Chapter 7: The Dealer


Lina's eyebrow cocked and she gave the little strawberry an incredulous look. The vial still in hand she flipped it a few times and caught in mid air with a, " Yes mam"! The two of them made their way through the lower business district, which for some reason seemed to unnerve the strawberry girl. Lina studied her expressions and rubbed her chin as they moved along the beaten and battered businesses. Though as they ventured deeper she saw the place started to feel better off. She also nodded her head and took note of strawberry girl's open disdain for inner city. Though she could hardly blame her if the slums were her native home. Upon their arrival the color in Lina's face fell out for a bit as she was blasted by that familiar music and more importantly, the bouncers asking for their names. She stammered a bit and tried to come up with something. " uh ahh um blahh---", was about all she needed to say as melly girl had them wrapped around her finger.

Getting in was a cinch because of that. She followed strawberry girl through the crowd, just barely able to hear her over the cheering from the crowd and the music playing. Though just as Lina was about to follow her she turned back to the bouncers to see them chattering into a den den, still looking in their direction. At the last moment Lina grabbed mel by the shoulder and pulled up close to her ear. She whispered, " I'll be back, they're watching us" before ducking out into the crowd slipping in and out of the inebriated crowd. They were too busy cheering on some blonde chick hanging upside on a pole with her back turned the crowd. " wooo atta girl. Now show us the upper east side"! Lina slipped past them and looked around for some sort of back entrance, through all the cheering goons and flashing strobe lights. There in the peripheral of her vision was curtain with two bouncers standing at its entrance. Lina checked her wallet and found two girls swapping spit on the side. " ey, you two wanna make some quick cash"?

The two agreed and within moments the guard's ties were pulled the other way and their bodies pressed up against them long enough for Lina to slip into the back. There she was met with a dark two way corridor. To the left she saw dancers walk through the velvet curtain on and off the stage. While the others chattered about in the back, giggling and laughing amongst themselves as they got ready for round two. " ahh what a fucking rush"! The voice was harsh and full of aggression. Lina peered around the corner to see a dancer injecting herself with a bulging right arm. Lina gasped out of disgust and slipped away toward the other side. The darkness was only staved off by small flickering lights about her.

Away from the lights, music, and crowd it became a dark dank dungeon. Surrounded by cement and the sound of dripping in the background, she could hear every footstep. Toward the end of that hall was two guards posted at the entrance of a door with manager plastered on it. She ducked in the darkness and inched closer behind some familiar crates pulled up near them. Lina knocked on the wall to get their attention. The two pulled out pistols and began to walk toward her with a simple nod. " who's th--"? Was all he could say before a blade came flying up and tearing through him from above. The other one too shocked to shoot back or even stammer fell over as he watched his friend's torso flop over with a cold wet flop. Lina made short work of him as well with a horizontal slice to his neck before swinging her blade out to clean the blood from it. As she made her way in she sheathed her sword once more and approached the manager's door.

He was leaning back in his chair, trench coat and all. He held a den den in his hand with a particularly accentuated scowl. A deep in the shape of a butterfly was in the den den's cheek. " Listen patcheeni, cmmmon. There ain't nothing ta worry about. My guys are all over it. Frost witch and her little toy will be there in a day or two, k"? He heard the door open, somewhat surprised. " Ahh so you fellas got em right? Don't hurt them too badly....now". He looked at the solemn figure standing in the doorway. In the light he could make out half of lina's face. He grinned with a sort of ah HA quality to it. " You're the one who had scott's den den. Well take a seat girlie, can I offer ya some tea or perhaps something good for your soul"? There in his hand was a vial just like hers, crimson with some green tie-die swirling around in it.

She shook her head and flicked her blade forward just enough to break the seal of her sheath. " you have two choices. You can either pay me 100 million not to slice you in half right now or you can come quietly and lead me to the source of that shit". He dangled it around for a bit with a grin, " Don'cha want it"? Before she could move a familiar voice from the hallway caught her attention, " boo". Lina turned and instinctively swung her blade from the hip as her feet spread out, her sword swung nearly in a full circle before catching onto her opponent's blade.


The blondie was still dressed in her showgirl outfit, with a standard marine issued sword's hilt grasped tightly in her hands. " twas a nice race girl, but I'm gonna have to place you under arrest for trespassing. S'nothing personal", she said with a wink. From behind her the dealer placed both elbows into the desk and just sort of looked back at them. " Now then girlie, you did look familiar. You're that serial killer huh"? He held up her poster taken from a security den den at the upper district's gate on the night she met the nameless baron. " that maroon sheath and cloak, I'd recognize it anywhere. You'll make for a good chunk of change. The guys up front should be bringing back the frost witch any moment now". He pointed up at a den den's projection he just turned on, to show melissa at a bar with one of his operatives. Lina's eyes widened at the idea that came to mind. " guess this'll have to end quicker than the race...".

She sheathed her blade once more and leaned forward, daring the marine to make a move.

Spoiler:

Chapter 7, part 2: The Dealer part 2


Lina saw in her peripheral vision what had happened to strawberry girl. She seemed to be having a breakdown at the bar within seconds of seeing the footage. The blonde girl noticed this and tried to capitalize on her slight inattention by lunging forward with her blade held over head. Lina's body moved as if it were on instinct, sending her blade flying from its sheath out in an arc toward her neck, just barely missing her adam's apple. The blonde marine gulped as she swerved backward to avoid the slash. She had a smile and went to continue her drive toward lina with a satisfied smirk, " Silver fang, I'm well aware of your tec---".

Lina's sheath flying out seconds later, bashing into her bicep and tearing the ligaments in her arm. Her bicep was fully planted on her cheek at this point and world blacked out as she was sent rolling on the ground with a blunt thud. " Actually it was Twin Fang strike", lina said in a soft calm voice. She put her sheath back at her hip and took pause for a moment to fully appreciate the drop in temperature.

An icy fog drifted in accompanied by the fast paced footsteps of the guards bringing Melissa to the scene. Their hands were already being stricken with frostbite, becoming blue already. Melissa responded with groggily, before her head with limp along with most of her body. The two guards dropped her to knees where she slid into a sitting position. They couldn't keep holding her because even her clothes were starting to freeze over and become ungrippable. The dealer scoffed at the display as the grown men stepped away from the little freezer girl. A cool fog started to over take the room, making every breath they took show up as if they were in a freezer. " Hey you idiots, get her a gurney or something! Don't just stand around like idiots"! The bigger fellow tried to protest, but his boss tossed a grisly knife toward his head, just barely missing him and leaving a cut on his cheek.

" now then, skippy, surely you understand the circumstances correct"? The dealer snapped his fingers thinking he had some sort of advantage, but before he could enjoy the moment Lina placed one foot under the blonde marine and catapulted her toward the lone guard drawing his weapon with a powerful kick. She flew like a rag doll, fast and true into him, sending the duo into the wall and firmly planting his back against the wall.

Lina's arm became black as alarm bells started to go off in the vicinity. The dealer was gone and the sound of what seemed like a stampede was converging on them. Lina broke a window nearby and grabbed melissa with her protected arm and the blonde marine with her other. She bolted out right as the mass of guards were about to start firing on her. Although they were too late as Lina had already leapt onto a nearby rooftop and made her getaway.

Her headstart afforded her some time, but the sun was still in the sky and nightfall was not imminent. Lina quickly hopped from one rooftop to another, desperately looking for a secluded spot. Though that was hard in the business district, considering how many people there were and how much brighter it was even at night. During her struggle Lina found a butcher house and leapt into the alleyway that was formed by the adjacent packaging factory. She landed hard, but managed to toss Melissa into a pile of trash bags to break her fall. As for the blonde girl, she tossed her against a random wall without much worry.

Lina took a look at her side and could barely feel her torso in certain parts, feeling the ice that had already started to form on her cloak in the short time she was near mel. The crash however had brought out an unwanted guest. A man came out to see what the ruckus was about, portly and covered in blood. Lina quickly dispatched him with an elbow to the gut and slowly pushed him inside. Lina found the shop was empty, but only assumed it was due to a lunch break or something. She quickly turned the sign to closed on the front door and went into the back. Using some spare chains from the freezer she tied the butcher up and the marine and laid them against a wall with tape over their mouths. As for Melissa she placed her upright near the freezer door.

Out of breath and freezing, Lina sighed and shook her head. She kneeled before mel and tried to wake her up. "C'mon strawberry girl, get a grip already"! As she said this, she could hear footsteps outside, marines. There weren't a lot, but she saw flashes of blue and white uniforms after there was a loud commotion from a group reporting in outside. Lina noticing the windows starting to ice over, pulled her into the freezer and left a crack over using a chair. " What am I gonna do with you?"?

haki and skill stuff:

Chapter 7, part 3: S'cuse me but SHE was SHOT IN THE STOMACH


Lina shivered up a storm, gritting her teeth as her whole body started to ache from prolonged exposure to the freezer and Melissa's strange coldness. Sure it wasn't as bad as her experience during the mysterious flash freeze the grandline experienced weeks prior,but her knee was started to feel like it was burning. Her lungs were starting to sting as icicles started to form on her clothing as she waited to see what was up with strawberry girl. She left the freezer for 3 minute intervals, just to get back her normal body heat and shake off the icey build up on her. Though a lot of her body never really recovered its equilibrium at that point. It was just an attempt to take care of herself while watching over Mel.

Mel's first words stirred Lina, who came to her side immediately. She tried shake mel with her blackened haki to reduce the pain. " Ey c'mon mel... ggrrrr...bbrr.. We gotta git outta'er". Mel though was half out of it and determined to not listen to Lina. She moved past Lina without regard for her. Lina tried to grab her shoulder,but the cold was too much even for Lina to do so safely with Haki at this point. She stepped back a few times, feeling the rush of freezing air make even her scrunch up in pain.


The sound of footsteps converging on the place were filled the air. Lina froze for a moment, unsure of what to do in this situation. That is until Mel told her to leave, shattering a nearby window. Lina dove to the side and pressed against the ice cold wall.


The sound of guns being armed just a short distance from the entrance resounded in the shop. The butcher was trying to scooch out of the way during the chaos, eyes bulged and tears running down his cheek. It's as if he saw his own death when it was known that the frost witch was on the scene. Snow started to coalesce around her as she solemnly walked out with a lone butcher's knife in hand. The sound of a small storm, men screaming in pain and shots being fired left and right sent a panic through Lina. She saw the other marine stir during the chaos, wriggling her way out of the chains and slowly getting up from a lying down position. She took the tape off her mouth and had a reliefed expression for just a moment, " ahh that's be--".

That is, until Lina stomped on her spine to pin her down. The attack knocked the air from her chest. The marine gasped for air as her face was planted into the wood floor with a loud thud. Lina kneeled down next to her and grabbed the portly butcher by the leg to flip his flailing body away from them. Lina planted a knife into the floor, right where the marine could see its grisly stained edge drip blood onto the floor. " Now, tell me where the dealer is hiding...or else". The marine gave a raspy laugh and smiled back with the profile of her face, " You're dead. Both of you are dead anyways".

Lina grasped the nape of her neck while the chaos was going on outside and began to squeeze lightly. With each refusal to talk, she squeezed harder in increments, really digging in and applying pressure to the blonde girl's neck. She writhed and growled but kept refusing to talk. Lina then flipped her over and planted a knife into her hand, pinning it to the floor and sending a torrent of blood rushing from it. She spit back at Lina who used one hand to pin her down by the neck. With the other, she grabbed another knife and brandished it against her cheek. " Still. Wont. Talk"?

The blonde marine spit again, this time getting it in Lina's mouth. Her grip tightened and the emotion from Lina's face disappeared. No anger, no resentment. All that remained was a determination to choke the girl to death as she flailed with her good hand, trying to grasp Lina's arm or smack her body. Lina didn't move and the blonde slowly started to gurgled, this time tapping on her forearm with what little she had left in the tank as her eyes went to the back of her head. Lina let go slowly and only left enough tension for her to breath while being pinned down. "The dealer's main operation is in the upper dis...trict...lord...arthur...". Lina nodded and left the half dead girl alone to gasp for breath, coughing up a storm as the icy one outside let up.

She ran out to find the grisly scene, some marines were pelted with icicles all over their bodies and others were...the majority were carved open like thanksgiving turkeys. Other people were frozen with fear, lying against the walls they were near or merely shaking and saying incoherent things. Strawberry girl looked confused and dazed, randomly running from the scene when it all seemed to hit hear like a truck. Lina ignored the mother screaming blood murder at the two, her anger not logical in the slightest. " YOU MURDERERS! C'mERE COME HERE AND TRY THAT ON ME! YOU ALREADY TOOK MY BABY BOY! COME ON"! She stood with her bleeding boy's limp body, gaze trained on the murderous ice witch and the unfeeling accomplice.

Lina noticed strawberry girl's coldness letting up a bit with the break in the snowstorm. Her face was a mess of blood and tears as she moaned in pain and held her abdomen. Lina scooped her off her feet and bolted off as others started to throw things at them. " oh gosh...doctor...doctors need one damnit"! As she turned a corner into an alleyway, the two bumped into a woman with a basic of herbs and other first aid supplies. She fell over and Lina lost her footing to trip over herself, falling face forward but still prioritizing strawberry girl's well being. The two hit the floor hard and lina tried to rush away as well, but the touch of the woman grabbed her attention.

She was young, probably mid twenties with long brown hair and fair skin without the slightest of blemishes. "What is this? What happened to this girl"? Lina paused, out of breath and unsure what to do. " She was caught in a fight...the fight down the road. We're..stuck in a bad situation trying to stop the spread of a deadly thing that makes people crazy and mel---". Two soft hands cradled her cheeks and concerned determined eyes met Lina's gaze.
"The name's mai. I'm a doctor, let's help your friend. Isn't that why you're all jumbled"? Lina nodded solemnly with an averted gaze.

The three of them entered a back door not to far from there. It was a clinic she had gone to visit that day by happen stance. Mai worked on Mel for a few hours, leaving a pacing Lina alone to wait for them. Her gut sank and tears of sorrow and rage poured from her eyes. She looked down at her hands, trembling and tensely balled up into fists. "why am I feeling this way over someone I jus met a few hours ago...". Lina couldn't get Mel off her mind even when the doctor said it'd be okay. She couldn't help but feel guilty for the woman who wanted just an acknowledgment of her pain. Just when things couldn't get worse, the duo of doctors came out with half smiles. " She'll be okay, but she needs time to rest. Go to the back and wash up".

Lina's didn't avert her gaze and wasn't sure how to act. She bowed her head and merely said, " thanks doc".

Haki and skill stuff and other stuff:

Chapter 7, part 4: Round 2, the Upper District awaits


Lina had made a new friend and rekindled an old love that day. As she waited for Mel to wake up, she had grown accustomed to snacking excessively once again. She kicked the habit a few months, nervous snacking. However when the chips were down and it came to what happened to others her self control lapsed a bit. A familiar woman walked in on Skippy hugging a bowl of assorted dried fruits. " ya know even if it's fruits they're still fattening", the voice called out with a slight giggle. Lina looked back up at her, to see a calmed down Mai taking off a disposable hospital apron. " Can't. help. it. doc, they're so good. Where did they come from"?

Mai placed another paper bag of fruits on the table and nudged it closer to Lina's side, " I'm surprised you never had preserved fruit before. Here take s'more". Lina happily grabbed the bag and began to chow down while the sound of marine boots clopping down flooded the surrounding area. " Aren'cha nervous? What if they come here and demand to search the premises"? Lina's eyes widened for a second before gulping down an extra large clump of fruits. " After that act ya guys pulled earlier. I'm sure it'll be'k".

Just hours before:

A loud thud echo'd through the clinic as Lina had just made her way to the back as the doctors had suggested. The thud then became a series of loud aggressive bangs that sounds like they'd break the door in. Lina peered from behind a corner to peek at the entrance. Mai's friend answered the door to find a battalion of marines at the ready, with rifles trained on the entrance. The doctor did not move in the face of hostility. He stood with her shoulders held back and hands in his pockets, waiting for the captain to come forth.

The one who answered his wordless challenge was a young buck with sharp facial features and a clean cut face. He lowered his weapon and came forward as stiff as a board, "Evening sir. We have reports of two fugitives in the area. We're here to search the premises". The doctor gave him a shrug, but held his hand out firmly to the young officer. " This here's a place of healing. Article 9, subsection 5 of the confederation of states says no force. Be they government or otherwise, may trample the sanctity of a hospital or put its patients in harm's way". The battalion cocked their guns in a line, with their barrels trained on the lone doctor. Lina's hand hovered over her blade, eyebrows furrowed and ready for a fight. Though the doctor did not waver nor did he become emotional. He merely pointed around them, to show all the faces and witnesses to the atrocity waiting to happen. " Should you enter these grounds with ill intent, you will be trampling the hearts of those who depend on you for their well being, officer. That in itself---"


Mai laughed and did for a good while, nearly in tears while holding onto her sides like her life depended on it. " Oh you mean jeremy? That ol'coot nearly wet himself after that"! Lina averted her gaze and nibbled on her dried fruits during her fit of laughter. The two of them were interrupted by a sudden and uncharacteristically burst of cool air. Lina knew there could only be one reason why she could see her breath when she sighed. She looked up to find a well rested, but slightly pained Melissa waving to her. She grinned back and stood up feeling like a weight had been taken off her shoulders. " Ya know...I couldn't exactly go after our dealer because a certain STRAW.BERRY.GIRL. went gungho and got herself hurt".
Lina tossed Melissa her clothing and headed off the back entrance. " We can't stay here any longer, there'll be a new patrol in the morning".

"Hey hey wait a second, where do you think you're going? She's hurt and in no condition to run off"!


Lina grinned and scouted out the surrounding area, taking Melissa's condition into account. She knew it was true, that under ideal circumstances even a few days of rest would help things greatly, but unfortunately these smelly marines had other plans. The duo used the shadows and some quick hair raising timing to avoid the patrols and reach the southern gate into Water 7's upper district. Lina peered out into the open to find the area was as empty as it was quiet. Nothing at all had really changed besides the search party in the business district. Two lone gaurds, men Lina had met before stood at the ready. The same rifles in hand. The same swords at their hips. The same stonewall expressions staring out into the darkness. Lina tapped her chin and contemplated what to do. " rush em? nah...climb the wa--ll...too high. ugh..Any ideas Strawberry girl"?

Haki and skill stuff and other stuff:

Chapter 7, part 5: The man behind the elixir


Each word Lina spoke was in truth was interrupted by Melissa at her angry muttering. Lina was somewhat hesitant to even look behind her after she heard Strawberry girl was taking her pants off again. At first it was somewhat funny because the only clothes available for Mel were some spares the nurses had on hand. Second by second her mutterings had become ravings and at some point, Lina was just uncomfortable and couldn't bear to look at a nude mel again. Though as she turned the hooded girl curiously drank up the gettup Mel was now wearing. Her eyes lit up a little and she stared for a few moments, So cool..should I try that? No no not now Lina...later She coughed and waited for the straggler to catch up and join her at the edge of an alleyway placed between a pizza parlor and fish shop.

Melissa stretched a few times, likely trying to get a crick or two out of her system before they went in guns blazing. Lina cringed a little when she touched her wound, her face slightly twisting at the thought of how much it might have hurt. Though as she was shaking and lost in thought, Mel offered her one of her icey spears. Her ice powers alone were fascinating to Lina, but to be able to wield a weapon made from them was even cooler to her. She got up in Mel's grill and nodded enthusiastically. The weapon's coldness was cold be seen in the faint lantern light. It was a silent cold which Lina hesitated to grab after remember how cold the girl was earlier. In truth her left side was sore from frost burns gained from lugging the girl all over town. Lina knew she could only stand to hold it a few minutes, even with haki activated. Her arm became black as she held onto it and she marveled at it for a few moments. " Never used one of these babies before...", she said spinning it over her head and behind her, enjoying the fluid motion of a polearm. "maybe..."

Though before she could really enjoy it Mel had already sprinted off into action. Lina followed suit, holding the lance steady at a 45 degree angle and lunged forth as she ran in the dark. The two guards were taken aback by her showy distraction, allowing Lina to sprint to her flank and skewer her own guard from behind. Lina thought the lance felt amazing as it ran itself through the man's spine and out the front of him. He trembled for a few seconds, looking down at the bloodied spear sticking from his chest before going limp. Lina flung the man's body like a ragdoll and clean the blade as if it were her sword with a clean swift swipe to the side. " why thank you", she said with a curtly nod to her partner. " Now then, arthur arthur arthur".

Lina stood at guard's station for a few minutes looking through their directory. Lina cringed as she pulled it open at first, to hear the sticky blood pull apart and spill over the pages. " Yuck be careful next time Mel. This is gross", she said. Third page in, she found the address of Lord Arthur and headed in under the cover of night. The path was rather familiar to her, though it seemed slightly different now that it wasn't covered in snow like last time. Lina glanced at the Nameless Baron's home looming in the distance once before heading forward down the path until she found the manor in question. As they pulled up on the front gate, Lina brought her arm back at the way and gripped the spear as hard as her numbing hand could and brought it down upon a mere padlock holding the gated closed with a chain. " Let's go", she said while tossing the spear on the ground.


What greeted the duo was a dilapidated manor, one which looked as if it hadn't been used in years. The recent rain from a few hours back caused the mud to spill onto the lone walkway leading up to the entrance. The trees were bare and the vegetation was wilting. The manor itself had a faded paint job, one that most residents on the island kept up every year or so. This place however, had a mustard color which may have been an exuberant gold in year's past. Now faded just as the rest of the place it seemed. Lina gently grabbed the front door's knob for fear it might actually fall off. She was met by a deafening silence contrasted only by the creak of the front door. It only opened half way while a rancid smell blasted them as it opened. There lying in front door way were dead guards, with paper thin slits at their adam's apples. Lina smashed it open at this point and kicked whatever corpse was lying in their way, " yuck off with ya deados".

Lina gestured for Mel to come in and walked slowly down the manor's vestibule, which was familiar to the Nameless Baron's. Each footstep they took creaked and the each light they passed flickered and buzzed. They were old and in repair, likely nearly 20 years if she had to guess give or take. The only sounds she could hear came from a peculiar door in the main hallway. The sounds were muffled, but they echo'd and sounded as if they were coming from below. Lina slowly opened this door, only to find it too creaked as well. "WHO'S THERE"?! The voice was harsh and haggard, accompanied by a quivering cry from a man who seemed to be on the verge of insanity. " Well c'mon now out with it. Who be there"?

Lina slowly appeared before him(and Mel I think), calmly and collected. She looked around to find a brightly lit room, full of stoves, breakers, and more corpses. Most of them fresh, for their stench smelled something fierce when coupled with their shit and piss after voiding their bowels. Lina waved her hand at the smell and went to glare at the crazy old coot when something popped up into view. A crazy looking fruit with a pronounced texture which seemed to look like zig zags and swirls. It beat like a heart, expanding and contracting as if it were one while its juices were slowly being extracted. "The name's Skips...w---"? She was interrupted by a loud scream. The man was unrecognizable as one, but he had the same scummy trenchcoat from the siren's den. " Pllease help me. Put me down. Put me down".

"Yes yes calm down cry baby. You and your lot failed me, so now you must test it for me while new slaves come. Now now brace yourself. I mean...Dont cha want it"? The needle was filled with a green and red swirling mixtured, much like the drips being extracted from the fruit. Lina stood silent as she watched the man who could no longer walk writhe in pain. His muscles getting larger and blood gushing from all his orifices. Must like Scott, but on a worse scale he looked as if he had been writhing in pain for hours before gurgling one last time on the floor. The old man shook his head and angrily jotted some notes on a clip board before addressing the two. "I assume you're with the navy. Bunch of slobs if you ask me. Well as long as you do yer job its fine. You do know your job right"?

While he had been busy with his note taking and other strange actions Lina had already croached down. She was examining the man's cause of death and thought it seemed familiar. " Say Arthur, this drug you gave this man. You..haven't been giving to others have you"? The man gave her an incredulous look and scoffed. Did.I.Stutter.girl"? He said reaching for a thin blade at the table next to him. It's handle was blade and blade was around 16 inches long, but it was as thin as paper toward the tip, while growing fatter at the end. " No, did I stutter? Did you give this to the people in the slums"? A wry grin appeared across his wrinkly face. "Yes I wasted some on those cretins. and now you will do the same little marine girl", he said with gritted teeth and a crazed look in his eyes. As he spoke, his own body started to react to the situation at hand. His muscles started to twitch and bulge ever so slightly and his veins started to pop out. " Hell no".

He zipped toward Lina with speed she had never seen before. She drew her blackened blade just in time to deflect the first attack(Silver fang), which was a lunging thrust toward her neck. The second though was a vertical slash downward. This devolved into a series of wild slashes with kept Lina guessing and at full range from his blade, for she could not safely counter his attacks. All she could do was strafe or barely deflect his blows. Each blow hit her blade erratically and caused Lina more strain than they should have. "1...2...3...5...1" she started to mutter to herself as they exchanged blows. Though she was being held back on the defensive, her moves were becoming more deliberate with each wild strike. Whenever he overextended his arm, she took the time to give it a numbered designation. Whenever he swung shallow, she instinctively backed away and out of his range. This frustrated the old man who over extended his arm more than usual, bringing his blade over his head. In that instant Lina thought she saw an opening and charged forward with the intent of tackling him. But the old man was just too quick for her.

His leg moved back and as if it were light as a feather and came zooming back toward her with incredible speed, to strike her in the stomach. She went flying back into a lab table full of breakers and rolled up quickly to catch another stab for her neck. Though this time she swung back and went to try and throw him off his balance with a sweeping kick at his knees.

The old man quickly reacted and jumped backward with incredible speed, but in turn also stumbled into some tables himself. He panted and gripped his sword tightly until his hand started to bleed. Lina glared back at him with a heart beating like a war drum. Sweat trickled down her face and even her neck. Lina did the only thing she could in the situation. She sheathed her blade and readied for the next exchange. Why. Won't. YOU. STAY DOWN LITTLE RAT"?

haki and other stuff:

OOC: Post is Done

Chapter 7, part 6: What goes up may not come back down


Lina's heart began to beat faster, as faster, and faster with no end. Her hand shook and her breathing started to be erratic. Just gotta watch for the...thrust...c'mon she thought herself, wiping the sweat from her brow. She breathed in and breathed out to relax her body and feel the relief such a breath would have on her entire self. What felt like an impossible situation started to look a bit brighter. The old man grimaced and started to shuffle his feet and tremble just a tad. "well now li---", was all he could utter before a blast of freezing wind rushed forth. It chilled everything in its path first as random bits of snow that soon coalesced into an entire girl. Mel had made Lina shiver ever so slightly as she rubbed her hands to try and fight off the chill. In her hand was the beating fruit, thumping in her hand. Strawberry girl uncharacteristically had a serious expression on her face with just a moment of hesitation. The fruit was dropped in her hand. Lina paused for a moment and still couldn't believe what she was holding.



"Put. That. ggrrrrr", once again interrupted by the blast of cold air from the formation of Mel's lances and Mel's talking over him. Lina listened intently but felt a strange sense of elation. Even she gulped at the thought of what had just occurred. Lina remembered what Strawberry said the day before. "As for seahorse rides, those days are long behind me. The sea and I, are no longer friends" The phrase which meant little to her not too long ago made her anxious. Even though she found Mel's speech just a tad goofy, there was a hint of foreboding. It was as if it were a warning to her. Although Lina was never one to really obey warnings, especially if it meant experiencing something new. She set out to see the world, but also experience it and all it had to offer. Part of that meant tasting the gross beating fruit in her hands. The old man growled at both of them, at Lina for holding his precious fruit and at Mel for being a cheeky little strawberry. " I know you, that dedication and those powers.
Yer that Frost bitch everyone has been clamoring on about. That failure of a dealer was supposed to bring you here so we could extract your fruit...but it seems you've done my work for me"

Lina on the other hand held her nose and was disconnected from the situation for a moment. She bit into the fruit and shook her head to tear a piece off its side. She bit again and again with tears welling in her eyes. " Eww its ....slimy...and...gross...salty and bitter and....smells funnny", she said with a mouth full of fruit. It writhed in her mouth and slid down her throat with a rough texture. She closed her eyes and fought through the taste and weird sensation it was giving her. She felt light headed and dizzy, but continued to eat and eat until there was nothing but a stem left. Her stomach growled and her head started to pound unmercifully. The old man just grit his teeth in anger as she floated in mid air.

Lina almost felt like yelping but she didn't want to interrupt mel. She started to panic and started to grab onto anything she could. Lina realized that she was literally feeling light as a feather, as she floating and wiggled around the room. She grabbed chairs,beakers, bookshelves in an attempt to ground herself. But that only made it worse, as every object she touched started to float up with her. She held onto the bookcase and tried to hold back her tears. Now pinned against the ceiling of the cellar and her arms and hands outstretched to different shelves she looked down at Mel. " M-m-m-ma-Melissa..I...I cant ged'down from here and my...tummy hurts".

Haki and skill stuffs:

Spoiler:

Epilogue: Real name

Lina was too panicked to register what was going on. Her watery eyes made it hard to see the battle going on in front of her. Her lips quivered and stomach tightened, but she was able to hold back the tears long enough to cheer Mel on. “GO MEL Go! Kick his—-“, nausea and gag reflex interrupted her though. Each time she opened her eyes, lina covered her eyes with her hands and peeked through her fingers when Mel and the old man clashed.

Each time the old man’s sword drove itself through her, Lina yelped. Each time the blade flowed through her like a hot knife through butter, she stared in confusion and amazement. The fight however was not long like her exchange with him. Mel overpowered the man answers crippled him with a vengeance. Lina cringed and looked away, remembering all the trouble she’s inadvertently caused in the slums. The old man was pinned to the floor by grisly ice lances and his arms were limply hanging from their sockets. He sat upright in a battlefields of ice and snow. Even his blood froze whenever it’s made contact with her powers, not even affording him the comfort of bleeding out.

What brought Lina back to reality was the sound of mel’s voice and the touch of her hand. “ I swear I didn’t do it on purpose mel”! As she said those words, she and the rest of the objects came crashin back down to earth. Lina stood up and scratched her head, “ I guess gravity is still my friend...and uh”.

Lina dug into the slippery floor and forced herself up, curious see what was left of the lab. She started to pick up random things, books and other knick knacks to see if they'd float again. To her surprise they didn't, but that sinking feeling of it happening again agitated her a little. As she rummaged around randomly, she began to talk to mel. “I protect my name because it’s precious to me”, she said in a low tone. She rummaged through the drawers and his desk that was left in shambles due to the massive build ups of ice. Lina took a deep breath again and said, “ My name is Lina Askr. I hail from the east blue, my father works in the world government and my mother an ensign in the marines...I'm their rebellious little girl who di'nt wanna be disciplined like them”, she said with a shrug. Her hand found a knob to a door blocked by ice.

She stomped down and began to shatter it slowly but surely. The sound of rattling accompanied with stomp. Lina reluctantly  broke the sheet of ice and pulled it open thinking s'more gross gringy stuff would be behind it. " But uhh, yea...OOOOHHH", she gulped and practically tore the door off and forgot about the old man growling at her as she did so. " What would mel say.....That's a fucking shit ton of boootayyyy...right"?

Epilogue,part 2: Alabasta, eh?


Lina for the first few minutes was digging into the pile of gold that had spilled out from the small room, which glistened at the mere exposure of light from dingy lab. She pulled off her cloak for the first time in years and began to fill it with all sorts of coins and jewels until it began to feel heavy and was bulging. Though after a few moments she looked side to side, seeing if Mel was looking and tried to make a coin float as if had when she first ate the gross fruit. No matter how hard she stared and it or willed it to move, it just sat flat on her hand. She bit her lip a little and tossed the lone coin into her pocket and started to tie up her make shift sack into a secure knot, leaving half to mel. With a smile on her face and a pep in her step she began to leave the room when the a loud abrupt sound caught her attention.


Lina turned about face to see a small panel of the snails on the side, covered by some junk and soggy papers strewn about in the chaos. Baltigo's shell was broken, leaving the snail free to slide off on its own. Lina rubbed her chin and stared at it for a moment, not realizing it was actually still alive. Marineford's was crushed under a beam, shell and all. It was unsalvageable with slimy worm guts bubbling all over the place. Lastly was Alabasta with a small light behind it shining red and an alert operational snail with just a slightly cracked shell. Lina picked up the receiver and stayed silent for a moment. The snail projected a face with a hideous scar running down its closed left eye.

On the other end of the line was a man known as Patcheeni. A man usually dressed in a slick suit tailored to his body's contours rather nicely. He generally has a poofy scarf in collar and a pair of glasses designed for his near sightedness. He's a man of average build and has some aches and pains which likely came from his aging self(around 45). He's not a very expressive man, opting to be more on a laid back side of things if all goes according to plan; only becoming enraged when things don't go his way. He stares at the still snail with nothing more but a dopey expression on its face. It's as if whoever was on the line didn't know they were talking to. "Arthur, is that you", he waited a few moments and to his dismay, there was no response. The snail had no defining features because Lina hadn't said anything or moved much at all, so there was no projection for him to see.


Lina looked back at the dying arthur who lied in shambles among the icey room. He turned to look at her when his name was said, but he was already too delirious to say anything luckily. Lina coughed in her hand and said, " Arthur isn't in right now. He uhh went for fish and chips"! The snail didn't move for a moment and for a moment was almost stunned to hear the chipper girl's voice.

Patcheeni was stunned, but shook his head and lit a cigar. For a moment he thought some ditzyheaded sounding girl had gotten the better or Arthur or something along those lines. He slapped his palm against his forehead and picked the receiver back up, " And who might you be, girl? Are you part of the new group he had requested? What's the status of the old group"?

Lina looked around and saw a bunch of dead bodies, the most prominent being the dealer whose blood orifices were all frozen over. A look of utter agony frozen on his face. She nervously laughed and said, " Ahh well Arthur said they weren't doing their jobs right. So he killed him and yelled at us, telling us we'd be doing his job starting today". The snail nodded with a cigar now in its mouth. It let what she said sink in and said, " Aye that sounds like him alright. Shit Arthur, you can't keep killin cipher pol members whenever you want..well no matter. He's probably doing some classified work right now, so relay this message to him. The experiment is going well here based on his design, the samples are more stable eh. Tell him that shipment of gold I sent him was well earned".

The snail hung up after and Lina just stood there with an incredulous expression on her face. She shrugged and went to start leaving the basement when she heard the voices of some marines. " uhh that fucking reeks. Dirty old fuck", said a woman's voice. Heavy set footsteps drew closer as lina set aside her loot, remembering what the snail had said. More reinforcements and gold was being sent there. She crept on her tippy toes and hugged the wall next to the entrance, where some unsuspecting marines were carrying a chest jingling like her sack. " Commodore! Oh Commodore Arthur, sir--"?! The female marine had no chance as Lina's blade flew across her neck, sending the chest to the floor. The man assisting her fell forward. With his foot crushed under the chest, Lina wrenched his throat with her bare hands and slammed his head into the wall. His head was surprisingly fragile compared to most of her opponents,his skull had caved in with a single blow. Which made her gasp too as she looked at her shaking hand. " guess he was a normal dude...wanted to interrogate him".

She wanted to get more swag at that moment, but the sound of others had interrupted her. So the tired little skips grabbed her sack and headed out through the back under the cover of night, to hear the sounds of panicking marines.

-exit-