Chapter 104: Scattered to the Winds
"The reports about your sturdy body weren't exaggerated I see. Although it was only a probing strike, your skull wasn't damaged in the slightest." Borsalino said in his slow cadence whislt looking down at Cherry.
"Cherry!" Robin shouted. Her first instinct was to restrain Borsalino or to move Cherry away from him, but her logical mind knew it to be pointless to try against Borsalino's speed. She could only watch in abject horror.
Cherry twisted her body around and swung her arm in a strange manner. Borsalino watched it happen curiously. It was too slow and the trajectory of her arm wouldn't even reach him from that position, so he wondered if perhaps he'd put her in a state of confusion due to brain trauma.
Suddenly his eyes widened as his haki warned him. He quickly leaned backward as a haki coated spear pierced the air where his head just was. If he'd been a moment slower, he would be very dead right now. Of course, a moment for Borsalino might as well be a millenia.
*CRASH*
Cherry was kicked in the ribs and smashed into the trunk of a nearby mangrove tree, breaking it in half. No one even knew what had happened before the sound reached their ears.
"Oh my, that was dangerous. You almost got me there... sort of. Does your Fusion Fruit let you store weapons inside your body?" Borsalino asked, not expecting an answer.
Borsalino raised his arm and an enormous collection of light appeared in his palm, ready to fire directly at Cherry's position. The others could do nothing to help her, they were preoccupied with their own battle and lacked the speed.
*PEW-BOOM*
However, the laser didn't hit Cherry. It was deflected at the last second as Borsalino's arm was kicked off target by Rayleigh.
"Oh, you're making an appearance? Dark King Rayleigh." Borsalino said, unfazed at being stopped.
"You shouldn't be plucking young sprouts, their time is only just beginning." Rayleigh said with a menacing smile.
While Borsalino and Rayleigh had their little chat, Cherry dug herself out of the pile of broken tree trunk pieces. Her ribs were broken on the right side, but she was otherwise okay due to her split second application of armament haki.
"Everyone! Scatter, only think about getting away!" Luffy made the wise decision to retreat with all haste.
Cherry called her sword back to herself from the twitching pacifista on the ground. Another pacifista landed nearby, causing Cherry to wonder just how many of them they had made.
Chopper took his Super Rumble Ball and grappled with the new pacifista in his semi- awakened form.
Cherry wasn't interested in the pacifistas though, she was interested in the original who showed up soon afterwards. Bartholomew Kuma landed in front of Cabernet, Zoro, Sanji, Brook, and Usopp. He took off his glove and slammed his palm towards Zoro.
Cabernet tried to grab Zoro and yank him out of the way, but she was a bit too slow. Both of the vanished into thin air. They couldn't believe their eyes, Zoro and Cabernet were just... gone.
Cherry knew he'd just sent them flying away, so she wasn't panicking. She sent a quick command to Cabernet before she left communication range to not come looking for her. That Cherry would come to pick her up later.
'This is for the best. This big teddy bear is going to make the decision for you, Luffy. You're not ready yet.' Cherry thought. She also knew exactly where she wanted Kuma to send herself as well.
...
On a gloomy island where a country was destroyed by war.
Perona sat on the balcony of a large castle, lamenting the fact that she had no one to serve her, tending to her every need and whim. Her eyes filled with tears as she wished she could go back to Thriller Bark and her captain Moria.
The sound of something crashing into the ground was heard in the distance. Perona instantly recognised it as someone else being sent here by Kuma and became excited at the prospect of getting a new servant.
She flew over in her ghost form for safety's sake. What she discovered shocked her to the core.
"Roronoa Zoro?! And... Um... Hello again..." Perona was annoyed to see the green haired swordsman as he definitely wouldn't agree to be her servant. Then she changed her tune really quick when she noticed Cabernet was with him as well.
"Oh, it's the cute pink girl!" Cabernet gave a bright smile.
"Kya! T-that's not fair! You're cheating by smiling like that, damn it!" Perona squealed, then
took a force gruff tone to hide her embarrassment.
"Why are you screaming like that? Shut up will you?" Zoro said, waking up from his nap.
"OUCH!"
Cabernet wacked him on the head and pouted. "Don't be rude to Perona."
"What? She's our enemy though- OUCH!" Zoro started to complain before getting walloped
again. 'Damn it, who said that women weren't as strong as men...'
Perona led them back to the castle, forgetting all about getting new servants now that she had
Cabernet all to herself.
"We need to go out to sea immediately!" Zoro complained, seeing Cabernet following
Perona.
Cabernet turned to look at him. "I'm no genius, but I know we aren't going to get back there
any time soon. Staying one night won't hurt."
Zoro wanted to argue more, but what she said was true. His best shot at going back was with Cabernet anyhow, so he could only play along.