Ch. 2- An Underground Maze
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard, Jupiter, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Reggie, and Kuro Diablo © Me
Previously, our heroes had left Dressrosa and were on their way to their next destination, Zou, to regroup with the other half of their crew. However, during the trip, a fleet of Battle Boats appear during the middle of the night and Luffy and Bartolomeo were captured and taken to an unknown island known as Silver Mine. Blizzard, along with Aika and Kumi, attempted to rescue them, only to be captured himself by Reggie, a honey badger-man. Afterwards, their lives were put in danger by Bill, the leader of the Silver Pirate Alliance. Thanks to the efforts of Bartolomeo, they managed to escape, but are chased by Desire, Bartolomeo's childhood friend. When Aika attempts a rescue of her own, but due to a reckless attempt at riding a Battle Boat, she ends up causing herself as well as Luffy, Blizzard, Kumi, Bartolomeo, and even Desire to fall down into a chasm.
Meanwhile, Bill goes to greet a talking black jaguar known as Kuro Diablo, who had come to collect a tribute of tons of silver from him and bring it back to his brother, the so-called "Monster of the New World". When Bill finds out about Desire's failure to recapture Luffy, he sends in someone to finish the job.
Right now, somewhere underground, there was a pile of rubble, made from when the chasm formed due to Desire's reckless firing earlier. However, soon, the rubble dispersed, revealing Bartolomeo, somehow unharmed. As he shook his head to relieve himself of disorientation, he realized: Luffy, Blizzard, Aika, and Kumi were nowhere to be found!
"GAH!" Bartolomeo cried. "Luffy-senpai! Blizzard-senpai! Aika-senpai and Kumi-senpai! WHERE ARE THEY?!"
That's when he spotted Luffy's straw hat, lying on the edge of an even deeper chasm.
"No!" Bartolomeo cried. "Don't tell me...they fell down even further!" He then began to wail in despair. "I can't believe it! How could this have happened?! No senpai, no life! BWAAAAAAAAAAAH~!"
Just then, KROOSH! Another pile of rubble dispersed, revealing Luffy, who is still stuck in the silver ball, and Blizzard, who had Aika and Kumi sheltered underneath him.
"LUFFY-SENPAI! BLIZZARD-SENPAI!!" Bartolomeo cried happily. "AIKA-SENPAI AND KUMI-SENPAI!"
"Whew!" Luffy sighed. "Man, I didn't see that coming!"
"That was close," Blizzard added.
"Urgh...!" Desire grunted as she sat up, holding her head. "That hurt...!"
"Oh, Desire," Bartolomeo said. "You're okay, too."
"Like you give a damn," Desire hissed before she spotted her Battle Boat, which was knocked out cold and the machinery was destroyed. "M-my Battle Boat!" She then glanced over at Luffy, who had his hat put back on by Aika.
"Thanks, Aika," Luffy said.
"Uh-huh," Aika answered.
"YOU!" Desire shouted, causing Aika to yelp. "What were you thinking, driving a Battle Boat?! Those things are way too hard for a kid like you to control!"
"I-I was just-" Aika stammered.
"Now step aside!" Desire barked. "I need to take Straw Hat and White Wolf back to Bill! They're way overdue for their execution!"
"No!" Aika shouted as she stood in front of Luffy protectively. "I won't let you kill my Big Brother!"
"W...what?" Desire asked in surprise. "Brother?!"
"That's right!" Bartolomeo answered. "Luffy-senpai is the older half-brother of Aika-senpai!"
"...I didn't know that," Desire whispered.
"Another thing!" Bartolomeo shouted as he got up in Desire's face. "You've got a lot of nerve, not only attacking me, but attacking the Straw Hats, too! Where do you get off?!"
"Where I get off?!" Desire questioned. "Screw you!"
As they argued, Luffy and Blizzard looked up, as did Aika and Kumi.
"We sure did fall down deep, didn't we?" Luffy asked.
"How are we gonna get outta here?" asked Kumi.
"I dunno," Blizzard answered."What I wanna know is what's up with all these weird tracks all over the ground? They're even on the walls!"
Blizzard was right: there were indeed railroad tracks all over the cave, even on the walls.
"Why would anybody put railroad tracks on walls?" Aika asked.
XXX
Somewhere in a dark tunnel, the sound of wheels rolling along the track is heard, along with the someone making the sound effect. The headlights on the mine cart cast a shadow on the wall, showing that person using their hands and feet as wheels.
XXX
"Hello?" Desire asked as she tapped on the shell of her Mini Transponder Snail. "This is Desire! Come in! Hello?!"
No response. All she got was interference.
"Crap!" Desire cursed as she threw the earpiece off. "We're so far down, it won't connect!"
"How are we gonna get back up to higher ground?!" asked Bartolomeo.
"How the hell should I know?!" Desire questioned. "I've never been to this part of the mines!"
"What?!" Bartolomeo questioned. "But isn't this your base?!"
TOOT-TOOT! TOOOOOT! Everyone looked up upon hearing the sound of a train whistle blowing somewhere within the cave.
"Where's that coming from?" asked Aika.
"The rail car will be arriving soon," a voice announced, echoing off the walls.
"Rail car?" everyone repeated.
TWEET~! Luffy gasped as he heard another whistle coming from in front of him.
"Something's coming this way!" he shouted, causing everyone to go on the alert.
"Please wait where you are," the mysterious voice spoke before taking on a bit of a darker tone. "Silver Pirate Alliance! I am a tram-man with the power of the Roll-Roll Devil Fruit! The Avelon Express will be arriving soon!"
"What?!" Desire questioned.
"Who is that?!" Bartolomeo asked. "One of your allies, Desire?!"
"This is the first time I've heard of him!" Desire shouted.
Avelon was revealed to be a thickset man with dark green hair and black beard and scruffy mustache. He wears a train conductor's uniform consisting of a blue and orange suit, a green tie, black pants, and a blue and orange conductor's hat. He also had on a golden whistle around his neck, and a treasure chest lid strapped upside down to his back.
"All underground passengers who learn about the underground mineshafts," Aveloft began, "must be eliminated!"
"AAAAH!" Blizzard, Kumi, Bartolomeo, and Desire screamed while Luffy and Aika looked with starry eyes.
"SO COOL~!" they exclaimed, not realizing that Avelon was closing on them and was about to hit them dead on.
"LOOK OUT!" Blizzard shouted as he pushed the D. Siblings out of the way and dodged Avelon, who was about to run right over Bartolomeo and Desire had they both not leapt out of the way.
"Luffy-senpai! Aika-senpai!" Bartolomeo exclaimed. "Are you two all right?!"
"Ugh! What's the matter with that jerk?!" Luffy shouted.
"Wait!" Desire exclaimed. "Why's he going after me?!"
"Uhh...guys?" Aika asked as she pointed at Avelon, who was rolling towards the wall.
"Turning the car around, now!" he called as he rolled around the tracks on the wall and up on the ceiling, turning right back towards Luffy's group!
"Oh, crap!" Bartolomeo cursed. "Here he comes again!"
"Chicken-Head!" Luffy called. "We gotta get outta here!"
"Roger!" Bartolomeo saluted. "Desire, help me!"
"What?!" Desire asked.
"Wait!" Aika shouted. "Let me fight him!"
"What?!" Luffy questioned. "Absolutely not!"
"But I can take him!" Aika argued.
"This is no time to argue!" Kumi shouted. "We have to go, now!"
"Increasing speed!" Avelon exclaimed as he started speeding up. "Increasing speed!"
Wasting no time, Blizzard, who is carrying Aika and Kumi in his mouth, Bartolomeo, and Desire started to push the immobile Luffy along the tracks, running with great desperation.
"Put me down!" Aika shouted. "I can fight him! Put me down, I said!"
"For the last time, no!" Luffy argued. "You're not ready to fight anybody!"
"Why not?!" Aika questioned. "You're doing the same thing Blizzard's doing!"
"THIS ISN'T THE TIME FOR ARGUING!" Desire yelled. "WE'RE RUNNING FOR OUR LIVES HERE!"
"Running on the tracks is dangerous," Avelon advised, mockingly. "Please do not rush. Maintain a walking pace."
"LIKE HELL WE WILL!" Blizzard, Bartolomeo, and Desire shouted.
Soon, Avelon's hands morphed back into regular hands again as he reached inside a compartment on his chest lid, and he pulled out two bombs with lit fuses!
"AAH!" Kumi yelped. "BOMBS!"
"Next stop: Rain of Bombs!" Avelon announced as he started pelting the bombs at the group, who cried out in shock as the explosives narrowly missed them!
"Chicken-Head!" Luffy cried. "Use your barrier or something!"
"I can't!" Bartolomeo answered as he held up his hands, which were still covered in birdlime. "With my hands stuck together like this, I can't cross my fingers to make the barrier!"
"Uh-oh!" Aika cried. "He's gonna throw more bombs at us!"
"Please be careful!" Avelon shouted as he threw even more bombs at the group, causing them to scream in terror as the bombs rained down on them, exploding all around until a particular one sent them flying further down the track. Luffy ended up landing on his side, comically squishing Bartolomeo flat while Desire and Blizzard landed on their feet (Blizzard running on his hind paws of course), rolling Luffy along. Aika and Kumi ended up landing on Blizzard's back, clinging for dear life. Eventually, Bartolomeo got free and started running along the ball, as well.
"Ball rolling is strictly prohibited on the train tracks," said Avelon, who tossed more bombs at them, only to miss once again. However, this only made Blizzard, Bartolomeo, and Desire run faster, but as they did, they saw something that only made their blood run cold.
"GAAAAAAAAH!" Bartolomeo screamed. "I DON'T SEE A TRACK UP AHEAD!"
"I sense something coming, though!" Aika cried. "You might wanna get ready a drop!"
"OH, CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!" Blizzard, Bartolomeo, and Desire cursed, and before too long, they dropped down a steep incline, causing them to shriek as they began to roll faster and faster, jumping off ramps and making sharp turns, avoiding Avelon's bombs all the while.
"WHEEEEEEEEEEE~!" Aika cheered.
"AAAAAAAAH!" Luffy screamed, his eyes swirling dizzily from all the spinning. "PLEASE STOP THE BALL! I'M GONNA BE SICK!"
"THAT MAKES TWO OF US!" Blizzard shouted.
"WE'RE GONNA DIE, WE'RE GONNA DIE, WE'RE GONNA DIE, WE'RE GONNA DIE~!" Kumi cried, comical tears and snot coming out of her eyes.
Bartolomeo looked back and saw that Avelon was still in hot pursuit of them!
"Dammit!" Bartolomeo cursed. "Doesn't he know when to give up?!"
"Incoming!" called Desire. "Fork in the tracks, up ahead!"
"What?!" Bartolomeo questioned as he looked ahead and saw a fork in the tracks, one going left, the other going right. "Dammit! Which way do we go?!"
"We don't have time to think about it!" Desire shouted. "Just go right!"
"You sure about that?!" inquired Bartolomeo, skeptically.
"Chicken-Head! Go right!" Luffy cried, still dizzy from the rolling.
"Roger that!" Bartolomeo saluted, once again.
"SCREW YOU, YOU BASTARD!" Desire shouted.
On that, the group quickly turned and rolled into the right tunnel, while Avelon grinned and snickered evilly.
"Next stop...is hell," he said. "The right turn goes directly to hell!"
XXX
Up ahead with Luffy's group, they gasped as they saw a sign with a skull and crossbones on it...and beyond that, there was no more track!
"NOT GOOD!" Bartolomeo and Desire cried.
"LUFFY, STOP!" Blizzard shouted.
"I can't!" Luffy answered. "You guys have to stop me!"
"How do we do that?!" asked Aika.
"WE CAN'T, THAT'S HOW!" Kumi yelled.
SMASH! The ball ended up smashing right through the sign, sending the group flying right off the track and towards the abyss below!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Luffy and Blizzard howled, the former holding onto the latter's silver ball.
"MOMMY~!" Aika and Kumi wailed, holding onto each other for dear life.
"GRANNY!" Bartolomeo screamed. "WHAT SHOULD I DO AT A TIME LIKE THIS?!"
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!" hollered Desire, before finally, KRASH! They all ended up falling right to the bottom, forming a giant cloud of dust.
Up above, Avelon looked down at the spot where they fell, and as he did, he heard his Mini Transponder Snail earpiece ring.
"Avelon...how are Straw Hat and the others doing?" asked Bill.
"They fell down to the lower level," answered Avelon.
"Make sure that they're all dead."
"Understood."
With that, Avelon rolled away to find another way down.
XXX
Meanwhile, in Bill's throne room, Kuro Diablo had left, and as Bill had hung up his Transponder Snail, Desire's attack squad came rushing in.
"Master Bill!" cried the purple-haired woman. "Master Bill! Big Sis Desire...she fell down a chasm while chasing Straw Hat! Some little girl came riding on a Battle Boat and crashed into her!"
"Hey, hey, calm down!" Bill said as he put his hands on her shoulders in a reassuring manner. "Take it easy...it'll be okay. I promise, I'll have someone bring Desire back to all of you, safe and sound."
"...Thank you, Master Bill...!" whispered the purple-haired woman before she and the rest of the squad fell to their knees, crying in relief.
"There, there," Bill comforted them. "Don't worry...after all, Desire is a very important friend of mine. I'd be lost without her!"
As he said this, however, the girls failed to notice...the wicked grin he had on his face.
XXX
Down in the mine shafts, it was revealed Luffy, Blizzard, Aika, Kumi, Bartolomeo, and Desire had somehow survived their fall.
"You guys all right?!" Luffy asked.
"More or less," Blizzard groaned.
"Why did you stop me?" Aika asked. "I could've taken him, you know!"
"Oh, enough already!" Kumi shouted. "Stop with that, will you?!"
"I thought I was gonna bite the dust, for sure," Desire spoke up.
"Hey, Desire, get off my back, will ya?" Bartolomeo asked. "You're really heavy!"
Desire grunted as she got to her feet, as did Bartolomeo.
"You told me to go right, so I-" the Cannibal started, only for Desire to cut him off.
"That wasn't me!" Desire barked. "Straw Hat told you to do that!"
FWEET~! Everyone gasped upon hearing a familiar whistling.
"Warning: downgrade ahead! Repeat, downgrade ahead! Please stay where you are~!"
"Dammit, that psycho's on his way down here!" cursed Bartolomeo.
"Luffy, we gotta get outta here!" Blizzard said.
"I know," Luffy answered. "Damn this stupid silver ball! I don't have enough energy, so I can't break through it!"
"Hmph!" Desire scoffed. "As if Bill's creation could be broken so easily by the likes of you!"
"That 'Bill' guy is the same person who sent that whack-job to kill us, including you!" shouted Bartolomeo.
"Bill would never do that!" Desire rebuked.
"Bill this and Bill that!" Bartolomeo barked. "What are you, his puppet?! Why don't you think for yourself for a change and take a look at the situation you're in!"
"Like you have any right to say that, you traitor!" retorted Desire.
"Traitor?" Aika repeated. "You mean Barty?"
"What are you talking about?!" questioned Bartolomeo. "I didn't do anything to you!"
"Oh, no?" Desire inquired. "Years ago, we promised to aim for the top together! But then, you go on spouting how you wanted to help Straw Hat here become the next Pirate King!"
"What?!" Bartolomeo asked.
"That's why I set out to sea with my friends!" Desire shouted. "We formed the Sweet Pirates, the fastest boat riders in the East Blue!"
"Well, if that's true," Bartolomeo started, "then what happened to all of them?!"
Desire gritted her teeth and turned away...clenching her hands into fists.
"Like you'd care," she hissed.
"That's not true!" Bartolomeo replied. "I always cared about you, Desire! We go way back, you know!"
A pause...but then, Desire growled in her throat, clenching her fists even tighter, and chewing her lip so hard...that a tiny bit of blood came out.
"...They're...they're gone...!" she whispered, bitterly.
"Gone?" Bartolomeo asked.
"What happened to them?" Aika inquired, worriedly.
"...I once lost...almost everything that I had," Desire answered, causing everyone to gasp. "We were out in the Grand Line, sailing together...but then...we were ambushed! The fog was so thick, I couldn't see who attacked us! All I could hear was cannon-fire...and my crew screaming as our boats were destroyed! Only I and three others remained...and I thought for sure that was going to be the end of me...but then...he came and saved us."
"He?" Luffy repeated. "Oh, you mean Bill, right?"
"Yes, Bill!" Desire answered with a blush on her face. "He was like a godsend from the heavens...he took my hand...and my heart...!"
'Oh, no,' Blizzard thought. 'Don't tell me she's actually fallen for this maniac!'
"Despite this...I felt like I had lost everything I had," Desire continued, "but Bill inspired me again! He even gave me and my remaining crew members Battle Boats to use! He told me...that if we work as one, there was no dream we couldn't accomplish! I finally met someone who shared my ideals...and not just me, but all the other pirates in this fortress, too!"
"So you came after Luffy-senpai to please him?!" asked Bartolomeo.
"...Well, I'm not sure if I can do it, now," said Desire...before she glanced down at Aika. "I mean...capturing a big-name pirate is one thing...but I can't take away someone's older sibling."
Aika smiled at this.
"I think, just this once," Desire began, "I'll turn a blind eye...for her sake."
"Thank you, Miss Desire!" Aika answered as she ran up to hug her, causing Desire to blush a bit.
"I get it now," Luffy spoke up. "You've only been doing this because you wanted to work hard for your crew, just like us, right?"
"Hmph!" Desire scoffed. "As if your praise makes me happy!"
"I still say this Bill guy is suspicious to me," shrugged Bartolomeo.
"Well I still say he's way cooler than you or Straw Hat!" Desire barked.
Just then, Blizzard growled as he heard footsteps nearby, causing the group turn and see some men wearing mining uniforms and holding pickaxes and lanterns.
"Hey," said one of them. "What are y'all doin' down here?"
"And just who the hell are you guys, huh?!" Bartolomeo questioned.
"You come to pick a fight?!" Aika asked, holding her pipe staff. "Then bring it on!"
"No, Aika!" Luffy and Blizzard ordered, the latter holding her back.
"OH, COME ON!" Aika complained.
"...You there," said the one in the blue bandanna. "Did Bill do that to you?"
"Huh?" Luffy asked. "You talking to me?"
"Come with us," said another man wearing an orange bandanna. "Maybe we can help you."
"Help us?" Bartolomeo asked.
"Just follow us," said the blue-bandanna man. "We'll explain everything."
"...I think we can trust them," Aika spoke up.
"If my sister trusts you guys, then I will, too," Luffy answered.
"And if Luffy-senpai trusts you, then so will I!" Bartolomeo added.
Blizzard and Kumi barked in agreement, and that only left Desire, who sighed and shrugged her shoulders.
"Why not?" she asked.
"Follow us, then," said the man in goggles before they all walked off, with Blizzard and Bartolomeo rolling Luffy along the ground. As they did, however...they didn't notice that a shadowy figure was watching them from behind with a toothy smirk.
"Avelon...it's Reggie...I know where Straw Hat, White Wolf, and that other one is going...and we can get rid of Desire to boot."
XXX
Somewhere underground, there were many structures, almost like houses of some sort, and molten liquid being dumped into a giant boiler. Inside of the houses, Bartolomeo is sitting on a stool while someone set down a bucket in front of him.
"Will this work?" asked one of the miners from before.
"Yeah!" Bartolomeo answered. "Thanks a lot!"
The miner poured a lot of hot water into the bucket, which Bartolomeo dunked his hands in, only to yelp in pain at how scalding hot it was.
"Ah, crap!" the Cannibal cried. "Too hot!"
"Oh, sorry about that!" said the miner.
"No worries," Bartolomeo answered, the birdlime melting off his hands. "Besides, it's working!" With that, he dipped his hands into the water again.
"Granny used to say something like that would help for sticky hands, didn't she?" asked Desire.
"You mean you know Chicken-Head's Granny, too?" asked Luffy.
"Of course I do!" Desire answered, almost proudly. "There's almost nothing Granny doesn't know!"
KLANG! KLANG! A miner tried to hit the silver ball that Luffy was trapped in with a mallet, but it wouldn't even make a dent.
"This is definitely Bill's work, all right," he said.
"You mean you can't break it, either?" Luffy asked.
"Afraid not," said the miner. "Sorry, friend."
"Were you guys dropped down here, too?" asked the miner in the orange headband.
"What do you mean by 'too'?" Desire inquired. "Who are you guys, anyway?"
"And what is this place?" Aika asked.
"You mean you don't know?" asked another miner. "Silver Mine is certainly a rich mine, and right now, we're in its underground mine shafts...we're some of the former members of the Silver Pirate Alliance."
"F-former?!" Desire asked, almost in shock. "How did that happen?!"
"Bill lied to us all," said one of them. "We were told that he would never disappointed in us, no matter what we did...but it turns out that wasn't the case. No matter how hard we tried, we just couldn't meet Bill's expectations. Those who don't bring him enough treasure or fail to capture a pirate with a high enough bounty...they get sent down to mine for ore until the day we die."
"I don't believe it!" Bartolomeo exclaimed. "How dare that bastard abandon his comrades! It's absolutely sickening!"
"I knew he was nothing but talk," Blizzard hissed. "That Bill guy just plays everybody for fools!"
"He ought to be tarred and feathered!"
Kumi added.
As for Desire, she seethed angrily, clenching her fists and screwing her eyes shut in disbelief as she thought to the day Bill rescued her.
"LIES!" she shouted. "There's no way Bill would ever do that to his comrades!"
"I know it's hard to believe, miss," said the miner in the blue bandanna, "but it's the truth."
Unable to accept it, Desire chewed her lip...and sniffled before she ran out, causing Aika and Kumi to gasp.
"Wait!" Aika called out as she and Kumi ran after her. "Miss Desire, come back!"
"Hey," Luffy spoke up. "Isn't there any way for us to get out of here?"
"Those railroad tracks are our only exit," answered the miner with goggles. "Every time we tried to use it, though, Reggie and Avelon notice right away. Many have tried...but none have succeeded...so it's best that we just give up."
XXX
Outside, Desire ran out into the giant chamber until she finally stopped to collect her thoughts.
'It has to be a lie,' she thought. 'There's no way that Bill would ever forsake his comrades...would he?'
"Miss Desire!" Aika called as she and Kumi caught up. "Are you okay?"
"Butt out," Desire replied. "I don't want any pity."
"I'm not here to pity you," Aika answered. "I just wanted to see if you were all right."
"...What do you think?" Desire asked.
"...Maybe it's a different Bill...?" Aika inquired, attempting to reassure her.
"There's only one Bill that I know, kid!" Desire barked. "...It certainly be the man that THOSE people described...the man who rescued me."
Before Aika could speak, more,BZZZZZZTT! BZZZZZZTT! An alarm suddenly rang out, echoing through the mine shafts.
XXX
Back inside the miners' house, everyone looked up upon hearing that buzzing.
"What the-?!" Luffy questioned.
"What's with that alarm?!" Bartolomeo asked.
"Luffy, the girls went out there!" Blizzard cried.
XXX
"The Limited Avelon Express will be arriving soon!" a voice called out. "Please stand by!"
"Oh, no!" Kumi cried. "Not again! Aika, we gotta hide!"
"No way!" Aika shouted as she grabbed her pipe. "I'm not running!"
"Darn it, Aika, what's wrong with you?!" Kumi questioned. "Why are you trying so hard to fight someone when you know you can't take them?!"
"I can too!" Aika barked.
"Hold it, kid," said Desire as she pulled Aika out of the way.
"Hey!" Aika cried. "What are you-"
"Avelon's mine," Desire answered. "Go back to your brother."
Aika only glared at Desire, who stood right in front of the tracks...just as Avelon had appeared. The tram-man looked around the mine shaft before he finally noticed the female pirate and smirked.
"Target sighted," he smirked as he rolled passed a few miners and pulled out a bomb from his cart. "Mind the bombs, again, won't you please?!"
He then tossed the bomb at Aika, Kumi, and Desire, who all yelped as they dodged. At that moment, Luffy, Blizzard, Bartolomeo, and the miners had appeared.
"It's Avelon!" exclaimed the one in the goggles.
"What?!" Bartolomeo questioned as he dunked his hands in the hot water again. "Oh, man, I gotta hurry and get this stuff off!"
At that moment, Desire and Avelon confronted each other, staring each other down with the utmost fury.
"Avelon," Desire spoke. "Is it true? Did Bill really order you to kill me?!"
"...Yes," Avelon smirked, "he did."
Upon hearing that, Desire gasped before she growled.
"I see," she hissed as she drew her weapon, and with a loud battle cry, she lunged at him while Avelon pelted bombs at her. However, due to her fast reflexes, Desire was able to deflect them with ease, causing the bombs to explode through the mine shaft colony.
"Not good!" cried a spiky-haired miner. "Avelon's going crazy!"
"Rain of Bombs! RAIN OF BOMBS!" Avelon shouted, chucking bombs all over the place, but still, Desire deflected them...and one of them ended up flying towards Luffy's group.
"OH CRAP!" Blizzard cried.
"FINALLY!" Bartolomeo exclaimed as he held up his hands. "My hands are free at last-"
But before he could put up his barrier,KABOOM! The bomb exploding, scattering the group!
"OOF!" Bartolomeo cried as he lied on the ground. "Unh...that hurt...!" He then sat up and called out "Hey! You guys all right?!"
"Ugh...!" a miner groaned. "More or less!"
"Girls?" Blizzard asked as he looked around. "Where are you?"
"We're over here!" called Aika, standing next to one of the houses with Kumi.
"And we're okay!" Kumi added.
"Oh, good," Blizzard answered. "Where's Luffy?"
"Uh...little help?"
Blizzard turned to see Luffy, sitting in the middle of the tracks...right in front of Avelon!
"There you are, Straw Hat!" Avelon exclaimed as he sped towards him.
"Hey! Come back here!" shouted Desire.
"Luffy!" Blizzard cried as he ran to help him.
"With this special drill that Bill made," Avelon started as he pulled out a long drill from his cart, "prepare for...STRAW HAT IMPALEMENT!"
"Oh, no!" Bartolomeo cried.
"Big Brother, look out!" Aika yelled.
"I can't look!" Kumi said as she covered her eyes. "Just tell me when it's over!"
"DIE STRAW HAT~!" Avelon shouted, and then, KSHUNK! The drill stabbed right through the silver ball!
"NO!" cried Aika in horror.
Blizzard, Kumi, Desire, and the miners gasped...while Avelon grinned, thinking he had successfully impaled Luffy. Bartolomeo's breath hitched as tears formed in his eyes...before he finally sobbed in despair.
"LUFFY-SENPAI~!" he howled...but then, Luffy gave a smirk of his own.
KRIK-KRAAAAAAAK! The ball cracked...until it shattered completely, causing Luffy to go flying out!
"YES!" he cheered. "I'M FREE~!"
"BIG BROTHER!" Aika cheered, also.
"Oh, thank goodness...!" Bartolomeo said in relief.
"What?!" Avelon questioned. "But how is that possible?!"
"Where the hell were you aiming, anyway?" Luffy asked. "You went right beneath my feet!"
"HUH?!" Avelon muttered in shock.
THOOM! Luffy landed in front of the tram-man, punching a fist into his palm.
"I'm not holding anything back, now," he said. "Let's do this, Tram Guy!"
Avelon growled before he reached into his cart, pulling out various firearms and attaching them to his body.
"Switching to Avelon Hyper Special Express!" he declared, holding up a giant silver mallet. "Off we go!"
With that, he and Luffy charged at each other, the latter stretching his arms way back behind his head!
"Now Gum-GUUUUUUM...HAMMER~!" Luffy shouted as he put his fists together and slammed them onto Avelon's mallet, shattering it into pieces.
"...A...Amazing...!" Desire whispered in surprise.
"Way to go, Luffy-senpai!" Bartolomeo cheered.
"Wait! I can help, too-" Aika called out, only for Blizzard grab her by the back of her shirt. "Blizzard! Stop it!"
"YOU stop it!" Blizzard yelled."You keep this up, and you can forget about having cookies for dessert later!"
At that moment, Avelon turned to face Luffy, who had sent himself flying into the air after using his earlier attack.BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG! He fired his cannons at Luffy, who smirked, having seen the projectiles coming.
"Gear...SECOND!" the Straw Hat Captain shouted as he pumped blood throughout his body. "GUM-GUUUUUUUM...JET GATLING~!"
With a flurry of punches, Luffy sent the cannonballs right back at Avelon, who screamed in shock as he came under fire from his own artillery. The resulting explosion was enough to send him flying, to everyone's awe. The explosion also destroyed his cannons, thus rendering them, as well as himself, useless.
"I don't believe it!" exclaimed one of the miners. "He actually did it!"
At that moment, Luffy landed on the ground, the effects of Gear Second wearing off. However, Avelon growled as he got up...and rolled away.
"Now heading into the garage!" he announced as he rolled out into a tunnel.
"Hey! He's getting away!" Luffy shouted.
"Luffy, quick!" Blizzard called as he ran to his side. "Get on my back! If we hurry, we can still catch him!"
"Good idea!" Luffy answered as he got on the wolf-dog's back.
"Wait! I'm coming, too!" Aika said. "Please, Big Brother! I can help, too!"
"No, you can't, Aika!" Luffy argued. "There's only a limit to what you can do!"
"But...but I-" Aika stammered.
"Just stay here and wait for us to come back!" Luffy ordered. "That's an order!"
Aika gasped silently...only to glare at Luffy, who responded with a glare of his own.
"Blizzard! Let's ride!" Luffy ordered, causing Blizzard to run to the direction that Avelon went off in.
"Hang on, Luffy-senpai! Blizzard-senpai!" called Bartolomeo. "Wait for me!"
Desire only stared off after Luffy, still awestruck at his amazing physical prowess...but then she gasped as she heard Aika seething.
"Huh?" she muttered as she looked at the 6-year-old. "Hey, kid, you all right?"
"...I'll show him...!" Aika hissed as she turned and ran off into a different tunnel. "I'LL SHOW HIM!"
"W-wait, Aika!" Kumi cried as she ran off after her. "Come back, Aika! Come back!"
XXX
Meanwhile, in a separate tunnel, Avelon is rolling down the tracks, sighing in relief due to thinking that he had lost Luffy...or so he thought. The next thing he knew, he looked up and saw a familiar grinning face pull up next to him.
"Hi!" Luffy greeted, cheekily as Blizzard ran alongside the tram-man, much to Avelon's fright.
"Stand by for track change!" cried Avelon as he made a sharp turn, dumping some bombs out of his cart as he did.
"Hey!" Luffy shouted. "Get back here! After him, Blizzard! Hurry!"
"I can't turn on a dime, you know!" Blizzard replied as he ran after Avelon, who rolled away as fast as he could.
"Get back here!" Luffy called out as he unleashed a Gum-Gum Gatling, narrowly missing the tram-man and hitting the wall in front of him.
"Stand by for track change!" announced Avelon as he made another sharp turn, dumping more bombs as he did, and Blizzard still tried to keep pace with him.
"Dammit! What a pain in the ass this guy is!" Luffy cursed.
"Luffy-senpai! Blizzard-senpai!"
Luffy and Blizzard turned to see Bartolomeo following after them.
"Chicken-Head?" Luffy asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Just leave this to me!" Bartolomeo exclaimed as he crossed his fingers. "Barrier Ability!"
Soon, a long, slide-like barrier appeared beneath Avelon's wheels, creating a curve that pointed up into the air.
"GAH!" Avelon yelped as he tried to hit the brakes. "Track change! Track change! TRACK CHANGE!"
WOOSH! Due to being unable to stop, Avelon ended up getting sent flying into the air!
"No I can't~!" he cried.
"Luffy! Now's your chance!" Blizzard declared as Luffy jumped off his back and over Avelon, going Gear Second once more.
"Gum-Gum...JET BAZOOKA~!" Luffy roared as he slammed Avelon with both barrels, sending him ricocheting off the walls. Blizzard and Bartolomeo yelped as they dodged in the nick of time, and as Avelon bounced around the walls, he accidentally hit the bombs that he had dumped on the ground, once again getting hit with his own weapons. It wasn't too long before he ended up landing back in the mine shaft colony, once more, bumps all over his head and bruised all over. The miners were in such disbelief, they came to see for themselves.
"No way!"
"I can't believe they actually took down Avelon!"
"Such strength!"
DING! The sign on Avelon's cart went from "Avelon Express" to "Terminal Station".
"Check it out!" Luffy exclaimed as he, Blizzard, and Bartolomeo appeared. "I finally took care of the Tram Guy!"
"I can't believe I got to fight alongside Luffy-senpai!" Bartolomeo spoke up. "Such bliss!"
"LUFFY!"
Everyone looked up to see Kumi running up to them.
"Luffy!" Kumi cried. "It's Aika! She ran off somewhere, and I can't find her!"
"What?!" Luffy questioned. "Why would she run off?!"
"I-I dunno!" Kumi answered. "She was yelling something having something to prove! I don't know what she was talking about!"
"...I think I do," Blizzard replied, worriedly.
"So do I," Luffy agreed, just as worried, if not more so. "We gotta find Aika before it's too late!"
"I'll help you!" Desire answered.
"Huh?" Bartolomeo muttered. "What's gotten into you, Desire?"
"Shut up!" Desire barked. "I'm only doing this on some whim, that's all! Now let's hurry up and find the kid already!"
XXX
Concurrently, in a different tunnel, Aika walked along the railroad tracks, dragging her pipe along on the ground...with a dismal expression on her face.
"They just don't understand," she said. "I can be just as strong as they are...and I can prove it, too!"
A pause...but then the 6-year-old D. Carrier sniffled and wiped her eyes.
"...Besides...if I don't prove it," she whispered, "Big Brother will get rid of me...!"
"Aww, what's with the waterworks, Li'l Lady?"
Aika gasped as she turned around...and saw Reggie towering over her, a malicious grin on his honey badger face.
"You...!" Aika whispered.
"Gumamama...!" Reggie snickered. "So...you're looking for someone to fight, are ya? Well...I'll give you one."
XXX
"Avelon! Avelon, come in!"
"What's going on, Peseta?"
"Avelon's not picking up...sounds like he failed."
Bill growled as he sat on his throne, munching on some more ore.
(A/N: That rhymes! XD)
"If Straw Hat and all those other people get up here," Peseta began, "we'll be in for a disaster unless Reggie takes care of them!"
"...I'm not taking chances," Bill answered...a wicked grin appearing on his face. "In that case...we'll just have to bury them all!"
TO BE CONTINUED...
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