The Power of One Dream (A One Piece x Fairy Tail Story)

Part 9: Battle 2

Cana Alberona stepped through the door into what looked like an ancient forest of enormous trees. She could make out afternoon sunlight peeking through gaps in the emerald canopy far above. The reality that her inherent skills with Fortune-Telling had thus far ill-prepared the rescue party for the trials they had faced within the dark church was disturbing. As if some invisible miasma hung about her in this place, clouding her senses. The further fact that some Magic could fit an entire forest inside a castle chamber astounded her. Like a new type of Lost Magic she hadn't even heard of before. Why were threats to her Guild and her friends never easy to handle?

She almost didn't register when the doorway disappeared behind her, becoming empty air and the back drop of the forest behind her. She was fully alert though when a mystical wall of light emerged from the ground upwards behind her, going around her someway deep into the forest ahead. Then disappeared just as quickly.

And then Cana heard a voice echoing from somewhere all around her, not knowing it was the same voice giving the same instruction as heard by a certain Ice Mage and a flirtatious pirate chef at that same moment in another Magical Chamber. So from what Cana could tell, her opponent was already somewhere here, taking advantage of hiding in the undergrowth. And that she would need to take them down before getting any closer to Lucy.

Cana steadied her breathing and got out her Magic Cards, ready to use her divination in a bid to locate her opponent... when she heard a squeeky toot come from the undergrowth to her far right. Instinctively, she threw a card in that direction. It exploded upon contact with something. And was promptly followed by a high-pitched shriek. A rather familiar shriek followed by the familiar owner of said shriek running out of the undergrowth, desperately extinguishing a flame on the seat of his yellow dungarees.

And then the two locked eyes with each other.

"Ussop???", "Ugghh, Hey Alberona, fancy meeting you here." the Sniper chuckled nervously, putting on a brave face and rubbing the back of his head while trying to draw her attention away from his violently shaking knees. He had of course heard the same ultimatum as Cana and clearly had come to the same conclusion as her. And it seemed he was using whatever ploy at his disposal in a bid to distract her.

Not really a bad tactic. Not that it was going to work either.

"You heard the same as me Ussop. And I don't see anybody else here. And I'll do whatever it takes to save Lucy..." she held up a hand of cards that began to glow with Magic.

".. Whatever it takes."

Ussop gulped and held his hands out in front of him. "Uhuhuh, Now, now.. Alberona.. We can still talk this over like civilised adul-Tamago Boshi (Rotten Egg Star)!!" With astonishing speed for a (relatively) normal looking man, Ussop had whipped something out of his satchel and hurled it at Cana, but not fast enough.

"Wind Edge!" Activating two Magic Cards in her hand, Cana manifested a miniature whirlwind that swept the foul-smelling object into an enormous tree some way. But the stench that wafted her way as it splattered against bark was still enough to make her cover her nose and mouth, gagging.

"AH HAH!! You've left yourself wide open! Now prepare for my highly-explosive.. Dia Bakuhatsu Boshi/Torimochi Boshi (Great Explosion Star/Lime Star)!!" Ussop declared confidently. And with even more astonishing speed, he flung another mysterious projectile in Cana's direction. Fumbling with her deck as she was still using one hand to block out the eggy-odour, Cana just had time to toss another Explosion Card at the projectile. But rather than countering the explosion, her card sliced clean through the projectile... resulting in her getting splattered with an especially viscous green goo.

Struggling to free herself from the goo (and eyes still squinting at the egg-smell around her), Cana pulled some away from her face with a free hand and cast her gaze around. But there was no one else to be seen. Focusing instead on her hearing (after removing a bit more gunk), Cana caught wind of heavy foot-steps behind her, and growing fainter by the second.