"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," Run mutters, watching the gate lower slowly. Every one of the Straw Hat's tense, watching it slowly stretch out to bridge the gap. A loud explosion sounds moments before the draw bridge stops in place, and all heads turn down.
"It stopped?!" Sanji shouts. Run looks back up towards the tower just in time to see the metal faced man, attempting to drag Robin off. He screams at someone on the balcony to grab Franky as well. However, the man surprises them all by suddenly opening his chest and reaching in to pull out several pieces of paper.
"Th...Thats...don't tell me," stutters the man. "Those are the ancient weapon, Pluton's blueprints!"
"That's right," Franky tells him, grinning. "They're the real deal." He flips through several of the pages with a grin. "I hid them inside my body."
"G...Give them here! Give them to me!"
"Rumors are such unreliable things, aren't they, Nico Robin? While we were being brought here, I realized that you aren't an evil woman who is trying to misuse this weapon." He pauses for a moment, actually smiling and glancing briefly down at the red head below. "No, in fact, you're just a woman trying to save someone you love, aren't you? Spandam, what the Water Seven shipwrights inherited isn't just the knowledge of how to build a weapon...but how to build a weapon equal to the one an idiot like you might try to restore and then run amuck with. It's true that Nico Robin could be used to revive the ancient weapon even if she doesn't want to help you. But now she has people who are willing to gamble their lives to protect her...so I'll gamble as well."
Franky raises them up, and then suddenly blows out of a ball of fire that completely engulfs them. In a matter of seconds the blueprints are turned to little more than ash before their eyes much to Spandam's utter horror. He rushes toward Franky, attempting to extinguish the few cinders remaining and save as much as possible.
"The blueprints were kept in order to fight back! Something like this should remain a secret, and if it's exposed, it should be eliminated! Now, of course, they're nothing to fight back against that ancient weapon! If Nico Robin falls into your hands, it's all over but the crying. But when the Straw Hat's win...there won't be anything left for you at all. I'm willing to gamble on their victory!"
"Bro!" screams a voice from below. Apparently, the Franky Family can see him from their position. Franky seems just as excited to see them as they are to see him, and begins crying immediately.
"Aah, would you shut up?!" Luffy demands. "Robin is waiting! Hurry up and lower the bridge!"
"Oi, Straw Hat!" Luffy looks up towards the man quickly. "It looks like you gave my family a hand! So, in return, I'll lend my super fighting power to you guys as well!"
"You bastard, I still haven't forgiven you for what you did to Usopp!" Franky chuckles sheepishly...and then screams in surprise when he's thrown from the balcony by none other than Spandam. He plummets straight down towards the pit below the island.
"Oi, pirates!" calls a voice from Nami's pocket. She reaches into her coat, and pulls out a small transponder snail. "I heard everything. What are you guys wasting time for?"
"Eh? Well, the bridge is only half-way down," Nami tells the voice, who they identify as Kokoro.
"Half-way is good enough. I'll be there in four seconds. Jump with all your might towards the falls!" A loud whistle sounds and Luffy looks back.
"A whistle?" Luffy grunts. "That's a sea train." A grin rapidly appears on his face. "I get it." Luffy stretches his arms out, wrapping around all of them before leaping forward over the edge. "Let's go!" The plummet straight down towards the pit below. They've fallen only a few meters before Rocketman suddenly ramps off of the half lowered draw-bridge and they land on top of it. Franky is struck head on, pinning him to the nose as they sail towards the tower across the way.
Run shakes his head slowly, watching the building draw closer and closer until at last they go crashing through. They're all swept off the train in the crash, casting them them in all directions. When the storm of concrete and dust has settled, Luffy casts off a huge chunk of stone and stands slowly. "Alright! We're here!" Run is next to emerge, throwing off several pieces of concrete and slowly standing. "Aah, Run! You alright?"
"I've had less graceful landings, I suppose," Run tells him, cracking his neck loudly. Franky is standing across from them, appearing to be completely fine. Apparently, being a cyborg has it's perks.
"Alright, then! Everyone get up! This was nothing!" After several seconds of complaining, they all emerge from the rubble as well. "Alright! Everyone is fine, then! Now, let's hurry up and catch up with Robin!" They all take off running toward the stairs.
"Wait!" calls a voice, stopping them in their tracks. "Chapapapa!" They turn to face the large, and strange zipper-mouthed man. "Even if you go to the room from earlier, Robin won't be there! Nico Robin was taken by Lucci to the Gates of Justice!"
"Really?" Nami asks. "Thanks for giving us such valuable information."
"Chapapapa...I spilled the beans. Ah, well, even if you know, I'm not telling you how to get there. More importantly, we have an order to eliminate you guys, and unless you defeat us you won't be able to set Nico Robin free. So, I'll tell you one more thing." He reaches into his jacket, and produces a key. "Look at this!"
"A key?"
"This is the key to unlock the Sea Prism Stone handcuffs on Nico Robin!"
"Sea Prism Stone?" Franky echos, confusion appearing on his face.
"It's a stone that cancels a Devil Fruit user's abilities," Run explains. "It mimic's the effects of the actual sea."
"Even if you guys can actually rescue Nico Robin it won't do any good," the large man tells them. "Since Sea Prism Stone is hard like diamonds the cuffs will be on her forever." Luffy stretches an arm out towards the man, who disappears just in time to avoid being struck. "Don't be so hasty." They turn to face the zipper-mouthed man standing several meters behind them. "I didn't say that this key is the right one. There are five members including me who have a key in this tower. Each one has a key, and is waiting for you."
"Then we'll just have to defeat them all," Zoro growls. "And then we'll try them all on the cuffs."
"Let's just ignore this weirdo for now and find Robin," Nami concludes. "Then we'll deal with them."
"You could do that but then I'd have to drop this key into the sea," the man retorts. "We're giving you a chance." He disappears again, and Luffy turns intending to go chasing after him but thankfully Zoro and Usopp catch him before he can.
"Oi, hold it!" Zoro yells. "Just stay here until we decide what we're going to do!"
"Lucci is that piegon guy, right?" Sanji asks.
"That's right," Franky tells him.
"Alright. If Lucci with Robin, then we should at least let Luffy and Run go after him. Including Franky, that leaves five of us. There are six members of CP9. We'll get the key's for Robin's handcuffs and then go after the two of them."
"If we lose against them we lose Robin," Zoro adds. "Everyone, take them down, even if it costs you your life...!"
Running blindly through the tower, up and down stairs...it's not like it's actually going to pay off. But even so, it's not like they can do much else. Luffy shouts at the top of his lungs the whole time, yelling for Robin but never recieving a response. They might have run all the way back to Robin's original location if they were intercepted by Chimney and Gombe along the way. The moment the little girl and the rabbit spot them, they immediately call for their attention, and demand they follow them.
With no other lead, they follow after them to a hidden door and a flight of stairs. "What is this place?" Luffy asks, staring down the stairs. "A basement?"
"It's an undersea passage," Chimney tells them. "To get to the Gates of Justice, you go under the sea!" Luffy and Run quickly start down the stairs. "Wait! Do you two even know where you're going?" They briefly exchange looks before looking back at her. The red head rushes up the stairs and then kneels down.
"Let's go, get-" She launches herself onto his back, nearly knocking him flat onto his face.
"Alright! Forward!" Carrying her piggy-back with Gombe clinging to her back, they quickly go rushing down the stairs.
"You're pretty amazing!" Luffy laughs. "How did you figure out something like this was here?"
"I heard Lucci's servant going down the stairs laughing loudly! Lucci and that black-haired lady went through the doors, too!" While they're happy to have the information, Run isn't exactly sure that it's such a great idea for a child to go wandering around in a place like this. Not that he's one to really talk. As a boy, he did a lot of exploring without Shanks supervision. Something that caused his father no end of worry, honestly...and provided Benn no end of amusement.
Waiting for them at the bottom of the steps is a large set of iron doors emblazoned with the World Governments symbol. Run sets down the two and watches as Luffy bangs his fist a few times against the metal.
"These doors are pretty sturdy, huh?"
"Here," Run says, approaching. "I'll open 'em."
"I got it." Luffy cracks his knuckles loudly and takes a step back from the door. "You two, stand back." Luffy raises his hand towards his mouth, and then bites into the joint. "Third Gear!" His fist inflates to nearly triple the size of his body. Run can only stare in wide-eyed surprise. Just when had Luffy developed these kinds of techniques? He cocks back and smashes it into the doors. When the smoke clears it reveals them to be completely demolished in a single blow. That amount of power...it might be the same as one of his Haki infused punches. "Alright! Let's go!"
The red head looks down as a severely shrunken Luffy. "Haaah...what the hell?" Luffy marches off down the hall, and Run shakes his head slowly. "Chimney, Gombe, go back to Kokoro. We'll take care of things from here." He takes off after Luffy, snags him up from the ground and tucks him under an arm as he continues sprinting. While they're running, Luffy slowly begins to grow in the red head's grip. When it seems he's finally reached full size, he drops him and the two continue running. Ahead of them, the tunnel seems to come to an end at a pair of large doors.
Both leap up, and kick through the doors, smashing through into a strange room that seems more storage than anything. They spot the man immediately, standing across from them with a smirk.
"You," growls Run, staring the man down.
"There you are!" Luffy screams. "The pigeon guy!"
"Really," Lucci begins, tucking his hands into his pockets. "To think that the two of you could make it this far by yourselves."
"We aren't by ourselves." A voice suddenly sounds from Lucci's jacket, and the man reaches in. It's Robin's voice ringing loud and clear, declaring that a Buster Call has been initiated. The whole of Enies Lobby is going to be wiped out, and from the sound of Spandam's voice, it doesn't sound like he really cares about what happens to the Marines or the members of CP9. "What was that?!"
"Where's Robin at," Run demands, hands balling into fists.
"She's beyond these doors," Lucci says quite simply. "I-" Rather than let him finish both rush forward. Luffy reaches him first, and snaps a kick out at the man's temple. He blocks with his elbow, and then shoves his leg aside. "At least let me finish. I'm not letting you-" Run weaves out from behind his Captain, and smashes his fist into the man's gut. His hat topples from his head as Lucci slides backwards, a hand pressed against his stomach. When the red head rushes, he snaps a kick out forcing him to duck quickly.
Luffy bounds over top of him, and throws a punch. Their knuckles meet, and cast them back seconds later, scattering the contents of the room. While the dust slowly settles, Run shoves a huge metal shipping container off of them with ease. "Good catch, Run," Luffy tells him, staring across the way at a kneeling Lucci. "Get out of the way."
"Why? Even if I let you pass, you won't be able to see her ever again."
"We're going to see her," Run growls. "Luffy. I'm going for the door." Luffy nods and the two rush forward. While Run makes for the door, Luffy grabs Lucci quickly, and throws him across the room. "Good job! I'll leave this to you, Cap'n!" Lucci stands quickly out of the debris from a shattered crate and then disappears. "Crap! Shave!" The red head disappears in turn, reappearing in front of the door. His finger-tips barely graze the door-handle before he's struck broad-side, and thrown into one of the many up-turned crates.
"So, you copied one of our techniques, red hair." A large crate sails out of the dust towards the man, then a second, and a third. His eyes narrow and he reaches a hand out quickly. Before the first has even touched him, Run explodes through.
"Sea King's Rush!" Lucci blocks his knee with a forearm, and winces in pain as it sends him sliding back, arm throbbing madly. Luffy blind-sides him, arms stretching and fists flying. Lucci bobs and weaves, avoiding them all before launching a punch back at him. Luffy blocks it with a knee before kicking back at him. Hearing foot-steps Lucci looks back to see the red head making for the door again.
"Shave." He appears between Run and the door. Run's eyes widen and he fades back, disappearing and reappearing beside Luffy.
"Damn it...he's really not going to let me get to that door."
"Give it up. You'll never see her again. I'm never letting either one of you beyond those doors." Luffy rushes forward, and launches a punch at the man. He raises a leg and blocks it with the bottom of his foot easily. Lucci is surprised however, when Run comes sliding under Luffy, plants both hands firmly and drives both feet into his chest. Lucci flies back, smashing into the wall. Yet again, Run makes a mad dash for the door. With a soft growl, he walks out of the resulting cloud of dust just as Luffy rushes again.
"Gum-Gum...Gatling!" Luffy screams. Lucci quickly dodges left and right avoiding his punches before suddenly seizing his arms. "What the?!" He swings Luffy around and throws him straight into Run, sending the two of them crashing across the room into the crates. "Damn it."
"I don't know how many times I have to say it. No matter what tricks you play, you're never getting through that door."
"Oi, Straw Hat! Red Hair!" Both of them look towards the voice quickly, finding none other than Franky standing at the entrance they'd taken to get here.
"Huh? Franky?!" Luffy screams. "What are you doing here, you jerk?!"
"Still with the attitude?! I'm on your side now, remember?!" He finally seems to notice the man standing across from them. "Lucci, huh? So, you two are having a tough time against him? Where's Nico Robin? I brought two keys for the handcuffs. Do you two need a hand?"
"No," Run tells him firmly. "He's been stopping me from getting to the door. But...but if Luffy and I both distract him, then there's a chance we can get you there." Run cracks his neck loudly. "Get it, Franky?"
"Huh...just super leave it to me, then." The two go rushing forward quickly.
"Gum-Gum Gatling!" Luffy exclaims. Lucci weaves left and right through the punches, eventually stopping one of his fists while launching a kick. Luffy stops it with his free hand and lunges back. "Gum-Gum...Pistol!" Lucci disappears, reappearing behind him. The man blinks in surprise when rather than finding himself facing Luffy he's instead face to face with Run. The red head lunges forward, hands raised and Lucci raises his own in response. Their palms meet with a resounding 'smack!' fingers locking and arms straining.
"Franky, go now!" Run bellows. Both men stand, growling at each other like a pair of dogs. Pins and needles dance through their finger-tips, the blood-flow having been cut off the moment they started squeezing. Hearing the large man running, the red head briefly glances in his direction. The moment he looks back he's surprised by a knee to the chin, his head snapping back and vision briefly blurring. "You rotten bastard!" He lunges forward, smashing their foreheads together hard enough to make stars dance before Lucci's eyes. "You're not stronger then me," snarls Run, squeezing tighter still.
Soft crackling and popping sounds as the bones in their hands grate against one another.
"Hold him still! Gum-Gum...Bazooka!" Seeing Luffy's arms in-coming Lucci growls in response.
"Hmph, Moon Walk!" calls Lucci, dragging Run towards the ceiling, barely dodging Luffy's attack. Just as suddenly as he's taken them up, he sends him crashing down, using the red head as a cushion to absorb the blow. Lucci stands and looks to the door just in time to see it closing before looking down at the violently coughing red head. "At first, I thought Blueno was simply trying to cover up embarrassment on the train...but it seems like your physical strength really is nothing to sneeze at. After what I've seen I would say you've breached the level of superhumans." He slams a foot into his chest, pinning him down. "But...it's time to die."
"Gum-Gum...Jet Pistol!" Lucci looks up quickly just in time to be struck by Luffy's fist, sending him smashing into the wall across the room. Run rolls quickly out of the crater, and looks across the room to see Luffy steaming the same as on the roof. "Second Gear."
"Now you've done it." Run slowly stands and turns to face Lucci, finding the man changed into some kind of leopard-human hybrid.
"I take it you haven't forgotten, Straw Hat. You went down with a single thrust from this form. Shave." He disappears and reappears right in front of them. "Finger Pistol!" Run lunges back while Luffy disappears just as quickly.
"Jet Bazooka!" exclaims Luffy, smashing his palms into Lucci's back, and sending him stumbling in Run's direction. He cocks back, hardening his fist quickly, and then punches him hard enough in the face to drive him head first back into the pavement. He bounces, and lands on his knees, stunned. "Jet Pistol!" He's thrown back from the impact, right into Run's arms. The red head catches Lucci, by an ankle, yanks him back and drives a fist into his chest, smashing him straight down into the stone floor with a loud 'crack!' accompanying it.
He paces backwards slowly towards Luffy, breaths coming in deep gasps. Using Shave so many times in a row is really taking it's toll. His legs feel like they're weighted down by lead, and his lungs are burning like he's run a marathon. Lucci slowly rolls onto his stomach, and pushes himself up while pressing a hand to his ribs.
"I see now. It's basically like doping. You use your legs like a pump, and accelerate your blood-flow. Normally, a persons heart would explode from the spike in blood-pressure but since every internal organ, every vein, every cell is made of rubber, it's problem. However...it seems like you can't handle the spike in strength for long. That technique appears to be double-edged. You're basically eating away are your own life."
"It's better than losing something that's right before your eyes. I'll do whatever I can."
"Being too stubborn isn't good. Didn't you hear those explosions earlier? Those shots were Navy Ships trying to get their range and then zero in. Pretty soon, they'll start firing at once. Your friends in the Tower of Law are going to die there. Even if there are a few lucky one's here in this underground passage..." He whips around, and launches a wave of energy from his leg, splitting open the wall and allowing sea water to flood in.
"You bastard! What did you just do?!"
"Sea water will rush into this underground area, ensuring that anyone in it will drown. That naive idea of yours that you can save everyone and escape...let's see how it plays out, shall we?" Lucci suddenly takes off, using Moon Walk to escape through a hatch at the roof of the room.
"You bastard!" Luffy grabs Run with one hand and then stretches his freehand up towards the ladder. They scale it quickly, and find themselves in another large storage area with Lucci waiting for them with a malicious smirk on his face.
"This place is above sea level, so there's no chance of us getting soaked." Loud cannon fire sounds in the distance, and the resulting explosions rattle the long forgotten dust from the roof of the room. "You can hear it, can't you? The sound of the battleships cannons. What happened to your crew...what happened to Nico Robin...with all those thoughts swirling around in your head, you must be worried. If you want to go rescue them, then go right ahead."
"I'm not taking my eyes off of you. No matter what they're going through, I know they're going to survive. But if I let you get away, then you'll just go and kill them."
"You think just like a real Captain. How I'd like for a certain idiot to hear those words. But I wonder...wouldn't the result be the same if you died?!" Lucci charges Luffy, intent on trading punches with him and allowing the red head to fall by the way side. It turns out to be a miscalculation on his part as the red head appears at his side in an instant.
"Sea King's Bite!" Run exclaims punching the man in the jaw before he can react. Luffy seizes the moment, tying up Lucci with one of his arms before cocking back.
"Gum-Gum Rifle!"
"Iron Body. Empty Tree," Lucci announces, puffing his chest out. His fist impacts Lucci's chest, and sends him recoiling moments later. He crashes down in a large stack of crates.
"Luffy!" Run screams, turning to look.
"Tempest Kick: Leopard Tail!" He looks back, and it's struck in the chest by the swirling mass of energy, throwing him in the opposite direction of Luffy. He lands on a not so comfortable crate, completely destroying it and several others around it."How disappointing, you two are!" Lucci looks from Luffy to Run and back. "I thought after all this I had finally met some men with some back bone! But I guess I was wrong!" The red head slowly stands, brushing himself off all the while. "Oh? Maybe I was wrong." The man turns to face him with a malicious smile and slowly holds a hand out. "Flying Finger Pistol...Pick!"
The impact causes Run to take a step back, and raise a hand to his chest quickly.
"Haaah...that hurt, you bastard," Run growls, slowly lowering his hand. Lucci's eyes narrow as he stares at the blackened skin of his chest showing through the deep 'V' of his shirt.
"Third Gear!" exclaims Luffy, from behind Lucci. He whirls around as the dust clears, finding Luffy bearing down on him. "Bone Balloon! Gum-Gum..."
"If it's just a show don't bother!" Lucci laughs. "Iron Body!"
"...Giant Pistol!" The impact levels nearly the entire building, and sends Lucci flying out and crashing down on a nearby Navy ship. "Run! Let's go after him!" He nods in understanding and rushes over quickly, jumping onto Luffy's back as he leaps straight up into the sky over the deck of the ship. "Now! Gum-Gum...Giant Axe!" His foot inflates nearly as large as his fist had and he smashes it down into the center of the ship, nearly splitting it in two. Out of the corner of his eye, Run spots Lucci on one of the masts.
"Luffy, there!" Run calls, pointing.
"Damn you! Gum-Gum...Giant Whip!" Lucci leaps towards them, as Luffy swings his leg in his direction, changing to resemble a large leopard.
"Haki Burst!" Projecting his Busoshoku straight ahead of them, it strikes Lucci head on, and casts him back before he gets near. Luffy's foot pulverizes the mast, and nearly Lucci before he can make his escape with Moon Walk. When he reappears it's behind them, and he kicks the two of them straight down to the deck of the ship below.
"Tempest Kick: Victory Eagle!" exclaims Lucci, firing a wave of energy at them. Run grabs Luffy and rolls them away from the wave, that cuts through the fallen mast like butter. When the dust settles both stand quickly, staring up at Lucci. The sound of cannon fire alerts them to the fact that the Navy is now targeting the ship they're on.
Luffy takes a deep breath, grabs Run and then exhales forcefully. The air he had inflated himself with goes rushing out, sending them flying through the air and crashing back into the room they had been in only minutes ago. Run slowly pushes himself up, body aching and protesting it's every movement. "Aah, I got shrunk again," Luffy complains. The red head looks over at a now tiny Luffy. "Third Gear is a good idea but the way my body reacts..."
"How long are you going to be like that?" Run questions him.
"I was pumped up for about a minute so I'll stay shunk for that long. It's up to you until then!"
"Alright, go. I'll take care of it!" Luffy quickly goes running off to hide. He's barely disappeared before Lucci lands in front of the red head. He slowly stands, facing the man. Lucci slowly looks around, searching for any sign of Luffy before finally turning his attention back to Run.
"Where-"
"Shave!" Both men disappear the next moment, reappearing to trade several blows before disappearing again. When they finally stop, Run is breathing heavily, his legs trembling from exertion. Lucci seems somewhat amused, despite the addition of a few new bruises.
"It seems Shave wears you down, doesn't it," Lucci remarks. "You should know, if you keep forcing it you're going to destroy the muscles in your legs."
"You're one to talk. Seems Luffy's attacks did some damage...you're not as fast as you were...and you're breathing hard." Lucci's eyes narrow in response and he disappears. "Sh-" He's seized by the throat before he can move, and driven straight back into a wall off of his feet. Embedded in the stone, Lucci steps back while Run struggles to free himself from the rubble.
"Finger Pistol: Spots!" His hands are a blur of motion, nearly impossible for Run to track and closing fast. He does the only thing he can, he hardens his entire torso quickly.
"Gum-Gum...Pistol!" A fist blind-sides Lucci, tossing him aside as Luffy comes flying towards them. "Run! Look! I'm back to normal!" Luffy quickly grabs his shoulders and pulls him from the rubble. Lucci stands and faces them, apparently no worse for wear. Luffy growls and then crouches down. "This is it. It's going to be the final time." The steam slowly begins to rise from him.
"Are you trying to use up every last bit of your life and die?"
"I don't know what's going to happen...Second Gear!" All three are breathing heavy, they're all exhausted. They haven't had a knock-down drag-out fight like this in quite some time, after all. Certainly never one where they were using so many taxing techniques consecutively. "Gum-Gum...Jet Pistol!" Luffy surges forward, and Lucci leaps back as his fist impacts. "Aah! He reduced it by jumping back!" He disappears again, and Run moves forward now, intercepting him as he appears behind Luffy.
"Finger Pistol!" The two dodge left and right, appearing and disappearing as Lucci chases him quickly. Run reaches out, catching his wrist much to his surprise and then steps in close.
"Sea King's Fang!" Run shouts, slamming his elbow into his chest and throwing him back. While he's off-guard, Luffy charges quickly.
"Jet Bullet!" Luffy screams, striking Lucci in the chest again and causing him to drop to a knee from pain. "Twin Jet Pistol!" This time he's sent flying, crashing into a wall opposite them. Rather than lie there, Lucci disappears from their sight, only to reappear in front of Luffy.
"Six King Gun!" Lucci calls, thrusting both fists into Luffy's chest, throwing him back. "Tempest Kick: Victory Eagle!" Run grabs him before he hits the ground, and carries him off before the wave hits him. Run has barely set him down before he drops a knee, feeling as though all the strength has left his legs. "I told you, didn't I? That's the danger of copying a technique and using it without any training."
"LUFFY! RUN!" both of them turn towards the gaping hole in the wall, and find themselves staring at nearly the whole crew gathered on the end of a destroyed bridge. "WE MADE IT HERE SAFE!"
"WE'RE OK!" adds Franky.
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT US!"
"WE RESCUED ROBIN! ALL THAT'S LEFT IS TO BEAT HIM!" Hearing their cheering brings a smile to both of their faces...and Run slowly forces himself to his feet again, despite the pain just standing brings him. Lucci actually laughs as he looks over at them.
"They're all still alive," Lucci observes. "That's really incredible. But let's see if you two can still keep those faces a few minutes from now." Again they start moving. Luffy's Second Gear is beginning to lose it's strength, and Run's Haki has reached it's limit as well. This is the worst thing that could possibly happen. "It's pointless to struggle! No matter what, that woman isn't getting away! I'll chase her to the ends of the earth and eliminate her in the name of justice!"
"Over my dead body!" Run shouts back, swinging at the man.
"Finger Pistol!" He's struck in the side by it, grunting from pain. Lucci narrows his eyes and strikes him several more times, sending him sprawling across the ground. "I see you're beginning to weaken as well. You can no longer use those techniques of yours."
"Jet Axe!" Luffy screams, smashing his leg down towards Lucci. He dodges, and reappears behind him.
"Six King Gun!" The impact sends Luffy sliding back...and when he stops, he collapses face first to the ground. Run struggles to move but his body just won't respond, he can barely twitch a finger-tip. Both lie there, breathing heavily and bleeding just as badly.
"LUFFY! RUN!" screams Usopp from across the way. "What are you two doing?! Get up!"
"U...Usopp," mutters Luffy. "S...So you came...after all."
"Don't get the wrong idea! I'm here to rescue Robin! I didn't come to see your face!" Run actually chuckles a little bit, just that little bit hurting. "Oi! You! Boss Cat of CP9! You may have beat them but not me! I'll take you on, now! So bring it on!" Lucci shifts his attention from the two of them and Usopp recoils slightly under his gaze. "Th-That's right! I'm your opponent, little kitty!" Lucci growls in response, and slowly begins walking in his direction.
"O...Oi, prick," Run grunts, slowly turning onto his stomach, and attempting to push himself up. "Stay...away from him!"
"Don't...go near him," Luffy growls. "We're your opponents!"
"Opponents?" Lucci echos. "Hardly. You've lost. I've no business with defeated men. You two should just stay here and watch."
"Stop it, Usopp! He'll kill you!"
"Shut up!" retorts Usopp. "What can you do when you're half dead?!"
"I'm telling you, he's mine!" Luffy slowly struggles, pushing himself up. "I'm going to beat him!"
"Then get up! Even if though there's smoke above us we can see the sky, even if it's below us we can see the ocean...this isn't Hell! So stop looking like you're about to die, you jerk!"
"I know." Lucci stops, and turns to face them, both of them standing on unsteady feet. "I know that this isn't hell."
"Beat him! We'll all go back together!"
"So, you can still move," Lucci mutters.
"I never said I gave up," Luffy tells him. "Until...we beat you. I'm not going to even drop a knee!" Lucci growls in response, and then lauches himself towards the two of them.
"Spots!" Luffy and Run dodges and attack, attack and dodge all while not giving a single inch to the man. Lucci leaps back from them quickly. "Victory Eagle!" Both dodge in opposite directions, and Lucci rushes back as quickly as possible, taking advantage of this. He pounces on Run, seizing him with his tail before he can back away. "Ultimate Radius Six King Gun!" His fists meet the red head, and with nothing to soften the blow, it feels as if every organ, every cell has just exploded.
"RUN!" The red head spits up blood, and Lucci drops him. He staggers backwards, tilting as though he's going to fall...and finally braces himself.
"Th...That...all you...got?" Run coughs, spitting out another mouthful of blood. Lucci paces back from them, staring as though the two of them have completely lost their minds. "Luffy...tag in..." He drops to a knee, and coughs up more blood onto the floor.
"Gum-Gum...!"
"Iron Body!" shouts Lucci.
"...Jet Gatling!" His fists slam into Lucci, overwhelming him and driving him back into the wall. Seconds later, he smashes through it, disappearing within a storm of dust and debris. Luffy collapses fast first to the pavement, while the dust begins to settle. When they can get a clear picture...they find Lucci lying still, face down on the ground. "It's over...It's over!"
"Let's all go back together!" Run screams, voice hoarse. "Robin!" Run shoves himself to his feet with a loud groan, and staggers over to Luffy's side.
"We did it, Run." The red head grins in response, teeth tinted pink by blood, and nods firmly. He reaches down, and grabs Luffy. Run's legs buckle under the extra weight...and he drops onto his side beside his Captain, a hand pressed to the wounds on his stomach. "Run!"
"Aaah...I...can't move."
"Luffy! Run! Come on!" Usopp shouts, attracting their attention. "Let's go! Luffy! Stretch the two of you across, and then we can leave! Come on! We got Robin back!" Both of them struggle, trying to get their bodies to move but finding themselves unable to. The battleships are bearing down on them, turning their cannons towards their area. It seems they plan to erase them in a single volley.
"Look down."
Both Luffy and Run pause, searching for the voice. "Who was that?" Luffy asks.
"Good questions," Run grunts.
"Everyone!" Usopp bellows. "Jump into the sea!" Arms suddenly sprout from the ground, lifting the two of them and then rolling them towards the edge where they're thrown off. Above them, both watch as the rest of the crew, and even Franky, Kokoro, Chimney and Gombe leap over the edge of the bridge with them.
"Let's go back, everyone!" Run twists in air, looking down to find the Merry floating below. Cannon fire destroys the building they'd been occupying only seconds ago. "Back to the sea's of adventure!"
"Get on the Merry!"
"I came to get you...!"