Task Name: Monkey Business
Tier: 3
NPC or PC: PC
Location: Ennies Lobby
Crew, Team, or Personal: Personal
Description: While exploring an island off the coast of Ennies Lobby, you'll find yourself deep in the jungle. There, you will be ambushed and attacked by a pack of Pigmee Humandrills, who have seemingly learned how to fight from passing travellers. To explore the island and claim its riches, you'll have to defeat them all!
Enemy Details: 20 T0 Pigmee Humandrill Fighters, 5 T1 Pigmee Humandrill Gunner, 3 T2 Pigmee Humandrill Bladesman
Boss: Yes

Boss Name: Humandrill Alpha
Tier: 3
Description: The Alpha of the Pigmee Humandrills. It's roughly human sized and commands his minions through fear and brute force. Defeating or Killing him will establish you as their new Alpha, and they will stop attacking.
Devil Fruit: No
Haki Aura: Pugilist, B-rank
Equipment: T2 Claymore
Specs: 4 Melee weapons, 3 Hand to Hand

Ennies Lobby had to be the first and hopefully the only island that made Linnea feel the way she did... The mother of all mixed feelings. One one hand, she had a unique place, a place where the sun never set, and island with a colossal waterfall right in the center. Even for the Grand Line you couldn't get more unique than that. But on the other hand you had the Lion's Den. On another place, another sea, the Uroboros Pirates might have fancied themselves the Predator, but the sheer number of Marines swarming made exploring the place a rather lethal venture for both Linnea and all of her friends. And putting them at risk so vapidly was the kind of endeavor she'd never carry out... Thus, their stay in the troublesome Ennies Lobby would be short and hopefully sweet, and for the most part she was content with just exploring the surrounding islands, where she could show her face, her ship, and all of those put together.

Thus, there she was, sailing with her crew around a recently discovered islet... The Frosty captain relaxed in a lounge chair, listening to the crashing waves and the seaguls squaking above, inhaling the fresh, salty breeze. She then looked towards the island: Like the good Explorer and amateur naturalist she was, Linnea was drawing and writing down the outline of the Island as they sailed around it, logging it on her journal and getting ready to detail her findings once she sat foot on dry land. They didn't just go around the island for kicks, or even to see the sights, instead their Navigator had been on the lookout for a possible place to drop the anchor where the Melusine could dock in peace without being bothered by Marines (they weren't expecting anything else so close to the Island of Justice). Once they had finally dock, the Melusine had been concealed in a reef and Linnea quickly perpared her rowboat to head ashore. Before long, she had rowed her way to warm sands...

As she felt the soft sand beneath her feet as she took the first few steps into the unknown island, her adventurous instinct kicked in at full force as her eyes scanned and took in every inch of landscape before them. To her right, the deep blue sea with the ever sunny Ennies Lobby visible up in the distance. To her left, jungle... Wilderness, as far as the eyes could see. Walking around the beach and hearing the waves crash ashore was a delightful pasttime, but the pull of the unexplored jungle was too strong to resist.

Thus, the way ahead was clearly decided, perhaps from the moment when Linnea saw such a dense woodland adorning the landscape of this small little Island. Activating her strongest observation Haki, she checked the gear in her posession and pressed forth. Bow, arrows, Baby Den Den Mushi, Black Den Den Mushi, and the comfortable ranger's outfit covering her body. Between that and her freshly acquired Hie Hie no Mi, she wouldn't really need anything else. Brushing away the first thicket of vegetation, she set foot under the cover of the tall canopy, immediately inhaling the fresh planty scent. Aaah, the soothing sounds of the jungle. There was no melody quite like this one, none as reassuring as the song of a rainforest. Perhaps it was due to how similiar it was in Amazon Lily, but Linnea always had that cozy, heartwarming feelinbg whenever she found herself surrounded by lush vegetation on all sides and animals going about their lives without a care in the world. Nature could be cruel, ruthless even... But at its best it was also the most beautiful sight Lin had ever seen.

For now she stuck to the ground, but every now and then Linnea climbed onto trees and fallen logs, tugging her hood over her eyes as she scanned the sight ahead ahead, taking in every piece of information. She'd have plenty to write about once she got back to her ship. Yet among this beautiful, oddly harmonious tune, somebody was singing out of key... Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she reached for her bow, as the Haki wielding Kuja had a bad feeling. She had grown used to trusting her bad feelings after all, more often than not they were just about all she needed to be aware of her threat and this time was no exception. Apes screaming and beating their chest... That was what it sounded like and given how she was sure she'd seen a monkey earlier that more than enough sense to her. But could they actually be after her? That sounded unlikely, but then again some species of monkeys were known to be quite territorial, viciously so, even...

And then her spider Haki senses tingled! Moving by pure reflex, Linnea leaned her body back just as a large rock flew breezed past her nose... Turning her head back and drawing her bow, she identified a monkey-like creature, beating his chest after the failed throw before preparing another. It looked like a small humandrill, a creature Linnea had read about but never seen. Still, she knew it to be dangerous so wasting not a single second, she activated her Blitz Shooter and let loose an arrow, catching the animal right between the eyes and leaving a feast for crows...

Spoiler:

Used A-rank kenbu (20 HS used)

Effortlessly swaying, ducking and rolling under the barrage of rocks that followed, Linnea identified and located her attackers one by one. The Pigmee Humandrill ambush was rather advanced for simple animals, proving that to an extent, these creatures still lived up to the reputation of the Humandrills she'd heard about. They learned from copying tactics and fighting styles from strong opponents they fought, and here in the Grand Line, there would be enough powerful explorers to provide them with the knowledge they needed. Another rock came flying past her, from her five O'clock. But this time Linnea was alert, her keen senses sharpened completely, and her hunting eyes darted around the battlefield. She swept her bow under her arm, quickly pivoting on her foot 180º and taking aim at the next monkey who dared attack her so callously. She reaped its life with the same callousness, and quickly followed up with two more arrows nocked and fired in tandem, putting down the next Two Humandrills, Rolling aside and drawing another arrow, staying out of the way of the following rock throw.

She had picked up about eight ambushers, and with a few more shots nocked and fired, she had put them all down with an arrow to the head. But more were arriving, called by the loud cries and beating chests of their peers. Linnea moved around the area, successfully scavenging five of the eight arrows she fired. If this was all they had she wouldn't even break a sweat; like most animals, they'll stop attacking blindly if you kill enough of their peers, recognizing you as being higher in the food chain. But even though she took down eight of them, they didn't show any sign of stopping! Quite the opposite, they attacked even more ferociously, and even though she hid herself under a shrub, five more Apes prowled the bushes and the trees above, on the look out for their enemy...

"Tch... So persistant...", she clicked her tongue with an annoyed scowl; in a way, Linnea was both impressed and apalled at the relentlessness and stupidity of these apes who were obviously smarter than the average beast. Why would they throw their lives away like this?

This time, they were led by a bigger Humandrill carrying a gun. A simple look was more than enough to identify it as their leader... Maybe if she killed this one they would stop? It was worth a shot. Closing one eye, she took aim... The moment her simian foe turned its head down to look at one of its slain friends, Linnea let loose another arrow, faster than most bullets could ever hope to be. But as it killed the monkey with bleeding shot to the heart, the others did the opposite of what expected, and charged!!

Spoiler:

Active A-rank kenbu (20 HS used)

How... She had killed their strongest comrade, and these were still charging at her like men (monkeys) posessed. Linnea would have to kick this up a couple of notches but she was getting more and more annoyed. Why? She expected this kind of tenacity from enemy marines or Pirates, but at this rate she was gonna have to wipe out the entire Pigmee Humandrill population of this Island before they left her alone. Even before the Gunner hit the ground - firing a loud alert shot into the air - its buddies were already on their way; she could try to take them all out but she really didn't like the idea of just sticking here while wave after wave of rabid monkey tried to attack. A stream of condensation flew around her legs as she partially entered her Ice Body: Releasing her Ice power, Linnea froze the grass and ground below, making it slippery and unstable as she strated climbing up the tree.

She heard the monkeys lose their balance and fall down (some crashing into the trunk and nearly knocking her off), but climing the tree as she was, she barely had time to shift her head back, avoiding a bullet shot by another gunner further away, the splinters bruised her face slighly, and with each passing annoyance, she felt her desire to hunt all of these creatures down well up further. Even though she had only mastered her devil fruit abilities to a very limited level, she had already learned to produce limitless amounts of Ice as usual for a Logia Power, as well as realized just how disruptive an icy floor could be for her opponents. But at this point her mind was nowhere near such considerations. These Monkeys were far too agressive for her liking.

As soon as she set foot on the topmost branch, linnea grabbed and nocked two more arrows firing them below and taking two two more humandrills, before breaking off into a sprint over the branch, grabbing and loading two more arrows. Aside from the Gunner who'd just taken a shot at her, there was yet another Humandrill further up into the distance: It was big, much bigger than any of the ones she'd fought before. It was far stronger too, could this one be their leader? Everything pointed towards that notion, and thus Linnea wasted no time nocking two more arrows, aiming, and firing! She tracked her targets with Kenbunshoku Haki - allowing her to confirm the kill on the Humandrill gunner - but the other sidestepped her arrow without much trouble.

Guess this one wouldn't be so easy as the last few ones... As she ran further through the trees - freezing the branches after she jumped off them to destroy the path - trying to get a clear sight of the big monkey, she avoided a few more bullets and rocks thrown by the monkeys...


Used A-rank kenbu (40 HS used)

Spoiler:

Linnea dodged a few more rocks, and she could also notice faster (yet equally small) pigmee humandrills running her way. These were tougher than the fighters, the rock throwers, or even the gunners. She wouldn't be able to contend with the big boss so long as she had the small fry to deal with. Inhaling deeply, she drew five arrows, as she jumped onto the next tree, she quickly shifted her bow to the left: With her Haki keenly scanning her surrounding battlefield, she easily pinpointed five enemies as she readied the arrows with their names on them. Three rock throwers, two swordsmen... Antecipating each of their following attacks, she let loose these five arrows, before quickly landing on a thick branch, grabbing two more arrows, and firing both of them towards the boss under the cover of the tree top. In between the attack to his soon to be dead minions and her own concealed position, he shouldn't be able to see this one coming... But alas, it didn't work as expected.

As the five pigmees fell to her arrows, their boss started moving: With a loud, deafening howl, the Humandrill Alpha attacked. Swinging his massive greatsword, it slashed Linnea's arrows out of the way and closed in on her tree at an impossibly fast speed for its colossal size. Linnea considered herself too cool and calm to be startled, but fact of the matter was, she wasn't expecting this big lump to move this fast, and certainly wasn't looking forward to the prospect of facing it in melee combat. As it took a mighty swing at her tree, Linnea did the only thing she possibly could: Run away! She ran atop the branch, towards the edge of the tree, and thats where it was when it sliced her tree in half and knocked her off balance. With an imbalanced Leap, Linnea couldn't catch her footing quickly enough to shoot an arrow in between sword slices, and before she knew it the oversized Ape was getting ready for yet another swing. Wasting not a second, Linnea leapt for the tree away from her foe, and this time she managed to buy herself enough time. Regaining her footing by using her literal cold feet to cling to the surface, she pivoted on one foot and drew two arrows, shooting it at the ape.

Yet she would have no time to celebrate, as the monkey simply shifted his body aside fast enough to avoid both arrows.

How could it see all of these arrows coming?! They were faster than an average bullet! It was the one bit of information she couldn't wrap her head around, it was almost like... THAT'S IT!! A good look at the jet black great sword was the answer she needed. How could one such beast had gotten its hands on a legendary Black Blade? No matter how she looked at it, no matter how powerful these monkeys looked, they were still humandrills. Few men could ever hope to locate and claim one such weapon, even fewer could hope to hold on to it. By comparison, a Humandrill able to use Haki seemed much more plausible. It also explained how it was able to slice through a tree so cleanly even though its blade was obviously blunted (the cracks and dents were more than proof enough).

In that case... Concentrating, the Icy Ranger got ready to use her strongest attack, to put pressure on her Colossal enemy: She suddenly drew and fired two arrows faster than the eye could see, at a speed such that even though the monkey parried them away, its eyes widened in shock. Linnea's Black Mamba attack matched the ferocity of the eponymous snake, and even if she didn't have venom to coat her arrows in, she had something else. Following the two arrows fired in tandem, she grabbed four more and nocked them - two on either side - coating them all with Busoshoku Haki. This time, there was no chance for the Humandrill to react: The firing speed combined with the angle Linnea fired the arrows from mostly hid their presence behind the first two, hitting the large target from a blind spot and piercing it four times. The black coated arrows carved a bloody path through the Ape's chest and gut, and by the time they carved four holes in the ground behind, his eyes had went completely lifeless...

"FInally...", she uttered, taking full advantage of the shock from the slain Alpha, resting while the remaining Pigmee Humandrills wrapped their heads around what happened.




Active A-rank kenbu, C-rank Buso used (50 HS used)

Spoiler:

Linnea was breathing heavily from the straining abuse of some of her stronger skills, but she was relieved... The moment the big monkey got hit by all those arrows at once -

Pierced in four places at once - his underlings stopped attacking as ferociously. And then one of them got close enough to poke the lifeless corpse, confirming the kill. At that

moment they all cheered. Or at least it sounded like cheering... These creatures may be Apes, but no matter how she looked at it, this sounded like a reaction people would have at

the end of a reign of terror. She'd seen it all too often.

Taking advantage of the commotion, Linnea swapped out her strong Haki with a somewhat weaker, but still mostly effective variant. She aimed to climb down from the tree and slip away from the now gathering tribe of humandrills, to carry out her exploration elsewhere. But that too didn't go as planned. The moment Linnea's feet touched the ground, the Apes' cheering grew louder as one of them spotted her. She grasped her bow again as if preparing for another attack, but a quick scan on the strongest remaining Humandrill proved it had no intention to attack her. Instead, all of them approached her and laid down their arms, the remaining swordsman even going as far as kneeling down as he presented the sword to her. A faint, humbled smile appeared on Linnea's face as she gradually came to understand these animals. Having slain their Alpha, she had proved her stength and earned herself the right to lead them as their Alpha. With a kind, surprisingly gentle expression from the huntress who up until now had been fighting to kill, she Shook her head and pushed the sword back towards the kneeling Ape. A simple enough gesture for them to understand; she had no interest in depriving any of them of their weapons now that they weren't trying to kill her. But even if they stopped offering her their weapons, some of the apes still looked at Linnea with awe and admiration in their eyes, clearly determined to offer spoils to the victor.

It was that point that she decided to put the Pigmee Humandrill's intelligence to the test. Pulling out a small pouch of Beli, she showed the apes some gold coins, asking, "You have anything like this here?", she inquired, out of instinct more than a belief in the Apes' ability to understand human language. But much to her surprise, most of the tribe, howled confidently, jumping back onto their feet and running off somewhere, gesturing for Linnea to come along.

Indeed, these Humandrills were rather smart. They had been hoarding not only the weapons they scavenged off explorers like her, but also the treasure they found. They didn't seem to have much value for it, even if they still stored it in a cave, and didn't object to Linnea stuffing her pockets with as much gold as she could carry... But when she came back to where the bulk of the pack seemed to reside, her eyes widened as she saw how many of them were now wielding makeshift bow and arrows, some of them going as far as wearing hoods!! No doubt Linnea had left a mark on this Humandrill Pack, and to an extent on the Island... Hopefully by the time somebody realized they had been here, they would be long gone... The proximity to Ennies Lobby was far from reassuring...


Used B-rank Kenbu Haki (65 HS used)

[exit]