While the monstrous members of the Straw Hat crew were locked in fierce battles against the Admirals and Holy Knights, the less powerful members of the crew stood some distance away, watching in awe and disbelief.
Usopp, Nami, Nojiko, and Vivi stood together, watching the battle of their captain, their eyes become wide and can only opened their mouth in shock.
"They're absolute monsters…" Usopp muttered, his voice trembling as explosions echoed in the distance.
Nami hugged her arms close, her suit still active eventhough Usopp had deactivated his suit. "What should we do, Usopp?" she asked, her tone tight with anxiety.
"We can't just hide," said Nojiko firmly, though the quiver in her voice betrayed her face.
Vivi, gripping her weapon at her side, glanced between them. "Do you want to join the fight?" she asked hesitantly.
Usopp swallowed hard. "Join the fight? Against them? No way…" he stammered, shaking his head so fast his goggles rattled. "I'd rather die than... than get blown up like that!" He immediately regretted saying it, and Nojiko turned to glare at him.
"Usopp," she said quietly, her eyes sharp, "how many times has Jack told us to be brave?"
Before he could answer, two dark shapes dropped from the sky like falling meteors. The ground cracked under the impact.
THUMP! THUMP!
The shockwave sent dust flying, forcing the four Straw Hats to activate their vibranium suit, this thing could deal with dust, shockwave and poison. When the dust cleared, two tall figures stood before them, Vice Admiral Onigumo and Vice Admiral Doberman.
All four of them froze. For a moment, even their heartbeats seemed to stop. Then, in perfect unison, their pulses started to race.
Onigumo's lips curled into a cruel grin. He could sense it, their Haki was weak compared to the monsters fighting in the distance. "So these are the lesser Straw Hats…" he sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "How unfortunate for you to meet me."
From his back erupted six long, spectral limbs, sharp and glinting like polished steel. The air crackled as his Spider-Spider Fruit power activated, his movements turning unnaturally fluid.
Before anyone could react, he vanished from sight.
"Usopp!" Nami shouted.
In a split second, Onigumo appeared right in front of them, his sword raised.
Instinct took over. Usopp slammed his palm forward, and his combat suit activated with a surge of energy. A blue, hexagonal shield of energy shield formed just in time saving him from being cut by two
BAMMM!
The sword clashed against the shield, sparks flying. The shockwave sent Usopp skidding backward across the dirt. His arms trembled from the impact, but the barrier held. Thanks to the vibranium suit it absorb most of the impact and Usopp manage to stop the attack.
"He's fast!" Nami hissed. She was ready to fight, her own combat suit snapping into place with a mechanical hiss. The lenses on her mask glowed blue as she sprinted toward Usopp.
Nojiko and Vivi prepared to join, but they froze when they saw something strange, Usopp's right hand was changing and formed a weapon.
While on Usopp side, he was panic, wished desperately for a weapon anything to fight back with. His thoughts were wild, desperate… and then the suit responded.
His right hand morphed, glowing white-hot, transforming into a plasma cannon. He blinked in disbelief, then grinned nervously. "Well… I guess this works!"
He raised his arm and fired a blast.
PEW! PEW! PEW!
Three plasma bursts streaked through the air.
Onigumo parried them effortlessly, his spider-legs spinning and slicing through the glowing shots. Sparks danced off his Haki-coated blades. "Pathetic," he growled. "I'll take care of you all myself!"
Doberman cracked his neck boring to watch Onigumo hoarded all the fun. "I'll handle the others," he said gruffly, stepping forward...
But two crimson lasers suddenly slammed into his chest, forcing him to stagger backward.
The shots came from Nojiko, who had just engaged her suit's weapon system. Twin emitters on her wrists glowed as she aimed again. "Not so fast," she said, her voice trembling but defiant. "You're not touching any of us."
Doberman snarled, brushing the smoke from his uniform. "How dare you attack me, girl!"
He lunged forward with his sword drawn, his Armament Haki coating the blade black.
But before he could strike, Vivi stepped in front of Nojiko, igniting her light saber with a snap-hiss. The glowing blade clashed against Doberman weapon, sparks bursting between them.
For a moment, the world around them blurred, two high-speed battles forming side by side.
On the left, Usopp and Nami versus Onigumo.
On the right, Nojiko and Vivi versus Doberman.
It seems unknowingly they had make a team .
Nami slid beside Usopp, her suit claws glowing faintly with static charge. "You okay?" she asked, breathing fast.
"Y-yeah… more or less!" Usopp replied, forcing a grin as he aimed his plasma cannon again. "Jack is genius, this thing has a few surprises and nami what power do you have?"
Before Nami could reply, Onigumo's spider-limbs shifted restlessly, scraping against the ground like metal claws. "Hmph. Tricks and toys won't save you," he said coldly.
"We'll see about that," Nami shot back. Her lenses narrowed, targeting systems locking on.
Across the field, Doberman's blade clashed again with Vivi's saber, sparks scattering across the dirt. Nojiko ducked behind her, charging up another laser shot.
"You think you can defeat a Vice Admiral?" Doberman barked, his sword pressing against Vivi's.
Vivi's arms trembled, but she met his eyes. "Yes," she said quietly.
Nojiko fired.
The laser hit Doberman's arm, forcing him to break the clash.
Usopp and Nami saw their crewmates fighting bravely, and for the first time since the battle began, courage replaced their fear.
They weren't the strongest Straw Hats, not by a long shot but right now, they didn't need to be. They just had to stand together.
This time they decided to become serious, a week training with Dragon. They manage to awaken Haki though it is still in basic and can't be maintained for a long time.
p/s: I hope you like this fight, really hard to imagine what power they will use against Vice admiral.
Author Notes: There is 10 advanced chapter on my patreon.
-patreon.com/zerelix