Alubarna, The Medi Assembly Hall.
On the main thoroughfare in front of the great structure, four figures stood facing one another.
On one side were the Straw Hat Pirate, Zoro, and his companion, Silk.
After charging into Alubarna, they had gotten somewhat lost—thanks entirely to Zoro—but that detour had ultimately led him straight to the man he had marked as his target. Zoro wore a ferocious grin, clearly in high spirits.
Standing before them were the very opponents they sought: Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger.
"A bald man and a woman with a... distinctive walk. No mistake," Silk said. "That's Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger."
"Heh. Funny how fate works. Found exactly who I was looking for."
"We wasted a lot of time because of you, though."
"Shut up. We just have to beat them that much faster to make up for it, don't we?"
Zoro drew his swords with provocative ease. His gaze was fixed solely on Mr. 1. He had heard that this man had never once lost to a swordsman. Zoro was certain of one thing: the moment he defeated such an opponent, he would emerge stronger than before.
Zoro had been like this for a while now. From the start, he had decided Mr. 1 was his prey. If he met anyone else, he would cut them down, sure, but his focus was narrowed to a single point.
Silk sighed, exasperated. Naturally, this meant she would be the one to fight Miss Doublefinger. The enemy seemed to understand this arrangement as well; they communicated their intent without a single word of complaint.
Mr. 1 silently uncrossed his arms. Simultaneously, Miss Doublefinger pulled her long pipe from her lips and exhaled a plume of smoke.
"They seem motivated," the woman said. "Any objections?"
"None," Mr. 1 replied. "We simply eliminate the targets."
"Indeed. In that case, I shall handle the young lady."
Smiling bewitchingly, Miss Doublefinger began to walk. With every step, her hips swayed dramatically in her signature gait as she headed toward a narrow side street. Before disappearing, she cast a glance back at Silk.
Follow me, her eyes seemed to say.
"Ufufu. I'd hate to interrupt a duel between men. Shall we go enjoy ourselves elsewhere?"
"I'm not here to enjoy myself," Silk retorted. "We came here to win."
Silk followed her. They entered the same alley, leaving the main thoroughfare behind for the backstreets.
Once they were well away—where the men were out of sight and their voices could no longer be heard—the two women faced each other once more.
The backstreet was narrower than the main road. Hemmed in by buildings on both left and right, there were plenty of places to hide, but for Silk, who could generate wind with the Kama Kama no Mi (Sickle-Sickle Fruit), the confined space channelled her power. It should have been advantageous.
Silk slowly drew the sword held in her right hand.
One enemy. Miss Doublefinger, an officer agent of Baroque Works whose strength rivaled even Mr. 1.
She couldn't let her guard down. Silk replayed the intelligence she had on the woman's abilities in her mind.
She was a "Full-Body Spike Human" who had eaten the Toge Toge no Mi (Spiky-Spiky Fruit). She could produce spikes from any part of her body. naturally making her a terror in close-quarters combat. She was the polar opposite of Silk, who specialized in mid-to-long-range fighting.
But Silk was a student of the sword. Even if her style was self-taught, she wasn't helpless up close. She had the terrain advantage. She knew, with fierce certainty, that she was the only one who could stop this woman.
"You're nervous," Miss Doublefinger observed. "You won't be able to use your true strength like that. Why not relax a little?"
"Don't mock me."
Miss Doublefinger stood with the relaxed composure of a mature woman, not even bothering to take a fighting stance. Was she saying she didn't need to get serious for an opponent like Silk?
Annoyed, Silk steadied her breathing and raised her sword.
"Before we fight, I want to confirm one thing."
"What is it?"
"You're the user of the Kama Kama no Mi, aren't you? Your primary tactic is creating razor winds."
She knew.
Silk faltered, only for a fraction of a second, but it was there.
"And I assume you know about me?" Miss Doublefinger continued. "I ate the Toge Toge no Mi. I can turn my hair, my skin, even my clothes into spikes. I can pierce these stone walls with a single thrust."
Was this a show of confidence? Or was she trying to shake Silk's resolve? Miss Doublefinger explained her powers concisely, fully aware that the information had likely already leaked.
Silk hesitated, unsure how to interpret this. Whatever the scheme, Miss Doublefinger had undoubtedly seized the psychological upper hand.
"How is Kiri doing?"
"Why ask that? Kiri is our comrade."
"So cold. Is it so strange to worry about a former colleague?"
Silk couldn't read her heart. Miss Doublefinger was an enigma. She carried an air of sophistication, but beneath it lay something murky and illegible. It planted a seed of fear in Silk's chest.
Calm down. As long as I don't lose myself, I can win.
Believing this, she tightened her grip on her sword hilt.
Noticing Silk's resolve, Miss Doublefinger offered a gentle smile and quietly put away her pipe. She looked around the alley with an utter lack of caution. The path was narrow, flanked by buildings. Barrels, wooden crates, broken bottles, cups, and rubble littered the ground—scars from the earlier bombardment.
After surveying the scene, her gaze returned to Silk.
"You know, I was trained by Kiri, too. Though you could say I was indirectly trained by Sir Crocodile as well."
"So... what of it?"
"You and I might be a bad match regarding our abilities. However..."
Miss Doublefinger suddenly began to walk. She wasn't rushing; she simply strolled away.
"I am a professional assassin. You are a pirate. Do you really think this battle will be decided by whose fruit counters whose?"
"Ah— Wait!"
Panicked, Silk swung her sword downward. But she was a step too slow.
By the time the razor wind materialized, Miss Doublefinger had slipped through an open back door into a house, vanishing from sight. The blade of wind born from Silk's sword merely raced through the empty alleyway.
Did she know? Or had she deduced it on the fly? If she had realized the weakness of Silk's ability, this was going to be trouble.
Silk was painfully aware of her own limitations. Perhaps it was a matter of mastery, but there were many things she couldn't do yet. Kiri had told her the Kama Kama power held greater potential, but she hadn't unlocked it.
Silk could create razor winds—Kamaitachi. The wind became a blade, slicing what it touched and dealing damage based on its intensity.
But currently, Silk's wind couldn't cut through everything. When she first used it, she had lost control and sliced through an iron cannonball, but since then, she hadn't even been able to cleave a boulder cleanly in two. Despite her training, she lacked confidence in her sheer destructive power.
Most of her attacks could be weathered if the enemy took cover behind a solid obstacle. If she charged up the power, the damage would increase, but the wind would lose its elusive, hard-to-dodge nature.
It was a trade-off. Hold back, and she couldn't cut the enemy. Put power into it, and the trajectory became readable.
If Miss Doublefinger had analyzed her to that extent, Silk needed a plan.
She looked around. She had thought the narrow alley would limit the enemy's escape routes, but she was wrong. This environment was full of hiding spots. If the enemy hid indoors, Silk had no technique to slice the target without destroying the cover. But if she chased her into a building, she would be forced into close-quarters combat.
Silk stood frozen, trapped in a cage of doubt constructed by Miss Doublefinger's actions.
Compatibility of powers mattered, certainly. But the personality of the user mattered more. Miss Doublefinger's parting words haunted her.
(She's a pro assassin... not a pirate. Where will she come from? How will she fight? Just stay calm. If I keep a cool head, I can react to anything...)
Taking a deep breath to settle her nerves, her eyes darted around the vicinity.
Charging into the house now would be useless; she wouldn't be there. The enemy was likely moving, looking for an angle to launch a surprise attack. Silk had to predict where that would be and counter it.
There were many hiding spots, but for a blind-spot assassination, the options had to be limited. Silk's mind raced, simulating several patterns based on the terrain.
A professional assassin. A master of close combat. Possessing the skill and power to kill a human in a single blow.
Miss Doublefinger was almost certainly closing in. Silk relaxed her muscles, shedding excess tension so she could react instantly to any change in the environment.
Fortunately, her Devil Fruit body constitution allowed her to feel the flow of the wind. She would notice any anomaly immediately.
Time passed in a suffocating silence. Miss Doublefinger did not come. Silk didn't know exactly how long it had been, but her mental fortitude was being ground down, grain by grain. This was the burden of the defender; the forced battle against creeping terror.
(What do I do? Chase her now? No, if I move poorly, that might be what she's waiting for. Moving now might be more dangerous...)
The waiting forced her to think.
(But... what if that's what she wants? What if staying here is the mistake—)
Her worst fears manifested into reality.
Suddenly, a noise came from behind. Finally! Silk spun around, swinging her sword before she even visually confirmed the target. Less than a second had passed between the sound and the strike.
But the razor wind she released only tore through an empty alley.
There was no one there. Silk felt her heart lurch in her chest.
"Whatever you choose, it's the wrong answer. Either way, you cannot escape."
"Damm—!?"
The voice came from right behind her now. She tried to reverse her swing as she turned back. But before the sword could complete its arc, it was stopped by a long, extended spike. No wind was generated.
Miss Doublefinger was standing directly behind her. No presence. No sound.
Her right arm had transformed into a spike long enough to be a spear; on her left hand, only the five fingers had turned into thorns.
Her weapon was pinned at point-blank range. Counterattacking was impossible, defending was disallowed, and Silk lacked the composure to dodge perfectly. Miss Doublefinger's left hand flashed toward Silk's face.
"Stinger Finger!"
"Guh!?"
It looked like a mere slap, but the sharp spikes tore flesh and gouged shallow furrows into her cheek.
Shocked and in pain, Silk collapsed to the ground. But she knew crouching there meant death by skewering. She immediately scrambled and rolled away to create distance.
It was a semi-unconscious, reflexive action, but it saved her. She made enough space that the assassin's arm couldn't reach her, and immediately swung her sword to launch a wind blade.
But her movements had been predicted. Miss Doublefinger moved without panic.
She had been standing next to a windowless opening in the wall—the glass long since shattered. Watching Silk swing her sword, she stepped into the house with elegant, fluid motion.
"Fufufu..."
"Sickle Wind!"
The blade of air aimed at Miss Doublefinger merely caressed the exterior of the building, passing through the space she had just occupied without touching a hair on her head. After the wind vanished, only a dumbfounded Silk remained.
It wasn't superior physical ability or a special power. It was a difference in thinking. The woman was dancing Silk—someone she had met for the first time—right in the palm of her hand.
To chase, or not to chase? Silk hesitated again, panic rising. This indecision was surely part of the plan. To win, she had to make a choice, and fast.
"I definitely heard it from behind. But she came from the front... how...?"
"Even a simple booby trap has value if you use a time delay."
This time, the sound came from above.
Silk bolted instantly, abandoning her position.
Immediately after, Miss Doublefinger dropped from the sky, landing exactly where Silk had been standing. Sharp spikes protruded from the soles of her shoes. If Silk hadn't moved, her skull would have been ventilated.
"Stinger Step!"
"Kuh... From above this time...!"
"Fufufu. You're in range now."
Smiling like a demon, the spikes on her soles vanished, and this time both of her arms transformed.
Her arms were the spikes. Those limbs, capable of blocking swords, were in the realm of heavy weaponry, possessing enough lethality to pierce stone walls. Silk could not take a hit.
Stumbling, Silk tried to retreat. Even while running, she swung her sword, firing wind blades to intercept her pursuer.
But even that was within expectations.
Kicking off the ground, Miss Doublefinger jumped. She grew spikes to anchor herself to a wall, then began running perpendicular to the ground along the vertical surface.
Because she was reading ahead, her movements held no hesitation. More than anything, her activation of the Devil Fruit powers was fast.
The sheer speed of her movement caught Silk off guard, delaying her reaction.
"No way!?"
"Abilities become stronger depending on how you use them. This is my usage."
"S-Sickle Wind!"
Losing the capacity to think, Silk swung her sword recklessly. The invisible vacuum blade rushed forward at blinding speed, but Miss Doublefinger leaped high, dodging it completely.
She plummeted toward Silk from directly overhead.
Silk jumped away on instinct, barely escaping out from under her.
"Kyaa!?"
"My, how close."
Silk scrambled to her feet the moment she landed, desperate to put distance between them.
Seeing Silk retreat with such caution, Miss Doublefinger looked amused. However, she also retreated to avoid any counterattack.
"Take this!"
Silk swung quickly, sending a razor wind flying, but Miss Doublefinger was already moving. She dove through a broken window into a house, safe once more. The strong gust rushed through the empty alley. Recognizing her attack had failed again, Silk ground her teeth.
Her actions were being read. The enemy's initial movements were so fast the attacks wouldn't connect. Speed born of prior information. She couldn't win with simple tactics.
Feeling she had no time to hesitate, Silk chased after her.
If she let her go, it would be a repeat of before. Another surprise attack from nowhere. To prevent that, she decided to press the pursuit.
She approached the window, cautious. She gripped her sword hilt tight, ready to swing at a moment's notice.
Just as she was about to leap through the window, a sharp spike thrust out from the darkness inside.
Silk arched her back reflexively, but there was no time to escape.
It pierced her left shoulder.
Simultaneously, Miss Doublefinger burst out, using her momentum to shove Silk violently to the ground. The spike that skewered Silk's shoulder drove deep into the earth, pinning her there completely.
It wasn't just the agony. She had lost her escape route.
"Guaaah!?"
"It's over. I'll send you off with one thrust."
"Ugh... No! It's not over yet!"
Her right arm was the spike pinning Silk's shoulder. Now, Miss Doublefinger's left arm transformed into a spike, aiming to impale Silk's face.
Glaring up at the smiling assassin, Silk threw up her right hand.
She had dropped her sword when she was tackled. But she still had her hand. Her ability could be channeled through her own body.
She stiffened her index and middle fingers and flicked them in a short, sharp motion.
It wasn't powerful, but it definitely created wind.
She slashed her fingers toward Miss Doublefinger, hitting her with a Kamaitachi at point-blank range.
The assassin's body was blasted upward.
As she was launched into the air, the spike ripped out of Silk's shoulder. The pain was blinding, but Silk grit her teeth and endured it.
"I can't die in a place like this!"
"Ugh—!?"
The lethality of the finger-flick was low. It merely cut her cheek slightly.
But while the damage was minor, the concussive force was strong. Miss Doublefinger was forcibly ripped away from Silk. The spike that had been anchoring them together was torn free, and the assassin slammed back-first onto the ground.
Silk scrambled up, snatching her sword before she even bothered to clutch her wound. She held it one-handed, eyes locking onto Miss Doublefinger, who was already moving with unnatural speed.
"Impressive. You certainly have the guts."
"Haa... Haa...!"
Though she acted tough, Silk was internally screaming.
There was a gaping hole in her left shoulder. Blood flowed without stopping, the intense pain pulsed steadily, and when she tried to move her left hand, it wouldn't respond.
Her left arm was useless.
She would have to fight in this condition.
"The more you resist, the more pain you will suffer. If you do nothing, I will kill you painlessly."
"Haa... No thanks!"
"A pity. In that case, you won't die easily."
Miss Doublefinger reverted both arms to normal and placed a hand on her hip. With that enchanting, distinctive gait, she began walking toward the interior of a house once again.
"Your body might end up full of holes."
"Don't worry about me. I won't take another hit...!"
"Fufufu. I see. Let me show you a professional's work."
With that ominous promise, she leisurely walked away. Silk did nothing but watch her go. It wasn't that she chose not to attack; she couldn't move. The shock of the wind tunnel in her shoulder nearly made her black out; just standing was an ordeal.
She knew she had to stop the bleeding immediately, but fear of her surroundings slowed her judgment. Finally, she tore the sleeve of her coat and wrapped it around her shoulder. Even then, there was no rest for her mind—her eyes darted constantly, terrified of a surprise attack.
Using her right hand and teeth, she managed to tie the cloth.
Then, Silk thought. What should I do?
Running wasn't an option. But she couldn't win a frontal assault without a plan.
One hit. That was all it took to disable her left arm.
Most likely, all of that woman's attacks were fatal. If a blow landed in the wrong spot, she would die instantly. The title of "professional assassin" wasn't a joke.
She had drilled the lesson into her head: relax your guard for a second, and you die.
(What do I do... If I stay here, she'll hit me from a blind spot again. Go search for her? But maybe she's waiting for that. She read my moves perfectly before...)
She had been stabbed solely because Miss Doublefinger had predicted her reaction. The woman was leagues ahead of her in combat experience. A careless move meant a painful counterattack.
Sweat rolled down Silk's cheek, her face twisted in anguish.
(Pretend to run to draw her attention... If she chases from behind, it might be easier to land a hit.)
Staying here was a stalemate. Just as she took a step to initiate action, a terrible thought flashed through her mind, freezing her feet.
(But what if she doesn't chase me? I might get away, but the others might be targeted...)
Since she couldn't see the enemy, she had no way to track her movements. If Silk fled and Miss Doublefinger didn't pursue, the assassin's next move would be unpredictable. One of her friends would likely take a spike from a blind spot.
I can't let that happen. Her feet felt nailed to the ground.
At least as long as she stayed here, the woman would target her.
It was a gamble. If she was wrong, enduring this pain would be meaningless.
Silk didn't move. She chose to hold her ground, drawing the enemy's fire to protect her crew. She was exposing herself to extreme danger, but she had made her peace with it. She had no intention of running now. No matter where the attack came from, she would win and return to her friends.
Once the resolve was set, the fear vanished.
She spread her feet, lowered her hips, and raised her sword with her right hand, scanning the area.
Her left arm might be crushed. But she still had her right arm. She had her legs.
And above all, she had the Devil Fruit ability she had trained until this very day. It was too early to give up.
While she waited, Silk thought.
What her ability could do. What it couldn't. The compatibility. Organizing the intel. How to win with the Kama Kama no Mi. She thought only of victory.
(Just using my fingers lacks attack power. But swinging the sword with one hand... like this, it's probably not enough. To beat that person, this isn't enough.)
She had practiced using her ability every day since she got it. But it still wasn't enough.
She had to change the way she thought about it.
Kiri had said it: The more you train, the stronger the ability becomes. She had trained enough. Now, it was a question of whether she could reach a new concept.
(According to Kiri, the Kama Kama no Mi is a "Special Paramecia"... Unlike a Logia, my body doesn't turn into wind, but I can feel the wind more acutely. More than anything, I gained the power to create wind blades—to create wind—from anywhere on my body.)
She kept her guard up, waiting.
What was the enemy—what was Miss Doublefinger thinking, watching her stand there immobile?
Silk had no luxury to ponder extraneous thoughts.
(If the current way isn't enough, how do I use this power to—)
"Have you thought of a way to beat me?"
The voice came from behind. Though there was some distance, Silk flinched.
It was a split-second judgment—or rather, a habit ingrained in her body. As she turned, she swung her sword, launching a razor wind.
The action was likely the result of diligent training and combat experience. One couldn't blame her for it. But in the eyes of the assassin, it was tragically shallow.
Miss Doublefinger, standing on a rooftop, leaped high with agile grace.
She soared over the invisible blade Silk had fired, vaulted over Silk's head, and by the time she plummeted down, she had taken Silk's back once again.
Upon landing, both her arms transformed into spikes.
Though different in length, they were like spears. As Silk tried to turn around, the assassin stepped in swiftly and thrust them forward.
"Gah—!?"
Once again, fresh blood danced in the air, staining the ground red.
So far, the assassin hadn't struggled in the slightest.
Miss Doublefinger's lips curled into a smile.
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