August 23, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
Medina Akhmetova rushed at full speed toward the beach of the island where the clash between the two pirates was unfolding, while her crew prepared to disembark and provide support.
Gloriosa, who had been watching Olive fight Catarina with great interest, sensed the presence of the marine vice admiral and frowned, thinking that their problems kept piling up.
After being attacked by the battleship's cannon, they had intended to retreat without entering into conflict with the Navy, but now it seemed there was no other option left but to confront directly the woman who was approaching through the air.
"Hototogisu, you help Olive finish off that ugly woman quickly. I'll take care of the marine," Gloriosa said as she grasped her companion snake Yara in her hands, using her as a bow.
Hototogisu did not want to follow Gloriosa's orders, who was not only younger than her but also of lower rank within Orion's harem—at least from her point of view—but she knew this was not the moment to argue among themselves, so she immediately took up her spear and moved to assist Olive in her battle.
Meanwhile, Gloriosa drew three arrows from her quiver, coated them with Armament Haki, and fired them at full speed toward Medina.
In midair, Medina saw the projectiles approaching rapidly, yet she showed not the slightest concern, as an attack of that level was not enough to trouble her.
Although she was not as famous as other high-profile marines, she was currently one of the most powerful vice admirals in the Navy, and her name had even been considered among the candidates for admiral during the most recent appointment to that rank.
With a slight movement of her head, Medina dodged two of the arrows flying toward her, while destroying the third using only her fist. Then she used Soru to cover the remaining distance to the island, appearing directly in front of Gloriosa.
"Wait a moment, your face seems familiar," Medina Akhmetova said as she once again pulled the small book from her clothes and began reviewing the reports inside.
Gloriosa, who was quite proud, felt that Medina's actions were a total show of disrespect toward her, as she was being treated as if she posed no threat at all. For that reason, the pink-haired girl used Soru and, appearing beside the vice admiral, launched several Shigan in quick succession.
Medina simply dodged all of Gloriosa's attacks while continuing to review the notebook with her head lowered, clearly revealing the gap between their abilities. After all, this was the New World, and the vice admirals sent to this place generally possessed considerable power.
Gloriosa's cheeks flushed with anger, and she began making faster, wider movements, which finally forced Medina Akhmetova to respond. Stepping forward, the vice admiral used one of her legs to block Gloriosa's Shigan, while with her other leg she kicked her in the chest, sending her crashing to the ground.
She then sat down on Gloriosa's stomach, placing her foot on the delicate neck of the pink-haired girl.
"Ah, here you are. Deserter agent Gloriosa. After escaping from Guanhao, you've been on the World Government's fugitive list. I can't let you walk free," Medina said, putting the book back into her clothes once more and extending a hand to finish knocking out Gloriosa, who was struggling to break free from her grip without much success.
However, at that very moment, Hototogisu returned to help Gloriosa, swinging her spear violently at the vice admiral.
"Tekkai."
Medina Akhmetova activated the defensive technique while reinforcing her body with Armament Haki, and Hototogisu's spear not only failed to pierce her defenses, but was completely shattered by the impact.
Hototogisu was not a weak warrior; not only was her weapon of high quality, but she also used Armament Haki to enhance its durability, so the fact that Medina had been able to destroy it without even straining herself was deeply concerning.
The marine vice admiral rose suddenly, dodging Yara's surprise attack, and with a spin in midair she landed in front of the two girls, looking at them with pity in her eyes.
"Poor girls. You've chosen the path of evil, and now you'll have to pay the consequences."
After uttering these ominous words, she coated her body in Armament Haki, displaying her masterful control over it, which was leagues above that of the two girls. Although Gloriosa possessed great natural talent and more potential than Medina Akhmetova, at present she was no match for her, making this fight completely unbalanced.
"Pegasus Meteor!"
Olive, who had been fighting Catarina Devon, saw that her two little sisters were in trouble with the vice admiral, and rushed over to assist them.
Olive's fists moved at incredible speed, driven by her explosive muscles and the slight control over the wind she possessed thanks to her Devil Fruit. Afterimages flooded Vice Admiral Medina's vision, leaving her no choice but to focus entirely on repelling the powerful assault, which gave Gloriosa and Hototogisu the chance to regain their composure.
"You are definitely the most dangerous one in this group," Medina said as she guarded herself against Olive's attacks. At that moment, she decided that the best course of action was to deal with Olive first as quickly as possible, and only afterward suppress the other two girls of lesser strength.
The blows thrown by Olive eventually became too fast for Medina to completely stop, and they began to land against her body, though they could not easily pierce her defenses. The vice admiral's body seemed to be made of steel, and no matter how much Olive's punches struck it, they appeared to deal no damage at all.
However, this was only a superficial appearance, because if Medina truly decided to withstand the attack using only her body, she would not be able to hold out for very long before starting to take damage from the sexy pirate.
"Do you dare turn your back on me in the middle of a fight?" said Catarina Devon, who, upon seeing that Olive had ignored her to help the two girls in their struggle against the vice admiral, felt a brief moment of humiliation, which was immediately replaced by a macabre smile at the opportunity to take advantage of her opponent's lowered defenses.
Catarina Devon was not an honorable warrior, but a ruthless —and psychopathic— pirate, so she would not waste the chance to attack Olive from behind. Wielding her spear coated in Armament Haki, she attacked straight at heart level, with the intent to kill.
Olive was obviously able to perceive Catarina's attack with her Observation Haki, and she had to stop her assault on the vice admiral in order to defend herself and avoid a fatal wound.
Bang!
A new impact resounded violently through the area, and Olive took two steps back from the force of the blow, eyeing her two enemies warily. The situation at that moment was tremendously chaotic, with two high-level enemies in front of her, both capable of killing her at the slightest mistake.
Moreover, Olive also had to take care of protecting her two companions, who were somewhat weaker and not on the same level as the two enemies. Fortunately, both Hototogisu and Gloriosa were not helpless girls, and they were capable of acting at a power level similar to Catarina Devon's if they worked together.
On the other hand, something that made the situation especially chaotic was the fact that there were not two factions clashing in this place, but three, since Medina Akhmetova and Catarina Devon were also enemies to each other.
"Hey, damn marine bitch, I have no interest in an ugly woman like you, but you'd better not try to steal my prey, or I'll have to kill you, Murunfufufu," said the psychopathic pirate aggressively.
However, the fact that she was somewhat hunched over from the pain caused by her wounds, and that her breathing was labored by the effort required just to remain standing, made her words sound far less threatening.
Even if Catarina had been in perfect condition, Vice Admiral Medina would not have felt any intimidation from her, because she was a powerful woman who trusted in her abilities. Medina Akhmetova was currently 54 years old —although she appeared much younger— and she had been fighting powerful pirates since she was the same age as Catarina —19 years old.
For Vice Admiral Medina, who had experienced the era of great pirates such as Rocks and Roger at their peak, the threats of an immature young girl like Catarina were not enough to cause her any concern.
"You shouldn't move around so much with those injuries. Otherwise, you won't manage to survive until you reach Impel Down," Medina said casually, as she pulled from her clothes a pouch filled with small white balls.
Then, under the surprised gazes of all the women present, she took one of the white balls and brought it to her mouth, eating it in small bites. The little ball of fermented milk crunched violently as the vice admiral chewed it, showing an expression of pleasure and relief as she felt the sour and salty flavor of her homeland.
"If you surrender now without causing any trouble, I can give you some of my kurt as a reward," Medina said, extending the pouch to show its contents full of small white balls.
Hototogisu wrinkled her small nose as she sniffed the aroma of the vice admiral's snack, and after sensing the rather aggressive and sour smell, she showed an expression of repulsion.
"That smells like shit. Just thinking about eating it makes my stomach turn," Hototogisu said with her usual honesty and deadpan tone.
Suddenly, the expression on Medina Akhmetova's face —which had remained relaxed the entire time— changed completely, and her eyes seemed to explode with flames of hatred.
No one who insulted her beloved homeland or its customs could be forgiven, no matter if it was an ignorant brat unaware of the world's greatness!
Wiping the white powder that had remained on her fingers, Medina Akhmetova put the pouch of snacks back into her clothes, and then disappeared without a trace.
Everything happened in a single second. Before Olive could react, the vice admiral was already behind Hototogisu, and placing her hand on top of her head, she said in a deep voice,
"Heavenly Thunder!"
A pillar of electricity exploded through Hototogisu's body, who could only scream in pain as she experienced the intense electrical discharge, against which she could not defend herself even with her Armament Haki.
In just a single second, burns began to appear on the girl's skin, after being hit head-on by the vice admiral's powerful technique.
Olive reacted immediately upon seeing her little sister suffering, and completely enraged she lunged at Medina Akhmetova, who, upon seeing her approach, completely dissolved, transforming into electricity and rising into the air.
The vice admiral reappeared again at a distance, and both of her arms were transformed into pure electrical energy, openly demonstrating her powers.
Olive rushed over to Hototogisu and let out a relieved sigh when she saw that she was still breathing, although she was now unconscious and had light burns all over her body. Fortunately, Olive had reacted quickly enough to prevent greater damage from the vice admiral's attack, but now she had a new problem on her hands.
"Logia…" Olive murmured as she considered her next course of action.
Only an instant passed before she made a decision, and looking at Gloriosa with a firm gaze, she said,
"Gloriosa, I'll take care of the vice admiral. You deal with that ugly one. Once you finish her, escape from this place immediately with Hototogisu."
Gloriosa, who was usually quite capricious and reluctant to follow orders, saw the determined expression on Olive's face and solemnly nodded her head, taking her companion snake Yara and preparing for combat against Catarina Devon.
On the other hand, the psychopathic pirate heard Olive's words and felt a surge of anger once again. Her words seemed to imply that Gloriosa could handle her without any trouble, and she did not like that at all.
Catarina thought it was time to teach these ill-mannered sluts a lesson. The presence of the vice admiral was undoubtedly a problem for her, but she trusted that she could escape after eliminating the three irritating sluts in front of her.
Catarina Devon was very proud and had great confidence in her own abilities, although on this occasion she was overestimating her capabilities.
In the original timeline of this world, she had been captured two days later by Medina Akhmetova and imprisoned in Impel Down for fifteen years, although fortunately for her, Orion's actions had slightly changed the history of this world, generating a great butterfly effect that was still altering many things across the globe.
Perhaps she would have a chance to change her fate on this occasion, although her future was not in her own hands.
Without paying any attention to the fight between the vice admiral and Olive, Catarina lunged at Gloriosa, planning to beat her until she was satisfied and then cut off her head.
Gloriosa once again fired several arrows in rapid succession, and although the vast majority were deflected by the pirate, a few managed to hit their target, embedding themselves mercilessly into her enemy's flesh, though without damaging vital points, which were jealously protected by the pirate.
Catarina paid no attention to Gloriosa's arrows, ignoring any attack that was not fatal, and simply charged at her like an enraged bull. At last, she reached the effective range of her spear and viciously attacked the young Kuja's body.
Gloriosa used her great agility, along with Yara and the Rokushiki, to defend herself from the attacks, but she once again fell into a passive position, since Catarina was attacking without caring about anything else, even if she took damage in the process.
The pirate's strategy was simple: overwhelm Gloriosa with sheer power and defeat her before her body gave out due to the heavy damage she was receiving. And it seemed that her gamble was paying off, as Gloriosa was finding herself in an increasingly passive position.
Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Medina Akhmetova was fully engaged in a confrontation with Olive, who did not have the power necessary to defeat the marine and was only trying to buy time until Gloriosa defeated Catarina and escaped.
She had complete confidence in Gloriosa, mostly because she had no other option at this moment than to believe in her. They were in a desperate situation, and this was the best plan she had been able to come up with to at least prevent her two younger sisters from being captured by the marines.
"The navy's information about you is wrong," Medina Akhmetova suddenly said, stopping her attacks against Olive.
"You clearly possess far greater power than what is on record. Your bounty should be higher. I definitely cannot let you walk free today," Medina continued.
Finally, the vice admiral let out a deep sigh, relaxing her large, well-built muscles, and her entire body began to transform into electricity through the powers of her Goro Goro no Mi.
Truth be told, at first she had not liked her Devil Fruit powers very much, because they did not suit her fighting style particularly well.
Even so, this Logia Fruit had been given to her as a reward for her meritorious service to the navy, and it was one of the main factors supporting her candidacy for admiral, so she had decided to consume it without a second thought.
Over time, she had learned to appreciate her new powers, and although she had not yet fully integrated them into her usual fighting style, she was capable of using powerful finishing techniques like the one she was about to employ.
"This is your last chance to surrender peacefully. If you continue to resist, you will likely suffer irreversible damage from this attack," Medina said with an absolute calm that contrasted sharply with her imposing presence. Her skin, weathered by sun, salt, and wind, and her rugged, muscular build gave her a stern, masculine appearance.
However, Olive's response was simply a beautiful smile, and sticking out her tongue playfully, she said
"Do your best, I'm not afraid of you!" She too had her pride as a pirate, and she would not surrender to her enemy while her two companions were behind her, depending on her.
"Very well, I hope you don't regret your decision… if your mind survives it."
Medina Akhmetova concentrated all the power of her Devil Fruit and finally unleashed her strongest attack.
"Tengri's Wrath!"
A massive pillar of electricity, far larger than her previous attack against Hototogisu, descended upon Olive with tremendous violence. It was obvious that the energy contained within this attack was overwhelming, and it would not only annihilate Olive, but also destroy the island itself and everything in its path.
Medina Akhmetova crossed her arms as her marine uniform fluttered in the wind produced by the tremendous impact of her attack, and she prayed for the soul of her enemy, whom she might have sent to the other world.
Gloriosa saw Olive being swallowed by the sea of electricity, and her eyes filled with tears. Catarina Devon took advantage of the girl's brief distraction to launch a surprise attack, swinging her spear toward her delicate neck.
However, just before she could succeed in her cowardly strike from behind, Gloriosa extended a hand, coated in Armament Haki, and then, staring at the psychopathic pirate with hatred, said,
"Stop bothering me!"
An invisible wave of energy burst forth from the young Kuja's body, striking Catarina Devon head-on. Being in a terrible physical condition, Catarina felt the world spin around her and almost lost consciousness on the spot, though she ultimately dropped to her knees, breathing with difficulty.
For the first time in her life, Gloriosa had accessed the dormant power resting within her, experiencing the "awakening of Haki," which generated a sharp, intense surge of power when released for the first time.
She had revealed her Conqueror's Haki for the very first time!
Not wasting the moment of weakness her enemy was in, Gloriosa coated her fist with Armament Haki and struck Catarina with all her strength in the temple, finally knocking the pirate down in defeat.
Then, without paying Catarina any attention, she ran toward where Olive was, hoping that she was still alive. It did not matter if she had to give her life here; she would not allow Medina Akhmetova to stop her from trying to save the sexy pirate.
…
In the distance, the group of people watching the chaotic fight between the women laughed loudly, whistling and applauding at the fascinating events. It was almost like watching a spectacle similar to that of the Dressrosa coliseum.
"These women really are sentimental. One moment one sacrifices herself to save the other, and the next the other risks everything to go back and help her, zehahaha!"
"It has to be said, they truly are irrational beings," another voice remarked with a smile.
"But you have to admit their appearances are exquisite, it makes me want to taste their sweet bodies right now, hic," said another voice, sounding as if it belonged to someone drunk.
"So, what's our objective?"
"Catarina Devon. We can't let her be captured here, she's a great talent. She'll be a fine addition to our crew, zehahaha!"
"Should we go get her now then?"
"Yes, you go. I still want to watch the show for a little while longer. This battle isn't over yet, zehahaha," said the leader of the group, watching the development of events on the distant island with great amusement.