"Barnett! Watch that blade of yours! Don't scar my pretty little darling! One wrong swing and the 'Second-Most-Beautiful Woman in the World' drops in price!"
Warhammer barked. Veins bulged along his arms as a titanic hammer, sheathed in jet-black Armament Haki, smashed into the deck.
BOOM—!
A thunderous blast sent splinters flying; the sturdy planks were punched clean through, the shock-wave of debris Swirling outward and hurling Gloriosa stumbling back, blood churning in her chest.
"Relax! My edge only severs bone—it never mars jade skin! Hahaha!" Barnett crowed.
With a casual flick his black long-sword swept forward.
Voom!
A pale-blue flying slash leapt from the blade, quick as lightning. It whistled past Gloriosa's flying hair and forced her counter-attack to die in her throat.
The blue arc sheared the merchant vessel's mainmast clean through, the cut mirror-smooth, then ploughed a fleeting trench across the sea that made the waters rush in—its reputation for splitting oceans well earned.
"Once we finish this job, my crew'll have the clout to take on Rocks himself!"
Barnett's greedy eyes locked on Gloriosa's lithe figure.
"Come on, pretty Captain—surrender and spare yourself the pain. We'll—"
He and Warhammer exchanged a look and burst into lascivious laughter.
"—be gentle with you and your sisters! Hahahaha!"
Their brazen guffaws rolled across the chaotic battlefield, dripping contempt.
"Tch, they think we're pushovers."
Gloriosa skidded several metres across the quaking deck before she could stop, wiped blood from her lip, her gaze ice-cold.
Her clothes were tattered, a long strip of her skirt gone. Barnett's strange edge could slice through even her Armament Haki.
She was strong, but Barnett, Warhammer, and their Mate were all seasoned New World veterans who stood on the same tier; after years of the harsher seas their combat experience outdid hers.
Holding off two of them already pushed her to the brink, leaving the rest of the fight beyond her reach. If they had aimed to kill rather than capture, she would have fallen long ago.
"…But I am Gloriosa, the Empress of the Kuja Pirates! I'll never yield to trash like you!"
Resolve flashed in her eyes. With a sharp cry she flooded her long legs with Haki, turning them jet-black and steel-hard.
"Perfume Femur!"
She whirled, axe-kicking at Barnett's skull with a wind-bursting heel.
Barnett only smirked, met the blow with his blade.
CLANG—!
Leg and sword rang like clashing gongs; black Haki flared into a tempest that flung nearby pirates aside and spider-webbed the already-battered deck.
"Bitch, you're fighting two of us!" Warhammer roared.
The giant hammer swept up again, black wind howling as it slammed toward Gloriosa's ribs.
Meanwhile first mate Shakky of the Kuja Pirates was in an even direr spot.
Barely a year at sea, she was about as strong as an average Marine Vice Admiral, but against Scorpion Mate—who hovered near future Shichibukai level—she was outclassed and toyed with.
"Stop struggling, beauty! You move like a dancer—hahaha!"
"Once I catch you we'll see how proud you stay!"
"Mmm, the World's Most Beautiful Woman—those legs, that skin… exquisite!"
Mate's hands had become massive pincers, a venomous stinger curling above his back, his lewd eyes raking over Shakky.
A beauty once her shield had become bait for disaster.
Shakky panted, sweat plastering strands of hair to her face, yet a mocking smile tugged at her lips.
"Heh."
Mate paused. "What's funny?"
Fighting down her exhaustion, she flicked damp hair aside and sneered.
"I'm the world's top beauty, true. But where do you rank among your trio? The third wheel who tails Barnett and Warhammer wagging whatever you have?"
"Damn you, wench—die!"
Tool or not, the insult ignited him; rage flared white-hot.
He vanished like a ghost, re-appearing in front of her. A pincer whipped at her throat, forcing her to block.
It was only a feint.
While she met the claw, the Scorpion tail lurking behind struck like a viper.
The tip glinted an ominous violet—concentrated venom.
Shakky twisted frantically but was half a heartbeat too late.
Shnk!
The stinger sank into her pale neck.
"Ngh—!"
A wave of icy paralysis and pain spread; half her body went limp.
"Shakky!"
From afar Gloriosa glimpsed it and cried out, heart lurching.
In a duel of masters a single lapse is fatal.
"Looking away will get you killed, Empress!"
Warhammer seized the opening; his huge maul smashed into her belly.
THUD
"Gah—!"
Her Haki shattered; blood sprayed as she flew, slammed into the rail and lay still.
"Captain!"
"Protect the Captain—move!"
The surviving Kuja crew tore free of their foes, formed a fragile shield of bodies round their fallen leader.
"Captain!" Shakky tried to rush to her, but the venom spun the world; one step and she nearly collapsed.
"Heh-heh-heh!" Mate withdrew the stinger, gloating as she swayed.
"Give up, Shakky. Your Captain's finished, and my poison will rob you of movement in minutes. You'll all lie side by side, sisters in defeat—hee-hee-hee!"
"You… filthy bastard."
Fury overrode the numbness; her eyes flashed.
The instant his guard dropped she spun, driving a savage kick between his legs—had she not been half-paralysed she would have unmanned him for good.
"Aaaargh—!!"
A shriek twisted beyond recognition tore across the deck.
Barnett spared a glance and spat, "Pathetic."
Mate's eyes bulged, face purple; his Devil Fruit form melted away.
Clutching his groin he curled like a boiled shrimp, twitching, only broken cries left.
Having spent her last strength, Shakky staggered to Gloriosa and dropped beside her.
"Captain… are you all right?"
Pale and bleeding, Gloriosa lay silent while Shakky, poisoned herself, stared in despair.
Barnett and Warhammer loomed; Mate would recover soon.
The Kuja Pirates seemed truly at the end of their rope.
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