When Naga meets Naga:

---

Stories, they are said to be one of the things that make life more interesting, and if Elise was asked about the matter she would likely have agreed without any hesitation. To her stories and myths were the things that gave life flavor, and perhaps it was for that reason that whenever she wasn't busy with her training, the young woman would travel to one of the nearby taverns to listen to the stories that made the round. On this particular day Elise had been visiting one of the gathering spots of such rumors, a small tavern near a farmer's settlement. She had been seated in one of the corners of the room, a book spread open as she quietly flipped its pages, eagerly reading the tale that was being woven on the paper. It was the story of a pirate, but not just any pirate.

A guardian of freedom who ignored the rules and laws, plundered from the rich and wealthy and gave to the poor and helpless. It was a rather wonderful story, if not for the tragic ending. Nevertheless, it seemed that reading would have to wait, for Elise overheard a rather peculiar conversation happening nearby. A pair of farmers were excitedly talking while enjoying a nice goblet of ale, and obviously Elise listened in on their conversation.

It seemed that the subject of their conversation involved a rather fascinating legend. A story about a young lady who was said to be so beautiful that onlookers described her as bewitching. Of course this alone wouldn't have been enough to stir Elise's attention, in the end although she shared those men their fondness for beautiful women, it didn't change the fact that their conversation was simply too excitable for 'just an ordinary woman'. And indeed, just like she had assumed the farmers soon started talking about a name 'The Naga Pirate.'

As far as Elise knew from the legends she had read a Naga was a special type of being, quite alike to the Fishmen. While she had the upper-body of a human, she seemed to had the lower-body of a snake, and there were many rumors about their abilities. From venomous kisses to hypnotizing eyes. All in all they were clearly dangerous, but also fascinating beings to encounter. Then what would Elise have done when the men said they spotted the pirate arriving at a nearby village? Of course she was going to investigate!

Having closed her book Elise was rather quick in making her way out of the tavern, and soon running her way toward the aforementioned village Elise was excitedly wondering about what manner of creature she would encounter. She must had been quite powerful, but also really beautiful judging from how those farmers were talking about her. At the same time she also idly wondered how the pirate would be moving across the land. Would she be slithering like a snake?

"Now to find that Naga."

Whispering under her breath Elise's gaze drifted around the area, idly wondering if she would spot anyone suspicious.

(Sorry about the shortish post, didn't want to keep you waiting~)

There was a reason why, for a long time, the Pirate Naga D. Linnea had been unable to leave Karate Island and that reason was still there, even if its effect had dulled somewhat over time. Of all the islands in the South Blue, this one not only had plenty of places to iron out her fighting skills, but was also the closest island to Reverse Mountain. If that in itself weren't enough, it was also frequented by all sorts of both savory and unsavory characters, and those faces seemingly changed by the day... She had no way to confirm if that held true for the past few days, but she was willing to bet it did. After finally coming back from yet another adventure, Linnea left the Melusine at the docks and headed ashore...

She was still getting ready for the adventure that would lead her to tracking down and defeating the Pirate known as Raziel, but for now a few days back at Karate Island - her South Blue hub - once her feet touched the wooden pier below, Linnea took a deep breath, breathing in the still salty ocean breeze; it filled her with a warm, homey feeling and with that she knew she had spent far too much time on this Island. It truly was starting to feel like home, after all the things that happened there.

Would there be anything to do in the woods? Antecipating a jungle excursion, she had picked her green ranger dress, tugging on her hood bashfully as she ventured past the busy docks to the not so busy streets. She activated her Kenbunshoku Haki, scanning her surroundings as was her habit, but then this was only one sense. Her eyes, ears and nose, every sensory organ was keen and sharp and thus it didn't escape her when she overheard some villagers discussing something that appeared to concern her... Her calm, soft expression grew visibly more serious as they were all talking about a "Naga Pirate..."

"Guess Karate Island won't feel like home for much longer...", she thought, tugging on her hood once more and heading into an alley as her pet (the Southbird Sengoku) flew around the village watching her position from the skies, squaking its odd cry on occasion...

As if she needed yet another motive to be cautious... Still, she was confident not many people would notice her moving through alleys, and those who did would have a hard time seeing her face judging her hood... Not for one moment did she consider this "Naga pirate" could be anyone but her and thus acted accordingly: By laying low...



OOC: Used B-rank kenbu Haki (35/50 Haki stamina)

outfit:

It seemed that Elise's attempt to track down the legendary pirate was going to be quite a challenge, for despite the fact that the rumor pointed toward toward this specific harbor none of the farmers or fishermen had seen a pirate who matched the description she gave them. Of course it wouldn't have been that simple, she should have known that much, and yet... Something was motivating her to carry on her search. Perhaps it was the chance to meet a being that was spoken about only in fairy tales?

Nevertheless, it seemed Elise had been oblivious to the fact that she was among the people being observed by a hooded figure. A deep sigh escaped from the lass after she had finished patrolling around the harbor, and to her surprise she found not a single trace of the Naga Pirate. However, it was after she arrived from the docks into the streets of the village, and it a that point Elise realized something, or perhaps she was merely having another ridiculous thought haunting her mind. Why would a Naga be unnoticed by everyone she talked to so far? The answer was simple: She was disguised! Obviously she must had concealed her serpentine tail, likely under a long dress or a cloak. In the end the upper-body of the Naga was that of a woman, so it would have been easily to slither into the crowds under such a disguise. Almost instinctively her eyes started to scan the surrounding area, not for a Naga but for anyone who was wearing a cloak or a dress that would disguise most of their features.

If only she had sit still for a moment to think how foolish the logic she had build the foundation of her idea upon had been... Then perhaps her victim wouldn't have been led into such an embarrassing situation. Indeed, it was when a hooded figure disappeared into an alleyway that Elise's sixth sense, in a figurative way was tingling and breaking out in a sprint she intended to catch up with the stranger without failure. She had been on the island for at least a few months, enough to know the alleyways and the general layout of the villages out of her head. Even more noticeable was the fact her body had been honed much more strongly than her first arrival upon this island.

She easily hopped over the crates, slide past some villagers and finally found the stranger only an arm-length away. And what happened afterwards? An ambush attempt? Not at all! The woman's arm had moved at full speed, attempting to grab the edge of the woman's dress end in the hope to pull it upwards, declaring proudly.

"Found you now Naga--- wait those aren't serpent... scales?"

Tilting her head to the side in confusion the poor lass realized the mistake she was almost destined to make, her cheeks turning crimson red as she hurriedly tried to pull her hand back.

"W-W-Why were there panties... I could have sworn only a Naga would have hidden herself so suspiciously.... Did those villagers deceive me when they said a real Naga was sighted at the island?"

---
Posties will be frequent now~ muse is at full powah, and yesterday was a bad day for me.

Linnea wondered if this other Naga pirate wouldn't simply be a Snake Zoan of one form or another... Having two bounties worth of hunters after her wasn't a prospect she was looking forward to in any way, so arriving at the jungle nearby would come as a welcome relief. From what rumours she managed to pick up, there truly had to be another Naga pirate since Linnea didn't yet have her own crew, nor was she able to hypnotize people. These alleyways were seldom frequented, making it relatively easy for Linnea to pick up on anyone who might also be exploring them, and thus she easily noticed a female figure dashing into them. Paranoid and reflexively as ever, the first thing Linnea did was spot this woman's emotions.

If she had picked up any form of killing intent or agression, she would simply vanish and probably not be seen again. But she couldn't see anything aside from curiosity, even if she couldn't be sure if it was directed at her or something else. So, she just let the girl run around like she wanted, even if she could hear her footsteps she just stepped aside to give her a clear path... But no matter what happened, nothing could have prepared for what happen next. Out of the blue, that girl grabbed her dress and pulled it out, proudly declaring to have found a Naga:

"Kyah!!", yelped a surprised Linnea with a blush on her face, completely not expecting this girl to randomly yank her dress up. She reflexively wrapped her arms around her breasts to keep the girl from pulling too far, before finally turning around and glancing at the woman who looked almost as confused as she was. Even if she was comfortable with her body and overall nakedness, someone else doing it felt... Wierd, "W-what are you doing? Are you a p-pervert? Even though you're a girl..."

She was thoroughly convinced only men could be perverts, even a rather forward girl like Alice never suddenly stripped her without permission. Regardless, being suddenly surprised like this left Linnea blushing profusely, bashfully tugging on her hood and for the most part avoiding the blonde girl's gaze...

"I'm Naga D. Linnea... But that's just my family name... I'm not a half snake and I can't hypnotize people."


OOC: B-rank kenbu Haki in use, scanned Elise's emotions (35/50 Haki stamina)

There was a rather excellent saying that could have been used to describe her current situation. The infamous words that were once spoken by a marine General that went along the lines of 'It's a trap!' Still, she wasn't entirely displeased about having been caught in this trap. Still, the reaction she received was a rather surprising one, and in response to the question Elise's cheeks turned even more scarlet of embarrassment.

"Although girls can be perverts my actions weren't intentional..."

For a moment she averted her gaze, seemingly too flustered to retain eye-contact. To think she had mistaken an innocent bystander for a Naga, the shame of it was simply too strong! She took a deep breath, seemingly calming down her emotions at a surprisingly fast pace when she replied to the girl's introduction.

"I'm sorry about the confusion Linnea, my name is Elise."

Although she wanted to provide a proper introduction she was hesitating to use her full name, knowing all too well the backlash her family name could cause. Nevertheless, after a moment she resumed her explanation.

"I'm an adventurer of sorts, although I'm currently a member of a dojo from Karate Island as you can see from my attire. I'm incredibly fascinated by history and mythology, so when one of the legendary Naga were sighted on the island it was like a dream come true."

A subtle cursory gaze was made over the girl's features before Elise's lips curved up into a sheepish grin.

"But I can understand why the mistake was made, you certainly got the bewitching look down from B to G. But I can safely assume that you're not one of them... I apologize for the troubles I have caused you."

A formal bow was made by the young woman, when finally she rose upright again, extending a hand in a greeting.

"Although those pillows certainly could hypnotize some people..."

Whispering under her breath the girl's gaze was quickly averted from another source of interest, soon turning the focus onto a different subject.

"Although I'm a bit curious at your name. Disregarding the family name matter the letter between your first and last name... It makes me wonder if you're like me... One who is burdened by a 'Will'."

She still remembered her master's words, about how the Will of V was a dangerous power to behold, and even more dangerous to possess. Could Linnea be gifted by something similar?

"Hehe, feel free to disregard that comment. Either way. Are you a visitor to the island Linnea? Although I have only been around for a few months I know the island as if it's my backyard, so I could help give directions if needed. Consider it my apology for the... disturbance just now."

Subtle, but she did want to talk to the girl a bit longer, especially since something about her intrigued her.

Linnea struggled to look up and look into the blonde girl's eyes, noticing how she was blushing just as much as herself if not more so. She was probably shy like the platinum haired archer, and this whole misunderstanding seemed to confuse her just as much. A soft, shy smile appeared on her lips as she stopped tugging her hood. She eased up when talking to people she could relate to, who shared her background or personality traits and it appeared this girl shared at least one of these. She introduced herself as Elise and explained she was an adventurer like Lin herself, and also a student at another Karate Island Dojo. She wasn't Master Jeong's student, or Linnea would remember her, no doubt on that. So what Dojo was she training in? Linnea was curious enough to linger around this girl and learn some more, most important of all concerning what she might have heard about the other Naga:

"Nice to meet you, Elise...!", she stared deep into her eyes with her piercing steel blue gaze and contrastingly innocent smile, nodding in understanding when she explained her motivation, "So that's why you're looking for a real Naga... I've heard about another Naga Pirate; I don't know if its a rumour or not but I would rather find her so I don't have to deal with two bounties' worth of hunters."

Her blush reddened further at the girl's compliment, leading her to raise one hand up to her chest and look away with a demure smile. She was too innocent to understand Elise's comment about pillows, and merely chuckled as if pretending to understand a joke, completely oblivious as to where the other blonde was staring. She still took her hand and looked back up into her eyes as the girl commented on what Linnea believed to be her mysterious middle initial. In response to that, she just shrugged with a clueless look on her face:

"I have no idea what that D. stands for... I only know that my father had it too. Do you have that initial too?", she confessed apologetically, before shifting her curious look back to her, "No need, I've been here for a long time too, though I haven't seen you around... I would like to look around some more for that Naga Pirate; no matter how I look at it, that doesn't sound like me at all."

Elise seemed interested in both the Naga and in chatting with her, so maybe she'd be willing to help Linnea investigate this? She raised an eyebrow towards her curiously, hoping for a positive answer.

"Another Naga pirate?"

Elise seemed to think for a moment, as if she was lost in thought. Although Linnea's gaze was met with a softened gaze from that of the martial artist, her smile still lingering on her lips she clearly seemed to think about the words that were spoken.

"That does make sense. The fact that the people here dislike Marines likely make it a more comfortable place for pirates to take a break at. That could explain why that air-headed pirate girl was seemingly without a guardian. I wonder what she is doing right now... that Mea."

Shaking her head as if she tried to clear her thoughts Elise's focus soon turned toward the discussion of the initial, leading the young woman to shake her head in return.

"Unfortunately I don't. Mine is a V, although my master seems to believe it holds some sort of important meaning. I was skeptical at first, but the trials of my master made me realize that sometimes the things we perceive as fantasy or myths are much realer than we expect."

Nevertheless, she didn't linger on the details much longer, for when Linnea asked whether she was interested in helping her track down this mysterious 'Naga Pirate' the girl literally pounced at the opportunity, both hands attempting to gently grasp Linnea's own while declaring cheerfully.

"I would love to! The pleasure is all mine Linnea~"

However, as if lady luck smiled upon them a voice resounded from the nearby plaza at the end of the alleyway.

"Hear ye, hear ye! The northern harbor has been barricaded for the time being. Reports say a group of villagers have started acting crazy after interacting with a woman. There have also been several Fishmen pirates sighted inside the harbor so please refrain from going near the harbor until truly necessary."

Elise turned toward Linnea, her smile turning into a sheepish grin as she declared playfully.

"That sounds like some fishy business. How about we'll go and check it out? Besides this is the first time A Naga can meet 'the' Naga."

It almost seemed like Elise wasn't going to take a no for an answer, for she attempted to guide Linnea out of the alleyway while humming playfully.

"Albeit I bet you're more pretty than the Naga. Albeit if she looks pretty enough to drive some of the villagers crazy after just a short conversation... Either she is a terrible flirt or..."

For a moment her cheeks flushed up into a crimson color as she turned toward Linnea once more.

"So Lin-Lin, I heard you mentioning 'two bounties'. Have you been a naughty girl and gotten yourself in troubles? Then again, I'm not one to speak, the marines aren't that fond of my family either."

Sighing softly the girl continued her explanation.

"Since you introduced yourself so nicely I guess I should do the same: Elise V. Drachenberg. Albeit just call me Elise or Eli please, that family name of mine tends to stir some hornet nests. Now where was the northern harbor's road again..."

She listened attentively as Elise explained her own mysterious initial to be a V. instead of the D. she often heard about, even if that didn't make the whole thing any less mysterious (quite the opposite). There was obviously a lot of wisdom to be gleamed from the various martial arts masters throughout Karate Island, no doubt many of them were not only old but insanely experienced, and every bit of wisdom they shared would be a treasure trove to the more attentive mind. But then, Elise sad something else interesting, earning a raised eyebrow from the archer:

"Oh, you met Mea? How was she doing?", she asked curiously, wondering if her fellow Kuja wouldn't be up to no good. The girl was a handful even if she was also a good enough doctor. Still, her focus soon shifted away from Mea as Eli grasped her hands cheerfully, the sudden contact earning her another shy blush, "T-thanks..."

They headed out of the alley where a man was warning people away from the harbor. It might have worked for the average Joe but for two girls hunting after a certain pirate for their own reasons, it came as a rather welcome piece of information. She nodded affirmatively and let the other blonde cheerfully lead her away from the alley and wonder how that so called other Naga managed to drive people crazy... Linnea wasn't particularly curious about that part, at least not as much as Eli obviously was... She turned back to her with a look of mixed mischief and shyness, asking about the bounty she mentioned as confessing how they weren't that fond of her either. Her full name was Elise V. Drachenberg, and though she requested Linnea not to use her full name, the latter didn't really understand if she was supposed to know her name from somewhere... Then again, she had been stranded on Amazon Lily for a while:

"They... don't like me that much either... Since I don't bow to their will...", she answered softly, looking away with a soft blush. Her pet names and choice of words made her blush redder, reminding Linnea of Alice if nothing else... She turned back and looking at the girl's pretty blue eyes with a humbled look on her face, "They have bounty posters with my picture on them here and there."

Linnea was obviously not too fond of being in the spotlight given how she regularly hid herself, but once Eli asked where the harbor road was, the scout simply activated her Kenbunshoku Haki and took the lead, still holding on to her hand but taking her along the proper road. In a few minutes they had arrived there, walking past plenty of villagers moving away. Indeed there were a few crazed villagers and fishmen ramapaging further into the harbor, but no Naga that they could see:

"I see the villagers but no Naga. What do you see, Eli?", she commented, looking at Elise wondering if she hadn't seen something herself. Drawing her bow, Linnea took aim at the first villager. She wouldn't shoot to kill, but a single arrow to the gut would make them lose enough blood for them to be unable to move. Making full use of her Kenbunshoku Haki, she antecipated the movement of the crazed people, and let loose four arrows in quick succession, downing four foes at once, "We should at least stop them from moving..."

She explained her plan, readying yet another arrow.


OOC: B-rank kenbu Haki in use, scanned Elise's emotions (20/50 Haki stamina)

Defeated 2 fishmen and 2 villagers (4 arrows total)

It seemed Linnea knew Mea, causing Elise to idly wonder if the two of them were friends. As far as she knew Mea had been doing well, although they had only talked briefly and aside from a little conversation and an introduction knew little about her. Nevertheless, she was eager to reply to Linnea, declaring in a cheerful tone.

"She was as peppy and carefree as a newborn child. She was here to buy some books recently, but after that I didn't see her."

She nodded her head briefly at the pirate girl's explanation about how the Marines had placed a bounty on her head because she defied their will, and it made Elise happy to hear that. Not only did that mean that there was something else the two of them were similar in, but she wouldn't need to worry about the backlash of her identity.

"Then we're in the same boat. My family caused some troubles in the past, led to most of us being executed or forced into slavery. I was born as a slave, till a certain group raided a Marine base and freed me. Unfortunately my father and most of the other slaves perished that same day. The cruelty and tyranny of this World Government, and the ignorance the Marines show to the crimes of their masters is one of the reasons why I have such an nasty relationship with them."

She finished her explanation shortly before they arrived at the Harbor, and while the entrance was partly barricades with crates and other objects it was clear the barricaded section was in pure chaos.

"I guess we'll just have to follow the trail of those odd people and we'll get the Naga in no time."

It seemed that a bunch of lunatics were heading toward the barricades, two villagers who were wildly swinging their arms as if they were trying to hit something, and a third person in the form of a Fishman who seemed to be retaining his sanity.

"Guess I'll get us inside~"

Declaring those words confidently Elise sprinted toward the barricades, easily jumping from one crate over the other as she landed at the opposite site. The two humans had spotted her, one of them rushing toward her with his arms flailing.

"This is going to hurt you a little..."

The young woman's words were an ominous whisper, and yet curiously enough she didn't seem to properly attack. She merely adapted a defensive stance, as if anticipating an enemy move. Obviously that one came rather quickly, and Elise grasped the opportunity with both hands. Her left arm wrapped around the man's flailing arm, while her other arm moved back a little, and with a glint in her eyes it happened...

"Ryuujin no Budo: Lesser Palm of Destruction!"

The palm of her hand that had struck the man's chest seemingly had a much greater impact than one might had imagined, for the villager was knocked about ten meters backwards into a nearby wall, and if Linnea's Haki made her able to perceive any results she would likely notice the village's rib-cage shown some signs of fractures, the combination of pain and hitting the wall seemingly having disabled the man.

The second villager found himself in a more awkward situation, for Elise had seemingly grabbed the punch of the man with remarkable ease, and after a spin into the direction of the Fishman something more remarkable would have been noticed.

It looked for a moment that a surge of energy, the same type that Linnea might had felt when using her Haki came from the girl, but instead of showing any sign of a Haki the effect seemed more physical, for the second villager was send flying roughly ten meters into the air, crashing onto the fishman who remained stuck beneath the man, seemingly in a daze.

"Ne Lin-Lin, how about we ask this Fishman where the Naga is? He doesn't seem to be drooling from the mouth like most of the villagers, what makes me guess he might be one of her subordinates... Albeit you better hurry, I'm seeing some 'company' in the distance, and they want to keep us 'company'."


---
Used Lesser Palm of Destruction alongside a regular throw infused with Ryuujin's Roar (20 Stamina spend.)

Enemies defeated: 1 Fishman 2 crazed villagers

Enemies defeated:
3/3 T0 Fishmen
4/5 T0 Crazed villagers
0/1 T1 Fishman

Linnea couldn't help but chuckle at the way she described Mea, they were talking about the same girl alright. She was a pretty decent doctor for her age and would no doubt only get better as she grew older, but for now she was truly childish and kind of a bookworm too. Regardless, Mea-chan was still a sweet kid and Linnea would be happy to train and help her get stronger. Regardless, Eli seemed rather happy to hear her state her own troubles with the government, in a way Lin had pretty much guessed she wouldn't be on friendly terms with them either (she looked too free spirited for that), but had no idea it ran that deep:

"I'm sorry to hear...", spoke a sympathising Linnea, she knew the only difference between Pirates and Marines' sense of justice was whichever of them sat at the throne of the world; lamenting the injustice she'd come to see ever since she left Amazon Lily, "People hardly realize that hiding behind a Marine insignia doesn't make a person evil or righteous in itself..."

Slavery was the finest example. She heard plenty of stories about it in the Grand Line, but in the Blues, most people actually believed there wasn't even any slavery left. Regardless, the heat of battle soon clouded their thoughts to the point that abstract philosophy was no longer possible. Linnea drew first blood by taking down two villagers and two fishmen, and Eli followed suit, taking down two more villagers and another fishman. The girl was a skilled Martial artist, no doubt on that... Linnea was amazed by the kind of destructive power she could channel into her attacks, which seemed more oriented towards trapping and grappling than simple striking. Lin's training with Master Jeong had given her a great insight into martial arts even if she was a far cry from a truly honed practicioner.

Regardless, she still looked on wide eyed as the girl easily pulled her own weight, flaring up her aura with that war cry and the following attack which appeared to have done quite a good number on her targets. She had wiped out all the visible enemies yet remaining, but she was still picking up auras further away, at the edge of her sensory radius. And then, she finally detected them and picked up two arrows, holding one between her idle fingers and aiming the first one:

"Sounds like a good idea, but...", Linnea shot and let loose an arrow that might initially appear to have been aimed at Elise, but it would instead miss her hit a leaping fishmen who suddenly climbed out of its hiding place. With her Haki, she could clearly antecipate its ambush and catch it mid air with an arrow to the eye before it struck Eli, "...You should be careful. These guys look pretty sneaky."

She would flash a gentle smile at her partner, giving her an 'all clear' before turning her bow towards the next enemy. There was yet another crazed villager rampaging around and running madly towards the fighting blonde. Linnea's eyes narrowed at her prey and she intercepted its path perfectly, shooting the guy down with an arrow... The wind howled, under the sound of the crashing waves, making the whole battlefield look a lot more empty. But Linnea's uneasy feeling hadn't subsided: No matter how she looked at it, these fishmen didn't look hypnotized, nor did they look capable of doing it themselves. Linnea would stay crouched behind her cover, her keen eyes on Eli at all times; doing what she did best: Protecting others.


Enemies defeated:
3/3 T0 Fishmen
5/5 T0 Crazed villagers
1/1 T1 Fishman


Used 2 more arrows (6 used total)


OOC: B-rank kenbu Haki in use, (20/50 Haki stamina)

It was rather unfortunate that Elise didn't have Linnea's sensory abilities. Sure, as a martial artist she could pick up the killing intent of her enemies, but it didn't allow her to sense any potential ambushes. Perhaps it was for that reason that the moment the archer lifted her bow, seemingly aiming it into her direction that Elise's expression briefly turned pale. The arrow that zoomed right past her face, seemingly hitting the Fishman that she had not noticed straight in his eye! A pained cry came from the fishman who collapsed onto his back, and yet instead of worrying about the sneaky villain's state the girl waved her arms in a flustered reaction at Linnea.

"Next time give me a warning! I almost got turned into Eli-kebab!"

Yet it was at that moment that Elise's martial art instinct proved to be useful, for she sensed an intense blood lust from Linnea's direction. She seriously doubted it was the girl herself, in the end she had just saved her from an ambush, but when a glimpse toward the direction of her companion was made the source of her discomfort was revealed. A blurred figure had been concealed against the wall of a storage shed, their body seemingly camouflaged against the wood. Still, what was even more worrisome was the fact the figure had just nocked a series of arrows into Linnea's direction!

"Watch out!"

Having darted past Linnea Elise had been just quick enough to place herself between the young woman and the flying projectiles, and while both her hands were able to grasp the flying projectiles and shatter them, perhaps a testimony to her speed, or most likely just an insane amount of foolish luck, the third arrow had dug itself into her shoulder, and if not for the swift hardening of her muscles into her Defensive Stance it would likely have been more than just a fleshwound.

"Che... And here I hoped to take down the troublesome one of the pair with my 'Assassin's Volley'."

A woman's voice came from the direction of the shed, and as the blurry figure started to materialize the culprit of the attack revealed themselves. While on first sight it appeared to be a woman there was something unnatural about her. The venomous green-colored hair that flown down her shoulders, the serpentine irises that gazed in amusement in their direction, the bewitching beauty of her features... but most importantly the snake-like lower body made it clear who she was: A naga.

"Still, with one of you weakened this little disturbance will end. Have at them my darlings!"

As if on cue the group that had been approaching them from further down the docks turned toward the duo with the same creepy look on their faces as the other villagers they encountered before. With a little grunt of pain Elise pulled out the arrow and turned toward Linnea, flashing her a brief grin.

"Don't worry, it wasn't deep. How about you let me handle her love-struck goons? Then you can deal with that serpent."

Stepping past Linnea she whispered something that she would likely have heard.

"This is the first time I'm entrusting my back to someone... makes me kind of happy."

And with those words the martial artist darted toward the approaching villagers. However, the Naga's gaze focused onto the archer, briefly lowering her bow as she spoke.

"So carefree to turn her back at me. Then again, soon your ally will become a boon to my cause. That arrow was poisoned with some of my venom, a venom that will stir certain primal instincts within the victim. I wonder how long she can resist the temptation to succumb to the feral lust for bloodshed while fighting those fools. Nevertheless, you got no chance of winning against me girlie, my powers are a league beyond yours!"

----
Leaving Naga Pirate for Naga-chan to deal with. Elise will be dealing with the remaining minions. Feel free to control the Naga for your fight if you want to ^^

So far I only imagine she has some snake-related abilities (one of them being shown as being able to camouflage herself if she remains stationary for a period of time, but only if the background is one she can blend in with like grass or wood. Stone seems to be useless.) she also possesses a single special attack called 'Assassin Volley' where she rapidly releases three arrows, but it's exhausting for her to do it and the speed of her projectiles slows down a bit). For the rest feel free to go crazy with her.

Enemies left:
Boss fight:
Naga Pirate

Minions fight:
5 crazed villagers.

Her reaction was funny if nothing else... She was right, Lin should have given her a little warning, if only because she had never worked with the Kuja ranger before and probably didn't really trust her yet. Not in the sense that expected to be betrayed, but she had no idea if Linnea was good enough to be pulling off William Tell stunts like these. She let out a soft chuckle as the girl flailed her arms around in annoyance:

"Sorry, sorry... But trust me, I have pretty good aim.", Linnea was obviously in her comfort zone now, she looked a lot more confident than she normally did, and she even gave Eli a playful wink.

But then her Kenbunshoku Haki sense started tingling... Like before, it meant there might be something right outside the edge of her sensory radius. But she wasn't even the only one to pick this up since Eli started running for dear life in her direction. Linnea turned in that direction reflexively, barely making out a camoflaged figure too late as three arrows were already flying her way. With little time to get out of the way, Lin just just shifted her body to take the hits anywhere that not her vital organs

"Eli!!", shouted a worried Lin as her new partner took the shots aimed at her and wound up with one through her shoulder for her trouble.

The sneaky shadowy figure soon revealed itself, allowing Linnea to confirm her "Naga" status, was no doubt merely the product of a Snake Zoan fruit. Still, she knew better than to underestimate Zoan users who could often display unpredictable traits until one managed to find out what kind of species they were supposed to be transformed into.

Her partner simply reassured it was just a flesh wound, offering to take care of the Naga's hypnotized minions while Linnea dealt with the archer herself. Using that moment, Linnea dashed to a barricade a few meters ahead, taking a closer place to the snake mistress and allowing her to keep track of her with a shorter ranger version of her Kenbunshoku Haki. All of this while her foe wasted her time talking instead of trying to follow up... She truly loved hearing herself speak and Lin would be sure to use that to her advantage:

"Poison, huh? Don't worry, you won't be around to see the effects...", Linnea spoke in a low, cold tone, the only words she'd bother stating to her foe. The snake woman talked too much, and more importantly, she was underestimating her: The Kuja ranger loved being underestimated and she'd make sure her enemies only regretted their mistake too late.

In a flash, Linnea grabbed three arrows and let them all loose at her foe - covering all her escape routes - at a blinding speed such that forced the woman to desperately run back behind cover, yet still winding with a grazing wound to her shoulder. The ranger foresaw her attempt to peek out and shoot yet another arrow, and aimed her own counter attack at the woman's heart. And while the Naga was fast enough to see and react to teh arrow, she couldn't move away fast enough and wound up with an arrow to the chest, while Linnea simply ducked back into cover and avoided her counter attack by ducking back behind cover as arrows flew overhead... She had yet to reveal her Haki abilities, and thus Linnea plotted a way to put an end to this battle while she glanced at the poisoned Elise to see how she was doing.

She was worried about that girl; even if she had only been struck with a single arrow and didn't yet look really altered, she could only hope Eli would still be able to hold her own.-.



Used 4 more arrows (10 used total)


OOC: C-rank kenbu Haki used, (10/50 Haki stamina)


Used 40 Stamina, recovered 10 from Falcon Dress

Spoiler:

For Elise the battle had taken a bit longer that Linnea's own fight, whether through the superior numbers of the enemy or the poison's effect was up to debate. Despite the strong front she was putting up Elise knew some foreign substance had entered her body, for when she steadied herself into her combative stance a sudden pulse ran through her body and for a brief moment it felt like her vision had trembled. Nevertheless, she ignored it with a bit of effort, intercepting the first punch aimed toward her, and with a nimble spin of her body flipped the assaulting villager over her shoulder, a kick in his gut seemingly rendering him unconscious.

Still five against one was hardly fair, as was seen when one of the crazed villagers took the opportunity to try to bind her into a grapple himself, the arms that wrapped around her own seemingly holding less strength than most grapples made by a martial artist, but the distraction was enough to allow a third villager to deliver a blow to her shoulder, causing her body to make a light spasm as she felt the poison course through her veins.

"RAAAAAAGH!"

An almost bestial shout escaped the girl's lips, the warcry seemingly invigorating her as she grasped a hold of the grappling villagers arms and squeezed them firmly, her dragon-like grip tearing into his bones with enough ferocity that his arms fractured, and to make matters worse she pulled her head into a backwards headbutt, causing such a painful impact against the man's head that he collapsed onto the ground.

"Only t-three more..."

Her breathing had grown slightly faster, but she was far from down for the count! The third villager had already launched another punch toward her, but this time Elise grappled a hold of the man's arm and did something most men would have likely cursed her for. No clever techniques, no secret moves but a simple but highly effective kick between his legs that send the poor man onto his knees, tears gathering in his eyes as he fell over.

Only two more were left to deal with, the two remaining villagers seemingly heading her way at the same time. Of course Elise's patience had run out at this point, darting toward both villagers, who in return to her charge attempted to hit her with some attacks. It seemed Elise had shrugged of their punches, instead grappling one of the villagers, her hands wrapping around the back of the man's head and a knee strike to his head literally making the poor man see some stars. The last villager seemingly was trying to attack her in a desperate assault, a poor choice for Elise's arms locked around the man's shoulder and with a second roar she thrown the man straight into the water of the nearby harbor, what surprisingly enough seemed to cure his state for he emerged on the surface with a bewildered look on his face.

"ugh..."

With the five bandits dealt with Elise felt her hand reaching for her shoulder, and while there was only some minor loss of blood she still felt her mind growing clouded. Only a few seconds before she would likely succumb to the effect of the poison. Still, in that time she wanted to make sure Linnea was alright, turning toward the girl and upon seeing her victory she grinned sheepishly, stepping toward her, the footing seemingly a bit unsteady.

"Good thing that the Ryuujin no Budo is a defensive style, else I think those poor villagers would have suffered the Naga's fate. Then again, I don't think they be moving for a few days anyway."

Chuckling softly the girl's expression distorted in a look of pain, a hand grasping for her shoulder once more as she seemingly struggled with something, her irises seemingly slowly changing their color to a redder tint.

----
All enemies have been dealt with~

But something is about to happen...

She could still keep an eye on Eli's fight without getting distracted from her own, and though she could sense the blonde girl's struggle, she saw how she still fought with unyielding ferocity and one by one knocked out the hypnotized villagers while Linnea did her best to take care of the Naga. She was certain that once the creature was disabled so would its effects on the innocent villagers; that seemed to be the exact same case with all manners of Devil Fruit users she had fought thus far. Linnea would rather not kill this snake Zoan woman, hopeful that when she got caught, people would lay off the Naga case and refrain from hunting after the other Naga.

But that didn't change the fact that Eli was still fighting like an enraged beast... Unlike her innocently playful behavior Linnea had gotten used to thus far, this seemed like a drastically different person and that sneaky Naga Zoan was the one to blame for this. Linnea foresaw her attempting to peek her head out and promptly ducked below cover, doing so at a narrow interval in a way that it could easily decieve her foe into thinking she just had really good reflexes instead of a form of foresight. After she felt the arrow whizz over her head, Linnea decided it was time to finish this fight once and for all, revealing her trump card in the most vicious manner she could. Grabbing and nocking an arrow, she infused it with a jet black coating of Busoshoku Haki, and rose from cover.

"Got you...", she whispered to herself, locking onto her turtling opponent and letting loose a single arrow aimed at her chest, missing her heart by inches but still aiming to critically injure the Zoan woman, "Drill Shot...!"

Flicking her arrow with her thumb, she made it spin much faster than normal, which combined with the Haki coating resulted in a tremendous amount of destruction: The arrow pierced and drilled a hole through the shed's wooden wall, continuing through all the kinds of crates present there and even the opposite wall, almost demolishing the whole shed in the process... And the Naga was caught right in the middle of it. How could she expect the Archer she underestimated to pack such a destructive power with a single arrow? With the Naga downed, Linnea scavenged some of her used arrows while Elise finished the villagers, knocking them asleep. She commented on her own fighting style, how it was mainly defensive, which the ranger could confirm given how they were all still alive:

"The Marines might not have been so kind if they attacked like that... In the end we saved their lives.", praised Linnea with a content smile on her face, putting away her bow and the scavenged arrows. Her partner looked a little different, likely burdened by her poison, and thus the archer hurried on to her side, placing Eli's arm around her shoulder and looking at her with a concerned gaze, "How are you feeling...? We should get you to a doctor to care of that poison..."



Used 1 more arrows, 6 scavenged (5 used total)


OOC: C-rank kenbu Haki in use; used D-rank Buso on arrow, (5/50 Haki stamina)


Used 60 Stamina, total 90 expended

Spoiler: