Previous: A Door that Opens Part 10
Rinji gazed at the gigantic, monstrous card creature. It bared a court jester's cap, and seemed to be sewn together from many different card knights. Its eyes were nonsexistant, but what sockets were left stared down at Rinji. It clenched its giant fists, and growled.
Rinji: What is this? What chamber of hell did you crawl out of in such a hurry, that they did not finish your stitches, nor put in your eyes?
The Executioner roared hard enough to shake all that was in his wake. Rinji held out his arms in front of him as the wave crashed into him, causing the tree behind him to shake, along with his clothes to flap in the wind. The monstrosity took one step toward him, and that was enough.
Rinji: Rinji! [Thrusts both claws forward] Ni Hira Gachan!!!!! [He sent off a huge blair of haki energy that blasted directly into the beast, the energy passed through him, shaking his insides and causing him to stumble backward]
This gave Rinji enough time to turn and run into the garden. Ahead of him, through the grass and trees, he could see a thick patch of huge brambles. He hurried through all of the roots, jumping over the large branches on the ground and even through the tall grass. However, just six yards away from the bramble plants, a gigantic fist barreled down at him, and struck the ground behnd him and caused a blast that caused him to fall forward and hit his head on a tree. There were three more steps before Rinji got up from the ground, and stumbled farther, his head completely unbalanced and unable to concentrate, but all he knew was that he had to move forward. He tripped just as he got to the front of the brambles, a loose rock slipped under his foot and caused him to stumble forward, falling into the brambles. The monster smashed into the brambles, and roared in pain as the huge thorns stuck into its shoulder and arms, one even penetrated his cheek, causing him to bleed profusely.
Rinji rolled over just in time to see the creature pull away from the thorns, blood bursting from his huge wounds, and even some of the bramble vines pulled up from the ground, stuck to his chest and shoulder. The monster screamed and ran, apparently unaccustomed to pain.
Rinji got up, holding his bleeding forehead. He wasn't sure how bad it was without a mirror, but he could feel plenty of blood rushing down his face. When it reached his mouth, he spat and sat against a tree, trying to clear his spinning head. He closed his eyes tight and held his head tight. He panted, and wiped his forehead, rubbing the blood off on the tree behind him. Then he heard a jingling, glistening sound very close to him. He felt that his head had evened out son, but then he opened eyes.
Rinji: What... [He saw tiny little ghosts floating all around him. Each of them had at least five different colors, green, blue, gray, orange, and yellow. They had the upper bodies of humans, but a vague floating sheet of a ghost.] What are you...
They all crowded around him as if they had never seen such a creature, but they seemed more happy than surprised. All of them began flying around him, and a few of them even put their hands on the cut that opened on his forehead. It wasn't long before they started pulling him to his feet. They held him up and began to walk him toward the depths of the forest, a place where the green seemed to stay in its place, rather than give way to the death that grayed the rest of the garden. A few times, they had to stop to let him keep his balance as he teetered from side to side in his steps.
At length, they sat him against another tree, and when he was finally able to focus his vision, he could see so many of them. All of them seemed very excited at him, like he was a charished visitor. He looked at them closely, seeing them smile, even giggle as they gazed at him. Then he saw them as they made way for a single one of them. One that was a deep red color, with the same-color facial hair. Given the level of respect they showed him, he must have been either a leader, or someone else of high esteem. He approached Rinji, and smiled. Then he placed his hand on Rinji's forehead.
Voxas: Greetings, friend! I am Derm, Chieftan of the Voxas people! We have been waiting for one such as you, you who repelled the horrific beast! Your kind has not been seen for some time. A Cheshire cat has not been seen in this world for several years.
Rinji: Cheshire cat...[panting] That's the second or third time I've heard that. But no, I am a Nekojin, I hail from the Grand Line Island, Nekoshima. I came to this world by accident.
Derm: Accidents were bound to happen, and so you were bound to come to this place. If it is true that you are not a Cheshire Cat, then what you have done was either an act of luck, or a great act of valor. Either way, if you can do such a deed in this form... then I will heal your wounds and give you a very rare, and mythic item, if you promise me one thing.
Rinji: And what is that?
Derm: You must swear to me that you will liberate this world from the Queen of Heart's rule, and free this garden from her tyrannical reign of not watering her plants! Promise me that you shall bring the White Queen back to her rightful throne, and if you die trying to this end, I will feel that you have fulfilled this agreement to its utmost.
Rinji: After what she has already done, I can promise you that I will do just that.
Derm: Swear to me!
Rinji: I swear!
Derm: SWEAR TO ME!!!!!
Rinji: MEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!
Derm: I'm convinced, how about you Sert?
Sert: Sure am!
Derm: Very well, bring it here.
Rinji: So what is it? A sword of some kind?
Derm: This weapon is far more potent than a sword, and far more dangerous than a cannon, or even a whole ship full of explosives, ready to blow!
Rinji: An entire ship? Really? What kind of weapon are we talking about here? What is it some kind of laser blaster? I mean, a laser blaster would be pretty awesome, and I would totally take it in a heart beat.
Derm: More powerful than 10 laser blasters, whatever they are.
Rinji: Oh come on! There is no way that they could possibly be more powerful than... than...[His eyes widened to their full extent, and he gazed as the 10 Voxas carried something that Rinji didn't think he would ever see in a million billion years.
Rinji: Thats.... thats...
Derm: Yes, behold!
They carried a devil fruit. One that was in the shape of a zucchini squash. It had pink and purple stripes all over it, and the swirly shapes all over it, much like the other Devil Fruits. They placed it down in front of him, and he gazed at it, slowly crawling toward it.
Derm: Yes, eat, and gain the power to defeat the tyrant of a Queen!
Rinji: I.... [Rinji picked it up, slowly]...I don't know.
This drew many gasps from all of the Voxas around him.