"Ugh, yes, pretty much, though, refrain from ever using that term again. I wouldn't want such a slut like you as my Queen." Replied Diddy, shivering in pure disgust as he looked at Freyja, who was doing the same.
"Don't need to tell me twice; I won't ever be saying that again; besides, I wouldn't want a crazy monkey like you as my King either." Said Freyja as she took slow breaths, feeling nauseous from her earlier statement.
The rest of the flight towards the mountain was silent, which I enjoyed after what Freyja had just said, though as we got close, I started to frown when I sensed that same intrusive feeling from when I was fighting both Freyja and Sebas. I could feel itself try to wiggle its way into my mind to cloud and confuse my senses, though I was able to ward it off; however, the same couldn't be said for Freyja since she's long since been affected.
"We've arrived, Freyja." Said Diddy as he descended to the ground while glancing at Freyja, who just floated in the air, looking to her right.
"What's going on? Why did you suddenly stop, Diddy?" Asked Freyja with a frown while looking to her right, seemingly speaking to Diddy even though he was standing on the ground.
"Tch, great, it's gotten worse, though I suppose that must mean we're heading in the right direction, and if we're not, that sucks." Remarked Diddy as he folded his arms and watched Freyja converse with a person that didn't exist.
Shaking my head in amusement at the sight of Freyja seemingly going insane, I leaped up to her and grabbed her arm, though the instant I did so, she opened her mouth and blasted me with a breath of flames, forcing me to release her arm and dodge out the way as I wasn't expecting her to do that.
'Fuck me, if this were a normal situation, I definitely would've smacked the shit out of her.' Thought Diddy while clicking his tongue in annoyance as he eyed Freyja, who went into a fighting stance and warily eyed her surroundings.
"The fuck you mean you didn't sense anyone, Diddy? Don't you have super acute senses or something!?" Exclaimed Freyja angrily as a tail and horns emerged from her back and head, respectively, while she constantly eyed the vicinity, only for her eyes to widen, causing her to turn around and swipe the air behind her suddenly.
"Haa, it's not just my eyes that are being messed with anymore, is it? Diddy, where are you; as much as I loathe your existence, grab my hand; at least then, I'll know where you're at." Added Freyja with a sigh of defeat as she floated in the air while looking around before outstretched her hand in a random direction.
I don't know what she experienced in that illusion, but clearly, the Diddy she was talking to didn't act very Diddy-like, which allowed her to conclude that more of her senses were being messed with.
'Heh, illusion, maybe that's the devil fruit user's ability; it would make sense. Illusions are meant to confuse and muddle one's senses.' Thought Diddy with a thoughtful expression as he approached Freyja and grabbed her outstretched hand, prepared in case she attacked again.
"Zap me-" Said Freyja as she looked at Diddy even though she couldn't actually see him, though before she could finish talking, Diddy shocked her with a decently strong current of electricity.
"Ugh, f-fuck; that's definitely you. Freaking bastard." Muttered Freyja with a scowl as she hissed in pain while eyeing her burnt and smoking hand that was repairing itself at a visible speed.
Grinning, I was tempted to zap her again, but I'll save it for later when we returned to the ship as this wasn't the best time to do it; besides, I wanted her to properly see me when I shock her with lightning.
'Okay, so what the hell are we supposed to do now? I think I'd rather die than lead Freyja around like she's some child while holding her hand.' Thought Diddy as he looked around, searching for anything, though he inwardly cursed when he found nothing to help his predicament.
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"Ugh, rip my freaking heart out! Here take my fucking tail, I can at least deal with that." Said Diddy with a groan of anger as he removed his hand before resting his tail on Freyja's palm, to which she grabbed it.
"Is this your tail? Thank goodness, I didn't want to hold your hand for a second longer." Muttered Freyja with a raised eyebrow before sighing in relief, feeling like a great weight had been lifted off her back.
Growling, I ignored Freyja and descended back to the ground with her following right behind me; nearing the mountain, I walked around the edge, looking for any type of tracks or passageways, as the mountain was far too steep for someone to climb normally. Well, for the average person to climb normally, at least; for me, I might as well be returning to my natural habitat.
"Tch, annoying and disgusting." Muttered Freyja as she looked to her left, eyeing a giant grotesque abomination comprised of tentacles floating in the sky.
Moving around the mountain's base was slower than I'd liked, mainly because I had to keep track of Freyja since half the time, she wasn't paying attention and was looking at whatever random illusion; however, eventually, I finally found something. Suddenly stopping, I sniffed the air, inhaling the scent of a human, though it was faint, incredibly so that it didn't even lead to somewhere; it was just comprised in this one area.
Though that was fine, it meant I was in the right location since, besides the room with shark and water, this was the first time I'd smelled the scent of another human.
'I'd usually take my time as I kinda like hunting, but since I've got a Succubus to babysit, let's speed things along a little.' Mused Diddy with a smirk as he unholstered Naga-sa and swung it toward the mountain, causing a loud boom while chunks of rocks flew off.
"Hehe, I know you're hiding in there; just stay where you are, and I'll come and find you!" Stated Diddy with a feral grin as he relentlessly swung at the mountain, slowly carving his way through it.
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"They didn't die at phase 2, did they Pill?" Asked Mirage with a slight frown as she looked at a projection of the room where the pirate royal was held, which was just recently set aflame.
"No, Madam, just before the room exploded into a sea of flames, they escaped through the feeding chute; I believe they've managed to escape safely." Replied Pill while still sitting at the control desk as he flipped through various cameras he's got hidden throughout the forest, hoping to find the Frenzy pirates.
"Hmm, well then, tell me when you find them." Said Mirage calmly as she set down her tea cup and stood up from her couch, approaching a small pedestal with what looked like a log pose.
"It's been nearly 50 years since that day; I wonder, are these finally the pirates that'll show me the way?" Muttered Mirage with a longing look as she stroked her hand against the glass while eyeing the log pose, which had two words engraved at the top.
'Angel Island'
I continued staring at the eternal pose for several minutes while imagining the day I'd finally achieve my late husband's dream of reaching the fated sky islands, though while doing so, Pill called me, breaking me out of my stupor.
"Madam, I've found them; they are currently walking through the forest, heading in the same direction as where their ship is docked. However, there are only four of them; the Captain and Vice-captain are absent." Stated Pill as he watched Scar, Grand, Trenza, and Sebas head toward their ship before pressing a button, causing the video to broadcast from the transponder snail on the table.
"Hmm, do not bother with them; they are leaving, so they are currently of no threat. I'm more worried about the other two; this Chaos Kong can resist my illusions, he holds great power, and he does not seem like the type of person to listen to reason. The woman, however, isn't safe from my abilities; hopefully, she doesn't end up being killed by her Captain, though sometimes sacrifices are required." Said Mirage as she returned to her couch while glancing at her transponder snail before ignoring it, though as she went to grab her teacup, she suddenly stopped.
Leaning closer to the table, I closely eyed the teacup, and once again, I saw ripples emerge from the tea, causing me to frown; placing my hand on the ground, I closed my eyes, and although it was very faint, I felt the ground slightly tremble.
'Earthquake?' Thought Mirage with a slight frown, thinking it was the only logical conclusion, though a part of herself said otherwise.
As time passed, the barely noticeable vibrations increased in intensity, almost as if whatever was causing the trembling was getting closer; eventually, it got to the point where the whole room was violently shaking, making it a challenging task to simply stand.
"P-Pill, what's happening!?" Exclaimed Mirage with a frown as she eyed Pill while leaning against the wall for support.
"I-I-I don't know, Madam, I've searched through every camera twice, yet I still can't find anything." Replied Pill, yelling loudly amidst the loud sounds that accompanied each tremble.
I was about to yell again, but all of a sudden, the violent trembling stopped, causing me to sigh in relief, though I should've known something was wrong as soon after, a loud boom was heard against the metal room Pill, and I was in, prompting us both to eye the ten-inch iron door that was sealed shut.