Chapter 31 - Boo Jack Defeated and Honey Queen is Captured! Tricky Staircase to Clockwork Town!

Watching with a surprised expression at all the confusion taking place on the ships, Boo Jack and Honey Queen immediately took action. After all, it was either that or watch them defeat the entire fleet alone!

"Boo Jack, I'm going to capture those two girls." Honey Queen was the first to move, wanting to use her powers to immobilize Nami and Nojiko.

"I'm going to get him!" Boo Jack saw that Noah was getting too close too fast, knocking everyone in his path, and picked up a white ball. With a cold smile on his sweaty face, he threw the ball towards him, "Catch this, you bastard!"

Noah, who had been alert since the beginning, dodged a sword stroke and kicked the pirate in front of him. At that moment he saw Honey Queen jumping on the ship where Nojiko was, but he didn't have time to worry.

Seeing the white ball coming in his direction, he suddenly propelled himself forward and put a great amount of Wind force in his leg.

And as if it felt his approach, the white ball turned into a ball full of iron spikes coming out everywhere!

Swoosh!

"Tempest Kick!"

Putting all his physical strength into his leg, he felt his leg harden considerably, as if it had turned to iron.

'What- Fuck it, it doesn't matter!' Even though he was impressed by this, Noah focused all his attention on his swing and hit the ball.

BANG!

Shatter!

And all the spikes were broken! The force of the wind in his leg, combined with the large amount of force he put into his kick made the ball sent flying towards Boo Jack, who was surprised that he had actually done that!

"Toge Toge!" In panic, Boo Jack immediately curled up into himself and became a white ball with iron spikes to protect himself from the attack! And after successfully defending himself, he started spinning at high speed, wanting to escape from there! 'How the hell am I going to face someone like this???'

"Running away? Not even if you want to very much!" Noah realized his intentions and immediately attacked, taking advantage of the fact that the previous feeling was still present.

As soon as he approached, his leg again hardened like iron and he kicked the center of the ball that is Boo Jack, sending him flying towards the mast.

Bang!

As soon as he hit the mast, the rebound force threw Boo Jack up again, still spinning with some broken spikes. And taking the chance, Noah ran up the mast and then jumped back, hitting him with a thunderous kick!

Swoosh! BANG!

Noah's forceful kick, strong enough to destroy the ship's wood, immediately rendered Boo Jack unconscious and sent him spiraling out of control. His uncontrolled course ended only when he crashed into the pool at the prow, breaking the wood and causing water to overflow onto the ship.

After landing on the ground, Noah gazed at his work of art for a moment and took a deep breath. He also felt the strange sensation in his leg slowly go away and return to normal.

"Why don't you make another riddle now?" Noah, a bit tired, felt the cold water hit his feet, but stood in place.

After mocking his opponent, he looked in the direction of the ship where Nojiko was and became carefree. It might have been a little more difficult if they didn't know about Honey Queen's powers, but now it was all right. He trusted in their powers and creativity.

And soon after his attention was focused on the sensation he felt during the battle just now.

'Now let's see what that was, huh...' Stamping his foot on the ground, he could no longer feel that iron-like stiffness present. And after thinking a bit, he wondered, 'Is this some form of Tekkai? That martial art of the marines... Well, it must be. No color appeared on my leg, which means that it definitely was not Armament Haki.'

And after remembering the sensation and feelings of the moment, he smiled confidently.

'A bit of training with the purple orb and I can use this wherever I want. Maybe even before entering the Grand Line I can use this through my entire body.'

°°°

Meanwhile, in the battle of Nojiko and Honey Queen.

"Kyahahaha, you won't be able to hit me with those useless bullets!"

Honey Queen, who was currently using her Devil Fruit powers, laughed as she watched Nojiko futilely shoot at her multiple times. She also fired bullets and nets of viscous liquids to try to capture Nojiko, but to no avail.

She had eaten the Toro Toro no Mi, which is a fruit capable of transforming the user into a type of viscous liquid. She can also manipulate her body to enter tubes to escape or even use as an attack. And as a type of Logia fruit, she is immune to common physical attacks.

'I'm going to kill this bitch... Nojiko, control yourself, control yourself!' With a vein almost bursting in her forehead, Nojiko controlled all the anger she was feeling towards her opponent and continued dodging the liquid attacks that were sent in her direction.

"Typhoon Shot!"

And again using her Wind Manipulation technique, she watched the accelerated bullet simply make a bigger hole in Honey Queen's liquid body, still proving ineffective.

"Kyahaha, how many times do I have to repeat for that small head of yours to understand? Your shots are useless! I am immune to any kind of attack!" Laughing as if she had already emerged victorious from the fight, Honey Queeno mocked.

"I don't remember asking you anything, you bitc-"

Just as she was about to curse her opponent, the corner of her eye caught Nami's figure coming in her direction. And deciding to wait more, she continued shooting until her sister arrived.

And shortly after she arrived, the staff in her hands dug into the wooden floor while the wind around became turbulent.

"Tornado Technique!"

And with Nami's voice, a tornado formed where Honey Queen was. Nojiko also took the chance and used a large amount of energy in her Wind Manipulation to boost the tornado.

"What are you- WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!? AAAH!" Caught off guard by the situation, Honey Queen's liquid body began to swirl and stretch with the force of the tornado, turning into literal spaghetti.

And without control of her body, she was carried by the tornado to the sea, where the tornado dissipated and threw her there. As soon as she fell, her naked body returned to normal and began to drown when the natural weakness of the sea came.

And before she could go too far in the water, a figure dove into the water and took her out of there. But not before she became unconscious and blacked out.

°°°

Not long after, on the Black Artemis.

Borodo had just climbed onto the ship, wearing new clothes after his got wet when he pulled Honey Queen out of the water.

"Look who the hero is." Noah said as soon as he laid eyes on him, "Let me guess: You can't watch a woman die in front of you?"

"Can you?" Borodo grumbled, blushing a little that his intentions were not exactly those.

"No, but this conversation isn't about me." Noah shrugged and went over to Nami and Nojiko, who were getting the ship back on course.

Borodo, who was left behind, soon had his clothes pulled by Akisu.

"Big brother, you did well in saving her." Akisu had a somewhat blushing face as he said this. And it was clear in his words why.

"Get lost, pervert. Would you thank me if she was clothed too?!" Borodo gave Akisu a knock on the head, but soon after smiled. Perhaps the brothers weren't so different, even if they weren't related by blood.

Meanwhile, Boo Jack, Honey Queen and the Hyena Three were also tied up in Borodo's small boat. Honey Queen, who could escape at any time, was shackled by Kairoseki handcuffs that Noah stole from the navy when they tried to arrest him in Loguetown last time.

Then, leaving the fleet of eight ships anchored where they were, not caring whether they drifted away or not from the place, the Black Artemis returned to course for Clockwork Island. As Borodo had already been there a few times, he informed if they were going the right way.

And not even an hour later, this one where Noah used a small purple orb, they had reached their destination.

"Wow..." Nami and Nojiko couldn't help but exclaim a little, and Noah was also shocked as they looked at the island and its strange formation. Even little Akisu opened his mouth.

Despite being small at its base, mainly formed by sand in the surroundings, what made the island special was the enormous spiral "staircase" that led to a huge rock formation at its top, with a huge metal ring spinning. Through the engineering of the city's inhabitants, they really managed to make this structure hold itself up. Furthermore, such a staircase, besides being a support point, was also to prevent pirates from attacking the island, and therefore it is a path full of traps.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Borodo looked at the island with a serious expression, and soon after, his gaze returned to Akisu. After shaking his head to get rid of thoughts, he spoke for everyone to hear, "There's a port at the back of the island, we can use it to go directly to the town and-"

"No, let's go up the staircase." Noah immediately denied the proposal. He already knew about the port, but really didn't want to use it.

"What!? But the staircase is full of traps!" Borodo panicked as soon as he heard what he said. Why the hell would anyone go the dangerous way when there was the fast and easy way?

"And do you think we're going to die because of some traps?" Noah felt like laughing a bit, but he didn't. He remembered what some of the traps were like and really didn't mind testing himself like that. He was doing it more for the challenge and the experience.

Shortly after, the Black Artemis arrived near the island and anchored near the port. Then, they used Borodo's small boat to get to the coast and docked there. And before they left, they checked the "prisoners" to see if they were still unconscious.

"Aren't you going to put anything on your feet?" Nami asked Noah as she put on a comfortable sneaker, just like Nojiko.

"No, I'm fine. I'm going to ruin these slippers first, I don't want to ruin more shoes." Looking at the slippers on his feet, which were a bit worn out already, he decided to stick with the two until the end.

"Alright then, let's go." Nami, still unaware that she didn't even question going through the most dangerous place, picked up her staff and split it into two, placing it in a small holster on her back.

Nojiko had also already reloaded and cleaned her guns, deciding to bring the other pair of flintlocks and leaving the Rifle on the ship. For what could happen on the island, she needed more than her quick flintlocks.

And Noah did not mind either and left the sword on the ship. He might be a swordsman, but he was also a fighter. Sometimes it was good to fight with your own fists instead of cutting things everywhere.

Jumping straight onto the sand, they walked to the entrance of the staircase. But logically, cowards will always question in the name of hope for an easier path.

"Are you sure you're going this way? We still- why are you already running?!" Borodo wanted to try to persuade one last time, but the three were already running up the stairs! "Damn it! Akisu, let's follow them!"

And running at full speed, Noah, Nami and Nojiko quickly climbed the spiral staircase, leaving Borodo and Akisu in the dust.

"Water!" Nojiko yelled as soon as she heard the sound and ran faster to check.

And to the sound of his voice, they began to jump between the walls and the side opening, firmly avoiding the current that emerged from the upper parts. Borodo and Akisu were still too low to even think about touching the water.

But that would be little for a staircase full of traps.

Three huge rocks began to roll down the staircase towards them, wanting to crush them along the way. And this time it was Noah who accelerated at once and a wind tornado emerged around his arms when he punched the rocks. He also imitated the sensation he had felt before, putting a huge physical force into his arms and felt them stiffen.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The rocks were completely destroyed and the debris fell to the ground, preventing the proper flow of water to the bottom. And shortly after, Nami used her staff to destroy the wall that gushed water, providing safe access for Akisu and Borodo to climb up.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

As they climbed the passage, different booming sounds appeared, whether from them breaking the traps or the staircase itself!

And after half an hour, they finally saw a bit of light coming from a poorly made wooden barrier, which Noah did not hesitate to break immediately!

BANG!

"Pant Pant Okay, maybe I got too excited for all this..." Nami complained as soon as she felt the sunlight again. She was really tired after running at full speed during the climb, destroying or escaping several traps.

Nojiko didn't even feel like laughing, since she was also tired. But they only needed a moment to breathe and they would be fine again.

"We finally arrived." Still feeling comfortable, Noah shook his stiff and slightly red hand and looked at the city in the distance, "Clockwork Town, huh..."

°°°

Entering the city without any hurry to go anywhere, they explored the fascinating and unique environment around them.

The upper island was basically made up of three parts: The actual Clockwork Town, the green hills, and at the top was the Trump Castle, occupied by the Trump Pirates.

Most of the houses in the town had a peculiar design, very similar to that of a windmill. All with unique structures, but obeying this pattern, they were connected by wires on the tops of the houses, possibly serving for some electricity technology generated by the literal windmills on the green hills.

Just to remind you, the entire grassy area was absolutely packed with landmines, which the tyrants used to prevent a possible rebellion from the inhabitants. In other words, step in the wrong place: Boom!

And finally, the castle that occupied the top of the island was quite large and had an equally strange design. Now it was fully decorated with the symbols that the Trump Pirates wore on their clothes, such as clubs (♣), diamonds (♦), hearts (♥) and spades (♠). At the top of the castle was also the reason why they came here to take a look: The Diamond Clock.

"Let's explore the town a bit, then we can think about blowing everyone up there." Noah took a deep breath of the pure air from up here, even if it was a bit rarefied.

"Yes, yes, I'm already seeing a clothing store from here!" Nami also got excited after having rested and explored the place. And her eyes sparkled when they saw the store in the distance.

"I will look for some local specialties. There must be something good around here." Nojiko was also interested in taking a walk around the place and would accompany her sister for some small purchases.

"Alright. Don't stray too far." Noah waved slightly and watched them go away for a while before his gaze turned to Borodo and Akisu, "Let's go."

He began to walk in a random direction, his eyes searching for wherever was a specific house.

"Don't you guys plan to go to the castle now? What if they find out we're here?" Borodo asked as he accompanied him with Akisu.

"Then they can come down and we'll beat them up here." Without caring too much, he continued walking.

"Alright then." Deciding to stay silent, Borodo looked at Akisu momentarily before thinking internally, 'It's not like they don't have the power for this. They can soon free the island and Akisu can safely return to his parents...'

While he was thinking about this, Noah's thoughts also turned to Akisu's parents. More specifically, to the chief engineers in charge of producing weapons of destruction for the Trump Pirates.

Being honest with himself, Noah really couldn't care less about the opulent Diamond Clock that Nami was interested in. Well, maybe a little to see her smile. But still, that wouldn't be reason enough for him to deviate from the route they were on.

The real reason why he was interested in coming to this island and kicking the Trump Pirates' ass was the weapon that Akisu's parents were building for Bear King, the boss. A high-power, large-caliber cannon called King Canon. A weapon capable of large-scale destruction.

And not just the weapon itself. Plants, designs, constructions, anything that was developed on the way to this weapon was of high technological and armament value. He knew that to build a cannon of this size, the same technology would be reduced several times in a small cannon with the same efficiency for testing. A kind of perfect cannon to replace the weak cannons on his ship.

'Not to mention that the intellectual value of this island is too great to let it be taken by the wind. Practically everyone here has engineering knowledge, since the labor to sustain such a structure is enormous...'

Basically, Noah wanted the whole island. And for that he would overthrow the current tyrant of the island so that all citizens were free and grateful to him, giving him everything he asked for in return. A bit of a scoundrel, but no one ever said that desire and honesty couldn't walk together. He wanted to save the island, but at the same time he wanted its things too. It was two birds with one stone.

Lost in his thoughts, he walked through the city with Borodo and Akisu in tow until he found the store he was looking for. Actually, it was very close to where Nami and Nojiko were buying some clothes for them to wear later.

On the window of this shop, it was possible to see various trinkets, be they lamps, teapots or various types of ornaments that bore a strong resemblance to the structure of the houses outside. They were quite unique, to tell the truth.

"What a beautiful design..." Akisu lightly commented as he looked at the design of these things.

Ring! Ring!

Noah walked straight into the shop, soon being followed by the others. Nami and Nojiko had also just left the clothing store and were coming in their direction.

"People?..." A voice sounded from upstairs.

"Good morning." Noah looked at the couple who were calmly having a cup of tea, his expression calm and indifferent.

The couple, composed of a middle-aged woman with bluish-gray hair in a very strange hairstyle, and the man, also middle-aged, had a similar hairstyle in brown. Both wore scientist coats and carried tired expressions.

And they were, obviously, Akisu's parents, who had to abandon their son so he would not go through the same hell as the rest of the island.

"Good morning." The man was a little shocked for a moment before his expression returned to normal, "I really wanted to say welcome, but there's been nothing good on this island for a long time."

"Why do you say that, sir?" Akisu asked with a strange voice. He had unexpectedly become a little uneasy around these two adults he had never seen before.

"Because everything good was gone with the arrival of the Trump Siblings." The woman who answered, her gaze going to the frame carrying the Diamond Clock for a moment before she got a little sad, "But I imagine you already know that, right? That's why you're here?"

"More or less." Noah shrugged, not wanting to chatter too much, "We really came after them to end their tyranny here."

"Are you pirate hunters?" The man asked in doubt, as this would be the only reason for them to be here. Still, a small flame of hope ignited in his chest upon hearing this.

"No, we're just nice people. And besides, I have a delivery for you." With a light smile, Noah walked up to Akisu.

"Delivery? What delivery?" The woman asked when she saw him walking and stopping in front of the boy.

"What is-" Akisu wanted to ask what the problem was for Noah, but he didn't imagine that he would be grabbed by the clothes and thrown towards the couple, "Aaah, what the hell are you doing!?"

"Akisu!" Borodo also shouted and wanted to move, but it was too late.

Thud!

The man, even though he didn't have the best agility, managed to catch the boy in his arms when he saw him flying in his direction. And as soon as he caught him, a box slipped from Akisu's clothes.

Thud! Song!

And so when it fell, the little box opened and began to play a rather beautiful melody, causing the couple to go into shock. They looked at Akisu for a long time, tears beginning to flow from their eyes.

"Let's go." Seeing that his task here had been done, Noah ignored Borodo's shocked and irritated expression and kicked him out of the store.

Nami and Nojiko were waiting outside, having decided not to enter. Still, thanks to the open door, they heard the entire conversation. And with firm but gentle looks, they looked at the grand warrior who would lead them into battle.

"Are we going?" Nami asked as she dropped the bags of clothes on the floor.

"Yes, we are." Noah nodded and walked up the stairs next to the store.

His intention? Beat everyone at Trump Castle.

"Let's save this island."

¨¨¨¨

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