Maya, Kalifa, Conis, Honey, Zala, Marianne, Robin, Saphir, Mikita and Perona all headed towards the mountain.
"We really should have brought Lexie, the Super Tortoise, or the Glimstorm," Saphir remarked as her foot sank deep into the snow.
"I agree. They would have been a big help," Marianne chirped as she skipped across the snowy terrain.
Maya took a slow, deliberate step forward. "It is incredibly slippery out here," she cautioned.
"True, but we didn't know about the number of pirates in this area," Honey noted as she looked around. There was a small cloud in the distance.
"At least Perona is having a good time," Robin remarked as she looked at Perona.
"My Devil Fruit definitely has its perks," Perona said as she floated effortlessly above the snow with a grin on her face. "But I don't like the cold," she added.
Kalifa adjusted her glasses. There was a sharp click of her black heels which was muffled by the snow. "Moonwalk would have been ideal for this situation," she observed.
"Yes, but we're still learning that," Zala responded as her feet sank into the snow.
"We're almost there," Mikita added as she pointed toward the peak. She then looked at Zala and smiled. "Someone has gained weight," she teased.
"You are using your devil fruit," Zala replied as she saw Mikita practically floating.
Marianne's eyes lit up. "Yes. We are almost there," she confirmed.
At that moment, they saw a group of pirates. There were hundreds of pirates in front of them. They were rough-looking.
"Looks like we've finally caught up to them," Saphir said as she looked at the pirates running. She held her spear out. "Bleu Formidable," Saphir said as unleashed a flurry of powerful strikes. She struck several pirates at once and stabbed them with the spear. They all got hit and blood came out from the attack and they all collapsed.
"What the? She's too fast," one pirate screamed.
Mikita loomed over him. "Lets take them all out," Mikita said as she leapt into the air. "Gravity Stomp," Mikita added as she increased her weight dramatically. She made herself as heavy as a boulder. She went down towards pirates. Mikita`s foot connected towards the ground. The immense weight behind the kick created a shockwave that travelled through the snow terrain and knocked the several pirates off their feet.
"Don't back down! It's just ten girls!" a scar-faced pirate yelled. "Kill them all," he shouted.
"Only girls?" Perona questioned as she looked a little annoyed.
"Let's show them who we really are," Zala replied.
"They are coming towards us," Honey said as she looked at a number of pirates coming towards them.
"Inferno Strike," Conis said as she channelled the intense heat into the tip of the javelin. She thrusted it forward and released a scorching blast of flames. It hit half a dozen pirates who were thrusted back and hit the ground. There were burnt marks on their bodies.
Maya looked at the group of pirates charging towards her. "Hex`s Fire," Maya said as she scraped the sword on the ground. The friction created a black-colored flaming projectile that she launched at the pirates. The dark flames roared as they tore through the air and hit the pirates. The black fire engulfed a dozen men and threw them backward. They crashed into the ground. Their bodies were scorched as they laid unconscious.
"Liquid Bullet Barrage," Honey said as she made her hand look like a gun. She looked to see a group of pirates coming towards her. She fired purple liquid bullets from her fingertips. The purple bullets streaked through the air and then hit the pirates one by one. The pirates got hit in the chest. One by one, the men were jerked backward as the high-pressure liquid pierced their clothes. Several pirates clutched at their chests and their eyes were wide with shock as they coughed up blood. Their legs buckled instantly, and they collapsed into the deep snow.
"They are down," Maya remarked as swung her sword and sliced a pirate. He spat blood and collapsed.
"There are still more coming," Conis added as she walked towards Maya.
"We will defeat them all," Honey said as she raised her hand.
"Get the little one," one pirate shouted.
"We will use her as a hostage," another shouted.
Marianne dipping her brush into her palette. "Colors Trap: Sadness Blue," she said as she flicked paint onto a trio of charging brutes. Their facial expressions changed immediately. Tears started coming from her eyes as they dropped their weapons and collapsed.
"They are pathetic," Zala hissed. She started to transform her body. It elongated and her muscles rippled. Her skin darkened and hardened into rough. Her arms shrank slightly and had sharp claws. Her legs bulked up. Her feet had become large, claws. Her head morphed, stretching into a long, ferocious snout filled with razor-sharp teeth. There were two small horns just out from above her eyes. Zala stood tall as a Carnotaurus, her massive tail swaying behind her.
"A monster," one pirate shouted.
Zala in her Carnotaurus form. She whipped her powerful, muscular tail in a horizontal arc. The tail hit the pirates. The sheer force of the impact was immense and their ribs shattered instantly as the men were launched backward like ragdolls. They were sent hurtling through the air and crashing violently into the ground. They slumped into the deep snow, unconscious and broken.
"We could have been on top of Zala," Marianne remarked.
"Or underneath," Mikita said as she kicked the crying pirate in the chest.
"We were close," Zala remarked as she towered above them.
Kalifa adjusted her glasses. "Storm Leg," Kalifa said as she kicked at high speed and strength which launched a sharp compressed blade of wind. It went towards pirates and hit them in the stomach. They were sent flying back and crashed in a nearby tree. They spat blood and were unconscious.
"That was violent," Robin remarked. "Treinta Fleur," Robin said calmly as she crossed her arms. In an instant, thirty arms sprouted from the shoulders of fifteen pirates. Two hands locked firmly around each man's throat. "Strangle," Robin added. The sprouted arms tightened their grip, cutting off the pirates' air.
"Get off me," one pirate shouted as he clawed desperately at the hands that had appeared out of nowhere. His face turned a deep shade of purple as he struggled to pull the fingers away.
Robin didn't flinch. She tightened the hold even further. The hands squeezed with relentless force. One by one, the pirates' eyes rolled back until they finally went limp and collapsed into the snow.
"That was brutal," Saphir remarked.
Robin smiled. "I call it efficiency," Robin said.
Kalifa adjusted her glasses. "These are just normal pirates," Kalifa responded.
"Horohoro," Perona laughed. She sent a translucent ghost diving through a dozen pirates. "Negative Hollow," she said as the pirates immediately fell to their knees in the snow. Their spirits were broken.
"I'm a worthless piece of trash," one pirate sobbed as he buried his face in his hands. "I shouldn't have even been born. I'm sorry for taking up space on this planet," he added.
"Why did I think I could be a pirate?" another moaned. There were tears streaming down his face.
"I just want to crawl into a hole and stay there," another shouted.
Perona twirled her hair and let out another giggle. "What a bunch of losers. You're all so pathetic," she added. "There is only one which is cute," she muttered.
Zala came and lowered her head. She head butted the pirates on the floor and they went flying back.
"There are more coming," Zala said as she smelled more pirates coming.
At that moment, more pirates surged from the mountain passes. "Get them," one shouted as he raised his sword.
"We will get paid double for them," another shouted.
"They have the Life Gems," a third one said.
"They just don't know when to quit, do they?" Honey Queen remarked. She swept her arm in a wide arc. "Liquid Whip," she added as she created a long, purple lash of liquid liquid. She moved her whip and hit a group of pirates. The pirates got hit and were knocked back.
Kalifa created a thick layer of bubbles around her body. "Shave," she said. In a flash, she disappeared and reappeared right in front of a group of ten pirates before they could even blink. "Golden Hour," Kalifa added as she spread the bubbles across the pirates' bodies with a swift motion. The bubbles coated them instantly and drained the strength right out of their muscles. Their skin became shiny and smooth like glass. They all dropped their weapons and fell to the floor.
"My hands. I can't grip my sword," one pirate yelled as his weapon slid right out of his slick fingers.
"I'm too... smooth," another cried out as he slipped and fell onto the snow. He was unable to stand back up. They lay there helpless and looked like polished statues as Kalifa adjusted her glasses.
"We need to keep moving," Mikita said as she punched a pirate in the face. She shattered his teeth and he was sent backwards.
Zala leaped high into the air, her massive Carnotaurus body casted a huge shadow over the panicked pirates below. She tucked her powerful legs in for a moment before coming down. Zala crashed right on top of the group. The sheer impact created a loud boom that echoed. The ground beneath her feet shattered and sent snow and rock flying in every direction.
"My legs! I'm pinned!" one pirate screamed as he was crushed into the dirt. The others were flattened instantly under her heavy body. The force of the landing sent a shockwave that knocked nearby stragglers off their feet.
Nearby, a giant of a man swung a heavy mace at Mikita. "Meteor Fist," Mikita said as she dramatically increased the weight in one of her hands. She swung her fist towards the mace and broke it. Her fist went through and hit him in the face. The impact was explosive and generated a shockwave across his face. The pirate's teeth and nose broke. His head rolled back and he collapsed. There was blood leaking from his mouth.
"That was a strong punch," Conis remarked.
"She could break anything with that fist," Zala teased.
"I can be gentle," Mikita said as she kicked a pirate in the groin. There was a shattering sound as he held his crotch and fell over.
Robin giggled.
Conis saw a group of sword-wielding pirates closing in on her side.
"Thermal Impale," Conis said as she thrusted the Heat Javelin into the ground. At that moment, a pillar of intense heat directly beneath them engulfed them in flames.
"Thermal Impale," Conis said. She held the Heat Javelin with both hands and thrusted it hard into the frozen ground. At that exact moment, the snow beneath the pirates' feet began to glow a bright orange. Before they could even scream, a massive pillar of intense heat erupted directly from the ground. The fire roared upward and engulfed the group in a wall of flames. Their clothes caught fire instantly. The heat was so strong that it scorched them and sent them flying back in different directions. They tumbled into the snow. Their bodies were smoking and their skin covered in painful burns.
"Colors Trap: Yellow of Laughter," Marianne said as she threw yellow paint. The paint hit their body and they started to clutch their stomachs. They started to laugh uncontrollably.
"You made friends," Robin remarked.
"They are not my friends," Marianne responded.
"They are not," Robin said as she uncrossed her arms and gestured toward the frantic pirates. "Seis Fleur," Robin added as six arms sprouted on each man. "Clutch," she added as she snapped their spines in an instant. "They are finally losing their momentum," she observed calmly.
Perona clapped her hands together. She created a miniature ghost that drifted towards the stragglers. "Mini Hollow: Ghost Rap," Perona added as the small ghost exploded on contact. The concussive blast sent the pirates face-first into the deep snow.
Perona yawned as she looked down at the hundreds of defeated men. "What a bunch of losers. They were not cute," she remarked.
"Let's keep going," Mikiita said.
"Yes, let go and get the Life Gem," Saphir added.
They got to a cave opening on the Snowy Mountain.
"Looks like we are here," Maya said.
"It is always a creepy cave," Honey remarked.
"Our favorite," Robin said.
"Let's go," Mikita said. They all nodded and entered the cave.
Zala sniffed the air. "I can smell bodies," she remarked.
They went forward and looked to see bodies littered in the snow.
"What are those?" Maya asked as her eyes widened.
The group stopped to look at the huge, muscular rabbits standing in their path. They had thick snow-white fur and terrifying, long claws.
"Look at the size of them," Conis observed.
"They're huge," Marianne added as she tilted her head.
"They are called Lapins," Robin responded calmly. "I heard they are incredibly aggressive animals," she added.
"They certainly look hungry," Mikita remarked as she watched the beasts growl.
"They have no sense of cuteness at all. They're just big, angry balls of fluff," Perona said.
"I don't know, they look a little cute," Marianne said with a giggle as she stared at one particularly large fur ball.
"I wonder how they taste," Robin said.
"Probably delicious," Zala said.
"Negative Hollow," Perona shouted. Two of her ghosts drifted through the closest Lapins, who immediately slumped into a depressed pose. Their heads hit the snow.
The Lapins all looked at the girls. They began to drum on their chests. The sound triggered a localised tremor.
"They're trying to start an avalanche," Mikita shouted. "Meteor Strike," Mikita followed up, as she leapt high into the air. Her weight increased exponentially and turned into a human meteor as she descended towards the Lapin which were beating their chest. Mikita landed in between them and destroyed the ground. There was a shockwave which threw the Lapins away.
"Dont let them recover," Kalifa said.
"Liquid Serpent," Honey said as she raised her hands. She created a swirling mass of red liquid that shimmered with a sinister gleam. The liquid began to coil and twist and took the shape of a massive, sinuous serpent. With a flick of her wrist, Honey sent the liquid serpent hurtling towards the Lapins. The serpent slithered through the air with incredible speed, its body elongating and weaving like a living creature. It twisted and turned, zig-zagging unpredictably and went towards a group of Lapins. It hit a Lapin and exploded. There was a massive explosion which shook the cave.
The Lapins were sent flying back. However more Lapins came from a hole. They glared at the girls.
"They're persistent," Zala noted as she head butted a Lapin. Lapin went flying back and crashed into a wall.
Saphir saw a Lapin coming. It swung his claw at Saphir. Saphir dodged the attack. "You are fast," she said as she dropped her spear. "Thousand Brick Fist," Saphir said as she gathered her strength and launched a hard punch at Lapin. The fist connected in its chest. Lapin felt its rib-cage break as it was sent flying back.
"There are more coming," Zala roared.
Maya saw a group of Lapins coming from the hole. "Hex`s Blast," Maya said. She felt the sword draw her energy. The red got brighter. Maya then fired a red beam at the Lapins. It flew through the air at great pace and hit Lapins. There was a huge explosion which threw the Lapins all back. They crashed into the wall and collapsed.
"There is more," Conis said. "Blazing Lance Barrage," Conis said as she activated the Heat Javelin multiple times. Each one erupted into flames. This created fiery projectiles that rushed towards the Lapins. The Lapins got hit and were sent engulfed in flames. They started to roll around. Their furs were being burnt and then they collapsed.
"There were more," Robin said as she looked at the burnt Lapins.
"Storm Leg Triple Arc," Kalifa said as she sent three wind blades shot out in quick succession. They hit multiple Lapins and they all were cut and sent flying back. There was blood all over the ground.
"Yellow-Green of Friendship," Marianne said as she mixed her brush with the green and yellow paint. She then threw the paint on several Lapins. The Lapins which were angry suddenly turned friendly. They lowered her head and bowed in front of Marianne.
"That is a useful ability," Kalifa said as she looked at the remaining Lapins bowing to Marianne.
Zala transformed back into her human form. "It is," Zala agreed. "It is a very under rated ability," she added.
"Marianne, can you ask them where the Life Gem is? Robin asked.
"Do you know where the Life Gem is?" Marianne asked the Lapins.
The Lapins nodded and took them forward.
After a few twists and turns they entered a section of the cave where a natural altar of ice was in the centre. On top of the altar was a pulsing, emerald-green stone. "We have found it," Honey said.
"Finally," Mikita said as she brushed snow off her shoulders.
"It's beautiful," Conis remarked as she smiled.
"Indeed," Robin smiled. "A successful expedition," she said.
"Let's head back," Zala said.
"Bye Bye Lapins," Marianne remarked as she waved them off.
They all nodded and headed back to the Miss Love Duck.