Hey everyone. Sorry this update took so long. I just couldn't get past some writers block. But I've got over it, so presenting Chapter 36! Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto or One Piece
Chapter 36: Drawing towards the End
Naruto let out a pained grunt as he flew threw the air, the city rooftops drawing close. Thinking fast, Naruto focused on the rope tied to his wrist. For a moment, he felt the links to his friends flare into life, their emotions crashing into his like a tidal wave.
He push those aside and drew upon the rope for what it was at it's base, a rope. A phantom rope shot from his wrist and wrapped around one of the parapets running along the outer wall of the Palace. Naruto's downward momentum halted and he swung towards the wall.
Naruto hit the wall with braced knees. He took hold of the conjured rope with his free hand and hauled himself back up to the courtyard. He peered over the wall in time to see Crocodile turn into sand and fly off towards the setting sun. He looked around and saw Luffy lying desiccated on the sand.
"Crap, Luffy," Naruto shouted as he rushed towards his captain. Before he could reach him, the water Luffy fired off in vain at Crocodile fell back down upon him.
"Ahh," Luffy gasped as he was restored, the suddenness knocking Naruto off his feet, "I thought I was gonna die there!" He turned and saw Naruto picking himself of the ground. "Naruto! You're OK!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Naruto grumbled as he dusted himself off.
"All right," Luffy shouted, "Where'd Crocodile do?"
"He flew off that way," Naruto said, pointing westward, "I guess he's going to look for All-Sunday and the King. Which means he'll run into Vivi, Matatabi and Chopper."
"Not if I can help it," Luffy said with utter confidence, "I'm not going to let him hurt our friends!"
Luffy began to run, only to stumble and clutch at his abdomen. Blood pooled out from under the bandages and dripped to the ground.
"Luffy," Naruto shouted as the rubber man fell into the sand.
"Damn it," he wheezed out, "I can't move. That can't be right. I was sure I ate enough meat. These scratches aren't nothing to worry about…."
"Luffy, shut up," Naruto said as he gave the captain a once over, "We need to get you to Chopper."
"No," Luffy countered, "I need to stop Crocodile."
Naruto was going to argue, but Luffy's emotions and the fire in his eyes reminded him of himself. When he stabbed his hand after being attack by the Demon Brothers on the way to Wave. And when he let Kabuto's kunai run threw his hand to give him the opening to strike Orochimaru's right hand man with his Rasengan.
"Alright," Naruto said, hauling Luffy onto his back, "Just take a bit of a rest. I'll get you to Crocodile."
"Alright," Usopp muttered miming Crocodile's hook with his hand, "Ha ha ha, you little pirates are too late."
"Stop screwing around," Myukuru complained, slapping the back of Usopp's head, "We've got, what ten minutes or so before boom, right. Obviously, Croc's put the bomb in the center of the square."
"But there's nothing in the center that could hide the bomb," Vivi said, drawing nods from both Koza and Pell, who had found them after delivering Luffy to the fight.
"Nami, Sanji, Zoro," Chopper said into Vivi's Transponder Snail, wiping his hands clean after tending to everyone's wounds, "Do you guys see anything?"
The three remaining Straw Hats, brought up to speed, took advantage of their spread out locations to race towards the square from different angles, hoping to spot any sign of the bomb.
"No," Sanji's voice came from the Snail, shortly followed by Nami's similar response.
"Crocodile's been planing this takeover for a long time, right Vivi," Koza asked of his childhood friend. When she nodded, he continued, "Then he has to know that us knowing about it will make us look for it. So it stands to reason that he'll have someone guarding it until it's time to use it."
"But that doesn't make sense," Vivi said with a frown, "He'd trust something like that only to a numbered agent team, and all of them are more or less mercenaries. They'd never just die for Crocodile."
"He could have lied to them," Myukuru reasoned, "Made them think he'd give them a signal to run before the bomb was to go off."
"Possible," Pell added, "But that still doesn't give us a hint as to where it is."
"Well we're going to need to pick up the pace," Sanji's voice emanated from the Snail, "The clock tower says we've got less than ten minutes till the city goes up."
"Wait," Koza said, perking up, "The clock tower. That's it. It's not just a bomb, it's a cannon!"
Vivi gasped as she realized what Koza was saying held merit. Memories of her, Koza, and the rest of the Suna Suna Clan watching the setting sun from the clock tower, watching the people mill about in the city square. "It's the perfect place. He's got someone up there ready to launch the bomb into the square when the time comes."
Pell looked to the sky, towards the clock tower, "I shall go and scout the tower. A cannon would need to hide within, and any defender will have an advantage in spotting anyone coming. We will need to approach carefully."
His plan laid out, Pell shifted to his hybrid form and took to the skies. The rest of the group began to follow, all expect for Myukuru, who headed instead for the still unconscious Marines, Tashigi in particular.
Chopper, noticing her, called back to her, "Myukuru, what are you doing?"
The long armed girl grinned as she produced a blank piece of paper and a pen, "I'm just going to leave a note so Miss Marine here knows who took care of their wounds."
"Oh," Chopper said, "That's nice of you!"
"Yep," Myukuru said as she wrote her message, "That's me, Miss Nice."
Finished, Myukuru slipped the paper into Tashigi's hand and hurried after the group. The paper read: "Patched up your wounds. Going to do your job and stop a bomb. No need to thank us." Below the words was a quick sketch of the Straw Hats Jolly Roger, acting as the signature.
Matatabi hurried to where Vivi had directed her, the Royal Crypt of Alabasta. She moved with a predator's grace as she slipped down the stairway leading to what she assumed was a hidden chamber, one likely containing the Poneglyph.
"It has been the duty of the Royal Family to protect the stone for generations," Cobra's voice echoed up the stairway, "That's all it means to us."
All-Sunday's laugh followed, "Is that so? Or is there something more to that tale?"
Cobra's voice did not issue a response and Matatabi picked up her pace after them. She reached the end of the stairway and entered the expansive chamber, a set of doors on the far side opened. Matatabi stalked towards them, hands ready to draw her swords.
She peered inside. Cobra sat near the entrance along one of the walls, still held by All-Sunday's extra arms while the woman herself was examining the sole object in the chamber, a massive cube of dark stone.
'She is the key for Crocodile to retrieve that powerful weapon,' Matatabi thought as she carefully drew her swords, the steel silently pulling free from their confines, 'If I can eliminate her, then Crocodile will have no way to find Pluton.'
Her mind made up, Matatabi rushed into the room, swords charged with Electro. Her momentum was halted, however, when a set of arms sprouted up from the ground and tried to trip her. She maintained her balance, and found more limbs sprouting from her back to restrain her.
'Naruto warned me about your ability to restrain me,' Matatabi thought, 'And gave me the counter.'
Matatabi quickly began running Electro around her body, muscled tensed to capitalize on any opening All-Sunday gave her when the pain transferred back to her. To her shock, Matatabi felt the limbs release their hold before she could run the current into them. At the same moment, Cobra let out a pained grunt as more limbs sprang up and placed him in a choke hold.
"It is hard to sneak up on someone who can sprout eyes anywhere she pleases," All-Sunday said from her unmoved position, lifting an arm with a freshly summoned eye placed upon the sleeve of her coat, "Also, after we learned you had landed in Alabasta, our agents in Nanohana reported how you defeated the Marines there. Some sort of electric ability. Quite easy to counter."
Matatabi took a moment to assess the situation. Something Naruto said to her before she and Chopper had gone off in pursuit. ' "I think she's playing her own game. Some things about her don't add up", is what Naruto said,' Matatabi thought, 'Then, perhaps…'
Matatabi lowered her swords and leveled her gaze towards All-Sunday as the Baroque Works second in command turned to face her, "I have a question to ask you."
Ms. All-Sunday raised an eyebrow, "Oh? An interesting time to be asking questions, but I suppose I can indulge you for a time. I do need to wait for Mr. 0."
"Funny you should mention him," Matatabi said calmly, not rising to the woman's taunting tone, instead putting all her focus on watching the woman's face, "As my question is this: are you using our crew to defeat him?"
The smallest twitch of her eye was the only tell that Ms. All-Sunday was effected by the question, but it was as close as Matatabi was going to get from the enigmatic woman, so she pressed on.
"Because your actions do not speak of someone who is striving to ensure her side's victory. You let our crew escape form Whiskey Peak, for instance. And we just happened to come across a detailed list of your organizations goings on in the secret underground chambers of Crocodile's casino, where I assume only he and his second in command would have ready access to."
All-Sunday had schooled her features and regarded Matatabi with cold eyes. "An interesting theory. But you…."
She stopped short and stared into the distance, out the open door. Matatabi twisted slightly to look into the adjacent room and found it empty. But then again, the dark haired assassin had mentioned she could manifest eyes like she could arms.
"Crocodile is coming," Matatabi said, "Correct?"
"Yes he is," All-Sunday said, her expression one of intense, quick thoughts. She released the extra arms restraining Cobra and returned her gaze to Matatabi. "How sure are you on your idea that I'm working against Crocodile?"
"I will stake my life on it," Matatabi stated firmly. She had no illusions that she was caught in a situation with only one avenue of victory; Ms All-Sunday's betrayal of Crocodile. One gamble to save the country.
"Then hide behind the Poneglyph," All-Sunday ordered, "And let's see where your bet will lead."
Naruto skid to a stop in an empty street, the palace not far behind him. Luffy let out a snore as he rested upon Naruto.
"Just running around isn't going to get us anywhere," Naruto said, sliding his sleeping captain off his back, "Gotta calm down and focus."
He glanced at the rope tied to his wrist, "And after using this to save my ass, I can't feel anyone. I guess I changed its spirit when I used it to stop my fall. Looks like meditation will have to do."
Naruto settled into his customary position and slipped into his meditation. In a flash, his mundane perceptions of the city faded away, and slowly were replaced with the vague sensations of life as he became aware of the various people in the city.
He reached out, searching for anything that felt like Crocodile. After his Spirit Gaze with the Warlord, he had an idea what the man's aura felt like; slimy and shifty. His awareness spread out, briefly touching the nearby peoples and moved further west.
'There,' Naruto thought as he brushed up against Crocodile's aura, filled with dark greed and somehow strained. Naruto reached just beyond him, there where three others waited below. And one was an aura he knew.
'Matatabi, what are you doing down there,' Naruto thought, 'That has to be the king and All-Sunday. Damn it.'
Naruto pulled himself out of his mediation and shot to his feet. "Luffy, time to get moving. I've got Crocodile, but Matatabi beat us to him. We've got the hurry."
Naruto hoisted his still sleeping captain onto his back and hurried after Crocodile.
'Matatabi, keep him busy.We're coming.'
"Hm, this is where the Royal Family was hiding the Poneglyph," Crocodile said as he sauntered through the grounds of the Royal Crypt, "I suppose hiding a world ending secret in a graveyard has some poetic merit."
He followed his partner's markings towards one section of the ground, where a slab of earth had been moved to reveal a stairway down.
"And hiding it underground, too. How wonderful."
He briskly descended into the hidden tomb and hurried towards the open set of doors at the far side of the chamber.
"I commend your ancestors, Cobra," Crocodile said as he entered the room, mockingly nodding to the captive king, "Their hiding place for the Poneglyph was well hidden. I doubt without your help, I would never have found it. Nico Robin, can you decipher it?"
"Of course I can," she replied.
"Then let's here it," Crocodile ordered her, a mouth spiting smile upon his face. That smile faltered when All-Sunday recited, instead of the location of Pluton, a number of historical factoids.
"Oi, I don't need a history lesson," Crocodile said impatiently, "I'm done waiting. Just skip to where they recorded where they hid Pluton."
"There's nothing written here about it," All-Sunday said, "The word Pluton isn't even mentioned."
"What a shame," Crocodile remarked, his face unreadable, "Well then, I suppose this will be the end of our partnership, Nico Robin. I'll be killing you now."
He expected the woman to react to his statement, an outburst of disbelief or a snarl of rage over betrayal. Instead, she let out a small laugh.
"Did you think I was unaware of the notion that you would kill me once I outlived my usefulness," she asked him, "No I knew all along you'd try to kill me. It's something I've come to accept about my fate."
"Then just die then," Crocodile said, advancing on her with his hook.
"I've also come to be ready for such eventualities."
"Volt Cross!"
Matatabi lept up from behind the Poneglyph and down upon Crocodile, her blades held across each other in an "X" and sparking with Electro. They crashed down onto Crocodile's hook and sent Electro up his arm into his body. The Warlord grit his teeth as the electrical attack surged through him and he shifted into sand to escape Matatabi's attack.
"Allying yourself with the Straw Hats," he snarled, "Is that how they keep becoming a thorn in my side?"
"Perhaps," Nico Robin said, "Or it's an alliance of convenience as I knew this would be your course of action. That's why I also have this." She withdrew a vial of water and threw it over Crocodile's shoulder. An arm sprang up out of him and caught the vial.
"I know water renders you vulnerable," she continued, producing a knife and lunged at Crocodile. At the same moment, her summoned arm threw the vial, intending on breaking it upon Crocodile's body. The Warlord however shifted into sand the moment the vial was released, causing the water to splash harmlessly on the ground.
Nico Robin looked around for her dispersed former employer when Matatabi surged forward, one blade moving to intercept the golden hook heading for the dark haired woman's back. The two weapons clashed and Matatabi began to thrust her second sword when Crocodile shot a torrent of sand from his hand. The rush of sand slammed into Matatabi and knocked her away, causing her to crash into the great black stone at the center of the room.
Crocodile pivoted, swinging his hook down at Nico Robin as the woman tried to maneuver into a safer position.
"Augh," Nico Robin cried out as the hook dug through her shoulder. She crashed to the ground, a mixture of the momentum from the attack and pain talking her legs from under her.
Crocodile was about to deliver a more final blow when the chamber began to shake, loose bits of stone falling from the ceiling.
"It's too soon for the bomb," Crocodile said, "And I doubt it would cause such tremors from that distance." He turned his gaze towards Cobra, who had used the short fight to pull himself over to the far wall. "What did you do?"
"What I had to," Cobra said through labored breathes, "I did hope that those two would end you, but I'm prepared to carry out my duty as 12th head of the Nefertari Family. This underground crypt has a self-destruction feature, one I just triggered. Soon it will collapses, killing us both."
"Do you think that falling rocks could kill me," Crocodile laughed, "I can turn them to sand with ease. But you can die a pointless death. In only a few minutes the Rebels will dead and it won't be too hard to turn your army into mine. I'll be able to search for Pluton at my leisure afterwords."
He looked down at Nico Robin with a dark smirk as the woman struggled to get away. "But you, Nico Robin, won't die from this crypt collapsing down round you. No, you deserve to die by own hand. Consider it a severance package."
He swung his hook down, and instead of the sound of flesh spiting open, the hook bounced of the translucent blue of Leaf's Protection as it stood protectively over the downed woman.
Crocodile lept out of the range of the spirit and he and Cobra looked towards the doorway to see Naruto standing there, the faint blue glow of his headband lighting his face as he stood in the shadows of the crypt.
Crocodile's face showed his irritation. "Why can't any of you Straw Hats just die," he spat, "And wasting the element of surprise to save an enemy. How you didn't die before reaching these shores I'll never understand."
Naruto didn't speak for a moment then leveled his gaze at Crocodile.
"I don't see any enemy here but you, Crocodile. And if All-Sunday did something to make you want to kill her, then she can't be all bad," Naruto said as he walked into the room, "And who said anything about wasting the element of surprise."
Naruto ducked down as Luffy shot out of the shadows, his bloodied arm stretched behind him.
"Gum Gum Bullet," he called out, driving the punch into Crocodile's midsection, launching the Warlord into the wall.
"Alright, Croc," Luffy said as the Warlord pulled himself up, "I'm stealing back this country. It's time for Vivi to smile again."
And cut. The pieces of the final battle are in place. And hopefully I won't get writer's block again. See ya for Chapter 37.