Tensura Pirates Adventres! - Interlude

The Beast and The Monster

"Just who the hell is that kid!?" Apoo said while holding onto a rock for dear life. He looked to his left, a giant metallic arm dug its fingers tightly into the ground, slowly getting pushed back due to the intense wind, and could get blown away any moment, along with the dust and debris. But he couldn't afford to worry about it; his own life took priority. He had to escape from this place, this island entirely, or else his fate would become like the pool of molten lava where a tiny hill stood moments ago. 

"Worororo, I must admit," Kaido, who had transformed into his gigantic dragon form, said with a hearty laugh. "I knew you were strong, but to come out of my blast breath unscathed; that feat alone puts you above my strongest of commanders and tobi roppo." He fixed his gaze on Milim, who seemed no more than a tiny little dot amidst a pool of lava. 

"Wahahaha, not bad," Milim looked around, a devious smile spread across her face. "That move of yours reminds me of a very special attack I used to have back in the day." 

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Kaido in surprise. "Even though I don't know what exactly your devil fruit is, it is quite clear you don't have any flashy moves or powers. Otherwise, you would have used it by now," he said as he prepared for another blast breath aimed at Milim. 

"Ah, you never know," said Milim as she bent down, dragged her left foot back, and braced herself for impact. "I was just talking to myself." She launched towards Kaido at full speed, shouting 'Have a taste of my Milim Punch!' and clashing. 

BOOM!!!

The sky turned red for a second as the vast flames first burned Kaido from inside and then escaped in all four directions. But that was just the beginning.

"It's not the time to fight amongst ourselves," shouted Apoo as he jumped to the left to avoid a sharp metal spear that was about to pierce his heart. "Or else the island will get destroyed!" 

"Shut up, you damn traitor!" Kid exclaimed, summoning another giant arm of swords and guns and other things and launched at Apoo, Killer following behind with his deadly scythes. "I am gonna break your teeth and rip you to shreds if that's the last thing I do."

"B-but-"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Balls of flame rained down, along with boulders and molten lava. Milim punched Kaido in the face, which sent him crashing down to a big piece of rock. "Ugh!" Kaido shook his head to regain composure, took in a large breath and fired multiple crescent wind blades, an attack he proudly named 'Demolition Gust.'

"Argh!" the attack was a direct hit on Milim, who had no way to avoid it midair. The most she could do was try to block it with her fists raised forward. 

"Did I get her?" Kaido wondered as a cloud of smoke and dust covered her and crashed a few meters away from his face. Kaido had witnessed Milim's extreme durability firsthand and knew full well this wasn't enough to finish off his opponent. The most he could hope for was to have it damaged Milim significantly. 

Kaido rose up in the air and, expecting Milim to come out of the smoke cloud any moment, he prepared to launch his next move. "Demolition Gust!" he fired, but to his surprise, the attack only his rocks and ground. There was no sign of his target. "Where did she go?" He focused his observation haki all around him to locate Milim, but the next thing he heard, scared the living daylights out of him. 

"Looking for me?" He turned around and saw his opponent. Pink long hair waving majestically in the air; a beautiful, mature figure shining with glamorous purple armour, a beautiful face adorned with red sparkling crystal earrings, a wicked smile and eyes glittering with excitement. 

'H-how did this girl get there so quick-' Before Kaido could react, Milim's fist was already a hair's length away from his face. 

"Dragon Haki, full power 'Herculean Milim Punch!'" 

BOOM!

The impact scattered the clouds and shattered the ground. With Kaido at the centre, multiple cracks emerged and rushed in all directions. Fortunately, the island was large enough for the cracks to come to a half before engulfing its entirety. 

"One is a beast and the other is a monster!" exclaimed Apoo as he barely held on to the edge of one of the cracks. He slowly pulled himself up and gasped witnessing the utter chaos and destruction around him. "Don't you see? At this rate, we are all going to get destroyed along with this island!" he shouted at the top of his lungs at Kid, who looked at him as if he was ready to go after his next again. 

"Shut up! You-" 

"Maybe he is correct, Kid," said Killer, grabbing his hand. "We can take care of this traitor later. Right now, we should prioritize our own safety." 

"Tch, fine." Kid finally calmed down and assessed the situation. "Prepare the ship. We are getting out of here." 

"I am glad to know you are reasonable enough to-" 

"This does not mean it's over, Apoo!" shouted Kid, glaring angrily at Apoo. "As soon as we are out of here, I am coming after you," he added in a threatening voice. 

"Fine. Fine. Now then-"

quake

The entire island began shaking vigorously, and a distant laughter pierced the atmosphere. 

"W-what now!?" said Apoo, trembling with fear. "I-is this the end?" 

"Calm down Apoo," said Hawkins, pulling out a tarot card. "Today is not the day for us to face death."  

*

"Wororororo!" A big hand covered with dragon scales rose up from the spot where the huge dragon named Kaido had crashed. "Impressive. Very impressive!" Slowly, the entire figure emerged and jumped up high, landing right next to Milim. The two of them stood facing opposite to each other. None of them spoke a word.  

"It's been so long I had almost forgotten this feeling," finally, Kaido broke the silence. " I have not faced such an opponent in the last 20 years- ever since that samurai Oden. This amazement, this thrill- words cannot explain just how I feel right now! I am truly thankful to you for reminding me of this feeling. " 

"Is that so?" said Milim in an emotionless tone. "Does getting beat up badly by a woman turn you on? I didn't know the king of beasts was such a masochist." 

"Worororo, so not just your appearance but your personality has changed drastically as well?" said Kaido with a smile. "Has the will of your awakened zoan taken over you? But you still seem to be in control for the most part. Or perhaps it is-"

"You can keep guessing for all you are worth," said Milim mockingly, "but I highly doubt that muscle-for-brain of yours can ever come up with a reasonable answer." 

"Fine," said Kaido lifting up his weapon. "Fighting suites me more than thinking anyway. Well then, I guess it's time to get serious." 

"You better be," said Milim while clenching her fist. "Unless you wish to die."

"I will be happy if you could grant that wish." 

Both of them turned around at once, staring at each other. Their faces looked determined as if saying they won't stop until one of them reaches their end. 

Author's note: Another random whim of mine. Enjoy the chapter. 

Also, I am in need of a new beta reader. If anyone is interested, join my discord. Link in the profile. Thanks for reading.