"Three hours have passed. Still no sign of returning." Dan muttered as he checked the watch on his left wrist. "But no signal either. Most probably, they haven't been discovered yet."
With binocular in her hands, Carmen tried to view the Mundi island from afar but had no success. After all, if they can see the base, it means that the marines can see them too; they had to position themselves far away.
Currently, Prominence was anchored behind a large rock that poked out in the middle of the sea. The rocky formation around the island usually served as an advantage for the marines to defend, but has been working in their favour this time.
"I guess we wait for sixteen hours. If there is no change after, then…"
"We go in." Carmen finished Dan's line, with her right hand litting on a fire.
"Yes yes, no need to lit your hand with fire and burn our ship by accident. What can be more ridiculous than 'Prominence' sinking due to fire?" Dan waved his hands to calm Carmen down. Simultaneously, he grabbed the binocular from Carmen's hand and looked through it himself.
"Huh?" Dan sighted a countless number of the marine ships that appeared all of a sudden, sailing outward from the base.
Watching Dan's sudden change in demeanour, Carmen asked in inquiry, "What's the trouble?"
Dan squinted his eyes, trying to get a better view of the marine ships. "The marine ships. So many of them appeared within our sight all of a sudden. From what I can see, all of them are traveling toward large rocks that are all around the island, including the one we hid from its behind."
Carmen's face turned grim hearing this.
"Given the vibrant colour of Prominence, I don't think we can afford to hide. Once we are discovered, it will be impossible to escape without a battle." Dan quickly assessed the situation. 'The fact that so many marine ships are dispersed at the same time. Either captain and Carina are caught, or the marines somehow figured out the infiltration and that we have the ship hidden.
'The fact that so many ships are out at once means that the marine base is mostly empty… oh no, captain and Carina will be exposed!' Dan's eyes widened in horror as he realized how detrimental the situation has developed.
Carmen, tensed up as one marine ship kept on approaching closer to them, and asked, "Should we fight?"
Dan looked troubled as he looked up towards the direction Carmen was staring at. Eventually, he gathered his resolve and stood up from his spot.
"Blast them."
___________
Rowan and Carina's faces looked grim as they continued their walk around the marine base.
'No Log Pose in sight. The marine base usually serves as the point where many marine ships restock their supplies; Log Pose should be quite common equipment. Having seen none means… they figured out our motive.' Rowan let out a cold sweat as he thought of the dreaded possibility.
For the past three hours, they have constantly been moving, visiting all the places that they suspect to contain the Log Pose. They ended up finding none as if someone deliberately removed them.
*BOOM* Even from the inside, Rowan and Carina heard a sudden booming noise.
"Don't tell me…" Carina instantly turned her face towards the direction of the noise.
Rowan's gaze sharpened. "How? No sound of alarm or signal for mobilization. Yet, the marines somehow grouped up and began their chase for our crew. This shouldn't be possible unless… we've already been found out."
*Clap* *Clap* a clapping sound was heard from behind before Baten stepped out with his huge body towering over Rowan and Carina.
"Well, to be precise, we already found you two around three hours ago. How? Why should I explain?" Baten lazily shrugged with his hands in the pocket. "Let's see who we got here. A blond-haired man and an ugly-looking man. Got to say, your disguises were the only perfect aspect of your infiltration."
"Haa…" Rowan sighed, wanting to facepalm himself at the current moment. So they've been fooled for three hours. The moment they were identified, all the marine troops were pulled out to search the remainder of Rowan's crew, while the formidable officers would remain to handle Rowan and Carina.
Since there is was no point in keeping their disguise, Rowan and Carina threw away their disguises.
"Hmm, who do we have here… ah yes, the woman with short purple hair, has been sighted in Logue town before, but the image was blurry." Baten stared at Carina, who pulled out her daggers and slipped into each of her hands.
"And of course, the notorious 'Grimheart' Rowan, or should I call you…" Baten's eyes lit up in excitement, "Youchiha Bob?"
'Ugh, that name again.' Rowan thought in annoyance, although his posture remained in a tensed-up state. 'Even if it's the name given by my very own parents, the name is just too hideous! Youchiha… sounds similar to the infamous clan from another world, but that's ok! However, why must it be Bob!!'
"Haha, seems that you aren't that fond of that name. You see, I am… kind of your fan." Baten said while lazily putting pair of white gloves onto his hands. "To think Youchiha wasn't merely a fiction, you have no idea how much ecstasy I felt when I heard of your name."
'Fiction? Youchiha? Naruto exists in this world or what?!' Rowan thought as he gritted his teeth. The man in front of him had the biggest size he's ever seen in his whole life. Additionally, his calm attitude seemed to warn Rowan that the man has a formidable strength for himself. "And you are?"
Baten held out his arms wide open. "Why, your number one fan, Rear Admiral Baten at your service. Also, the one who's responsible for your doom." Subsequently, Baten snapped his fingers.
Immediately following, five marine officers with justice coats dropped down from the top, before surrounding Rowan and Carina.
'That dude we saw before, Commodore Kazu, doesn't seem to be here. Probably after Carmen and Dan.' Rowan quickly shifted his eyes left and right, scanning their opponents.
Baten also took out a shortsword from his sword sheath on the left side of his waist. "Prioritize in separating them from one another. Leave Grimheart to me and focus on the girl."
"We must stay together no matter what, okay Rowan?!" Carina quickly shouted, knowing full well that separation will lead to their defeat.
"No need to tell me a blatant truth, Carina." Rowan replied as he took out his new revolver from his holster. "So you must have figured out that we need a Log Pose. Are you going to tell me where you hid them?"
Baten shrugged. "Maybe if you can beat us all."
In the intersection of the hallway, within the marine base, Rowan and Carina were back-to-back as all four pathways were blocked by the marines. Rowan was pointing his gun while Carina was holding her two daggers; Rowan's bounce will only hinder her from using her ten dagger style.
'This man came prepared. He already planned to meet us in a secluded spot, judging by the length of his sword. However, why in here? If it's building...' Rowan inwardly thought as the marines began to launch themselves toward them.
*Clang* Carina deflected the blade from the green-haired marine officer and used her other dagger to slam the blade away sideway. Immediately, Carina ducked to dodge the punch from the burly marine officer and jumped back next to Rowan's side.
"Bounce!" Watching five marine officers simultaneously jumping up to strike toward them, Rowan quickly hugged Carina and crouched down, prior to using his ability to bounce back the weapons. The blond-haired marine officer was seen to have recovered the fastest, and dashed again towards Rowan and Carina.
*Boom* Lightly bouncing away from the sword strike from the blond-haired marine officer, Rowan gently tapped on his foot and used Carina's back as the support to lift his legs up in the air.
*BOOM* Right afterward, Rowan pulled the trigger of his revolver, and two bullets flew off with a burst of bounce force. The bullets traveled rapidly towards Baten, who was standing on his spot and analyzing the situation.
"Lesser." Holding up his free hand towards the rapidly approaching bullets, Baten stated. Surprisingly, the bullets traveling with incredible speed stopped in front of Baten in a matter of a millisecond, before losing their forces and dropping down.
'A devil fruit ability!' Rowan mentally exclaimed as he saw Baten stopping his bullets. He started to feel the dread creeping down his spine as he felt the gaze of Baten intently staring at him and Carina battle against the five officers.
*Clang* "Damn it, Rowan!" *Clang* *Clang* Carina shouted in midst of the fight as she continued to deflect the attacks that kept coming from three different directions. "Do something already!" She was displaying a quick blade-play in a very flexible manner. She bent her body backward to let a sword slip behind her back, before back-flipping and kicking off the extended sword to dodge a punch that was heading towards her way.
*BOOM* Rowan's punch met the burly officer's punch, causing the latter to fly away with his hand bleeding and broken. Trying to keep his emotion in control, Rowan spoke back calmly, "Don't be careless Carina. That dude over there is just watching us fight right now, and possesses a devil fruit ability." At the same time, Rowan slammed his bullets into the nearby marine officer with black hair, causing the latter to throw up a gallon of blood and drop dead instantly. The blood sprayed and landed on Rowan, leaving him stained in red. "Hard to focus on both at the same time, you know."
"Haa, it seems that you are unable to separate the two from one another. Stary, Kenzo, and Haruo, back off. This should be good enough; go with the plan B." Baten sighed and began to approach Rowan and Carina. The marine officers with blond hair, green hair, and burly feature nodded before backing away and standing on the side while grabbing their fellow marine officers, although it is unknown whether they are alive or dead.
Rowan grimaced as he watched Baten slowly walking towards them. "Listen Carina. When I shot the bullets earlier, he somehow stopped it in the midair. He said 'lesser.' Don't really understand what his ability can truly do, but he can stop my bounce."
Carina nodded, having learnt new information. Although she was right next to Rowan, she was occupied with the fight that she didn't get to witness the scene.
Baten eventually stopped in proximity to Rowan and Carina. "Any last words?"
Carina raised her hand eagerly, "Well not last words, but I do have something to say. Did you brush? Why does it smell so much when you talk?"
Rowan smirked hearing Carina's words. "I bet that he's never dated before. A loser who locks himself in a room and does questionable things. Look at his hair, it's not wax. It's gotta be the oil from his hair since he didn't shower for years."
Baten laughed, "Sure sure. Nice attempt, I bet that some would've gone angry hearing that. Anyway, shall we start?"
Right after, Baten raised his shortsword and slammed down, which is blocked by Rowan's fist and Carina's daggers.
*BOOM* Baten held an amused look as his shortsword was repelled by Rowan's bounce force.
The fight between Rear Admiral Baten versus Rowan and Carina has begun.
'The projectiles don't seem to work on Baten. He literally stopped my bullets in midair; I doubt that he acquired Kid's devil fruit in such a short time.' Rowan thought as he and Carina stood against Baten in a deadlock. 'Lesser. That's the word he said. I'm assuming that his power allows him to reduce the physical aspects. Just now, he reduced the speed and strength of my bullets-'
Rowan was interrupted by Baten's rapid dash towards them. Instantly appearing in front of Rowan, Baten swung his shortsword towards Rowan at fast speed.
Rowan's eyes widened and immediately opened his left palm toward the shortsword.
*BOOM* Rowan's palm and Baten's shortsword collided, before both were bounced backwards. Skidding and finally stopping on the ground, Rowan narrowed his eyes. 'Just now, he didn't use that 'lesser' technique on my bounce. He can't use his ability on the living beings?'
*Clang* *Clang* Baten raised his shortsword to block Carina's daggers thrown at him. To his surprise, the daggers didn't get reflected, but spun around the shortsword as the metal wires attached onto the daggers quickly wrapped around it.
"Rowan!" Carina shouted, and Rowan, who landed next to Carina, immediately grabbed the metal wires and pulled them towards him.
"Lesser." Holding his palm against the metal wires, Baten calmly called out. Right afterwards, the metal wires suddenly became thin and loose, before each of them were severed into two pieces.
Rowan rolled backwards due to the sudden breakage of the metal wires, before positioning himself. Carina gritted her teeth before dashing towards Baten.
Rowan instantly caught up to Carina through the propulsion with bounce. 'Currently, there are two ways to defeat Baten.' Rowan thought as his right punch approached Baten.
"*Yawn* Really, can't you come up with something better?" Baten lazily said while raising his palm again. Ignoring Baten's antic, Rowan continued to fly towards Baten with Carina dashing right behind him.
"Lesser."
'First, using the Seastone.' Rowan thought as he retracted his fist back at the last moment. Simulatneously, he rapidly swung his left hand, which is holding the Seastone jitte he had it sheathed on his back.
*Clang* *Clang* Baten was about to block the jitte with his shortsword, however, was blocked by Carina's daggers.
"Ho?" Baten lifted up his eyebrow in amusement as he stared at the Seastone jitte, which was about to strike him in less than a milisecond.
"Soru."
Baten suddenly disappeared from Rowan and Carina's views, before appearing on their back, with his shortsword ready to slam onto them.
"Damn it!" Rowan quickly turned himself around by bouncing himself off the air and held out his Seastone jitte horizontally to defend the shortsword. Carina threw her daggers toward Baten's feet, quickly took out new pair of daggers from her pouches, and launched herself towards Baten again.
"Lesser." Baten held out his hand towards the midriff of Rowan's jitte that connected the handle with Seastone tip. The Seastone jitte cracked before crumbling apart, and the Seastone tip flew out of the jitte and landed on the ground.
"Kami-e." Simultaneously, Baten's body bent unnaturally and dodged all of Carina's daggers.
Watching Baten's swift reaction, Rowan and Carina grimaced and jumped back in caution.
"Wow, how did you manage to take that Seastone in such a short amount of time?" Baten looked at the Seastone that lied in Carina's hand with amused eyes.
Staring at the broken handle of jitte on his hand, Rowan quickly spoke out, "Carina, this dude's ability to reduce the size, speed and strength seems to have limited range. Probably the reason as to why he wants to fight us in small setting. Also-" Rowan couldn't finish his words, as he saw Baten lifting his right leg up.
"Rankyaku." A compressed blades of air rushed toward Rowan and Carina. Rowan hopped himself in midair, while Carina jumped sideway to dodge the bullets. "Soru." Baten disappeared from his position with a dust and instantly appeared in front of Carina.
"Blade storm!!" Carina didn't panic in front of Baten's huge form and rapidly slashed towards Baten at an incredible speed.
"Lesser." Holding out his hand, Baten stated.
*Clang* *Clang* As the blades clashed, Carina's daggers immediately broke from the rapid slashes, and caused her to clench her teeth as she dashed sideway and pullet out a new pair of daggers.
*Clang* "You think that's all I got? Don't get cocky, you bastard." Carina growled as she clashed her daggers against Baten's shortsword once more. 'We have no idea about what this plan B may be. Where have those marine officers, whom we fought, gone to?'
'First method was Seastone. Second method... is to use the weakness of the devil fruit against itself.' Seeing Baten, who used Soru again to catch up to Carina, Rowan himself bounced against the wall and flew towards Baten and Carina at an insane speed. 'From what I've observed so far, Baten can only use his ability in one object at once. Also, there seems to be a cool-down time every single time he uses the ability. Coupled with its pretty small range, it is evident that this ability isn't invincible.'
"Lesser." Using his ability once again, Baten caused Carina's daggers to break by smashing his shortsword into them. Subsequently, Baten noticed Rowan flying towards him at an insane speed, and braced himself.
"Tekkai." *BOOM* Rowan's palm struck Baten's abdomen, whose hands were occupied from Carina just now. However, Baten seems to have sustained no damage, as his face still looked casual.
With his palm still in contact with Baten, Rowan grinned. 'His ability cannot affect the living being like me. Checkmate.'
"Bounce Crash, 10-Hit-" However, before Rowan could blast his attack,
"Less Less One-Hundredth Strength." Baten didn't lose his casualty even with Rowan's palm about to unleash its attack, and let out a grin as he watched the daggers thrown by Carina flying lethally toward him.
*Crack* Suddenly, the part of the ground Rowan was standing on shrunk and created a hole abruptly, causing him to lose his balance and fall. Simultaneously, Carina's daggers stopped in midair and fell powerlessly.
'What?!' Rowan's eyes widened as he witnessed Baten's display of power. and quickly brought himself away from the hole. 'I thought he could only use his power on one object at once!!'
"Shigan." Immediately after preventing Rowan and Carina's assaults, Baten poked his right index finger towards Rowan at a blinding speed that Rowan could barely see.
*BOOM* The finger collided with Rowan's shoulder, which barely managed to expel small amount of the bounce force to deflect the attack. The force generated from the collision caused Rowan to fly back, and he wobbly landed on the ground, with a large bruise on his left arm.
"Ugh..." Rowan groaned slightly as he felt the pain from his wound.
Carina held out her daggers and sighed, "Haa, I'm leaning towards an idea that that man may be too much for us to handle. And at this point, I don't really have an idea how I can help you; he just seems to be unbreakable with my skills alone."
Shifting his gaze to Carina's pouches, Rowan noticed that she is probably down to her last pair of daggers. 'That marine dude deliberately used his ability on one object only, just to lure us in. It was too close just now on; I would've suffered more grievous injury than this, if I were to react just a little later.'
"Hmm, an annoying ability to deal with indeed." Baten commented while rubbing his chin. "The ability to bounce off using one's own body and any solid object one is in contact with. From what I can see, in order for you to deflect the attack, you have to be 'aware.' Requires a very fast reflex and eye sight; it seems that you are quite gifted in those aspects, aren't you?"
Rowan didn't pay his mind to Baten, but began to devise a plan. 'Can target multiple objects at once. However, other weaknesses stand. Limited range and cool-down. Additionally, just like me, he has to be aware. If I can speed up very fast and not allow him to react, he shouldn't be able to 'reduce' the attack.'
"Which means, I just have to be fast enough that you won't be able to react." Having reached the same conclusion as Rowan, Baten grinned as he sheathed his shortsword back.
"Carina," Rowan whispered to Carina next to him, "I think we're out of options here. We have to separate, and I need you to look for the Log Pose while I hold off this dude. There's probably three officers we faced-"
"Soru." Baten once again dashed from his position, and appeared in front of Carina in an instant.
"S***!!" Realizing that Baten intends to get rid of Carina first, Rowan's eyes burned in anger as he bounced towards Baten at an incredible speed.
"Shigan." *BOOM* Rowan barely reached Baten's finger and stopped it with his punch. Carina flew backwards from the shock, before back-flipping and landing safely onto the ground.
"Go NOW, Carina!!" Rowan shouted as he and Baten began to move at a blurry speed.
*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* The shock waves from the collisions boomed within the secluded spot, causing Carina to shield her face with her arms. Staring at Rowan with slight worry in her eyes, Carina gritted her teeth and quickly dashed away from the site at her fastest speed.
"Oho? You think I will let you go?" While in midst of blindingly-fast combat between Rowan, Baten muttered to himself before using Soru to appear right in front of Carina. However,
*BOOM* *BOOM* Rowan simultaneously appeared next to Baten, and prevented Baten from causing any harm to Carina by blocking Baten's finger with his fist once more. "Hurry!!"
Sweating profusely, Carina continued her run and eventually disappeared from Baten's view, causing the latter to shrug.
"Well, back to plan A I suppose?" Baten said halfheartedly. "By the way, the movement you did just now... did you copy Soru? How impressive."
Watching Carina's successful escape, Rowan took a deep breath and calmed himself down. Instantly after, Rowan shrugged back, "I have good eyes."
'Who knew that kicking ten times off the ground is really a thing? I was quite retarded in the past, wasn't I?' Rowan couldn't help but think in exasperation. 'Good thing I managed to sight the exact moment he kicked off at least. Can't kick that fast, but I got my bounce to do the job for me.'
Baten nodded with his arms crossed together. "Getting stronger during the battle... seems that you are becoming more and more troublesome fellow to deal with." Slowly cracking his body, Baten sighed, "Guess I will have to disregard the building; it's going to leave a dent in my career. Curses upon you, Grimheart."
Right after his statement, Baten suddenly became smaller and thinner, with his height dropping from four meter to three and a half meter.
"Seimei Kikan: Kami-e Bushin." Baten took off the glasses from his eyes and put it in the inner pocket of his black suit. "This is the dead end for you, Grimheart. Let's wrap this up before the situation gets more messy."
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