From a clearing, The Trio with the Captain began to shift into a strange fungal environment. Large stalks of mushrooms rose into the air like tall trees, the ground went from stone and red, to grayish mush. Tendrils of a mold like substance grew across the ground
It seemed to writhe and wriggle. As if it were alive. They did not attach to normal foliage, but instead spiraled up into their own false representations of what they looked like. From boulders of mold and fungus, to giant mushrooms that were far from the 'Pretty' and pleasing to look at fungus.
In the Grand Line, there was an Island known as stool. It was filled with a similar environment. The entire thing was a fungal petri dish. People living inside giant beautiful mushrooms. With their own unique species of fungus within the borders.
This is to say, that what was in front of them was utterly different. It looked Corrupted. Evil almost. Instead of smooth caps, they were jagged and sharp. Giving harsh outlines to their profiles.
"Hold on." Leroy raised a hand. Ceasing the other two from moving. "Do you hear that?"
There was a slight thudding that vibrated through the ground. Approaching closer and closer. This had to be the second or third time that they had felt the large thundering approach of a beast.
The line near to the left of them broke! Strange creatures suddenly falling out of a large wall of mold! They were strange humanoid in shape, but had no necks, instead were entirely heads connected to shoulders. Their faces were warped into forms that looked nearly non-existent. Instead slits with jagged teeth going up the middle of them
It was as if a clay sculptor flattened pieces of mud into long tubes and attempted to replicate the human musculature off of a mediocre understanding of said anatomy. Then they dipped it in tar, and allowed the drippings to harden and be twisted back onto the body
In a burst of reflexes, the trio quickly got into position. Raven raising her hands, Kirk spinning his 4 section nephobo, and Leroy clenching his fist!
Dozens more seemed to pile out of the clearing. But that thundering footsteps only continued to grow closer!
With a giant thud. A 32 foot tall giant came through! What used to be a male giant, wearing a blue tunic that reached his knees, a large leather belt that wrapped around his waist, a large horn off the side with a stone axe slid into a hoop.
But now, it was covered in that mold. Tendrils slinking across the fabric like staining ink that was protruding up like roots. The giants head utterly wrapped fungus
Even with the Trio right in front of it, it did not attack. And was clearly on the run from something! That exact something was quick on its heels!
Leaping from the brush was a 50 foot tall at the shoulder, Cat like a beast! Its teeth were a long like spears! Its lips were ripped almost like a dogs! Hair deep gray and spotted like a snow leopard! This beast…
Was the Bandersnatch!
Noir, Jeanne and Dezzi were having a far easier time navigating the path that they were on. The Markswoman having noticed that this specific path seemed to have been paved recently
This just added to the fact that this was set up just for them.
It wasn't much longer after that, they finally came across what was waiting for them. Beneath their feet the ground that was once orange and red, began to feel almost like sand on the sea bed. Dried coral and dead sea life littering the ground as if an entire ocean had tried up without warning. Leaving all on the floor to absorb the heat of the island
They stopped at the edge of a cliff that dropped down into a large valley that was flat and surrounded on the edges by jagged Rocks that were covered in dried ocean life.
In the valley itself. What looked to be vehicles like carriages but without the horses sped around the field of sand. Booms from a firearm reverberating as one after another, these chariots went down.
Smaller buildings sat around the field as one large one that seemed to be where this…'game' started.
"Yeah….This is gonna be a weird one…" Noir said, sticking a cigarette in between his lips in annoyance
Kale, Cali, and Eddie were hiking through large spikes that jutted from the ground and surrounded them. Even when leaping from rock to rock a top of them, the place that they were being lead towards by the loud sounds of metal, chatter, and what sounded to be song, never got closer
It was as if a mountain used to be where they were. But it had since been shattered and left jagged. Perhaps thats what had happened. Barbary perhaps used it as a thing to train his strength against, only for Koru to come and corrupt the ground into what it was now.
It was only for what felt like half an hour of moving at quite the pace did they finally come to a stop. The jagged rock trail tapering off and the noise that they were hearing came into view
A city of concrete, large multi story buildings that twisted and curved. Distinctly different from any Skyscraper or highrise that had been seen by Cali, Eddie (When they were becoming majorly popular) or Kale on his journey through the east blue (Where a few notable islands had advanced architecture)
Smoke rose from fires set in the street, buildings seemed dilapidated while others were well under control. Just what was going on in this place?
This was Max Town. The Home of the Deri Warriors. The stomping grounds of the Corsairs. And the place where the Ships launched from to form into the Hard Rock fleet.