The Return Of Joyboy!

Zoro stood firmly with his hands gripping the hilts of his katana as the dust settled around him due to the intense clash he was engaged in with one of the topmost agents of the Baroque Works, Mr. 1. He had already landed a couple of hits on the man, but nothing had yet to damage the iron hard exterior of the steel man before him.
"Basically, your body is as hard as steel and unless I can cut steel, I can't defeat you, right?" Zoro asked the man before him, as he tied his own bandana around his head, a sign that he was getting serious with the agent.
"I ate the Dice Dice fruit, making me a human blade." Mr. 1 answered with a bored look on his face to the swordsman before him. Although his facial expression screamed that he was bored, he had wanted to see what the swordsman before him had in his pockets to be offered to be one of the agents in Baroque Works in the past. Moreover, Mr. 1 was not unknown with how the man had cut down 100 bounty hunters at Whiskey Peak.
"I am not capable of cutting steel yet, so there's only one thing that's left to do." Zoro spoke calmly, without looking even a bit troubled.
"And what's that, swordsman?" Mr. 1 questioned with raised eyebrows. He would be utterly disappointed in the man if he claimed to run away but something in him told that it wouldn't come down to that.
"I am going to learn how to cut steel, right here and now." Zoro smirked as he shed his jacket, which would only hinder him in the fight, ready for the real battle.
"Really?" Mr. 1 taunted with a scoff. No one had been able to cut his body since he had got his devil fruit. How high does the man before him even think of himself, to challenge him of all people when his own captain was a weakling, a child? But he could really see the foolishness which was running in the crew. The captain gets kidnapped, the orange haired girl runs from a fight and the lunatic before him proclaims to cut him, a steel man. "You really are one of his men." Mr. 1 snorted, the metallic rumble of his tone mirroring the steel coursing through his body. "The swordsman of a so-called captain who's been captured by the 3C's. And here you are, still following him blindly?"
Zoro's brows furrowed and his jaw clenched at the mention of Luffy. A flicker of doubt crossed his face. He didn't want to believe that Luffy is at a disadvantage with the 3C's. There was Bonney's words to believe, and then, his captain wasn't some ordinary guy too. He is the incarnation of the Sun God Nika, which in itself spoke volumes. Zoro knew that he shouldn't doubt Luffy, practically a God, who he thought to be able to do anything but he knew that was not the complete truth. Even before Luffy had told him about his real identity, he had seen the glimmer in Luffy's eyes which he hid by his childishness and goofiness. The look of a man who knew far more than he ever said, a look of someone who carried the weight of the world far larger than Zoro could understand. A weight which can hunch a man and make him go crazy. But Zoro's captain stood tall, never faltering even under the heavy weight. That's why... that's why, Zoro is going to trust his captain to make his way to Alabasta and kick Crocodile's ass even if the 3C's are against him.
"I trust my captain." Zoro proclaimed, not giving into the words of the steel man. Even if Luffy hadn't yet awakened his full powers, he was going to trust Luffy's words.
"Your captain's weak." Mr. 1 pressed on, his arm transforming into a gleaming blade. He was stepping forward towards Zoro, who didn't even falter. "You're following a man doomed to die. That is, if he hasn't already."
"Luffy's going to come back." Zoro stated like a fact, his voice low but proclaiming the truth to be heard by Mr. 1. "And he will kick your boss's ass too." Zoro smirked, putting Wado Ichimonji in his mouth. He needed to finish the fight and then wait for Luffy to come. Perhaps, he had even already arrived. Well, he can't know until he finishes the fight and cuts steel.
"Oh?" Mr. 1's smirk wavered a little but his confidence remained unshaken. "Bold words, but can you even defeat me to say that?" Mr. 1 moved swiftly towards Zoro, his eyes at the bloodied and battered state of the swordsman before him, as he lunged at the swordsman.
The sound of steel clashing against steel once again started echoing through the barren streets of Alubarna. Zoro was relentlessly attacking the steel man, pushing him backwards but it was not enough and Zoro knew that by how the man was skidding backwards but not getting a single scratch on his body.
"You are a tough bastard." Zoro muttered, his eyes fixated at his opponent. "But still weak." He smirked, comparing Mr. 1 to Luffy, whose 'training spars' had pushed Zoro to the brink of life and death more times than he could count by now. Some might say it's cruel, but Zoro needed that. He requested Luffy to go all out with him but he knew that Luffy never did and still he hadn't been able to touch Luffy. He needed those hellish training to grow stronger, strong enough to fulfill his dream and protect Luffy if the time ever came.
"Looking down on me?" Mr. 1 gritted his teeth, not believing the audacity of the swordsman who was covered in his own blood. He charged once again to the man, promising to kill him for looking down. His arms changed into spiraling steel blades, emitting sparks, as they clashed with the green haired man's three swords. "I cut through everything and now I'll carve you up too without any restraint." Mr. 1 swiftly dodged Zoro's blades and landed a gash on the chest of the man with his spiraling drilling blades.
Mr. 1 was getting truly disappointed with every attack of his, as the swordsman before him miscalculated a single step and was now thrown to a massive pillar by him, which was soon going to crush the man under it. He really shouldn't have kept high hopes from the pirate hunter.
'I wonder if the others are alright.' Zoro thought as he staggered to his feet, not willing to show his back to his opponent or kneel down before him. He stood there, avoiding the falling rubble altogether.
"How are you still standing?" Mr. 1 shouted, not wanting to believe the sight before him. "Did you somehow dodge all the falling rubble even after getting so thoroughly cut up?!" Mr. 1 questioned, his eyes going as wide as saucers and sweat trickling down his forehead. The sight of the bloodied swordsman standing was truly nerve wrecking for him.
'...Dodge? All these rocks..?' Zoro questioned himself, already knowing the answer. It wasn't that. He hadn't seen a vision of the future to know where the rocks will fall. So, it wasn't observation Haki. But yet he knew which place the rocks wouldn't fall. He knows where his sword is.. 'Underneath the rock over there...' He knew that and got the confirmation when he removed the rubble to get his sword.
Zoro's had this feeling before too, when all around him becomes too quiet and his own heartbeat beats loudly as a drum to his own ears. 'The boundary between life and death...' Zoro has been here countless times in his journey and training, and he can sense a kind of presence about everything, even the falling rocks.. as if they were living things. But that wasn't the word for that. It didn't feel like a presence but something more.. 'Like a breath. The breath of rock... even the tree has its own breath as does the soil... Could this be it?'
"Sensei! I hear there are people in this world who can even cut through iron. Is that true?" Zoro remembered asking his sensei, Koshiro, when he was a child and heard the fact from the man who had given him his blades that time.
"Yes, it's true." His sensei smiled and answered him. "There are swordsmen in this world who can't do anything but those same people can cut through iron. All the while using the same sword. The strongest sword is a blade that can protect what it wishes to protect and cut what it wishes to cut. In my opinion, a blade that cuts whatever it touches cannot be considered a sword."
It hadn't made much sense to Zoro in the past, neither it did a few minutes earlier, but now, as he stood with blood flowing down from almost all part of his body, making him feel dizzy and at the edge of life and death once again, he knew what his sensei meant those times.
"How did you crush steel with your hand?" Zoro had questioned Luffy just a week ago, when he had shown him and Sanji Armament Haki once more by crushing the cannon with his hands.
"It's not always about pushing harder, Zoro. Sometimes, you need to feel the fight. Let the answer come to you."
Luffy's explanation has been poor but Zoro could right now pinpoint what he meant by those words. 'Breath of things.' Luffy could feel the life which everything in it has.
"What the hell did you do?!" Mr. 1 questioned, his face losing its color a bit. "How is it possible that you could still be standing after taking so much damage and losing that much blood?! It's not possible!"
'I can hear it.. The breath of his iron too.' Zoro could hear and feel it, as he turned towards the man.
"I don't know what trick you pulled, but I'll make sure to kill you for good this time." Mr. 1 uttered and charged at Zoro, promising himself to finish the man before him in one strike.
Zoro ignored his opponent's words, gliding his katana over a leaf without cutting it,then over a boulder, slicing it effortlessly. He was conveying his will to his katana, cutting what he wants and not cutting what he doesn't. He didn't know if he could yet cut through the steel man but if he doesn't try he won't know forever.
"You think you can beat me with just one sword?" Mr. 1 sneered, seeing Zoro raising only one sword towards him, a sign of challenge.
"One is enough." Zoro answered confidently, his sharp eyes holding confidence and determination.
"So be it then." Mr. 1 prepared his own attack, his legs transforming into blades as he lunged at Zoro. "Atomic Spurt!"
"One sword style Lion's Song!" Zoro's movements were swift and precise, his swords flashing in a blur of motion.
In an instant, Zoro resheathed his sword as Mr. 1 stumbled past him, collapsing to his knees, his body carved by Zoro's blade.
.
Cole, Cyane and Cyra burst out into peals of laughter, their giggles and chuckles traversing past the rumbling of the clouds and the growling thunder to Crocodile who was frantically running, almost desperate to get away from the monsters.
Crocodile could hear them all. Cole's laughter, loud and carefree, while Cyane's has a sharpness to it, an edge that hinted at his anticipation for what was to come. But the most unsettling one was of Cyra's, whose laughter was a mix of genuine amusement and something far more insane in it. He dreaded, not wanting to uncover whatever had Cyra laughing so maniacally. He didn't want to know. He needed to sprint, to push his body to its limit if he wanted to survive but he wasn't given the chance when the three cloaked figures seemingly materialized before him, seemingly out of thin air, halting Crocodile in his paths.
"Going somewhere, Mr. Warlord?" Cyane taunted, his voice filled with mirth as his smile grew wider. Crocodile could clearly see the amusement hidden in it, even if he wasn't able to see the eyes of the man before him but he didn't need to see to know that he was going to be treated far worse than anyone they had hunted till now.
Crocodile panted heavily, his mind racing several miles a minute. He knew running away was futile, that it wouldn't change a single thing, when the 3C's had caught him. He can't do anything until and unless he gets his hands on that.
Crocodile straightened himself, trying to hide his fear behind a facade. "We can talk this through. There's no reason for us to fight." Crocodile proposed, his voice hinting the desperation he was feeling. "What if... what if I offered you half of the credit? We can share Alabasta's wealth and influence." Crocodile frantically racked his brain for something which could get him out of the situation. He only needed to trick them till Alubarna and then blast them off.
"Oh?" Cole yawned exaggeratedly, his posture relaxed, and not even considering the Warlord before him as a threat. He didn't really want to waste a single moment with the Warlord but well, he was quite amazed by how the man refused to stutter or show his fear, when he was truly scared.
"How about this? You take all the credit. Wealth, power and fame. Everything which my plan will count to. Take it all." Crocodile offered with gritted teeth. His fear was overwhelming but the fact that the 3C's didn't even budge at his proposals was frustrating and annoying.
"We don't care about your riches." Cyane answered Crocodile's proposals, easily seeing how Ace was trying to hold his own laughter in.
Crocodile clenched his teeth, racking his brain for solutions. He knew he couldn't afford to fight with the 3C's, not together. Not when they had Haki and fierce devil fruits at their disposal. No, he refused to let the punks ruin everything which he had built for years. "I have a top secret information." Crocodile narrowed his eyes, looking at the hooded figures. He knew he was going to give away a very important part of his plan but he had a backup in it. He won't let anyone have it, not the 3C's. He will get them to take him there, as he knew that what he was going to say cannot be refused by the terrors who roam the seas. "Information about one of the ancient weapons, which is said to rival the Gods, bring the people to their knees and rule the world." Crocodile breathed in slight relief, seeing the storm halt for a heartbeat and the full attention of the 3C's on him. "I know where Pluton is."
The moment the cursed word for the ancient weapon left Crocodile's lips, the storm raged with a renewed ferocity and a freaking punch met to his gut, leading him to cough up blood and hastily catch his breath. Crocodile didn't know what happened but at that moment he knew that he had stepped on the wrong stone. Unknown to Crocodile, he had committed a grave mistake by saying something which he should have never spoken about. At that moment, Crocodile failed to notice the looming figure of Cyra, standing above his head, his playful smile replaced by something far more dangerous and predatory.
"Cyra? What's wrong?" Cole questioned with confusion, seeing his little brother's mood drastically change.
"Seems like Mr. Warlord here earned himself a one way ticket to hell." Cyane answered to Cole on behalf of their little brother who seemed to be enraged and not answering them.
"Crocodile!" Cyra's voice rumbled with the lightning which clapped mercilessly in the sky, resounding with the winds which howled, threatening to engulf anything in its path. "How dare you speak of Pluton as though it's some prize to be won?!" If Luffy's face was visible then Crocodile would have been staring at the insane fury behind those adorable doe eyes, which were flickering to scarlet red from chocolatey. "How dare you even desire to get your hands on one of the ancient weapons which was never meant to be created?!" Cyra's voice rumbled, with each word the childish tint to it vanishing to give way to fury.
"Looks like Luffy can handle it on his own." Ace whispered to Sabo, who was standing beside him. He was here to support his little brother but seeing his mood he can tell that wouldn't be needed.
"Yeah. In the meantime, we can go to the capital and check if everything's going well or not." Sabo proposed in a low voice to Ace, his eyes fixed at Luffy who wanted to interrogate the warlord more. Well, their work here was over anyways. "Hey, Cyra! We are going ahead." Cyane shouted to his little brother, after getting an okay from Ace.
.
Nami was hiding from Miss Double Finger, who was hell bent on catching her along with her partner. It was only due to a stroke of luck that Zoro somehow managed to find her in time to rescue from the devastating blow of Mr. 1 but it ended there itself. Now, instead of Mr. 1 she was being hunted down by Miss Double Finger whose prickling needle body wanted to penetrate her skin. Nami cursed as she stood behind a wall, holding her weapon, remembering the time when she asked Usopp to build one for her.
Nami knew she wasn't strong like the others.. Like the monster trio or even Chopper but she refused to be a hindrance to her friends. She refused to stay helpless when her friends, Vivi and Luffy could be in danger. She needed to grow a backbone and for that she needed something to deal with her opponents. Hence, the weapon which Usopp modified for her twice.
"Just what am I doing?!" Nami muttered to herself, holding the three piece ClimaTact in her hands. "Running and hiding from place to place..? Didn't I make up my mind to fight?" Nami leaned on the wall, trying to calm her beating heart, which was swelling with fear but yet determination. She needed to do it for Vivi, who hadn't been able to stop the rebels at the city gates. She needs to do it for Luffy, who trusts them to fight their opponents. "I can do it. I can take down a single woman."
"All the crew's fucking pathetic."
Nami held her breath, her eyes wide as he heard the familiar sing-song voice of Miss Double Finger accompanied by a screeching of metal against the hard pavement.
"Bunch of cowards, I say. Just like the captain, what was his name again? Strawhat?"
Nami gritted her teeth, her hands clenching tight on the climatact. How dare anyone say anything bad about their resident adorable captain, who has the kindest heart and the strongest will. How dare the agent mock her captain, her family?! It was unforgiving.
"The captain got abducted by the 3C's." A hidden shiver was behind the words. "And the crew runs like a coward. What a bunch of imbeciles! Fufufufu!"
Nami grimaced at the reminder but she knew what her opponent didn't. That their captain was okay. That he pulls through anything thrown at him. Miss Double Finger didn't know that, she refused to acknowledge that, cowering in her words and believing in her facts. But not for long because Nami was going to teach the woman a lesson for a lifetime.
'Heat Balls!' Nami called out in her mind, swinging the climatact rapidly. She needed to work fast, fast enough before her opponent faces her.
"By swinging or blowing on each Tact, you can shoot special bubbles. The first shoots hot air bubbles! The second shoots cold air bubbles."
"Found you~!"
Nami's heart pounded in her chest but she forced herself to focus as Miss Double Finger's taunting sing song voice grew closer and closer, her footsteps heavy and ominous against the stone ground. Nami couldn't afford to panic right now. Not when Vivi was counting on her. She gripped her ClimaTact tighter, her fingers trembling only for a moment before she pushed the fear aside.
"Heat balls.. Done!" Nami whispered, watching as small orbs of warmth floated invisibly in the air. She knew that her plan wasn't perfect but it didn't need to be. All she needed was to find an opening to land a decisive blow on Miss Double Finger.
"I am not going to play all day with you, girl!" Miss Double Finger suddenly spoke, a spike drilling through the wall behind which Nami was standing.
Nami clapped her hands on her mouth instantly as a strangled painful scream tore through her throat. Her shoulder was bleeding but at that moment, something else came to her mind. Like a flash of a vision of the purple haired agent, barreling through the wall, gutting her alive.
Nami was not given much time to ponder on the absurd vision, before her body moved, dodging the spiky ball of Miss Double Finger who in reality tore through the walls, with a sinister smirk on her face, looking down at her from where she uncurled herself.
"There you are," Miss Double Finger purred, her arms elongating and transforming into sharpened spikes, determined to finish the girl and do the rest of her business. "Running will do you no good, little missy."
"Who said I was running?" Nami questioned through clenched teeth, one hand holding her climatact and the other grasping the injured shoulder which was staining her coat from white to red. With a swift motion, she swung the climatact forward. "Cool Ball!" A gust of freezing air shot out, colliding with the heat balls Nami had already released in the atmosphere, creating an instant reaction.
"I am not interested in your party tricks." Miss Double Finger growled, her chirpy tone vanishing to show her emotions. She needed to finish the fight, not keep wasting time after the girl before her. The time was ticking and the second it crossed eight past ten, she knew something was terribly wrong. They hadn't got the signal which they had to if their Boss would be here. Her hands clenched, body transforming into spikes. She needed to end it, here and now.
"THUNDER CHARGE!" Nami shouted out, despite the charging body of spikes wanting to impale her. She didn't know what was putting the woman on edge or how the weather suddenly showed signs of rain, meaning humidity, but she knew that it was on her side, providing her one thing she needed to blast her opponent off.
"GYAAAAHHHH!!!" Electrical sparks crackled between the temperature shift, and in a blink of eye, a bolt of lightning arced towards the spiky barrelling body, surging through Miss Double Finger's entire body, sending her screaming back to a wall.
Nami panted, her shoulder and legs throbbing in pain as she waited with bated breaths for the woman to get up, but unknown to her, Miss Double Finger was knocked unconscious beyond Nami's vision.
"Princess Vivi?! What's going on?! And who is that?!" Chaka questioned, gesturing towards the big man who was standing beside the princess of the country who was profusely panting. He was really glad to see the princess all well and fine after three years but her being on the battlefield was not something he wanted.
"This is Bartholomew Kuma, one of the Revolutionaries." Vivi quickly introduced Kuma, after catching her breath.
"The revolutionaries?!" Chaka and several soldiers who were standing in the courtyard exclaimed in shock. They were ready to aim their weapons at the looming man, who was looking around as if he was searching for something or someone.
"The revolutionaries are here to help us, but we don't have time for formal introductions right now." Vivi's voice was laced with urgency. She needed to stop the war at any cost. "We need to stop the war before it spirals out of control." She could feel the time bomb of the war ticking with each passing second, the stakes rising higher with each moment.
"Help?" Chaka hesitated, disbelief flickering across his face. He could hear the royals gasping in shock, not wanting to believe that word. Maybe their princess was being fooled by the revolutionary? Chaka knew he shouldn't judge the man solely on that but it didn't help that the revolutionary army was famous for usurping kingdoms by aiding the civilians. So, wouldn't the revolutionary army be at the side of the rebel army rather than the royal army. "How can we trust him, princess?"
"I know it sounds impossible but if we really don't have time for that." Vivi insisted. She needed to do something to get a moment of halt from both sides and then explain what was happening. For that, she needed the help of Chaka and the other soldiers. By destroying the royal palace, she was sure that they would get enough time to explain what's happening and put an end to the war. That was the only plan which Vivi's brain could formulate in such a short time.
But before Vivi could voice out her request, a soft taunting laughter could be heard just above them.
"Fufufu! Seems like there's quite a fuss going on." The voice was of none other than Miss All Sunday, or rather Nico Robin, who was chuckling behind her hands, her eyes scanning over the soldiers and the commander in chief, who were a moment ago happy to have their princess back but yet confused about something. Well, she didn't care about that much. All she was here was to warn the royals about the bomb implanted under Crocodile's orders in the city square and then make her way to the poneglyph with the king.
"MISS ALL SUNDAY?!" Vivi screeched with wide eyes, already standing on her guard. She didn't know what plans the woman had for them, but it couldn't be any good.
"Nico Robin." Kuma called out, his eyes locking with Robin's, whose eyes instantly went wide for a second as she for the first time noticed the man standing among the guards and recognized him.
'The tyrant Kuma. One of the pillars of the Revolutionary Army.' Robin's brain instantly provided her, ignoring the panicked shrieks and questions of the Princess. Robin had never thought that the revolutionaries would get themselves involved in the civil war of Alabasta, in the turf of a Warlord. But she was clearly wrong. She should have taken the sign of the rebels- who totally didn't belong to Alabasta- aiding soldiers, not bothering if they are rebels or royals. She should have really taken caution when none of the agents, who had infiltrated the rebels, responded when she tried contacting them.
It was the work of the Revolutionary Army.
"We need to tal-"
"Don't move!" Robin shouted, her gaze hard at the 'Tyrant'. She refused to be caught by the revolutionary, even if she knew that they were searching for her, which further raised the question of why? But right now, she didn't even want to think about what they needed from her. She couldn't trust them, not even when Strawhat Luffy gave her the Eternal Pose. All she needed to do was to march towards her dreams.. to know what the poneglyph hidden by the royal family contains.
"Vivi..! Forgive me for squandering the chance to save this kingdom, that you risked your life to get..!" A family, raspy voice came from just behind Robin, making all eyes turn towards the wall where a figure was pinned and was bloodied.
"FATHER!" "YOUR MAJESTY!?" "YOUR HIGHNESS!"
Vivi and several other soldiers shouted out, seeing the king of the country pinned to the wall, with blood streaming down from his arms and forehead.
"Nico Robin, let go of the king." Kuma spoke with a scowl. He didn't know what the woman needed by doing this. "It's all over for you and your boss, Crocodile. He isn't going to come back here and you know that well, don't you?"
Robin kept a plain look on her face, despite the panic which was swirling behind it. She knew that the revolutionary was right. Crocodile had told her that he would be here by 8 am but it was already 8:10 am. She knew that he was caught up by the 3C's. She knows that he isn't making it back in one piece. It would only be a mercy if he is even alive. That's why she needs to do it all by herself. She needs to know what the poneglyph has. It was her only chance.
"At 8:20 am, in just 10 more minutes from now, there will be a massive explosion, engulfing the whole city." Robin started, her eyes focused on the revolutionary, who didn't even let a twitch of emotion cross his face. "I know the location of the bomb but I will only tell you if I get to know the location of the poneglyph which is in this country." Robin proposed, her eyes flickering to the king, whose expression was aghast.
"Are you out of your mind?!" King Cobra questioned Robin. In just ten minutes.. He didn't even want to think about the bodies that would be lying lifeless. No, he has to do something.. Even if it meant showing the poneglyph which the royal family is tasked to protect with their lives.
"The poneglyph.. A secret passed down from king to his successor for generations.." Chaka muttered in disbelief. How could the woman before them even get to know about the top secret?
"A blast in just 10 minutes?!" Vivi shrieked, her eyes blown wide in panic at the realization of the words. "How can you do such a thing?! Just what have my people ever done to you?!" Vivi shouted, feeling tears prick her eyes.
"By my calculations, the rebels and the royals alike would die in it, along with the Strawhat crew." Robin played her cards carefully, her eyes not leaving Kuma's whose gaze she could feel on her, which seemed to be staring straight at her soul, already knowing the truth. "Now then, Mr. Cobra, where is the poneglyph?"
"If I tell you where it is, will you..?" King Cobra hastily asked. They didn't have time to spare with the chit chats. Countless lives depended on a single piece of stone, which the girl could decipher. But was he making the right decision? The lives of a handful of his people to the lives which Pluton could destroy if the weapon's location ever fell in wrong hands.
"Father..?" Vivi questioned, seeing the conflict of emotions crossing her father's face. She didn't know what those ancient records meant to them or to Miss All Sunday, who wanted to see it but by the seriousness of the situation she could tell it was something important.
"I will guide you to it." King Cobra finally made up his mind. He knows if anyone can read those ancient records it was the woman before him.
"I'll accompany you both." Kuma stated, looking back at Vivi for one last time.
"I'll go with you both." Kuma spoke after a while. He didn't know why there was hesitation in the king's eyes but he could tell that something was wrong. "Please leave this to me Princess."
"Kuma-san." Vivi's eyes filled with gratitude towards the revolutionary man, who she knew would keep good to her words even if she had known him for only a short while.
"Don't dare do anything funny." Robin warned the 'Tyrant', who instantly appeared before her and the king. Her hands were already over her chest, ready to strike, even if knew it was all in vain. She wasn't a fool high on cigars or drugs like Crocodile to believe that she could tackle her enemy all by herself. No, she knew her limits.