One Piece Fan Fiction ❯ Cursed Island of the Devil Fruit Gods ❯ Execution ( Chapter 8 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Sanji awaited his fate in another cave this time, guarded by several flying Zoan tribe members and still high up enough that he'd die if he tried to climb or jump down. "Shit...I hope Chopper's okay at least..." he sighed. "I'd kill for a cigarette."
"Who's there?" a tiny female voice called from further back in the cave.
"Huh? Chou, is that you?" Sanji stood back up.
"Chou? No, I'm not Chou. Chou is my big sister." the tiny voice said.
"Oh? You're another of Ryuumaoh's daughters?" Sanji walked towards the voice. "He didn't mention you. What are you doing in here?" he asked.
"Daddy keeps me in here. He doesn't want anyone to know about me." the little voice responded.
"I wonder why that is..." Sanji frowned. Just when he thought Ryuumaoh couldn't be a bigger bastard. "What's your name?" Sanji groped around in the dark until he finally found her and patted her head.
"Chiyu." the little girl responded. "Who are you?" she asked him.
"My name is Sanji. I guess I'm what you would call an 'outsider'. So your father is keeping me in here too. But I'll get out soon. He says he's going to have me killed when the sun goes down." Sanji chuckled.
"Oh no! Why does my daddy do such horrible things to people?" Chiyu began to sob softly.
"Hey, don't cry." Sanji hugged her, comforting her. "I'm not going to die. I'm a pirate." he laughed.
"W-what's a pirate?" Chiyu asked curiously, calming down.
"You don't know? You must not get a lot of visitors here. Pirates sail the ocean on ships and fight and go exploring and look for treasure everywhere." Sanji explained. "We are very strong people to have to be able to do that. So I won't die. Your daddy says he's going to make me fight some guy called 'Egetsunai' or something like that."
Chiyu gasped. "You mustn't! You have to run away, Mr. Sanji!" she told him. "Mr. Egetsunai is my daddy's strongest soldier! You won't be able to beat him, he'll crush you like he does to all the other outsiders!"
"What makes you say that? Is he very strong?" Sanji asked, deciding to use her to get some information.
"He is an Anaconda Zoan! He'll wrap himself around you and squeeze you to death and eat you! Or he'll bite you with poisonous fangs!" Chiyu began to cry again just thinking about it.
"Hey, hey, stop crying. I've beaten much stronger opponents than that. I once beat a man who could transform into a wolf and he was a great martial artist; he could move very fast and turn his skin as hard as metal. But I still defeated him." Sanji said.
"Wow...you are strong, Mr. Sanji!" Chiyu said happily. "If you win, I hope daddy lets you go...I don't want him to hurt anyone else!"
"But why does he keep you in here?" Sanji asked her. "Did he feed you a Devil's Fruit as well?"
"No...he didn't...but my mommy did. She fed me the wrong kind...she said she didn't want me to grow up to have to fight. She thought if daddy had me, and I wasn't like him, he might stop fighting the other village." Chiyu explained.
"Is that right? So you are a Paramecian user? And he keeps you prisoner up here. I guess a leader can't afford to lose the support of his people. Don't you worry, Chiyu. As soon as I beat Egetsunai I'm going to escape from here and go find my friends. Then we're all going to come back here and make your daddy and the other village stop all this nonsense. I promise." he smiled.
"R-really?" Chiyu smiled, wiping away her tears.
"Yeah. I can never refuse a lady's request." he nodded.
A dark shadow appeared at the entrance to the cave. "Outsider! It is time." it screeched. Sanji went out to the entrance of the cave and saw that it was a horrible-looking bat Zoan. It swooped up and grabbed him by the shoulders, gliding down the cliff face and into an enclosed area where he and Egetsunai would be battling. The entire village was crowded around to watch, including all of Ryuumaoh's daughters who were looking happy to see Sanji killed for his insults.
"My people, witness this man who dared to dishonor me be killed, his weakness being his own undoing for refusing to embrace us and become one of us!" Ryuumaoh announced. "Egetsunai, come forward!"
The man who had been sitting to Ryuumaoh's right came up towards Sanji. He was a tall, lanky man with very long arms and legs, and a lot of neck. He looked almost to be skin and bones, and his face looked horribly like a flesh-colored skull, very thin and pale, with a crooked grin. His eyes most of all were the most disturbing; they were missing eyelids, he glared at Sanji, his entire eyeballs visible. He looked psychotic and even Sanji was unnerved. A wisp of yellowish-brown hair covered Egetsunai's head. "Let the execution commence!" Ryuumaoh announced from above, soaring around, and diving down right in the middle of where Sanji believed he would be fighting. The ground sank, and Sanji tumbled down into the newly created crater, so that running away would be impossible.
"Okay, Egetsunai. Show me what you've got." Sanji cracked his neck, getting ready for the fight. It wasn't looking good for him. He was edgy from not having a cigarette and he still hadn't eaten anything. And to top it off, he was half-lying to Chiyu; he had no idea how he was going to defeat such a monster.
"As you wish, outsider." Egetsunai cackled, beginning his transformation. His legs melted together and scales sprouted all over his body. His teeth became fangs and his legs lengthened until they were twice as long as his entire body had been. "I will humor you, however, by allowing you the first hit." he invited Sanji.
Sanji stared at the naga-looking man before him, wondering what his game was. "Die by your own mistake then!" Sanji growled. He ran forward and rolled on the ground, using his arms to propel his upside-down body upwards. "MENTON!" Sanji thrust his foot upwards, striking Egetsunai's chin. But his foot slid off harmlessly, as though he was kicking a giant gelatin mold. "What the?!" he fell backwards, landing on his head, to the uproarious laughter of the village watching him.
"Fool. My scales are as slick as a fish's, and slimy to boot. You don't stand a chance against me." Egetsunai cackled.
"Shit..." Sanji rubbed his head where he'd landed. "I have to find a way to land a blow without slipping..."
"Just to be sporting, I'll dry myself up." Egetsunai chuckled, shedding his skin, which disintegrated into dust. "Even I like a challenge. But let's see you try to hit something that moves like THIS!" he darted forward, hitting the floor and laying flat, slithering quickly towards Sanji. Sanji yelped and flipped forward in the air, jumping over Egetsunai's head and running along his body to the other end to avoid him. Unfortunately Egetsunai was as flexible as Luffy, and quickly reversed his front so that he was only feet behind Sanji again.
"Shit!" Sanji jumped off and found Egetsunai coiling around him. Sanji quickly leapt into the air and slid down Egetsunai's back as the naga began to unwind to chase after him again.
"I could keep this up all day, you however are going to tire out soon, aren't you?" Egetsunai taunted Sanji.
"He's not kidding..." Sanji panted. Right now it was all he could do to keep away from Egetsunai's fangs. "He can attack me from both ends. I need some energy and I don't have it. Shit...what can I do?" he said to himself.
Egetsunai laughed and wrapped his tail around Sanji. Sanji attempted to kick his way loose. "You only use your legs to attack? HA! My entire body is a weapon, every part of me deadly. Now feel my power!" Egetsunai held Sanji in place and began to beat him around the stomach, chest and face with his scaly fists, and then tossed him into the edge of the crater, slamming him into the rocks.

Meanwhile Chopper was trying to get Ryuumaoh to reconsider and spare Sanji.
"I do not blame you for his insurrection. He is an unworthy servant of yours and I am doing you a favor by killing him now before he turns against you." Ryuumaoh told Chopper.
"But he won't! He just...he's a little stupid!" Chopper tried to reason with him. "He hasn't eaten in days, he can't fight like this!"
"Well the two of you trounced our hunters yesterday so there isn't any food we can spare to give him." Ryuumaoh laughed.
Chopper stared down into the pit, hoping Sanji was hearing all this. "Oi! Chopper! If they won't give me food, ask if they have any sake!" Sanji called up, dodging some of Egetsunai's tail lashes. "Shit...those are as strong as a Rankyaku..." he repeatedly backflipped to avoid them.
"Please, sir, a bottle of sake if you have any?" Chopper pleaded with Ryuumaoh.
"Sake? What will the purpose of that be?" Ryuumaoh chuckled.
"He...he will be more entertaining that way, all drunk!" Chopper lied. What the hell was Sanji thinking?
"A more entertaining fight...that sounds reasonable. Very well." Ryuumaoh fetched a bottle of sake, a gallon-sized very old-looking ceramic bottle from behind his throne and tossed it to Chopper.
"Sanji!" Chopper dropped the bottle down into Sanji's hands.
"Hold up, Egetsunai. You said you liked a challenge, eh? Want to fight a drunk? They're surprisingly tough..." Sanji tossed the bottle up and down.
"Interesting. If you're merely trying to dull your senses for a painless death I don't blame you. But you'd better put up a good fight or I'm not going to finish you off until I know it hurts you." Egetsunai halted his offensive.
"Cheers." Sanji nodded, gulping the entire bottle of sake in one long drink.
"How did he do that?!" some of the villagers gasped.
"Sanji! Are you okay? You shouldn't drink that much!" Chopper told him.
Sanji tossed the bottle back to Chopper and began to cough and gag. "Ugh..." he said, standing back up, a little lopsided looking, barely able to stand up. "Haven't used this since that last drinking contest with the old man...at least the shithead taught me something that came in handy for once." Sanji remembered one of Zeff's golden lessons.
"Round Two, Egetsunai. Taste a little of the chef's footwork." Sanji chuckled, beginning to spin around as he made his way towards Egetsunai.
"I'm waiting to be impressed." Egetsunai growled, lunging at Sanji with his fangs. Sanji dodged it effortlessly, moving backwards intsead of to the side. "What...?!" Egetsunai snarled. Sanji was zigzagging every which way, stumbling about and prancing, hiccupping and singing to himself. Sanji was moving in such an unpredictable way now, he couldn't tell where to strike nor where Sanji would dodge. As many tail swipes as Egetsunai threw at Sanji, the drunken cook danced around them and backflipped over them, giggling and hiccupping. "Is he doing that consciously...?"
"Come on, come on, lovely ladies, come to me..." Sanji pranced around, drunk as a skunk, humiliating himself almost in a Bon Clay-like fashion. But that was the key to winning his fight.
"How dare you mock me? Fight me seriously!" Egetsunai chased after Sanji. Attempting to coil around him again, Sanji flipped upside down and spun around with his legs whirling like helicopter blades, making Egetsunai howl in pain. "You are still sober enough to fight...what manner of trickery is this?" Egetsunai looked up at Chopper. "What is this he's doing?!" he demanded.
"I have no idea." Chopper shook his head, covering his face as Sanji had completely ignored Egetsunai and had gone to flirt with some of the female villagers who were watching the fight.
"BASTARD!" Egetsunai rushed Sanji, this time grabbing him in his arms and preparing to sink his fangs into Sanji now that there was no escape. "Die..." Egetsunai hissed, his fangs about to tear into Sanji's neck. But at that moment Sanji opened his mouth...and projectile-vomited the freshly-drunk sake waste into Egetsunai's wide-open mouth.
Egetsunai dropped Sanji and began to choke, so disgusted that he vomited himself as Sanji danced back down to the lowest part of the crater. "Ah...that's much better." Sanji sighed. He looked up at Chopper and gave him the thumbs-up. "That sobered me up a little! Time to bring this fight to a boil." he grinned, wiping the excess off of his chin and lips.
"SON OF A-" Egetsunai snarled, but now he wasn't a naga anymore. In his fury he'd gone from half-human, half-snake form to full snake form and was much longer and thicker than before, as were his fangs, and he no longer had any arms.
Sanji had succeeded in his plan. Egetsunai was now unable to hit him for his drunken, unpredictable movements and was so angry he wasn't able to think clearly. Phase three of Sanji's plan was now set in motion; Egetsunai was now bigger, and therefore slower, than before. Sanji's victory was within reach. Jumping onto Egetsunai's back after leaping over his head to avoid a lethal chomp, Sanji jumped up again and thrust downward hard with his feet in a stomp directly to the center of Egetsunai's body. "Milieu!" Sanji shouted, now ready to chain together a string of finishing moves. Egetsunai's tail whipped around to try to slap him off but Sanji leapt up, dodging it, and waiting for it to land on the ground. In the split second it remained on the ground as it crashed through the rocks, Sanji lunged down and struck. Stomping it hard as well, he shouted, "Queue!" Aiming for body parts on a snake was difficult but there were several decisive ones he needed to aim for. Now that Egetsunai's body was badly hurt, his head was the only part able to attack Sanji, and that was where Sanji knew to strike.
"What are you, to have this kind of strength?!" Egetsunai snarled, lunging his head at Sanji. "You cannot be human!"
"I'm a pirate." Sanji smirked, knowing Egetsunai probably had no idea what that was. "That's all you need to know."
Egetsunai didn't like that answer and opened his mouth wide, attempting to devour Sanji whole.
"Croc!" Sanji announced, leaping to the side and kicking one of Egetsunai's fangs so hard it snapped off. Egetsunai screamed as blood began to pour from the oral wound.
Using that distraction, Sanji proceeded to subdue his opponent. "Nez!" He delivered a forward thrusting kick to Egetsunai's nose. "Tete!" He jumped up onto Egetsunai's head and kicked down hard onto his skull, with a slight cracking noise being heard. Jumping back down, with Egetsunai dizzy and disoriented, Sanji wound up for the coup de grace. Putting some distance between them, he started at a run. Leaping up sideway and putting both legs together, he began to spin somewhat like a bullet being fired out of a gun. "Charmeur de Serpent!" he cried, and hit Egetsunai right between those horrible eyes of his. Egetsunai was hit with such force that his entire serpentine body flew backwards and crashed against the wall of the crater. He shrank back into his human form, bloody and broken-looking.
The entire crowd cheered. Ryuumaoh stood up. He couldn't believe what had just happened. "KILL HIM! ALL OF YOU, ATTACK HIM AT ONCE AND DESTROY HIM!" Ryuumaoh roared.
But Sanji had already climbed out and was standing beside Chopper. "Not so fast, chief. I know something you don't want them to know." Sanji grinned.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Ryuumaoh scoffed.
"A little girl told me her daddy was ashamed of her. That he didn't want anyone knowing she didn't...'fit in' around here." Sanji pointed up to the cave where he'd been imprisoned.
Ryuumaoh's eyes widened. "I'll kill you where you stand!" Ryuumaoh lunged at him. But Chopper stood in front of him at the last second and Ryuumaoh held back.
Sanji peeked out. "Chopper and I are walking away from here. Or you lose the loyalty of your people and any hope of coming out on top in this 'war' of yours." Sanji proposed.
Ryuumaoh was fuming. "If I ever see either of you again, consider yourselves cremated." Ryuumaoh turned his back on them. "Let them go and do not follow!" he shouted as the rest of the villagers caught up to them.
"Now let's go find the others before they run into some of these crazies." Sanji said to Chopper as they made their way out of the village. "Ugh..." Sanji's legs gave out and he collapsed against Chopper. Chopper picked him up and carried him out of the village into the jungle, unaware that friends were waiting there for them.