Chapter 86: The Treasure of Wano

I'm ba~ack!

Not that I was gone or anything. I just wanted to get y'all's attention. See, I was reading the reviews the other day (all of them), and realized that a whole lot of you were assuming that Kaku was going to join the crew after Enies Lobby. I don't remember if I said anything then, but KAKU WILL BE BACK... Eventually. Let's just say that circumstances might make him pull a Jinbe...

That being said, I've recently found myself in an odd spot. I am an avid shipper, but I'm not someone who will ship anyone with anyone else. Most ships (like LuNa) I only ship those characters with each other, and they've had to have met and interacted or had backstory. I bring this up because I've found myself building a ship for the long-nosed shipwright and it defies this last rule.

I've found myself shipping Kaku with Germa 66's own Reiju.

Weird, right? But when I thought about it, they're both assassins with soft spots and a conscious. I feel like, if they met, they would hit it off.

So, tell me in the comments what you think of ReiKu... KaJu? IDK. Tell me what you think their ship name would be as well!

Chapter 90:

The Treasure of Wano

"That was fun!" Luffy yawned, stretching his muscles. Every zombie in the room was beaten and down, their forms littering the floor. "Now where to go?"

"I say we go back to the ship and leave right now!" Nami suggested, whacking a portrait zombie that was crawling towards her. Luffy's hat remained on her head.

"Seconded!" Usopp cried.

"But that's no fun!" Luffy and Merry whined in sync before turning to each other. "Jinx! Double jinx!"

"Guys!" Nami scolded, punching both Luffy and Merry over the head, thankfully avoiding the fairy's horns. She also ignored Usopp's shout about not hitting Merry and Luffy grumbling about abusive relationships. "We don't have time for this! I, for one, don't want our crew to have to fight another Warlord!"

"But we have to help Brook!" Luffy pointed out. "He's Nakama!"

"No he's not!" Usopp and Chopper denied. "He's scary!"

"I say we go this way!" Luffy cheered, heading up the stairs from which Ryuma had come. "There's something big on this path! I can feel it!" Merry hurried after the captain and, fearful of being left behind, the other three followed.

"My name is Ryuma. Yohohoho!" The swordsman lunged forward in a blur of speed, only the distance between the two swordsmen giving Zoro the time needed to draw his two blades. Living eyes locked onto empty sockets as a shockwave burst from the blades, the sudden air pressure tearing the ground beneath the warriors asunder and blowing both pirates and zombies away. Zoro and Ryuma jumped away from each other, sizing each other up.

"You are not like your captain," Ryuma commented, "yet you still blocked my attack."

"You said your name was Ryuma, correct?" Zoro questioned, reaching for his headband. "Could it be that you are the legendary swordsman of Wano?"

"I am," the zombie confirmed as the living man finished tying his headband. "It was with this blade that I killed a mighty dragon. This is Shusui, one of the 21 Uwazimono. You don't see a sword like this every day."

"Oh?" Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Is it my turn to boast? What you see before you are the Wado Ichimonji and Kitetsu III, two of the famous Uwazimono blades like your Shusui. Though I am proficient with both one- and two-sword sword styles, I am a user of my own three-sword style, so I'll be taking your Shusui as my own."

"I welcome you to try," the zombie responded, gesturing at the living warrior. The two gazed at each other for a second before they both blurred forward, the ground all but vanishing where they met in a flurry of strikes. They separated once more, breathing a little heavier and each peppered with superficial cuts.

"You are skilled," Zoro stated, gravestones and trees falling to pieces behind him.

"You as well," Ryuma admitted, the fence and some zombies behind the general getting shredded to ribbons. Without moving, the undead warrior stabbed forward, causing an arrow of pink air pressure to race for Zoro. In response, the green-haired pirate raised his swords to send his own flying slash to meet the first. Pink and blue seemed to battle for dominance until both exploded.

"This guy is a whole lot stronger than the other zombies," Amy commented from the sidelines.

"Should we help?" Gin asked, not quite sure if they should be attacking or not.

"No," Robin answered. "He wouldn't want any help in a fight like this."

"Mosshead," Sanji muttered with an eye-roll. Back on the battlefield, the two competitors raced toward each other for a third time, the shockwave produced out-doing both of the previous. Franky, Robin, and Amy were able to keep their footing due to either their Devil Fruit powers or their weight, but Gin and Sanji didn't have the same luck and were picked up by the winds. They vanished into the trees.

"Yohohoho!" Ryuma cackled, his blade straining against both of Zoro's. "It's been a long time since I've faced a worthy adversary."

Zoro didn't seem to care about the zombie's comment. He pulled back, putting distance between himself and his undead opponent. Falling into a low stance, Zoro crossed his swords in front of him.

"Hmm?" the samurai hummed. "What is this energy you are building? Could it be that you know the uses of pure willpower?"

"I was unable to test this technique in my last fight since my opponent surrendered," Zoro answered. "I wish to see its effects on a swordsman of your caliber."

"Yohoho! Let's see it, then." The pirate's eyes narrowed in concentration, his gazed locked on Ryuma as the zombie raised Shusui into a defensive position.

"Demon Aura," Zoro growled, his arms only twitching as two other pairs seemed to materialize from his shoulders. Two more faces seemed to sprout from the sides of his head, each new manifestation bearing its own sword save for the heads. "Asura."

"Yoho! That is quite scary indeed," the zombie acknowledged, "but can it defend?" Ryuma blurred forward in a show of speed, appearing in the air before his opponent almost instantly. Only one arm came up to catch the samurai's blade, both swords ringing with the blow.

"Your illusions are physical?" the zombie gasped quietly, his eye sockets widening as gravity began to pull him to the ground. As soon as his wooden sandals made contact, Ryuma backed away only an inch before his arm seemed to vanish. Zoro responded in kind, his whole body moving as each of his six swords intercepted every one of his enemy's stabs.

"Yes!" Ryuma cheered, two of Zoro's swords catching the zombie's Shusui in a cross block. "I have not had a fight like this since I passed through Fishman Island when I was alive! Show me more! Show me your conviction!"

Zoro's eyes hardened, faint black wisps of energy beginning to circle his blades unnoticed in the darkness. He threw all six of his arms out, shoving the zombie's sword upward before driving forward with three Wado Ichimonji in a triple horizontal slash. Ryuma jumped, landing on the top sword for only a moment and leaping over the living swordsman in a flip. One of Zoro's Kitetsu III whipped up behind his head, catching Shusui before it could slice his head in two. The blades scraped against each other as Ryuma completed his spin and landed in a crouch.

Without a moment's hesitation, Zoro spun with three Wado Ichimonji and three Kitetsu III. Ryuma brought Shusui up to block once more, but the force of the six-fold strike sent him skidding away with his sandals carving twin trenches in the ground beneath him. Ryuma smirked (or he would have if he had lips!).

"I think I'll try something I saw another do long ago," Zoro said, placing his weight slightly backwards and the tips of his swords touching in the center. "Octopus Pot Stance: Fireworks!"

He lunged forward, trying to push Ryuma's sword to the side so his body would be open. The zombie, however, was able to flow around the attacks, stepping backwards until the living pirate slowed to a stop.

"So you have faced an octopus fishman swordsman in combat," Ryuma observed. "To defeat one is truly a feat."

Zoro panted, sweat dripping down his forehead as his illusionary arms began to waver. The green-haired man snarled, trying to hold his apparent transformation in vain. His Demon Aura fell apart.

"What the Hell what that?!" Franky gasped. Beside him, Amy tried to form a coherent sentence.

"I've no idea," Robin responded, not taking her eyes off of the swordsman. "It was certainly effective while it lasted."

"Damn it," Zoro cursed. "Not long enough."

"Go, Bodyguard!" the zombies cheered from outside the duel, emboldened by the fall of the pirate's demonic technique.

"Shut up, you pathetic morons!" the undead swordsman shot back before his eye sockets found his foe. "You are truly a worthy opponent, Roranoa Zoro. I have never seen many of the abilities you possess without the use of a Devil Fruit."

"I aim to hold the title of World's Greatest Swordsman," Zoro responded, bringing his two weapons up. "You should have expected no less."

"I see," Ryuma nodded. "Then shall we finish this duel here and now? I am afraid that I am late for tea." The zombie rushed forward.

Time seemed to slow for the Straw Hats' first mate as he slid both of his blades back into their sheaths. Ryuma was speeding toward him, but to Zoro's eyes, he appeared to be moving at a snail's pace. Zoro's grip found the hilt of Wado Ichimonji as he closed his eyes and his breathing slowed. He stood relaxed.

And then it happened. There was no fanfare or loud cry. One moment Ryuma was rushing towards his opponent and then the two had passed each other at an almost leisurely pace. Zoro slowly resheathed Wado Ichimonji as the ground behind him split in two and a long, shallow cut opened across his right cheek and to his ear which now had a separation between the top and bottom.

"One Sword Style," the green-haired man whispered as his beloved sword clicked back into place, blood oozing from his cheek and ear. "Death Lion's Song." Ryuma made no sounds as a gash cut its way up across his body. Nor did he speak when said cut spontaneously began burning, an eerie blue flame growing to cover his body. The zombie turned.

"You have bested me," he announced, resheathing Shusui and holding it out toward his foe. "The Treasure of Wano has chosen its new master. It will rejoice in your grip. Treat it well."

"From one swordsman to another," Zoro nodded, taking the legendary sword, "you have my word."

"Yohohoho!" Ryuma smirked as well as he was able before turning his head up and opening his mouth. A black blob freed itself from his body just as the blue flames began to truly eat away at the skin. The powerful zombie burned to ash just as the bells of Thriller Bark began to chime with the coming of midnight.

"Well, shit," one of the graveyard's zombies cursed. "Looks like we aren't going to have our nightly dance party." Zoro, Franky, Robin, and Amy turned their attention on the group of undead, an unsettling gleam coming to their eyes.

"I repeat. Well, shit."

"Horo-horo-horo-horo!" Perona laughed, floating before her loyal animal zombies as the Risky Squirrel Brothers carried along a coffin. The sounds of battle could be heard coming from the graveyard off to the left, but who cared about those rotting, not-cute zombies? She had two more playthings to play with until the others came for them. Maybe she could try to break them until their crew showed up. Then she could take the cute ones for herself!

Perona looked to fit the part of a pink gothic princess. She stood, or floated, at Grace's height with pink curls that fell to her waist and big, black eyes. Her clothing was pink and white including a pink jacket over a white-with-black-designs shirt and red boots that nearly reached her knees. A pink skirt sat over her white-and-black striped leggings and a pink gothic crown sat on her head.

"How will I do this?" Perona mused to herself, floating up the stairs as the animals climbed. "Should I try to win their loyalty or break them with my Negative Hollows and question them about that cute deer and girl with the horns? I can't let Moria get to them before I'm done, they'd burn to ash and that wouldn't be cute at all!" She reached the entrance to her section of the castle, her faithful servant, Kumashi, waiting for her at the door.

"Welcome back, Mistress Perona," Kumashi rumbled in a deep bass.

"Shut up, Kumashi!" Perona snapped, floating by. "You aren't cute when you talk!" The teddy bear-like zombie muttered an apology and hurried after his mistress. "Now listen, Kumashi. I have two more playthings, but I want them as they are. Chain them up in my room for me. Be careful, though. The boy has Devil Fruit powers like me, so make sure he's in Sea Prism Stone chains. Understood?"

"Yes, Mis- err," Kumashi cut himself off and just nodded.

"Good. You're learning. Now get to it! I'll be back in a few minutes after raiding the pirates' ship." Perona phased through a wall, ending the conversation. Kumashi heaved a sigh and directed the Risky Brothers to bring the coffin to Perona's chambers. The zombie squirrels did as bid, dropping the container along a wall on the opposite side of the bed. Not really having fingers of his own, the larger zombie directed the smaller ones to open the coffin, revealing Coby and Grace tucked in neatly, and chained them up. Nodding to himself once the two were properly chained to both the wall and each other, Kumashi waddled over to Perona's bedside and patiently waited for her soul to return.

Resting on the bed was Perona's body, lying limp over the sheets with her head on a fluffy pillow. The body itself was completely independent of the soul wandering the island if the consistent rise and fall of her chest was of any indication. After about seven minutes of silence, the male Devil Fruit user started to squirm. With a groan, the rosette pulled himself into a sitting position and tried to rub his eyes. The shackles around his wrists rattled, raising Grace's arms up.

"Usopp," Coby moaned, still half asleep, "not again." Yawning, the young man pawed at the chains to try to get them off, believing that the sniper had chained him and the painter together like he had once before reaching Water 7 as a joke. He had also chained Sanji and Zoro together, but that had nearly cost him his life. When Coby was unsuccessful at removing the restraints, he began to wake up and view his surrounding.

They were in a pink bedroom decorated with creepy furnishings. The floor was covered in a green carpet that looked like grass and a doorway on the left adjacent wall was framed by two teddy bear statues, the one on the right pink and the other blue with purple bones. A giant patchwork teddy bear with a doctor's mask over its mouth stood next to a red, four-poster bed on which laid the sleeping form of the woman that had captured them. Raising his hands, Coby went for his swords, but managed to do nothing but smack himself with the chains, weakening himself in the process, and pull the unconscious Grace closer by her wrists. The young man slumped, most of his energy sapped by both the time (it being sometime around midnight) and the Sea Prism Stone. Kumashi watched without moving.

"Dammit," Coby cursed, his eyes drooping. He forced himself to remain awake. He was stronger than some stupid chains! Beside him, Grace began to stir.

"I'm back!" Perona called, phasing through the wall she had left from. "The Straw Hats had a lot of money on their ship. Not really treasure, but we raided their food stores as well." Kumashi moved to answer before rethinking, only nodding to the spirit woman. Perona floated over to her body and slowly sunk down into it. With a tired yawn, Perona, no longer a lone spirit, rose up from the bed and stood on her own two feet. Despite Coby trying to stay quiet, Grace's entrance into consciousness alerted the woman to their presence.

"Look, Kumashi!" Perona cooed. "My playthings have woken up!" She walked over to the two pirates and bent down so she was just above eye level to them. Reaching out, she cupped Coby's chin in one of her hands. The male grunted in response and jerked out of her grasp. "Mmm," the woman hummed. "This one's got spunk. We'll see how long that lasts. Horo-horo-horo-horo! Horo-horo-horo-horo! Negative Hollow!"

End of Chapter 90

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-SwordOfTheGods