[Saga] [Part 4] Black as Tar

Round 5:

Ryoichi:

[MT] Weaving on Himself
[LT] Left hook on Horde of pirates
[LT] Rotating jab on Horde of pirates
[UT] on Horde of pirates

Horde of pirates:

[MT] on Ryoichi
[LT] on Ryoichi
[LT] on Ryoichi
[UT] on Ryoichi

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Ryoichi Ayugai' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 13, 1, 9

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#2 'Reflex Check' : 8, 6, 3, 6

Round 6:

Ryoichi:

[HT] Bear Bite on Horde of pirates
[LT] Champions jabs on Horde of pirates
[UT] on Horde of pirates

Horde of pirates:

[AoE] on Ryoichi
[UT] on Ryoichi

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Ryoichi Ayugai' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

#1 'Reflex Check' : 18, 10, 13

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 20, 6

"No, no.. Not sweep..." Ryoichi let out a soft sigh, "A blunt weapon is what you need if you do not wish to cut someone." he tried to explain to Yumiko while holding onto his head with one hand, feeling sharp pain... As if the man was hung over from a really rough party.

But his mind at least was put at ease when he saw Yumiko grab a hold of the snapped broomstick and decide to use it... At least in some way. The trip to the 'battlefield' was not a long one, at this point, a big bunch of the mindless 'creatures' had arrived on the upper open deck.

Those who have not yet been affected were off fighting all over the island, the ship where Ryoichi and the rest of the crew were staying was not in the worst of shapes yet, all things considered. But that situation probably will soon change with the horde that keeps coming up the ramp on the very ship.

"I have to... Get to that ramp."

But to get to it, they had to focus on clearing the path. Luckily, where he was standing, he was not alone. Yumiko was next to him, and even one of the pirates they had chosen from the fights, Nero, was there with them, even the sorceresses found their way back.

To give Yumiko a chance to gather her power, he and the group gave all they could to fend off enough of the enemies to give her the space she needed... And it was all worth it in the end. Her sweep was especially what he needed to clear the path to the ramp.

"I'll cut the route!"

Ryoichi rushed through the cleared path, punching a couple of the mindless hordes off. The fingers dug between the ramp and the ship. "Ngh!" the arms were shaking a bit, but also the muscles of it kept pumping up as Ryoichi tried to lift the crowd-filled ramp up and flip it over.

The lifting process lead some of the crowd to fall off the ramp into the sea, but many remained, and the horde kept gathering behind him. The arms began to slowly wrap around him, one by one. Some of the hordes that were still on the ramp flailed their arms at Ryoichi's head, trying to damage him, which they did... But he could not give up cutting the cord that kept feeding the ship with them.

"This."

"Is not...NGH!"

The horde had buried Ryoichi underneath them. Were all the efforts of his comrades for nothing? Were Ryoichi's efforts for nothing?

"THIS IS NOT THE END!"

The growling voice roared out. It seemed as if a balloon was being filled up and popping with the horde of mindless 'creatures' flying off of him. A massive creature had his claws between the ramp and the ship. It was Ryoichi who emerged from under the horde in his full zoan form. The ramp was flipped with extreme ease.

"TIME TO CLEAN THE SHIP!"

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Sol was about to follow Lune inside when she was stopped by the weasel woman. At first she had expected her to try and stop her, but then her words gave her pause. Was...was she going to help her?

The answer turned out to be a resounding yes, as she suddenly shot down the hall like a blur, a surprised yelp coming from Lune as she shot past. After a brief moment of silence, the horde of controlled people slumped to the floor like puppets with their strings cut. Both sister stared at the display for a moment, before realizing what they were supposed to be doing. "Oh...um...thank you." Sol stammered, before both sisters sprang into a run, heading into the depths of the ship.

If Anton had his swords stashed anywhere, it was in his room. The two dashed into the room, looking around quickly. They hadn't seen where Anton had put them. In fact, they hadn't seen them the entire time they were here. But they were in a hurry. Where else could he possibly have them? The two sisters immediately started tearing the room apart, clothes and other belongings flying everywhere as they searched the room for them.

"Got one!" Lune yelled out, pulling out the Conjoined, only for the two blades to come apart in her hand. The chilly woman stared at them for a moment before giving a shocked yell. "You idiot! You broke it!" Sol yelled out. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It just came apart in my ha-" she slapped the two halves together with a click and paused, "Oh...they can split into two...That's cool!" She hadn't seen that when they first met.

Sol sighed in relief, before finding Anton's greatsword, "Come on sis, we have to get these to Anton immediately!" Lune's expression turned serious. "Right!"


Anton jumped back as a large first formed of tar crashed into the ground where he had just been. Anton attemped to lunge back and kick at the massive hand, only to see Loko pulling his arm back, the fist breaking free from the wrist before Anton's leg made contact. All he was kicking then was a large ball of tar. Dammit! He's disconnecting himself from the the tar before I can kick it! The only thing Anton was getting out of this was tar stuck to his leg. His body shook rapidly, trying to dislodge it before he leaped back to avoid another onslaught of attacks, long black tendrils spiking into the ground over and over again.

Up above, Loko gave a twisted cackle. He had formed long, spindly legs out of tar along his back, walking along like some demonic spider, as he continued to rain attacks down from above. "What's wrong La'croix? You seem to be having trouble? Where'd all that heroic spunk of yours go?" Anton lept to the side as another attack hit the ground. This was becoming a problem. Not only was he being kept on the offensive, but each attack left a puddle of tar on the ground. The amount of clear footing was starting to become scarce.

He down for one of the spindley legs holding Loko up, only for it to suddenly stretch out of the way like a noodle. "Oooh, so close!" The leg suddenly snapped back into place, catching Anton in the side and knocking him back. Loko laughed, "Can't you see how pointless this all is? No matter how far you go, no matter how hard you fight, you'll never be able to save them." His grin widened, "Wouldn't it just be easier to submit? To let someone else do the thinking for you? It would all be so easy."

Anton slowly pulled himself to his feet. "You know something? There was a time long ago when I would have agreed with you." Indeed there would be. Anton merely followed orders. He followed what others told him to do. His parents for going into the marines, his superiors giving orders. He didn't like it, but it was easier than going against them. And if he could avoid doing something, he would. Why stick his neck out?

Then he remembered a time in Loguetown. He was supposed to be taking the time off. Relaxing. Not doing anything. Instead, he had found himself willingly jumping in the line of fire, to protect two very beautiful women.

"But now? Now I just want to shut you up and kick your ass!" Anton suddenly kicked off the ground, shooting right at Loko. Loko shifted his body to try and avoid the attack, for Anton to suddenly kick off the air behind him and quickly turn, haki covering his legs. Loko looked back in surprise before suddenly taking the attack square in the back. The clown let out a surprised yell as he shot towards the ground, hitting it with a 'splat'!

A deep chuckle came from the puddle of black tar. "Not bad. Good to see there's still some fight in you." Suddenly, a spear of tar shot out towards Anton, hoping to spike him in the air. Anton managed to kick off the air fast enough, the attack shooting past. Loko, meanwhile, took the opportunity to slip underneath a nearby food stall, "But don't think that would work twice!"

Suddenly, there was a burst of tar as the stall was launched into the air like a missile. The attack caught Anton by surprised as he was smacked out of the air.


Post Word Count: 919
Total Word Count: 6,202

With the five-meter-tall bear on one edge of the ship, the weight obviously began to tilt the ship a bit to one side... But it wouldn't be a proper big ship if it was affected by one slightly heavy bear. Ryoichi swung his arm towards the horde to sweep some of them away.

"We'll get this ship off the dock!"

The enemy lines were cut off, but some of the stubborn ones kept finding ways on it... Some with desperate high jump, some clinging onto the ship with their life and use micro nooks and crannies to keep climbing up... But the biggest evildoer in that aspect was what still kept the ship at bay... The anchor.

Reeling the heavy piece of metal holding them back is what can fulfill Ryoichi's plan, but that will only do as much as get the ship to float off the bay... Or into the bay, depending on how the waves go. But the crew was scarce, and to get the ship off the dock required at least a dozen of active people... Luckily for them, Doc Black and Lady Amazon Melanie had found their way to the upper deck party.

With a growling voice, Ryoichi let an order echo out. "I'll deal with the anchor! Yumiko! Cut the ropes to let the sails drop down! Melanie, grab the wheel! Doc, help the less capable!"

With the orders handed, Ryoichi moved towards the massive winch that was to be operated by four people. For now, it seemed like it was just Ryoichi left to do it. He got to it and began to lift the anchor from the water with fair ease, but it went even faster now that Nero also showed up to help Ryoichi... He had completely forgotten about the pirates who they had employed.

Melanie got to her position as well, grabbing a hold of the wheel that steered the ship, occasionally even kicking a few of the approaching horde members away... That now left only one to finish the main task... To get the ship away from the bay faster. This responsibility was all laying on Yumiko's shoulders now.

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Anton grunted as his body was sent crashing through another stall, bouncing along the ground as he slid to a stop. He quickly shook his head, regaining his senses just in time to see a massive fist of tar flying at him. He swung out a leg, meeting the attack head on, but the sheer force behind the blow sent the Rear Admiral flying backwards, crashing into another wall.

Loko let out a twisted, cackling laugh, bouncing towards him like some sort of deranged cartoon character. "You know, it's been a long time since I got a good work out like this! Been a while since I had to actually beat someone into submission! Oh, the whole tar puppeteering things works much easier, but sometimes there's just nothing like doing things the old fashioned way!" He stretched out a hand, grabbing a large crate before launching at the disoriented Anton. The marine didn't get a chance to move before the flying box crashed into him, slamming him back against the wall.

Loko stalked towards him as Anton slumped to the ground, "But, unfortunately, all things have to come to an end," he raised an arm, the limb splitting off into a mass of black tendrils, "So, let's finish this, shall we? Just give in. It wont hurt...much." Before he reached out to him, he paused. He could hear something. A sound quickly approaching. Was that...screaming?

Suddenly, two forms crashed down nearby. Both Loko, and the battered Anton, looked over to see two familiar, female forms laying in a heap. "Owwww, why'd that weasel lady have to throw us? We can walk you know!" "Lune, I agree, but right now just get off of me!"

Anton grunted, trying to pull himself upright. "Lune...? Sol...? What are you doing here?" The two girls managed to get to their feet, all eyes on the rather beaten up grasshopper man. "Anty!" Lune yelled out, holding up one of Anton's swords, "We got your swords for you! There's no way in heck we're letting you fight him unarmed!" "That's right!" Sol interjected, "We don't care what you told us to do, we're not leaving you!"

Anton blinked, honestly surprised as Loko laughed. "Aw, now isn't that sweet? But you really should have listened to his advice!" He swung out, his hands growing in size and his arms stretching as he threw them at the pair. Lune and Sol quickly threw the swords in Anton's direction, before throwing balls of fire and cold at the incoming fists. Loko's grin widened as suddenly those fists disconnected from his arms, turning into a pair of projectiles, frozen and set on fire by the two sisters, but not enough to stop their momentum. The two yelled out as they were thrown off of their feet. A couple of extra blobs of tar launched at them pinned them to the ground before they could get up.

"You two thought I forgot about your little tricks?" Loko cackled, his arms stretching out and his hands twisting into long, viscious claws, "Still, that little hot and cold act of yours will just get in the way. So let's wipe away the peanut gallery and get back to the main event, shall we?" He laughed like a lunatic as he got brought his arms bag, ready to deliver the blow.

Suddenly, there was a sharp sound and the laughter stopped. Everything seemed to go still for a moment.

And then, Loko's arms fell to the floor, no longer attached to their body.

"MY ARMS! OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODMYAAAAARRRMMS!" Loko shrieked, his eyes wide and looking between his two shoulders where his arms used to be. Blood sprayed onto the floor before tar formed from his body, closing up the wounds. Behind him, Anton stood with his two swords in hand, glaring at the now frantic clown. "Not much of a monster if you let yourself get distracted that easily," he said coldly, "Unless you forgot how haki works."

Loko's face was twisted in pain and rage. Normally, as a logia user, getting parts of him chopped off wouldn't be a matter. He could simply regenerate. But that had been a haki-infused strike. Those were his actual arms laying there. Sure, he could create copies from his tar, but the fact that something like that actually happened to him was a major blow to his ego. His eyes were bulging out in fury. "This can't be happening! Not to me! Not by you!" He threw his head back and shrieked in rage. "That's it! To hell with this island! To hell with these damn useless slaves! Now I just want you dead!"

What happened next could be felt all over the island. Tar was being pulled from every which way. Those under Loko's control felt the tar suddenly being pulled from their bodies, collapsing to the floor as the black ooze was drawn all towards the enraged clown. The Big Top pirates soon found their bodies freed, watching on towards the center of the island.

The tar all began to collect around Loko, as more was generated from his very body. Anton jumped towards Lune and Sol, pulling them away as Loko's body was engulfed by the growing mass of black. The three could only watch as the blob grew, taking shape into the form of a giant colossus of tar, one visible across the whole island. The giant's face morphed into a replica of Loko's hateful expression. Black eyes looking down at the Rear Admiral.

"I'll reduce you and this entire island into a black, drowned ruin, ANTON LA'CROIX!"


Post Word Count: 943
Total Word Count: 7,145

While on the surface it may have looked like Ryoichi was all okay... Except for a couple of battle wounds and bandages that have loosened up a bit or want to be ripped apart... On the inside, his heart was racing. It all would be under control, if only he had stayed in the bed... But would Ryoichi still exist if he had stayed there?

The massive polar bear dropped onto his knee with the paw moving over to where his heart is, pinching the fur, and gritting his teeth. The sharp pain as if a knife had thorn through his heart spread across his whole body, sending shivers down his spine.

"Ngh!"

He was not the only one losing his form to an 'internal' struggle. Ryoichi was shrinking down until there was left nothing else but a buff man dripping with sweat.

"Nero! Take care of what's left on the ship of the mind controlled! Melanie, keep us close enough to the bay! We still got the captain to fetch!" Doc Black was talking with a very deep-toned squeaky voice through his plague mask, all the while flicking the needle of the syringe that had liquid in it...

Destination of the liquid?

Ryoichi's veins. The doctor had seen symptoms and dedicated his life to studying medicine... And had managed to just in time create the antidote that he had used earlier, but it seems like it was not enough, clearly.

The doctor pushed Ryoichi down on his back and immediately went for the veins on his arms to inject and let the antidote flow through Ryoichi's veins.

"That should do it. Stay down, and let the antidote do its work."

But the good doctor's work was not over. He had plenty of people to tend to, his main comrades first, but those who are still on the ship instead of floating on the sea also got the treatment... Eventually.

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