Ben, Mikita, Saphir, Raki, and Perona climbed back up through the hatch. They left the open area. They stepped back into the dusty air of the old house.
"I'm still wondering why a house like this was hiding the Life Gem," Raki mused as she brushed the debris from her clothes.
"Considering the Marine base is right over the hill, you'd think they would have scouted this place ages ago," Mikita added.
"Maybe they just weren't interested," Saphir suggested. She reached for the edge of the floorboards, and Ben reached down and firmly grasped her hand to help her up.
"That's unlikely," Mikita countered. "The Marines don't leave loose ends like this," she added.
"They might have dismissed the local stories as nothing more than rumors," Ben said as he looked back at the dark hatch. "But even then, it doesn't quite add up. A 'Beware of Monster' sign usually invites a Marine investigation," he remarked.
And what about those two Generals down there?" Mikita asked. "We had seen and fought them before and they acted the same," she added.
"I don't know yet," Ben responded, "But there has to be a link between those Generals and the Life Gems," he added.
Saphir looked at the silver relic in her hand. "Magic," she remarked.
They all nodded and left the house.
"Stop," a man shouted. They looked to see Jerry, the former leader of CP6 surrounding them with a group of Marines. "I did not think I would find someone like you here," Jerry added.
"Jerry," Ben said.
"Surrender now," Jerry ordered as he held his boxing gloves up.
"How did they find us?" Saphir asked.
"We got tipped off," a marine replied.
Ben thought of Hawkins. "I will deal with Jerry, you all handle the Marines," Ben ordered.
The girls all nodded. Ben transformed into his hybrid form.
"Meteor Fist!" Mikita shouted,as she dramatically increased the weight in one of her hands. She swung her fist towards the ground. The impact was explosive, generated a shockwave that rippled through the ground and knocked several Marines to the ground. "Fire," Jerry said. The Marines try to gather themselves.
Ben flew towards Jerry. "You will never learn," Jerry said. "Jerry Aurora Flicker Jab," he shouted. He raised his fist and swung dozens of them simultaneously.
"Demon Fist," Ben muttered as he gathered energy in his fist. He swung his fist and met Jerry's flurry with a single, perfectly timed punch that created a shockwave. It halted Jerry's momentum instantly.
Jerry pivots immediately. "Yoga One Two," he remarked as he bent his legs behind his back and dropped his height to slip under Ben's guard, and snapped two punches upward.
Ben quickly moved back and dodged the attack. "You're fast," Ben said. "Demon Beam," Ben added as he raised one hand. He sent a beam towards Jerry.
"Rolling Thunder," Jerry said as he curled into a ball. He tucked his head and rolled across the floor at high speed. The beam blasts the ground where he stood a second ago. Jerry rolled forward toward Ben and uncurled in front of him. He leapt up with an explosive punch aimed at Ben's ribs.
Ben's wings flare open. "Demon Barrage," Ben said as small dark energy projectiles manifested around his wings and came raining down.
Jerry was forced to abandon his punch and weave through the projectiles. "You will not be lucky next time," Jerry remarked.
"That was not luck," Ben replied. He then thought of Jerry. "Why are you here with Marines?" Ben asked. "Are you not a member of Ciphor Pol 6?" he questioned.
"I was but because of you all, I was transferred out," Jerry replied. He smiled. "But once I capture you, I will be promoted back again," he added. "Screw Drop Kick," he added as he leapt into the air and spun like a drill. He moved rapidly towards Ben.
Ben saw the attack coming however it was too fast. He got hit with the attack and went sliding back. He panted. "He is fast," Ben remarked.
As Jerry landed, he immediately pivoted on one foot. "Spiral Knockout," Jerry said as he gathered every ounce of momentum into a massive, twisting uppercut.
Ben's eyes narrow. "Demon Abyssal Whip," he said as he created a whip made of energy. He cracked the whip and wrapped it around Jerry's rising arm mid-uppercut. With a flick of his wrist, Ben yanked the whip and threw Jerry off balance.
Ben thought he was just an enemy. "Demon Abyssal Chains," Ben added as black chains erupted from Ben's palms and snarled Jerry's wrists.
"Impact Uppercut," Jerry said as he swung the boxing glove and punched the chain. The chain did not break. "What is this?" Jerry questioned.
Ben flew forward. "Demon Inferno Fist," Ben said as his hand ignited with black flames. While still holding Jerry, he punched Jerry's chest. He let the chains go at that moment. The explosion of black fire sent Jerry skidding across the ground. He spat blood.
Ben looked at Jerry. He was panting. There was a hole in his shirt. He spat blood again. "You will not escape," Jerry said as he suddenly lost consciousness and dropped to the ground.
Meanwhile, Perona raised her hand. "Quadruple Negative Attack," Perona said as she sent four Negative Hollows at four separate targets. They flew through the air and went towards the Marines. The ghost went through them all and they dropped to their knees.
The Lieutenant crashed to his knees so hard his helmet clattered onto the dirt. "I'm a failure," he sobbed. "I dreamed of being an Admiral, but I'm not even fit to shine a seaman's boots. I should just be a piece of moss in a dark cave," he added.
Beside him, a burly Sergeant slumped over. There were tears streaming down his face. "Why did I even wake up today? The sun is too bright for a loser like me. I wish I was a flea, a tiny, insignificant flea that everyone steps on," he remarked.
The other two Marines fell flat on their stomachs. They were completely drained of the will to live. One started apologising to the grass for stepping on it, while the other began to wonder aloud if his mother ever truly loved him.
"Horo-horo-horo," Perona laughed.
"That is such a cool power," Saphir said as she moved forward towards three more Marines who were charging at her.
"Bleu Swift Strike," Saphir said as she used the blunt end of the shaft to strike the first Marine`s wrist and sent his rifle flying. She followed it up with a lightning-fast kick to his chest that sent him tumbling back.
The second Marine raised his bayonet and lunged it forward but Saphir spun her spear in a tight vertical circle. She parried the blade aside. Then she twisted her body and swiped her spear across his chest. The marine was slashed and went down. He started to bleed.
The third Marine swung his clubbed rifle at her head. Saphir ducked low and dodged the attack. She then swept her leg across the dirt and knocked him off his feet. As he fell, she brought her spear down and stabbed his chest.
He hit the ground hard and laid there. Saphir took the spear out. It was covered in blood.
"You are not bad yourself," Perona remarked.
"Storm Leg: Rain of Needles," Raki said as she swung her leg multiple times. She sent a rapid-fire kick forward. She sent multiple small compress blades of wind towards the Marines. The wind blades hit the Marines and shredded their clothes and cut them all over their body. It had punctured multiple wounds across their arms and legs. They dropped to their knees and collapsed. "That was easy," she remarked as she dusted herself off.
At the same time, Mikita ran forward and punched a Marine in the chest. As her fist connected, she flashed her weight to several tons for a split second. The impact sounded like a cannon blast and shattered the soldier's breastplate and sent him flying backward into two others and knocking all three unconscious.
Mikita then pivoted and delivered a sharp kick to his ribs. The force was enough to lift him off the ground and sent him spinning into a tree with a sickening crack.
"Surrender," a Marine shouted as he swung his rifle butt at her head. Mikita ducked the blow and came up with a brutal uppercut that caught him under the chin. The force snapped his head back, and he collapsed instantly.
"How about no," Mikita remarked. She looked forward and saw several Marines cowering together.
The Marines looked around. They saw their comrades fall one by one. They looked at Mikita, Raki, Saphir and Perona who looked like demons. "Run away," one shouted. The few remaining Marines ran.
"Are we that scary?" Saphir asked.
Ben then flew over. "You all are beautiful," Ben said.
The girls all smiled.
Raki cleared her throat. "Let's head back," Raki said. "It is getting late," she added.
"Good call," Ben remarked.
Meanwhile in Granu island, in the grand hall, King Cello sat upon a throne. At that moment, the door swung open.
"My King," Cal bowed deeply. "The first Life Gem has been acquired," he added.
"Who got it?" Cello questioned.
"It has been obtained by a group of pirates," Cal replied.
"Cello," Smoker barked as he ignored the royal guards who crossed their spears and barged in. "What the hell are you thinking? You announced the existence of these Life Gems and this competition to the entire world," Smoker said. "You've turned this island into a magnet for every lowlife and cutthroat on the Grand Line," he added.
Cello looked down from his throne. "Vice-Admiral Smoker. I have heard a lot about you," he replied.
"Then you must have heard what I do to pirates," Smoker responded.
"Indeed," Cello replied. "You must be wondering why I have done this. It is simple, this is my kingdom, and those gems will be important for the Kingdom's future," he added. "They have no use without proper knowledge so they will come here," he explained.
"That does not make it right what you do," Smoker spat as a cloud of smoke erupted from his mouth. "You've turned a peaceful island into a slaughterhouse for a few shiny rocks. My job is to maintain order, and you've just made that impossible," he added. "And it is the worst time," he whispered.
"Then this is good time you are here," Cello replied smoothly as he waved a hand in dismissal.
Smoker's jaw tightened, his cigars glowed bright orange. "I don't care about your 'Kingdom' or your games, Cello. But I won't let pirates run wild on my watch," he said. He turned on his heel. "I'm going out there to arrest every pirate on this island. And if I find out you're using the Marines to do your dirty work, you'll be next," he said as he puffed his cigarette.
"He could be dangerous," Cal warned.
"He is doing his job," Cello replied. He looked up. "Did I do the right thing?" he asked.
"You did my King," Cal replied. "This was all for the Kingdom and its future," Cal added with a sinister smile on his face.