Meanwhile, John and Kalifa locked eyes across the dimly lit hall.
John tilted back a bottle and drank it down one go before letting out a booming laugh. "You've come a long way to get here," he said.
Kalifa adjusted her glasses with a glint of suspicion. "Who are you?" she asked.
"Just an old timer," John replied as he raised the bottle again for another drink.
Kalifa looked at him. There was something familiar in his face. She thought she might have seen a bounty poster of someone like him. She thought the name John was familiar. "Who were you before this?" she pressed.
John's grin faded. He hurled the empty bottle to the ground, where it shattered into shards. "Doesn't matter anymore," he muttered. "I am dead," he laughed. His hand tightened around the hilt of his sword.
He staggered forward, his steps uneven. His body swayed like a drunkard. Then, in a sudden burst of speed, he said, "Swaying Dragon Slash." He lurched left, then snapped forward. His blade carved a deadly arc through the air.
Kalifa's eyes widened. She kicked off the ground and vanished in a blur. "Shave," she said as she reappeared in front of him. "Golden Hour," she added as her hands swept forward and she touched his arm. She released golden bubbles that clung to John's arm. His skin glistened unnaturally. His strength drained.
John's sword slipped from his grasp as it clattered against the floor. He stared at his arm. He flexed his fingers sluggishly. "What was that?" he asked. His eyes narrowed. "You've got a Devil Fruit, don't you?" he said.
Kalifa's lips curved into a sly smile. "I do," she replied. "Contract Strike," she said as she snapped Lovethorn across the air. The thorned lash cracked against John's chest, the impact echoing through the hall.
John staggered but stood his ground.
Kalifa's eyes narrowed. "Penalty Clause," she added with a flick of her wrist, and Lovethorn lashed downward. The whip's tip coiled tightly around John's legs, She yanked him down.
"Your devil fruit was from a treasure?" John grunted as he crashed to the floor. He reached for his sword, but it slipped from his grasp. He struggled to rise.
Kalifa's smirk widened. She did not answer him. "Final Parachute," she said with a sharp tug of. The whip tightened. John's balance was ripped away, and he was slammed hard into the ground. Before he could recover, Kalifa swung her arm, and Lovethorn hurled him into the air like a ragdoll.
John crashed down with a heavy thud. His hand landed in a puddle of spilled alcohol. He blinked. He then looked to see the slick, soapy on his skin was gone where the liquor touched. A slow grin spread across his face. "So that's it," he said.
He reached into his jacket, pulling out another bottle. He poured the alcohol over his arm and washed away the bubbles. His grip tightened as he reclaimed his sword.
"So this is your weakness," John laughed.
He raised his blade high. "Bottle Breaker Thrust," he said as he lunged forward. His sword drove straight forward. Kalifa saw this coming.
Kalifa gritted her teeth. "Paper Art," Kalifa said as she relaxed his body. She moved to the right like a piece of paper. She tried to dodge the attack however she got clipped on her stomach. She got sliced as she moved out of the way. There was some blood leaving the cut.
Kalifa panted. She looked to see she was bleeding a bit. She was not expecting him to cut through that.
John laughed. "You are interesting," he laughed. "My life is filled with sorrow," he said as he looked around at the girls. "You don't seem to have that," she said.
"What are you talking about?" Kaifa asked. "Executive Decision," Kalifa said as she cracked Lovethorn in a lightning-fast strike aimed at John.
John's eyes widened as he swayed drunkenly and dodged the attack. The whip lashed past him. Kalifa struck again, but John tumbled clumsily aside. He rolled across the floor. "My sadness," he laughed.
"Rolling Gourd Spin," John said as his body spun forward in a dizzying tumble. His sword whirled with him. He went towards Kalifa. His sword was about to hit her.
Kalifa's eyes narrowed. "Shave," she said as in a blur and vanished from his line of attack. She reappeared at his flank. Her arm bent unnaturally, joints twisting like a whip. "Bendy Finger Pistol Whip," she said as she snapped her arm outward. The strike cracked against John's side. He sent him stumbling back with a grunt.
Before he could recover, she bent her finger back, coiling her arm like a spring. "Spring Finger Pistol Whip," she added as her arm shot forward at blinding speed, the whip-like strike smashing across John's face. He staggered, nearly losing his footing.
"Not bad," John slurred as he swayed on his feet. He raised his sword high. "Last Call Guillotine," he said as his blade arced high above his head before crashing down in a devastating strike aimed straight at Kalifa.
Kalifa's eyes widened. She thought the sword was above her head. For a heartbeat, doubt flickered and then she thought of Ben, of the promise she had made. Her chest tightened and her heart fluttered, but her resolve hardened. She thought she would not lose to a zombie.
"Great Iron Body," she said she reinforced her body to its absolute limit.
The sword came down with a thunderous crack and shattered against her hardened defense.
John froze, eyes wide in disbelief. "What…?" he asked.
Kalifa's expression sharpened. "Balance Sheet Bind," she said as Lovethorn snapped through the air in a blur and looped. The whip wrapped around John's arms and legs, binding him tight and immobilized him completely.
John only smiled. "Heh… I can see it in your eyes. You've already found your treasure," he said.
Without hesitation, Kalifa flicked her wrist and tossed a cube of salt straight into his open mouth.
John convulsed violently, his body trembled as a dark shadow ripped free. It shot upward before dissolving into the air.
Kalifa exhaled, lowering her whip. The fight was over.
Meanwhile, Gill Bastar and Honey looked at each other. Gill Bastar raised his hand and multiple pistols. He fired in a rapid barrage. The bullets tore through the air. However they passed harmlessly through Honey's liquid form.
Honey smirked. "Bullets won't work on me." She raised her hand and shaped her fingers into the form of a gun. "Liquid Bullet Barrage," she added.
From her fingertips, a hail of purple liquid bullets shot forward. They struck Gill Bastar square in the chest. He staggered back under the impact but stayed on his feet.
"Persistent, aren't you?" Honey said coldly. She brought both hands together. There was liquid swirling around her palms. "Double Air Blast," she added as a torrent of compressed purple liquid surged outward. It slammed into Gill Bastar with explosive force. He was hurled backward and fell onto his back with a heavy thud.
Honey didn't let up. Her arms rippled as streams of liquid twisted together. She formed it into a sharp, three-pronged spear. "Liquid Trident," she said as she hurled it forward. The trident of liquid pierced straight through Gill Bastar's torso and pinned him to the ground.
Honey exhaled, lowering her hand. "Is he down…?" she asked.
Gill Bastar's body twitched. He slowly pushed himself back up.
Honey's eyes narrowed, and she let out a frustrated sigh. "Tch… still standing," she said.
"Liquid Ignition," Honey Queen declared. The purple sheen of her liquid shifted, red as she intensified the heat within it. The droplets shimmered like molten embers before bursting outward. Upon release, the red liquid spontaneously combusted and erupted into a fiery explosion that engulfed Gill Bastar in a storm of flame.
The blast lit the room. The shockwave rattled the ground. Smoke and fire curled around his body as he staggered. His coat and face cloth caught fire. The fabric burned away.
Gill Bastar let out a guttural cry.
Honey narrowed her eyes. She got a cube of salt and hurled it straight into his open mouth as he gasped for air.
Gill Bastar convulsed violently. His body trembled as the salt took hold. His chest heaved, and then suddenly a dark shadow ripped free from within him. The shadow screeched before dissolving into the night sky. It left Gill Bastar's body limp and smoldering in the aftermath.
Kalifa walked toward Honey. Honey noticed the torn fabric and streaks of blood on her. "Are you alright?" Honey asked.
Kalifa adjusted her glasses. "Just a scratch," she replied.
Honey frowned. "That looks deeper than a scratch. You should take a Heal Drink before it gets worse," she said.
Kalifa didn't answer right away. Instead, she turned her gaze toward the window. She looked at Oars lumbering through the mist outside.
"We might need those later," she said quietly.
"Ben will not like it," Honey said as she gave her Heal Drink to her.
Kalifa thought Ben would not. She took the drink and drank it down. Her wounds healed instantly. "Let's keep going," she said.