Yellow was dead. Or, like, injured, but it was in the neck. How dare he survive. Dirk was stronger than him. Rokushiki was the strongest martial art. He has the power.

You have nothing, Dirk. You're worthless.

And you have idiot, Derek, Dirk said in his brain, because he doesn't want to say it out loud when Blue armour shrimp man is searching for him. Oh noooo. What poor luck. For him. Because he's about to get unlucky.

You don't know what that means Retard! How can you fight when you don't know things Fool!

...I don't know. I still have to fight the man, though. I went up behind him again, only moving when the Divine Purpose said he should, duckdoging if necessary. He hits the headcrab, in the neck with a 'Shigan,' and Jimm is okay, but his head neck wads cut. Maybe? Proberley. And if it wasn't and his finger was cut instead, Dirk just hides again and makes sure to wahtc where he swings at me, just kidding thanks.

Ha Ha, They Laughed!

That's the idea, Big Guy. But not out loud because otherwise the Divine Purpose wouldn't be being been properly.

Slick's cannonballs bounced off of the ship with a solid plink as Slick loaded in the next cannonball. His heart sank as he realised the big enemy wasn't on fire. "What? That's no fair... NO FAIR! NO FAIR NO FAIR NO FAIR NO FAIR YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ON FIRE I'M GOING TO LIGHT YOU ALL ON FIRE AND LAUGH AT YOUR BURNING CORPSE AS I REACH THE HEIGHT OF ART!" He banged his hands on the cannon over and over, slowly aiming it higher and higher until it was pointed directly at the sail of the King Crab. Slick was furious as he lit the fuse and pointed at the only available thing to light on fire. BOOM! One last cannonball was fired at the exposed mast of the ship, it's sole purpose in life to burn down the King Crab's only method of moving.

"Shrimp Brigade Red, Voice of the Heavens! Here to bring you to justice!" Slick turned, ready to immolate any who would dare stand in his path. Until he saw the pose. All of Slick's rage disappeared as he too moved into a bizarre pose. "Halt villain! Your twisted justice has no place on this grand blue ocean! I, Green Pirate Slick, will not tolerate your oppression!" He then looked at Bonesword, still in position, and nodded dramatically. "All right White Ranger Lilyhammer! Get into your pose and prepare for battle!" Slick yelled, completely ignoring the tree that just sprouted out of nowhere.

"Kookiookiooki, then so be it, criminal scum." Not that you could see his face, but it was clear from the tone of his voice and his overall body language that John Krabbe wasn't the slightest bit worried as these two pirates charged at him from two separate directions. The bounty hunter steeled his stance, bending at the knees and placing his normal hand on the sword at his side. Glowing eyes beneath the helm darted between the two women as he contemplated his own plan of attack. Crustacean Stream!" he cried out, unsheathing the blade and slashing it in the direction of Liliana. Though the blade did not touch her, he send a stream of high pressure water from the motion. The high pressure of the stream would be enough to slash through bone quite handily, and it was heading straight for her grappling hook arm. Meanwhile Krabbe lifted his claw-armored hand up to meet with Feya head on. The two attacks collided in perfectly equal force, creating a loud crash sound as the air distorted. He had managed to meet her strength head on, standing still whilst she had a running start. Was it the armor? Or was John Krabbe more fit than the doctor realized?

"Strong. I respect that. BUT NOT STRONG ENOUGH! VICE GRIP!" With lightning swiftness, the claw opened up and immediately clamped back down on the limb Feya had attacked with. It squeezed with a crushing force, easily breaking the skin and threatening to crush her bones. Just then a flaming cannonball careened over the ship's Shell Shield, striking what little of the mast was exposed. A small fire started up above, while the ship jostled momentarily, but violently. "What the-?" Krabbe exclaimed, his attention momentarily distracted...

---

Meanwhile, down in the brig of the King Crab, a lone figure sat in a jail cell, separated from his belongings hanging a little ways out of reach. Nobody guarded his cell anymore, for it was an all hands on deck situation. The ship shuddered, and the pack containing the prisoner's belongings fell from where it had been hanging out of reach. Though the pack was still too far away, a great oversized wrench slid out along the floor, close enough he could grab it between the cell bars...

---

"Not a gentleman?!" Shrimp Brigade Violet exclaimed in utter horror. At the same time he rolled off to the right, behind another large stack of booze. The shotgun shot fired off by Boone was mostly deterred by the few dozen bottles it shattered to pieces. The remaining pellets that struck Violet did so on his armor. What could have been fight ending injuries would only leave some painful bruises, but nothing more. "I'm more gentleman than any saltwater scum pirate!" he called back over the stack of bottle crates. Peering through one of the available cracks, he fired off another shot at Boone, aiming for the captain's midsection.

"Ow!" Shrimp Brigade Blue called out, more in surprise and annoyance than actual pain. He twisted around just in time to see Dirk attempting to become one with the shadows again, but Blue was too quick. The bounty hunter fighter grabbed Dirk by the sleeve, then yanked him in closer for a solid punch to the gut, his spiked knuckles sinking in about half an inch. "Did you just poke me?! You insane bastard!" Blue maintained a hold on Dirk's arm, lifting his own right fist up for another blow, this time aiming for the escaped slave's face.

As this was going down, Caesar was having a difficult time having to fight two of the Shrimp Brigade at a time. Green and Yellow both used mid range weapons, and their synchronized fighting style kept the half-mink off balance and on the defensive for the most part. Finally he had his opportunity. Narrowly avoiding Yellow's chain ball, he sent a charge of electro down the chain, which had an immediate effect. Yellow blurted out a yelp of pain and coiled back, yanking the heavy ball back to his hands where he caught it. Yellow had to take a second to catch his breath, which meant that Green had to square off against Caesar all by himself. Without his team mate to balance the odds, Green was overwhelmed by the ferocity of Caesar's assault. Too close to use the tip of his trident, Green spun the polearm in his hands in order to bat Caesar in the gut with its pommel. While he was successful in striking the mink with a solid, hard blunt attack, Caesar's teeth had already sunk in. The force of the attack tore Caesar away and took a generous amount of flesh with it. Blood spurt outward as Green grasped the wound in pain. "AAARGH! That's it, bad dog! I'm putting you down!"

In the time it took Caesar to unleash his beastial assault, Yellow had recovered and sent the chain ball flying dead on for Caesar's face.

Above deck things were heating up. Bonesword had absolutely no patience for Shrimp Brigade Red's tomfoolery and opted to spring up a tree beneath the warrior in an effort to launch him away. However Red sprung off the tree catapult himself, using the momentum to pull off some really sweet flips and spins in the air, never once stopping his speech. He stuck the landing, going into another over the top pose. "A villain with a flair for the dramatic, eh?" he called out in regards to Slick's antics, completely oblivious to how Slick was mocking his own gestures and speech. "Your distractions and posturing will be of no help, pirate! Shrimp Brigade Red is here! To! Defeat you!"

Taking another pose as he made his boast, Red flipped through the air a good twenty feet to close the distance between himself and Bonesword, where he proceeded to swing his right leg downward in a powerful hammer dropkick toward the skeleton's skull.

Bonesword stepped back, bringing his sword out from it's sheath. He was ready to fight, and he'd have turned this shrimp into sushi now if he didn't have to man the wheel (Dammit Dirk!). It was alright though, he'd get someone else to man it next time. Right now, he had his own job, which was holding the damn wheel.

Bonesword dodged the drop kick as he ducked to the side, grabbing hold of the ship's wheel and sword-jumping over the steering mechanism, bringing the ship onto a collision course with... the King Crab? Was Bonesword crazy? Probably a little bit, but right now, it all made sense in Bonesword's head. "I've heard that shrimp was good, but you look a little expired to me, cha-cha-cha!" The Shroomblade was held firmly in hand as BS mocked his opponent, the blade towards the ground. Swordjumps were how he was going to survive this, and he was confident he could outlast his opponent.

Once again, Cedric's shot was ineffective at putting his opponents down like he planned. The Shrimp Brigade was proving to be masters at the art of teamwork. Cedric couldn't help but wonder what kind of training they went through. But... more importantly, MORE OF THE RUM WAS BEING SHATTERED TO PIECES! The dark liquid spread throughout the cellar. Precious alcohol that would never get the chance to be tasted and consumed for the merriment of Boone and his crew. Such a shame; it was a crime against everything they stood for!

Violet managed to dodge Boone's shot and hid behind other crates of rum. At the same moment, Cedric saw in his peripherals, Dirk being grabbed and punched before getting the chance to escape. Caesar was facing two opponents at once! Cedric had to act fast. From Violet's cover he was nigh impossible to hit without destroying more of the precious liquid. So, Boone decided that taking out Blue while his back was turned would be his best option. Then he would piece together the plan as it went into motion.

Violet, returned fire at Cedric's chest. Boone knew he would be hit at such a close range. Rather then try and evade the attack completely, he sidestepped just enough so that the bullet grazed his right shoulder. He was used to minor injuries like it. While this occurred, he turned his weapon of war at Blue's exposed back. Because of Boone's choice not to dodge Violet's bullet completely, he was able to take a good shot directly at Blue with a SHOTGUNSHOT.

Then, Boone yelled in a loud battle cry,"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" as he ran towards Blue. His boots thudded loudly against the wooden planks beneath. When he was halfway there, he extended his custom made bayonet from the tip of his weapon. It produced a distinct shick sound as it locked into place. Depending on whether Blue managed to outlast the hit, Boone would aim to slash at his opponent's back and take him out of the fight completely while freeing Dirk.

Afterward, he yelled to Dirk,"Get the gunner, Dirk! I'll clean up this mess.."

---

Caesar licked his lips as he flew back, blood covering the floor between him and Green.

"Try me, you puny little runt. The Wolf of the Blue will not be bested today! I have beaten sharks, and no dinner side piece will hope to compare! So prepare yourself, for I'm bringing out the butter to go with my Shrimp!"

It was a glorious sight. A testimony to his abilities to fight two at once.

But that ball was coming at his head, and he had limited options.

A quick run of the situation through his head netted a few ideas, however. He had proven he had the close range combat advantage. Green had proven resistance to Electro with the rubber, Yellow had been susceptible. They covered each other's weaknesses, keeping an opponent in range of one at all times. They were at a further disadvantage in the relatively close quarters of the room.

Looking at his options, Caesar decided to avoid trying to collapse the rum racks. It would open up the fighting arena, take too long, and why the hell would he want to break even more of the liquor?

Option two was far from preferred. Repeating tactics left one open to countermeasures, given the opponent already knowing the outcome and procedures. Even if Green had tasted like raw chicken...

That left him option three. And he wasn't entirely confident in it's success capabilities, but he was confident in his own ability to perform the act.

Man, this was going to hurt.

Caesar sidestepped, feeling his stomach protest. He was definitely going to have bruises from that hit. If he'd timed it right, he'd avoid having his brains caved in, and instead have the chain wrap around his left arm, leaving his machete wielding arm free. That ball was going to cause some damage, but it was a risk he was willing to take.

From there he'd pull Yellow to him, given his increased strength and Yellow being, like, three feet tall at best, he shouldn't have much trouble with that. Upon Yellow entering his range, since he did have the element of surprise in these quick, crucial moments, Caesar could deliver a mighty slice with his machete.

At this point, Caesar expected Green would be countering, but he'd planned on deftly manipulating Yellow to block himself from Green during the pull. If he had any luck, he could then press the attack on Green after connecting with Yellow and taking the ball and chain for himself with it wrapped around his arm.

If he could make it that far, Caesar could use an Omni Slash and attempt to wrap that Trident up in the chain to help deliver a brutal headbutt to Green.

At least, that was the plan he'd laid out in his head within seconds of being pushed off of Green.

---

Wafer D. Kite had all but given up hope. He How long had he been on this ship? The young man sitting in the cell in the brig of the King Crab had felt lost for so long. He'd lost his friends, whom he'd loved as he loved his family back home. It felt wrong to be alive, but he knew he could never face them if he died without a fight. And yet, after 4 failed escape attempted he was bereft of the hope that he'd be able to free himself. He thought that maybe, just maybe, if he could get out and take revenge on the man who'd taken his family he could at least move on. He'd never even made it past the bottom level of the ship though. Much of the crew was little more than cannon fodder. But then, the Shrimp Brigade. Either team was skilled enough to subdue and force him back into his cage.

He'd cursed his weakness day in and day out. Gone were the friends he believed he would one day travel through the depths of hell and back with. There time together had been short, but it meant everything to him. Before him was a wall far too insurmountable for a lone pirate such as himself. His career had only just begun and it was already over. At least that's what he thought.

"Attention crew of the Rum Runner!"

Kite's ears perked up at the sound of the announcement made by the captain of the ship he was imprisoned on. He sighed. And so it began again. A battle where life or death didn't matter. The pirates would want to win to keep themselves free and their ship in tact. Krabbe only cared about the bounty, building his notoriety. He didn't care otherwise whether they lived or died unless the bounty stated they must be brought in alive.

"This is John Krabbe, the famous bounty hunter known far as wide as 'The Vice.' You will surrender yourselves to my custody now, or I will press you into oblivion with the might of my ship, the King Crab!"

Memories crashed into his mind like a wave along the coast of an undisturbed beach at high tide. He remember Krabbe's warning, followed almost immediately by the deployment of the Shrimp Brigade. Merciless was a word that could be used to describe the man. Although Kite had a number of other words he'd make better use of in regards to the over-sized crustacean.

"You have 2 minutes to raise the white flag, or I will sink your vessel."

"Bullshit." Kite growled, prompting a kick to the bars of his cell, the guard on duty uttering a stern "Shut up." The following, mistaken, announcement was about right in Kite's mind as he remembered the day. It looked like he was likely to be receiving a new cellmate or two. He assumed it would be a quick battle, but soon felt the rocking of the ship. Roots began to sprout throughout the lower level. There was commotion above and to his surprise, he was left alone. All hands on deck it seemed. Whoever they were, the pirates Krabbe had set his sights on were more formidable than he'd expected.

And yet, here he was. Kite grit his teeth, clenching his fists. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears beginning to roll down his cheeks. The faces of his friends flashed in his mind. "Booth, Walsh, Ina, Vada, Ransley..." He took a breath, forcing himself to his feet. He still felt pain all over. He'd hadn't exactly been fed much during his imprisonment, and they weren't gentle in subduing him. "I won't let you guys down." He spoke before the ship rocked again. He fell back, but it seemed luck was on his side. His things which had always been just out of reach toppled over. One of his wrenches slid down toward the cell. He couldn't help but smile. It felt like a sign, some message from his friends that moving forward was not wrong.

The young man scrambled, rushing to the bars. He stuck his arm through. "Come on... Come ooon." He groaned, stretching as far as he could until finally he could wrap his fingers around the base of the wrench just above the ring end. "Yes!" He was so happy he could cry. But the time for tears was gone. Now was the time to fight. He turned the wrench pulling it in through the bars and felt the metal on his flesh. It felt almost nostalgic. "Here's goes nothing." He said as he swallowed and positioned himself before the bars and swung his wrench. There was a loud slam, though it would likely be drowned out by the commotion above.

"Again!" He shouted swinging once more, almost narrating his attempts, trying to pump himself up. He did this over and over until the bars began to shift, coming out of place, likely due to damage done to the ship throughout the ensuing battle. And just like that, the bars fell forward with one powerful final swing. He finally had the opportunity to kick a little ass.

It took Kite, but a moment to gather his equipment. In truth, even fully clothed he felt naked without his wrenches, his gloves, the various tools he usually had on him. One wrench hung from his back, the other in his hand, firmly gripped at the ring in his left hand, resting on his shoulder as he walked. His free hand reached down into the pouch strapped to his right leg, pulling out a cigarette. He rested it on his lips and reached back to pull out a custom black lighter, brandished with the jolly roger his crew had used up til just recently. He flipped the top and lit it, bringing the flame to his cigarette. He took a drag, the cigarette only leaving his lips after the lighter was returned safely to it's place and he could move it with his gloved hand. He blew the smoke out, a satisfied "Aah~" escaping. It'd been so long since he had a smoke.

He was beginning to feel it again. That familiar feeling reserved for a battle with his friends, though he was alone now. "Let's have at it you guys." He spoke softly, uttering to himself as he began his ascent to the deck. The cigarette was near its end as he emerged. Kite noticed two women fighting the captain, just as one attempted to jump into the air. He was eager to see how that turned out, but before him was a miniature flood of crewmen. He chuckled, taking another drag of his cigarette. He blew another small stream of smoke out. his heavy footsteps, casual attitude and the sound of the metal jingling in his pockets and tool pouches were enough to garner attention though only if you weren't completely invest in the battle.

"Hey! What ar..." A crewman began to speak, hearing Kite approach, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by the swing of a wrench. The cold metal collided with his face, sending him flying back into the crowd of men. For kite, this was payback time. Nothing more, nothing less. But, even if he couldn't take down Krabbe himself, he'd be satisfied knowing the guy'd been cut down a peg.

"Friend or Foe?" He questioned himself as he lifted his leg kicking another crewman back as just as he began to charge. His eyes lingered on the battle between the bounty hunter and the two women even as he spun to avoid an attack and slammed the side of the wrench into the waist of yet another adversary. "Guess it doesn't matter long as that bastard goes down and I get the fuck out of here." His lips curled into a smirk and without another word he began to focus on the men before him. Soon, they began to slam to the ground and fly into the air, all trying helplessly to face off against the young man who'd built up weeks of anger and could potentially face off against their captain in a one on one were he in top condition. Regardless, Kite would have to settle for releasing his frustrations on the cannon fodder, as he saw them, and leave the rest to his unknown (likely unintentional) saviors.

Shrimp Brigade Red easily avoided Bonesword's sneak attack, instead using it to spring into the air and land in another dramatic pose. Slick leapt forwards toward Shrimp Brigade Red, landing about 5 feet away in yet another bizarre pose pointing towards Red with a serious look. "The only villain I see here is you. But enough talk! Have at thee!" Slick rushed forwards just as Red jumped at Bonesword, sliding across the deck towards Red's position. A tentacle of oil formed out of Slick's arm, he swung it full force at Red in an attempt to knock him aside.

Dirk's eyes bulged as his stomech got... the opposite direction. He thought it would be blood that was out of my mouth, from my stomach being stabbed, but apparently they didn't go far enough in. They did hurt though.

See? Your so-called "Divine Purpose" is worthless. Didn't make a damn difference there.

No, Derek, it obviously means he needs to be the le shadows faster. If he isn't fast enough, we cannot get to the Divine Purpose. Also, fast is needed again, because there's about to be more punch.

You aren't strong enough to block a punch Idiot! How do you expect to block a punch Idiot!

Who's the idiot? I will got maybe his helmet, and would held it over his fist so that he before the he punch the punch gets into the helmet. When he punches, if the helmet was there got. Yes.

Doesn't even matter, because when the Captain told him to get out of the Blue grasp, that meant he needed to fight. So he did, and said 'Finger Pistol,' again in at his eyeballs. The weakpoint of the sea. Especially if the helmet of the sea was not covering the seaballs. The. Them.

I am shocked at how ineffective your tactics are.

My tactics are great, and my Divine Purpose is also great. Great enough to get me out of his grasp and back to where I need to be, probably, because that is how the Divine Purpose works forever and always.

---

Watching him move into the motion of the swing, and waiting till he couldn't quite adjust, she let one foot go out in front of her, shifting her weight as she did so. She tossed her grappling hook to her left hand, from her right, tucked her arm in against her side, and fired the grappling gun to her left and forwards. It slammed into and through some of the ship's wood, pulled tight, and then she flipped the switch for 2 seconds. The pull of the hook got her out of the way of the slash, though just barely, her hair getting clipped near the ends by the blade of water.

Too hyped up on adrenaline and battle hunger to react with fear, she unflipped the switch. Then, she changed her mind, bracing herself and hauling against the hook and the clump of wood it had hooked into. It cracked and then tore out of the ship's deck, hurtling through the air like one end of a flail, heading right towards whatever position Krabbe was in at the time.

Small tendrils from B-MO began reaching into her bag of scrap metal and parts. They could be seen moving in quick and precise motions, while some just outright absorbed the metal.

“Hehe. Now Krabby~ , you've gotta treat a girl right if you plan to get her wet~” Lilly teased. In her peripheral vision she noticed some chaos erupting amongst Krabbe's crew, but she didn't spare it a glance. Her utmost attention remaining on Krabbe.

"The prisoner is escaping!" a random sailor called out. "Mister Krabbe, Kite got ou-ooph!" His warning was cut short by a wrench to the face. Another six men appeared and surrounded Wafer D. Kite, but they were just as easily disposed. Still, it felt as though Krabbe's men were without end. That or those knocked aside earlier came back for more.

As the carpenter fought for escape, The Vice was still dealing with the tag team duo of Lilliana and Feya. The fitness nut took a risky maneuver by throwing them both up into the air while her arm was still being crushed. The amount of pain that move would cause was tremendous, but her mastery of self was far greater. Krabbe flipped into the air with her, having nothing to anchor him to the ground. "Wooah!" They flipped up and Feya began kicking the man with fantastic strength! With each blow she could hear more breath escaping his lungs, but his armor was holding.

Lilliana creatively dodged Krabbe's Crustacean Stream, the high pressure blast of water flying off in the distance, and in the process caused some minor damage to the ship, flinging the wood at Krabbe like a flail while he was indisposed of in the air. However it seemed the women underestimated how strong of a warrior this bounty hunter truly was. Kookiookiooki! You call those kicks?!" The man's claw clamped even harder than before, securing Feya as he spun at the peak of their jump. He used the momentum of her own kick to flip the both of them harder than he could have on his own, then slammed her body into Lilliana's makeshift flail, releasing Feya from his iron grip for the first time. The doctor shot forward like a bullet, slamming into her combat partner. Krabbe landed back onto the top deck of his ship, but fell to one knee. He was breathing quite heavily.

"The last time I fought someone with your strength and ferocity, it was the very crab I made my name on!" He stood back up to full height, pushing himself up with the claw. Once up he pointed the claw at the woman, his pride and joy, and barked out, "Men! It's time to end this! RAISE THE EMPEROR VICE!"

"Yes sir!" A number of men called out, abandoning their stations. One made it to the helm, where he began operating a few levers by himself. The others surrounded him, offering protection.

"As you can see, the King Crab has been outfitting with the outer shell of the giant crab to enforce her hull, rendering your cannonfire worthless! I harvested other parts for my armor, and for the armor of my top men, the Shrimp Brigade! I made my very name on this claw that crushes all obstacles in my way! But don't you know? Crabs have two claws... A small claw for gathering food, which I wear upon my arm, and a large claw for combat!" Just as his speech reached a climax, the sea parted as a single massive red claw cleared the air. Attached to the front of the King Crab, the claw could easily fit the Rum Runner between its clamp, and snap the ship in half.

"Men! They've had their opportunity for surrender! CRUSH THEIR SHIP! SEND THE SPLINTERS TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SOUTH BLUE!"

"Sir?" a man called out. "The den den mushi is still on!"

---

Over on the Rum Runner, things were going up and down. Caesar continued his one on two battle, dealing with the lion share of Shrimp Brigade for the rest of the crew. His gambit started out simple, barely dodge the chain ball, let the chain wrap around his arm, and yank the yellow armored one in closer. Simple turned out to be best, as the plan went off without a single hitch! Yellow was actively surprised at the development, and the half-mink's superior strength proved to be more than he could resist. "Woah!" he yelped. Caesar's machete came toward the Shrimp Brigade Yellow, and there was nothing he could do about it! Clang! Unfortunately there was something Green could do about it. Though Caesar had intended to pull Yellow in Green's way, the trident using warrior was more quick than Caesar had anticipated and recovered too fast. The trident caught Caesar's machete between its prongs, twisted, and disarmed Caesar. However, the mink's fist still collided with Yellow right in the face, breaking the man's nose and knocking out two teeth. Then both vanished completely, weapon and all. Wait, what? Yup, they were gone. No poof of smoke, no light show, nothing. They just... Vanished. Weird.

Meanwhile, Captain Cedric D. Boone had ordered a switch on opponents. Taking Violet's bullet so he could get a better shot on Blue, the captain unleashed his shotgun shot as Dirk dangled near helplessly from the man's spike covered fist. Blue wound up for another punch, but it never got to connect. The insane thief was crafty, and stole the man's helmet right from his head! Dirk parried Blue's second punch with the man's own helmet, leaving him completely baffled and unsuspecting as a volley of gunpowder propelled pellets struck him in the back head on. "Urk!" The man's eyes turned white and rolled up. He released Dirk, then fell forward, but he never hit the floor. Mid-fall Shrimp Brigade Blue disappeared. He vanished in the exact same instant as the others! What was going on here?

---

At the top deck, Shrimp Brigade Red had a situation on his hands. Bonesword had just directed the Rum Runner on a collision course with the King Crab. He wasn't worried about the King Crab being harmed, not with the Shell Shield deployed, but there was still one major problem. He was on the Rum Runner! To make matters worse, he would have to wrest control of the ship from not just the Skeleton Kid, but also "Oilburn." Oh wait, Oilburn was now rushing him with a long tentacle made of oil. Lovely.

"Men! It's time to end this! RAISE THE EMPEROR VICE!" That clinched it. Red needed a new tactic and had to end this battle, fast!

"Voice of the Heavens!" he cried out, spinning his hands and thrusting them up in a new pose. "Shrimp Brigade Recall!"

Nothing happened.

"Waru waru Quatro!" Red shifted his pose one more time, then three more people seemed to grow out from him! Each one separated from the original like they had just been hiding right behind him, and together they struck a group pose. "Shrimp Brigade go!"

The split off in teams of two. The Green one with a trident and the original Red charged toward Bonesword. Red jumped off from Green's trident for extra momentum, flying right for his opponent with a mighty "JUSTICE PUUUUUNCH!" Yellow and Blue, both showing absolutely no signs of the injuries they had suffered below deck, steeled themselves against Slick's attack. Yellow hurled his mighty chain ball horizontally to collide with the whip of oil, while Blue flip-jumped from Yellow's shoulders to strike Slick from above with a double spiked punch.

Meanwhile, John Krabbe was giving some kind of speech from his ship. All the while the ocean itself parted as an enormous red claw rose up, attached to the front of the enemy ship. It snapped once and the air itself vibrated from the force of impact.

As he ran he heard the sounds of Krabbe ordering the "VICE" into position over the loudspeaker. Being as preoccupied as he was below, Boone didn't think much of it. When the Shrimp Brigade disappeared, Boone was confused to say the least. He stopped mid-charge cutting off his battle cry,"AHHHHHH-huh?" He looked around and saw Caesar facing no one and Blue disappeared after being shot! Blood dripped from his shoulder where the bullet skinned him. For a moment he did nothing. Then he remembered the gunner.

He quickly turned and saw him between the crates and he commanded,"Come out from there! Your allies have disappeared and you're all alone. Dirk! Disarm him." Boone stepped towards Violet then heard more commotion coming from above,"Caesar, help our first mate defeat Red."

He awaited Violet to lay down his arms as Dirk moved in on him. Unfortunately, Boone did not yet know the exact nature of the power the Shrimp Brigade actually possessed.

Bonesword leapt over the steering wheel again as he turned the ship off it's path, lining the ship up for some direct hits if anyone cared to fire the cannons. What was this shrimp brigade?! They could keep splitting through some powers that Bonesword couldn't- DEVIL FRUIT! The Shrimp Brigade had to have consumed some form of fruit at one point or another! That's the only explanation Bonesword could even think of right now, and honestly, it was pretty damn good of one. The skeleton kid readied his blade before he shouted to the rest of his fellow crew members. "GET THEM IN THE DRINK!"

The Shroomblade gleamed against the sky with a green light, perhaps like it was charging some form of energy. The Mushroom Kid looked to both of his foes as he carefully thought about which one he'd strike at first. If he left the wheel for a short amount of time, he'd likely be fine... right? A vine grew up from the deck and grabbed hold of the wheel, just in case it decided to drift too far.

"Who're we going after, bud?" Bonesword asked his sword, it remaining silent as Bonesword waited a second. "Agreed!"

And as the leg ends fort old, the hat was a perfect fist-catching. And then he got shot, and Blue decided to vanish at that very moment. After a second of nearly dropping, Dirk decides he is still in good standing, because he is, and promptly does what the Divine Purpose tells him is the right way to go. Which was right around the area to where Captain Cedric tells you is the enemy who is still there, even if others were not any longer? Who knew?

Well Done, Dirk! That Was Very Good Work!

No it's not Deadass! You didn't win it Loser! It was Cedric who won Weakling!

Divine Purpose is still there thou, so it was a won. Because Dirk has life, and once Captain Cedrick gave the word to the dis-arming, Dirk has is now where near Violent is, which was in the alcohol. He thought hᛖ smart, but no amount of smart can outwit the Divine Purpose. So then he had to dis-arm him...

So he lunged, and made a violent upkick at the arm elbow joint before saying 'Tempest Kick,' because obviously the first step of dis-arming somebody is to break the bones so they don't get in the way of being cut apart. Once that's done, the only thing in the way that's more resistant is the tendons. Violent has tendons, right? Yeah, he totally has tendons.

If you think your weak kicks can break bones, you need to think harder.

[non-consensual] off Derek, Dirk's got enough to show you up, yeah.

---

Caesar growled at his opponents disappearing, more annoyed at their vanishing than being disarmed. He was far superior to these pompous, dwarf assholes, and they had the audacity to be cowards! How dare they leave in the midst of a fight?

As Caesar retrieved his machete, Cedric ordered him to head topside to help the others. Given the lack of combat, he happily agreed.

A short moment later, he appeared on the deck and narrowed his eyes. His opponents had appeared here, free from the wounds he had inflicted upon them. But they weren't fighting together this time, and Caesar had to prioritize.

Slick had high movement capabilities and range, as well as area control. Against a mid range and close range fighter... Logically he'd survive until the Captain and / or Dirk made it up.

Caesar wasn't sure what Red could do, but he knew Green well enough now. And while he thought the bone kid could handle them, he was trying to steer at the same time. Plus his Fruit wasn't always fast, which his opponents were.

So, with all that decided, Caesar rushed to intercept Green, sending an Omni Slash at Blue while he was in the air as Caesar went on his way.

Upon approaching Red and Green, Caesar took advantage of them focusing on bone boy to rush Green in an attempt to tackle him to the ground, gain the top, and viscously attack him with fangs and fists with bursts of electro.

Of course, that wasn't his only plan. That would be foolish, and beneath his fighting prowess. On the off chance that he couldn't get the tackle in, he'd press the attack with his machete, deftly dodging the Trident. And on the off chance the pipsqueak managed to get on top, he'd just use his superior strength to regain the advantage.

Slick's grin widened as Red multiplied into four different people, more shrimp to cook! He halted his momentum and slid to the side, leaving a small puddle of oil where Blue was aiming for. Blue would hopefully slip and fall face first into the oil due to his downward momentum, which would cover him in highly flammable oil. The whip of oil meanwhile collided with Yellow's ball and chain, losing all form as it splattered all over him, covering him with oil as well. He would have to be careful about his footing now or he would slip and fall like an idiot. And it would be quite funny. Slick skidded to a stop a few feet away from where Blue landed and pulled out his flamethrower, aiming it directly at him with a mad grin. "You're about to become an integral part of our daily diet Mr Shrimp." The pilot light clicked on and a burst of flame shot towards him, hopefully lighting him on fire. Some of the embers landed on the ground, which was covered in very direct trails of oil all over the deck. This particular flammable oil wouldn't burn the deck, but it would stick around for a while to limit movement.

---

It all went wrong, except, perhaps, for one part. Krabbe threw Feya, and the Doctor smashed through Lily's attack even as the Emperor Vice rose from the waters. However, Lily was not crushed under Feya, instead she braced herself, dropping her grappling hook, and straight up caught Feya. Sliding back, Feya held somewhat of the ground, the deck splintered, partially buckling under the force of the movement and the stopping power of Lily's body.

After all, she was many times stronger than she appeared. When she stopped sliding, she let Feya down, setting her feet first on the ground in front of her. She stepped around the much more muscular woman, eyes refracting light, though her smile had disappeared. Sadly, before she could say anything, Feya slammed her fist against the ground and descended below deck. Lilliana jumped back, and being as near to the railing, she hurtled over the side of the ship and out of sight entirely.

Halfway down to the sea, B-MO acted, four thin arms erupted from her sides below her arms, where they latched onto the small crevices in the armor of Krabbe's ship. She moved, scurrying along the side of the ship. Feya would have to deal with Krabbe for a brief time, for it seemed it was up to Lily to keep their ship from being permanently put out of commission.

Traveling along the side of the ship, unseen, unheard--most likely--she made her way to the very front of the ship: the prow. She took in a deep breath, two of the four metallic arms molding back into armor on her form, giving her claws where before she'd had none. The other two, as she finished inhaling, threw her upwards and then latched onto the front two closest sailors of Krabbe's crew--if possible--and pulled hard.

The maneuver would pull Lilliana forwards and onto the prow, amidst the members of Krabbe's crew that were managing the Emperor Vice and would also likely throw two sailors overboard. If/when she landed, Lilliana would spin, dancing amidst the men and women of Krabbe's crew, where she would cut at tendons in the legs and arms. However, she had no intention of laying all of them low.

No, she needed at least a couple of them to explain to her the controls. If not, well...she would figure it out just fine.

In her dance, the spirals of metal around her arms would periodically slash outwards, sharpening and cutting even as she did the same with her claws. The two arms on her sides were poised, controlled by B-MO, making them ready to defend against most attacks that might come at her from unexpected angles.

All in all, she was a veritable dance of blades and shining eyes.

Internally, she was counting the seconds, hoping that Krabbe would be distracted for long enough for her to at least disable the Emperor Vice, and then outright destroy the controls.

If she were lucky she might even get around to altering the mechanism for the ship's armor as well. Though, it was probably unlikely, she had to admit. Regardless, she'd do her best, and trust that Feya could handle herself for a time.

"Damn! They saw me!" Violet exclaimed, ducking further back behind the stacks of alcohol. He shot off another two bullets at Boone through the small peepholes he could make use of. However this took his attention away from the highly sneaky Dirk.

"Tempest Kick!"

"Tempest wha-OW!" Click clack, Dirk's kick knocked one of the pistols from Violet's hand, where it slid several feet away. Far from breaking bones, the kick's power wasn't up to snuff, but it was likely to leave a good bruising, and hey, he half completed his captain's order even though he misinterpreted the intent. Win!

"Recall!" The Shrimp Brigade fighter shouted. At that instant, the gun he had lost vanished, popped right out of existence. "Waru waru pistol!" He grabbed his remaining gun with both hands and pulled. Amazingly a second gun grew out of the first! He then pointed both at Dirk's chest and grinned.

---

It was definitely a good call by Bonesword to change course. Ramming the King Crab with its shield armor up would've proven catastrophic. However now they faced an entirely different danger in that Emperor Vice, and with the Rum Runner facing perpendicular from that claw, they were perfectly lined up to be smashed apart. Hopefully Feya and Lilliana would take care of that... But Bonesword had his own issues to take care of!

The red Shrimp Brigade member landed his blow, a powerful punch from a diving motion, right in Bonesword's face. The skeleton kid was distracted by saving the ship and charging up a strike that he forgot to actually fight back, and he paid the penalty. The force of the blow left a crack in the kid's left cheek bone and knocked him a couple meters back. "Nobody escapes Justice!" The fighter cheerfully cried out, closing the distance for another punch.

Caesar's tactics were quite well thought out, and took great advantage of the element of surprise. Though his Omni Slash toward Blue had ended up missing thanks to Yellow's interference, he was able to slam into Green from behind and pin the trident user down to the floor. Caesar's attacks could only be described as vicious, tearing into the downed fighter with bursts of electro and sharp claws. The fighter couldn't even mount a struggle, much less a defense! And then Green disappeared, leaving Caesar to fall to the floor. What?

As this went on, Slick engaged with the pair of Blue and Yellow, utilizing his oil powers to great versatility. However the cook couldn't predict Yellow completely ruining his plan. With a high speed twirl, he swung his chain in a spiral with such force that the oil flew off in all directions! In the same motion, the heavy ball caught Blue in the air, yanking him out of the path of Caesar's projected electro. The chain ball launched Blue toward Slick, now wielding his flamethrower, at incredible speed. But to make matters worse, Blue split into two people! The other was Green, thrusting down at the cook with a trident!

---

With the danger of the Emperor Vice now threatening their ship, it seemed that Lilliana had a different priority in mind, and thus broke off her engagement with John Krabbe. As she took off, diving overboard, Krabbe paid her no mind. Instead he launched a stream of water upward to quell the flames. Lilliana wasn't the only one that had other priorities. This ship was his pride and joy, after all!

The mad scientist had little trouble maneuvering around the outside of the ship, thanks to BMO. Her plan went off without a hitch! Up and over she went, while two sailors fell overboard, each one letting out a Wilhelm Scream. The men looked up in surprise, but each failed to act quickly enough to avoid her dance of blades. Each, that is, except for one.

"Cowardly surprise attack, vile villain!" Cried out a man as he blocked Lilliana with a simple long sword. His strength was such that she couldn't press against him, and that was a big problem. He blocked the way to the sailor controlling the Emperor Vice!

This man was adorned in a goofy armor, like Krabbe's but pink. He broke off their engagement in order to strike a pose. "Presenting for your viewing pleasure," he snuck on a wink to the woman. "Shrimp Brigade Sixth Ranger, Brigade Pink! Blade of Love. You're welcome."

Feya took a much more direct route as she continued to challenge John Krabbe. Without a battle partner, facing the lethal bounty hunter one on one would be far more challenging, but the fitness freak could never back down from a challenge! "You idiot!" Krabbe chastised, bracing for her attack. "I'm no fishman! But I am! Just! As! STRONG!" He unleashed his blade to meet with Feya's fist. The two clashed, power meeting power. In a split second the clash winner was decided. Feya's fist bloodied, cut deep. Krabbe's sword shattered, unable to withstand her raw strength. The doctor's momentum carried her passed the broken weapon, and into Krabbe's face.

"Oomph!" he cried out, cooling back. Cling, clang, bang bang bang bang. The helmet flew off the man's head, eventually rolling overboard to be lost at sea. Krabbe stood up straight again, showing off his face for the first time. He was... Young. No older than twenty at the very oldest. "It seems you've got me out of my shell, kookiookiooki!" Without the helmet, his deep menacing voice was much smoother, lacking the echo, and was a much higher pitch. "King Crash!"

That damnable claw again! It came smashing down from above with greater speed than he'd displayed before! If Feya didn't get out of the way, she'd be red paste!