The stretch of land from here to the Castle was known as Deep Hard Rock. It was filled with terrain that was strange, the very ground that the crew walked on was cracked and ragged, spikes that looked more like bone came from the ground, along with large giant malignant looking mushrooms that were deep earthy tones, strange fungal growths coming from them in spindly swirling tendrils. And then every few feets along with rotted and strange looking trees that were jagged in closer formations to rock than to wood, it seemed like the very seabed had made its home on the ground. Dead, dry coral sprouted with plants that looked like anemone
But that wasn't the only thing that infested these lands. All across the island were members of Barbary's crew, each meant to intercept and clash with the Red Sash crew, along with the horde of creatures created by an unknown means.
As the crew were running through gnarled almost calcified trees that formed a canopy above like an archway that stretched forward like a wide open hallway, a rumbling thummed through the floor before the large tree nearby exploded!
The creature that appeared was tall, standing at least at 12 feet. Its body was long and spindly, skin stretched taught against the thin muscles on its frame. It was biped and humanoid-esque. The general shape of a person but with the legs that were digitigrade like that of a deer.
Its hands were large and gnarled in claws, matted fur across his shoulder that hung low. Its abdomen was vacuumed into a concave, ribs literally ripping from the flesh in bright bone white. From it's pelvis was a trail of thick fur one would see from a 4 legged mammal instead of a biped.
It's head revealed why this was. Atop a long neck that was craned forward as it hunched, was a pale skull of a buck. 60 point antlers that stretched over 5 feet wide.
The Creature was a Deer. A Deer that was utterly mutilated and transformed like the Zombie Demons of the Sonorous Pirates ship.
"What the hell heh…" Leroy gave a slight chuckle with a confused look, slamming his fist into the palm of his hand, only to feel a larger hand on his shoulder "Mind if I take this one, Mr. Leroy?" He gave a polite title to the Captain
"Yeah.." Leroy relaxed as he heard, a bit confused by the politeness.
The Beast Roared as it stood a dozen meters away, Eddie walking slowly up his staff like a cane as he walked before slamming into the ground to stand straight, walking past it and beginning to undo the middle of the cloak he wore. Letting it rest like a open jacket, loose fabric then put over his shoulder and wrapped around his neck
Within the fabric was the clothes that he had been wearing since he was left adrift on the Bleak Strait
A Leather jacket with metal studs on the collar, it was mixed with denim across the torso, patches of repair with stitches laden throughout. A leather stitched patch on the right breast side of the Soronous Pirates Jolly Roger.
The moment Eddie reached mere 10 feet from the Deer Beast, it leapt into action! Falling to all fours and dashing forward in a blur of speed that most people wouldn't be able to comprehend!
But in a flash of his own speed, Eddie sidestepped the beast and in one fluid motion pulled his guitar from behind his back with the strap. His bone fingers gliding across the strings in a single cord as he grasped the neck and pulled the instrument off his body!
Holding the Guitar like an axe, the edge of his Guitar shined! Then, with immense strength– Eddie pulled the axe above his head and slammed it down! Slicing straight through the middle of the monster and crashing into the cracked rocky earth! A giant torrent of wind shot forward as the ground shook! Debris flying meters above the trees!
The impact caused a slight reverb through the instruments cords, given the slightest melody
"Cort Slash!" Eddie yelled in a loud, surprisingly harsh voice utterly different that baritone he typically spoke in
"Ha…" A breath of cold fog left Eddies mouth as he stayed in place for a moment. The deer monster reverting back to the corpse of a Salmon Tailed Stag (A Deer similar to white tails, but with a pale pink and known for their near double average point racks)
"Haha! Holy Shit Ed that was awesome!" Leroy shot a hand in the air as he cheered, Calli given her own "Wow! That was crazy!"
With a simple tug, the skeleton pulled the axe free from the ground and putting a hand on his chest with a slight courtesy bow "I live to entertain!" He gave a boney smile, striding back over to the crew, Guitar back around his back and pulling his staff from its resting spot
"Nice clothes." Kale said with a cheeky grin and a hint of sarcasm. "They might be old, but they were made specifically for me by a member of my crew."
"Shall we continue? I doubt that this will be the last of these beast. I can already sense that this forest is filled with a great many beast. Along with living bodies I can partially see with my power…."
"You can…Sense them?" Dezzi asked "Yes. My Fruit power allows me to see the slight souls of people like looking at a floating flame when close enough" He said as he began to walk, Leroy walked to the front to lead. "But from here all i can see is that theres a general light in those areas telling me somethings there."
"As for the Beast. When I was still alive, I picked up a skill randomly, and from then I was able to sense things' positions when I focused. Both are not constantly active. I call them my 'Shade Awareness' and 'Phantasm Sense'
"Heh! I wonder if I can learn something like that!" Leroy said "I know I've got quite the good awareness but nothing like actually knowing peoples exact positions" It seemed that Eddies ability was Supernatural in nature, while the keen senses of those like Leroy and Kale was granted by their keen senses honed by training and experience.
It wasn't much longer as they continued to hurry through the Forest canopy before they began to slow to a stop as they saw something at the end where the forest seemed to open up
Two figures sat at the opening, both were tall with rotund fat bodies. They wore Identical outfits of a sweater with different colored horizontal stripes. One a dark blue, while the other was a dark maroon. Both wore simple dress shirts underneath that were pin striped, black and white. Suspenders over top as one wore a beanie and the other a ballcap
"Look, They're finally here." Spoke the right "Ready to do this, Dee?" Spoke the left