Naomi stumbled. She put her heavy bow down for a second and drank a bottle down. She chugged it all down and burped loudly. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve, and squinted at the two women.
"So you two have come to fight me?" Naomi questioned as she dropped the bottle. It rolled on the snowy ground.
Nojiko looked at her. "Well you did attack us," Nojiko remarked as she smiled. She then got hit with a smell of alcohol. "You do like your drinks," she added.
Naomi laughed. "Life is not the same without a drink," Naomi remarked. "You both look drunk as well," she said as she narrowed her eyes.
"You could say we are drunk with love," Nojiko said. She had a smile on her face.
Raki sighed. "Why are we sharing this with her?" Raki questioned. "She's the enemy, Nojiko," Raki said.
"Our Captain would like her to join," Nojiko responded. She knew Ben would want her to join.
Raki rolled her eyes. "He would," Raki agreed. "He has a habit of turning enemies into allies," she added.
"Only the female ones," Nojiko said as she looked at Naomi.
"You want me to join us?" Naomi asked as she laughed. "You both must be amateurs," she added. She then looked around and had a second thought. They all seemed to be genuinely happy. Naomi looked at Raki and Nojiko. Their eyes were filled with love. "Who's your Captain?" she questioned.
"Ben," Nojiko answered simply.
Naomi paused. The name hung in the air. "Ben, I knew it," Naomi said as she looked at them. She thought back to her earlier words. "Why is the crew filled with nothing but girls? Is he the only man? What kind of ship is he running?" she questioned.
Raki let out a frustrated huff. "It's a long story," she replied.
"Find out for yourself," Nojiko added. "Once you join us," she said.
"You both are confident you can beat me," Naomi said. "Captain Mad Treasure is a ruthless mercenary in the New World," she added. "This place, this sea is considered Paradise in comparison," she remarked.
"Ben will beat him," Raki declared confidently.
"And you will join us," Nojiko said.
Naomi's demeanor shifted instantly. "Drunkard's Volley," she cried as she stumbled backwards. She released a volley of arrows from her bow. The arrows flew in an unpredictable arc. They whistled through the air from all angles,
Nojiko didn't flinch. "Nimbus Shield," said as she created a swirling cloud barrier around her and Raki. The arrows thudded harmlessly into the pressurized vapor and dropped to the ground.
"What, you are a logia user," Naomi said in shock. She thought this was going to be difficult. She narrowed her eyes.
"Yes, now it is my turn," Nojiko said. "Cloud Surge," she added as thick storm clouds erupted from her palms. They covered the forest in a grey shroud.
Naomi blinked. She looked at the clouds. "This is not good," she remarked. She thought the power to control the weather, like this. If she was part of a New World Pirate crew, they would probably rival the strongest in the sea.
"Lightning Barrage," Nojiko said as the cloud darkened. Several lightning bolts dropped from the sky.
Naomi rolled forward in a drunk way. She narrowly avoided a bolt that scorched the ground where she had stood.
She rolled forward towards Raki. "Bottle Smash!" Naomi roared as Raki tried to close the distance. She swung her heavy bow like a massive club.
"Iron Body," Raki said as she hardened her body.
Naomi`s bow struck Raki. However Raki did not flinch. She looked at Raki. Raki looked back and swung her foot forward.
Naomi quickly jumped back and dodged her kick. She landed on her feet. Naomi looked at Raki. "That is the Marines secret technique," she remarked. She looked at Raki`s white wings on her back. "What are you?" she asked.
She thought once she captures them, she will know everything about them. Naomi raised her arrow. She reached into her quiver for a specialized tip. "Dyna Stone Blast," she said as she fired an arrow point-blank at the ground between them. The arrow travelled through the air and hit the ground. There was a large explosion which engulfed the air. A shockwave was produced which knocked out several trees. There was a large smoke cloud.
Nojio turned into clouds and dodged the explosion. She reformed her body back a few meters.
Raki leaping into the air. She looked down and saw the force of the explosion coming towards her. The air pressure hit her and flew higher in the sky. She thought she was not playing around. Raki thought if that was a direct hit then it would have been game over. Her body began to distort. Grey feathers sprouted along her arms, which stretched into massive, leathery wings with visible veins. Her height surged and her feet twisted into curved talons. A long, serpentine tail flicked behind her, and her head elongated, sprouting a jagged comb and a sharp beak. She landed on her feet and looked at her.
Naomi stared up. "A Logia and a Mythical Zoan?" she muttered. "What the hell is this crew? Where did Ben find these monsters?" she questioned.
Raki didn't answer with words. She opened her beak. "Breath of Basilisk," Raki said as she exhaled. A grey, mystical mist went forward.
Naomi looked to see the snow turn into stone. She then saw a nearby tree instantly turn to solid, grey stone where the breath touched it. The mist was coming towards her. She jumped away however her clothes got hit with the breath and it instantly turned into stone.
"Staggering Shot," Naomi countered as she fired a high-speed arrow aimed right at Raki's throat.
Raki didn't dodge. "Stone Touch," she responded as she swiped her clawed hand, and the arrow. The projectile turned to heavy granite mid-flight and fell harmlessly to the dirt.
"What," Naomi said. "Who are you exactly?" Naomi asked. She thought she was not an ordinary person who possessed such power.
"Moonwalk," Nojiko said as she kicked the air to propel herself above Naomi. "Stormbreaker Axe," Nojiko said as she condensed the moisture in the air into a massive, double-headed battle axe crackling with lightning. She swung down.
Naomi barely parried with the body of her bow. The electric discharge hit her skin. She quickly jumped back. "Chain-Link Shot," Naomi said as she fired an arrow at Nojiko's waist.
Nojiko's body dissolved into vapor. The chain passed through her like she was nothing. "Mist Clones," she said as suddenly five Nojikos surrounded Naomi.
"I'm getting too sober for this," Naomi groaned. She fired upward. "Dyna Rain," Naomi said as she fired a dozen arrows tipped with Dyna Stones soared into the sky. They hit the ground and exploded. Fire and debris was sent everywhere. The clones dissipate. Nojiko turned the body into clouds and reformed back.
Nojiko smiled. "You're strong for sure," Nojiko remarked. She thought back to the woman. "That other woman, who is she?" she asked. "Why are you chasing her?" she asked.
Naomi leaned on her bow. "We don't talk about our contracts," Naomi said. She looked at Raki's monstrous form, then at Nojiko. She thought of the sheer power these women possessed.
"A crew of monsters led by one man," Naomi muttered. "I'm starting to think your Captain is either a genius or a complete lunatic," she laughed.
"A bit of both," Raki said as she looked her in the eye. "Petrifying Gaze," Raki added as she looked at Naomi.
Naomi looked back and panicked. She felt her hand turn into stone. "My arm," she snarled. She fumbled with her quiver using her one good hand.
"Hiccup Snipe," said Naomi as she released an arrow right at the moment she hiccuped. It flew towards Raki.
Raki saw the arrow in an unpredictable arc. She quickly broke eye contact and dodged the arrow. The arrow went past. She felt the wind go past her. The arrow narrowly missed her.
Nojiko raised her palm. She formed a small, dense storm cloud swirling around her hand. "Lightning Blast," Nojiko said as she unleashed a concentrated pillar of pure voltage. The bolt shrieked through the air and struck Naomi square in the chest.
The archer's body convulsed as the electricity surged through her. She was thrown backward. Naomi hit the ground hard. Her bow clattered away. Her breath left her in a ragged puff of smoke.
Nojiko stood over Naomi and dropped to her knees.
"I lost," Naomi said as she sighed. She panted.
"Now you have a choice between us or the Marines," Nojiko said. "You hurt several Marines so they are not going to be particularly lenient," she added.
"My Captain will beat you all," Naomi said as she felt her hand still hard.
"He will never," Nojiko responded. "Now choose," she added as she looked at Naomi.
Naomi looked back. There was something in her eyes. "I will join you," Naomi said as she collapsed.
Raki and Nojiko looked at her. Raki transformed back "She's tough," Raki admitted. "Most people would have fainted the moment the petrification hit," she said.
"Or a lightning bolt," Nojiko said.
"Is it okay for us to bring her back?" Raki asked. "She is the enemy," she added.
Nojiko giggled. "Ben has a habit of changing enemies into sisters," she said.
"You are right about that," Raki said.