Chapter 3: Evening The Odds
Robin stood atop the Alabastan Royal palace, watching the chaos that had engulfed Alubarna. Inciting the war that raged beneath her had almost been easy. It amazed her how blind people with a cause could be. None of them had any clue that they had all been set up. The Rebels, The Royal Army, they would all kill themselves in a misbegotten crusade to save their kingdom. Each believing they were in the right with their actions, and the only two people who could actually end this conflict lay behind her, utterly defeated and broken. Robin turned to where Crocodile stood over King Cobra, Princess Vivi, and their dead guards. The man gloated, detailing his master plan. Boasting about the bomb he had placed in the center of the city, about how he had abused the dance powder to incite the rebellion, and how with both members of the royal family under his foot the rebellion could no longer be stopped.
For her part Robin had acted the part of a cold uncaring witch. It had become easy, practiced even. After all the betrayals she had seen, assuming the best of anyone had become impossible. Now, She simply acted for her own benefit and left the rest of the world to their fate. It had become a tiring existence, but she had nothing else. However, even by her standards, Crocodile stood atop the list of the most vile men she had met. Enough so, that she questioned the intelligence of working with him, but it didn't matter. The Poneglyph remained her one and only goal. Even if it did hold the secrets that crocodile wanted, she would never give such an unstable and deranged person access to that sort of power. Power like that had only one completely destructive consequence. A consequence she would not bring down on any part of the world.
"Even if I can't stop the rebellion, If I can stop stop the bomb, I can save some lives!"
Robin had to give it to the princess. Like Luffy, she didn't know how or when to quit. However, those may not have been the best words to have spoken in front of Crocodile. The man's face grew murderous,. He snatched up the blue haired girl by the throat.
"You and your fanatical idealism have no place in this world." He spat, squeezing the girl's throat. "You do not have the strength, nor the power to back up your words, and because of that people are going to die. In fact, because of you, there will be more victims. If you had done nothing, if you had just stayed away, fewer people would have died." Crocodile explained cruelly. By this point he held Vivi by an arm's length over the edge of the rampart. "All that is left for you to do, is die. Die with them. Join these commoners you care for so much. Farewell Princess."
Robin watched impassively as Crocodile's fist dissolved. Vivi offered a short scream before she disappeared from view, plummeting towards the ground below. Robin momentarily considered saving the girl, but she had long since lost the ability to empathize with others.
"You know, I've always said the hero shows up at the last minute."
Robin felt her eyes widen. When Naruto Uzumaki walked up and over the parapet, with Princess Vivi safely nestled in his arms.
Robin carefully schooled her features, waiting to see what the enigmatic blond would do next.
"I thought I killed you." Crocodile spat. He had sucked every ounce of moisture from the unfamiliar blond's body after chasing him all through rainbase. There had been nothing but dust once he had finished.
"I didn't feel like dying, so I thought I would stick around." Naruto offered with a shrug. "Besides, I didn't want to miss the party."
Robin had to chuckle at that. "I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't make it." Crocodile shot her a glare, but she paid him no mind. She had cleaned up enough of his messes, and their partnership was coming to a swift end.
"Well, we were almost here, but then a black cat crossed our path, so we had to go back and take the long way around." Naruto said seriously. "And you wouldn't believe the all the people I had to deal with. Did you know there's a riot goin on down there?" He asked jerking his thumb towards the plaza."
Robin smiled a bit. "No, I didn't. The sandstorm has blocked our view."
"Well, I wouldn't go out there if I were you. People kept grabbing at us, swinging swords and clubs about, and I lost count of the number of bullets that whizzed through my hair. Seriously, this is no way to greet people visiting your city." Naruto commented in mock annoyance. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Naruto slouched a bit and settled into a more relaxed stance. "Anyway, what's new with you?" He asked "And where's Gaara?" He added turning his head from left to right.
"Mr. 5 is tending to the door." She answered. "As for what's new, just your usual coup de tah."
"Oh, is that all. And here I thought it was something exciting." Naruto said with a bit of a pout.
"Enough!" Crocodile shouted.
Naruto looked at the furious pirate. "No need to be so grumpy. I'm just trying to have a conversation."
"I've had it with you ridiculous pirates! I'll bury you all like I did to your pest of a captain." Crocodile shouted.
"Considering Luffy's not buried in the desert, and very much alive I find that hard to believe. I mean really who dies in a stupid sand pit these days?" Naruto said with a shrug, sporting his trademark grin. "Besides he's not even my Captain. Where do you get your information?"
"Luffy's alive?" Vivi questioned, having recovered from the shock of being thrown from the building.
Naruto nodded. "Yup."
"CROCODILE!" Everyone atop the palace turned to see Luffy flying towards them atop a large toad. The same toad Naruto had used in his strange introduction several days earlier. The toad's tongue shot out, grabbed the edge of the building, and pulled the odd duo onto the safety of roof. The second they landed, Luffy launched himself at Crocodile.
The look of surprise and anger on the Shichibukai's face faded to his usual arrogant sneer. Crocodile made no move to dodge Luffy's wild punch. He assumed it would pass through him like countless other attacks had. However, instead of Luffy's punch sailing through Crocodile's face, it made solid contact. The man went tumbling across the roof, he slammed to a stop against against the far wall, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.
"See, he's just fine." Naruto said to Vivi, before turning to face the Toad that had ferried Luffy into the city. "Gama, you're getting slow! I beat you by a mile." Gama croaked a response, but Naruto just shook his head. "Don't give me that crap! There's no such thing as cheating. There's winning and there's losing. If you can't handle some D-rank ninjutsu that's your problem." Gama gave a disgruntled croak, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Stubborn toad." Muttered Naruto.
"Naruto, can you put me down?" Vivi asked, her cheeks tinged with pink.
Naruto looked down to see the girl still in his arms. "Oh, yeah." He said. "Sorry about that."
"As entertaining as it is watching you make a fool of everyone." Robin interrupted. "I feel it is only fair of me to warn you that the city will be destroyed by a bomb in less than fifteen minutes."
Vivi's face whitened. "The bomb!" she cried. "Naruto there's a bomb somewhere nearby. it's going to destroy half the city. We have to find it!" Vivi said.
"You got it!" Naruto grabbed the princess, and swung her up and onto his back. "Hold on tight!" He shouted. He gave Robin a quick salute, and leapt over the edge. Vivi's screams could be heard above all the chaos, not that Robin could blame the girl. They were several stories up after all, and while Naruto had clearly gotten here without using the stairs, it simply wasn't natural to jump off the roof of a multi story building.
With the walking distraction gone, Robin returned her attention to the fight between Luffy, and Crocodile. The young pirate captain was performing quite well. Crocodile sported several new bruises, and even looked a little worn. But, the initial shock of being struck had subsided. Crocodile's confidence had returned, and he was quickly gaining ground.
Robin doubted Luffy would last much longer. Crocodile was a fearsome man. One who had earned his reputation through spilt blood, and a mountain of dead bodies. Even without the advantages of his Logia powers, the Shichibukai was a force to be reckoned with.
Deciding to make the best of her employer's distraction, Robin silently removed the stakes that held Cobra to the wall, and dragged the King back into the palace. It was time to find the Poneglyph. "A wonderful day for a walk is it not?" Cobra was too defeated to form any sort of answer, so Robin just hummed a little tune to herself as they departed the more active parts of the city.
/\/\/\
Naruto landed amid the massive brawl in the palace square. Members of both factions turned to face him, and the still screaming Vivi. Neither group looked friendly, and collectively they encircled the duo. Naruto tensed in preparation for the oncoming brawl, but he never needed to move.
Zoro, and Sanji came barrelling through the crowd, and disposed of their would be attackers. "How dare you jump from that building with Vivi chan!" Sanji screamed. "If a single hair on her head is out of place…"
"Nice to see you too Sanji." Chuckled Naruto
"Guys! You're all okay!" Viv cried happily. "I was Worried!"
"Everyone did their part." Nami claimed, stepping into the circle of unconscious bodies, Chopper, a heavily bandaged Usopp, and a recovered Pell right behind her. "We all fought our way into this crazy city, and we're ready to help."
The warm reunion was interrupted when several tattooed thugs appeared behind them. Wearing Baroque Works insignias, it was clear why they were here. "Princess Vivi! Killing you will make us millionaires!" The shouted, eyes alight with greed
Hardly a second passed between their words and their defeat. Pell, Sanji, Zoro, and Naruto easily slayed the wannabe crooks."Looks like there's some house cleaning to be done." Naruto commented. "Vivi go with everyone and get rid of that bomb." The group went wide eyed at the mention of a bomb.
"What about you?" Vivi asked.
Naruto smiled as he crossed his fingers and grunted. "Taju Kage bunshin no Jutsu". Close to a thousand Narutos spawned from a massive cloud of smoke. Collectively the group smirked and said, "Crowd control Vivi-Hime." The original Naruto chuckled when he saw the look of shock on Vivi's face, as his clones leapt into the fray. He had become a much smaller, but powerful, third faction in the all out brawl that was the Royal Plaza. "I wasn't going to skip out on my part. I'll save as many people as I can, but you need to get rid of that bomb."
With Naruto doing his best to corral the opposing armies, Vivi, Pell, and the Straw Hat crew scattered in search of the bomb. Before Naruto could join his clones in the fray, he noticed Robin sneaking out the door of the palace with the King and Gaara in tow. He wanted to follow them. Wanted see exactly what she was up to, but the sudden instinct to duck tore his attention away from the trio. Naruto rolled to the side just before a handful of quills impaled the ground where he had been standing. Naruto's head snapped to the left, locking eyes with his attacker. A rather short, rotund man with sharp hairs protruding from his head, his forearms, and the bottom of his pant legs. Dressed in a well pressed black suit, he stood facing Naruto, his fist outstretched. "Naruto Uzumaki." He spat. "You are wanted for the murder of government officials, the impersonation of delegates to the World Government, and other heinous acts."
"I don't feel wanted." Naruto said, appearing next to the man. "How about bringing some flowers next time." Naruto prodded the sharp hairs on the back of his opponent's arm. "Is this one of those devil fruit powers I heard about? Seems kinda strange."
This only seemed to infuriate the man. "Surrender or die!" The man shot his other arm forward. "Harinezumigan!" (Porcupine gun) quills launched from the back of his fist.
"Sheesh. I was just trying to be polite." said Naruto as he lazily backflipped over the needles, putting some space back between them. While inverted, Naruto lazily tossed a handful of shuriken back at the man.
Puffing out his chest, the man shouted, "Tekkai" The shuriken bounced off of his hardened muscles, and the squat man scoffed. "Little toys like that are no match for my government training."
'Everyone in this World Government and their mothers could give Ebisu a run for his money in the stick up the ass category.' Naruto thought, "So you think your training is the best in the world? And I imagine you never question your orders, thinking the World Government is a shining example of honor and justice that can do no wrong."
"All who oppose the might of the World Government will die under our absolute Justice!" The Man said. 'Yup, just like Ebisu….' Naruto sighed, "Why is it always my responsibility to deal with these people?"
"Feel the wrath of my porcupine Rokushiki, Harinezumi: Rankyaku!" (Porcupine storm leg) The man viciously kicked out with his leg, forming a blade of condensed air. Naruto bent over backwards, letting the technique to slip by, the air blade cut through the air a hair's breadth away from his body. However, Naruto hadn't taken into account the porcupine quills hidden inside the blade. The short barbs peppered his upper body, and several lodged themselves in his cheeks. They looked eerily similar to, and in some ways complimented, the whisker marks he had been born with.
"That's it!" Naruto fumed, tearing the small quills out of his body. "I get enough crap for these things as it is. No way in hell am I letting you give me more of them." Naruto dove behind the World Government agent. With clasped hands, index and middle fingers extended, Naruto thrust forward with all his might. "Sennen Goroshi!" (1000 years of death). The man never knew what hit him. He disappeared through the wall of the nearest building like a stray cannonball, breaking through brick and mortar as if it were no more than wet paper. "How do you like them apples!" Naruto shouted. He danced a short, but suitably vulgar victory dance.
Naruto's celebration was cut short by the memories of a clone from elsewhere in the city. Somebody had called in some heavy reinforcements in the form of a massive Bananadile and it was making a mess of things. Naruto turned to see dust billowing up into the air, and he could feel the city shake under the reptile's bulk. Naruto wasn't sure how Crocodile had been able to get that thing into the city unnoticed, but it didn't matter. He had to get over there and take care of that thing personally.
"Rankyaku: Hyakusen!" (Storm leg, 100 lines)
"Shi…." Naruto took the full brunt of a hundred compressed air bullets. He went sailing through the air down the street. Crashing into a house at the end of the road, his momentum carried his body through the wall. Plaster and stone crumbled around him as the dust cleared. Half in, half out of the building, Naruto groaned as he drug himself out of the broken structure. His navy blue shirt had been been ripped to shreds, and a slow trickle of blood ran down the side of his face. Naruto was not happy. Playtime was over, Naruto had a measure of this government weakling, and his skills were needed elsewhere. Naruto slammed through a pair of hand signs, "Doton: Yomi Numa!" (Earth release: Swamp of the underworld) Naruto plunged his chakra enhanced hands into the rock hard earth. The ground around his hands liquefied into a putrid swamp. The technique expanded rapidly, encompassing the entire road and several small buildings. Houses started to sink into the muck, while carts and food stands simply disappeared into the swamp's putrid depths. Naruto used his chakra to stay atop the murky substance, and walked over to his now trapped opponent. "My control over this technique is shoddy at best. If you want to live, I suggest you start talking." He said, crouching over the nearly submerged man.
"Never." the man said, struggling to keep his head above the surface.
A slight sizzling began to emanate from the ooze. "Your loss, this swamp will slowly eat you alive." Naruto said with a shrug. "The question is whether or not you will drown before it does."
The man grimaced, the pain of being eaten by the demonic swamp etched into his face. "What is this?!"
Naruto smiled cruelly. "This is a swamp that I have summoned from the farthest reaches of Mount Myoboku. Composed of all sorts of oils, toxins, and excrements from the toads that live there, it is just about the nastiest substance on the planet." Naruto kicked a bit of the sludge at the man's face. He groaned in pain as the toxic sludge burned through his face. "Now, how about we try this again. I ask and you answer. If you're good I'll let you live." Naruto's opponent stilled himself in an attempt to sink beneath the surface. "Sorry, I can't let you do that." Naruto commented as he grabbed the man by his collar. Naruto didn't even flinch when his hand was impaled by the quills sprouting from the back of the agent's head. "I was content to dance around trading blows hoping you'd blab something important so we could both go home at the end of the day, but I'm done playing games now. There are other, more important things going on here. You attacked me, and I want to know why and on whose orders."
/\/\/\
Gaara exhaled with satisfaction as he finally got to work out his frustrations. Only Naruto could have landed them in trouble like this. Predicaments like this followed the blond fanatically. Naruto always ended up at their center, causing chaos and destruction. Gaara begrudgingly knew that his best friend rarely contributed the cause of the events, but Gaara just couldn't understand why the problems Naruto found were always on such a world altering scale. After fighting so hard for peace, the Elemental nations deserved a respite, but now who knew what would happen. The World Government was larger than their homeland and inherently more powerful because of that size difference. The fact that they enjoyed getting their way had become quite apparent in Gaara's limited dealings with the organization. Between them, the ridiculous policies being enforced by his own leaders, and the lack of stability in the outside world, Gaara knew this whole thing would likely explode in their hands. The questions was, what would it cost them?
Gaara let those worries fade to the back of his mind for the time being. Robin had left him to guard the Palace gates, while she went to collect King Cobra with Crocodile. As a third party in the Alabastan conflict, Gaara came under attack from both Palace Guards and Rebels as they stormed the building. Pulverizing each group of men that attempted to gain access to the palace proved to be a great stress reliever, an almost therapeutic one. He supposed he could have gone easier on his would be attackers, but shinobi were not exactly known for their sympathy. Basic mission guidelines compelled him to remove his opponents from the equation. Gaara had been hired, however unofficially, to act as a bodyguard. These people were attempting to get through him, and thus to Robin. That meant they needed to be neutralized.
Gaara sensed Naruto's arrival, but his companion did not seek him out. With this much fighting going on, the clone happy sage would focus his attention on the root of the problem not him, so Gaara could enjoy his anger management for a while longer. Gaara's fun ended when Robin returned shortly after he had sensed Naruto's arrival. Crocodile no longer accompanied her, but the tall, black haired, Nefertari Cobra did. Two painful looking stab wounds marred the King's shoulders, dripping blood down his limp arms. A quick glance, and Gaara knew the wounds were not life threatening. Painful yes, but the man would live. Unrestrained and fully cognisant, Robin did not seem to have any leverage over the man, yet Cobra followed her nonetheless. This compliance triggered a warning in Gaara's mind, but he wasn't given any time to ponder.
"Time to go." Robin said, not bothering to stop as she led them away from the palace.
A few Royal guards made a last ditch attempt to bypass Gaara and recover their king. As he fell into step with his charge, Gaara dispatched the guards with a wave of his hand. Sand leapt from the ground on his back, and swatted them away like bugs.
"Impressive as usual." Robin commented as they continued away from the palace.
They wandered down several streets, making no efforts to hide from the various inhabitants of the city. Gaara simply dispatched anyone foolish enough to challenge them, but the further they got from the palace, the less interference they ran into. However, when they finally cleared the farthest reaches of the battle, the trio came face to face with an entire regiment of Marines. Gaara recognized the group as the same Marines who had been in Rainbase chasing after the Strawhats. Their captain was not at the front of their formation, but his second in command, Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi, stood ready at the front of the group.
"Move." Robin commanded. "I have something important to do, and I don't have time to deal with misguided marines."
"We can't do that." Tashigi answered with a surprising amount of steel in her voice. "Devil Child, Nico Robin for crimes against the world government you're under arrest."
"Even with all this chaos, the Marines still won't leave me alone. Your energy would be much better spent saving the people of this country." Robin sighed. She went to cross her arms, as she always did before activating her powers, but Gaara put his hand up to stop her.
"I believe I am still contracted to be your bodyguard." He said. Stepping forward, he looked at Tashigi, "Part of being a good leader is knowing when to retreat." He offered flatly. "In consideration of your men and their well being I suggest you do so now." Despite his cold tone, steely eyes, and the minor amount of killing intent that laced his words, Gaara could tell the woman would not budge. He briefly considered slaughtering them all to send a message, but that would only validate whatever claims the World Government laid against him.
"Consorting with a wanted felon and interfering with a Marine operation is a crime." Tashigi announced. "Men arrest both of them!" She ordered.
"Don't say that I didn't warn you." Gaara grunted. With an upturned hand, he made a claw like gesture. The ground underneath the marines liquified and swallowed the whole regiment. Gaara left their heads above ground as he swirled the sand around their bodies and constricted it. He waited until the weakest of the group began to pass out before releasing some of the tension in the sand. Gasps of breath could be heard throughout the group. Gaara looked directly at Tashigi. "If you do not learn from this experience, your life will not be a very long one. Know when to retreat so that you and your subordinates may live to fight another day." Gaara turned to Robin, "After you."
Robin smiled as she led Gaara and Cobra though the partially buried marines. She took extreme pleasure kicking dirt into their faces as she walked by.
/\/\/\
Naruto stared as the massive Bananadile romped around the city, kicking over buildings and crushing people with its tail. "Well it's not exactly subtle, but I guess it is a good distraction." He muttered, watching soldiers and rebels alike attempted to bring down the beast. Their attacks were pitifully ineffective. Swords, spears, and guns did nothing more than annoy the croc. Retaliating with an open jaw, a swinging tail, and stomping feet, the reptile crushed any challengers. Naruto was tempted to summon one of the toads. They would enjoy fighting the reptile, but the property damage from a grudge match of that size would be astronomical. Resigned to facing it himself, Naruto formed a handful of clones. "Alright boys, get those people away from that thing." As one, the group of clones teleported into the street and drug the croc's various victims out of its path. Naruto moved to stand directly in front of the great reptile. Up close, he could see that it rivaled Gamabunta in size. Naruto smirked when the creature stopped its rampage to stare at him. "I don't like reptiles and you're having a bit too much fun picking on the small fries." he said. Naruto cracked his knuckles and stretched his neck from side to side. "How about someone a little stronger?"
The croc roared and charged forward, fully intent on crushing its newest challenger. Naruto leapt straight at the reptile and with a flourishing spin of his body, delivered a vicious downward kick directly to the croc's nose. The massive beast slammed down into the street, sending a cloud of dust out in all directions. The city shook all the way down to its foundation, tremors radiating out from the impact like waves. But, like most reptiles Naruto had dealt with over the course of his career, the bananadile was not one to be put down so easily. With a roar of pain and anger, it lifted itself off the ground, and In a surprisingly fast movement, the croc twisted its head and snapped up Naruto in its jaws.
Despite the surprise, Naruto kept himself from being swallowed. "Oh, hell no!" Naruto grunted. Standing between the animal's jaws, he held its razor sharp teeth at bay in an impressive feat of strength. "I refuse to be eaten by some stupid reptile again." Channeling raw wind chakra through his hands and feet, Naruto disintegrated the crocodile's teeth and jumped out of its now broken and bleeding mouth. Landing in the street, he turned to face the staggered beast. It shook its head as if to clear its mind before charging once again. Naruto's face grew serious. He had given the croc ample time to retreat at his own risk, but it was time to end this trivial battle. Forming the ox, rabbit and then the dragon handsigns, Naruto held out his right palm. He waited as electricity crackled to life in his right hand, once the chakra had formed into a misshapen ball, Naruto dropped it, drew his foot back, and shouted, "Raiton: Kogasudan." (lightning release: scorching bullet) Naruto kicked the chakra construct a moment before it hit the ground, and launched it towards the massive reptile. The technique wobbled, dancing left and right, as it rocketed through the air. The electrified bullet flew into the croc's open jaws and disappeared down its gullet. A split second later a pulse of electricity erupted from within the beast. The blast killed the reptile and scorched everything in its immediate vicinity. Naruto tossed a scroll to one of his clones, who had returned after evacuating people from the area. "Seal it up and send this guy to Bunta. It's not a snake, but It should make him happy anyway. He's always hated reptiles. And try and get some sake out of them. We're going to need it when we have to talk to Baachan"
"You got it boss."
Naruto left his clone to handle the cleanup and jumped to the top of the nearest building. He looked towards the Palace, and could see Crocodile leaving a slumping Luffy behind. "Damn, I hope I'm not too late."
He was at Luffy's side a few short jumps later, and It did not look good. The Strawhat captain was bloodied, beaten, and he looked unconscious if not outright dead. Only the slight rise and fall of his chest told Naruto the teen was still alive. "Luffy?" Naruto bent down to poke the teen, but just as he reached out, Luffy kipped up to his feet and nearly knocked over Naruto in the process.
"Ah, that was a great nap." Luffy turned his head left then right. When his eyes finally settled on Naruto, he looked confused. "Naruto, where'd that shitty Croc go? He was right here when I fell asleep. I still need to kick his ass."
Naruto couldn't help but laugh. It seemed Luffy was too stubborn, too determined, or possibly too stupid to die. Someone up high must be looking after the carefree kid. Naruto was genuinely curious how things would turn out if he just let them run their course. "He went that way" Naruto managed to gasp out between fits of laughter, pointing in the general direction that Crocodile had gone. "Come on, I'll go with you to make sure you don't fall asleep again." Naruto offered, barely composing himself enough for speech..
"Thanks Naruto!" Luffy shouted, running off in the direction Naruto had pointed.
Naruto ran after him only to slam directly into the rubber boy when he stopped a few paces later.
"Naruto, join my crew. You can be the ship's alarm clock!"
Naruto, midway through picking himself up, promptly fell face first back into the earth. What kind of position was alarm clock? "Is this guy for real?" Naruto groaned, before picking himself up. "Luffy, I will never join your crew if you make an offer like that again. Now focus on the real issue here. Crocodile, his ass, and kicking it so hard he'll never be able to sit down ever again."
"Right!" Luffy Shouted, taking off after Crocodile once again.
/\/\/\
The massive black stone at the back of the royal tomb drew all attention to its precise black carvings. Gaara couldn't read the inscriptions, but they reminded him of something he had seen in the First Kazekage's journal. Something like them had come through Wano at one point. Robin seemed enthralled by by the pitch black block. She spent several minutes carefully looking over each symbol inscribed upon the stone. Gaara could say that in the three days he had been around her, she had never shown anything close to this level of excitement or happiness. Much like with Naruto and himself, a dark shadow loomed over her. Some part of her past had scarred her, permanently. A part of him was curious about it, but Gaara doubted he would ever see her again once his services were no longer needed. So, he simply let it go.
"So what does it say?" Gaara turned and saw Crocodile enter the chamber. "Where is Pluton?"
"It doesn't say anything about Pluton." Robin answered "It is just a written history of this country and its founding centuries ago"
"I see." Crocodile muttered. "That's too bad. You were such a good partner. All these years, my second in command. You led Baroque Works to what it is today, but now you will die. Our agreement has come to an end, and I no longer need you. In the end, you failed to deliver what you promised, but that's ok. I forgive you. Because I never trusted anyone to begin with!" Crocodile lunged towards Robin, swinging his hooked hand at her head. Only, Crocodile never heard nor felt the satisfying crunch of impaling her skull.
"I believe this was why you hired me." Gaara monotoned, holding the hook with his bare hand.
"Yes." Robin replied, blinking in slight surprise. She had not seen Gaara move. He had simply appeared between her and her former employer. "Thank you Gaara." She turned to face Crocodile. "I knew you were going to betray me just like everyone else, so I brought insurance of my own."
Crocodile laughed. "You know who I am, and what I can do, and you bring this brat as insurance. He's barely any better than that Straw Hat shit I just killed." Crocodile ripped his hook from Gaara's grasp, and grabbed at him with his other arm in an attempt to drain him of all the moisture in his body. However instead of shriveling up, Gaara simply stood there staring at the Shichibukai. The man's eyes widened briefly before he pulled his hand back and observed Gaara calculatingly. Even Robin looked on in slight surprise. She had yet to see someone simply ignore one of the traits of the sand sand fruit. "Maybe you did pick someone of worth. It's a shame he has to die now because of your selfish decisions." Crocodile grunted. He removed the outermost layer from his hook, exposing the porous metal underneath the gleaming gold. A purplish liquid oozed from within the weapon. "The scorpion venom in this hook is the most poisonous substance this side of the Red Line. It kills quite painfully."
The room shook, dust fell from the ceiling. Enough so that everyone paused to search for the origin of the tremor. Gaara simply turned his attention to King Cobra. "So you went through with it." He had noticed the King pushing and pulling at the base of column Robin had left him at some time ago. He had not been sure if the downtrodden king had been making a bid for freedom or attempting to destabilize the room. "You know this will kill you too?"
"That's the idea." Cobra grunted as he pulled a second the brick out of the column causing it to collapse. "As King of Alabasta it is my sworn duty to protect it from those that would do it harm. Even if it costs me my life. Now our secrets will be safe, buried under the sand for the rest of eternity, and our enemies buried with it. I knew if I waited long enough I could get you all down here. It was the only way to end this."
The reasoning behind him compliance finally came forth. Kobra had planned to kill them all from the moment they left the palace."Well said. An admirable quality in any leader, but you forget that this man has control over sand." Gaara motioned towards Crocodile. "If I weren't here you would have just ensured his success." Cobra blanched at Gaara's words, but he could not undo what he had already set in motion.
"You act like your presence here will make a difference." Crocodile chuckled darkly. "I will kill you, I will kill Nico Robin, and I will let Nefertiri Cobra die in a tomb of his own making. I am sand. I cannot be buried, and I cannot be beaten in this desert."
"No one is unbeatable." Gaara countered, sand issuing forth from his gourd. "Do you still have to breathe when you transform? Or do you truly become sand?" Gaara's sand floated just outside his gourd for a moment. The Kazekage launched it forward with a flick of his wrist. The sand split, moving to surround Crocodile. It formed into the beginnings of a dome as it approached the Shichibukai.
"It's not possible…." Crocodile muttered in disbelief. He swung his arm in an arc, attempting to halt the oncoming sand. It slowed momentarily, but refused to heed his call. Despite the shock at seeing another sand user, the veteran pirate did not allow himself to be trapped. As soon as he realized he could not stop the incoming attack, Crocodile dissolved and slipped around it.
Gaara tried to exert his control over the sand Crocodile transformed into, but found his chakra could not penetrate it. Unfazed, Gaara moved the sand he could control to entrap Crocodile. The Shichibukai reformed his body before Gaara could trap him, and stabbed his right hand into the earth. "Desert spada!" A blade of sand erupted from the earth, extending out from Crocodile's hand in the blink of an eye. Gaara rolled to the side, letting the blade continue past him harmlessly, and waved his arm, moving a large tendril of sand in front of himself. "Rendan Suna Shigure." (Successive shots sand drizzle)Bullets of sand spewed from the tendril. Unsurprisingly, they passed harmlessly through Crocodile's body. Gaara grunted in slight disappointment. He had hoped that sand infused with his chakra would disrupt the other man's abilities, but it appeared not.
Crocodile laughed as the holes in his body reformed. "I don't know how you are controlling a sand, but I am sand. I am the master of the desert. You will never beat me with my own element." The room shook as another column collapsed. He smiled cruelly "And you're running out of time. This room is going to collapse and bury you all." He dispersed his body again, disappearing into the dust that filled the room.
Gaara eyes searched the room as he moved to correct what Cobra had started. "Saikō Zettai Bōgyo: Shukaku no Tate" (Ultimate Defense: Shield of Shukaku) Sand wrapped around Gaara before extending out in front of his body. The sand morphed into the shape of Shukaku, the one tailed tanuki. The massive sand construct stuck its arms upward and into the ceiling. The room's shaking lessened as Gaara's technique supported the load of the ceiling.
"I'm impressed. You bought yourself some more time, but what happens when I kill you!" Crocodile shouted, reforming behind Gaara and sending another blade of sand towards the Kazekage.
Gaara didn't even acknowledge the attack. He just stared at the Shichibukai impassively as the attack splashed up against his sand armor. The blade of sand had not even scratch his armor. Gaara tracked the pirate, stretching fingers and lifting his palm upwards. "Sabaku Kyū," (Sand Binding Coffin) Sand erupted all around Crocodile, coalescing into a dome as it came together. With his target entombed within the ball of sand, Gaara smiled murderously. "Sabaku Sōsō" (Sand Waterfall Funeral) He closed his fingers, crushing them into a fist. The sand prison imploded with the gesture, but there were no screams of pain, and when he released the technique, no blood dripped from the sand.
"Impressive." The bodiless voice of Crocodile grunted, as sand swirled and he reformed. "I commend you on your effort. Few can claim to have trapped me and none in my own element. The only problem, is that even if you can control the sand, you still can't kill me with it. Nobody can."
"Everyone can be killed." Gaara replied. "All it takes is one mistake." Silently and motionlessly, he commanded a small tendril of sand to rise up behind the man. Gaara forced the sand forward in an attempt to impale the pirate, but once again he pieced nothing but sand.
"Good try, but you're too slow." Crocodile taunted. "I made a mistake early in my career, and it cost me my hand. I've spent the last twenty years making sure it won't happen again. I am a Shichibukai. One of the seven warlords of the sea. A nameless pirate like you could never defeat me." Crocodile spat. "Now it's time for you to die."
Gaara's eyes narrowed into a hell freezing glare. He was tired of playing cat and mouse. Crocodile's intangibility made him a unique opponent, but his overall control over sand paled in comparison to Gaara's. Flooding the room with his chakra, Gaara prepared to liquify everything around them. He would simply overpower his opponent and drown him in his own element.
"As much as I would love to see you utterly crush this bastard. You're interfering with an unfinished fight Gaar."
Gaara turned to see Naruto calmly walking into the crumbling tomb. A bloodied, and utterly exhausted looking Luffy limped at his side. Gaara debated just ending it despite Naruto's interruption, but he could see the conviction in Monkey D. Luffy's eyes.
"Fine, but end it quick." Gaara muttered, walking over towards Robin and Cobra. "I'm done holding the room together."
"Kuhahaha, you have to be joking." Crocodile spat. "I don't know how you are still alive Straw Hat, but you can barely even stand. And the rest of you are fools to think he can actually beat me. I've already beaten him, TWICE! You're just a small fish that will never amount to anything in this vast ocean. Besides, you are too late to stop the bomb. Even if your precious Princess Vivi can find it, and stop my agents, it's on a timer. It won't be as effective, but thousands of people will still die. You've failed Straw Hat."
"You're wrong." Luffy growled. "I will surpass you, and I will win. BECAUSE I AM GOING TO BE THE PIRATE KING!"
Crocodile lunged at the teen, and stabbed him with his hook. Luffy grunted in pain, but as the warlord withdrew the weapon, Luffy stomped on the hook. The metal shattered under the precise blow. Crocodile tried to taunt the young captain once again, but Luffy never gave him the chance. Rotating off the foot he had used to crush the hook, Luffy slammed his other foot into Crocodile's face. The spinning high kick made solid contact and launched Crocodile across the room.
"How? You don't have any water." Crocodile grunted, the barest hint of pain in his voice. He studied the young teen and quickly found the answer. "Your blood." Crocodile muttered, his eyes widening ever so slightly. Luffy had so many open wounds, that his entire body was slick with blood. As a liquid, it was enough to nullify Crocodile's abilities. He would have to beat this teen without his powers. "No matter, even without my abilities, you're still no match for me." Crocodile spat. A hidden blade extended from within his gauntlet to replace the broken hook. Crocodile jabbed at Luffy. But the young pirate just palmed the weapon to the side and delivered a bone shattering haymaker in the process.
The two pirates traded blow for blow, tearing the room apart as they went. Luffy unintentionally brought pillars down with his stretching limbs and wild attacks. Crocodile's counters shattered stone as he tried to reign in the young captain. Spears of sand sailing every which way only added to the chaos. The Royal Tomb would collapse any second, but the two combatants paid no mind to the danger of their surroundings. Their fight was the only thing that mattered in their minds. One desperate to prove he belonged on this level, the other arrogantly trying to deny him.
Finally, catching the veteran pirate off guard, Luffy launched Crocodile into the air, slamming him into the stone ceiling. Massive blocks fell, and the tomb crumbled, but Crocodile carried on unfazed. "Desert Razors" He shouted as he leapt off the ceiling, dozens of small blades forming alongside him.
Luffy not one to be outdone, Inflated himself like a balloon. Expelling all the air in his body, he created enough momentum to meet Crocodile head on. Ripping his arms back as far as he could stretch them, Luffy cried out "Gomu Gomu no Storm!"A flurry of rage fueled punches met Crocodile's blades in an earth shattering slam. Crocodile could not match the brute force of Luffy's attack. Countless punches slammed into him from the rookie pirate, pushing him back into, and eventually beating him through the ceiling to the world above. Crocodile saw blue sky, he saw people no longer fighting, he saw the marines rounding up his forces, and he saw that his bomb had failed to destroy the city. His plan had failed. He had failed. He had been beaten. When he fell back to the earth, he lay unconscious, and utterly defeated.
"I told you he could do it." Naruto said. "Now pay up." He demanded holding out his hand.
"I should have known better than to bet against you." Gaara grumbled, handing over a small handful of bills.
Naruto smiled. Disappearing with a flicker of movement, he returned with Luffy draped over his shoulder. "Now that this is all done, and you've worked out some of your anger, are you ready to work with me to fix this mess?" Naruto asked.
"If I don't, we'll be in a war by the end of the week." Gaara replied. "But I still blame you for this mess."
"Hey, I didn't do anything."
"Be quiet Naruto. We're still in a desert" Sand started to swirl around Gaara ominously.
"Right. Totally my fault. I accept all the blame." Naruto amended nervously. He turned to Cobra. "What do you say we get you back in charge of this country." Naruto offered extending a hand towards the slumping king.
/\/\/\
I got a few reviews on the first two chapters, and it seems like I'm off to the kind of start that I want. Thank you all for the feedback, the favorites, and the follows. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Anton
