Chapter 10

Citizens ran around the town in utter chaos. The birdcage seemed to be shrinking faster than it was, and everyone scrambled to the center. They climbed and crawled over one another and the rubble just to progress forward even an inch. Kat was exhausted, though. She sat on a crumbling rock in the main street. Her hair lay over her shoulders, released from the bun, and she stretched her chest to help her breathing. She removed her Den Den Mushi from her pocket and dialed Claire's number. The speaker rang much longer than usual before Claire answered. "Hey," Kat grunted. Her lungs pained as they filled with air. "I'm not going to make it to the Royal Plateau in time."

"That's fine," Claire responded. She was breathless, and her voice bounced as if she was running. "We're moving from there, anyways. I can meet you somewhere, and we can discuss a plan," she suggested.

"I'm in Main Street," Kat answered. "A little south of the cafe we were at earlier."

"Great! We'll head there and-" Kat's eyes moved to the sky as Claire continued to talk. Doflamingo and Luffy hovered in the air. Doflamingo was panting, and sweat formed a thin layer across his body. He gained a few mores bruises and cuts since she last saw him as well. Luffy, on the other hand, looked refreshed. His upper body was bloated and covered in a strange, intricate design of armament haki. Steam floated off of him like he was a steam engine. He pulled back for a punch, and his hand retracted into his arm.

"What the hell is this kid?" she breathed. She knew he was a rubber man from the beginning, but she never thought that rubber could take the forms he did.

"Kat? Are you okay? What's going on?" Claire shouted.

The punch flew, and Doflamingo seemed disappointed at this anticlimactic straight hit. A simple dodge, and he would have been able to move out of its way and strike the wide open Luffy. Then the fist began to twist and turn, almost as if it was guided by an invisible hallway. The punch made contact, and Doflamingo slammed into Main Street.

Kat held the receiver up to her mouth. "Don't come to Main Street," she told Claire. Her eyes roamed what she could see of the city. "Send every strong and able-bodied person to push back the walls of the birdcage. Then place Law somewhere near but out-of-sight of Doflamingo."

"What about the sick and injured?" Claire asked.

"Put them on any street parallel to Main Street but not too close to the birdcage, either." Doflamingo rose from the impact spot and let the earth fall from his pink feather coat. "And call your husband to tell him how much you love him." Kat hung up and placed the Den Den Mushi back into her pocket. She made sure it was secure before heading forward.

The rubble of the street and the buildings turned to string and hurried to meet Luffy in the air. "In rare occasions, one's abilities 'awaken' and begin to affect, not just the body, but the surroundings as well!" Doflamingo preached. A wild stare fell upon his eyes.

Chaos died down as Riku's voice came over the island. Kat figured he was giving a word of hope to his people, but she was too preoccupied with the two to listen. She watched every move they made, looking for any opportunity to interfere or to find some pattern to their madness. Before she could even dive in, Luffy's head sank back into his shoulders and dove straight for Doflamingo. His head pushed defensive strings out of the way, and he sent his opponent flying into the cliffside of the Royal Palace. Kat hurried over to where she thought Luffy might fall.

People cheered, but the birdcage remained standing over them like a vigilante. Luffy pushed through the air, readying a strike. They both knew what it meant. His elevation decreased rapidly, and he hit the wall at a deflated, unprotected state. He tumbled to the ground before his shocked audience.

Kat dashed through the crowd, one hand at the ready on her sword. Main Street erupted. Burgess leaped down from above, and a roar of laughter erupted from Doflamingo. Citizens scurried off, bewildered as to where they could truly be safe. "Shitty ass pirate," she cursed. "He probably didn't even train in the New World."

Gladiators surrounded Luffy, but Kat forced herself to the front. She stared down Burgess and Doflamingo, unwavering. The air calmed, and tension began to seep into the space between them. "Go to the edges of the birdcage," she demanded of the gladiators. "I can take these two easily, but everyone there could use all the help they can get." She drew her sword, and the gladiators backed away without any questions. They all knew they shouldn't object her word. "How much time do I need to buy, Luffy?"

Burgess rushed her, and the sword hummed in her hands. When she was preparing an attack, a black figure dashed out in front of him and knocked Burgess to the side. "Sabo!" Luffy shouted.

"Luffy! How many minutes?" Kat spat. She side-stepped out of Sabo's way.

"10 minutes," Luffy panted. "Then my haki will have returned."

Kat rested the back of her sword on her shoulder and sauntered over to Doflamingo. "That'll be more than enough." She took a rubber band from her wrist and tied her greasy hair into a bun. With how ruthless he was, Doflamingo would try to rip out her hair if it meant getting the upper hand.

Her opponent chuckled. "You really think that you can stop me?" The rocks and rubble around them turned into strings and started for Kat.

"Of course," she assured. Her head tilted as a smirk grew on her lips. "You were spouting things about having 'awakened powers' a little while ago. Or did I mishear what you were saying?"

"Oh, you heard right," he answered. He leaned forward, and the strings slithered across the ground, chasing her ankles. He readied his hands to pounce. "It must be terrifying to know that you have such a powerful enemy in front of you."

"There's a reason why you only ranked one hundred seventy-third on the list," she told him. She stopped a fair distance from him and lazily looked at her fingernails. "Would you like to hear it?"

"Entertain me."

Her eyes moved to meet Doflamingo's gaze. "You see, you only think you know what an awakened state is. All this-" She gestured to the strings around her. "You could have easily done this from the beginning. Anyone that eats the Ito Ito no Mi could, but because you only recently discovered it, you think that you awakened something in your ability."

Doflamingo's smile fell. "And how would I know if I awakened something?" he asked flatly.

Kat placed her hand over the center of her chest. "You feel it here," she explained. "You'll feel a power growing within you that feels like it will rip your body in half."

"And how would you know?" he sneered. "You're an actual devil, completely different than the fruit."

She took a few steps forward, her finger held up in scolding. "Not necessarily. We awaken when we get out horns. Then our true strength emerges." The strings shot for her ankles, but an invisible barrier kept them at bay. They flattened against its surface and climbed upwards to find an opening. "And do you want to hear something even more interesting?" she asked, her expression innocent.

"You'll get flatter-chested when you get older?" he guessed.

Kat entered a seething rage. Her hands clenched tight, and her posture went rigid. The strings around her vaporized, and she wore the scowl of a territorial wolf. "I'm going to rip you to pieces," she threatened.