[Wano]
After yesterday's successful raid, Ramos, Yamato, and Angelica decided to deal with the bandit camp near Amagasa village.
The walk was tense as a past incident between the marine and the pirate greatly affected their fragile alliance.
- Flashback -
During the peak hour of celebration, men are babbling about incoherent tales, clearly beaten by the liquor, and women are giggling at Ramos's odd Japanese. Children are dozing off near the leftovers, their bodies still adjusting to food security and Tama has made herself comfortable on Yamato's lap, lost in dreamland.
"She deserves a good night of sleep. " Yamato is softly humming, smoothing loose strands of Tama's hair.
"I didn't know you could be so motherly Yamato ~" Angelica teases, sipping more sake, her body swaying.
Ramos kept his eyes on the flames; the chaos they caused wouldn't escape from his mind. The cries of the residents who watched their homes be destroyed left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Hey, why are you so quiet, Blondie? Did that Sumo leave his fingerprints on you–hehe." Angelica giggles, shoving his shoulder roughly.
"Angelica, don't–"
"What is your problem with me?" Ramos glares at her, voice rising enough to sober up some of the drunks.
Angelica scowls, "My problem? I'm enjoying my night, unlike you, navy dog." She pokes his chest.
Ramos starts gritting his teeth, "This is why I hate pirates, you're all selfish pricks that do whatever you want even at the cost of other people's lives." He spat out, eyes full of disgust.
Angelica smirks, "You think you're any better, Marine?" Angelica leans closer to him.
"You tell yourself everything you do is to protect the innocent from people like me." She gestures to herself. " But really you're just loyal hounds to the real monsters of the sea–Celestial Dragons. "
"That's different. "
"How so? Is it because you can watch them enslave someone in front of you or kill innocents, and you'll have to be a good dog and clean after your masters?" Angelica presses, her face an inch from Ramos.
"It eats you up inside doesn't it? Protecting them, obeying every sadistic request and even your superiors are no different. "
"Shut up." Ramos balls his fist, eyes full of fury.
"Guys please. " Yamato tries to reason with them, but Tama is blissfully unaware of the argument.
Angelica chuckles, "Don't worry, Yama–he just needs an outlet for all that hate he carries, I don't mind being his punching bag."
"Angelica, that's enough!" Yamato scolds her, gently moving Tama to Hitetsu who has been silent the whole time.
"Angelica, you're drunk, and Ramos, you should go clear your head." Yamato mediates.
Ramos stands up, looming over the pirate,
"I don't know what's ur problem is with me, but I'm not your friend. This alliance is temporary, I'm only here cause you brought me here to fix your mess." Ramos clarifies.
Angelica glares at him," You have some nerve Ramos, my mess?"
"Yes, your mess." He doubled down, "You pirates are no different, after tonight, you're going steal treasure from this very place, it's apart your nature."
Bang
Angelica punches him with a haki-coated fist; the way she threw her punch was exactly the same as Ramos's fighting style.
Ramos felt the vibrations travel from his jaw to his brain, he saw a glimpse of himself before Angelica landed the blow. His eyes went to the night sky before everything went pitch black.
Thud.
He drops, body slumping on the floor.
"Ramos!" Yamato hurries to his side to check his condition. "Why!?" Yamato growls, demanding an answer.
Angelica raises her hands up, "Oopss." She says.
- End of flashback-
The two haven't spoken since, Yamato is between them, holding kanabo close.
"This is odd...the villagers said their camp should be in this area.
"Maybe they're hiding, " Angelica shrugged.
"HELP!" A voice cries out.
The three rush over to the direction of the call, moving through the bushes they find an empty camp with a pink-haired woman in a kimono dancing.
"Ahh~my savioursss." The lady giggles, eyes resembling a reptile's pupil.
Ramos feels his haki flare, warning him of impending danger.
Rumble, Rumble.
At the corner of his eyes, he sees a woollymammoth charging right at him.
"It's an ambush!" He leaps to the beast, fist sparking with armament haki.
Jack, an All-Star of the Beast Pirates and a fish-man. The All-Star is the current ruler of the Kuri region, sent here by Orochi's annoying orders to deal with whoever decides to trespass on his territory.
"Let's see how strong you are brat." The mammoth advances.
Ramos connects his fist with the prehistoric creature's skull, black lightning crackling around them.
Crack.
Ramos feels a fracture in hs wrist, his haki depleted as Jack's was superior, before he could register the anticlimactic end, Jack swings his trunk at him, monstrous force slamming into flesh, Ramos is sent crashing into the ground, a small number of rocks breaking his acceleration.
"Ramos!" Yamato yells, flashing to Jack in her hybrid form, she swings her ice-coated kanabo down on the Yonko commander.
Bang
Freeze.
Ice covers Jack's head. The zoan user stumbles on quadrupedal legs.
"Yamato. " Jack snares, shaking the hit off, Yamato was ill- informed of Jack's animals' adaptive abilities, her ice abilities are useless against him.
Woosh.
Angelica appears on top of Jack's back,
"Scorpions' den." She chants.
Her hands release a combustion of scorpion-shaped flames, stabbing into Jack's fur.
"Arghh." The fish-man thrashes, fur on fire and his skin is being burned alive.
"Yamato, now!" Angelica urges.
Her partner shakes off her shock, rushing over with her weapon, channels her haki–mixing armament and conquerors to land a devastating attack.
Zap.
A bright yellow beam, hits Yamato, she descends to the ground, clutching her left-side, blood tainting her clothes, and smoke reeking of burned flesh, moves to the air.
"Hey, Jack. Don't tell me these kids almost got the best if yea?" Queen chuckles, a tall obese man wearing striped overalls, a blonde ponytail, oddly small eyes covered with his goggles and a robotic left arm.
The left-hand(no pun intended) of Kaido, cackles at his comrades difficulties.
"You rely on your fruit too much."
"Mxm. Ironic for you to say, cyborg-dinosaur."
"Hah–that name isn't s bad." Queen scratches his chin.
Angelica growls in frustration at the fact these two are not taking them serious.
"Don't underestimate us." She poofs into smoke.
Queen gasps in shock, eyes extending out of his eye sockets.
"How she do that?" He frantically darts his head around.
Jack shakes his head at his superior, "This man is supposed to be a genius. " He ticks, focusing his haki to zone in his surroundings, he senses sharpen. Picking up a disturbance in the air, he moves.
Angelica reappears behind Queen, her hand reaching for his robotic one, ' Hold still.' She thought to herself.
"Nice try." Queen chuckles, turning into his Zoan form. A giant orange tail grows from his tail-bone. Queen turns into a Brachiosaurus. An intimidating, long-necked lizard. Swinging his tail, he swats Angelica away, the pirate crashes against a tree, out cold.
"That was easy." Queen whistles, returning to his human form.
Jack drags the defeated pirates like a sack of garbage, holding them by their ankles, he drags them across the ground.
"Be careful with Yamato, you know how Kaido gets."
"Take these prisoners. " Jack orders the approaching Gifters.
Sarahebi, looks at Angelica's knocked out state,"She'll be perfect for the pleasure district." She chuckles.
[End of chapter]