults to deal with, and half were aimed directly at the aerial defense. Frantically avoiding the coral projectiles and arrows, Asami noted Usopp preparing another volley. She signaled for Franky to ascend with her. Once they did so, a devastating wave hit the front of the Samebito army. Everything from Cannonballs, to Jutsu, to Kido, to Spells, to Elemental Projectiles slammed down.

As Asami and Franky focused on another line of catapults, General Gomog barked more orders. "HURRY UP WITH THOSE TOWERS!" With more cracks of the whip, the polar bears drawing the breaching towers picked up their pace, coming at the castle in a reverse-arrow formation. Despite the barrage, nothing was damaging the coming towers.

"Green Star: Impact Wolf Grass!" That is, only Usopp's direct hits were managing to destroy them. Even then, the enemy catapults were still forcing the defensive artillery to scramble just to stay alive. Needless to say, that severely hampered the ability to return fire.

By now, Asami and Franky were down to one row of catapults. Before they could wipe them out, the enemy managed to get off another round, focused at the ends of the outer wall. The concentrated fiery coral blew away all the defenders, leaving the sectors wide open for the towers. They slid right up to the wall, their hatches latching on. Screaming Samebitos then came storming out, beginning to cut down the outer wall defense.

"Damn it," Asami cursed. Distracted, she was unable to avoid the fiery arrows that tore through the canvas. Making a quick decision, she tied the yoke and hopped out of the plane. As Franky grabbed her, the fiery biplane crashed in the middle of the catapults, which had already been loaded with fiery coral. A chain reaction led to a spectacular explosion that destroyed the rest of the Samebito's artillery, but the damage was done.

Seeing the hostile army start to push back the outer defenses, Asami turned to Franky. "We need to get back now." Nodding, the cyborg powered past the flaming arrows back to base.

On the wall, most of the fighters were turning to deal with the Samebitos. For now, the soldiers were holding their own against the monsters, whether it be by the sword or magic. Clangs of steel were heard as close combat ensued. As his comrades fought on, Usopp kept his aim at the main army. He narrowed his eyes as a coral battering ram was brought up.

"Green Star: Sargasso!" The resulting mass of tangled seaweed caught many of the enemy, but it did nothing to slow down the army as a whole. General Gomog cleanly sliced enough to open a path. More Samebito grabbed the battering ram and trampled over those who were caught in the seaweed. With a mighty boom, they crashed into the door.

Seeing that it wasn't budging an inch, the assault pulled back for another run. As they ran forward, Usopp pulled his Black Kabuto back again. "Green Star: Bamboo Javelin!"

All the Samebitos fell mid-run as they were quickly impaled. Still, more Samebitos rushed to pick up the ram, and completed the run. Despite all that, the door still didn't budge.

"How can they just run over their comrades like that?" Usopp asked himself. As he was distracted, a Samebito tried to cut him down.

"Hundred Brick Fist!" Tsuyu immediately put a stop to that, sending the unfortunate grunt falling back to his army.

"Thanks!" Usopp gave a thumbs-up as he saw Tsuyu and Brook start to push back the Samebito on the battlements. He then readied his next shot. "Green Star: Skull Bombgrass!" The second another failed run ended, an explosion consumed the group. This time, the Samebitos were hesitant to rush up, with some even running back.

Gomog grabbed one of them. "What are you doing? USELESS SCUM!" Seeing Usopp shooting "Green Star: Shark Arrow Devils", the general used the hapless Samebito as a shield. Tossing the corpse aside, he railed on his lieutenant. "Get back there, and bring that door down!"

"But Sir…the sniper is too strong. And that door can't be breached."

Gomog smirked as an idea sprang to his mind. "Bai Tza will breach it."

That even got the lieutenant to grin in return.

Gomog turned to the rest of his army. "Bring up our Goddess!" he shouted.

As the order came down, two dozen armored Polar Bears popped out of the water, all harnessed to the same thing. They pulled, revealing a gargantuan aquamarine statue. It had the appearance of a monstrous mermaid, with a snarling inhuman face and glowing red eyes. Her hair was carved in the form of tentacles, with two fists level to it. Every tentacle and fist had water whirling around it, despite the rest of the statue being dry. With the statue placed horizontally, the face, hair tentacles, and fists were all pointed right at the door.

Then, the polar bears started pulling the statue closer. It swayed from its suspended position.

"BAI TZA! BAI TZA! BAI TZA!" Every single Samebito started chanting as one, raising their weapons in sync. Their voices boomed over the battle. Morale boosted, they stepped forward with more purpose.

Usopp found himself stepping back at the ominous visage, legs trembling. "No, I'm still a brave warrior of the sea!" Looking back at the statue, Usopp figured out the best way to actually hit it. Once it was in range, Usopp loaded every single type of Pop Green he could. "Pop Green: Total Barrage!"

Unfortunately, the statue was completely undamaged, and the Samebitos were quick to form up in defense of it. Realizing what would happen, Usopp turned back. "Jinbe! Get ready for a fight down there!"

The Fishman nodded as he took his place in front of the 200 fighters, Juvia by his side. He fought the urge to simply aid his fellows on the outer wall, flinching at every defending casualty. Still, he told himself that Brook and Tsu could at least keep them contained. As he steeled himself, Franky, Asami, and Momo joined up. While Momo opted for a simple spiked staff, her comrade had returned in a full-on mech suit. It elevated Asami to the point she was eye level with Franky and Jinbe, with the girth to match. The mechanical hands sparked with electricity.

On the other side of the door, hundreds of Samebitos pulled the chains back, still chanting "BAI TZA!" No matter what Usopp threw, the statue wasn't damaged in the least. Plus, for every Samebito he shot down, more would rush into its place. Then, all the Samebitos let go. The Bai Tza statue swung forward, hitting the door with a mighty "BOOM!" The door shuddered from the sheer force, and cracks started spreading from where there was direct impact.

Immediately, Usopp saw the statue being drawn back again. "BAI TZA! BAI TZA! BAI TZA!" It had gotten to the point that Usopp was the only person left able to keep firing from the outer wall. The others were giving everything they got to the Samebitos pouring in from the towers.

"BOOM!" From the inside, Jinbe could see the door begin to cave in from the sheer force of the statue. Then, he heard the massive battering ram get dragged back as hundreds of feet stomped in unison. "BAI TZA! BAI TZA! BAI TZA!"

"CRASH!" The top of the door was completely pulverized, debris and splinters flying everywhere. Juvia found herself greatly unsettled by the image, feeling as if those glowing red eyes were staring directly at her. She wasn't the only one. Several soldiers were sweating in fear, and even taking steps back.

Noticing, Momo slammed her staff to the ground. "STAND FIRM!" Her level tone did much to alleviate the anxiety of those around her, and not a moment too soon.

With a final "CRASH!", the door was completely forced open. From beneath Bai Tza's statue, two dozen armored polar bears roared in anger as they charged forward.

"NOW!" Jinbe cried out. The front line concentrated its fire at a few of the polar bears, managing to bring them down with the sheer number of attacks.

"RAAGH!" The pack of polar bears trampled over their fallen brethren and began to smash anyone that got close. Jinbe, Franky, and Asami's mech were the only ones able to match the bears individually. Juvia kept herself intangible, while Momo used her acrobatic skills to avoid one bear's swipes. The rest had to keep their distance, lest they get crushed by the bears' jaws or paws.

Seeing the enemy fall back, Gomog gave an evil smile. "Move into the castle. Kill all in your path."

With that, a horde of Samebitos poured into the opening, crashing against the line of warriors opposing them. From then on, it was chaos. Thanks to the bears, the heavy-hitters were unable to aid their comrades against the Samebitos. As such, despite inflicting heavy casualties, the men and women were slowly being pushed back. Bodies were beginning to pile up.

Juvia nearly wretched at the sight before steeling herself. "WATER CYCLONE!" She managed to bring down two of the bears, only to immediately turn intangible when a few more bears started attacking.

One young-looking Soul Reaper paused in his healing of a Mist Ninja as a Samebito stomped to him. "Hadō #58: Tenran!" The scalpels he'd been using quickly formed a tornado that sent the monster hurtling back.

"Wow, ya got some moves kid," the Ninja commented.

"Well," the healer nervously chuckled. "The 4th wasn't just doctors and nurses…so I picked up a few things."

Jinbe positioned himself so that the bears he faced were in a straight line. He quickly channeled Armament Haki into his arms, recalling a move he invented after joining the Straw Hats.

"Black Shark Skin: 5000 Brick Fist!" The combination of Haki and Fishman Karate punched a hole through two of the bears, while blasting back a few more.

Franky and Asami were tag-teaming more bears off to the side. The latter couldn't help but be amazed when she saw the honest-to-goodness cyborg Suplex a bear. Still, she was focused enough to electrify a bear that got too close. "Come on Korra, where are you?"

The fighting continued for around half-an-hour, with neither side really slowing down. Just as Asami gave a devastating haymaker to a roaring polar bear, another one came up from behind, sinking its jaws into the mech's right knee. Undeterred, Asami simply turned her Mech's torso 180 Degrees, nailing the bear with two electrified fists. But the damage was done, and the mech fell to its knees.

Just as another bear moved to crush her, Asami popped out of the hatch, grabbing its nose with her own charged fists. The resulting voltage completely floored the beast. Still, without the mech, Asami now found herself dealing with waves of Samebitos. Using every martial art she could think of was the only thing keeping her relatively unscathed.

Jinbe, Franky, and Juvia were doing all they could to bring down the bears. A "Water Nebula" here…a "Strong Right!" over there. Unfortunately, that meant they were unable to deal with the Samebito horde coming down on the others. Realizing what had to be done, Asami turned to Momo, who had just blinded another bear with her spiked spear. "Give the order."

Understanding, Momo quickly conjured a megaphone. "FALL BACK! Fall back to the Keep!"

As one, the fighters disengaged from the Samebito frontline. To prevent Usopp and those still on the wall from being cut off, Jinbe aimed. "ARABASQUE BRICK FIST!" After a second of silence, a massive hole appeared in the enemy formation as brutes were sent flying back. "Now's your chance!"

With a nod, Usopp, Brook, Tsu, and the 30 remaining fighters leapt off the wall, quickly joining up with the others. One intrepid Ninja even used 'Earth Style: Landslide' in conjunction with an Earthbender to crush more Samebitos on his way down. When most of them had retreated, the remaining bears and Samebitos surged forward.

"Ribbet!" One bear had managed to leave nasty gash in the Pro's side.

"TSU!" Moving quickly, Momo pulled a bazooka from her stomach. Then, she utterly obliterated the bear that dared to harm her friend. Once that was taken care of, Momo scooped up Tsuyu in a bridal carry, running into the Keep.

"Party Music!" The army that had made it past the castle gates all froze as Brook's illusion entranced them, becoming completely vulnerable. Franky turned to the right. "Franky Rocket Launchers!" Jinbe turned to the left and readied his Haki. "Black Sharkskin Palm Thrust!" The two attacks blasted back the enemy army enough for the doors to be shut and locked.

Once secure, Asami turned to Momo. "The Remote?" The Pro-Hero used her Quirk to create a simple remote. There was only a single red button, and an antennae. She grimaced as she handed it to her ally.

Asami smirked. "Y'all might want to cover your ears." Without further ado, she pushed the button.

BOOOOOOOMMMMMM!

The entire castle shook from the sheer force of the explosion. Franky's eyes were wide. "What did you do?"

"Momo here was able to create dozens of mines when we first saw the army come," Asami proudly pat her new friend's back. Tsuyu looked utterly amazed at how far her friend had pushed her Quirk.

The Creation Hero blushed at the praise. "All I did was create the raw materials. You were the one who could actually put it together to make them work."

Franky looked back and forth between the girls. "When this is over…I'm gonna have a LONG talk with the two of you. Got some blueprints I always wanted to finish."

As this discussion was going on, Jinbe pushed open the doors to see the results. It was utter devastation. The ground looked like it had been hit with a meteor shower. Every single Samebito that had breached the castle lay dead. Plus, all the bears had been taken out. Encouraged, the warriors all stepped back into the courtyard, ready for another round despite their exhaustion.

Beyond the gate, and the still statue of Bai Tza, General Gomog was fuming. He cursed the weakness of his own soldiers. All told, about half of his army was gone. All of his catapults were inoperable. There were only a few bears left throughout his whole force. His own sense of haste had prematurely sent in the bulk of his beasts. "This was supposed to be an easy conquest. I was going to stomp those ants on my way to crushing the 'entrance' islands. I would've been welcomed back as a mighty conqueror." Gomog roared in fury. "I won't let them take that from me!"

"KILL THEM ALL!" With a mighty roar, over a thousand Samebitos started charging at the remaining defenders. Gomog smirked to himself. "They're already getting tired. Plus, there's only a couple hundred left in fighting condition. This battle will still be mine."

Just before the battle could be renewed, a shadow fell over the island. Looking west, everyone realized that the sun was setting. At least, they would've seen the sun if there wasn't a ridiculously massive tsunami careening right towards them.

Usopp looked out, and was able to make out three figures surfing on top. "It's Korra! She's back!"

Asami brought a hand to her mouth as she cried tears of relief, but something seemed off. Momo had similar thoughts. "Wait…how can she be making such a big wave? She isn't in the Avatar State is she?"

The sniper seemed puzzled as zoomed in. "There's a blonde swordswoman and this real scary Fishman with a big white sword by her!"

"Kisame's not a Fishman," Jinbe and Tsuyu said in unison before comprehending what Usopp said. Juvia and Brook sighed in relief, while Franky slammed his arms together for a "SUPER!"

Back at the apex of the wave, Kisame laughed as the tsunami crashed towards the Samebito army. "HAHAHA! You didn't tell me you could use water in your base form!" the Ninja called out to the Hollow.

"I thought you liked those sort of surprises. Still, I admit it isn't anything near my Resurreción. I would've been forced to transform without our new friend here," Halibel pointed out.

"Speaking of," he turned to the woman surfing in front of them. "We simply must have a spar later. I wanna see if you're as strong as you look."

The young woman turned and smirked. She was noticeably muscular. Although shorter than Halibel, she was stockier. Her short black hair waved as the wind picked up around them. "Maybe later. Not really a swordsman." She turned further back. "General Vulko?"

A lean man in blue, scaly armor rose to the surface. He gripped a harness to a massive Hammerhead mount. "All two thousand riders are ready." Upon closer inspection of the tidal wave, one would find similarly armored riders on every kind of shark imaginable. There were even a few hundred on large seahorses.

"Good," Korra looked down, and decided they were close enough. "Kisame, Halibel. Let them have it." With that, Bender, Ninja, and Hollow released their hold on the water, jumping up. It then crashed down onto the Samebito army. Those that weren't instantly swept away were ravaged by the Atlantean cavalry. Vulko could be seen bashing several Samebito away with the intense spinning of his lance actually creating a circle of water. The ocean itself darkened as Samebito blood gushed out.

Korra landed, and quickly dashed to the few thousand Samebitos that hadn't been crushed. "Now, GET AWAY FROM MY WIFE!" she roared as Fire, Earth, Water, and Air combined into an all-consuming maelstrom that tore apart anything that got near it. Her kicks, dragging along streams of water, sliced all the evil army's weapons. Her fists were covered in fire as she burned dozens of enemies at a time. Every time one Samebito got too close, she'd use Airbending to dodge and throw the enemy off balance. Every stomp of the ground sent earth flying forward.

Asami blushed at the sight. "Geez…you can be such a handful sometimes."

Kisame, cutting his way through, laughed at the sheer carnage. Halibel, also opting to stick with swordplay for now, didn't seem so amused. She noticed Apacci joining them with a barrage of Balas from her cannon.

"Take that, ya little shits!" Apacci yelled.

"Apacci, please conduct yourself with a bit more dignity," Halibel urged her.

"Dignity? Screw that!" Kisame yelled. "You let 'em have it, Apacci!"

Going by the continued shouts, Apacci seemed to have taken the Ninja's advice. Halibel glowered at him for that. "Could you not encourage her?"

Kisame just laughed at that, much to Halibel's chagrin.

Back at the castle, General Gomog was in a state of near-breakdown. "This can't be happening!" He saw his army being completely overwhelmed by the Atlantean reinforcements. Then, he turned to the castle garrison, who had started to push back his original front line. Enraged, the general saw the wounded Tsuyu towards the rear. Unsheathing his sword, he began to charge, making impressive distance despite his limp. "These wretches will PAY!"

"Tsu!" Momo ran to intercept the mad Samebito general. She raised her staff, blocking his first strike. Snarling, he quickly raised his sword again, bringing down a much stronger strike. The crippled Samebito easily cut the staff in half, along with leaving a severe gash on Momo's collarbone and breast. Kicking the Pro aside with his good leg, Gomog began running forward again, eager to at least cut one of those interfering bastards apart.

Then, a massive blue blur punched him in the stomach, hard. "Leave my student alone," came Jinbe's coldly furious voice. The Fishman roared as he leaped forward, the Samebito general screaming in pain. He slammed Gomog on the face of the Bai Tza statue. Not done yet, Jinbe called up his Haki. "Black Shark Skin: 10,000 Brick Fist!"

"AAUUGGHHH!" CRASH! Jinbe had used Gomog's body to utterly obliterate the massive idol. The pieces came crashing down, and the water dissipated without the demonic statue's power. The general's pulverized corpse flew over his whole army, meaning everyone realized what had happened.

Even Kisame paused at the sight. "Wow, wonder what he did to piss off Jinbe so much?"

Seeing both their general and goddess so easily destroyed, the Samebitos ran for it. Their retreat turned into utter disarray, making them easy pickings for the Atlantean cavalry.

Within minutes, the few Samebitos left had run off on the seafloor. The rest lay dead, the receding tide bringing their bodies back to the ocean. At least, what was left of them after the sharks had their fill. Just like that, the battle was over.

Korra ran into the castle, head turning frantically. She saw Asami, who just finished welding together a gash on Franky's arm. "Huh…there's something you don't see every day."

"Asami!"

"Korra?"

The Avatar zoomed forward, and started spinning her wife around. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Asami ran her fingers through Korra's hair. "Don't know how long we'd have lasted without these guys showing up." She gestured towards Jinbe watching over Tsu and Momo being treated. To the side, Franky, Brook, and Usopp were talking and laughing. Juvia was already starting to help patch up the breaches in the wall.

Asami frowned as a thought came to mind. "How did you get past the rearguard so quickly?"

"That's actually a funny story," Vulko walked up to them, bowing his head slightly. "By the time we got here…those two had already taken care of them." The Atlantean pointed out Kisame and Halibel, who were already attracting stares from the Ninja and Soul Reapers present.

"Those two had taken care of them," a voice mockingly imitated Vulko. "Am I a JOKE to you?" Apacci stomped up and got in the man's face, cannon strapped to her back.

As Vulko began to apologize, Halibel simply sighed at her rambunctious friend.

By now, the sun had set. With the defenses reasonably patched up, those who weren't the night watch were heading to the barracks for some rest. They deserved it.

Alrighty…this was a fun one. Was definitely inspired by Lord of the Rings for this particular battle. Anyway, I wanted to see how I felt about writing a battle in the first place. There were so many moving parts to keep track of, it was fun.

Also wanted to shine the spotlight more on the rest of the crew, considering how much focus I gave Kisame and Halibel in previous chapters.

Can't believe that I had the bright idea of putting Momo and Asami in the same place. Those two could be unstoppable.

Yep, Atlantis is a thing…and they'll have an even more important part to play in the future. You didn't think I'd have the ultimate sea-faring crossover without the Original Oceanic Myth, did ya?

Til Next Time…Have Fun!