Chapter 59: Bear Pirates Defeated!
Seeing Grand topple the large bear, while I could've used that as an opportunity to land a blow on him, I wouldn't have arrived in time before the bear got back on its feet; besides, I was currently running toward Trenza anyway.
"Trenza, I've got a way to defeat him!" Stated Scar as he checked upon Trenza, who was panting while leaning against the railing.
"I-I need to i-improve my e-endurance; I-I can't be getting exhausted f-from a little r-running. A-Anyways, what's the plan, S-Scar? H-How do we beat that M-Man Bear?" Remarked Trenza between her heavy breathing as she glanced at Scar to her right before looking at Grand and the bear fighting.
"I'm sure you've noticed it, but ever since he transformed into a Bear, none of our attacks are doing much damage anymore; my dagger is too short to cause any relevant wounds, and your pistols are practically useless against its skin. However, I'm not sure if you noticed, but when the Bear charged you, one of your bullets happened to hit a wound I previously inflicted on him, causing his leg to buckle slightly." Said Scar solemnly as he pointed at Trenza's pistols and his dagger.
"Y-Yeah, I saw that as well, though, at that time, I was too preoccupied with running for my life; still, even so, it didn't do much damage at all in general. If I want to injure him, I need to use my explosive ammo." Replied Trenza with a nod as she reached into her pants pocket and grabbed several reddish-black bullets about twice the size of standard bullets.
"9. Don't tell me you've only got 9 explosive bullets, Trenza? Don't you usually have a whole box of them?" Asked Scar with a frown as he watched Trenza load the nine bullets into the pistol she uses with her left hand.
"The rest are on the ship in my room, alright? I didn't think we'd have to fight anyone this strong. Father said the South Blue is usually filled with weak pirates, so I thought we'd be fine; this is all I've got." Remarked Trenza defensively as she finished loading her left pistol before looking at Scar.
I was going to say something, but we suddenly heard the sound of something breaking, only for us to look at the fight and see Grand, who was covered in more wounds, getting thrown into the ship.
"Dammit, I'll try my best to make deep cuts; you just make sure to pick your shots carefully, Trenza! I'm going to assist Grand!" Yelled Scar as he dashed toward the Bear.
"Heh, I'd thought you had run away like that cowardly woman over there! Doesn't matter, though; I'm killing you all, and I'll make sure to torture that bitch!" Yelled the Bear as he charged toward Scar.
Seeing the man come right for me, I did something rather risky, and instead of getting out of the way, I continued running for him. Once we got close, he opened his maw wide as he tried biting me, but that's exactly what I was waiting for; not even a second later, a gunshot was heard, followed by the sound of a bullet whizzing right above my head, entering the man's mouth, though it seemed like he didn't notice.
A moment after the gunshot was heard, an explosion happened inside the bear as smoke and fire emerged from his mouth, which I used as a chance not to retreat but instead to get closer. While aiming for his internal organs would be ideal, I didn't have much confidence in being able to make a deep enough wound on his body with just a dagger, and after what Trenza just did, I doubt he'd be stupid enough to open his mouth like that again.
So, I went for the next best option, turning him immobile, aiming for his legs, specifically his joints; I sliced through the leg Trenza, and I had already injured, deepening his wound before cutting his other front leg. After injuring the two legs, I didn't get greedy and swiftly retreated, which proved to be the correct decision, as shortly after I left, he slammed his paw down where I was previously standing, and while he might not have killed me, I wouldn't be far from death.
"ROARRRR!! You fucking fucker! I'm done playing around; I'm killing you!" Bellowed the Bear while smoke still emerged from his mouth as he looked at Trenza before shooting a blast of dense air toward her.
"Heh, didn't I say I wouldn't allow you to touch my Sister!?" Exclaimed Grand with a frown while his large frame came busting through the wall as he appeared right before Trenza, blocking the attack.
"Had a nice nap, Grand?" Remarked Trenza sarcastically as she looked at Grand.
"Eh, I've experienced better; sleeping on a pile of broken wooden planks isn't exactly the most comfortable bed." Replied Grand with a grin, while Trenza chuckled in response.
"Anyways, Grand, you know the deal; just keep that Bear-Man off me while I finish him off." Said Trenza with a smirk as he readied her pistols while eyeing the bear-man.
"Heh, you can count on me!" Stated Grand, ripping off his bloody and torn shirt, revealing a mass of muscles as he charged toward the incoming bear.
With Grand keeping the bear occupied once again, I would dash in there every now and then, injuring the large bear with the sole intention of creating deep wounds, which Trenza would then fire upon with her explosive bullets when given a chance. Although it seemed like we had underestimated his resilience, even after firing at his exposed and injured joints, he could still use them. Granted, it looked like the injuries affected him as his legs would occasionally buckle, causing him to lose his balance and fall onto the deck.
'One in his stomach, one to each of his legs, and one to his anus; Trenza should only have three explosive bullets left. This isn't looking good, but I think we can pull this off, maybe.' Thought Scar with a frown as he used his impressive agility and acrobatics to maneuver through the two behemoths while attacking the bear's already wounded legs.
Although I attempted to increase his already present injuries, I couldn't do much to his legs; his muscles were already very difficult to cut through, let alone trying to slice his bone. Leaving his legs alone, I slid underneath him while stabbing my dagger as deep as I could into his underside, starting from his abdomen down to near his crotch. However, unlike the area around his joints, his abdomen had significantly more muscle, so much so that I couldn't cut through in one motion, and I didn't dare to try for a second time, at least not immediately. Retreating from the bear's attack range, I stood behind Grand, not only as a form of protection but also to speak with him.
"Grand, do you think you can flip him onto his back?" Asked Scar softly, ensuring his words weren't overheard by someone else.
"It'll be difficult, but I can; just give me a second." Replied Grand as he dodged one swipe from the man's paw before counterattacking with two jabs to the face, which the man seemed unphased by.
Nodding my head, I backed away from the two's fight and didn't even bother attacking the bear since I didn't wish to possibly interfere with Grand.
"Heh, Got you!" Said Grand with a bloody smirk as he tanked one of the man's attacks to the face before tightly grabbing his paw.
"This is what I like to call. THE GRAND SUPLEX!" Yelled Grand as he tightly clutched the man's paw while powerfully falling backward, lifting the bear off the ground, over his head, before slamming him onto the deck behind him, causing the entire ship to tremble slightly.
Shaking my head at his terrible naming sense, I quickly dashed toward the two and, without any hesitation, jumped atop the man's large body and started cutting through his abdominal muscles, which were rather thick.
"Grand, hold him down if you can! Trenza, get your ass over here!" Yelled Scar while feeling the bear attempt to get up while roaring in pain.
"Alright, but whatever you're doing, make it quick; I won't be able to keep him down for long!" Replied Grand, hopping onto the bear's neck while holding one paw down as he repeatedly punched him in the face.
"I-I'm coming!" Said Trenza while running toward the three, already exhausted even though she's only taken a few steps.
Not knowing whether I'd be able to cut through his abdominal muscles in time, I focused on making a small hole instead, one big enough just for the barrel of a pistol to shoot through. Once Trenza arrived, I stabbed my dagger right beside the hole I made before going over to Grand and assisting him.
"Hurry up, Trenza! We don't have all day here!" Remarked Scar as he held down the man's other paw with much difficulty while Grand continuously punched him in the face.
"Heh, Good night!" Stated Trenza with a grin as she stuffed the barrel of her left pistol into the hole Scar made before firing three times.
"Run!" Yelled Scar as he, Trenza, and Grand quickly retreated, though they didn't get far enough away in time, causing the explosion to send them overboard.
Falling into the sea, I swiftly surfaced, followed by Trenza and Grand, who were both not too far away from me, all of us looking at the large puff of smoke aboard the enemy pirate ship.
"Haha! Fuck yeah! We just defeated a Devil Fruit user!" Said Grand in excitement, his joy spreading to both Trenza and Scar.
"Damn right, we just did!" Yeled Trenza excitedly as she pointed to the sky and fired off a few rounds.
"That was quite a fight; definitely deserved the victory." Muttered Scar with a smile as he swam toward the ship.