| Not A Big Fan Of The Government | ||
| Date Started: April 29, 2024 Date Finished: Ongoing Next Role-Play: Timeline: August, 1620 Setting: Characters Involved: Baji, Kirimoto Aphrodite, Baal, Gladius Romulus
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| Participants | ||
| User:Probablynegsurfave • User:Yourlocalwreck • User:Blackdagger01 • User:Vincenzodem11 | ||
A Pharaoh and a Plague[]
It had been a little over a month since Baji led his people to their new home in the latter half of the Grandline. To his surprise, adjusting to the seas of the New World wasn’t much of a task at all; Having entered with a kingdom and soldiers paired with the existing population of his new temporary residence, it didn’t take long for him to make his presence felt by every nearby island in the area. He boasted an already terrifying level of strength that only continued to grow, eclipsing his old self when he was restrained to Alabasta and growing more with each new island he brought under his reign. His reputation began to spread like wildfire after his incident with the navy, being regarded and feared as someone that not even the current admiral was able to apprehend, and his crusade of single-handedly making other islands submit to his rule to further spread his influence and reach were becoming well known too. Clearly he was well on his way to establish that he was no mere frog in a well, and was actively looking to make his mark on the world in the name of his kingdom.
Today, he had his sights set on something bigger, an island of great renown in the New World where pirates reigned completely and totally uninhibited: Hachinosu aka “Pirate Island” - his new kingdom. Unlike what the papers would have you believe, Baji wasn’t one to immediately resort to a forceful takeover. If the locals were kind and refused his offer to join under his kingdom he generally respected it, though with his growing reputation as a powerful warrior king it became hard for smaller islands that lacked the funds and the strength to turn him down. Being attached to his name offered them protection and a means for them to flourish where they once just barely made ends meet, in truth it would almost be foolish not to take such offers, all they had to do was swear allegiance to him and share any valuable information that came their way. An island full of unruly characters such as this one however wouldn’t be won by mere conversation, he’d have to establish himself as the strongest and most influential figure on the island no matter what that may have meant, and he arrived fully prepared to do so, but of course, things could never go that smoothly.
Not long after his arrival, just before chaos was about to ensue Baji got a strange feeling, his observation haki activated as he looked out on to the horizon and noticed a fleet of navy vessels approaching the island. As if the tension between himself and the locals hadn’t been high enough, now the marines were about to get in the mix. It was shaping up to be an all out war for Pirate Island, a war that he fully intended to win.
“So the navy wants in too? Bring it.”
With his observation haki Baji was able to sense the presence and strength levels of those approaching, immediately recognizing how the vast majority of them wouldn’t even be able to stay on their feet in his presence, though one of them was very familiar. The King cracked a smile, sitting atop the head of his Bananagator as it floated just in front of the docks, awaiting the fleet to approach. When the lead ship was finally within range Baji would stand up and wave his hand with a smile, as if happily greeting some guests or old friends.
The pirates that were gathering on the island took note of the navy presence as well, however these were no paradise scrubs. Every pirate present had been hardened by the harsh waters of the New World, their resolve and willingness to do anything necessary to protect their way of life radiated off them. They were a nasty bunch, and certainly wouldn’t lay down and allow their island to be taken without a fight.
“Been a while! I heard you guys got promoted after I let you all leave, what’s that make you a Vice Admiral now? Very impressive, no need to thank me by the way.”
Baji teased, clearly unphased by their arrival. Briefly he’d scan the fleet of ships, looking for one soldier in particular.
“Is the new admiral not present? What a shame, compared to before, this fleet is nothing but lambs for the slaughter, assuming you showed up looking for a fight that is. Since the coward isn’t here and you were merely following orders, I’d be willing to hear you out at least a bit, but I’ve got places to be within the next couple hours so I’d appreciate making it quick if you can help it.”
It was painfully evident that compared to what he faced before Baji didn’t even begin to consider the marine force in front of him as anything too threatening. If push came to shove he was all but certain in his ability to deal with them in the blink of an eye as far as the fleet. The new Vice Admiral would potentially be a little trouble with her devil fruit, but nothing he couldn’t handle.
“So, how can I help you Vice Admiral?”
Sigh.
The Rear Admiral rubbed the bridge of her nose as she listened to Baji. "First of all, the only one who got promoted was Ehguang." She clearly seemed irritated at the fact, but tried to let it slide off her shoulders. Why should she pay attention to the words of a madman after all?
However, she looked on at the island Baji was standing on. She knew full well what island it was, and what it entailed. It was the former territory of the treacherous pirate and Yonko, Blackbeard; Hachinosu, or more commonly known as Fullalead. The island itself had no significant properties she desired, however, the name and reputation of it were powerful enough that conquering it would definitely secure her the long awaited Vice Admiral position.
Aphrodite stared back at Baji and put her hand on her hip. She spoke to the mad king, her words carrying over the vast bay. “Baji! I’m glad to hear that you remember me! Unfortunately Ehguang won’t be here today, it’s just me. But I should be more than plenty to take back Fullalead and haul your ass to prison.” She pointed at Baji with conviction before speaking again. “And trust me, I’ll show you why they say I’m the embodiment of Cruel Justice!!”
Such hubris, a common trait amongst government dogs it seemed. On and on they went spewing their self righteous ideals about justice when in reality the system they supported was just as, if not even more corrupt than the likes of pirates. Baji of course was no saint, but he didn’t parade himself around as some savior of the people, he was very straightforward and honest with his intentions and despised the facade that most of the navy wore to try and justify their actions. As Aphrodite spoke Baji would only chuckle, a comb in hand that he dragged through his majestically flowing hair, finding the reason for her arrival to be amusing to say the least.
“Spare me the spiel. A marine, tired of playing second fiddle and looking to stroke her ego by bringing me in, that about sum it up? You could at least have the decency to do something with your hair before approaching me so brazenly.”
Once he was satisfied with his hair Baji would go on to take a quick count of how many ships were in the Rear Admiral’s fleet, not that it mattered much to him. As if he were about to take a step forward, only to suddenly appear on the lead ship’s bow, hopping down to the deck and proceeding to walk forward. With each step he took a handful of the low ranking navy soldiers would fall to the deck unconscious and foaming at the mouth. Unyielding, lung crushing pressure suddenly fell over the entire vessel, splintering wood beneath the King’s feet as he approached. The weight of his presence permeated the very atmosphere, not even a fraction of what he could’ve done with his haki if he so chose.
“If you like that finger I’d advise you not point it at me again, it’s rude. Under normal circumstances I don’t care to sit and listen to the whines and whimpers of the government’s dogs, but a lot seems to be riding on your success here so I suppose I’ll humor you a little and make it a game. For every attack you fail to land, I sink one ship in your fleet. Ready? Go.”
With that Baji simply stood there, his presence so calm and relaxed, yet absolutely domineering as his presence took up every last bit of space there was to be taken, devouring the wills of those around him like a ravenous beast as he awaited Aphrodite to make a move. She didn’t do a whole lot in their first meeting, but he vividly recalled her fruit ability and how willing she was to poison Alabasta’s main water source. Such reckless use of an ability like that was merely a sign of an immature warrior. Restraint was power as well after all, a lesson she’d quickly learn if she hadn’t already.
Aphrodite let the comment about her hair roll off of her shoulders. After all, the most confident fools were the ones to squeak the most when put on the spot. One of her least favorite traits in people was overconfidence; Especially when it was misplaced. So not only would she bring Baji to Impel Down, she would make him know the pain he had inflicted on the hearts of the Alabastan children.
"Trust me, it's not a spiel oh great mad king. It's simply a declaration; A declaration of the defeat you'll suffer at my hands." Her voice was condescending, and it was laced with a thick accent of venom and hate.
As Baji approached Aphrodite didn't even blink, unafraid of the man as she knew full well the extent of his power, or, in her eyes, the lack thereof. "What a fancy display of power you have there. Shame it doesn't work on anyone important. Those marines were all new recruits brought along for a taste of the New World, and to provide support to the hostages you've kidnapped." She looked off at the marines. The ones still on the boat were all still alive, just passed out. The ones who had fallen into the water floated to the top, their safety guaranteed by the auto inflated life vests they wore.
She lowered her finger as she spoke again. "You know what, you're right. Pointing at people is rude. Deactivate your Color of Conqueror's haki and maybe we could have a civilized discussion if you so like, but just know, I'm not making the first move in this battle just to feed your overinflated ego."
“Does cowardice run in the blood of every marine? You make such a grandiose claim that you’ll defeat me, and then attempt to back out because you understand you’re outside your depth. You navy officers think you’re so much better than everyone else, as if you truly believe the lies that your government has you spew in the paper.”
Baji’s next actions were out of pure spite. In an instant the sheer amount of pressure and force created by his haki was amplified without a second to waste, generating powerful winds as sparks of black enveloped the entirety of the fleet to render the vast majority of the navy soldiers unconscious. The constant wave of pressure cracking and breaking parts of the ships present as Baji moved to pick up one of the unconscious navy soldiers by the head, his haki now finally subsiding for the moment.
“Now this is a hostage situation. To be frank, you’ve annoyed me, and so now the stakes of the game have been raised. Instead of merely sinking the ships, I’ll kill everyone present and leave you to bear the weight of the damned, or perhaps I’d kill you too? Slice out your eyes, ears and tongue so you can wander the underworld deaf, blind and dumb. I quite like that idea, the navy pup that barked up the wrong tree, you’ll be a legend down there.”
Baji paced back and forth across the deck with the navy soldier still helplessly in his grip. Aphrodite was botching her mission horribly, threatening someone like him and then attempting to reduce the conflict to a discussion as if she was his superior or had any kind of control over him was a sure fire way to get her men slaughtered. She mistook his pride as arrogance, and continuing to do so would only get her and those under her hurt. The way Baji was so willing to end the lives of her and her men, his tolerance for this false diplomacy was wearing thin. If she wasn’t willing to make the first move due to his giving her a chance, he’d make the first move and embarrass her by decimating her fleet and sending her back to marineford on the brink of death.
“If you wish to speak then speak, but understand that you’re a single snarky remark away from your men becoming a midday snack for Osiris.”
Almost on cue Baji’s pet Bananawani would emerge from the ocean below, slowly circling the ships and hungrily waiting in anticipation for the okay to begin feasting. The situation was growing more dire by the moment, and if she played her cards wrong she’d only spell doom for her subordinates and herself. Whether she liked it or not, the Mad King was the one in control of the situation here.
“How wonderfully bold of you to claim cowardice in someone when you yourself ran away like a scared cat with his tail between his legs at the slightest sound of danger. Even the corrupt news reporters knew you were all bark no bite, and you had to manipulate a child to put out a news report for you. Either you have no shame or you’re simply wrapped up in your own self-glorifying ego to the point you’re blinded by the truth.”
As Aphrodite finished speaking she scoffed, clearly unimpressed by Baji’s idea of ‘danger’.
“Do you really think that I feel threatened by a hostage situation? These men signed up for the marine corps knowing full well what they were getting into. I have no obligation to save their lives, and I don’t intend on jeopardizing your capture over some ‘hostage’”. As she spoke a deep purple gas started to slowly leak out, filling the air with the sweet scent of blueberries.
“What gets me to most, Baji, is how much trash you talk even on the brink of death. Perhaps your innate pride leads you to believe everyone is affected by simple words against them? Truly insane. A king should know naivety is the downfall of the strong.”
Aphrodite looked down at Osiris, unfazed by the creature. “So.. This was your trump card I assumed? Some… Animal was meant to threaten us? Shame our boats are reinforced with sea stone. I doubt even your pet would dent that.” She let out a small chuckle as she turned back to Baji. “Sad to see that your pride prevents you from attacking like a man though.” With a flick of her wrist she pointed a finger at Baji, aiming to poke his face with the outreached digit.
”Ignorance must truly be bliss. You claim me to be some tyrant that doesn’t care for his people, yet are so willing to throw away the lives of your own men. That’s exactly the hypocrisy I mean. I assure you I didn’t leave Alabasta for my sake, nor out of fear of you or any other of the world government’s pet soldiers, but to save more lives. Don’t think I forgot how willing you were to poison the river. If I had stayed, the navy would have wiped out the entire country to see me fall, and that’s something I wouldn’t put my people through.”
“As for him, he’s not a trump card at all. I don’t need such a thing for a pup such as yourself. As unimpressive as your bird friend was, I can tell you’re even a few steps below that.”
Baji responded calmly, and that’s when Aphrodite made her first error, attempting to reach out and touch him. Watching at the marine’s attempt at contact, a second burst of haki would erupt from the King’s body. Compared to the first, what Baji was doing now was much more compact and compressed, reducing its area of effect but amplifying the amount of pressure produced within that space, effectively creating a force field between himself and her finger.
“Did you honestly believe that after fighting your organizations only admiral I’d allow someone of your level to lay a finger on me? Let’s not be ridiculous now. If all you’re here to do is spew your self righteous ignorance and make pathetic jabs at me, we’ve nothing more to discuss and I advise you be on your way before you and your men get hurt. Come back with your bird friend if you want a genuine shot at me. To be frank, playing by your tune does nothing for me and gives your presence far more credit than it deserves.”
And with that, Baji flung the navy soldier overboard, only to be swallowed up nigh instantly by the reptilian beast that circled the waters around them. Baji would then proceed to walk back towards the bow of the ship, dismissively waving his hand at the female marine.
”Have a good day Vice Admiral.”
Though he wasn’t facing her, it was all too clear that Baji was grinning as he made that final spiteful remark, merely rubbing salt into the wound. Unlike what she falsely believed, Baji felt no obligation to be prideful in such a situation, not with someone he genuinely viewed as below himself.
“Hopefully that promotion comes through for you soon! Maybe go get some kittens out of trees or somethin? Yknow, be of actual use to your organization, because you won’t be useful here.”
"I guess that works out just fine. I can see the headline now. 'Vice Admiral Kirimoto Destroys Mad King.'" As Aphrodite spoke, her hands began to produce a viscous purple substance that formed itself into a ball. "Regarding us throwing the caution to the wind during Alabasta, you're right. As much as it truly pains me to say, casualties will always occur in war. It's simply a law of the world, and if you can't accept that I apologize." More of the purple liquid was produced from her hands, but it did not grow in size at all.
"The fact you think we need Ehguang to beat you is obscene, laughable even. I bet even a few Ensigns could swiftly eliminate you from the picture. You're lucky to fight someone on such a high caliber as me. I don't expect this fight to last very long, but it shall be what it shall be." She hardly blinked as the man was thrown overboard and into the mouth of the alligator.
”You’re much more talkative than the bird, but since you need me to spell it out for you, I don’t care to waste my time with the government’s pups. A real dog knows a fake bark when he hears it, if you were truly as confident as you say you would have attacked me already.”
Baji had long passed the point of disinterest. After the navy’s first interaction with him, such a pathetic force wasn’t even enough to elevate his heartbeat. Being the impulsive force of nature he was very easily bored, and Aphrodite’s seeming lack of conviction towards this “rematch” was near the epitome of boring.
“To think I gave you my time only to hear you rant and rave about your self righteous corruption. If I wanted to sit and be nagged at all day I would have a wife. Either attack so we can get this over with or go home.”
Not halting his walk, Baji hopped up to the bow of the ship and briefly glanced back at the woman with the poisonous substance in her hands from the corner of his eye, silently communicating his intent very vividly to the Rear Admiral. Attack now or mind your own and leave.
”You know what, you’re right, Baji. I should’ve just been straight with you from the getgo instead of standing her and wagging my chin. There’s a reason I’m still a Rear Admiral for you. Take my apologies.” Aphrodite said with an oozing taste of sarcasm in her voice, just like her namesake.
After she finished her remark, she finished preparing her attack. She gently flicked it at Baji, letting the softball sized sphere soar towards the man. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. That ball there is is created from a large of amount of highly compressed corrosive poison. It’s barely held together by its own surface tension, and the slightest poke will cause it to explode.” She said, boldly explaining her technique. She didn’t believe Baji would need this information, but she didn’t want the fight to end abruptly.
The king breathed a sigh, and in the next instant not only did the ball of venom erupt into an explosion of heat and wind but Baji would be seated on the ships mast beside the crows nest. A sizzle crackled through the air as small streaks of steam floated up from Baji’s sword, the flames from the sword having neutralized the poison on contact as he purposefully bursted Aphrodite’s bubble. It wasn’t clear when at all Baji had even so much as reached for his blade, let alone slashed at the projectile, however the King’s expression precisely the same. Unamused.
“Your lack of competence is astounding, I see why you haven’t been promoted. Explaining your techniques to your opponent is either hubris or stupidity, either one will result in your defeat here, dog.”
Rising to his feet Baji would dangle one leg over the open air in front of him atop the mast, willingly falling down to the deck and landing on his feet with one blade in hand. No sooner than his feet hit the deck the creaking of wood permeated the air as the flagship’s center mast came crashing down, sliced cleanly through the base. The large mast began to tilt slowly, threatening to crush one of the neighboring vessels in Aphrodite’s small fleet, all while still completely unclear just when Baji moved to achieve such a feat.
“A fruit user I presume, just like your boss that sent you here. Yours doesn’t seem to offer any physical benefit though, not like hers at least. Her attacks were quite a bit faster than yours are.”
Baji commented as he casually raised his arm overhead and slammed his hand downward, launching not even a slash, but instead a massive wall of flames directly at Aphrodite as she stood in front of him. This was mostly to limit the marine’s effective range, as his flames could neutralize the poison, something that he’d rather not deal with being spread all over the place if he could help it. Despite the nuisance that was her fruit power though Baji wasn’t very concerned with her as an individual.
”I gave you an opportunity to return home, but now I suppose I’ll use you as an example instead. Tell me, is there an arm that you’re particularly fond of?”
Kirimoto blinked softly. She hadn't expected Baji to just dissipate all of her poison so swiftly. She brought her hand to her face and wiped a few of the poisonous droplets off. He would clearly be an annoying foe. But she hadn't joined the marines to cower for some filthy pirate. “You’re fast. Strong too. But I’ll have you know that I plan on receiving a promotion for this encounter, so I won’t be holding back.” As she said that her skin became coated with a thick layer of oozing purple venom.
With that said, she watched as Baji sliced through the mast of th ship. She felt a twinge of concern for the people on the other boat, but she pondered it little. Her eye began to glow a deep red as her Kenbunshoki Haki activated.
“If you want, I won’t explain my techniques to you. Sorry if I hurt your sorry little ego by doing that, Batty King Baji.” Aphrodite teased at the man. In her eyes all pirates were egotistical, and a few jabs at their ego always did some good for her mental state. As she spoke her breath emitted a potent poison that threatened to suffocate anyone nearby.
Kirimoto saw the wall of flames approaching her far before they threatened to arrive. With a literal wiggle of her arms, she put her hands into a piercing and separated the flames. Her arms redirected the path of the heat as she used Seimei Kikan to disperse any harmful temperature from her arms.
After she cut through Baji’s flame wall, she retaliated with a beam of poison hailing from her mouth. It soared towards the man, spreading out to a diameter meters long. The poison was a dark purple, and whatever it touched melted away like it had been affected by acid.
So the marine had finally decided to harden her resolve and engage, it was about time. Baji didn’t expect a whole lot from his fiery wall, her ability to deal with it in such a manner to be expected from someone of her rank. What it did do however was make her showcase her fruits capabilities even more, and it seemed she boasted quite precise control over what she could and couldn’t do with her power. His theory about the flames of his blades being able to neutralize her poison seemed to be correct, meaning he didn’t have much to worry about in terms of her ability so long as he didn’t get caught off guard.
With his flames enough to deal with the gas, Baji watched as the Rear Admiral shot a speeding beam of venom from her mouth, and in similar fashion to how she divided his flame attack Baji’s blade would cleave through the acid like liquid with ease, however he opted to do her one better. As his blade swung down the center of the beam a fiery crescent projectile would be launched forward at her with great force. The arching blade of flame was massive, produced with what appeared to be a casual display of strength from Baji as it tore all the way through to the bottom of the marine battleship. The burning smell of wood began to fill the air and clouds of black smoke floated up into the sky.
Just as her observation had pointed out Baji was a physical specimen, his physical strength and speed making him a formidable opponent indeed, however in this one act a different skillset of his was put on display, precision and skill with his blades. It was as if there was nothing you could put before him that couldn’t be cut, which immediately begged the question of whether it was him or the weapons in his hand. Even a non-swordsman could look at the pair of swords and tell that they weren’t any old run of the mill swords that you get from your local sword shop. These weapons were some of the finest in the world, and in the hands of the King they fit like a glove.
With his fiery slash slicing through the venomous beam Baji quickly glanced around for a positional advantage, and within a fraction of a second the swordsman’s legs propelled him with force enough to shatter the wooden floors he stood on and rock the entire vessel. Since their last encounter Baji had grown extremely proficient in his mastery of skywalk, and when paired with his immense speed allowed him the ability to maneuver around the battlefield regardless of his location. Zipping around the air with one of his blades in hand the Mad King angled himself downward and propelled himself forward, speeding straight down on top of Aphrodite’s head with his blade aimed to cleave straight through her shoulder in a fiery explosion that would finally render the main ship of the fleet useless, leaving only one left in working order. If she wasn’t careful Aphrodite would end up at sea without solid ground to fight on, and without a means of escape as well.
The sheer heat and brightness from the flaming slash alerted Aphrodite quite quickly as to what was coming her way. But she fretted not. Before the massive slash of flame could even hope to bear near her, she mumbled one word. “Soru”. As soon she uttered that one word, her figure disappeared, leaving only the feint sign of an afterimage in her wake. While the fierce heat from the fiery slash blew away the toxic gas momentarily, more was introduced to the air around them with every exhale Aphrodite made. It was almost a subconscious action at this point, automatically occurring just like one blinks when they flinch. The slash continued off of the bow of the ship, soaring towards the island of Hachinosu.
Just as Baji’s swords were a reflection of excellent craftsmanship however, Aphrodite’s hands and arms were a testament to her hard work. Calluses littered not just the palms of her hands, but her knuckles and fore arms as well. The muscle was well built and sturdy, carved out through the countless battles and hours of training she endured. If Baji’s swords were the finest blades one could find in the world, then her fists were one of the strongest you could seek out. Which is why her next move was all the more significant.
As the Soru was still in effect, she sensed Baji’s intent with his next slash. Rather than sit still and take a blow like that, Aphrodite combined her Geppo technique with the Soru to replicate the Kamisori. With speed even a trained eye would hardly be able to see, Aphrodite positioned herself behind Baji in the air. She raised her two hands together into a fist and intended to strike Baji down and away onto the island before he could damage the ship further. Her muscles tensed as she imbued her arms with Busoshoku, and made her move as quickly as possible.
Interesting, Aphrodite had for the briefest of moments surpassed his expectations, whatever these techniques were they seemed to be shared amongst all of the navy officers. No matter, while he may have underestimated her initial physicality it was still far from being of any sort of concern or consequence. As she zipped into the air and appeared behind him with a strike Baji tracked her movements and seamlessly whipped around in the air and met her attack with the back side of his blade, using the backwards facing hook on the weapon’s spine to wrap around the marine’s wrist.
This was a unique aspect of Baji’s blades, their design was tailored for close quarters combat, the hooks allowing him the ability to manipulate the weapons or in this case bodies of others and create openings for him to strike with, which he would now put on display here. With Aphrodite’s wrist now briefly caught Baji’s second sword seemed to come out of nowhere. In close quarters it went without saying that the Mad King boasted the physical advantage, something that would further be emphasized by his advanced application of armament haki that coated his second sword. With her wrist trapped there was a brief moment where her midsection was exposed, and with Baji’s superior physical prowess all he needed was the briefest of moments to capitalize. In an instant the King’s blade met the marine’s midsection in a horizontal arc, the loose flow of his haki allowing him to strike without physically touching the venomous creature that he fought against.
As Baji launched his attack the force it generated would launch a subsequent flying slash on its own, a concussive burst of haki that would hit like a truck for one, and would go on to keep Aphrodite in the air. Baji had learned his lesson from Alabasta and as a result had no intention of allowing her to touch land where her fruit could poison the environment. Whether she acknowledged it or not, he was the one with all the control here.
“Challenging me in close quarters? Not even the bird dared to do such a thing, you got guts. Either that or you’re dumber than you look, either way good on you. Why don’t you try that again?”
Baji taunted, antagonizing the young woman to engage with him up close some more. At this point the swordsman was still having his fun and feeling out her abilities, soon though he’d have enough information to quickly and decisively end the clash and carry on with his day.
The man didn’t seem that strong. That’s what Aphrodite was thinking to herself. In her mind the man was far too cocky and uptight for his own good. But even she had to admit that his raw strength was profound. But swordsmen were predictable, and she had barely gotten warmed up. She quickly noticed the man’s blades coming towards her wrists, and utilizing her method of fighting caused her arms to go limp like a noodle. In this state any attempt to grab onto them would be useless as they were now far too inconsistent to grab hold of.
The raw intent coming from Baji alerted Aphrodite’s Kenbunshoku activated mind near instantly. She didn’t expect the man to possess Emission as basic coating was a surprise that he possessed it. The emitted Haki landed, sending her reeling back into the air. The attack itself didn’t do much significant damage as she was prepared for its approach, but the knock back was still absurd.
As she was flying through the air, the slash kept pushing her farther away from the ship and the scene of the fight. The slash cut into her abdomen, leaving a shallow cut behind as she coughed up a fit of blood from the attack. After she had been pushed away and damaged by the attack, she activated her Kami-E and weaved over the slash to prevent herself from being pushed back farther. The action resembled a soft somersault in the air over the attack.
“You are really quite ignorant, aren’t you? I thought you had just said it’s best not to explain your fighting style to opponents, yet here you are, blatantly admitting that close range is not the most effective way to fight you.” As Aphrodite was able to sense whether he was lying, it was rather odd to her that he would give up his secrets so easily. But she let it roll off of her shoulders.
With a quick flick of her arms, they regained their momentum and she whipped the noodle-like appendages towards Baji, still keeping her distance. The force from her downward movement as well as the whip-like movement of her arms ensured that the following pair of Rankyaku was going to be a strong and fast slash. And it did not disappoint. The following slashes moved extremely quick, and their power was portrayed by the loud whoosh sound they made as the blew by the surrounding area. Oddly enough, they had no traces of poison or toxin.
”The strong don’t abide by the rules, exposing my strengths to you is of no consequence.”
Baji responded plainly. He watched the strange movement of her limbs, and the subsequent air slash that was created as a result, however as a swordsman assessing a flying slash was as natural as breathing. The slashes flew forth, though would seemingly be stopped in the air by an invisible force, Baji once again utilizing his advanced armament haki to deal with the projectiles without them ever reaching his body. Almost immediately the slashes would dissipate against his haki, and in the next instant Baji launched himself forward towards his opponent, however something was different about this attack. His positioning was odd, with one hand raised horizontally across his face the other tucked away behind his back, however the strangest part of this attack was his presence, or lack there of.
As noted, Baji’s intensity and intention have been see to trigger his opponent’s observation haki and allow her to escape a painful fate more than once, however this time there was no such intensity. It was as if Baji had in a way, disappeared, silencing his own “breath” and now forcing the marine to rely solely upon her reaction speed. As the distance between them was rendered null and void in the snap of a finger, Baji’s body would suddenly spin rapidly as countless razor sharp blades of haki erupted from his person in every direction. Nigh instantly the wind picked up, and within moments a rotating torrent of wind and haki imbued blades was unleashed over the sea, ready to engulf the Rear Admiral whole.
"GRAH!" Aphrodite exclaimed as Baji closed the distance between the two of them. While his speed hadn't changed, and wasn't even enough to overwhelm her incredibly, the sudden lack of intent behind his moves was incredibly jarring, to the flow she had in combat. Her eyes lost their bright red glow as the sudden movement made her lose her concentration, but her reaction speed was still strong. In the same instant Baji appeared in front of Aphrodite, she had utilized the Kamisori again to seemingly teleport out of the way of Baji's attack. Her speed was so swift that it left a brief afterimage in her place, however it quickly dissipated.
But despite her dodging the initial attack, Aphrodite still had to deal with the resulting mass of slashes coming her way. Blocking the slashes would result in her being pushed back even more. And she didn't have a feasible way to parry them, so dodging was her best move. As she activated her Kami-E yet again, she weaved between the slashes while staying in the air through her application of Geppo. Her movements were truly graceful, and portrayed the familiarity she had with combat. But playing the offensive was no way to win the game, so she pulled out her first named move of the battle. As the blades came to a halt, she began to produce a massive amount of the corrosive acid, "Red Death", from her body. She muttered a single sentence as it began to take shape.
"Quenching Rain of the Twin Dragons' Tears."
The poison Aphrodite had just produced formed itself into the shape of a giant serpent, and the deep red color added to its threatening appearance. The body itself was massive, rivaling a small marine warship in size. The acid was so corrosive it violently reacted to even the water the droplets touched in the sea below. And with the thrust of her arm, it was sent towards Baji, breathing out acidic gas as it flew towards its target.
”Not as slow as I had presumed, I take it that means I can speed up a bit?”
The King inquired, watching with a hedonistic grin as the Rear Admiral’s massive red dragon came barreling towards him with vicious intent. This poison was certainly on a different level compared to what she’d been using earlier, evident by its volatile reaction even to the water below. While Baji was certain of his physical superiority over his opponent, this poison was something he was sure to be weary of and wouldn’t be taken lightly on his behalf.
“Listen to the living breath..”
He thought silently to himself, and as if time began to slow down Baji began to listen intently before suddenly he’d hear it; the first breath being that of Aphrodite. After that more and more of these breaths became audible, each one a different frequency, a different rhythm, from the sea to the navy ships to each individual soldier aboard them, the wind, even his own blades, everything was breathing, existing on its own. The mark of a true swordsman was his ability to not only sense this breath, but in doing so become able to cut what he wished and avoid cutting what he didn’t. The breaths when heard from a novice point of view likely sounded sporadic and overwhelming, but to Baji they all came together in a symphonic harmony that echoed in his head before finally his eyes would flash open. Around his body was a loose flowing aura of armament haki to defend himself from the poison. and in an instant he launched himself forward faster than he’d moved throughout the entirety of the battle.
“Express your intent through your blade and. . . Cut!”
A loud metallic ring echoed out across the area, followed by shockwave as the Mad King spun with both blades in hand and sheered the draconic creation horizontally down the center and severing it in half. The gas and poison was blasted away in every direction due to the amount of force Baji generated in his swing, and his gaze had once more settled upon the navy soldier.
“I must give credit where it’s due. Your mastery of your fruit is commendable, if I were a lesser individual I would have likely been dead by now.”
Baji praised, flipping and twirling his sword around in hand, performing a sequence of flashy tricks and catches.
“That said, I think it’s time to wrap this up, don’t you agree? Why don’t we put it all on the line right here and right now.”
As the owner of multiple casinos it should be no surprise that Baji was a gambling man, someone who finds thrill in flirting on the line between risk versus reward, a man who selfishly bets it all just for the possibility of winning big, the human embodiment of extravagance in every sense.
As Baji spoke his blades ignited into flames, the heat emanating from the swords causing heatwaves throughout the area as streams of fire erupted outward. Baji’s haki was also surging, sparks of black not from his haoshoku, but from the sheer volume and concentration of armament haki being focused into his weapons.
“Sound good?
Aphrodite was utterly shocked as to how Baji was able to simply dismiss her attack like that. In all truthfulness she should’ve been irritated, but for some reason she wasn’t this time. She was focused on winning. And she would do whatever it took to win.
Rather than focus her substances into one singular attack at a time, Aphrodite had realized a while back that harnessing it to utilize as more of a bank was far more efficient. She began to breathe heavily, and the air thickened with the heavy stench of poison and acid.
Out of her mouth and nose came the poisonous gas, threatening to suffocate all of whom dared to breathe it in. Out of her skin came the thick, red, oozing acid. It flowed heavily, forming a ball around herself. The ball grew in size rapidly, becoming the size of a small marine warship, and suddenly it began to take shape. It sprouted out arms, a pair of legs, and neck with a head on top. The venom construct was monstrous in appearance, but its intent was clear; Aphrodite wasn’t going to lose.
The new form aimed its 10 fingers at Baji, and then launched them off towards the man with blinding speed. The acid bullets sizzled and cracked as it came into contact with the particulate floating in the air on their way to their target. Each finger was packed dense with the substance, and the slightest jostle would threaten to cause them to explode.
Down with the King[]
Aphrodite panted. Her breath so hot that the moisture in her mouth evaporated as she exhaled, blowing out puffs of steam with every breath. She clutched her side, the warm, sticky blood dampening her clothes. Her arm pulsated with heavy pain as the adrenaline of battle began to leave her body. But despite the aftermath she had gone through, the fruits of her labor rested at her feet; The Mad King, Baji, lay defeated at her feet in front of her. He had been an incredible opponent, and had she been even a little bit weaker she would’ve perished. But she did gain something in return; the ability to emit her Haki over a distance, just like Baji.
Her paralyzing gas had proved to be effective. It was enough to incapacitate the powerful man, but for how long would be shown soon enough. She loaded the man onto a nearby pirate brigade, as all the marine warships had been destroyed in the battle. Her men had begun to awaken and infiltrate the island on her orders, taking out the pirates taking refuge on it. The mission had turned to be a success. All that was left was to retrieve the artifact, and the mission would be successful. But she couldn’t help and have a dreadful precognition. It still felt far too easy. But she shrugged it off; this isn’t the time to stress about gut feelings.
She reached into her coat pocket, her hand shaking with adrenaline as it grasped the hard shell of the Den Den Mushi. She dialed in a number, letting it ring before talking into it. “Hello, this is Rear Admiral Kirimoto Aphrodite. I’m calling in to report the capture of the criminal, Baji, and his possesses island a success. We suffered very minimal casualties, and my men are currently in the process of clearing out the vermin on Hachinosu. I expect a full takeover in approximately two hours. As for Baji, he is currently incapacitated and being brought over to a claimed pirate vessel to be transported to Impel Down.” Her hand trembled as it held the snail phone in front of her, but her voice remained steadfast and clear.
"Negative, Rear Admiral Kirimoto." A familiar voice spoke on the other end. "Both Baji and the poneglyph in your possession are to be immediately brought to Marine HQ. The Criminal Baji is to be executed upon his arrival and the poneglyph placed into storage for safe keeping." Ehuang spoke on the other end of the line before falling silent for a moment, "Congratulations, Aphrodite. I knew you would be successful. But remain cautious, I've heard word that the Legion Pirates are also operating within the area for reasons currently unknown. Keep an eye out for them and keep me updated. Is there anything else you'd like to report? Would you like a larger marine presence to escort you to Marine HQ?"
Aphrodite paused. Truthfully? She had wanted to become locked up in prison to rot for the rest of his miserable life. But who was she to complain or object; Especially when it was Ehuang on the other end of the phone. She sighed heavily before speaking into the phone again. "Understood, Admiral Ehguang. I will have the ships redirected your way. I will accompany them myself to prevent any accidents with the news of the Legion Pirates on the prowl." She gazed down at Baji laying at her feet. "Such a strong aura would attract someone after all.." She backed up to allow a few marines to tie up the bloodied and bruised king. "And no, I don't believe we'll need any assistance. I don't sense any significant auras coming from this island. If I had to guess, he wiped them all out in his conquering of it." She wiped blood and sweat off of her forehead before clicking the Den Den Mushi. "Over and out." The snail slid snugly into her pocket, sleeping silently as its duty was fulfilled. With her call in finished, she made her way towards the ship to finally leave the island.
Shield and Spear[]
Hachinosu could be seen through the lens of the eye glass. A small scouting ship sat far off the shore of the island, a bead of sweat running down the man's brow as he saw the island littered with marines, spotting the defeated Baji being loaded onto a ship. He quickly replaced the glass in his coat pocket before replacing it in his hand with a den den mushi.
From much further away did the den den mushi in Baal's pocket sound.
Prururururu! the sound interuppted her talk with the other pirates around the table. Picking it up she was told of the situation on Hachinosu.
"This is Reggie, scouting out Hachinosu I'm reporting in that the place has been overrun by marines. Baji has been defeated and captured, the poneglyphs are likely in marine posession. The mission to claim them from Hachinosu is a bust. Marines appear to be heading South East, probably toward the Red Line. Rear Admiral Kirimoto appears to be leading the mission."
For a moment her brow furrowed. But it was quickly replaced by an amused smile. "I see, return to the nearest Legion outpost. We'll handle this development. Baal over and out."
The Den Den Mushi clicked as she hung it up, her eyes shifted to the men and women around her. Picking up the map of Hachinosu she tossed it to the side, "Change of plans! Who is in the mood to hunt some marines?! Jarajarajara!" Baal laughed, her eyes following to the bastard Caesar had tasked with accompanying her on this mission.
"Romulus, are you ready to make your daddy proud?" She teased at first before her tone became more serious, "Our opponent will be the user of the Doku and the Admiral's brat. Rear Admiral Kiritmoto is deadly to the touch, and we might end up faceing Haitori as well. But getting that poneglyph will be a big accomplishment and an embarrassment to those World Government types, would you kindly try not to die?"
As Romulus carefully polished his Irae Martis, he shifted his gaze to Baal to give her the answer she had been waiting for. "It certainly won't be with poison that they stand a chance of winning, assuming they can touch me Jujujuju! Try to keep up, it will have to be a Veni, Vidi, Vici. Are we agreed?" The red-and-blue-haired gladiator said as he stood up releasing a few electric shocks from his excitement.
"Of course. It will be a quick mission and then we'll head home all the richer for it." Baal spoke before turning to the helmsman. "Set a course for North East, we'll try to cut them off. We need to reach them before they get too close to Marine headquarters or we'll have to deal with waves of heavy reinforcements. It'll be a pain if it comes to that."
Baal pulled the golden Den Den Mushi from her pocket and stared at it, unhappy with how things turned out last time she'd faced a high-ranking marine. Sitting it on the table she moved to prepare for the battle ahead.
Elsewhere however, Aphrodite remained on the ship with the captured king. Her arm and side were covered in bandages, bits of red showing through the snow white cloth. The large cube they had procured was on the ship, covered by a heavy cloth. She knew that her higher ups had told her not to look too heavily into the cube, but something about it was still so… Enthralling too her. She couldn’t put a finger on it, but the massive cube residing under that cloth had an aura to it that she couldn’t set aside.
But her focus was moved elsewhere as a marine shouted from atop the ship, bringing her attention to the ship on the horizon. It was large and imposing, and in comparison to the regular pirate ships she was used to seeing, this one possessed noteworthy auras. Even from the distance she was away from them, she could make out how strong these two individuals felt. But the most dreadful part of the encounter had reared it’s ugly face; The Jolly Roger of the Legion Pirates adorned the sail of that vessel.
If she had to guess they were there to claim the Poneglyph. Baji announcing it on live for the world to see like that really caused some issues. But she wasn’t going to take any chances; The members of a Yonko crew were incredibly dangerous, and she had no qualms against killing a few measly pirates.
She issued a command to her men, telling them to load the cannonballs and prepare to fire at the vessel. These would be warning shots, aimed just at the waters around the other ship. She’d prefer to not fight off members of a Yonko crew practically by herself, especially knowing how strong they could be. If she was lucky, they would be deterred by the warning shots.
The cannon balls flew into the air, higher and higher they soared in an arc before coming to land a short distance from the Legion galleon. For a moment after the splash of the warning shots the sea settled all but for it's gentle waves. Tension rose with the rise and fall that came with every breath of the two parties seemingly waiting to see what would happened.
The marines aboard Rear Admiral Kirimoto's ship with eyes trained upon the Legion ship would then notice something approaching. Not the ship, which had come to a complete stop. No, something on the water.
The sea was freezing at an alarming rate, a whale that breached the waters surface at the most unlucky of times was frozen solid mid gulp of air and the ice continued still charging straight for their ship.
”Godamnit.” Aphrodite muttered as she saw the ice rapidly approach their own ship. The ability was a clear giveaway as to whom one of those powerful auras was from; Baal. While she was sure she could’ve taken down one of Caesar’s little bastards easily, Baal was a different case entirely. She had a bounty of 900 million for a reason. With Thad in mind, Aphrodite would much prefer not to have to throw down with someone of her level. But she would do whatever it took to retain her capture and the cube. If she had to guess, Baal was after the cube as well.
Seeing the ice approaching rapidly, Aphrodite raised her arm and whipped it out in front of her own vessel. Thick poison created a wall that would stop the ice in its tracks, creating a barrier to protect it. If she had a regular marine warship, she wouldn’t have needed to take such precautions against it. But the pirate ship she had commandeered was… Rickety at best. Aphrodite cupped her hands to her mouth, shouting out a command at the opposing ship in a last ditch effort to avoid combat.
“Hello, Baal! This is Rear Admiral Aphrodite of the Marines! I order you to stand down! If you do so, you will be allowed to leave unscathed! But if you continue to pursue us, I will have no option but to reciprocate your aggression and haul you to Impel Down!” Her voice carried across the ocean, loud enough the shake barrels of booze on the ship. She had made her command clear; All that was left was to wait for Baal’s reply.
Silence followed once again, her voice, however loud, taking time to reach the Legion ship.
Baal heard the warning, their second warning in fact. And it was with that that Baal felt confident that Aphrodite or the crew was in no position to fight. A single warning was a courtesy, a second was a sign of weakness. Baal restrained her laughter before looking back up to the crew from her spot standing upon the ice.
"What do you say, boys? Turn tail and run back home?" She asked her crew.
Thunderous "Nays!" Rattled the ship as the pirates turned down the offer of heading home empty-handed, the men pressed against the railing of the deck itching for a fight.
"Alright then, we'd better make this quick then." She spoke, turning and nodding to Romulus begin the assault. Knowing it would take time for the other crewmates to make it across the ice. "Take care of the cannons would you kindly?" She asked of Romulus, knowing that would be the biggest obstacle for getting close to their ship.
Baal turned back to give her answer to the rear admiral, "This Baal, senior officer of the Legion Pirates! I know about you, Purple Dragon, the Toxic Meanace, Reaper of Graveyard, the Admiral's brat, and now the Hero of Hachinosu. Your sins and accomplishments alike proceed you, but don't let them go to your head! Here is my counter offer: Hand over the Road Poneglyph and you get to take the loathsome King of Hachinosu to impel down. Little to loose and everything to gain. Choose wisely, girl. Your life depends on it! Jarajarajara!" Baal gave her answer.
“Oi Baal, make sure you ice well at the bottom because some ship is going to jump jujujuju” Romulus said metre positioned himself at the top of the ship. Three long tails made of thunder sprouted behind him and around his shoulders were four yellow electric drums with tomoe depicted on them.
“Let's start by not giving you any more way out jujuju, Thousand Wolfs: Tempestas Fera!!!” DumDumDumDumDumDumDum, the tails of Romulus began incessantly beating on the drums, and with each strike a thunderbolt in the shape of a fierce wolf was hurled, each one heading precisely along the ship of the marines from every direction.
"Alright, pirates. You've made your disposition known. I can't hand the Road Poneglyph over to you. But you want it bad, I understand that, I appreciate the resolve even. But it's a shame I'll have to cut it so short. I'll make sure you get a comfortable cell in Impel Down however, haha." Aphrodite said in response to Baal and Romulus, her voice carrying across the ocean water effortlessly. "And thanks for the pretty names Baal, I'll make sure they go on my track sheet." With her playful quip back finished, Aphrodite didn't sit long. Her fingers formed to make the shape of a gun before she began thrusting them forward incredibly fast. The mixture of Shigan and Rankyaku she was utilizing sent out a barrage of speeding, bullet-like blasts of air that destroyed the thunderous wolves before they could even threaten the ships integrity. Making it out of here with the ship in one piece was the main objective, not capturing the pirates. If she was forced to retreat, so be it. While she kept her barrage from the ship going, she issued a command for another volley of cannonballs to be launched in the direction of the Legion Pirates' vessel.
Although the wolves lost their shape, electricity was now scattered like glitter around the entire area surrounding the ship. “Let's connect the dots juuu!” Romulus smiled as a thunderbolt started from his finger and soon became a power line that branched out to the entire scattered electricity, locking the ship into an articulated prison of lightning that detonated the cannonballs that had just been fired at near-zero range from the marines' ship, generating a chain reaction of small electrical discharges that exploded from every point in the prison.
"Not bad, Romulus. You're more useful than your brothers. I can see why Caesar chose you for a mission like this." Baal complimented the man, a wide toothy grin on her face as she saw the state of the ship surrounded by electricity. "Continue the frontal assault and be careful not to sink the ship lest the poneglyph be lost. I doubt victory will be this easy and if it is, well, I'd be dissapointed." She told Romulus before she began to fly up into the sky high above.
The electrical field wasn't concerning, to Aphrodite. Yes, it was a hindrance. But it wouldn't be for long. As the cannonballs exploded in front of the ship, she didn’t pay much attention to it. They had plenty more, and it didn’t do much damage to the ship itself.
Out of her mouth a thick, purple gas produced itself quickly and rapidly. It moved itself to surround the ship in a shield or bubble of sorts; and when it made contact with the sparkling electrical field, the glimmering electricity dimmed down until it faded away, absorbed by the gas. Electricity crackled in the cloud of gas, keeping the energy that was there prior, but rendering it far less useful to the enemy. Romulus, however, was a hindrance to her. As far as she knew, his electrical attacks had no limit. Picking him off before attempting to fight against Baal would be the wisest course of action. The ship remained untouched for the most part. She could only be thankful Baji was temporarily paralyzed rather than knocked out.
Had she been in a better mood, she would've had some snarky banter to share with the two. But she decided to stick to purely business this time around; any opening against her could lead to her death. She tapped her feet gently against the wood of the ship before disappearing, re-appearing directly in front of the enemy ship. Her jaw opened wide, and poison began to condense inside of it before being shot out at high pressure towards the Legion Pirates ship.
The Marine's choice did not give Romulus a single second to think about what to do; the choice was obvious. He could have quietly defended his allies from the attack but instead chose to go directly over the marine's ship at the same instant that Aphrodite did the same to reach the Legion Pirates' ship.
There was a single and substantial difference between the two cases, both were attacking but only one ship had an ice angel ready to defend it.
As Aphrodite attacked, Romulus did the same on the other side, a sphere of pure condensed thunder shone brighter than a star and was ready to be swooped down on the marine ship, exploding in a huge chaos of lightning aimed at knocking out all subordinates on it and setting the ship on fire, leaving the poneglyph alone to await its fate.
Just as Aphrodite appeared before the ship so did Baal at her side. As the high pressure jet of poison shot from her mouth did Baal freeze it solid, with an hand coated haki did Baal grab ahold of the now jagged poison jet and attempted to shove the sharp sheet back into the Rear Admiral's mouth.
"What a disgusting power, Kirimoto. Do you kiss your mother with those toxic lips?"
However, Aphrodite, ever the observant fighter, saw Romulus approaching her own ship. With her left hand, she flicked her wrist up. The cloud of gas surrounding the ship moved up and intercepted Romulus, revealing the type she had admitted prior. Without wanting to harm her subordinate marines, she had emitted a cloud of potent paralyzing gas. The same type she had used to incapacitate Baji in fact. Before Romulus could even get his attack out, the gas rapidly expanded and covered the man in its thick and heavy smell, leaving him to his fate.
On the other ship however, Aphrodite was being forced to go blow to blow with Baal, which was the absolute last thing she wanted. She coated her right hand in the color of armament, feeling it run down her hand and pulsate strongly with her willpower. As the Haki bloomed, she swept her hand upward, slicing the frozen poison in half before it could spear her mouth. She tapped her foot against the air, dashing to the side of the poison popsicle. With a brief flex of the muscles in her arm, she launched a point blank air slash at Baal, cracking the floorboards of the ship as it soared the short distance towards Baal.
Baal threw her haki coated arms up in an X shape across her head, tucking in her body in preperation for the attack. Feeling it slam against her buso hardened arms it cut her sweater and shoulders as it passed by, drawing first blood against the Angel of the Legion.
“As if it were not expected, give me more marine juuu!!!” Romulus said, avoiding at the last moment that the poison cloud hit him, his feet turned bright blue lightning made him walk toward the sky, although it happened so fast that it seemed like reverse lightning.
Once he got far enough away he fired his shot that went through the cloud in an instant, leaving a huge hole in the center of it with the shockwave generated, the fate of the marine ship was sealed.
With her left hand, Aphrodite moved the liquid poison surrounding the based ship into a bubble to protect the ship from Romulus’ attack, her eye glowed red, the color of armament flourishing in her eye, allowing her to perform the counter far quicker than she would’ve otherwise. The liquid bubble strained against the lightning, absorbing the electricity before exploding and sending droplets of electrified poison flying in the vicinity.
While Aphrodite wasn’t there on the ship to give the marines orders, they remembered the orders that had been given prior. Charges detonated under the Poneglyph on the ship, causing it to fall under the water, plummeting to the bottom of the ocean. At the very least they could stop the pirates from getting to it in the scenario their commander was defeated.
Witnessing the scene from above, Romulus saw the light under the ship and heard the thump that caused the Poneglyph to begin falling into the open sea, a suicidal move that rendered the ship unusable now that it had a large hole in the bottom. Turning toward Baal, Romulus shouted with all his might, “BAAAAAAL!!! THEY ARE SENDING THE PONEGLYPH TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA JUUU!!! GIVE IT A GOOD SHOT JUUU!!!”
Baal tore away her ruined sweater revealing the Legion breastplate hidden beneath it before hearing Romulus' words. "Tch, you've got to be kidding. Kirimoto! Whatever do you hope to gain by letting it sink to the bottom of the sea? What game are you playing at?!" She yelled at the Rear Admiral before taking off toward the marine ship, unsure what Aphrodite's motives for such an action could possibly be.
Aphrodite caught her breath for a moment. Her subordinates truly had remembered her command. “I have no reason to explain my actions to you two pirate scum. If by doing this I prevent the poneglyph from being taken just a bit longer, so be it.” The Rear Admiral said towards the pair of pirates.
The marines all still had their floatation devices, however, if they were effective in the rough sea compared to the calmer shore waters was unsure. But the pirates that were now on her ship were incredibly dangerous, and allowing them to loiter on the ship could result in her comrades deaths. In a blink of an eye, Aphrodite appeared on the marine ship yet again, forming poison from her hands into a small ball. But she didn’t attack, just waited.
"I see, so you're the 'whatever it takes for the cause' type, hm? I suppose the explains the genocide. Here I thought we might be birds of a feather in that regard! I expected too much of a World Government dog." Baal spat as she flew, her aim was not the ship itself but more over, directly beneath it. "Romulus! Keep the girl busy, I'll see to the poneglyph as only I can."
And with her order given did she touch the water and with that did the ship begin to rise rapidly into the air. A pillar of ice as wide and long as the ship began to ascend from the sea and as the pillar rose so too did the poneglyph encased within. Once it breeched the surface of the water and she was sure that it was not lost to the depths she stopped freezing the waters below causing the ice pillar to begin to sway from side to side as it now floated precariously high above the sea and the sheet of ice that rested between the two ships.
“Finally, let's kick off the dance jujuju!” Romulus said grasping his greatsword, shiny as ever, the Irae Martis, the ferocity of the god of war made blade.
"RAIDEN!!!" Romulus shouted as an enormous amount of lightning created a shining elongation of the sword now larger than the ship itself and pointed skyward. SWOOOM, like a flash the gladiator hurled a giant slash toward the marines, the reach would cut far beyond the ship, even beyond the ice islet on which it was stuck.
"Ah.. Shit. She saved the Poneglyph. That could've gone better." Aphrodite thought as she watched the red monument be extracted from the water, covered in the powerful ice. She decided to focus on the boy. Baal seemed focused enough on the Poneglyph, and Romulus' continued attacking the ship was a major issue. She tapped her foot against the air softly before her image faded, appearing directly above and behind Romulus, her after-image still dissipating slowly above the water below. Her elbow covered itself in the Color of Armament, before she moved it to try and strike Romulus squarely in the back.
The Marine did not deign to consider Romulus' attack, which created a large area of destruction as she sprang into the sky to attack him. "Hmm? Fuck!!!" Romulus shouted bringing his sword behind his back to cushion the blow, although he succeeded in his intent he could not escape from a very fast fall against the icebergs that had risen as a result of his attack. If before the clash was between two ships on a small island of ice, now of ship there was only one and the sea was again visible with many ice blocks scattered everywhere.
"Cough Cough, heheh, it's starting to get going then!!! Very well I accept the challenge! BAAL CAN YOU REFREEZE EVERYTHING? I DON'T WANT TO JUMP HERE AND THERE, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE CONFRONTATION IS BETWEEN ME AND HER! I DON'T ACCEPT INTERFERENCE!!!" Romulus shouted after some coughing fits from the fall.
"Tch!" The sound escaped Baal's lips at the snarky remarks of the bastard of Caesar, "Don't tell me what you will and won't accept, Boy! But if you insist on going head to head with the Admiral's brat then by all means. Wear her down for me, not that I need it!" She spoke, touching hand to water and purposely choosing to go overboard.
In the blink of an eye the sea would have become liken to a tundra, even from heights on high all that would be seen is ice stretching far and beyond. Not just above this time but below, thick and not so easily melted or shattered as before. Sea life below them suspended in her ice and on its surface the warm sea breeze carried on it the chilling artic bite of the cold.
"This is your arena! Make your mark here, Romulus!" She spoke as she was making her way back toward their own ship.
”What the..” Aphrodite mumbled to herself, watching as the sea solidified farther than even her own sight could see. She knew of Baal’s abilities, sure. But she didn’t realize they extended this far. She jumped back down to the ice below, shaking her hand off after hitting it on Romulus’ blade.
As she hit the ice, her body began producing the thick liquid poison. It spread out on the ice quickly, covering it in a layer of the viscous liquid. Not only would this slow down the movement of anyone walking across it, but if it touched their skin, it would inflict them with a debilitating paralytic. She then thrust her finger forward, sending a barrage of hardened poison daggers flying towards Romulus. She awaited atop her venomous paradise for Romulus to make his move.
Romulus' body was now in a soft position as if he had let go, a magnetic gaze toward his opponent, and his hand mimicked the shape of a gun that sparked with electricity, finally pointing it at his forehead. "Hoy, purple witch, do you think you have the upper hand with miserable poison? Tell the others, for I am not the others, BANG!"
BZZZZZZZZ
In a tempestuous explosion, Romulus transformed into his hybrid form, a perfect form that matched his characteristics, extreme speed with a body that did not become large and monstrous like other zoans. A werewolf of storms, his body was electricity, his claws sprouted energy, his three long tails hovered in the wind, and his drums were ready to roar.
His drums floated in a row in front of him, each one releasing electric pulses until all four of them stuck, "Listen to the roar of a real storm, KODO GONG!!!"
A lightning fist struck the row of drums from which an immense electric shockwave departed.
BOOOOOM
The air cracked and buckled as the shockwave approached, slamming into her. But she stood her ground. Her hair blew in the wind, followed closely by her clothes flapping rapidly. But the Rear Admiral remained unflinching. Using her Devil Fruit, she had constructed a makeshift shield of poison directly in front of her when she saw Romulus begin to enter his hybrid form. She condensed it to the point imbuing it with Busoshoku Haki was possible, and held it in front of her. But despite the barricades, she was still pushed back multiple feet from the sheer power of the shockwave, and the after effects of the electricity spread through her fingers, singing her arms.
When the attack was over, she dropped the shield, allowing the poison to combine with the rest along the frozen floor. “That’s one hell of form and attack you have, slimy little bastard. I know of a few marines who would make great use of that fruit!” Aphrodite said to Romulus, shouting so her voice could be heard by the man suspended in the air. “But you can’t stay up there forever. Why don’t you come down and fight me like a man. Unless you’re afraid!?” The Marine taunted the pirate, hoping to bring him down to a more even playing field.
To further taunt the man into coming down from his elevated position, Aphrodite began to fashion an attack. She whirled her hands around, manipulating the poison resting on the ice into a long and thick rope. The front of the rope shaped itself into the head of a horrendous snake, foul fangs forming in a twisted mouth. She gathered the amalgamation around her fist before launching it in Romulus’ direction, the size of the attack growing exponentially as it grew. “HALF-CRESCENT SNAKE ROPE” Aphrodite roared as she sent the attack flying into the air.
“Just HALF? Do you think you're facing a cheap pirate or what?” Romulus joked as from his right arm thunders roared mightily until they took the shape of a blade. A technique that was inspired by his father's way of fighting but adapted to Romulus' style, although it was a sword it could have concealed the spear art that dominates in the family. “Gladius Lamentorum.”
ZAP! Like the instantaneous descent of a bolt of lightning Romulus had the blade penetrate from the snake's mouth and continue along its entire length. A clean cut that broke the marine's attack in two burning the venom wherever it was cut, now that same blade aimed to reach her throat.
The Rear Admiral saw the lightning blade soaring towards her, watching as the blazing attack moved towards her. Truthfully she didn’t expect the lightning to be so versatile, however, she wasn’t close to being done. The poison had redirected bits of the electricity, and the closest current was her own body. Before she could remove her body from the poison fully, the electricity stung her arms. Her clothes crackled with the stray lightning remains, and the hair on her skin burned slightly.
But as Aphrodite pulled away, her foot tapped the ground. Ten times. The Soru activated, leaving an afterimage in her wake. The attack from Romulus struck its mark on her afterimage, and had she been just a few moments too late, the attack would’ve struck her actual throat. Splinters of ice blew up into the air next to Aphrodite, the lightning exploding on contact with the frozen landscape. She inhaled the salty air, allowing the blood to pump through her body. This is what she was made for.
“I KNOW I’m facing a cheap pirate! No strong man would rely on god powers to aid him in battle!” Aphrodite jeered at Romulus, trying to coerce him into getting closer. Her wounds ached in pain, screaming for the vague release of rest. But she couldn’t let herself focus on it now; this was one of the most important battles of her life. She had to make quick work of Romulus before moving on to Baal.
Aphrodite twisted her arms, and the two halves of the separated attack followed. They grew in size, taking in poison from the ground, which was replenished from her own seemingly endless supply. The halves of the dragon-like attack swirled around each other, each one forming another serpentine head on the front. They bounced away from each other, and with a powerful thrust of her arms, Aphrodite sent the two attacks at Romulus one more. “QUARTERED CRESCENT OF THE VILE SERPENT!!”She roared, allowing the attack to go through. The two separated sides of the attack attacked Romulus from both of his own sides, hoping to catch him in his blind spots.
“Powers of god...said the one who wants to be strong because she has a lethal trick, get back to your seat, marine, fighting is for fighters! GRAAAAWR!!!” Romulus responded by launching himself directly toward the attack without worrying about being hit.
“She is too sure of the efficacy of her poison, this will leave her exposed, it will be a hard blow that I have to hold back to succeed in my purpose, the nerves are already nice and overloaded, I will just have to hold on before making the whole body work for detoxification. Fwoooo, go Romulus, no one jumps into danger like you do!” Romulus thought before launching himself toward Aphrodite.
"Gladius Lamentorum: Geminus Fulgur" Romulus said now with a second thunder sword sticking out of his other arm. CRACK, the ice beneath his feet cracked with the force of his jump, launching and spinning on itself with the twin swords stretched forward, it looked like a sharp tornado of thunders that easily penetrated along Aphrodite's attack, vaporized venom spread and several amounts of liquid penetrated the spaces between the blades only to evaporate on contact with Romulus' electric body, yet...
Romulus successfully arrived on top of Aphrodite ready to bring the blades down on her body, and when they were about to strike, BLEEARGH, Romulus vomited some blood, the swords dissipated, and his hybrid form seemed to be sucked into his body leaving him suspended in the void awaiting his fate.
Aphrodite stared down at Romulus, disappointed. The man had the powers of deities, yet succumbed oh so quickly. She spat out a handful of words at the boy. “Leave the fighting for fighters you say? You’re right. Let’s leave it to them, how about that.” The Rear Admiral said, hateful as ever. She brought her sleeves up to her mouth, wiping coughed up blood from her face.
“Gross.”
Her eye flashed red, her Kenbunshoku activating, and allowing her to view Romulus’ strength levels. Normally they would be solid, allowing her to gauge a persons health by how strong their “aura” was. But Romulus’ was fluctuating sporadically, leaving it to be impossible to tell what the true answer was.
With that in mind, Aphrodite raised her hand. She would prefer to not have to kill one of Caesar’s children as to not incur his wrath. But the Road Poneglyph was more important in this scenario. She stuck her finger out, aiming it at Romulus. “Shigan.” Her finger soared towards the pirate, aiming to put an end to him on the spot.
A big smile unfolded on Romulus' face, “Gotcha jujujuju!!!” He said grabbing the marine's hand and arm immediately transforming into hybrid form. His long tails were ready to grab other parts of the marine's body if necessary, and meanwhile the electricity coursing through him would be a problem for anyone who touched him.
Wiping a trickle of blood near his mouth with his tongue, Romulus began to glow brighter and brighter while keeping a firm grip on the Marine. “A very hard bet but a fair price to pay to be able to touch you!!! You had to look to the sky because a star came down. SUPERNOVA!!!”
CRAAAAACK BOOOOM
An immense glow was what remained visible of Romulus, now emanating an extreme wave of lightning.
“Damnit! I should’ve known better!” Aphrodite said to herself in her head. The ploy was all too obvious looking back, but the thrill of the fight clouded her judgment too harshly. The electricity coating Romulus harming her greatly. She felt the heat singe her skin, the attack causing her muscles to tighten painfully. This could’ve been avoided had she been smarter, she thought to herself. But her resolve was like no other. Her mind steeled itself, pushing through her limits and past the pain.
She breathed heavily, poisonous gas pouring out of her nose and mouth in massive waves, billowing as it blew. She has Romulus in close quarters now. Right where she thrived. Through the pain, she broke free from Romulus’ arm grabbing her own. Before Romulus could reach, she brought her hands forward in front of her, and right in front of Romulus.
The air around them boomed and roared as an incredibly powerful and intense shockwave emitted from Aphrodite’s hands. The sound and the very air itself seemed to warp as the power flew from her hands and towards Romulus. Her clothes and hair flapped voraciously in the shockwave emitted by the attack, and all the blood and dirt coating her skin blew away. The ice beneath their feet threatened to cave, the vibrations from the move shaking and cracking the ice as it roared through both of their ears. This was the ultimate technique of Rokushiki. And the power it exerted proved just that.
“Huh? How the fuck are you still moving ju?!” This time catching him by surprise he barely managed to put his haki-covered arms in front of him for protection.
BOOOOM
The wave hurled Romulus dozens and dozens of meters into the distance, destroying several icebergs in its path until it stopped at a distant one after losing speed.
Romulus looked almost carefree up into the sky, a new trickle of blood flowing from his mouth as his body tried to burn and neutralize the poison as quickly as possible. “COFF COFF!!! At this rate I won't last much longer ju...it's all or nothing ju..” Romulus said as he reached out a hand toward the cloudy sky and threw a thunderbolt at them.
ZZZZZ CRACK!!!
Overbearingly, the clouds charged and stood menacingly waiting. “OOOOI MARINE JU!!! GIVE ME YOUR 100% OR LEAVE YOUR LIFE ON THIS ICE JU!!!” Romulus shouted with all his might, now bright as a star again and increasingly charged. “Come on wolf, like dad!!! REACH IT!!! NOVA LUX!!!”
With his body at full electrical capacity now Romulus was ready to unleash his full speed, he grabbed his Irae Martis infusing as much Busoshoku Haki as he could. The black sword surrounded by stormy light was held firmly, in Romulus' eyes only the marine tremendously distant from him, but it would only take a moment. “Gladius Lamentorum: Imperium Caelorum!!!”
An instant snap brought the werewolf star straight toward the marine, and a slash was already in her direction, unstoppable in its entire movement.
Aphrodite’s eyes flashed red, her Kenbunshoku Haki taking over once more. The oncoming attack was quite clear. Romulus’s attack damaged her greatly. She couldn’t fight much longer without performing some sort of makeshift first aid. Her muscles ached with the forced tension of the electricity, and the singing pain of the heat nearly scorching her skin.
She had one shot to blast away Romulus, or she would lose the battle right here and right now. It was all or nothing. If she failed here it was all for naught.
She closed her eyes, remembering what it felt like mere hours ago to use the ability for the first time. She remembered what Ehuang had told her, and how Baji had used it. She breathed slowly, focusing, preparing. Her hands bloomed with the brimming black aura of the color of armament, reaching from the edges of her elbows to the tips of her fingers. The air sparkled and cracked, her sheer willpower forcing its way into existence.
Her hands shook, the cold of the ice and the adrenaline pumping through her body making control all the harder. But she pressed on. She clenched her fist, blood dripping from her hand as she closed it.
Aphrodite opened her eyes, the wolf-like Romulus directly in front of her now. At that instant, the attack happened. Her armament Haki flowed out of her hand, creating an invisible, but incredibly powerful force of attack. She punched straight forward, her fist traveling at a blinding speed towards the lightning wolf. If connected properly, the fight should end here.
It was a single moment of absolute silence, and then ...
WHOOOOOOOOOOOM
Romulus' determined slash, certain to strike, collided against an invisible impact releasing such force that the icy air in the area flew away as if in a blizzard. “How the fuck is this possible, I MUST HIT YOU, I MUST HIT YOU, I MUST HIT YOU JUUUU!!! DIE, ALL OF YOU!!!” Romulus shouted, his eyes totally white in a state of immense rage, giving in to the murderous instinct of the beast of his fruit.
Jolted away by the impact of the two attacks, the wolf sailed skyward in the blink of an eye until it entered the thunderclouds. “COFF COFF, sky, listen to my command and roar with me!!!” Romulus said spitting out more blood while holding high his immensely electrified sword and all the thunder from the clouds to gather around it creating his own giant version of thunder.
In Romulus' mind was the image of all his brothers, of his father himself, and him mocked for his choice to use a sword as a weapon while wanting to resemble his father...none of them understood. “Useless garbage, weak, combat is blood to the last drop, what would you like to represent of our father? Surrender yourself...NONE OF YOU EVER REALIZED!!! THERE'S A REASON MY STYLE IS THE WAILING OF A SWORD JUUU.... huff huff, ehhhheh, this is not a sword...” Romulus thought aloud about all these moments and gave him the last charge he needed by resuming command of himself. The image of the absolute "Dominatio Hastae" used by his father was in front of him and disappeared in a glow of absolute light that made his eyes shine.
"...this is my blade, and I AM THE SPEAR!!! FALL FROM HEAVEN WITH YOUR BLOODY CRY!!! THIS IS GLADIUS ROMULUS!!!
A titanic spear of thunder with the Irae Martis loaded with haki at its base descended from the sky, routing all the clouds and revealing the sun's rays on the vastness of ice on which the battle was taking place.
Baal sat upon the railing of the Legion ship, her soldiers all scrambling for some sort of cover from the massive attack that was being launched. But Baal herself simply pulled a knee up to her chest as she watched the chaos unfold. This was a test for Romulus, one that failing might very well mean death. Her hair blew in the wind as the attack careened toward the ground heating the air and compressing it with sheer size alone.
She made note of his ability, strong, plenty of potential, more than she expected. But his attitude and composure were lacking, nothing she couldn't fix.
"How will you respond, Kirimoto?" Baal spoke to none but herself, keeping her eyes focused on the two combatants, using kenbunshoku to see what the naked eye could not.
Aphrodite watched intently as Romulus screamed and roared as he ascended into the sky, the lights emitted by the boy’s body created a brilliant spectacle of light and sound. It was gorgeous. The electricity flicked and screamed through the sky, hissing as it burnt even the clouds above. This pirate was strong. Even she couldn’t deny such a fact, and the sheer of the attack would’ve stunned her had it not been for the litres of adrenaline pumping through her veins, aided by the overdrive the electricity pushed into her.
As she saw Romulus begin to climb, her arms pushed up, collecting all the poison she could from around her. She drew in the poison that had fallen from his attacks, the poison left on the ice, and the mass amounts of poison she was producing from her body. And suddenly in an instant it all turned a deep, deep red. She couldn’t flee from Romulus’ final attack. But she would make sure he regretted it.
All of the deep red poison twisted and twirled into a long, slithering rope. It’s head grew and bulged, making out the detailed features of a serpentine beast once more. The gaping maw opened wide, and horns jutted out harshly. Scales prickled and popped along the back, and the eyes of the poisonous attack seemed to even glow with lethal intensity. With a thrust of her arm, Aphrodite launched the attack.
This one had a simple name, yes, but it was one of her best moves she could utilize. She screamed out the name of the attack, her voice reverberating through the air.
The serpent boomed through the air as it soared towards Romulus, meeting the stunning attack in the middle of the air in a glorious display of power. She had no way to tell what it would do to Romulus, but if she played her cards right, she would have won the battle against the boy.
“Fuck yeah! Use all of yourself, and fail miserably with your poison! JUUUUU!!!” Romulus shouted, his titanic spear evaporating the poison; it was clear from the beginning that there would be no way to overpower something so great.
With consecutive explosions the spear continued its path along the marine's attack, Romulus' eyes white, he was there but he was also in a trance, his grip tight on the sword and an infinity of electricity forming the giant spear. He was ready, a spear must be thrown and he did...Zap...a single black line crossed the storm, a black lightning bolt in the midst of all the others, yet it was only his sword charged with every drop of haki he had left. Its passage exploded everything in a grandiose wave of thunder, his attack no longer there, Aphrodite's attack vaporized in a cloud of poison gas, but from the beginning the sword was thrown without aim by a Romulus who felt the last effects of the previous poison.
The Irae Martis landed on the ice with a catastrophic blow and Romulus fell not too far from his ship. Crick...crick...CRACK...BOOOOM!!! In the end, the victim who suffered its full force was the endless expanse of ice on which now a giant crack was spreading really fast in every direction relentlessly threatening to drop everyone into the water without proper balance. Romulus smiled at the sky... “...Yo Baal, did I leave my mark? Jujujuju...” and said with his last breath before losing consciousness with blood pouring out of his mouth. In the end, defeat was his.
A visible mist blew across the ice as Baal appeared at Romulus' side, she looked down upon the man with a cold gaze that gave off not the slightest hint of sympathy for the man. Though her words carried a softer tone than her icy eyes, "Aye," She responded. "You did well, Romulus, better than I expected. The brat was just little more than you could handle. But you've put her through the wringer, you can rest now."
Baal reached down and with a touch did ice encompass the man, freezing him solid so that any poison or wounds would not get any worse while she finished up here.
With Romulus frozen she looked up to the rear admiral, staring her down like a lioness might a wounded zebra. "Kirimoto, with all that has occured here could you not in some sense call it a victory for you? Hand over the road poneglyph to me and return to Marineford with the prisoner Baji in tow, no one will blame you for losing the poneglyph once you tell them who took it from you. I offer this mercy to you only this once, a gesture of good faith as you've done me a great favor today in sharpening the skills of the little bastard here. I will not extend this olive branch again and you are in no state to refuse."
Baal nodded up to the woman, "What say you?"
Aphrodite stood on the ice, back to square one. She was weak from not only the fight with Romulus, but still from the encounter with Baji. Her breath was heavy, and her posture was horrid. She was clearly fighting to just stand. But she was prideful. She refused to back down and surrender this object to filthy pirate scum. She may not understand the details of it just yet, but she knew just how important it truly was.
She looked down at Baal, staring at her over the bridge of her nose. She panted as she stood there. She didn’t want Baal’s mercy. She wanted Baal’s head. Aphrodite spoke, her two spoken words heavy and drawn out, but still dripped with the venom she had become known for.
“Fuck off.”
Cold Embrace[]
In the wake of Aphrodite's harsh words Baal's face did not show anger. Rather, it became blank, almost bored. "Bravery is a virtue, Kirimoto." The Angel rose to her feet as she stared down the woman. "But do not mistake your actions for that, this is foolishness plain and simple. When I take your life the Pigs you gave your life for won't even remember your name, I doubt they even know it to begin with. A nobody in someone else's game, this isn't checkmate you aren't even across the board. This is a queen taking a pawn."
Baal crossed her arms over her chest, cold radiated from her body like an arctic blast as icy claws formed over her forearms and hands before they were coated in black busoshoku haki. "If you truly do not fear me then I do hope you take comfort in knowing that you will die braver than most."
And with that she swung her arms outward and as the frosty wind hit the ice jagged spikes began to form in a line directly toward Aphrodite. Baal never taking her eyes off of the woman as the attack loudly cracked and expanded.
Aphrodite herself didn’t have the highest opinion of the Celestial Dragons Baal was referring to herself, and she hated them being brought up in the discussion. But she had to keep her composure. Any sign of weakness would be used against her, especially with an opponent like Baal.
Aphrodite steadied her voice, and addressed the pirate again. “It is entirely naive of you to even assume I do this for those World Nobles. Everything I do, everything I strive for, it’s to protect people who can’t protect themselves from filthy pirates like you.” She said it proudly, even through the pain coursing through her body. “And don't use chess analogies. It’s stupid.”
She registered the spikes coming towards her. Her body still ached with pain, but she was able to respond in time. She jumped off of the ice, flipping through the air and over the ice spikes, narrowly dodging the attack. As she flew over the spikes, she flicked her wrist forward, sending out a barrage of hardened poison daggers towards Baal, each one coated with her brimming Busoshoku Haki.
"Uncultured swine." Baal spoke as Aphrodite dissed her chess analogy, her eyes followed the woman as she dodged over the attack and took to the air. As the daggers were sent out, Baal swung her hand in front of her and as she did the wind itself froze in a sheet which contained the busoshoku coated daggers.
"Like the Preta Tribe? Your words and actions don't match up. You're a hypcrite just like all the others. You claim to protect the weak and the innocent but you're the personal army of a group of elites. If you had half a clue that sorts of things they do to pretty little things like you and me up there in the Holy land you'd think me an Angel by comparison. But you don't want facts, you want comforting lies. I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place."
Baal struck out her palm towards the sheet of ice in front of her, shattering it out and sending the icy shards flying toward Aphrodite, her own daggers included. "Thin Ice Breaker." Baal named her attack.
”You think I don’t know that, Baal?! You think I don’t know that the people on top of the world are vile pigs that should be condemned to hell?!?” Aphrodite shouted at Baal, her face clearly conveying the anger and frustration she felt. The last thing she wanted was to fight a goddamn Yonko commander. And the commentary from her wasn’t helping at all. “But if people like me don’t try and protect the little people out there, just who will?!”
She thought back to the incident on Graveyard Island. The memories from that horrible day flashed through her mind. Poisoning the unpoisonable marine’s mind with their gruesome imagery. She tried to bury it away. To forget about the pain she caused on that terrible day. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t lie to herself and just cast it aside like it was nothing more than an accident. She alone had to shoulder the burden it carried. It hurt to hear her being accused of all of the innocent deaths. But it was her duty. Shortcomings aside, she refused to simply stop there. She pressed on.
Even through the pain and exhaustion, Aphrodite’s resolute determination continued to shine through like a glimmering star through the void. She shared back at Baal, facing her with a renewed face. This was her time to shine.
“Even through the shit I’ve messed up on, I promise you, I will be the hero the little people out there deserve.”
After she had finished speaking, Aphrodite saw Baal counter her attack with the sheet of ice. Baal was fast. Faster than she had anticipated. Dodging wouldn’t be an option for most of their battle in her current state. Quickly activating Tekkai, Aphrodite crossed her arms across her chest. The various shards of ice and frozen poison hit her skin, but none punctured through, her tensed muscles carrying her through the attack. However. The pressure from the attack sent her flying through the air. After the initial launch, she plummeted out of the sky, landing onto the ice like a dense rock.
Aphrodite was unsure of how to fight Baal. Poisons would almost surely be ineffective. If Baal could freeze the daggers so easily, why would she not be able to do the same with her other attacks. So Aphrodite chose a more traditional method. After landing on the ground, she issued a command to the ship suspended in the air. Despite the fact it was a common pirate sloop, the cannons were still functional and intact. She issued a command to the men still on the ship, ordering them to rain cannonballs non stop across the battlefield. If Aphrodite played her cards right, the smoke from the explosives should give her time to shatter the ice and flee with the ship.
"Your words reveal ignorance, girl. By choice or not who am I to say?! But if they deserve to be condemed then why not condemn them with your own two hands, hm? You have the power, the moral high ground, but you lack the will." Baal refuted Aphrodite's words as the sounds of cannons began to fire off around them. The metallic munitions bombarded the ice. Small pockets formed where they landed but the ice did not give way as the air grew chiller until snow began to fall from the sky.
Baal threw up her hands to the side as though embracing the oncoming cold with open arms. "You ask who if not you? Do you even look at those you call your enemy, Kirimoto? The Dread King cares not for this petty game of pirate and marine, he only seeks a world where giants have the same rights as you humans and yet the government brands him with labels like pirate and Yonko! The Black Light, the glorius King of Dressrosa bathes his people in comfort and love, none goes hungry, not a cough goes untreated, not a soul cold, and yet your World Government considers him a danger to all?! The same World Government that enslaves the giants of the Dread King, the same World Govenment who lets their people go cold and hungry while bowing to every whim of those fat pigs who by your own words deserve nothing less than hell!"
"Where is justice in that? Where is hope for the little guy? And before you point the finger at me say 'and what of you? how many have you killed'? Hundreds, maybe thousands by this point. I do not see the future that Ceasar sees, the world he wishes to create has no place for me. I am but a necessary evil he puts up with, an angel of death that does what must be done to further his goals. In some ways you and I aren't so different but at least when all is said and done the future offered by the Blacklight is one that looks out for the little guy. Dressrosa is a paradise on Earth and frankly it sickens me, but you? It should be everything you've ever wanted." She held up her hand, the bellowing smoke from the cannon fire froze into dark pillars of ice.
"Powerful but ignorant, it will be your downfall if not by my hands then anothers I've no doubt about it.
Aphrodite winced in pain, adrenaline wearing off as she stood there. She listened intently to Baal. She spoke powerful words, yes. But Aphrodite’s resolve was ever firm in her beliefs. She knew full well Dressrosa wasn’t a paradise. But pirates couldn’t tell the difference between Heaven and Hell given the chance after all.
“Frankly. I don’t give a shit about what you have to say. I won’t humor you,” She spat out the words, disgusted with Baal. “But trust me. Dressrosa will fall.”
Of more concern to Aphrodite however was the odd ability Baal displayed. She had heard tales of her power, yes. But she didn’t realize it was to this extent. It was clear. One wrong move and she would lose this fight.
The cannonballs were a noble thought. But they were dismissed like nothing. Expected, but still surprising. Aphrodite pulled out her trump card. Her safest bet.
Out from all bits of skin on her body came massive amounts of thick purple poison. It wrapped around her, twisting and shaping itself into a new form. The construct of poison that had been freshly created towered over the ice, and Aphrodite resided in the middle of it. The thing the poison had formed was a monstrous beast, having the proportions of a normal man, but more monstrous. The pseudo arms ended in poisonous talons, and the faked head bore a serpentine appearance.
“Doku no Yoroi.”
The armors arms lurched forward, aiming their fingers at Baal. Suddenly, all ten of them launched out at the Angel. They soared through the air, cutting through it with sharp precision as they aimed to implant poison in the woman.
"Everything will eventually, Kirimoto. Dressrosa later, you now." Baal spoke as the poison fangs flew toward her, Baal releasing an aura of freezing cold air around her which froze the poison as it entered the area of effect. Baal raising her wings like a buso coated shield which the frozen poison bullets clinked off of, falling to the ground.
And with that Baal's wings flew open sending frozen wind slashes in two separate directions, one toward Kirimoto and the other towards the icy pillar upon which the ship sat stop of. The icy sickle wouldn't actually be enough to break through the pillar, but Kirimoto didn't need to know that. Baal knew she'd likely choose to try and save the people on the ship. It was the greatest weakness of those with morals, though it was her own fault for bringing them into the fight. She would have ignored them had they not began their cannon bombardment.
The massive suits arms reached out, swiftly catching the frozen slash in its poisonous embrace. It froze the poison instantly, stopping it from advancing further. But the now solid masses of poison were rendered useless from the chill of the Angel. They dropped to the ground, shattering once they touched the ice below. But in their place, a pair of new ones created themselves easily.
The other slash continued on to the ship, Aphrodite not having enough time to react to it. She slightly panicked. Being trapped in this forsaken sea with no ship would be less than ideal. But the little effect it had on the pillar brought a pained grin to her face.
Out from the beast’s venomous ‘head’ came a cloud of poison. It was thick, and it was heavy. It was a constant outpour of the horrid smelling fog, polluting the fighter’s sight and their lungs. It billowed and rolled, spreading across the battlefield, and sharing its poisonous wishes. It reached into even the sky above, blotting out the sunlight as the atmosphere became grim and decrepit. And Aphrodite remained in the beast she has formed, floating safely in its middle.
Baal couldn't help but grin as well, a white toothy smile that made her look more like a devil than an angel. "So you called my bluff? There's a chill in that heart of yours yet. It warms mine, truthfully. Or perhaps you were too weak to help them even if you wanted to? It would explain whatever this monstrosity is supposed to be." Baal watched as the poison cloud closed in, "Is this the monster a reflection of your true self, Kirimoto? It's so very ugly."
She reached out, and just before the poison fog reached her hand did it begin to freeze. For a moment it almost appeared as though it would freeze slowly before in a flash it had raced towards Aphrodite and the poison armor she'd encased herself in. "You've formed your own coffin, how courteous of you. Feel the cold embrace of death."
“No, witch. It is not me calling your bluff. I fully believed you were sinking the vessel. But these men are noble, honorable men. They have signed up knowing this is their duty, and they have behaved honorably. Any casualties were truly for a noble cause.” The Rear Admiral said, her voice penetrating the venomous consecutive she had created. “And maybe that is really the case. Perhaps my heart is burdened with the sins I have committed. Maybe all I do is simply a way to justify my actions? A savior complex even. But does it really matter if in the end I’m helping the world?”
As Aphrodite was speaking she saw Baal reach forward and touch the gas. She began to almost instantly swim upward through the construct, but it was to no avail. The ice began to spread and freeze the poison and gas, encapsulating Aphrodite in its chilling grasp just before she could reach the zenith of the construct.
As she remained frozen inside of the ice, she began to think to herself. “Is this it? My journey, my crusade, is it all truly over here? I mean.. It can’t be. Can it? Could Baal really have overtaken me that quickly?” Aphrodite tried to breath inside the ice as she felt her skin begin to harden. Her mind clouded over, freezing even any coherent thought she could piece together. A plan to escape was infeasible to think of, much less perform. But her mind flashed back to all of the events that had occurred to her. The lives she failed to save. The lives she “took” unrightfully. This wasn’t the end of her story.
But just as her consciousness began to fade, the ice cracked. It was small at first, but through an unseen pressure, the cracks and gaps grew even bigger and larger. They bellowed and boomed, creaking as chunks of the freezing substance fell off onto the frozen sea. As Aphrodite was freed from the icy prison, the dark purple lighting coursing through the arena made what was happening was made blatantly clear.
The skies above seemed to split open wide, clouds separating as the floor the pair stood on buckled under the weight of her newly found ability. The very same Color of Kings she had felt so many times before. But unlike others, her own aura carried with a horrible sense of dread. Of fear and cruelty. A reflection of her own true nature, one she vehemently denied and hid away. But through her extraordinary willpower, it shined through anyway.
The purple effect of Haoshoku continued to shine through the area as Aphrodite rose above the ice, flying through the sky with Geppo. The excitement of finally unlocking the ability she had worked so hard for filled her with excitement, and new found adrenaline. She felt like she could fight forever. Aphrodite was truly one with her own spirit now.
Baal watched silently at the display of Haoshoku awakening, it was not her first time seeing it and it was surely not going to be her last either but it was among the strongest awakenings she'd seen to date. The power of the supreme king was always a sight to behold, the birth of a power so few held, being the cause of it always fueled her ego. After all, if she could consistently push others into the one percent where did that place her? The one percent among the one percent?
A wicked grin formed on her face, seeing the woman flying through the air having clearly gotten a second wind from the awakening. Now the fight could begin proper.
"They say it is in the moment before death that we show our true colors and here you show the color of the conqueror, the power of the supreme king! You must be elated, no?!" Baal shouted up toward Kirimoto as the ice of the frozen poison beast fell around her.
Spreading her wings wide, Baal kicked up from the groud, flying toward the Rear Admiral at great speeds. "Bare your fangs, Kirimoto! Let us clash our colors!" Baal spoke, black lightning releasing from her body, crackling through the air as she released a wave of haoshoku toward the recently awakened Aphrodite.
“Yes.. I am more than elated,” Aphrodite spoke softly. “Yet.. I can't help but feel disgusted. How could a mere.. pirate, drive me to this point? This edge of sheer desperation.. Of pain. Dancing with death, for what..?” Despite having unlocked the extraordinarily rare Color of Kings, she was forced to consider what brought her here with the lucidity from the ability. Why did she do all of what she did? Was it really to protect people as he had told herself all these years? Or was that simply an excuse to justify unneeded cruelty? As these thoughts coursed through her mind, she brought her hand and slicked her hair back. “Yet, it doesn't matter. It's like I always tell my soldiers,” Her eyes met Baal’s own, “Follow orders without a second question.”
With the words she told herself, she shoved away any of the uncertainty she felt. She bottled it up. Left it to be forgotten. “A weapon given order is far more deadly than a weapon firing haywire. Allow me to show you just how far my fangs will bare themselves, Baal!!” The Rear Admiral roared, relishing in the power she exuded. Her own Haoshoku met Baal’s own, cracking as it met the Angel’s. Lightning sparked, and the air cracked as the fighter's pressure cracked. Aphrodite kept pushing, but, in the end, Baal’s was far too powerful for her own recently awakened ability. In an explosive shockwave, Aphrodite's Haoshoku disabled itself, and the strength of Baal’s briefly pushed her back.
But Shihebi stood her ground, or more eloquently, her air. With a few kicks of her feet, her balance was regained. “Baal. You're strong. Why don't you leave that damned Yonko crew?! You can do great things by yourself! That whore of a man is holding you back! Why do you think that is? He's ‘afraid’ of you.” Baal was an opponent Aphrodite couldn't hope to defeat in her weakened state. But with any luck, attempting to have Baal second guess herself would aid her victory.
She exhaled deeply, letting out a large cloud of toxic gas. As the gas rested in front of her, she slashed forward with her hand. Each of her five digits let out an extraordinarily fast Rankyaku, each carrying doses of the poisonous gas. While they lacked in sheer firepower, the transmission of poison should hopefully prove efficient. She had to remain distant against Baal. But as her right hand let loose the attack, she slyly clicked a button in her coat with her left, sending out a distress signal to Marine HQ. She should've done it earlier. But pride remained a vice once more.
"Projectiles don't work on me, Rear Admiral." Baal's tone seemed to carry an anger and frustration to them. The woman's words had indeed gotten to her but not the words that Kirimoto likely expected.
Baal froze the air between the both of them with a flick of her wrist, not simply in a thin line as she normally did but with an over zealous show of force did she freeze the air between them from their current elevation all the way to the ground. She then perched on top of it, a furrowed brow darkened her expression.
"Do not speak as though you understand, your previous statements have made that more than clear. "Follow orders without question, a weapon given order, yet you dare to claim you've shown me your fangs?!" Baal spat upon the ice she stood on.
She pointed an accusatory finger toward her opponent, "I thought your awakening would bring you some measure of clarity, some self relection and understanding, I thought you would become something more! But look at you, do you even hear yourself? You've regressed, become a husk, you're no longer a human being, not an angel, nor a devil. You've become a mindless tool, a weapon, you make me sick."
Baal let her fists fall to her side, the anger in her face that had made it flush all drained leaving her with a cold and icy glare toward Aphrodite. "This is your greatest sin, more than any other, to have betrayed and destroyed yourself for nothing! You are unworthy of the color of the supreme king, and I will make sure that your death is as meaningless as your life. You are no longer of interest to me, Rear Admiral."
Baal coated her wings in busoshoku haki, her white feathers coated in darkness, more a demon than an angel now. Kicking off from her pillar of ice it shattered under her feet sending the frozen air and poisonous gas down toward the frozen sea below. She continued her flight toward Aphrodite seemingly wanting to enter close combat despite the danger. Clearly she intended on ending this.
“Baal, Baal, Baal. I don't think you understand… You being trapped under that imbecile of a man has blinded you. Normally, I'd agree. Freedom is the key after all. Free will this, individuality that, that's great. It's what I strive for. But don't you think autonomous action is being truly enlightened?” Aphrodite said out enthusiastically, high on power, and adrenaline.
“The only true way to show off one's fangs is to command them beforehand. And look at what I'm doing here, right now. I'm commanding myself,” Aphrodite cleared her throat as she spoke, but her tone remained resolute.
“I haven't betrayed and destroyed myself as you say. No, everything I do, and everything I force myself to go through, it's for the greater good. Not like you would understand. This Poneglyph cannot stand to fall in the hands of some filth like.. You,” With a wince of pain, she continued speaking, coughing up chilled blood. “You wax on about me sacrificing myself, destroying myself. But have you seen your own self? You've dedicated your life to serving Caesar, yet, you're nothing without him. Take away the Yonko, what are you? You're a fraud. That's what I think.”
She wiped the blood off her mouth. “And I don't give a damn if I'm no longer of interest to you. I'm not your plaything.”
Aphrodite saw Baal approaching close quarters, and allowed herself to exhale deeply. She could talk all she wanted. But she recognized who Baal was as an opponent. Playing her cards right would be crucial in surviving until Ehuang arrived.
Her fists covered themselves in the color of armament, and then on top of that, they surrounded themselves in an invisible aura. Yet, despite the invisibility, the aura’s existence was irrefutable. With her hands covered in advanced Haki, and her own poison, Aphrodite aimed a right hook at Baal, hoping to nail the woman before she could fully arrive and touch Aphrodite.
"Weapons don't think, Rear Admiral!" Baal spoke, spinning in the air to gain momentum before her wing clashed with Aprhodite's right hook. The haki sparked and spat, a powerful clashing of attacking. "And your words prove that! Without Ceasar I am still me, everything I am I have chosen to be because it is me. And what of you?! Without your 'greater good' what are you but a plaything for those who go against the very ideas you claim to strive for? What greater good calls for lies and genocide? What greater good calls for abandoning islands to starve and be raided because they can't pay heavenly tribute?! Tell me!"
Baal's haki changed, it's aura shining blue as the air around them began to freeze, ice spreading from her wings creeping towards the Rear Admiral like frozen fingertips reaching out to take hold of her.
“Baal. You're thinking from below. From underneath the problem that you so crudely address. You haven't seen the things I have seen; the reality of humankind. It's ugly, cruel, and evil,” Aphrodite spoke as she exhaled deeply. “In your quest for power, you've forsaken your ability to see the reality of nature for what it is; corrupted.”
“And to bring hope back to the world, you must fight corruption with corruption. Genocide and lies and horrible acts already occur. If by performing them we can save the future, isn't it a fair trade off?” She braced her arms, punching away the ice threatening to touch her. Her advanced Haki prevented her hands from touching the ice, breaking it apart as she attacked.
“And the heavenly tribute exists for a reason. We can't possibly hope to protect an entire planet from vermin like you without any hopes of supplementing the vast amounts of funds such an act consumes. The raiding has nothing to do with us, it relies entirely on you.”
“But let me ask you this, Baal. When will the depravity of mankind be satisfied? You speak so confidently about the morals of us marines. Inform me of this.”
As casually as she spoke, Aphrodite's finger launched out towards Baal, her finger still coated in the advanced Haki. The shigan was simple, yet it was still potent.
Baal coated her palm, fingers included, in busoshoku haki, raising it to meet Aphrodite's skillful Shigan. Aphrodite's attack struck Baal's hand, clashing for a moment before piercing through her hand entirely, unphased by this Baal attempted to use the opportunity to try and close her hand around Aphrodite's to take hold of her and trap her for this next attack, her other hand becoming coated in Haoshoku infusion.
"You're a hypocrite to the core and I don't even think you're aware of it. Whose future are you saving? Not the future of those you've killed, not the future of the poor whose bread and coin you steal from their very hands. You've said it yourself! People are cruel, depraved, it is the natural order of things! There is no greater good, no better future, just a battle of whose in charge. Youre superiors know that, the Celestial Dragons know that, they use pawns like you who belive in the ideas they spew from their rotten mouths to maintain their power under the guise of some greater good! There is not better future and for you, Rear Admiral, there is no future at all!"
Baal shouted, swinging her hao covered hand toward Aphrodite's chest.
“Because what I think you still don't understand is that-” Aphrodite's sentence stopped halfway through as her finger pierced Baal’s hand. “Shit”. She had made contact with Baal. The exact opposite of what she wanted to happen. She was for all intents and purposes, screwed over. But her body moved naturally. In the split second before Baal’s fist landed on Aphrodite’s chest, she raised her own and swung toward Baal’s head with her advanced Busoshoku Haki imbued fist.
Then Baal’s attack landed. She coughed up blood before being sent flying back. The force from the Haoshoku Infusion broke off her hand from Baal’s ice entrapment as she flew away. She hit the ground and tumbled and rolled through mounds of ice and poison. She broke through pillars and painfully stopped against the pillar her ship leaned against.
She slumped towards the ground briefly, coughing up blood and dust. Her hands shivered with the cold, and her blood froze on her face. She had taken incredible damage.. But she couldn't give up. Not yet. Not ever.
“Yes, Baal-koff-you’re right. The world is indeed cruel. The organization I work under is cruel. Yet-koff-I stay. To bring Justice to the world. To protect the innocents, and annihilate the guilty. A tale told by every hopeful marine.” Aphrodite slowly stood up, standing to her feet. “Yet I'm still here. Living. Breathing. Even if we steal coin from the people of the present, even if the Celestial Dragons think of us as dirt, I fight for the future. Not my future- our future. I fight for a future worth living for. A future worth believing in.”
Pain shot through her side, piercing her insides with the damage from the attack. “Justice isn't something you think about… It's something you fight for. Something you give yourself away for.. Blood, sweat, tears and dreams…” She coughed up more blood onto the icy floor below. “And as long as I'm still breathing, I will fight for the Justice I believe in.”
She was rapidly approaching her limit. The toll from her multiple battles was showing its effects. But even as she pushed past her limits, she had forgotten the true reason she was fighting here- The Road Poneglyph. Now, Aphrodite was fighting for the pure reason of showing her beliefs. If she was to be a weapon, she shall be the most horrific weapon the pirates had ever seen.
She stomped her foot down, briefly imbuing it with Busoshoku Emission. The increased force of the attack cracked the ice below her feet, sending icy debris upwards into the air. With her utilization of Soru, she sped towards Baal, bouncing off the suspended pieces of ice as she went. And with the only attack she could hope to utilize against Baal, she aimed a dropkick at the Divine Bitch.
Having been hit by Aphrodite's attack, Baal too had hit the icy ground that was their battlefield. Rising from it as Aphrodite did, Baal's blonde bangs were stained red as blood ran down from her forehead between her eyes and dripping down from the tip of her nose. Red dripped upon the ice in droplets of increasing frequency and though her vision was blurry, her eyes carried a crazed intensity to them.
She could not see but the vauge outline of Aphrodite, but her vision was slowly returning to normal, so it would have to be enough for now. "I agree with you, Rear Admiral, I rely on people like you, Marines ready to give their heart and soul to the cause. You give the people hope for the future, you make them believe that things can get better. I need them to believe that, because a future without hope is a future I cannot destory. But there will be no future for you, cog in the machine, though a hundred may replace you they'll all meet the same fate sooner or later. Like the late Admiral, you will die for what you believe in."
Baal raised her uninjured hand, her weak hand, but as she infused it with Haoshoku infusion the lightning that cracked off of it struck out toward, shattering the ground around her. Rearing her arm back she readied a powerful strike against Aphrodite who ran at her.
The sound of an explosion shook the ground, sending smoke and debris into the air knocking back the already loose ice that rested upon the frozen sea.
Aphrodite's kick would find nothing, the stench of burning, ashes in the air, she would not be slow to understand what had just occured.
Ehuang's talons held the pirate against the ground as they slid against it, Ehuang in her partial zoan form had come down like a falcon diving to catch it's prey, the momentum and force of her landing sending she and Baal sliding against the ice creating a deeping rift in the frozen ground as though a meteor had crash landed.
Aphrodite's strike to Baal's head had temporaily disabled her ability to use kenbunshoku haki, she hadn't noticed the Admiral's attack. "Damn you..." She spoke before being lifted up and tossed back down against the ice causing her to roll and slide a few feet away as Ehuang landed and took on her human form again.
Baal wasted no time, catching herself mid-roll and freezing her own blood to throw daggers at Ehuang to no effect, the Admiral's ashes moving to protect her, seeming to absorb the bloody daggers without hesitation.
"Rear Admiral Kirimoto! Give me a status update!" Ehuang yelled across the distance that had been created by her dive attack.
Ashes, Ashes[]
Aphrodite’s kick met air, and then ice. She skidded to a stop, tumbling as she lost her footing. But as she got to her feet and dispersed the Busoshoku Haki, she first smelled what had happened. Piercing the sharp smell of blood and ice, choking ashes permeated her lungs. Yet, it was familiar. While the putrid stench filler her nostrils, she knew she had made it. She was safe; Ehuang was here.
She whipped her head around in time to see the Admiral return to her human form. Her head was spinning, and her chest pounding. Breathing came with lots of difficulty, and staying awake was just as hard. But through the ringing of her ears, Aphrodite heard the question from Ehuang. And like a machine tasked with repeating the same task thousands of times, her reply came automatically.
“Admiral Haitori! The situation is almost under control, and the objectives have not been lost. Casualties are at a minimum,” She coughed up more blood onto the ice below, “but I can fight no longer.”
But even through the pain, she continued to try and stand to her feet. She refused to let a pirate know she was near death’s door. A grimace spread on her face as she stood.
“I will hold her off just a while longer. Get the ship to safety, and the payload to where it needs to go. Please.” She motioned to the ship, of which was still lodged inside of the iceberg.
Ehuang reached into her the breast pocket of her Admirals' coat and pulled from it a semi-empty pack of cigarette's. Pulling one form the pack she held it up to the swirling ashes around her letting them ignite it's tip before bringing it to her lips and drawing a slow drag from it.
Smoke exhaled from her nose before she spoke, not bothering to turn to look at the Rear Admiral, keeping her eyes sharply on the pirate in front of her. "You've done more than enough, Rear Admiral kirimoto. See to your men and the mission, it is almost done now. I'll see to the bitch, you complete the mission."
"Jarajarajara!" Baal had risen to her feet now, eyes having regained their focus as she stared down Ehuang, laughing all the while. "You called in your mother to save you?! After all that playing cool and talking about justice? Pathetic! You think you've done something?! How will the World Government explain the casualties that will occur here to-" In the moment that Baal had taken her eyes off of Ehuang to look at Aphrodite to mock the girl she was cut off as Ehuang made her move.
Attempting to throw up her haki coated wings to protect herself she wasn't fast enough, Ehuang blitzing her with an emission coated punch just before her wings could close around her, sending the Angel flying backwards from the force.
"Aphrodite! The ship! Now!" Ehuang's voice boomed across the ice, an order, a demand for her to get going.
Aphrodite’s ears were filled with far too much pressure and pounding to hear Baal’s taunts. All her brain could register was Ehuang’s command. And may the good lord above know she would go through with it.
She stumbled towards the boat imprisoned in ice. Ash filled her nose as she brought her right hand upwards. Poison poured out of her forearm, shaping into a long blade. She swung forward, sending the blade soaring at the ice. Halfway there, it began to spin like a chainsaw. As it made contact, ice flew off and chipped away in massive chunks. It tore through the iceberg, Baal no longer a thought in her mind as she went along with her mission.
The ship slid off into the water below, freed from the icy clutches of the Divine Bitch. The spinning chainsaw formed itself into a net, grabbing hold of the floating chunk the Road Poneglyph resided in. Swinging her arm upward, she placed the incredibly valuable asset onto the ship harmlessly.
Aphrodite was almost there.
As the final act before she left the battlefield, she tapped her foot against the ground multiple times. And in the blink of an eye, she was gone.
The Rear Admiral landed upon the ship with a thud, the men in the ship already pushing away from the icy battlefield. She grabbed hold of the side of the boat, looking out as she left Romulus and Baal behind with Ehuang.
She did it.
Aphrodite rested on the wooden deck of the ship. A medic tended to her extended wounds as she looked out onto the sea. The bandages tightened around her chest and arms, applying the needed pressure to the massive wounds she had suffered.
The Rear Admiral turned around, checking to see that the Road Poneglyph still remained where it needed to be.
Everyone on the ship was, obviously, rattled from the experience. But as far as she could tell, no one was seriously harmed aside from herself. All that was left was to arrive at Marineford, and bring home Baji and the Road Poneglyph.
She waited softly, allowing the ship to bob slowly along the water as it ran its course.
The ship shifted on the waves, a heavy weight landing on the deck. Following it was the smell of ash, sulfer, and brimstone as Ehuang found her footing in her human form. Ice clung to her clothing and hair, even as ash tried to eat away at the cold her breath was visible in the heat of the tropical sun. Though despite that she appeared no worse for wear, a cigarette hung from her mouth too wet to light. Letting it fall from her lips onto the deck she let out a sigh.
However, upon seeing Aphrodite her mood seemed to brighten ever so little. Standing straight up and pulling a dry cigarette from her pocket she approached the woman, lighting up before kneeling down before Aphrodite. Ehuang glanced up and down at Aphrodite, her gaze was analytical, as though trying to diagnose her. But when she spoke all that came out was, "You look like you've been put through the wringer." A half smile on her face as she pulled a pill bottle from her coat pocket.
Popping it open and taking out a pill she held it up to Aphrodite's mouth with a look that told her to swallow it. "Karuna, it'll take time before you're back in tip top shape but this'll stablize you until we reach Marineford. You did good, Aphrodite. I'm proud of you."
Aphrodite looked on as Ehuang approached her, a soft smile crawling up her face. A reminder that what she has done truly happened and wasn't some sort of dream or horrendous hallucination. It was reality.
She took the pill from Ehuang, and swallowed it effortlessly. Just as quick as it had gone down, she felt the pill begin to rejuvenate her body, and her stamina and strength return once more.
Looking up at her mentor, she spoke. “Thank you, Ehuang. It means so much more to me than you'll ever understand.” She had indeed been put through the ringer. But it was worth it; the pirates were a step further away from ever accessing the One Piece. A soft satisfaction dulling the pain in her body.
“All that's left is to put this pirate back where he came from.. The depths of hell.” Aphrodite said as she looked down into the ship, viewing the chained up Baji through a grate below their feet.