She was unexpectedly graceful.

Ducking, sliding across the deck, using her steel orbs to block and stab at Jester with rapid speed. All this time, the expressionless yet intimidating helmet covering her head concealed anything underneath, making her seem all the more inhuman.

He saw three orbs roll towards him and dodged, narrowly missing the spikes that shot at him at random angles.

No, she didn't miss. The top half of his right ear was now gone, and there was a deep cut just under his eye.

Good thing I took off the glasses.

Lyza suddenly stopped, and leaped towards Jester. She extended the orbs to use as cylindrical platforms stepping from one to the other, and met Jester in the air face-to-face without an inkling of fear or hesitation.

She drove her fist through its face, but instead of sending it flying, it sunk right through the smoke and threw her off-balance. She flew through its semi-transparent body, and landed heavily on the ground, cracking the remarkably strong floorboards.

Interesting. So is it completely untouchable? But if its made of smoke entirely...

She shot up a few more spikes at Jester, which did not dodge them at all. They simply passed through his body with ease, as one would expect from a creature made of smoke.

Or was it?

The creature drew its arm back as it got closer, and Allen prepared to attempt to steer Jester in the right direction when Lyza dodged again.

But this time, she stood her ground and mirrored its movement, readying herself to counter the Primis. His eyes widened when he saw her liquify several orbs and combine the steel with her fist, increasing the thickness of the gauntlet by at least five times. Allen pulled at the chains, but Jester ignored him entirely.

You damn fool!

The shock from the clash shattered the floorboards and cracked the masts, which were just strong enough to prevent themselves from collapsing entirely. Allen raised his arm to shield his face from the dust, unable to step any farther away due to the chains.

Lyza puffed out a shaky breath as she pulled her arm back. She had risked her arm, but it was worth it. Now, there were two things she understood, the first being that strengthening her armour was now a definite option due to the sheer strength of this beast.

And the second was...

Jester screeched and prepared to deliver another punch, unseeing and unaware that she had spread her arms wide, as if preparing to tackle it. But instead of tackling, she slammed her hands together with all the strength she could muster, forcing the already fierce winds in its direction. Instead of simply flying through it, Jester blew apart instead, into a cloud of smoke that resembled a mere silhouette of it.

Allen's eyes bulged in surprise, and he backed away from Lyza right away. He was weakened, but far from defeated.

"Your cigar's smoke. That's what this thing is made of, isn't it?" She asked, closing down the space between her and the smoker.

He raised his arms to block her attack, but was not quite strong enough. The hit sent him flying about a dozen feet away, landing hard on his back. The chains had partially disintegrated with his Primis' smoke, but were already reconstructing as Jester began to reshape itself. Its huge head slowly took form, the unintentional grin reappearing on its face once more.

Lyza took one look at the reappearing beast and brought her hands together once more, breaking it apart again. "If I can't pass through smoke, then all I have to do is puff it away!" Her logic was perfect as of right now, but she still had a feeling that the boy still had something else up his sleeve.

If he's a Smoke Ley user who only used the smoke from his cigar for the moment, then there's a possibility that he can create smoke as well.

This made sense. It was quite a bit trickier to create something than it was to control an already existing material or particles. This was the primary reason why Veltmann had developed steel orbs for Steel Ley users like herself. It took massive physical strain to create an element from the Ley Field, forget mould and control it properly.

And just as she thought, Allen began to draw upon more Ley. "I think I understand you a bit more, Lyza. And I understand that I have underestimated you too." He said, raising himself to his feet with much effort.

He knew she had probably figured out he could create smoke by now. It was clear as day that he wouldn't allow such a weakness to exist for his Primis anyway. She was more than cunning enough to see what he knew and would not know.

"Come on, Jester." He whispered, almost to himself. "No matter what the cost, I'll defeat her with my own strength. So right now, I'll free your wrists...and in turn, help me kick her ass."

KRACK. KRICK.

He let the cuffs shatter and sighed, overcome by a slight feeling of liberation as the dead soul that was bound to him freed itself slightly.

That liberation quickly disappeared thanks to the immense strain on his neck that followed. "A-AHG-KA..." He was choking on his own spit. The veins in his neck were popping out, and yet somehow he managed to force the air into his lungs.

Dammit! I need to finish this quick! He thought frantically, clawing uselessly at his throat.

He looked up with tear-filled eyes at his Primis. It was now twice as big, and held its newly freed lower arms in front of its face as though it could see them. It simply hovered there in the air, motionless...as if it had been mystified to feel its arms again.

"Ha...nds...free. Chains...loos...en." He thought he was hearing things because of the pain, but there was no mistaking where the voice was coming from. Jester's jaw clattered up and down as it managed to spit out the syllabales with a struggle. "F...ree...I am...fr-"

Lyza had seen enough, and now rose to meet the creature using her platforms. Her fist sank into the now-solid creature's face, shoving it back slightly. But her fist no longer had the kind of impact it had held in her first exchange with it. Not only was it bigger, but now more so than ever, she could feel Advanced Ley coating its body. As though it were a living being.

She had seen enough of Schweitzer's experiments to understand how Ley worked. A Primis wasn't a living being. Even a Primis that appeared to form living beings was merely either mimicking the real thing, or an extension of the user's soul itself.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

So how could this thing have its own Ley?

None of it made sense, but she knew she had to beat this thing fast.

The creature raised all four arms and brought them down, wrecking the deck as it did so. The steel platforms she stood on collapsed with the floorboards, and forced her to leap off to a safer, intact part of the deck.

Without waiting, it leaped after her, and she immediately extended three spikes up to pierce its body. There was no blood as the tips cut through its body, but the loud wail it let out told her more than enough about the effectiveness of her attack. "Jest...ter!" Allen choked out the words with great effort, but it was futile. He had next to no control over the Primis now.

It broke through the spikes and slammed its hand through the ship, sending massive chunks of wood and steel used for reinforcement flying. Lyza hung on to its arm, determined not to fall off and join them. "HURRRRT...it...HURTS!" Jester shrieked, and slammed its hand on its arm, just missing Lyza as she began climbing up. She regained her balance and sped up, just managing to reach its shoulder before it could grab her.

"Gimme your face." She said, and began to deliver a flurry of blows to its face. Kick to the chin. Right fist to the jaw. Left to the middle of the face, where the nose should've been. Right to the forehead. Over and over, she gave everything her Ley could offer to try and knock it senseless.

It's not too hard to keep a creature with minimum comprehension at bay like this.

"No, you don't!" She recognized the voice and turned, but the armour slowed her down by a millisecond. Allen's smokefist struck her face hard enough to make everything begin to spin, and Jester swung his arm wildly and slammed its fist into Lyza. The punch cracked open her armour's torso from the right shoulder to the center of the waist, injuring her own body with the stray shards of steel that buried themselves in her body. She accidentally hit Allen as she fell, sending them both rolling onto what was left of the broken deck. Despite her cracked helmet and bloody right arm, she got up quickly and headed for the source of the Primis' power: the smoker himself. "You son of a bitch!" She growled, tugging the chain attached to his neck and dragging him closer.

"You shouldn't have started this fight with me. You're filled with openings, and your Primis is a complete mess!" She could hear the thing behind her gasping in pain and exhaustion. It seemed that the smoker wasn't the only one weakened by the removal of those chains.

So it only gained temporary strength from that little stunt? I didn't do nearly enough to make something that big so exhausted.

She glared at him, and noticed the tightening collar around his neck. Before she could think up of anything, though, the kid smiled slyly and spit on her helmet.

If there was one thing Lyza could not stand, it was mockery.

She raised his head up, and slammed it down through the wood and steel floor beneath her feet. With all her might, she sent him flying through the air and watched him slam through the steel mast at the front of the ship, and crash into a pair of barrels almost twice his size.

He couldn't breathe at all now. What strength he had left was not enough to force his throat open, not enough to let him breathe. Certainly, he had just barely avoided instantaneous death at the hands of Lyza by putting up the last of his Advanced Ley to protect himself...but there was a cost.

He now raised his head, with blood rolling down his face as his eyes focused on the battle ensuing before him. Jester was fighting her again, but it couldn't hold her off for long. Its punches were losing their strength, and the already bad accuracy it had was worsening. It swung its fist and Lyza sidestepped quickly, before grabbing its arm and placing all her Ley on her torso to slam Jester to the deck. It crashed right through the damaged floor, and slightly tilted the entire ship to a side.

His vision began to blur as the lack of oxygen began to overtake him. And in that quiet moment, that moment which brought him so close to slipping into unconsciousness and to death, he remembered Gerard.

He had never thought he really liked Gerard. Sure, there were moments where he appreciated him and his kindness...but he thought that was nothing more than simple courtesy. All his life, he had attempted to push him away, unaware that he was the closest thing to a father figure in his life.

He couldn't help the sad smile that began to creep across his face. I'm sorry, Gerard. I should have listened to you more...he thought, slowly closing his eyes.

"I'm...sorry." He whispered.

"For what?" The voice was loud and familiar, a voice that he had heard one too many times to mistake.

One too many times to mistake, yet this time he thought he was wrong. It couldn't be true, it couldn't be him. With great effort, he forced his eyes open to look at the bloody but unmistakable face of Gerard Sternenmann. The same cheeky smile, the same oversized afro...the only thing that had changed were his eyes. His eyes, once so full of life, now barely showed any sign of it.

That was what made the moment all too real for Allen.

He lay there, unable to speak through his shock and the collar. "Allen. I'm not invincible. And I'm not gonna live, not for much longer." His head had indeed been split open, but he had managed to soften his blow just enough to prevent instant death. He could barely feel his legs, and his entire head was what could only be described as a ball of pain.

Indeed, it pained him greatly to even try to think, but he couldn't afford to be lazy now, could he? He had nothing left to lose. A little pain might kill him, but he was gonna die anyway.

"You've got to fight, Allen. You're the strongest out of all of us. You left me behind a long, long time ago, so...now show...me why you deserve to be...the next cap...tain..."

He grasped Allen's shoulders with shaking hands as his words began to slur. Watching Gerard's tired eyes shut slowly, watching the blood continue to roll down his head and neck, feeling his pulse slow down through his hands...it was a kind of agonizing torture, watching his friend die slowly before him.

He finally collapsed to the floor, leaving Allen by himself, very much alone now to fight against Lyza.

Jester was starting to return to smoke now, weakened enough by Lyza. Whitebeard himself had once warned Allen about how dangerous the use of his Primis was.

"Remember, kiddo. That thing was weakening fast. If you take off the wrist chains, the boost in strength is going to be temporary. The chances are that the collar round your neck is what will either severe it from you entirely...or kill you in exchange for that strength."

He didn't sugarcoat it. He would have to pay a great price in order to use his Primis to its full potential.

Whitebeard...Captain Caine...would they make such a massive sacrifice to win a battle as meaningless as this?

They would. He thought, remembering the sight of his Captain once staggering out of his lab after spending four days without food or water inside. I know he would. He's almost died for research that went nowhere...all for our sakes.

He scolded Caine for several minutes after he had somewhat recovered from his time in the lab. "Why the fuck would you risk your life for that? You almost starved to death like a rodent for some baseless research with those damn mushrooms!"

Caine smiled at his outburst, only responding with this: "It isn't about how you die, Allen. Its about what you accomplish before you do."

He struggled to his feet, forcing himself to draw in oxygen to make one final move. Even if I must die...I will not let Lyza win. Not now. He watched her step away from the defeated Primis and turn towards him. "You're dead, Smoker. Don't try it."

This time, it was Allen who smiled. "Yeah? I've got news for you, then...it isn't about how you die...but its about what you accomplish before you do." He reached for his collar, with the smile still stuck on his face.

Jester. Come out. I will give all of myself... so please, kill Ly-

His thoughts were interrupted by Lyza's scream as something tossed her across the ship, sending her to the floor below.

"Gerard is dead. Keya is severely injured. The top deck is in ruins."

There was no doubt who it was. They had been waiting, struggling for all this time, in need of a leader strong enough to defeat Lyza.

In the end...that leader wasn't me. I let Gerard die and Keya get hurt. I couldn't...do anything. Allen thought, staring forward with his fading vision focused on the humanoid figure standing at the staircase.

He could make out the giant cross-shaped weapon swung over the person's shoulder, confirming that he wasn't hallucinating. It was indeed Captain Caine.

"You failed to carry out several duties...but you survived, Allen." Caine said softly, kneeling down in front of him. Allen briefly wondered when he had stepped from halfway across the ship to where he was lying, and almost laughed. What kind of a thing was that to wonder at?

"Forgive me for taking so long. But placing the seals on this relic is a necessity I can't afford to be careless with."

He blinked, and found himself now lying besides Eddie, who appeared to have finished his work on Keya. "Make sure he lives. This is a test, Eddie, one where I am entrusting the life of my strongest son with you."

He didn't wait for a response, and swiftly moved to fight the waiting Lyza.