One Piece Fan Fiction / Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ The Ultimate Cruise ❯ Control - You Can Only Save Yourself ( Chapter 20 )

DISCLAIMER: I do not own One Piece, Teen Titans, or any characters or elements contained within. I believe these can be credited to the geniuses Eiichiro Oda [author and artist of OP], Marv Wolfman and George Perez [respective author and artist of The New Teen Titans comic of the eighties], and Glen Murakami and his talented crew [the staff of the Teen Titans animated series, the Titans version which this story is based off.] Thanks for developing these wonderful characters I have the pleasure of using in this story!

 

Any original characters—and everything about them—belongs to Pivitor. Remember it!

 

 

The Ultimate Cruise:
One Piece meets Teen Titans

 

Chapter 20: Control—You Can Only Save Yourself

 

Her mind was dazed, her senses fading in and out like a radio with no reception. She could feel the draft from the cold underground cavern, but seconds later that would fade out, soon replaced by the vague sounds of her own footsteps. However, she had no control of her actions—or of her malfunctioning senses—anymore. Her body was no longer her own.

 

All she had left were her thoughts, which kept replaying her downfall in her mind. Her betrayal, the kindness she just couldn't resist falling for, and eventually that calamitous final battle. She'd lost it, and with it went her control—she belonged to Slade now.

 

No—she had given herself to him ages ago. As much as she hated to admit it, she had willingly given away her own control. She had done too much wrong to make up for her mistakes now.

 

She was paying the price for her stupidity.

 

 

 

“That merman wanted to run, but no! I, Captain Usopp, cornered him with a wall of fire from my Flame Stars!” Usopp was somewhat hunched as he walked along, his balled fists held in front of his head as his face was illuminated in joy. “He begged for mercy, but I wouldn't let him trick me! As he—”

 

“Enough, dumbass.”

 

Sanji lifted his heel from the back of his comrade's head. The cook seemed strangely unaffected as he took a drag of his cigarette, not caring if he'd hurt the liar or not. “You know that story's not true.”

 

Usopp didn't have a response, seeing as he hadn't finished twitching on the ground yet.

 

After walking a few feet without Usopp by his side the pirate finally realized that he wasn't there. “Oh come on…” Strolling back to the fallen sharpshooter's side, Sanji could see the sides of his mouth arcing into a small smile.

 

“Think you're clever?” Sanji grunted as he leaned down. “Well, I'm not carrying you.” Suddenly Usopp felt his long nose being squeezed—then yanked. The sniper cried in surprise as he was lifted into the air—by his nose—and pulled along. His legs dragged across the ground.

 

“Put me down! I can walk, Sanji!”

 

“Sure, now you can.” The cook sighed, not releasing his grip as he tapped ashes from the death stick dangling between his lips with his free hand. As he trudged on the complaints from the captive pirate didn't end.

 

Suddenly, the one visible eyebrow of the chef perked as he saw an end to the tunnel. “Look, there's a cavern ahead. If you're really that tired we can rest there for a while.”

 

“Thank you Sanji!” Usopp exclaimed boisterously, though his voice was mangled by the vice-like grip closing his nasal passages. However, they hadn't yet reached the cavern before he found himself face-first on the floor—again. “Sanji?”

 

As the sniper's gaze moved from the dirt beneath him to his shipmate, he could see the cook's body wiggling as if he had ants in his pants. Hearts exploded from Sanji's eyes as his jaw dropped into a cutely perverted position.

 

“Terra-chaaaaaaan!”

 

Sanji dashed forward in a hormonal rage, and his exclamation propelled Usopp to his feet. He pulled down one of the lenses of his goggles, and as its magnification zoomed in it left no doubt in the liar's mind. That was definitely Terra.

 

She stood alone in the cavern, her gaze transfixed upon the entranceway where they now stood. Her delicate, golden locks hung over her face, concealing one of her eyes—like Sanji or, more appropriately, Slade. An unusually malevolent smile adorned her lips, and her body was already poised to attack. Occasionally a blue spark would travel across a part of her body, usually followed by a twitch in the girl's eyebrow.

 

Usopp couldn't believe his luck to run into her here—both good and bad, depending on how it was viewed. What…what would he say to her?

 

His friend, however, seemed to have no such trepidations. “Don't worry, Terra-chan! Your prince is coming!” he cried as he dashed across the cavern.

 

However, the phrase had barely left Sanji's mouth before he had been toppled onto his back. The dirt beneath him exploded into the air in a flash of yellow, knocking the pirate's feet out from under him. The uprooted stones now flew forward, targeting the other Straw Hat.

 

Unlike his crewmate, however, Usopp was prepared. Both lenses of his goggles had been pulled over his eyes, and already his slingshot was in-hand and aimed. “Killer Move Explosive Star!” The echoing sounds of snapping rubber filled the cavern as the sniper fired several times in succession, successfully shattering the rocks.

 

Usopp sighed as he lowered his weapon. Sanji's hormones were obviously clouding his vision; he, on the other hand, could see quite clearly. The malice on Terra's face was plain as day. His crewmate may have been ready to save a damsel in distress, but he had to be prepared to do the unthinkable. He had to take down his friend!

 

A smile was still on Sanji's face as he leapt to his feet, seemingly unfazed. “I'm happy to see you too, Terra-chan!” Terra could only look on as he brushed the dirt from his black pants. “Let's go back to the others now!”

 

“Back?” Terra finally spoke, her voice becoming more malicious then her friends ever thought possible. “You expect me to just come back with you and those other childish fools?! I'm going back to Slade, with your two dead bodies as presents.”

 

A yellow aura engulfed her delicate frame as she thrusted her arms into the air—in response, the ground before her uprooted and soared towards Sanji. However, they never had a chance of hitting their target, which had quickly leapt above the projectiles. As he fell back to the floor he twisted his body, easily swinging his legs into the remaining rocks before landing without a scratch.

 

Not letting him get away that easily, Terra now pulled her arms back to her side. The ceiling rumbled, and in a flash of golden energy a large chunk of it hurled down towards the cook. Sanji never missed a beat, however, and even though his eye was locked only on Terra he was already prepared to counter.

 

“ANTI MANNERS KICK COURSE!”

 

The stone shattered around the pirate's body, pebbles crumbling from the sole of his shoes. His leg pointed straight into the air—parallel with his body—at a ninety degree angle. It was a feat impossible for a normal human, but as Usopp so often pointed out, Sanji wasn't human: he was a monster.

 

Remnants from the shattered boulder again took flight, coming at the chef from all around him. Faster than the blink of an eye Sanji was standing on his hands, legs split as he span like a helicopter blade. No rock could penetrate a defense like that, and in another nearly-instantaneous movement he was back on his feet, looking oblivious to the threat as he toyed with his cigarette.

 

Terra screamed, obviously frustrated not only by the failure of her attacks, but also by her opponent's indifferent stance on it all. The ground and walls behind her were suddenly split as countless shards of stone shot towards Sanji.

 

Sanji's eyebrow perked as if he had noticed he was even being attacked for the first time. He lifted his right leg into the air, as steady on one leg as he would be on two.

 

“Nouilles amarrons!” he announced. As the first layer of rocks was about to hit his raised leg turned into a black blur, batting back and forth with the speed of a hummingbird on a sugar rush. The barrage rushed on relentlessly, but Sanji's leg lashed about with equal resolve. In the end it triumphed, and the sides of the cook's lips curled into a smile as he returned to equal footing.

 

“Stop playing around, Terra-chan.” Sanji petitioned. “We can take Slade. Stop taking his commands and come back to us—” his serious tone suddenly fluctuated as hearts bulged from his eyes, “—cause I miss you, my loooove!”

 

“You can take Slade?” Terra seemed to take amusement in his speculation. “Funny, it doesn't even seem like you can take me!” Before the taunt had even left her lips the ground beneath Sanji shook, and suddenly a pillar of stone emerged, rapidly carrying the cook towards the ceiling.

 

With one adept cartwheel Sanji had leapt over the edge and off of the tower. However, a move like that was expected. A portion of the pillar behind him snapped free and barreled into the cook's back. Blood and a scream escaped from his lips, but he didn't let this deter him for long as he slipped on top of the projectile, planning to ride it to wherever it may land.

 

Crouching low, Terra escaped into the air atop a floating stone, leaving the barreling pillar no target; unless its course was changed! Slipping off its side, Sanji span in midair and planted his heel into the back of the slab. Surprisingly it didn't shatter, but just enough force passed through it to send it careening on a new course.

 

With one miraculous shot Terra's transportation had been knocked from under her.

 

Still, she managed to land unharmed, with the poise of a true professional. However, her perfect landing had put her in a less-than-perfect situation. Sanji stood directly before her—far too close for comfort.

 

“Relax,” Sanji grinned, “I could never lay a finger on a lady.”

 

Suddenly shifting his weight to the side of his foot, he dug the edges of his shoes into the floor. With a spin he uprooted some dirt, and it flung to the traitor's face. She gasped, no doubt more in surprise than pain, and was driven backwards as he continued his unusual attack.

 

“So what then?” Terra suddenly asked. Her opponent had already launched another attack, but it only froze in midair. “You're going to subdue me with an element I have control over?” The dirt reversed its course, hurling into the cook's face, and it was quickly followed by the rest of the dirt that had covered her body only moments before. She regained her previous composure now as a wave of her arm finished the combination, and drove Sanji into a wall.

 

“Killer Move…”

 

The Earth-mover's head perked, and the sudden realization of what that meant sent it turning about, frantically trying to find the sniper's location.

 

“Explosive Star!”

 

Of course, the sound of Usopp's voice finally helped Terra locate her former friend. He had climbed up some machinery to a catwalk close to the ceiling—just a tiny portion of the many mechanisms that ran Slade's hideout. A wall of stone rose as a shield, but by then it was too late. The tiny projectile had been faster than Terra's reflexes, and it collided with the girl with a tremendous boom.

 

She stumbled backwards, smoke billowing from her tiny body, but already the Earth around her was retaliating. The space between Usopp and Terra filled with dozens of razor-tipped stones, each teeming with Terra's desire to crush the long-nosed fool.

 

Usopp screamed, throwing back his arms as he dashed to the side—and promptly tripped over his own shoelaces. However, that bumbling maneuver sent him soaring further than he could have imagined, and though the sniper landed face-down he had cleared his opponent's deadly barrage.

 

“Again!” He cried, not even bothering to stand as he fired another pellet of gunpowder. Of course, this time Terra was ready—and had already seen the attack once. Her barrier of stone snapped as it soared into the air, and only moments later it had exploded into pieces.

 

Usopp's face brightened. “Cactus Star!”

 

In a flash, what looked like one of the disheveled pebbles from her shield exploded. However, it didn't take Terra more than a second to deduce that it was a second projectile, fired almost immediately after the explosive star. She had given it cover!

 

There was barely even time to cover her face—and certainly not enough to summon a defense—as the myriads of green needles from Usopp's Cactus Star tore into Terra's skin. Teeth gritted, she hissed as her body took the attacks. Her yellow aura crawled up her entire body, glowing with the intensity of a star.

 

“Give it up Terra.” The girl lowered her arms to see Sanji standing before her, his suit battered but his demeanor untouched. Even his damned cigarette still dangled between his fingers. “We aren't going to let you hurt yourself anymore!”

 

“That's IT!” Terra's one visible eye snapped to the size of a saucer, her eyebrow arching angrily above it. Her aura began sparking, rays of its vibrant light dancing across the room. The needles protruding from her body were instantly petrified, and they shattered seconds later. “Don't you get it?! I'm only hurting you!”

 

The former Titan pulled her arms behind her head and, with the mighty scream only she was capable of, she slammed them to the ground. The floor split, the fissure led by a golden stream of Terra's power. Just the aura was enough to sweep Sanji off his feet and into the far wall without a moment between the two positions.

 

However, even as the cook was stopped by the wall of stone the aura continued its trip, coloring that entire corner of the room yellow. Terra's power gave those walls a life of their own as they pulled from the walls and into ghastly shapes.

 

“Damn,” Sanji growled as he stumbled onto his feet, holding his head. “When did she get that much po—”

 

The pirate's cigarette hit the ground as he soared far above it, and the leg of stone that swept his former location. From his vantage point he could count three of the creatures; standing probably four times Sanji's height, the stone monsters were vaguely humanoid. They were also far faster than their bulk suggested—as Sanji's forced mid-thought flight gave evidence to.

 

Before he could launch an attack of his own, Sanji felt his ribs being crushed. The second creature pulled its arm back from where it had left its opponent; the cook's blood still smeared the beast's limb. The other two abominations threw punches, and their straight-forward attacks were a welcome change of pace.

 

Pushing his hands into the wall behind him Sanji flipped just over the two stone fists, and the force of their attacks was more than sufficient fuel for a tremendous somersault.

 

“Concasse!” The somersault fizzled as the acrobat planted his heel into the head of the furthest beast; stone crumbled as it staggered backwards, but only for a second. Even as its “brothers” dashed in to rescue it the creature had already recovered, so the meeting of the three monsters instead turned into a joint attack.

 

The floor around him became a small crater. Sanji was finally showing the scars of this battle, his body trembling as he called on every inch of his super-human stamina.

 

“This is perfect.” he sighed as he spat blood to the ground besides him. “Two I could handle, but three of these shit-heads surrounding me all the time is going to be a challenge.”

 

 

 

How could Terra possibly get that much power?! Usopp thought, subconsciously stepping backwards as he trembled at the sight of his crush's new attack. Even if she was training with Slade, you'd think we would have seen some sign of her full power before this!

 

“Now it's your turn, long-nose!” Terra cried. Already a several-ton boulder was heading his way. The sight of the attack snapped Usopp's attention back to where it should be. He had already chosen his next bullet before he had even seen his opponent's offensive, but now it only made the decision even better.

 

“Killer Move…” Pulling back on the elastic of his sling, Usopp slipped in a rather large projectile. It was shaped like a boomerang, and only the end fit into the slingshot. “…Shooting Stars!”

 

The L-shaped star spiraled through the air and straight towards the boulder; it seemed Usopp's technique was no match for the other, until it suddenly split. With a hissing sound the shooting star split like a banana being peeled, and now there were about a dozen L-shaped projectiles soaring towards the stone.

 

If that wasn't enough, the shooting stars next sliced that boulder into pebbles. Their insanely sharp edges glinted as they hurled past the wreckage they caused and towards Terra.

 

A wall of stone was the defense the girl provided, but the unstoppable projectiles made scrap of it as well and only grew ever closer to their target. Panic crossed Terra's face, but only for a second. It was gone as soon as she swung her arm before her, and sent a volley of stones hurling horizontally through the air.

 

This time when they collided stone wasn't shredded. An attack from the side allowed the stones to ground the projectiles, which didn't have blades on their sides.

 

Terra released a long-pent breath as she gazed at the remarkable weapon. “Wha—what are those things?”

 

Usopp's resolve slipped away as he began shaking; he even gripped the pole of the catwalk for support. “You don't know?” He took a deep breath as all his plans and strategies shattered. “Then I guess that explains it all.”

 

“What's that, Usopp?” Terra asked. The sniper jumped; he had been assembling his supplies for the final assault, and with his concentration on that he'd never even heard the object of his affection approaching.

 

“You mean this?” he asked, picking up a boomerang-like bullet. Terra nodded as he handed it to her. “I call it the shooting star. It's made of promethium metal—nearly unbreakable, and its edges'll cut through almost anything! Plus, it splits apart into a bunch of smaller ones!” He patted his fist on his chest. “A fitting weapon for Captain Usopp, made by Captain Usopp himself!”

 

The Titan laughed and rolled her eyes. “A weapon made of the strongest—and most expensive—metal of our world? Yeah, I bet it's all your idea.”

 

The sniper's brown skin changed to a scarlet hue. “Hehe…I guess Robin helped me a little.”

 

“I'm guessing he helped you a lot.” Terra concluded, giving her friend back his new weapon as she stood up. “Whatever, at least it should help you out.”

 

Usopp's eyes were locked on Terra; he shuddered as he watched a blue spark crawl up her arm. You were right, Terra, he thought, it really was a big help! There can't be anyway for you to have forgotten that weapon already!

 

A falling rock knocked his thoughts from his head, and as the coward raised his eyes he was horrified to see the entire wall behind him caving in! The catwalk was ripped from its joints and shredded in the falling pile of stones. Even Usopp's screams were swallowed up by the avalanche.

 

“And that's that.” Terra said, her voice almost too smug. She turned her back, wiping her palms together as she prepared to face her next threat.

 

“No…it isn't.” The traitor gasped, spinning wildly. A figure stood before the avalanche, the stones around him strewn about. Blood leaked down his body like a crimson fountain; mixing with the purple of his numerous bruises it made a beautiful sight, until the pain it indicated was remembered. He still clung to his slingshot doggedly as he worked up the strength to again speak.

 

“I'm far from finished…Slade.”

 

Terra snickered, her voice changing as she did so. “You're not as dumb as you look.” Usopp could only shudder as he saw the girl he loved being controlled. With his identity revealed, Slade no longer tried to hide his influence over his apprentice. Her body took on the more confident posture of the madman, and while her voice remained Terra's, it still gained his vengeful air. “Well, I'm glad I wasn't that good at acting like a teenage girl after all.”

 

“Why…why are you doing this to her?” Usopp asked. “Were you controlling her all along? It was you who made her betray us, wasn't it!”

 

“Nonsense.” Slade snapped. “She was my apprentice long before you met her. However, she did make the mistake of trusting all of you. She decided to try to take me down herself, not only to prove herself to her `friends' but to finish off me and her life of crime for good.

 

“However, she had made a promise. Terra promised me her power for my control, so when she lost our battle that's exactly what I gave her. I think I make much better use of her abilities.”

 

Usopp staggered backwards, as if the story itself caused him pain. “You…you can't do that to her!”

 

“Watch me.”

 

Suddenly the ground beneath the pirate erupted, and Usopp found himself being pushed through the air by an arcing pillar of stone. Almost as abruptly as his little trip had begun, however, it ended—the pillar crumbled around the sniper as he laid face-down, twitching on the ground.

 

However, this was nothing to the great Captain Usopp! “Egg Star!” he cried, flinging his next projectile as he stumbled to his feet. A stone erupted from the ground, easily stopping the bullet in its path. Looking through Terra's eyes, Slade laughed as he saw the yolk dripping down the rock.

 

“Hardly an effective attack.” he taunted. “Are you giving up?”

 

“I can't attack you without hurting Terra!” Usopp cried. “Terra, I know you can hear me! Please, you can't let Slade do this to you anymore! Yo—”

 

His plea was interrupted as the ground beneath of him rose, driving itself into his gut and sending him soaring. Slade still laughed in his apprentice's voice, as yellow energy flickered on the ends of her hands.

 

“I'm afraid she has no choice in the matter.”

 

Even as his blood leaked from his body Usopp dragged himself to his feet anyway. “You do have a choice Terra! You chose to let Slade control you from the start, and you can't let it continue! It's your body, your power! No matter what he's doing to you, you can't let him keep doing it!”

 

Terra's body moved forward, but before Slade could do whatever he was planning he was stopped in his tracks. The Titan's body shook as if warring between two masters—and as the struggle continued more and more electricity began crawling up her body.

 

“No!” Slade cried. “I won't let you regain control!”

 

“Yes! You can do it, Terra!” Usopp took another deep breath, but before he could call out again his attention was stolen by a blood-curdling scream.

 

“GAAAAH!” The three stone monoliths stood firm, their fists all connecting. As they backed up Sanji fell from between them, landing on the ground with a loud thump.

 

“Sanji!” Usopp turned in the direction of his crewmate, elastic on his slingshot already pulled back.

 

“How foolish to take your eyes away from your opponent.” A small stone flew into the sniper's head; a second hurled into his gut, while a third knocked him off his feet. Terra's body stepped into his line of vision, now covered by a perpetual halo of blue. “You actually had her fighting back. I'm impressed. But her power can't overcome my control—with or without your coaching.”

 

Tears welled in Usopp's eyes. He started to whimper as his now blurring vision moved from Terra to Sanji—who was now being swept up into the lumbering hand of one of the stone creatures.

 

“You can't save them both.” Slade taunted. “Actually, now you can't even save one of them. You can't even save yourself.”

 

Gritting his teeth, Usopp's body shook as he made his move. “You—you're wrong!” Suddenly his arm flung from his bag, unleashing a fistful of his bullets. “Smoke Stars!”

 

Plumes of smoke erupted from the projectiles, shrouding the two foes in a thick field of white vapor. Slade was enraged by the continued resistance of this pest, and even as his vessel coughed from the smoke filling her lungs her powers were coming to life.

 

“Enough!” He cried as the body he controlled threw its arms back. The dust around Terra took flight and span around her, creating a dust storm that easily dispersed the smoke.

 

Usopp stood firm as his cover was blown away. The elastic of his slingshot was pulled to its limits; an almost luminous blue-white arrow sat in it. The sniper finally had his bearings, and even though he knew his opponent's abilities would easily get rid of his cover it had given him enough time to save his friend.

 

“Robin, I hope this works as well as the last one.”

 

Usopp still held one of the Shooting Stars in his hand. “Are you sure you want to give these to me?”

 

“Sure.” Robin smiled. “You seemed to really like them, and it's not like I've really had much of a chance to use them myself.” The boy wonder removed his utility belt, laying it across his work table. He then moved to a shelf on the wall; it was filled with Redbird boomerangs and explosive disks, and the one next to it held his staffs and tomfas. “I need to refill my belt, but you can look at anything you want.”

 

“Actually,” Usopp paused, prompting Robin to give him his attention. “Those ice thingies you used on Smoker. I'd really like to have something like that; but not a gift! I want to be able to make as many as I want, from my materials!”

 

Robin laughed. “Makes sense. Come on, let's see what we can do.”

 

“Killer Move…Ice Star!”

 

Elastic snapped as Usopp sent the projectile soaring towards the stone monolith that now held Sanji in its grip. The creature's back split as the arrow sunk into it; almost instantly the area around the projectile froze and shattered. The abomination staggered backwards as blue spread up its body, until finally the entire creature had shattered into nothing more than a pile of ice shards.

 

Finally free of his opponent's grip, Sanji landed on the ground gracefully. “Thanks Us—Usopp!” His gratitude quickly turned to panic as he saw the fate that had befallen his comrade. As he took a step forward the chef's path was quickly blocked by the feet of the remaining stone monsters—feet that quickly swung forward.

 

Growling, Sanji leaped into a powerful straightforward kick that sent its target reeling.

 

“Mouton Shoot!”

 

 

 

Usopp heaved a sigh of relief as he saw Sanji's captor crumble into icy dust. Well, I sure showed Slade! That's one friend Captain Usopp saved; time for the other!

 

However, the braggart was in mid-turn as the ground beneath his feet upturned itself, ensnaring his feet. Usopp screamed, but before he could do anything else two more pillars of dirt shot up, ensnaring his wrists as well. They squeezed the pirate's limbs in a merciless grip; Usopp's hands shot open and his slingshot fell to the ground.

 

“That was a sneaky move.” Slade said, pacing forwards towards his capture. “It was also futile. You think your friend will fare better against two opponents then he did three?”

 

The electronic halo continued to spark up Terra's body as her hand rose into the air. Chunks of stone floated above Usopp, combining together into a spear-like rock. It was a blade that could pierce the captive pirate's very life.

 

“Your cowardice is almost as annoying as your tenacity.” Slade growled. The floating weapon began to tremble as Terra's hand balled into a fist. Her face contorted into the malevolent grin you'd imagine Slade wore beneath his mask. “They shall both come to an end here!”

 

Usopp's battered body shook as he slowly raised his head. His eyes met with Terra's, and for one split second he saw the true girl within.

 

“Terra…” Usopp coughed as his stone shackles suddenly tightened, but gritting his teeth he carried on anyway. “You…you can't let him do this…”

 

Her grin drooped, and in frustration Slade made her arm lower. However, the rock didn't budge.

 

“Sure you gave him control…but you—you realized what you did wrong! Your mistake…is just a mistake…your loss…is nothing.”

 

Usopp panted, each breath more labored than the last. With pressure building Slade increased his power, and Terra was nearly hidden behind the veil of Slade's control. However, his weapon still didn't respond.

 

“Maybe he gave you control…but it's yours now…it's your power, your control, your body…only you have the right to use it!”

 

The ground around Terra crumbled as her aura expanded. Beads of sweat rolled down her face as her hair started to stand on end.

 

“If you keep letting Slade use you…if you let him kill me…it'll be a bigger mistake than your betrayal ever was!”

 

 

 

As soon as the scream left his lips he knew it was over. Either Terra would pull through or he would die. He didn't want to die. He still had Kaya and the Usopp Pirates back at home, and he hadn't even made it to Elbaf yet. There were his friends who were no doubt fighting for their lives too, and most important of all there was this girl fighting for her freedom just several feet away.

 

He was risking all of that just to save her. He could die, but yet life seemed unappealing without Terra. He would only live on if she could too. He…he would risk his life for her!

 

As Terra's powers struggled for control he felt his strength leaving his body. He didn't have the strength to watch anymore. He had to have faith in Terra. He closed his eyes, confident his friend would prevail, yet prepared for the worse.

 

With this action, he came closer to becoming a brave warrior of the sea then anybody realized.

 

 

 

Finally her senses had fully returned. She couldn't let Slade kill Usopp, and the screams of her friend finally made her realize only she could stop him! So what if she had lost once? Then she had been fighting only to clear her name. This time it was different. This time she had somebody to save. She had somebody believing in her!

 

Usopp was placing his life on the line. She couldn't let that gamble be his end! She had rebelled against Slade in the first place because of the kindness of her teammates, but this was the first time she had seen it so clearly!

 

She finally realized any of her other friends would do the same: especially Beast Boy. How lucky was she to have two friends who loved her so dearly? No matter what happened after this fight, or after this entire incident, these two would forever do anything for her! It was time for her to return their love!

 

Beast Boy's love helped heal her finally feel like she belonged; Usopp's helped her finally realize her true power. She would forever love these two, and it was time to show it!

 

 

 

Terra screamed like she never had before. Her hair stood completely on end as her yellow aura exploded. It flooded through the room, completely wiping out the last remnants of Slade's control. The devices Slade had used implanted within her shattered as the power of the very Earth itself flowed through her, and only seconds later the crystal Mother had given her did the same. The threat looming above Usopp exploded into harmless dust, and the stones binding him also seemingly dissolved.

 

Usopp fell backwards until he felt himself in somebody's arms. Opening his eyes he saw the face of his love; with Slade's control gone, he could finally see both her eyes again.

 

“Terra…”

 

“I know.” Terra smiled. “Thank you, Usopp.”

 

“Bukutereeri Shuuto!” Sanji cried. The two were snapped out of their moment as they noticed their friend slamming his feet into one of the stone monolith's chins, snapping its head backwards.

 

Usopp slowly released himself from Terra's grip and picked up his slingshot. “Looks like those things have a mind of their own.”

 

“I guess so,” she smiled. “I never knew I could even do that until Slade pulled it off. It's gonna be real handy now.” Usopp reached into his bag for another ice star, but his love's tiny arm stopped him. “Save your energy. I can handle it.”

 

A faint trace of yellow appeared around her arm as she pointed to the far wall; three pillars of stone erupted from it and soared straight towards one of the giant creatures. Before it knew what had hit it the obelisks had impaled the stone monster; its remains crumbled into a pile of lifeless rock.

 

Terra moved to do the same to the others, but suddenly fell to her knees instead.

 

“Terra!” Usopp exclaimed, rushing to her side.

 

“I'm fine Usopp.” she sighed. “I guess breaking free from Slade just drained most of my energy.”

 

Upon noticing the defeat of another enemy, Sanji finally noticed Terra. “TERRA-CHAN!” he gushed, hearts gushing from his eyes.

 

Usopp growled under his breath. “I'm fine too, you know!”

 

Sanji dashed forward, proclaiming his love for the now-saved damsel before his path was blocked by the final remaining abomination. “Out of my way! I have to see Terra-chan!”

 

Leaping towards the monster's chest he crossed his arms and span. The creature stopped in its tracks as both of Sanji's feet implanted themselves into its chest.

 

“AVEUGLE RENDEVOUS PILER!”

 

The creature was still frozen in place as Sanji landed behind it, seemingly unfazed. He leisurely pulled his cigarettes from his jacket, lighting one before raising it to his face. It was only when the first puff of smoke left his mouth that the creature shattered, falling to the ground in a million tiny pieces.

 

Terra's jaw dropped to the ground. Usopp, used to the inhuman power of his crewmates, simply growled, “Monster.”

 

“Terra, are you okay?!” Sanji asked, having somehow dashed to her side within the space of a single moment. “Did that idiot hurt you?” He pointed towards Usopp.

 

The Titan laughed. “No, actually he helped a lot. You both did. Thank you.”

 

Sanji actually floated for a second. “Wow, she loves me!”

 

“It was nothing for the great Captain Usopp!”

 

Again Terra chuckled. “You bet, guys.”

 

She sighed, looking happily at her friends. Things were back to normal. She knew it would take a while to regain the Titan's trust, but she hadn't been abandoned by her friends. They were still a family, and this wasn't the end. She had overcome Slade.

 

Never before had she felt so proud to be a Titan and a friend.

 

Next Time: Magic vs. Magic—The Mysterious Bond