Chapter 223: Chaos at Arabasta 9
Bentham (Mr. 2 Bon Kurei) POV - Blue Star, Grand Line, Sandy Island, Rainbase - 20 GAP
I'm still disguised as a simple Marine grunt as I follow the Marine Captain named Booter's orders which consist of making rounds around the casino Rain Dinners to keep an eye on the building in case some possible Baroque Works agents are able to escape from the technique of the Celestial Dragon Saint Alfred of House Manmayer, that damned overgrown forest which now covers the whole structure, while waiting for the breathing mask to arrive from the Rainbase Marine Base.
Of course, even if I'm following the Marine Captain's orders to the letter, I still didn't forget about my main objective, and so while going through these rounds around the casino, I make sure to slowly but surely get closer and closer to the group composed of the Celestial Dragon woman, four other beautiful women who are very likely slaves, if those chokers around their necks are a piece of reliable evidence, and dozen of royal guards who surround the five girls, ready to protect them as they watch closely anything that can be considered a threat, marines included.
At the same time, I also make sure to analyze the level of threat of everyone in the Celestial Dragon group, 'First of all, there are the royal guards, they certainly look stronger than the average marine, and from the way they move it is clear that they are very used to working together, but overall it shouldn't be too difficult to take care of them, especially if I take advantage of the element of surprise.'
After that, my gaze moves to the five women at the center of the royal guards' formation, the first that catches my eyes is the quite tall and voluptuous woman with long orange hair with dark brown eyes, 'Her physique seems quite strong, in fact, she looks like the strongest one among those five women and if I remember well Celestial Dragon have fun making their slave eat some Devil Fruits simply for fun or to "enjoy" a more exotic experience, but I don't know just how strong the Celestial Dragon allow a slave to be, in fact, seeing her almost empty eyes, I don't even know if she will even move to defend the Celestial Dragon woman, but even if she does because she is compelled, she won't be a threat as long as I'm careful.'
Then my gaze moves to the woman right next to her, she has a head that is disproportionately large and wide compared to her body, and I also notice that she has a long, forked tongue, which often sticks out of her mouth, sea green eyes and wavy hair, 'This one is mentally in the same state as the orange-haired one, but that little ticks she has with her tongue gives me a little hint of what Devil Fruit she may have eaten a Zoan Type Devil Fruit, from what I know, they are the only ones that cause that kind of physical change... but all this is only a speculation at the moment... but it is better than going completely blind.'
The third and most beautiful one in that group has a well-proportioned body, is very tall and slender with long black hair that extends past her waist with locks of hair that frame her face down to her chin and show off her high forehead, dark blue eyes with long, voluminous eyelashes and pale skin, she has a narrow waist and very large breasts, 'From this one, the first thing that comes to my mind as I see her is that she is clearly a sex slave, but I can't underestimate her for that, as her body is quite toned and fit, but while at first glance she doesn't look like a fighter, the small ember within her eyes tells me otherwise... compared with the two before her, she still didn't fully break despite the nightmare she experienced... maybe she could even be an asset...'
The fourth one is a beautiful young woman with a slim, curvaceous, and pronounced hourglass figure, she has neat, shoulder-length orange hair, and distinctively large and round eyes, 'This one instead is a lost cause, she has the lifestyle of a slave ingrained in her blood... her very being his chained, even if from the deepest part of her being she desires something else, she would never do anything to defy her masters...and this makes her probably the most unpredictable and dangerous... she could easily throw her life away if ordered to...'
In the end, I focus on and take a look at the last and most important member of that group, the Celestial Dragon woman, 'And that is my main target, the Celestial Dragon... my most important priority is to simply touch her a small part of her body to activate the power of my Mane Mane no Mi (Clone Clone Fruit) to copy her face, physique, and voice so that I can impersonate her... but there is only one small problem... there isn't a single piece of her skin that is actually exposed, the thick white suit covers all her body and that bubble or glass case around her head also makes it difficult to touch the skin of her face. The only way I can do so is by actually attacking her and breaking that case to slap or punch her. But to do that, I have to wait for the perfect opportunity and distraction, but I also have to time my attack perfectly... this will be hard, but it is the only way I can help Zero-chan and the others get out of this nasty situation and I'll do it, even if I end up getting killed because of that, I won't forsake my comrades!'
While I'm thinking that, I continue to go through the patrol rounds using the routes assigned to me, making sure to memorize my surroundings and the general position and pattern of the other marines who are patrolling this area, at the same time, I make sure to casually touch some of the nearby marines to activate the power of my Mane Mane no Mi (Clone Clone Fruit) to copy their faces, physiques, and voices, so that if the need arises, I can easily change my identity to lose eventual pursuers.
As I'm playing my part, I hear the Marine Captain Booter complain to his subordinate officer, "Lieutenant Malik, what is going on here? Why are those damned breathing masks taking so long to arrive? I gave that order more than 5 minutes ago!" making the Lieutenant reply as he explains the situation, "The problem is quite simple, Captain. There aren't enough men available at the moment, basically, every marine residing on the island was mobilized. As soon as they received the news of the attack on Saint Alfred. All the marines on the island and nearby are patrolling the streets of their respective cities, the coasts of the islands, and even the nearby waters, hunting down the members of the bounty hunter agency Baroque Works and any pirate that we can find! So I was forced to send a bunch of scared Chore Boys and Seamen Recruits back to the base to grab enough masks for us to use... I think that if everything goes well, they should return in about-."
But right at that moment, the sound akin to a tremendous explosion is heard, at the same time, everyone immediately stops moving and instinctively turns their head to look at the point of origin of that sound, the forest-covered casino Rain Dinners.
Immediately after that, I hear the chaotic sounds of a body breaking through multiple obstacles and see the shadowy figure of someone flying out of the dense forest at an astonishing speed then quickly crashing through multiple buildings standing on its path with incredible force, bringing them down while raising a huge cloud of dust that in its path which covers his figure even more.
Soon after that, a loud rumbling sound akin to a ferocious thunderstorm is heard coming from the direction of the forest-covered casino, making me, and many other people nearby, quickly snap our heads back to look at what is happening and can only watch in shock, fear and disbelief as we see the pyramid-like structure covered by the dense forest quickly collapse onto itself raising an even bigger cloud of dust, this one thick enough to reduce the visibility in the area by a lot.
But while the others are too shocked by the sudden change, I maintain my calm and that lets me notice a small detail which explains the reason behind the current situation.
As the forest-covered pyramid structure collapsed, I also saw a body of flowing sand flying out of the falling rumbles and chasing after the shadowy figure that flew out a few moments ago making me realize, 'That's Zero-chan! This means that the destruction of the casino is caused by his fighting with that shadowy figure who is most likely the one behind this attack... that Saint Alfred guy...'
At the same time, the situation becomes even more chaotic as painful screams can be heard in the distance followed by the sound of their firearms firing, bullets hitting something metallic, swords clashing, and the yells, "Enemy attack- Argh!!", "Why are the swords and bullets inef-Iyiii!!!", "Be careful, he is a Devil Fruit- Urggh!!", "What the fuck!? His arms are like blades!!" and many other incomprehensible ones and painful cries which paint a pretty gruesome scene.
Moreover, from another direction, I notice that another battle is taking place, this one seems even more chaotic as not only are the marines being attacked by an outside force but they are also fighting among each other as they desperately cry out, "What is going on here!? -Urgh!!", "Shit, I can't move what is this thing!!?", "John, you bastard! Why are you attacking me!?", "I don't know Cena!? My body is doing the opposite of what I want to do!!", "Hahahaha! Help me I can't stop laughing!", "Shit! Why I can't stop shooting at that tree!?"
This makes me instantly realize that I wasn't the only one hiding away waiting for the right opportunity to act, 'The first one seems like it is the work of that annoying Mr. 1. Among the other Officer Agents he is the only one that comes to my mind whose fighting style and characteristic match with what is happening over there. On the other hand, the other battlefield is clearly the handiwork of 3-chan and Goldenweek-chan, no one is able to cause as much chaos and confusion as them.'
Moreover, from the direction of Zero-chan and his enemy, more fighting sounds can be heard followed by the sounds of buildings being destroyed, people getting killed in the aftermath, and those lucky enough to survive fleeing in panic.
While listening to all that, at the same time, I also realized that this is exactly the opportunity I was waiting for, the visibility is at the moment too low because of the dust that the collapse of the casino raised, plus the Marines are too distracted both because of the sudden, unexpected change of the situation that because of Mr. 1, 3-chan, and Goldenweek-chan's attack, this is the perfect opportunity to attack that Celestial Dragon girl and use the power of my Mane Mane no Mi (Copy Copy Fruit) to copy her.
Reaching that conclusion, I don't waste any more time and quickly run toward the Celestial Dragon group while quickly planning my next actions, 'First I'll get close to them while playing the part of the good, concerned marine boy and try to pull them away from this place to make it easier to dispose them, but if that fails, I'll quickly distract the royal guards and once they take their eyes away from me, I'll knock out the closest ones with a couple of Dozo Okamai Knuckle (Don't Mind My Fist) and then I will use Okama Dash (Crossdresser Dash) to quickly close the distance between me and that Celestial Dragon girl so that I can break that bubble or glass case around her head to touch her and use my Devil Fruit power to copy her.'
With that plan clear in mind, I quickly reach the Celestial Dragon group and as soon as the royal guards notice my presence, I start my play, I put on a worried face as I yell in a hurried and panicky tone, "A-Are you guys okay? Is Saint-sama safe!? Please be careful! We are currently under the attack of the Baroque Works' forces on two different sides and it isn't going well! We don't know if they are going to attack you guys too... so please let me help lead your grace away from this dangerous battlefield!"
But as expected the royal guards simply watch me in silence with their weapons pointed at me while waiting for their master's decision, and soon the Celestial Dragon girl replies, "We have no need for the likes of you! We are perfectly safe here -su!"
Seeing that, I let out a mental sigh, at the same time, I resolve to use the most reliable and always effective technique of distraction and misdirection, I make sure to show on my face an expression that depicts both extreme surprise and dread, and then I point at a empty point right behind everyone and yell "Watch out!"
Of course, my masterful acting has the desired effect as everyone turns their head to look at where I'm pointing, and at the same time, I don't waste any more time and throw two quick punches at the closest royal guard knocking them out while yelling, "Dozo Okamai Knuckle (Don't Mind My Fist)!"
This catches everyone's attention, but it is now too late as everything is going according to my plan, and soon after that I tap the ground several times and then take a giant leap forward while yelling, "Okama Dash (Crossdresser Dash)!"
This is one of the most useful techniques of the Okama Kenpo that allows a powerful burst of speed, especially with the help of my long legs, which makes me able to cross long distances quickly.
As I soar toward my target, I smile widely sure of the success of my plan as I prepare to slam the face of that annoying Celestial Dragon girl, but suddenly, I see the Celestial Dragon woman smirk wickedly as she points me with her finger and yells, "Noro Noro Beam (Slow Slow Beam)!"
The next instant from her finger she emitted some fast purple beams of light which totally hit my body but strangely I didn't feel any pain from her attack, but the next second, I noticed something strange happening, I'm still mid-leap and a few seconds already passed, I should have already reached her considering the speed of my Okama Dash (Crossdresser Dash).
What is happening is that I'm still about to reach her, but for some reason, I'm now moving a lot slower than before it almost feels like I'm not moving at all, so much that I can't help but exclaim out loud, "What... is... going... on... here...? Why... everything... feels... so... slow...?"
At this point, I hear the voice of the Celestial Dragon girl as she explains with a haughty tone, "That's because you were hit by my Noro Noro Beam (Slow Slow Beam), you trash -su! Under my Nii-sama's suggestion, I ate the Noro Noro no Mi (Slow Slow Fruit), a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows the user to emit beams that temporarily slow down anything they hit for thirty seconds, be it people, objects, or even the space itself -su. My Nii-sama thought that it was the perfect Devil Fruit to keep me safe, in his words it was "broken as fuck" to leave it in the hands of a pathetic pirate scum and it looks like he was right -su. As expected of my perfect and capable Nii-sama -su!"
Hearing that, I can't help but widen my eyes in horror as I realize, 'Damn it! I totally underestimated her!! I would not have ever thought that a Celestial Dragon of all the people would have eaten a Devil Fruit and one with such powerful effect! From what I have heard Celestial Dragons do have great pull in the government as well as a vast amount of wealth to do with whatever they please, but I also heard that they have absolutely no physical combat abilities whatsoever... and maybe that is true... but I ignored the possibility that with their wealth and authority they can also get any Devil Fruit they desire...'
While I'm thinking that, the Celestial Dragon girl named Saint Shalria smirks evilly as she says, "But enough talking about me and my exceptional Nii-sama... It's time for the filthy marine to die for daring to raise his hand against a World Noble... Bye Bye!"
After saying that, Saint Shalria simply raises her right hand and gives a signal, and in response, the four random royal guards among the dozen do not hesitate, raise their spears, and I can only watch as the four spear blades quickly impale my flesh with a single decisive thrust, making me feel an almost blinding pain as I slowly yell, "Grrrrruuuuuuaaaaaaaaggghhhh!!"
Then they slowly retire their bloody blades, and I remain in mid-air slowly moving forward as I feel the life slowly flow out of my body, at the least it was so until I hear Saint Shalria's voice as she says, "And with that... the 30 seconds are up..."
Quickly after that, my body regains the usual speed, but it is too late now, as my blood now spurts out of my body akin to a water jet, I lose control of my body making me crash and roll on the ground, and soon all I can see is black, and the only thing I can feel is the pool of blood forming under my body as I start to feel colder and colder and my mind becomes empty.
Jayr POV - Blue Star, Grand Line, Sandy Island, Alubarna - 20 GAP
I'm comfortably sitting on a chair in the main dining hall of the Alubarna Palace playing with Kharna and Galen sitting on my legs while Vivi's father, King Nefertari Cobra is discussing with Igaram, Chaka, and Vivi the best way to secure the safety of the people living in Rainbase when I'll take care of Crocodile and his men, and also how to deal with the aftermath of the event, especially considering all the damage that Crocodile did to the reputation of the Royal Family while also lowering the trust that the subject had in their king.
King Nefertari Cobra starts by saying, "No matter what, considering Crocodile's powers, I'm sure that the best way to ensure the safety of the people living in Rainbase is to evacuate them all..." but Chack quickly dismisses the idea and explains, "My king, I don't think this idea is feasible... in fact, I feel that this is even a dangerous one. Such large movement would surely alert Crocodile and the agents of the Baroque Works that something is wrong... Moreover, now that we know our enemies' capabilities and ruthlessness we can't ignore the possibility of spies within our ranks who could quickly report our plans to them, making our effort useless, especially since it is likely that they'll turn all the people living in Rainbase into hostages making the situation even worse."
Hearing that, Igaram nods and says, "I totally agree with Chaka on this one, my King. Someone like Crocodile, if desperate enough wouldn't hesitate to take hostage the whole city... More importantly, we can't underestimate his sharp, cunning mind, after all, he was able to perfectly fool this whole kingdom the whole time, making us all play on his tune while none being the wiser, and let's not forget just how powerful he can become on this island, with that advantage it is quite easy for him to destroy the entire. Moreover, it is only thanks to Jayr-san that we now know about the nasty plan he had in store for us, without his help I'm pretty sure that by the time we actually got wind of his intention would have been almost too late for all of us to do anything."
At this point, a large woman with curly blonde hair walks into the main dining hall with a tray full of freshly baked cookies and hot hibiscus tea as she says, "Here is a little snack for everyone. After all, nothing constructive comes out from an empty stomach."
She looks almost identical to Igaram, which almost causes Alvida to accuse her of being Igaram in drag until she realizes that it is impossible for him to stand in two places at the same time.
She is Terracotta, Igaram's wife, the royal head chef, and also the royal seamstress, she wears a dark red tunic, with an orange lining, that has a white stripe, under her tunic I see a light blue shirt with white buttons, and she also wears a bright red lipstick.
(Image Here - Terracotta)
Looking at her and more specifically at her semblance with her husband, I can't help but have a dark random thought, 'Is it possible that Igaram and Terracotta are like the Targaryen Family and the Lannister siblings from Game of Thrones? They like to keep their bloodline pure. It isn't possible, right? This is just some random coincidence... this is simply the result of God Oda being too lazy to design a proper wife for him, and so the reused and tweaked Igaram design... right? Right!?'
While I'm thinking that, Igaram thanks his apparently genetical twin wife for the cookies and hibiscus tea before he proposes a new plan, "I think it is better if we pull Crocodile away from Rainbase in an isolated place devoid of life and deal with him there once and for all. The best way to pull that off is to use a bait... something he can't wait to put his hands on... the Poneglyph!"
I see that both Chaka and King Cobra seem to agree with Igaram's plan, but before they can say anything else, Vivi finally speaks, "I think that you all are getting worried over nothing... In the first place did you guys ask for Jayr-san's opinion? After all, he is the one who will fight and defeat Crocodile for us, so he should know best what he can do and what he needs to keep the people safe!"
Hearing that, the three man look a little embarassed, until King Cobra coughs a little and says, "You are right, Vivi... We got so engrossed in our discussion that we forgot about our guests." then he looks at me and asks, "What are your thought about this Jayr-san?"
As I'm about to reply and tell him that he doesn't have to worry as I can easily deal with someone of Crocodile's caliber before so fast that he won't even be able to touch even one of the people living in Rainbase, I stop as I sense someone enter in my self-limited sensory range, and this person is actually soaring through the air as he quickly approaches this locotation.
Sensing that, I simply says, "Someone is coming..." and look at the open window behind Chaka who is sitting in front of me.
Everyone else in the room notices this and also starts to watch the same window with a various expression on their faces, some are curious, some are tense, some are calm.
Soon a huge falcon, big enough to carry a person on his back, wearing a long white robe with brown star-like motifs on it and a matching hat rushes inside the main dining hall before transforming into a tall man with a purple line under each eye that runs down the sides of his face, making him resemble a falcon, his Devil Fruit's animal.
He still wear that long white robe with brown star-like motifs on it and a matching hat, but now, I notice some other details, like the big orange necklace around his neck, or that he wears striped socks under a pair of normal shoes, or even the fact that he carries his sword on his right hip, so it might be assumed that he is either left-handed or even ambidextrous.
Anyway, the man in question is Pell the Falcon, one of the two head guards in the Arabasta Kingdom that serve under Igaram, the other being Chaka, said to be the strongest fighter in all of Arabasta.
(Image Here - Pell)
As soon as Pell lands in this hall, he quickly kneels down and reports, "I'm sorry for intruding like this my King, but I have to report a very frighting news I just received!" then without waiting for permission he quickly drops the bomb, "The entire Arabasta Kingdom may come to an end and the whole Sandy Island risks of being erased from the maps today!!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Odyin
Odyin Have a Nice Day, Ciao!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone