Spoiler:

Claud checked his limp arm, trying to move it but the numbness in it had taken effect and for the time being, Claud was carrying around dead weight on his right side. Then again if he could pick up enough speed he could use it as a club well enough, or to block an attack since it was just hanging flesh at the moment. "Oh, you aren't much of a fighter. If that's the case how do you plan on protecting the rest of your crew from villains like me?... Do you know what makes me better than you Jackal? I'm not afraid to be the villain in my story. But you!? You think you're the hero. A hero doesn't go against what the law states. He helps the world thrive in the confines of the law. You're just a selfish bandit and it's your actions that got your friend killed. You're a failure as a Pirate, failure as a Bandit, and most of all, you are a failure as a friend." Claud goaded Jackal, trying to get the Mink to slip up while Claud took a few steps back, all while the good prince shouted from above and behind Claud. A wide grin spread over the evil Cipher Pol agent's face as he took on a dark look. "Oh yes.... And before I forget, didn't you know? You're already famous here. You killed the Prince, along with Gozu. There was really nothing I could do but get a warning out to the general public. Congratulations. Now you and Bazil both are killers of royalty. And trust me. If Bazil doesn't kill the prince and his wife, I will. Right after I kill you."

Claud stopped stepping back, about seven meters away from Jackal and rolled his neck until it cracked. He had seen Jackal's electrical attacks and knew that those and his explosions seem to emulate from his body, his best defense would be distance and counter attacks. His normally big eyes narrowed darkly and the man tilted his head as if telling Jackal to come at him. With one powerful jump of his legs, Claud leap't up into the air, then jumped again, putting himself level with the Prince for a moment. "Dance of Death: Rankyaku barrage!" Claud shouted as he started to fall and kicked out with his left leg, bringing it from his head down, aimed right at Jackal, followed up with a cross kick from his right leg and finished with a dropkick like attack that sent three air blades in Jackal's direction from just a hint of different angles.

As Claud landed he sprang back, expecting a counter if he didn't land a blow on Jackal, and his left hand opened up so that all five of his fingers were stretched out and curled just a bit. If Jackal did manage to close the gap, and Claud expected it, he would wrap his arm in armament haki to try and block whatever came his way while also swinging up to attempt a cut across whatever part of Jackal he could catch!

Skill/Haki:

The challenger slid the woman down off onto the ground and charged at Bazil in a blind rage, his golden crook now covered in obsidian, the act catching the pirates attention. The six five man whipped the cane towards Bazil’s jaw, hoping to shut the pirate up for good, however his weapon was met with the Red devils right arm in the form of a sickle. Effectively catching the weapon in the blades natural curve.

“My name is Talibah Mukarramma Adom Nefertari, the third prince of the royal Alabstan family.” He shouted, all three eyes bloodshot and teeth grit, “I will avenge the deaths of my family today by taking your head!” Talibah grunted, pulling his weapon back and creating space between himself and Bazil, “This place shall be your grave, kingslayer.”

Five meters now separated the two, “A prince, huh?” Bazil snickered, “You guys are like fucking cockroaches, everywhere I go there’s another Alabstan prince.” The pirate remarked, laughing quite boisterously at his own jokes, “I hate to tell ya this, but there’s a new king in town and he aint got no fuckin brats running around.” He mused, whipping his left hand up, taking the form of a large square hammer.

Talibah spun his crook with grace, flipping it between his hands and behind his back like it was nothing. Having been trained by the best fighters in the kingdom from the time he was but a small child, the third prince wa arguably just as skilled as any of his brothers, if not better. “Someone of your class can’t comprehend what it means to be king.” He shouted, kicking off the ground to enhance his approach speed, he spun the crook around, quickly launching the bottom end towards Bazil’s face once more, however this was a feint. The deposed prince’s true target being the pirate’s feet, he hooked the back of Bazil’s ankle and pulled, yanking the Red Devil’s foot out from beneath him. Spinning the blackened crook once more he attempted to land a crushing sledge like blow, using both arms to swing the cane downwards onto the falling pirate. However, before Talibah could strike again and the redhaired pirate hit the floor, Bazil sent his literal hammer fist into the side of the third princes abdomen, the force of which shattered four of his ribs and sent him flying several meters into the cavern wall. The third prince looked up at the pirate, his vision blurred, blood being coughed from the internal injuries. “ I…I’ll…kill you..” He mumbled, his body shaking as he pulled himself up, using the crook for support.

“Well, ain’t you one determined little fucker!” Bazil yelled exuberantly, “You sure know how to die better than yer fuckin daddy!” he followed up, laughing maliciously, drawing a dagger like gaze from all three of Talibah’s eyes.

Talibah spit a crimson loogie onto the cave floor, he stood tall and proud, his golden hoops bouncing in his ears. Gripping the crook firmly he twirled it about once more, his showy attitude bleeding into his fighting style, much like his cousin Mala. “Come, peasant king.” He smirked, berating the Red Devil’s claim of ‘king’. The third prince’s demeanor was much calmer now, his presence was one expected of royalty, once more he danced elegantly with his staff, a vicious tango that when using haki made it more than deadly. Gliding over the terrain effortlessly the prince began to thrust at the Red Devil, in a way much like Mala. Quickly switching to a more slashing like style, similar to that of someone who would use a scimitar, showing his prowess in multiple fighting styles. While Bazil managed to dodge and parry most of these, a few landed their marks though, much to the Red Devil’s pleasure. Blood trickled down from a gash on the pirates left shoulder, along with a few wounds that had reopened from his previous scuffles.



Bazil smile grew larger, his razor sharp teeth in full view, a malicious laughter slithered out. The pirate raised his arms outwards, each in the form of a sickle and hammer, his laugher now roared as the Buki Buki user dashed towards Taibah, quickly slashing at the prince with his right arm, the curved sickle aiming to lop off his head. However, the obsidian crook intercepted the blade before it stuck, though Bazil’s immense strength was quickly gaining the advantage, the cane shaking in the Alabastan prince’s hands. “Tough shit, ya fuck.” Bazil whispered, roundhouse swinging his hammer fist into Talibah’s already damaged left side, once more sending him flying across the room, coughing up blood as he skipped like a rock across the floor, landing a few short feet from his dearly beloved. His three eyes locked on her unconscious body, laying there like a fairytale, a sleeping beauty.

“My…love..” Talibah coughed, reaching out towards the woman, a smile crept upon his face. For a moment, he found bliss looking at her, until it was interrupted by the cackle of a devil. The laughter growing louder by the second as Bazil approached the barely conscious man, Talibah’s blury gaze averted to purple and red blur that was the man he hated with all his heart. While his injuries were grave, he was not quite at death’s door. Yet.

“Hmmmm~..” Bazil hummed mockingly, “Wooow, it’s almost as if you fucked with the bull and got the fuckin horns!” He laughed maliciously, his limbs once again resembling those of a human, standing over the bloodied prince.

Spoiler:

Jackal had easily destroyed Claud's tri attacks but honestly, Claud had expected it. He had expected a lot and didn't plan on letting Jackal get a solid blow on the Cipher Pol leader. As Jackal came rocketing at Claud with an explosion, Claud changed his tactics last second to confuse and counter the mink. "Secret Art: Double Agent." Using his speed, Claud seemingly became a blur for a moment before he split from his own form, leaving a false image of himself in place of where he once was while a second version of himself (The real Claud) appeared just a meter to the left. With his hand wrapped in an onyx black shade of haki, Claud continued to follow through with his attack to strike at Jackal's chest, brunting through the explosion that would surely come from the Mink's chest in order to leave a serious wound of his own in the process. At the same time Jackal's attack smashed through the after image of Claud, causing it to vanish just as Claud started to fall and hit the ground.

As Claud hit the ground the haki around his hand faded and a snarl curled upon his face. The static hurt like hell but thanks to his haki he had just managed to keep himself from going completely numb. "A one trick pony won't get far in the world Jackal. Perhaps, seeing as you're admitting to being a failure, you would like to walk away from this fight now? You've already gotten a higher bounty for killing the Prince and Gozu. Why throw what is left of your life away against me? Besides, if I die, the rest of Cipher Pol comes for you.... and I wouldn't want a few of those leaders on my trail." Claud tried to reason, if for no other reason than to buy a bit of time for his hand to stop being numb. Carefully he started to take a few steps back while putting a moments worth of attention on the fight brewing between the Prince and Bazil.

Claud was no fool though and kept the majority of his attention on Jackal who would likely start to attack again, after all Claud had apparently killed some team mate of his that didn't seem to matter in the grand scheme of things. "Go home Jackal, recover and grow. Find Pluton and keep it safe. I don't really care, use it to attack someone you hate. Just know that the World Government will come for you when you use whatever Pluton is." Once again Claud started to walk, strafing closer towards the pillar of stone that made up the glyph that Jackal's men once stood upon. If Jackal came at Claud, Claud would attempt to evade Jackal and get him to attack the glyph behind Claud.

Skills and Haki:

Bazil looked down at the bloodied prince, his eyes bloodshot and crazed, his devilish grin in full bloom. This was a man who’s sole focus was on the absolute destruction of the former kings bloodline, in his moment of sociopathic bliss, a voice called out to him. Shattering his zen like moment, Jackal stood behind him, the bodies of his friend Amalia and the marine captain Bazil had killed just before slung over his shoulder. His voice was commanding, his word choice bold, the young mink had requested his help and now ordered him to cease before the demon had its fill. “The fuck do you mean..?” Bazil snapped, his razor teeth gritting against one another, not only did Jackal demand he not kill Talibah, he now wanted the pirate to save him? This was the son of the man whom he overthrew, the man he slaughtered like a dog on his own throne. Now his deposed son shows up claiming vengeance and wanting to be king, spitting on Bazil’s claims. No. The pirate thought to himself, there must a punishment.

Jackal had called down the crab with tongue clicks, Ezekiel who had avoided battle entirely was already on board, he called out to Yasuke for him to climb on. Though the samurai looked onwards at Bazil, knowing full well the pirate was having trouble sorting out the current situation. “Young Lord!” The cook called out, magnifying his already booming voice with his monstrous hands, “Even a king knows when to show mercy to those who have wronged him! Make the honorable choice!”

The Red Devil stared viciously at Talibah, a man who was in and out of consciousness, Bazil stuck out his right arm, elongating it into a headsmans axe head. In one fell swoop, the pirate dropped the giant axe blade atop the third prince’s knees, effectively removing bot of his legs from the joint down. Talibah wailed out in pain clutching his thighs, as he moaned, Bazil turned his left hand into a flame throwers nozzle, holding it up to the axe head he began spraying flames onto the side of until it, after a few seconds it glowed red hot. All the while the prince continued to lose blood, his frantic wife grabbing at the dying man, “Move.” Bazil mumbled to the woman, giving her a deathly glare, placing the blazing hot axe blade to the open wounds, cauterizing the stumps. The princes screams quickly subsided as he passed out from the pain, the princess screamed and cried, using every known insult to describe the demon pirate, “This… This was an act of kingly fuckin mercy..” The pirate mumbled to the woman as he knelt down and slung the damaged man over his shoulder.

Yasuke rushed over to Bazil, taking the legless Talibah in his giant arms, “Thank you, young lord..” The samurai said, his tone full of sadness, as his idea of mercy was much different than his captains. As he took the injured prince aboard the crab, the sound of metal scrapping the ground could be heard, the princess has taken up a dead marines blade and pointed at the Red Devil, the blade shaking in her hands like a leaf in autumn. “Please! Don’t do this miss!” Yasuke shouted from the crab, “Pleas-…!” But it was too late, Princess Nefertiti charged the warhead, blade outstretched in front of her, she clumsily covered the seven meter gap between them and with all her might, plunged her blade in Bazil’s stomach. Though, the blade only managed to penetrate a few inches deep, blood ran down from the wound located in the pirates lower right abdomen, just inches above his cock. Yasuke's face was a clue to how this was about to play out, wearing fear like the latest fashion accessory, the samurai knew the storm that was about to come.

Bazil looked down at the marine saber that skewered him like a piece of meat and the small woman who held it, “Do you feel better now?” The pirate questioned, his tone was dark and ominous, holding up his hand he placed his right index finger to the woman’s forehead and finger gunned her dead, the bullet piercing straight through he pretty skull, her body hit the ground with a thud, “Hope it was worth it..” He mumbled quietly, returning his finger to normal and turning back to the crab, greeted with the shocked faces of those behind him, Yasuke, after gathering himself laid Talibah in the basket and returned for his wife's body.

Without a word, the Red Devil removed the saber from his stomach and boarded the sand grab. As he sat down he looked up at the young mink, “Remember, you fuckin owe me..” he grumlbed ominously.

Spoiler:

As Jackal started to retreat, Claud drew a few deep breaths and narrowed his eyes at the pirates. That death glare he shot at Jackal didn't do anything to hide the grin on his face though, a grin so wide that it would make any jester look like they were half assing their jobs. His arms spread wide while Bazil took care of the Prince and his wife. "A fine choice Lesser Human Jackal! I'll be sure to keep this safe and when you come to get it... I'll be there. Our fight will end with me standing over your dead body to show the world what happens when you cross Cipher Pol!" Claud shouted only to burst into laughter when the group made their escape upon a giant crab.

Claud stood proudly and strong for a few minutes, alone in the cavern among the dead bodies. Slowly he walked over towards Gozu and picked up his sword, yanking it from the grasp of the dead mans bullet riddled hands. "Dumb fool paid the price and saved a useless human shield. Still revenge is a good motivational tool and I'd be willing to bed the sword would drive her to get stronger..." He mumbled to himself while kicking Gozu's body to the side. Slowly he strutted towards the Princess' dead body and dropped to a knee. He looked at the bullet hole in her head and sighed with annoyance. "Shame he used a gun... Now I can't pin all these deaths on Gozu and the Mink. Bazil has to get a higher bounty now too. The last thing I want to do is give someone like that anything to be proud of." Claud dropped the woman's head to the ground and stood up.

Lazily he dusted his body off and reached into his jacket to grab his DenDen. Puru puru puru! Puru puru puru... The DenDen's eyes shifted and a dark shadow washed over the snail as someone on the other end answered the call. "Director, Claud of C.P. 2 While my partner was keeping the palace safe, Gozu, his second in command and myself tracked a pirate bandit named Jackal down. While Gozu was killed in action, his second was saved and I drove Jackal back. I was unable to arrest him due to Bazil showing up to save the man. But I managed to get back what was stolen. Not without loss though. While I have secured Pluton's Key and a Poneglyph. I'll need a team at my location to secure the items and move them. Oh... Jackal kidnapped the Prince after Bazil killed his wife and removed the young man's legs just under the knees..... Yes sir, I'll remain until a team arrives..... Of course sir. No sir, I've only been slightly injured, nothing a few days wont fix." Claud hung up shortly after and waited for a team to arrive. Gozu's sword was shipped to Akia as a reminder of her failure, putting her on a path towards revenge...

Notes:

“You scheming little fuck…” Bazil mumbled, clearly unhappy with being duped, his mood already soured from having his previous kills taken from him and letting that weasely little shit Claude escape. “And your habit of letting those you rob live will come back for you.” He snapped back in response to the young mink’s advice. Yasuke and Ezekiel sat quietly in the basket, like two children sitting in the back seat while their parents fought.

A dust cloud kicked up as the sand crab came to halt on the deserts edge, Jackal made his way down and buried the dead. Bazil looked at his two crew members and spoke a few words with them before he grabbed a bag off the seat and dismounted the crab, “Yasuke, Ezekiel, get the fuckin boat and meet us at Cactus Island.” He grunted at the duo, still aboard the grab, Yasuke confident in his ability to drive the beast after watching Amalia and Jackal both do it. With two clicks of his tongue, the crab took off in the direction they had come from. Turning back to the ship, he approached the plank, stopping as he got next to Jackal and Sinbad, releasing his bloodlust for but a moment, his killing intent hung heavy on the air. Like a humidity you cant shake, “ Let’s go push these fucks shit in.” The pirate mumbled before continuing on his way, relaxing his oppressive willpower as he boarded the ship

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