Ch. 38- The Executive's Tower

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Jupiter, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Rita, and Carla © Me

"LOOK OUT!" Blizzard shouted as the group scattered, just as Pica was about to grab them.

"AIKA! KUMI!" Luffy cried as he grabbed the two youngsters, who had frozen in fear upon seeing the giant golem. Thankfully, he managed to get them out of Pica's reach.

"That was close…!" Aika whimpered.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Zoro asked as Pica towered over them, the floor rippling up and down like waves in the sea.

"It's Pica!" answered Violet. "He's a Supreme Executive, like Diamante and Trebol! Be careful! He's a stone-assimilation man who are the Stone-Stone Devil Fruit!"

At that, Pica's arms connected to the walls.

"Uh…what is he doing?!" Luffy asked.

"So you're saying he's not just made of stone?!" Zoro questioned.

"His body becomes one with any stone he touches," Violet answered, "which means…this stone palace is under his control!"

Just then, the walls began to swell up and bulge before they began to close in on the group!

"AAAH!" Kumi shrieked. "THE WALLS!"

"Luffy, do something!" Blizzard cried.

Luffy looked back and forth between the walls before he took in a deep breath.

"GUM-GUUUUM-"

KATHOOM! The walls closed in on the group before Luffy could finish that statement…seemingly crushing them all.

XXX

Meanwhile, back at the coliseum, things were really starting to heat up during the finals.

"And the Fighting Fish flies free, once again!" Gyatts announced. "Look at that speed! Can Burgess evade it?!"

A Fighting Fish with the number 08 tattooed on his forehead lunged at Burgess, who grinned and reeled his right arm back.

"Shockwave…ELBOW!" he shouted as he thrust his elbow forward, sending a powerful shockwave that sent the Fighting Fish flying into the stands, effectively knocking him out and crushing members of the audience! Not just that, but the very foundation of the coliseum shook from the power of Burgess' attack!

"The coliseum is shaking!" cried Gyatts. "There it is, again! Burgess' special attack! The Shockwave Elbow, which rips a hole in the stands!"

"AAAAAAHH!" a woman in the audience screamed as she saw a bloodied man pull himself out of the crater that Burgess had made, as well as several others.

"The upstart pirate, Blackbeard is supported by his 10 Titanic Captains!" Gyatts exclaimed. "And Burgess is one of them!"

"Hey!" called a man in the audience. "Somebody help! We need stretchers over here!"

"That madman!" cried a toy rabbit. "The crowd isn't supposed to be involved!"

"WEEHAHAHAHAW~!" laughed Burgess.

SPLASH! Another Fighting Fish, the one with the number 01 tattooed on his forehead and the Flame-Flame Fruit chained to his back, came darting towards the ring.

"Aha!" Bartolomeo exclaimed.

Diamante, Rita, "Lucy", and "Butch" all turned to see the Fighting Fish before they glanced at each other.

"There it is!" announced Gyatts. "The Fighting Fish who bears the Flame-Flame Fruit on his back! And he's going for Rebecca!"

Rebecca gripped the hilt of her sword, preparing to strike.

"If I can just cut the chains…then maybe…!" she whispered, but then she gasped as she realized…she couldn't evade it! "Oh, no!"

From her hiding place, Carla gasped in horror as it looked like Rebecca was about to be skewered.

"Look out, Rebecca!" she cried.

ZWIP! Something ran by, grabbing the gladiator woman before the Fighting Fish could get to her. It was revealed to be "Butch", who held Rebecca on his back.

"Uh…thank you!" Rebecca said, surprised, causing "Butch" to look up and grin at her, but then he noticed that "Lucy" had grabbed onto the Fighting Fish's dorsal fin.

"Gotcha!" he exclaimed, but before he could try and open it, he heard a growling sound behind him. He turned around, only to cry out in surprise before CLANG! He raised his pipe, blocking Rita's Haki-imbued paws.

"Dammit!" "Lucy" cursed as the saber tooth tiger pushed down on his pipe further, pinning him down. "Get off me!"

"Sorry," Rita hissed, "but you're not having the Flame-Flame Fruit!"

"We know how much you want it," said Diamante, his sword extending as he prepared to cut "Lucy" down, "but it's not yours to take, Straw Hat!"

Suddenly, WHAM! "Butch" slammed into Rita's side, knocking her off "Lucy", who turned to face Diamante. He raised his pipe, which was imbued with Haki, and SMASH! Diamante's sword shattered!

"What the-?!" Diamante questioned.

Down in the ring, Rita growled as she faced "Butch", who growled back at her.

"I don't know who you are, mutt," said Rita, "but whoever you are, you're not getting the Flame-Flame Fruit!"

"Is that so?" asked "Butch". "Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but that's not really your decision to make either, now is it?"

GRROOOOOOOAAAAAARRR! Rita roared as she lunged at "Butch", who jumped over her head and WHAM! He slammed all four of his Haki-imbued paws right down on her skull!

"OOF!" Rita cried before she stood up and growled at "Butch", who stood behind her with a mocking grin.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Can't keep up?"

"YOU PRICK!" Rita roared as she jumped at "Butch" again, only for him to turn around and THWACK! He kicked her right in the neck, causing her to cough up blood!

"What the…RITA!" Diamante shouted. "Quick screwing around and get serious!"

With "Lucy", he was about to open up the chest that contained the Flame-Flame Fruit, but then…

"WEEHAHAHAHAHAW~!" Burgess laughed as he reeled back his arm. "I'll blow you right out of the air!"

"Burgess is winding up, again!" Gyatts shouted.

"NOT AGAIN!" a man cried, the crowd soon going into a panic.

"LET ME OUTTA HERE!" shouted another man, this one in his early 70s.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAA!" a woman shrieked.

Bartolomeo quickly set up his barrier…and Rebecca quickly stood behind him.

"What the hell?!" Bartolomeo questioned. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Sorry," Rebecca apologized.

"Will you stand and take the blow, 'Lucy'?!" asked Diamante.

"Shockwave…" Burgess started.

"You'd better go save your master, mutt," Rita said, mockingly.

"Why?" asked "Butch". "He doesn't need saving."

"Huh?" Rita muttered.

From her secret spot, Koala watched, chewing her lip.

"Come on, come on…!" she whispered.

"…Dragon Claw," "Lucy" whispered, flexing out his fingers to the point where they almost looked like talons.

"Lucy can't escape!" cried Gyatts.

ZWISH! "Lucy" suddenly disappeared from the Fighting Fish's back.

"…ELBOW!" Burgess shouted, but then, "Lucy" suddenly reappeared, slamming his Haki-imbued hand into Burgess' armor, squeezing it tighter and tighter until…CRUNCH! The armor shattered!

"What the fuck?!" Burgess questioned.

The crowd gasped…before bursting into uproarious applause.

"ALL RIGHT, LUCY!"

"WAY TO GO!"

"Unbelievable!" yelled Gyatts. "Lucy has completely shattered Burgess' armor!"

"WOW!" Bartolomeo exclaimed. "Way to go, Great Senpai!"

"I should've known," "Lucy" started, "you guys aren't gonna make it easy for me, are you?!"

"Hold it," Diamante said. "That's not his usual battle style…is that really Straw Hat?! Come to think of it…White Wolf doesn't even look like a wolf…and he isn't white, either! Who are these two?!"

'About time he caught on!' thought Rita. 'That idiot!'

XXX

Meanwhile, with Team "Usoland", Usopp and Robin were watching as more toys came out of the Executive's Tower, picking up crates, bags, and other things.

"Hey," Usopp whispered, "more and more toys keep filing out of that place."

"More proof that we'll find Sugar in the Executive's Tower," whispered Leo.

"What are those weird-looking tube things?" Usopp asked.

"The center of the tower is the executive's elevator," Leo answered. "All those pipes you see are from different directions, and they bring down big people and broken toys. All around Dressrosa, there are entrances to the Scrap Heap. They drop all the down under the Executive's Tower to land on top of the pile!"

XXX

Inside the Executive's Tower, Cavendish groaned as he sat up.

"Dammit," he cursed. "I've had enough of this tomfoolery! First I land on a mountain of garbage, and now this?! Where am I, anyway?!" He then held up his hand, which was covered in a sticky slime. "And what is this goop?! I'm not even that hurt, so why'd they drag me into the medical ward?!"

"It's not goopy, it's sticky!"

Cavendish looked up, only to yelp as Trebol got in his face.

"Hey, back off!" he cried. "You're invading my personal space, you know?! Who the hell are you, anyway?!"

"Behehehehe…!" Trebol laughed, his nose running. "This is the Executive's Tower!"

It is revealed that Cavendish is in a room that looked some sort of nursery with some sort of conveyor belt

"But this factory-like room," Trebol began, "which produces many toys for some reason, has another name! What is that other name, Sugar?"

"Sugar?" Cavendish repeated before he spotted the girl, eating grapes out of her basket.

"It's just called the Executive's Tower," Sugar said.

"WRONG!" Trebol shouted, snot gushing out of his nose. "Behehehehehe!"

"Ugh…please blow your nose or something," Cavendish grimaced.

"You're disgusting, Trebol," Sugar said. "Go away and die."

"I won't die!" Trebol shouted. "I won't listen to brats like you! Behehehehe!"

"You, child!" Cavendish said. "You have to help me! Get this sticky stuff off of-"

Tap! Sugar tapped Cavendish's knee…and he turned into a puppet!

"…me…?" he muttered, confused. "W-wait, what just happened?! I…I turned into a toy?!"

"And now for the contract," said Sugar. "'Thou shalt not harm humans. Thou shalt always obey the Donquixote Family's orders'."

"What dribble is this?!" Cavendish questioned. "Let me out of here! Turn me back to-"

"Shut up and get to work, fool," said Trebol, and suddenly, Cavendish clammed up.

'W…wait…I can't speak!' he thought. 'What's happening?! I can't disobey his orders!'

"Thou shalt always obey the Donquixote Family's orders."

'Contract…?!' thought Cavendish.

"Behehehehe!" laughed Trebol. "Now that you're a toy, everyone's forgotten about you! Hell, even I don't remember you anymore! Now, you're gonna work…or fight…for Doffy until the day you die! Behehehehe! Now get going! The port out past the furthest door!"

With that, Cavendish began to march out the room, greeted by two guards.

"Okay, new guy," said one of them. "Your assignment is to carry the cargo to the docks. Get moving!"

Reluctantly, Cavendish picked up a crate that looked way too big and heavy for him…and yet, he had no choice but to carry it, joining the other working toys.

'No way…this must be a nightmare…!' he thought. 'I have to wake up, somehow! No way am I going to be a toy, working for these clods for the rest of my life!'

Not too far away, Sai, still in the form of a toy monkey, was helping a doll carry a large box.

'So this is where all those weapons were coming from!' thought Sai. 'But…I can't do anything about it! Gramps, help me!'

Nearby, Hack, who is now a dog toy with a saddle, is carrying a crate on his back.

'If only I'd known that such a port existed down here!' the Fishman-turned-toy thought. 'If only I could call Koala. She's waiting for my intel…is there no way out of this?!'

'Damn you, Doflamingo!' thought Elizabello, who had turned into a toy pig and is carrying a giant crate above his head. 'I'm the King of Prodence! You want me to work as a toy for the rest of my life?! This must be a bad joke! Someone, get me out of here!'

Alas, it was no use. They were all prisoners of Doflamingo, now…and there only hope was Usopp pulling this plan off with the Tontattas.

Speaking of whom, the two stood near the door to the Executive's Tower, both peeking inside.

"I think that slimy-looking man is Trebol," Robin whispered, "and the little girl must be Sugar."

"She really is a little kid…!" Usopp whispered.

"That's right," Leo answered. "Sugar loves grapes! She's always eating them!"

"So the kid eats healthy," Usopp whispered. "So what?"

"That's how we're gonna take her out!" Leo answered, holding what looked like a grape in his hands. "Look at this! It's a ball Tatababasco Sauce, the hottest in all the world, and we made it to look like a grape!"

"So you're gonna feed that to Sugar, right?" Usopp asked.

"Yep!" Leo nodded. "I'll slip it into her basket! We already tested this baby on 50 other Tontattas, and it has 100% success rate! 18 of them almost died!"

"You actually tried to eat that?!" Usopp questioned.

"Shh~!" Robin shushed.

"Sorry," Usopp whispered.

"It's foolproof!" answered Leo. "We'll give to Sugar!"

"Sounds like a plan, Leo!" Usopp said. "Do it, and do it fast! I'll be watching you from her!"

"Thank you, Usoland!" Leo said. "You're so reassuring!"

'If this goes South, I'm bailing…!' thought Usopp.

"Good luck, Leo!" shouted Inhel.

"Watch out for Trebol!" cheered Bian.

"Don't shout!" Usopp whispered.

"No problem!" Leo exclaimed. "Prepare yourselves, everybody! When Sugar lets out her scream and every toy in the country turns back into a big person, all the forgotten memories will come flooding back! All the evil deeds that Doflamingo and his men will be exposed, and he will show his true colors! SO HERE I GO! TO SAVE OUR FELLOW TONTATTAS AND TAKE BACK THE KINGDOM FOR KING RIKU!"

"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" the Tontattas cheered.

"I said stop shouting!" Usopp whispered.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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