A long night

After a few minutes of travel Lerna, Stasky, Rolondo, Peterson, Ed and thirty other filler pirates who hadn't yet been named tonight entered the gloomy forest where they could see almost nothing within a few meters of their torches.

"Captain...

Are you sure it's a good idea to go into the woods at night?

Even if he's missing an arm, it's Fred we're talking about…" One of the filler pirates asked Lerna, awkwardly showing his new captain that he was very scared.

A fear shared by many other pirates like him, who proposed "This...

Wouldn't it be better to burn the forest to force him out?

"And risk burning the Akuma No Mi?

Are you an idiot!?" Yelled Stasky [Fast Fist] slapping the pirate who had dared to propose such stupidity

"Shut up everyone..." Lerna said as he turned into his hybrid form and immediately ripped off his head several times until they multiplied by 4, each looking in a different direction. "Since I'm a snake I also have vomeronasal organs on each of my heads, so I can spot that fucking kid if he gets close enough even in total darkness.

I just need you to be here to track me and support me while I fight him and thus defeat him more easily among everyone to avoid risks"

Lerna wasn't lying, he was fully confident that he could defeat Fred by himself.

How could he not be confident?

He was a famous pirate over thirty years old and valued at over 300 million who had survived the New World while his enemy was just a fifteen year old boy with an arm recently amputated by him

A fifteen-year-old boy who, despite his numerous combat tactics, incredible speed, peculiar arsenal and versatility... couldn't do anything against his superior physical power, experience and above all his Akuma No Mi, which counteracted all his tactics

For that and much more, he had no doubt that he would defeat him, kidnap him, torture him, recover his Akuma No Mi and kill him!

However, any precaution is little, especially if is related with his loved early retirement!

"WOW!

You are definitely his natural enemy Captain Lerna!" The filler pirates shouted with enthusiasm and admiration. Partly to gain points with their new captain, but above all because having him by their side they felt that their chances of survival increased drastically

However, obviously not everyone was excited enough to forget where they were and what they were up against.

"You shouldn't yell so much.

Fred probably hears us coming.

According to rumors, he has bat ears" Said Peterson, the group's chief explorer, who led the expedition along with Captain Lerna.

A warning that some filler pirate with a low IQ didn't take very seriously "Yes hahahaha…

Surely he has already heard us and now he's among the trees, waiting for the opportunity to ambush us in the dark without knowing that...

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

And as a result, he activated a trap made of sticks placed near a tree, which plunged into both of his biceps, piercing the muscle and thus immobilizing him and making him scream in pain.

A sharp cry of pain that alerted all his companions, who turned towards him to see what had happened.

"Stay aw…"

However, before Peterson could warn the others to stay away from the trees, bushes, rocks, or anything other than dirt or grass on the path he had been leading…

Clash!

The activation of that first trap chained the activated a second one that launched a cluster of poisoned needles precisely from the opposite direction to that almost everyone was looking at. A perfectly calculated timing so that everyone was as defenseless as possible before the massive attack

Chaf! Chaf! Chaf! Chaf! Chaf! Chaf! Chaf! Chaf! Chaf! Chaf! Chaf! Chaf!

Lerna, Rolondo, Stasky and a few other pirates were skilled or lucky enough to dodge, block, or deflect the needles, but still seven filler pirates received them on their unprotected back.

"SHIT!" Some of the poisoned pirates shouted upon realizing that they possibly only had a few seconds left to live or at least to be in full condition

What they didn't know is that with that word they invoked something they didn't want, since right under Lerna's feet something exploded almost spontaneously

POFFF!!!

It was a smoke bomb similar to the one that blinded everyone a few minutes ago, however, unlike the previous one, it gave off a yellowish smoke with quite different and much more immediate side effects.

"PUAJJJJ!!! WHAT A FUCKING STENCH!!!" The four heads of Lerna screamed, twisting on themselves because they couldn't bear nauseating stench spread by the smoke bomb

Almost the same thing happened with Peterson, who, being the official tracker of the group, couldn't avoid advising his companions even at the cost of his own health. "DON'T OPEN YOUR MOUTH! OR YOUR BOWELS WILL ROT!"

"I think... I'm going to... vomit" Said another of the filler pirates with good intuition "GUAAAGGGGABBBBHHHH!!!!"

What exploded near Lerna's feet was a fetid bomb with an odor so foul, pungent, and sticky that would humiliate the pleasant fragrance that one might find inside a septic tank filled with decomposing wet dog carcasses corpses that have fed only on rotten cauliflower with Surströmming all his life

An infernal stench that could even make the rudest and dirtiest of cockroaches vomit, however, there was much more...

"ACHOU!

GUAAAGGGGABBBBHHHH!!!!"

"FUC... GUUUUUAGGABBBBHHFFFFFFFFF!!!!

ACHOU!

PFFFF PRRRRFFFFFF!!!"

"MY BOWELS!!!

GUUUUUAAGHHHBBBBHH!!!! PFFFF PRRRRFFFFFF!!!"

"Please... no more... no more...

UUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!

ACHOU!

UUUUUUUAAAAAA!!!

PRRRRFFFFFF!!!"

Into that awful stench Fred added the gaseous version of his [Mortal Gut Purifier Mark 5] to create a devastatingly disgusting biological non-mortal weapon

With the explosion of the fetid bomb the victim is enveloped in an almost impossible to get rid of nauseating odour that was almost impossible to get rid of with a high probability of causing retching and vomiting. A vomit that became much more probable, fast, powerful and long-lasting thanks to Fred's peculiar poison that caused continuous sneezing to facilitate that his body was always convulsing, making that vomit even easier.

Vomiting and sneezing, which in turn also makes it easy for the diarrhea to come out on its own!

And all that mixture of stench of humanoid origin added to the several effects of the infernal stink bomb forced you to vomit and shit even more, thus creating a disgusting vicious circle from which you could hardly escape until death from dehydration

The only ones spared from suffering that disgusting and humiliating fate were those who stayed away from the range of the stink bomb, those who suffocated to death from the [There's no safe word Mark 10] a little more effective than normal thanks to the fetid smell... and Lerna, who despite being in the epicentre of the stench wasn't affected by the poison despite feeling retching

"ALL! TO THE GROUND!!! NOW!" Shouted Lerna, who after recovering his coordination when leaving the cloud of plague, gave clear indications of wanting to brandish his spear.

SLASH!!!

As ordered, before Lerna could do anything they all quickly fell to the ground… even if they had to do it on a pile of excrement and vomit … the stinking captain swung his spear and snake heads in circles, destroying all the trees around him and at the same time activating many other traps like the previous ones

Traps that fortunately for the pirates, didn't end anyone's life this time!

And immediately after, after clearing the way, Lerna pointed to the fallen trees and pirates before saying "Use the trees to build wooden shields!

This way you can avoid ending up like them if there are more traps.

NOW!!"

"Y... yes... capta... gj... IN" Answered the filler pirates, who tried to keep a considerable distance from their captain and the others pirates affected by the stink bomb

And what do we do with...

Them…" Stasky [Fast Fist] asked pointing to the pirates who were still on the ground vomiting, sneezing and defecating in agony with no sign of stopping.

And Lerna obviously replied, albeit very sarcastically as he poured water on himself to try to wash the stench off his body, "We can leave them here or... some of you can volunteer to take them to the base and then come back."

"No... let's just leave them here...

While the others finish making the shields, Stasky and I will stand guard..." Rolondo responded trying to get as far away as possible from the plague victims, including Lerna, who despite not being dying on the ground was unable to get rid of the stench that had stuck to his body.

Thus, while some filler pirates... and Peterson... convulsed on the ground shitting and vomiting to their deaths, other filler pirates cut down trees to make rather crude wooden shields and some bounty pirates stood guard in case Fred attacked

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

While this was happening, Lerna destroyed the ground around him with his spear in search of other stink bombs like the one from before or other similar traps!

However, he found nothing, something that should have made anyone happy, but that nevertheless made the now paranoid Captain Lerna [The Hydra] quite uneasy. ''One thing is predict that we would pass through here, but…

The only diarrheal stink bomb exploded right near my feet is not normal?

He predicted that I would step on it? Was it just a fluke? Or maybe he remotely detonated it like he did before?

If that's so…

Where did he do it from? I couldn't see him from any direction.

Is it true that he has bat hearing?'

Falling for this trap not only reduced the group by a third, also greatly eroded the morale of the pirates, who believed that their safety was virtually guaranteed by being side by side with a powerful and famous pirate with a bounty of over 300 million.

The fear towards Fred and his dark dark arts resurfaced in their hearts, especially when they saw the bodies of their companions... some impaled by needles and died of suffocation and others dehydrated and covered in feces... which could have been them if they had been less lucky…

And they could be the next ones…

"Come on, let's go"

Even so, they continued to advance almost blindly towards that maniac with a valuable Akuma No Mi in his hands!

This time with greater prudence and carrying some improvised wooden shields that covered his body almost entirely, marching practically in turtle formation to easily protect each other's backs in case of being attacked by poisoned needles

Everyone except Lerna, who led the expedition making sure there were no more traps on the ground using his long spear…. which enlarged even more after his transformation… and his long disposable heads

Although he also did it so that his smell wouldn't make anyone faint...

CRASH! PLASH! PLOM!

Quite noisy safety measures that also relatively slowed down the expedition, but that were more than necessary to avoid another a disgusting and terrifying surprise

Especially now that due to the putrid odour that refused to escape from his body, Lerna was unable to use his Vomeronasal organs to detect the surroundings in that dark night forest.

"Damn son of a bitch...

There's no doubt that he has done it on purpose...

He knew exactly how to neutralize me and he went after me...

GOD! THIS STENCH IS INHUMAN!! IF I LET MY GUARD DOWN A LITTLE I MAY START PUFFING!!!

What the hell did that kid think when he created those aberrations!?' Thought Lerna, who with immense disgust and frustration increased the rating of his enemy several notches in his mind.

An infamous rating that was a the absolute peak for his old and new subordinates ... and for that very reason the paranoia between them increased by seconds.

"Fuck...

Are you sure going in turtle formation is a good idea?

What if he has predicted that we would do this and has prepared something to counter this strategy?" Said a filler pirate who looked from one side to the other, visibly nervous and about to shit and wet his pants, although for different reasons than those who died of dehydration a few seconds ago

But he wasn't the only one with existential doubts. "What if..."

"Shut up...

Tread only where the Captain has cleared the ground! And empty your mind of useless thoughts!

Be aware of your surroundings and speak only if you see something suspicious

Don't distract the others with your fears" Said Rolondo [The Sniper] bluntly, who among that wall of shields was trying to find a target with his rifle, although for now he had been unable to find any living being between trees

"I'm sorry Rolondo, I just...

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

And a new shout, this time in the middle of the formation, alerted the whole squad again. A new scream that with 100% certainty meant that someone had just fallen into a trap

CRASH!

PLOM! SLASHH!!!

And so it was...

Specifically, a hole opened under his feet and he fell into a rather deep trap infested with extremely sharp bamboo canes, which pierced his body.

His and four others who couldn't run in time, some of them dying on the spot

"AAAAHHHHH!!!

My leg!!

"AAAAHHHHH!!!

My belly!!! Hurts!"

And to finish the joke...

Sssshhh... Sssshhh... Sssshhh...

That hole was swarming with poisonous snakes that surrounded and bit their new visitors!!

A hellish spectacle that not everyone had the misfortune to see at that moment, since the highest priority of everyone was to escape as far as possible from that hole that seemed to widen with each passing second.

"FUUCK!!"

And only when they turned away from the path marked out by Captain Lerna but with their wooden shields still up protecting their backs they were able to contemplate the spectacular hole trap from which they had narrowly escaped but that had killed five of their nakamas

"How's this possible?

I made sure there was nothing on the ground!

In addition, many of us had already passed over it!" Shouted Lerna as he contemplated that incomprehensible event in astonishment.

But the most incredible and incomprehensible thing was that...

Fiuuuu... PLASH!!

Before you could realize huge rocks began to fall from the sky towards their heads!!

Fiuuuu... PLASH!!

Fiuuuu... PLASH!!

A rain of rocks or several meters that seemed to fall from nowhere was killing all those who strayed from the path that Lerna had marked before

"WTF!?"

"RUN YOU FOOLS!!!

Everyone panicked and chaotically ran for their lives away from the areas near the trees where giant stones seemed to be falling!

Not knowing there was no safe place...

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

CRASH!

PLOM! SLASHH!!!

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

CRASH!

PLOM! SLASHH!!!

One after another began to fall into other holes filled with sharp bamboo and poisonous animals!

"KEEP CALM! GET AWAY FROM THE TREES AND COME WHERE I AM!" Lerna yelled, trying to keep them calm to avoid more deaths as he tried to destroy all the flying stones he saw along with the rest of the elite pirates.

But it was pointless...

This confusing and dangerous situation made them panic and they didn't hear the correct orders from their boss...

They were like headless chickens crossing a minefield!

Besides...

Bzzzz! Bzzzz! Bzzzz!

"OH REALLY!? DON'T FUCK WITH ME!" Stasky yelled as he saw and heard what was coming after them.

Bzzzz! Bzzzz! Bzzzz!

A huge swarm of wasps of various sizes was approaching them! And they didn't seem to be just passing through...

"AAAHHHHH!!!

TAKE THEM OFF! TAKE THEM OFF!

"AAAH!!!

HELP ME!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH""

CRASH! PLOM! SLASHH!!!

"GOD! PLEASE..."

Whoosh... PLASH!!

If there was enough chaos before the arrival of the wasps, they increased it exponentially...

Now the few that until now were trying to think straight, look around, and find a safe area now found themselves overwhelmed by insects that were very difficult to kill with their swords and guns… and because of that setback they were making the same mistakes as the idiots, who now died even faster

"Staky! Rolondo!

How are you doing!" Mr. Lerna yelled at his most powerful men while trying to kill all the wasps he could, although many avoided him for his stench and because his scales were too tough to be pierced by their stingers

"Okay over here!" Yelled Stasky [Fast Fist], who had no problem against these targets. His swift fists seemed to have formed a barrier around him that pulverized any wasps that approached him.

"Not so good to me, but I hold my own!" Rolondo [The Sniper] yelled, who was forced to hang his prized rifle on his back to use his support knives, which were a little more effective against this inconvenient enemy

Except for the three pirates with bounty... Ed and two others who seemed to be minimally competent... everyone else began to fall one after the other either into a mortal hole, squashed under a stone or dying of a heart attack after being stung by hundreds of wasps

Within minutes of entering the forest, the hunting party of more than thirty pirates had dwindled to just six… and they weren't even able to see the shadow of the man they had come to kill.

'FUCK! This situation doesn't make sense! It doesn't make any fucking sense!' Lerna thought, who thanks to his Akuma No Mi and involuntary body odour was the one who had more time to think in the middle of that situation 'THIS SITUATION IS IMPOSSIBLE!

There's no way he had time to prepare all of this in such a short time!

Besides...

What has he done so that I couldn't detect the holes?

How did he make them collapse at the most opportune moment?

Where did these flying rocks come from!?

How has he guided the wasps towards us!?

FROM WHERE'S HE ORCHESTRATING ALL THIS!?'

"I'M COMING!!!" Stasky yelled, who after defeating the wasps that were besieging him went to help Rolondo

A moment of relief that Rolondo took advantage to use again his favourite weapon and looked around in search of Fred, who was probably nearby observing the situation "GET OUT AT ONCE! COWARD!"

And yes, Murphy's Law still hadn't screwed up enough the pirate coalition

Grrrrrrrrrrrjjjj!!! GRRRRRRJJJ!!!

"No...

Way..." Rolondo sighed, who was the first to see the next surprise

Possibly following the honey trail of the bees, several dozen giant bears arrived in front of them and seemed to be in a very bad mood and very hungry!

PAM! PAM! PAM!

"BEARS! THE ARE BEARS COMING FROM THE NORTH!" Rolondo yelled, who started shooting at them to reduce their number before they reached them "And luckily I don't have that much problem with these ones"

PAM! PAM! PAM!

Chaf...

When the sniper suddenly noticed that he had stepped on something

Sssshhh... Sssshhh... Sssshhh...

And looking at the ground for a moment, he and the others saw how the poisonous snakes that lived in the dozens of holes around them climbed that hole and crawled towards them.

"FUCK! BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR LEGS! DON'T LET THEM BITE YOU!" Stasky yelled. Now it was his turn to face an incompatible animal

"CLIMB THE TREES!" Rolondo yelled, who also didn't get along very well with small but excessively deadly snakes.

"NO! THE TREES CAN BE TRAPS TOO!?" Ed yelled, at this point he was afraid to even metabolize oxygen fearing that it was a trap too.

Poison needles, deadly stink bombs, deadly pits, poisonous snakes, raining rocks, killer wasps, hyper-aggressive giant bears...

All these elements had converged in a very short time in an absurdly well-synchronized way, destroying almost the entire gang and now that combination was beginning to endanger the lives of his elite...

But above all, it ended with the serenity and confidence of Lerna, who couldn't help but shoutç

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?"

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You'll be able to see 8 chapters in advance in my Pa-treon

pa-treon.com/user?u=83938371