[center][color=bc8dbf][h3]Round Four for the Red Rums / Krunch Pirates!
Bonekid versus Kitana Blade![/h3][/color]
[sup]A Collaboration between [@ProPro] and Yours Truly.[/sup][/center]
Bonekid stepped into the ring as he held his sword tightly in his hands, looking at the freakishly pale swordswoman in front of him with what could be conceived as a grin of excitement on his face. He was feeling a mixture of emotions right now, but mainly the likes of dread and enticement. It’d be a good match, but it had a lot riding on it. He’d best not disappoint his crew(s?).

[color=bc8dbf][b]”Uh… one question. What constitutes as a ‘hit’?”[/b][/color] Bonekid wasn’t sure if a blade clash counted as a hit or if a vine punch counted as one, so he wanted to clear things up quickly.

In response, the pale swordsman lifted her right arm up in display, holding her black longsword in hand. With her left hand, gripping the short sword, she sliced quick and clean across her own forearm, drawing blood. The red liquid dripped three drops to the floor, but the rest was being absorbed by her clothing. A single bead of red ran down the edge of her blade. [color=lightpink]”That is what constitutes as a hit. Blade to flesh. Though in your case, it is a bit different, but I imagine you get the idea. Now…”[/color] She shifted her position to take stance, holding both swords out in front of her. [color=lightpink]”En garde!”[/color]

“En garde!” shouted the two referees, in unison.

As soon as Bonekid got an understanding and heard the word ‘now’, he shifted into a defensive stance of his own, taking one hand off his blade’s hilt as the blade became covered in a thick bark-like substance. [b][color=bc8dbf]”Kojo-Kojo Cover! We’d better hope it helps.”[/color][/b]

While Bonekid immediately began a defensive tactic, his opponent rushed forward in an offensive blitz. Her expression never changed, neutral and stroic, like a porcelain doll. It was unsettling and creepy, like a puppet woman were swinging two black swords at the skeleton kid. First the longsword swung horizontally to lock in with the Shroomblade, cutting into its protective wooden cover but not piercing it completely. Next Blade swung her short sword, just outside of reaching Bonekid. Then, in an instant, the tip of the sword seemed to grow longer! It reached forward, slicing into the skelekid’s clothes and nicking one of his ribs.

“Point for Blade!” cried one of the referees.

The short sword appeared to shrink back to its normal size before his very eyes, but on a second glance he could make out what was happening. Her sword hadn’t gotten longer at all. It was her [i]blood.[/i] The precious red liquid of life had snaked along her sword and become like an extension of the blade itself!

[color=bc8dbf][b]”Oh, so that’s how we’re playing?”[/b][/color] Bonekid tilted his head before a vine shot out from his plant skin, swiping underneath his foes feet. [color=bc8dbf][b]”Good. We’ve been itching to go all out.”[/b][/color] With a swift movement, Bonekid deflected the sword strike before he backpedaled a few steps. He shifted into a better position as his blade swung around him, the weight between the child and the sword acting in tandem with each other, giving them a fair bit of momentum. [color=bc8dbf][b]”Kojo-Kojo Overgrowth!”[/b][/color] The skeleton kid turned his momentum into an assault as he lunged at Kitana, his form carrying with it various streaks of newly formed foliage. 

Blade’s response was as emotionless as ever. Her movements were calculated and graceful, with absolutely zero malice or enjoyment behind them. As the vine lashed out at her legs, she spun her longsword clockwise, sweeping downward and back up to its original position. As the sword spun in place, it left behind a trail of blood taking the form of a large circular shield. Not only did it serve to slice apart the vine snaking toward her, but it acted as a barrier between both combatants. 

[color=lightpink]”Haemo haemo shield,”[/color] she uttered simply. [color=lightpink]”Rain of daggers.”[/color] She followed up by slashing into the blood barrier with both swords in an X formation. This sent dozens, nearly a hundred droplets of blood, flying toward the skeleton in the shape of little razors and just as sharp. 

[color=bc8dbf][b]”K-KOJO KOJO [i]NOPE![/i]”[/b][/color] The plant skin and flying foliage around Bonekid’s body shifted into a wall of bark, blocking most of the incoming attacks (and causing Bonekid to halt in his tracks as he splat against the wall), but not all was saved. The hat normally worn by Bonekid was torn to shreds, carrying through the air like it was nothing but a shard of paper. Thankfully, the Shroomblade was there to keep Bonekid’s head safe where the wall couldn’t.

[color=bc8dbf][b]”O-oh…”[/b][/color] Bonekid looked at his blade, and noted the… rather large amount of blood on it. The blood on it… somehow… made him feel more secure with the blade. He trusted it more. He felt his soul in it more.

A wicked grin appeared on Bonekid’s face as he called once again.

[color=bc8dbf][b]”Kojo-Kojo Weave.”[/b][/color]

Whatever foliage was left around Bonekid coiled into a series of spider like legs, lifting the skelekid off the ground and carrying him around the arena quickly as he circled and weaved around Kitana, looking for an optimal spot to score a point without risking the threat of a foe earning a point.

At last, one opening was found, and Bonekid went for it, sending his blade around for a slash from the his right side (aiming for Kitana’s left), using another instance of his weight versus the swords weight for momentum.

Blade was not nearly as open as the younger swordsman believed. If he had thought that his new mobility had somehow disoriented her, the results of his attack would prove otherwise. She lifted up her shortsword to intercept his attack, then swung a quick counter maneuver with her longsword. The superior reach of her longer arms had proved vital in piercing his plant matter skin, spewing chlorophyll like blood.

“Second point, Blade!” cried a referee.

Blade twisted her sword, knocked the Shroomblade aside and retaking her stance. Whereas previously she had taken a very offensive style, now she had changed gears to be more on the defense. The older swordsman had to have something up her sleeve, but she had one major disadvantage in this battle. There was no way she could know of the Shroomblade’s secret strength, and her parry-lock maneuver had spilled more of her blood onto it.

[color=bc8dbf][b]”Heh. Fair game.”[/b][/color] Bonekid smirked as he pulled his blade back and left his hand open. [color=bc8dbf][b]”You’ve got a lot of tricks in your arsenal. We both have that in common.”[/b][/color] Bonekid felt his blade speak to him even more than it had due to the additional blood on the blade. [color=bc8dbf][b]”Looks like we’ve gotta find another route...”[/b][/color] 

Bonekid stood back in his own defensive stance as his free hand clenched the air, moss spreading along the ground where scraps of what was cut off of Bonekid’s plant skin. Bonekid couldn’t grow his plants unless he had one of two things; suitable growing terrain, or other plant matter to work off of. Moss was plant matter that could spread along stones, and it was plant matter affected by his Devil Fruit’s powers. 

[color=bc8dbf][b]”How’re you holding up? I don’t want you to die from blood loss.”[/b][/color] Bonekid was earnest. He wanted to talk to her after this was over in attempts to improve his own talents with a sword. Alas, that’d be for the future. Right now, he needed to buy some time.

[color=lightpink]”Concern for your enemy is a luxury for the citizens in their homes-”[/color] since the Bonekid had not pressed the offense, Blade was more than eager to take up that position herself, swinging both swords horizontally. They shot forth red projectiles, large scythe-like swathes of blood that would no doubt cause havoc if they connected. [color=lightpink]”Not for soldiers on the battlefield!”[/color]

Bonekid hastily swung his sword as he leapt, dodging one of the blasts due to his small stature and newfound agility, with the swing causing the other blast to collide directly with the Shroomblade. The inpacrt caused the blade to pull Bonekid back a bit, but it coated the blade with a sticky and shiny crimson edge combined with the other blood soaked onto the blade. Bonekid gave a dark scowl as he commented again. [color=bc8dbf][b]”How... [i]honorable[/i].”[/b][/color]

The Shroomblade took on a wicked green glow as Bonekid stood there. The Red Rums would know this as an Honor Strike, but without it firing off, Bonekid was simply left cooking it as he returned to his defensive position. [color=bc8dbf][b]”I gotta say, you are bleeding a fair bit. We don’t want our opponent dying in a battle [i]this fun![/i]”[/b][/color] Bonekid giggled as his blade gleamed with the green energy imbuing it. Meanwhile, the moss growing around the shards of plant skin continued to spread, growing at a much faster rate as more moss could spread from each centimeter that covered the area.

[color=lightpink]”Honor has no place in war,”[/color] posited the macabre swordswoman, twirling her swords back into form. [color=lightpink]”In battle, the very act of fighting makes both sides evil. The only true justice is to end the bloodshed as quickly as possible… To end ‘evil’ by any means necessary! Hato hato sheathe!”[/color] More of Blade’s blood seeped from her wound, covering both blades of her weapons. The blood condensed and hardened, focusing the iron content within the blood into a larger, sharper edge. The black swords were now crimson, but they were not the only thing to go through a transformation. No longer did Kitana Blade look lifeless, detached, and aloof, but fierce, determined, and frenzied. 

[color=darkred]”Heart Murmur!”[/color] she cried out, slashing both swords up from the ground. The floor split from the cut, which was quickly shooting toward Bonekid. 

[color=bc8dbf][b]”Nice try.”[/b][/color] Bonekid’s sword flashed back to its original color as the kid performed his patent-pending Sword-Jump technique, launching a good distance into the air above Kitana and staring down at her with a grin on his face. With his sword still drawn, Bonekid harnessed the power of his Devil Fruit as he used yet another one of his techniques. [color=bc8dbf][b]”Kojo-Kojo Spring Apple!”[/b][/color] The mossy ground under Kitana shook as a platform of plant matter rocketed out from under her, though, not launching her up. It instead swarmed around her body with an intent to trap her, contain her, keep her from moving so Bonekid could get a point.

Bonekid’s free hand unleashed the vine part of the Spring Apple move as he pulled himself towards the ground, landing back on it quickly and charging towards Kitana’s back, a hefty jab being sent her way from the Shroomblade. The skeleton was moving so fluidly with his blade at this point that it’d be comparable to rain along a leaf, dripping off at the end. Poetic, in a way.

Blade was taken by complete surprise at the sudden tree growing beneath her feet. The branches twisted out and around, the foliage grew all about her legs, completely destroying her footing. [color=darkred]”What is this?!”[/color] she cried, sweeping her blades in wide swathes, cutting a path for herself. Just as she was about to jump from the tree, Bonekid’s sword stabbed two inches deep into her back. [color=darkred]”Ugh!”[/color]

She tore herself away, seemingly tumbling down through the air, yet she landed on both feet, crouched, albeit with a wince. Curiously, the wound wasn’t bleeding at all despite no doubt having sliced an artery when she tore herself away. Her blood manipulating devil fruit definitely had bonus applications it seemed. 

“Point for Bonekid!” A ref cried out. “The score stands at 2-1 in favor of Kitana Blade!”

Blade stood up, narrowing her steely gaze on her skeletal opponent. She wasted no words, slicing in a single quick and efficient motion along the trunk of the tree. Without a single cry of “timber!” the tree crashed down in Bonekid’s position, but that was not all. She measured her opponent’s reaction and moved in position to launch a blood wave at him just as he began to do something about the tree. 

Bonekid rolled out of the way of the tree as he held his sword towards Kitana, a vine rocketing out of the fallen trunk in attempts to wrap around her ankle to try and trip her. While in the fluid move, Bonekid protected his body from an oncoming attack by pulling his sword in front of him. If a wave hit it, it’d just make him more powerful. Though, he’d still have to dodge, but any blood on the blade was still fortuitous. [color=bc8dbf][b]”How’re you feeling now? I’d imagine not so good.”[/b][/color]

The woman’s lips curled up in an insidious smile, slicing apart the oncoming vine with a flick of the wrist. She never even so much as glanced in its direction. [color=darkred]”I told you, inexperienced child. Concern for your enemy is not a luxury you can afford. [i]All[/i] men on the battlefield are evil by nature!”[/color] 

A portion of the blood scythe splattered onto the Shroomblade as its owner protected himself, but a larger portion splattered all around. Come to think of it, there was a lot of blood splattered around…

[color=darkred]”You are not the only one who can manipulate a battlefield to your advantage! Hato hato Vein Burst!”[/color] she spun her swords together, hilt to hilt, then pierced the ground with both blades. All the blood spatter quivered and reacted in an instant. Completely surrounded on all sides, the puddles and spatter formed into dozens of spears and blades, centered right on Bonekid. No doubt he could block many, and dodge more, but it was impossible to avoid getting hit by all. No matter what actions he took, the skeleton swordsman found himself impaled by at least half a dozen blood-spears. 

“Point for Blade! Multiple strikes simultaneously count as a single blow!”

Blade nodded toward her opponent. [color=darkred]”Had you a normal body, you’d no doubt be dead right now. Count yourself lucky.”[/color] And lucky he was, for the attack had an unintended side effect. The Shroomblade was now [i]saturated[/i] with a source of precious life energy…

[color=92278f][b]”... heh…”[/b][/color] Bonekid’s tone completely shifted as he took his sword and spun, a slash completely ripping through every bloody spear that impaled him like it was no more than tissue paper. [color=92278f][b]”Saddle up, kid, because you’re in for a wild ride now. Kojo-Kojo Blades of Grass!”[/b][/color]

The plants that coated Bonekid each split off into their own separate appendages, forming long blades of plant matter at each tip. They were, quite literally, blades of grass. As for what Bonekid did, the end of his personal sword extended far beyond what was normal for it, but it still seemed like a perfect weight for Bonekid. 

[color=92278f][b]”Think fast.”[/b][/color]

Before Kitana knew it, Bonekid was right up beside her with both of his Blades of Grass swinging from the sides, his own sword aiming right for her torso with the skeleton’s face masked by a malicious grin. He knew the risk he was taking, but he was ready to bail if he had to, especially with the moss underfoot ready to make a wall of pure bark.

Blade reacted with surprise. Clearly she had not expected her opponent to receive such a tremendous boost in speed and power. Despite this she wasn’t one to give up any ground. Her left hand brought up the shortsword to block the Shroomblade. Her right hand partied one of the grass blades. She strained to force the weapons back. Of course, that left one attack she had no way of blocking, and paid the price. The grass blade on her left side sliced into her skin, drawing blood. Only after this strike did she put any distance between them. 

“Point for Bonekid! The score is 3-2!”

Blade grit her teeth. [color=darkred]”Very well. In order to end this evil, I will need to use my greatest technique…”[/color] The woman closed her eyes, centering herself. She positioned her longsword directly in front of her face pointing toward the sky, while the shortsword remained at her side, pointed diagonally toward the ground. Then her eyes opened back, completely red. No iris, no pupil, only red. Then she began moving, the abandoned grave and poise suddenly having returned to her. The motions of her arms were fluid, like water, spinning around in a beautiful dance. All the blood that had littered the hall, soaked into clothes, and splattered around all returned to its owner swirling and rushing in a perfectly composed system of fluids. She was almost like a solar system, with many belts of orbits centered on her own mass. 

[color=lightpink]”Let this be our final clash, young one.”[/color] She prepares herself for a charge, but the beautiful dance never ceased. 

[color=92278f][b]”If it is, we’ve had a fun time.”[/b][/color] Despite the blood on Bonekid’s blade being absent now, he continued speaking with the darker tone of voice that he had when the blade was covered. With a planty mass forming underneath his feet, Bonekid prepared for the final clash, the Shroomblade glowing with the same green energy as before, the light near-blinding at this specific moment.

[color=lightpink]”Hato Hato Circulation… And!”[/color] Blade charged forward like a rocket, launched by a wave of blood pushing her from behind. [color=lightpink]”Hato Hato Aortic Surgery!”[/color] She swung both blades forward together into a single point. The entire mass of blood moved in perfect synchronicity, coming to a single point and hardening around the two swords as a single massive sword of blood. 

[color=92278f][b]”Honor Strike!”[/b][/color] Bonekid connected the Shroomblade to Kitana’s devastating attack and met it with a power unlike most. The Shroomblade’s glow extended through the sword and onto Bonekid’s figure as it clashed against the bloody attack, a bright light emitting from the contact made by the two blades.

The two blades clashed together in a single stroke, a brilliant light emanating throughout the hall and blinding most of the observers. By the time the blinded could see again, both combatants were standing on opposite sides, back facing back. Kitana Blade held both swords together, her enormous blood weapon still in perfect form. Then, slowly, the blood began to flow as a mass of tendrils back toward its owner. Blade collapsed to the ground, and though her blood flowed back home through her wounds the woman had clearly lost consciousness. 

“Uh… Ok, wow. So the winner, by knockout, is Bonekid!”

Bonekid, standing right behind what was a KO’d Kitana, raised his arms in the air as he let out a loud [color=bc9dbf][b]”Heck yeah! That was fun as crap!”[/b][/color] Bonekid used a bit of the Kojo-Kojo-no-Mi to lift and carry Kitana back to the other stands, where he gently placed her down, doing a bit of a happy walk as he did so. [color=bc9dbf][b]”Oh man, that was fun! She was so cool! What I’d give to be as good as her someday!”[/b][/color] With a smile on his face, Bonekid picked up what was left of his hat at the moment as he carried it back to his own stands. [color=bc9dbf][b]”What do you guys think? How was that ma-gheck!”[/b][/color]

As soon as Bonekid stepped near the stands, his entire body collapsed onto the bottom stand, his head hitting the edge of the lower seats with an audible [i]thud[/i]. Must’ve tuckered himself out, the poor scamp.