Nojiko and Very Good looked at each other. Nojiko folded her arms. "I was surprised to hear the Marines were coming here," she said. Her eyes flicked over the wreckage and bodies on the ground. She looked at the captured Shimagame. "But I'm even more surprised that you managed to find this place." she added.
"Wherever there is injustice, the Marines are there to make it right," Very Good responded. "I am also curious how you found it," he added.
"You need a special Log Pose to reach this island," Nojiko smirked slightly.
"Indeed. And we acquired it, through a pirate," Very Good remarked.
"Pirate?" Nojiko questioned.
"Don't play dumb, Nojiko," Very Good said. "We know why you're here. For the black market," he added.
"Black market?" Nojiko questioned again. She hadn't heard anything about that. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"Enough chit-chat. Clearly you are hiding a lot," he said. He lifted his weapon. "We can discuss everything else when you're behind bars," Very Good added.
"Alongside Mikita and Conis," he said. He thought back to his failure. He had lost to them twice before, and he refused to lose again.
"But I must say—why do your numbers keep growing?" Very Good asked. He looked around. "Your crew gets bigger each time," he said.
Nojiko's lips curled into a knowing smile. "We are sisters," she replied.
"That does not answer my question," Very Good responded.
Nojiko only smiled wider.
"You must be stopped. All of you," Very Good said. "Beri Bounce," Very good said as his body split into multiple balls and bounced on the ground. He increased their speed and went towards Nojiko. "You will not get away," he said.
Nojiko's smile widened as she watched the attack rush toward her, the round spheres barreling through the air at an alarming speed. She stood still, unbothered. The spheres passed right through her, their force vanishing into nothing as her body dissolved into white clouds, the mist swirling for an instant before reforming perfectly.
Very Good's eyes widened, confusion creeping into his expression. "Wait—what was that?!" he questioned. He clenched his hands. He had been sure he struck her, but she was untouched.
He reshaped himself, his body rapidly reconstructing, the spheres pulling back together before exploding outward once more. "Berry Blitz," he said as with tremendous speed, he propelled himself forward, his spheres launching toward Nojiko.
But just like before, he passed through her, his attack utterly useless as she turned to mist, her body effortlessly reforming.
"Not again," Very Good said.
"Berry Bomb," Very Good said as he gathered his body once again. He focused his energy, gathering power into a single, massive sphere. He launched it forward. The charged sphere rushed toward her. It got close to Nojiko and detonated on impact. The blast sent a concussive shockwave through the battlefield.
The force ripped through the ground, sending debris skyrocketing, carving a massive crater into the earth.
Silence followed, the smoke slowly settling.
Then through the haze Nojiko emerged, completely unharmed, her form materializing effortlessly from the mist.
Very Good's body tensed, "You… You're a Logia…?" he asked.
Nojiko's smile widened. She lifted her hands. "Cloud Surge," Nojiko said as she created dense storm clouds around her body.
"What is this?" Very Good asked.
"Lightning Barrage," she added. The storm clouds twisted violently, deepening into an unnatural shade as electricity sparked within them. Then lightning struck.
Multiple lightning bolts shot downward. The first bolt collided with Very Good's body, electrocuting him instantly, the force sending violent tremors through his limbs. His spheres convulsed, unable to retain their form properly. The second strike followed, an arc of electricity ripping through his core, causing his body to jolt wildly. Sparks erupted from his fractured shape, his limbs barely holding together as he struggled against the onslaught.
Very Good coughed violently, blood spilling from his lips as his legs buckled "D-Damn," he said. His body jerked.
The lightning bolts stopped. Nojiko look at Very Good. "You cannot beat me," Nojiko said.
"I will beat you," Very Good responded.
A Marine rushed forward. "We will beat you," he shouted. Behind him, a group of soldiers followed, their weapons drawn, as they charged toward Nojiko.
Nojiko turned slowly. Above her, the storm clouds churned, swirling ominously. She lifted her fingers. "Acidic Blast," she said as the clouds darkened. The first droplets fell. It was acid rain pouring down. The moment the rain touched the Marines, cries of pain erupted through their ranks.
Their skin burned, the acidic force eating through their protective gear with terrifying speed. Some clutched their arms, struggling against the pain, others dropped their weapons entirely, panic gripping them.
"Retreat! Retreat!" one shouted. The Marines stumbled backward, some fleeing outright.
Very Good watched, his fists tightening. "Leave them," he said. He couldn't let them suffer like this.
He thought back to his battle against Mikita, where his defeat had led to countless injured Marines. The devastation at Enies Lobby, where men had fallen under brutal blows, some never walking the same way again. He knew pain.
Very Good focused his energy, his body reassembling into spheres, whirling rapidly in a spinning vortex. "Berry Whirlwind," he said as a tornado-like force erupted from his form, sucking the air into a violent spiral. Winds howled, twisting through pulling at the storm clouds above.
Nojiko's storm cloud began to break apart, the clouds scattering and dispersed under the sheer force of his vortex.
The acidic rain stopped as the winds pushed the storm away.
Very Good grinned, pride flashing across his face. "I did it," he said. He thought this was the way.
Nojiko stepped forward. Her eyes locked onto him, "I would love to talk more," she said as she closed the distance. She added, "but I need to help my sisters."
With one swift motion, she raised her hand, pulling energy from the moisture in the air, shaping it into a small cloud formed in her palm. "Lightning Blast," she added as a single, intense bolt was sent forward and it struck directly onto Very Good's chest.
His body convulsed, his muscles locking as violent electricity surged through him. His skin blackened, energy searing through his veins, his body jerking uncontrollably. Smoke rose from his body. His breath caught, his vision blurring and then, he collapsed.
Nojiko thought he was not a threat to her. However he could have hurt her sisters. She was not going to allow that. "Nojiko," Saphir called out as she waved.
Nojiko turned and smiled. "Saphir, Zala," Nojiko responded.
Zala in her beast form head butted Nipthal`s men who went flying. "Looks like you are done here," Zala remarked.
"I did, lets go and help the others," Nojiko said. She looked at Very Good.
"Everything okay?" Saphir asked.
"But he said two things, one about a black market and the other they reached here," Nojiko said.
"Black market?" Zala asked.