"Astounding, isn't it? His strength." Yale Tavares asked, breathing hard. "I couldn't disagree if I tried. It's not often than you see something of that scale being controlled by a single man." Borris replied, ignoring the dark streak of blood running down his forehead and just between his right eye and nose.

Behind the three combatants was the Moray Garden. Even with the two fleet Captains clashing above, the towering eel on which Martinez stood was an intimidating shadow in the distance.

"Don't expect to get out of this battle in one piece, Borris. Your arrogance will be your downfall." He said, spinning the massive saw in his hand to point the tip at the two opponents before him. "How dare you fight me with such a liability by your side. And you, boy. Have you no shame in falling to your knees before an enemy equal in rank? You don't even deserve to die to my blade. Do yourself a favour and drown yourself. Save your name from further embarrassment."

Leonardo shook his head defiantly, sending his disheveled hair flying as he did so. He pushed one of his swords to the floor and forced himself to his feet. "I refuse. There's no chance I'm gonna go down to you. None." He said, but the doubt in his voice made it seem more as though he was trying to convince himself.

If he were not so disappointed in Leonardo, Yale would have laughed. "Pathetic." He growled. "A mighty vice-captain being carried in battle by his lieutenant. And one so shameless he says he'll keep on fighting and continue the beating. Because that's what this is, you foolish boy; a beating worthy of a thousand cracks from a whip."

He brought the saw in his hand down suddenly, the way a torturer would crack his whip. "I'll provide you with the correction you fully deserve." He said, the vein above his eye pulsing with fury.

"Good grief. Why does everyone keep ignoring me today?" Borris muttered with a sigh, and raised his own blade. "Make no mistake, Yale. Don't assume the weak die so easily."

The two clashed, grinding their blades together in an attempt to overpower each other. The huge saw had come to a full stop against the thin, rusted Unborn Blade. "I must say, I never expected you to be as troublesome as you are." Yale said, lowering his shoulder and swinging his weapon sideways to free himself from the stalemate they were locked in. Borris let his opponent go and leaped back to widen the distance between him and Yale.

Though it wouldn't matter much anyway, considering his attribute.

Fearlessly, Leonardo threw himself towards Yale to give Borris time to breathe, and to regain his honour. He crossed his swords as he attacked Yale, who was fast enough to block the attack holding his saw with a single hand.

"Disappear from my sight." He said, a bright blue glow and sparks of lightning emerging from his eyeballs with a whispering hiss.

As the explosive white flash engulfed him, Leonardo could only pray he made it out of this fight alive. There was still much he had to live up to.

* * * * *

Flowers with tiny drops of water flowing down their delicate petals.

The scent of nectar floating in the air.

Grass on the floor and plants growing on every possible structure.

Caine hated every single detail of this absurd ship. From its strange, oval shape to the heart-shaped sails, everything about it made him feel as though he were aboard some girl's drawing of a ship. Hell, even the railings were painted a bright pink, though the colours were faded in the gloomy rain and the cloudy state of the weather.

What the fuck is this place? Why am I aboard some floating lawn in the middle of a life or death battle? He thought, exasperated and mystified at the simultaneously full and empty surroundings. Sure, there were plants everywhere, but there wasn't a single human in sight. The rain made the scene all the more unsettling, making it seem as though he were in a graveyard rather than a garden.

"Beautiful, aren't they? My beloved plants." He turned in the direction of the female voice, and realized it wasn't coming from a direction at all. The sound came from everywhere all at once, throwing off his sense of hearing entirely. "You're quite a dangerous one, speaking like that while hiding your Ley. Why don't you come out now?" He said, lowering the brim of his hat over his eye.

"You're one to speak about being dangerous, good sir. Most would have fallen asleep within minutes of stepping aboard this ship." Caine raised an eyebrow. So the scent did have a purpose. To take care of nuisances with ease. "That just means you need to try harder then, miss. Tell me, where's your crew? Surely you aren't wandering the sea by yourself."

This was a bluff. He had sensed another equally, if not stronger presence here. Now, however, it had disappeared entirely.

When the woman spoke again, there was a hint of contempt in her voice. "The fleet Captain doesn't value the lives of those lower than him unless he has a personal attachment to them. But you see, good sir, I am not like him. I can't stand to see those around me die due to my own mistakes, so I decided to leave my crew behind for this battle. The weak should be protected by the strong. Don't you agree?"

Caine brushed aside the water running down his face and gazed around, trying to pinpoint anything that may give away the location of the woman...or a hint of imminent danger.

"A touching sentiment. I just might start crying if you keep going."

"You could at least try to sound sincere."

He walked forward towards the main mast, with his coat flapping behind him in the wind. "Spare me the nonsense. What would you do if the weak happen to be hiding behind your enemy? Or better yet, if they are your enemy?"

He received only silence in response. "Come now, we were having a conversation, weren't we? Do tell." He taunted further, trying to provoke her.

"It matters not whether they are weak or strong. Whoever threatens the Princess will face firm punishment." He looked up to find a tall, muscular man standing before him, his hands balled into fists. He wore no shirt despite the weather, and rain dripped down the smooth brown skin of his bald head. "It's not often that I meet someone who hides his Ley from myself threaten me with punishment." Caine said, fiddling around with the brim of his hat.

"I wanted to see if you were a coward or not. Nobody runs from this ship and escapes alive." He growled.

From nowhere, Caine sensed the Ley of another person right behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know it was the woman. Or, as it seemed, the Princess.

She had been reminding him of someone since she began her pointless lecture, and now he understood why. The dreamy, offhand way she spoke was very similar to Keya...but there was a sense of positivity to this woman's words. He could almost hear the smile in her voice when she spoke.

"Now, now, Houzan. You make it seem as though I'm some sort of monster!" Rosemary said cheerfully, apparently unaffected by Caine's comments on her views of the weak. Though there appeared to be no immediate hostility, he did not let his guard down one bit. He would have to restrict his Advanced Ley for the time being and concentrate on Basic and Elemental for a counter, if an attack would come.

Quite a bold man, aren't you, Captain Caine. Not that I mind or anything. Men who speak first to women are so very fun to toy with. Rosemary thought. Battle is a game of both will and strength, after all.

Though all this cautious thinking was ongoing, all three pirates appeared to be perfectly cool and collected. Rosemary had a deceptively sweet smile on her face, Houzan displayed a silent fury in his eyes, and Caine had a somewhat resigned and unimpressed expression as he returned the man's angry stare.

"I trust we can have a fair fight, then? Considering I haven't armed myself just yet?" He asked, reaching for the handle of the relic on his back. Rosemary thought about this for a moment, and shrugged. "Well, since you are outnumbered...I don't see why not." She paused, letting him raise his weapon from the strap it was attached to. "Though I truly doubt we could stop a man of your calibre from taking your weapon if you really wanted to." Caine heard and understood the compliment, but took little note of it. All that mattered was that the rod was now in his hand and ready. He had been careless, walking around in enemy territory without it in hand. The other two did not arm themselves with anything. Two melee fighters like Lyza, perhaps? If they were, it would certainly make his life easier.

Houzan saw the Princess' smile change to a sad, mellow smile. "You are the one who killed Lyza, yes?" She asked, almost politely. As if to hide the fact that the woman who had stood beside her both literally and in spirit for ten years mattered as much as her own life. It made Houzan so furious that it actually made his head spin due to the blood rushing to his temples. And yet he still remained standing and motionless, waiting for the Princess' next move.

"I am."

"Where is her son? Is he safe?"

Caine considered lying and deceiving her, but saw little purpose in doing so. What good will it do now, when she's dead and her son is now an orphan? "I returned him to his mother's ship." He waited for a response, on full alert for any sudden move she might make. Houzan, who towered well above Caine and his hat, saw a small tear emerge from her left eye and roll down her pale cheek. "I see. Thank goodness." She whispered to herself, oblivious to the fact that Caine's awareness was so heightened that he could hear the rhythm of her heartbeat.

And then, without warning, all hell let loose.

He didn't realize how or where the explosion came from, but managed to protect himself in time with his brambles, leaving only a smoldering burn on his arm. The impact threw him just behind Houzan, who seemed to have been caught by surprise himself. The explosion didn't start a fire, but it did leave a wide burn mark on the floor, and a noticeable amount of Ley residue.

Hm. This girl's ability.

"I am not a cruel princess. I am not one who kills like an animal. I am kind, and I forgive all my subjects...and even enemies like you." Her figure was warped through the dark smoke that wisped from the aftermath, and made her appear to be the complete opposite of all those things.

Caine considered making a snide reply, but decided against it. What was done was done, and now was not the time for small talk. Rosemary continued, "Yet you all care not for what we want, or for the consequences of what you do. You stamp on our dreams, our lives and our families as though we are nothing more than lifeless statues waiting to be ripped apart in war." He understood that she included her own superiors in this statement. The tone in which she spoke of Blackbeard was proof of this.

"There is only so much...that I can forgive." Throughout all this, her voice had remained steady and calm. No anger, nothing. But now it shook, betraying how she felt inside, showing a crack in the impenetrable foundation she had built to keep her emotions hidden. To Houzan, that was unforgiveable. Absolutely unforgiveable.

But even now, he felt she was half-hearted about killing Caine. She was, and had always been a kind girl, one who wouldn't harm a fly. Her exile from the Dutch royalty was irrelevant to her. That she didn't care for. She was devastated because her father, whom she had worked so hard to please, had disowned her. He who beat her and made her work with the lowly servants at the palace despite her royal blood...no, his royal blood flowing through her veins.

His respect for her did not develop overnight, or because she was working alongside the servants and himself. It was because of her smile. Not the smile she often wore now, no, but a truly heartfelt smile. As though she was enjoying the company of the maids and the slave workers like him who were made to lift heavy loads. She made tea for them, sat with them and brought them water whenever the weather got too hot. And if someone got hurt from the horrific loads they were sometimes forced to lift, she would be the first to aid them. None of them knew anywhere near as much as she did when it came to medical studies. As expected from a princess of the country.

Unforgiveable. Unforgiveable.

He glanced at the brambles emerging from Caine's weapon and raised his fists. "Blame yourself as you die suffering." The vines that began to spread around his forearms were a far brighter, more lively green than Caine's brambles, and were thick enough to squeeze his biceps tightly with ease. On these vines, multiple peach-coloured flower buds the size of his head started to grow, swelling and moving slowly as though they were alive. Without a word, Houzan launched himself at Caine and swung his fist, with Caine rapidly blocking the effort with his rod. He kept his guard up as another attack flew his way, and dodged for good measure.

Something's wrong. Those vines can't just be for show. He thought, and was caught off-guard by yet another explosion from behind him. Houzan was ready this time, and slammed his fist into Caine's gut. He was unable to use all his might in the half-second he had reacted in, but still caused significant damage to the unsuspecting Captain, sending him flying across the ship. With cat-like agility that did not match his weary appearance, he skidded to a stop on one foot with his free hand tightly holding on to his hat. He looked down in surprise as another wave of explosions erupted from below, erupting from the top deck like blooming roses.

* * * * *

The situation was not much better for Cotton either.

Outnumbered by at least half a dozen beasts and the Captain Martinez, she still pushed on with all her might. Watching her rip apart one Eel after the other as if they were nothing more than wooden toys was a sight to behold for the uncompromising Martinez, who continued to look down upon her. "You're wasting your time, Cotton! Everything you destroy will regenerate in seconds as long as water remains in the sea." He said, counting on her Basic Ley to hear his words. And indeed she did, but was a tiny bit preoccupied with disassembling the sixth Eel of the day.

Martinez found himself thoroughly immersed in her style of battle. It was not human, it couldn't be. Yet it wasn't animalistic either. It was a perfect mix of both, punching and kicking as a human would, but biting and clawing the beasts between swings like an animal. This combined with her Water Ley, made her lethal at close range. If it came to a one-on-one fight close range, perhaps even the Fleet Captain himself would find it tricky to finish her off quickly.

No, that's ridiculous. He quickly reprimanded himself for even thinking of such nonsense. Blackbeard? Troubled by her? Forget that, she wasn't even troubling him at the moment.

Cotton ripped through the jaw of yet another Eel and leaped away, only to be snatched up and away by another waiting Eel. It was uncanny, the amount of awareness these things had despite their wild nature. She knew they weren't alive, but it was certainly possible for an extremely skilled Ley user to give their creations almost lifelike movement and behaviour. Now, trapped between the beast's teeth as it dove down into the sea, she had the opportunity to think a little. They weren't too powerful, but it was their size and numbers that really dragged this fight on. And if she couldn't figure out a way to get to Martinez on the towering main Eel, she could forget about making out of this alive.

Of course, she had her trump card, but it was far too early in the fight for that. But then how could she get to-

OF COURSE! How could I be this idiotic? Without hesitation, she took hold of the water around her and blew it apart with high pressure, shattering the head of the Eel and freeing herself. Then, with a burst of Ley, she sprang forward and drove herself through the water, aiming for the massive Ley emitting from the main Eel.

Martinez narrowed his eyes at the spot where Cotton had vanished. It seemed she had finally figured out the biggest weakness of his Primis: its size. If an enemy was fast and agile enough, which Cotton doubtlessly was, they could simply outswim his beasts and make their way through the water. But of course, Cotton was human regardless of how strong she may be, and she would have to come up for air soon. Though the beasts would not be able to catch up to her, they could certainly slow her down. He directed four of them directly in front of her, their jaws wide open to direct her into the whirlpools inside.

This is the end for you, Cotton. Entire ships disappear within those whirlpools. Rip apart and die, like all the rest. Martinez fully believed she was about to vanish forever, which was why he was beyond stunned when a huge volume of water rose from underwater and splashed everywhere, with Cotton leaping above the three remaining Eels as they uselessly tried to grab her from the air. In her hand was the remains of the head of the unsuccessful beast that had attempted to tear her into pieces. He could tell even from this distance that she had not come out of that encounter unscathed, but she forced on anyways, now entering the Eel he stood upon without slowing down.

"Are you insane?" He muttered, more to himself than the unhearing Cotton. But oh well. It was his own foolishness that had prompted him to believe that would have been enough to down a Captain under Whitebeard's direct watch. And he didn't intend to make that mistake again. He rapidly made the gigantic Eel swing itself forward, and simultaneously made all five of the remaining Eels slam right through its body, making it appear as though they were impaling it. He kept his eyes on the back of the Eel's head, closely watching for the oncoming Cotton. She rose from the body of the Eel and smoothly switched from swimming to gliding across the watery base beneath her feet. As expected, the movement didn't slow her down at all. Which was bad news for Martinez considering how much force was needed to move the huge thing. He raised his baton up to prepare for her attack, while raising the heads of the five waiting Eels. He had a fairly good plan; to distract and trap her with the five beasts and leap off, sending the gigantic Eel on a suicidal path towards the weakened Den protecting her fleet. The sheer volume and speed of the beast would be sure to cause significant damage to the ships and their crew.

Huh?

He was flying through the air. But why? Cotton didn't reach him, never came close. He hadn't been hit. So why? He looked down and saw nothing but the dark grey sea beneath him. Where was the head of the Eel he was just standing on?

Something flickered at the edge of his vision and he turned his head towards it as he fell. It was Cotton, leaping after him with a massive ball of water in one hand. It was almost the size of the Ivory, and would doubtlessly kill him if he were to take a direct hit. He could see every feature on Cotton's face as she began to throw it towards him. There was no smile, not even the ghost of one, but there was something peculiar about her eyes. The colour in them was gone, consumed by the darkness of her pupil. At that moment, her eyes were not human. There was nothing there but a chilling emptiness that sent fear down Martinez's spine. He had only seen eyes like that from Blackbeard before, when he had enraged him with a costly mistake that led to him losing track of a map to someone important some years ago.

And then he didn't think at all. Cotton swung the ball of water with everything her body had to offer, sending him crashing down into the water with a crash. She fell forward with nothing left to stand upon, with a sense of victory overcoming her.

Hey, Caine. I won before you did, you son of a bitch.