-Chapter Fifty-Two-
"Hopefully, but...if I miss...it's over..." Nami heavily sighed as she leaned back and closed her eyes.
"Then we're just going to have to be positive and hope you don't miss—no pressure, though" I smiled, causing her own lips to slightly twitch upwards.
"Yeah, no pressure..." she softly chuckled.
"Pay attention!" we flinched the second we heard Miss Doublefinger's voice as two of her spikes pierced through the wall on either side of Nami's head. "That little gadget of yours is interesting, but it's not a weapon—here's some advice, sweetie, you can't use it to attack" she mockingly grinned. "It's nothing more than a toy—the day that thing can be called a weapon is the day you can finally hurt me with it, now..." her mouth suddenly formed into a spike that jabbed right out and towards the navigator who quickly ducked and slipped right underneath the woman's arm. Turning her head, Miss Doublefinger stumbled back in surprise as I suddenly punched her right in the face without any warning, causing the bones in my hand to now painfully ache after making contact with her cheek. She was in a daze for but a single moment as I childishly stuck out my tongue before Nami grabbed my arm and we started to run once again.
"You bitch! Stop running you two!" the assassin angrily snapped.
"That was very impulsive of you—she could have pierced a spike right through your fist!" Nami scolded.
"Yeah, but she didn't" I shrugged. "But you're right, that was very impulsive and I shouldn't do it again" I admitted despite knowing that what I was saying was nothing short of a lie. Giving into my impulses was a problem I've always struggled with much to the annoyance and worry of my brothers.
"I can't really be mad at you for being impulsive since we really do need to do something about her and quick, because if not, we're going to be skewered" Nami sighed, shoulders slumping when she realized that we really can't just keep running forever. "Only chance we really got is that Tornado Tempo thing—if I can do it that is..." she worriedly mumbled before yelping as she suddenly tripped over her own two feet, causing the section of her Clima-Tact that she had been holding to go flying out of her grasp. I quickly skidded to a stop and helped her back up, watching as she frantically looked around before flinching when she noticed that Miss Doublefinger had now gotten a hold of the piece of her weapon that she had dropped. "Hey! Give that back!" she shouted.
"Did you seriously think you could kill me with this toy?" Miss Doublefinger questioned, curiously blowing into the section of the Clima-Tact she was holding which in return created an electric bubble. "Oh please, a sweater can produce more electricity than this little thing" she scoffed while poking at the bubble.
"Well we won't know unless I try—give it back to me!" Nami angrily demanded, rushing at the woman while using the other two sections of her weapon to knock the final one out of the assassin's grasp. Catching it, she quickly reattached it before looking toward the woman with a look of utter determination. "Rain Tempo!" getting into position, she posed as water started to squirt out of her Clima-Tact.
"Water tricks?" Miss Doublefinger questioned with a raised brow.
"I thought we were finished with the party tricks?" I sweat dropped.
"Rotating Sprinkler!" Nami changed her pose as more water continued to squirt out of her Clima-Tact.
"Desperate?" Miss Doublefinger boredly sighed.
"No, I'm not! I got a plan—you'll see!" Nami snapped, angrily glaring at the woman as she childishly stomped her foot.
"Plan?" I questioned. "You complain when I do something impulsive and yet, you're over here coming up with plans without consulting me" I scolded, crossing my arms.
"I don't think so! I've had enough of your tricks—speaking of parties, time to end this one!" Miss Doublefinger glowered as her hair turned into a sea of spikes. "Sea Urchin Stinger!" charging towards us, we quickly backed away from her as the navigator started to rapidly blow out red bubbles from one of the sections of her Clima-Tact. "Now, why don't you both be good little girls for me and die!" she sneered as we jumped out of the way, causing her to crash straight through the building that was behind us.
"If that had been one of us instead of the wall, oh man..." Nami winced.
"Ain't that the truth" I nodded, lowly whistling as I examined the hole the woman had created.
"Since you showed me something interesting earlier, it's only fair that I return the favor" Miss Doublefinger coolly said, her demeanor calm once more as she strutted back out the hole and into the open. Despite her cool demeanor, I was quick to notice the way her features would occasionally twitch with every step she took thanks to her irritated side.
"Now's my chance..." Nami confidently whispered before blowing even more red bubbles out of one of the sections of her Clima-Tact.
"You know, you mocked me earlier because I couldn't get near you with my swords, but I'm starting to feel pretty proud about that wound I gave you" I suddenly grinned. "It's starting to look a little irritated—aw, what's with the look? Did I strike a nerve?" I snickered as the assassin hatefully sneered. "I also see that your cheek's starting to bruise from that punch I gave you earlier—don't worry, my hand's starting to bruise as well."
"Shut up! You may have been able to land those two hits, but I won't let you or the other one land anymore on me!" she snarled. "Spike Spike Doping!" suddenly, she pierced her own spiked-up fingers into her arms and caused them to become very ripped—so ripped, in fact, that they tore right through the sleeves of her jacket. "I told you, your lives are over, didn't I?" she grinned as spikes now produced from her balled-up fists. Drawing back, I dropped to the ground when she suddenly swung at my head before rushing right past me so that she could attack Nami who had backed herself into a corner once again.
"Hey! I was the one that was taunting you—shouldn't you be attacking me and not her? She hasn't done a damn thing!" I snapped before sighing in relief when the ginger dodged out of the way so that the column would be destroyed instead.
"I told you, an assassin eliminates the weak ones first" Miss Doublefinger reminded us. "But, don't worry, you won't be left out for long—Mr. One should have already taken care of that swordsman" she grinned as the building that the column had been holding up gave way upon losing one of its supporters and instantly crumbled down on top of Nami.
"Nami!" I clenched my jaw and waited with bated breath for the dust to settle and when it finally did, I sighed in relief once I saw that the ginger was semi-fine as she looked to still be breathing while she was laid out on the ground. I wasted no time rushing towards her before painfully hissing at the sight of her battered and bloody leg—this was especially true for her ankle. "Shit, that looks bad..." I breathed out.
"Feels just as bad as well..." Nami grunted, tightly gripping my arm as she let me stand her back up.
"Careful" I worriedly frown the moment she let go and stumbled, nearly falling before finally giving me a firm nod to let me know she could stand on her own once she found her balance.
"At least you've proven that you're first-class at something, even if it is running away" Miss Doublefinger mocked as she came walking towards us.
"A cloud—it's small, but it formed..." Nami breathlessly smiled as she looked above the woman that stalked toward us.
"A cloud?" I quietly questioned, gaze now drifting up toward the small, gray cloud that now hovered just above the assassin's head. "Is that the reason you kept blowing out all those bubbles?" I whispered as Nami nodded her head, her smile only growing.
"Just what are you two babbling on about?" Miss Doublefinger glared.
"It's still not big enough though, I got to make it bigger" Nami huffed after a second of examining the cloud as she took two sections of her Clima-Tact and began spinning them around, causing both red and blue bubbles to come spilling out of them in an instant were they were soon absorbed by the gray cloud.
"I've had about enough of this! Time to die!" Miss Doublefinger sneered, charging forward once more and causing Nami to step back as I quickly got in front of her so that I could block the attacks.
"It's not very polite to interrupt someone when they're busy" I chastised before grinning as the woman irritably growled. My grin soon fell though as I was taken aback and thrown off balance when she suddenly kicked me in the stomach, causing blood to painfully squirt out of my wound as I was knocked straight back into Nami. "That was a low blow and you know it!" I snapped, scrambling to sit up as the woman laughed.
"Tell me, you two, are you both prepared to die?" she grinned.
"How about you?" Nami shot back, instantly confusing the woman as my gaze wandered up toward the unexpecting storm cloud that was currently hovering over her head.
"Whoa...that thing got pretty big in such a short amount of time..." I breathed out in slight awe.
"You're just bluffing, girl!" Miss Doublefinger sneered at Nami, growing even more confused when the ginger suddenly threw an electric bubble toward her that was quickly absorbed into the storm cloud above her.
"Am I?" Nami grinned just as lightning finally struck the assassin. I sucked in a sharp breath of air once she started to howl—the sound practically inhuman as copious amounts of blood started to squirt from her side wound which was then followed by the horrid stench of burning flesh. All too quickly did Nami cover her face and I couldn't tell if it was because of how bright the electricity was or because of how painful the scene looked.
"Man" I lowly whistled, unable to look away. "I'm starting to feel tingly all over just looking at this" I remarked.
"Why are you watching it?!" Nami snapped, looking toward me just as things finally started to calm down until all that was left was Miss Doublefinger's burnt body just standing there—limply swaying from side to side as if it was just about ready to kneel right over any second now.
"You're dead meat!" she suddenly growled, snapping back consciousness as she clenched her jaw in anger. Clenching her fist into that of a mace, she lunged right for Nami.
-Everybody's P.O.V-
It was a very impulsive move.
Skylar knew that, but she didn't care as all she knew at that moment was that her friend was in danger. She didn't really think twice when she moved in front of Nami, holding her arms out to shield the navigator while momentarily forgetting about her own swords as the only thought running through her mind at that moment was the thought of not wanting to witness another person she's grown to care for be killed. The immense amount of pain that shot through her the moment the spikes pierced her flesh was far more intense than the slash she had received across her stomach earlier. It almost felt as if someone had shot her twice through both the shoulder and chest.
"What? You think my spikes are limited in their length?" Miss Doublefinger cruelly grinned, laughing as she took pleasure in how the brunette's eyes widened in horror the second the spikes that pierced her body suddenly grew and lengthened enough to reach and pierce right through Nami's shoulders and neck. Though her laughter was cut short when the navigator's body suddenly faded out of existence as if it had never been there in the first place. "What?!" she sneered.
"Looks...looks like she got us both..." Skylar weakly laughed before groaning when she was suddenly and roughly tossed aside. She weakly moaned as she harshly rolled across the ground before eventually coming to a stop right on her side. Coughing up a small amount of blood, she blankly stared back at Miss Doublefinger who continued to hatefully snarl at her.
"Today's forecast calls for pleasant weather, stable humidity, and mild winds—however, a high-pressure system will be moving in sometime during the afternoon; this could create some strange weather in certain areas, so people in the vicinity need to watch out for mirages" Nami harshly glared as she came out of hiding before her gaze worriedly flickered over toward the still body of her friend. "Skylar...?" she hesitantly called out, tightly clutching her Clima-Tact as she now started to fear the worse...only to quickly sigh in relief when she heard the brunette groan before rolling onto her back.
"Dammit..." she moaned, coughing as her body painfully shifted against the ground. "I told you to tell me when you do that stupid mirage thing...!" she weakly scolded.
"Even hurt that badly, you're still going to scold me?!" Nami snapped before softly huffing as she watched the brunette cover her face.
"Of course...you had me worried—I thought I was going to have to witness someone I care about be slaughtered right in front of me..." Skylar groaned, quietly mumbling something underneath her breath that Nami didn't quite catch. Though she didn't really care as she felt her heart flutter a bit inside her chest upon hearing what the brunette had just said.
"You certainly know how to make a girl feel special..." she breathily laughed, gently smiling when she suddenly heard the brunette give a loud snort in return that was quickly followed by a soft whine. Shaking her head, she soon directed her attention back at Miss Doublefinger who was quickly becoming impatient by the minute with the two. "As I was saying, along with mirages, people should also be cautious of tornadoes" she continued, picking right back up where she had left off. 'I'll make it work, I have to—Vivi's been there for all of us, so I'll be there for her' she reminded herself as she positioned her Clima-Tact. "A tornado watch has been issued" she glared.
"Come on, Nami...finish this...!" Skylar weakly cheered as she dragged herself toward a nearby building and out of the navigator's. "Vivi's counting on you—I'm counting on you...! I have faith in you...!" she grinned, heavily breathing as she rested back against the wall. Nami's cheeks only heated up a little in return as she now lowly grumbled to herself in embarrassment.
"Now I know how Zoro probably felt when Skylar and I were cheering him on earlier..."