Ch. 53- Palm


One Piece © Oda

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


"Well, would you take a gander at this," Doflamingo said. "The weaklings combining their powers, all to get yours and Jupiter's shackles unlocked! Hehehehe…"

"What the hell are YOU doing here?!" Luffy questioned, firing a Gum-Gum Pistol at the psychotic Warlord.

"Me?" Doflamingo asked as he easily slapped Luffy's fist away. "Why…I came to help you, of course! Honestly, what a stupid trap to fall into…a 'shortcut'? Really?!" He then raised his finger like it was a pistol, causing Law to gasp. "Bullet String!"

PYEW-PYEW-PYEW! He fired several bullets made of string at Moocy, who bellowed in pain.

"MOOCY!" Luffy and Blizzard cried.

"Forget the stupid cow!" Law shouted. "We have to get out of here!"

"No way!" Blizzard replied as he jumped into the water and held the bull's head up so he wouldn't drown. "C'mon, Moocy! Hang in there!"

"Your dog was the only one with sense," said Doflamingo, "and yet the rest of you have no sense of impending danger, whatsoever! I'm very disappointed! At this rate, anybody could kill you!"

Luffy growled hatefully at Doflamingo while Blizzard tried to keep Moocy's head above the water.

"There's quite a fierce battle going out there," Doflamingo mused, "all for my head…and you've still managed to find allies, even in a situation like this! I've kept an eye on you since the Paramount War because of that special ability of yours, Straw Hat! But now…I find you're a complete dumb-ass!"

Hearing that caused Luffy to growl even more.

"Law…of all the people you could've sided with, why this idiot?!" asked Doflamingo. "I thought you were smarter than this! Even when you were a child, you were more cunning and calculating! Am I wrong?! So tell me…who was it that turned you and Jupiter into such softhearted saps?!"

"Shut up!" Law shouted. "I have no intention of turning out to be like you! My life was saved!"

"Oh, and by who?" asked Doflamingo, mockingly. "My own little brother, Corazon?! If you haven't gone soft…then why are you dying such a pathetic death?!"

He raised his finger, preparing to fire another Bullet String. Jupiter, sensing this, threw himself on top of Law, growling at Doflamingo in viciousness and defiance.

"Jupiter, no!" Law shouted. "You're already too injured! He could kill you!"

Just as Doflamingo was getting ready to shoot…SLASH! SHUNK! He was suddenly cut and stabbed by Abdullah and Jeet.

"Hold it right there, Doflamingo!" Jeet shouted.

"You're not laying a finger on Straw Hat!" yelled Abdullah.

"Hey! It's you guys!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Hey, Straw Hat!" Jeet greeted.

"You okay?!" asked Abdullah.

A pause…but then, Doflamingo grinned before his upper body turned into a pile of string!

"What the?!" Abdullah and Jeet questioned.

"Just as I thought," Law said. "One of his Marionettes!"

"Wait, hang on!" said Abdullah. "We'll get you outta there!"

With that, they pulled an unconscious Moocy and Blizzard up and out of the water.

"Thanks, guys," Luffy said. "You saved our bacon!"

"Aw, shucks," said Jeet. "It was nothing!"

"Hey," said Abdullah, look at the Marionette's motionless lower half. "What's up with this…pair of legs?! Did we really just kill the guy?!"

"No, you morons," Law answered. "It's just a double he sent! Are you here to just joke around or is there something you wanted to tell us?!"

"Huh?" Jeet muttered. "Oh, right! Listen! It was all part of Kelly Funk's trap! He was after the bounties that Doflamingo put on your heads!"

"But just as he was about to come in here and do you guys in," Abdullah began, "Doflamingo appeared and took him out in an instant!"

XXX

Outside, Kelly Funk was lying on the ground…in a pool of blood.

XXX

"Damn," Blizzard cursed. "That means even our own allies could turn on us and we wouldn't even know it!"

"Hey! Hold it!" Luffy exclaimed. "If what you said is true…that means Mingo DID save us! How humiliating is that?!"

"That's not the point, idiot!" Blizzard barked.

"Hey, what's going on outside?!" asked Luffy. "Where's Cabbage and everyone else?!"

"We're way behind!" answered Abdullah. "They're already on the second step!"

"WHAT?!" Luffy questioned. "Urgh…dammit, this is pissing me off!"

"Well, what do you suggest we do?" Jupiter quipped. "Make a shortcut?"

"Umm…Jupiter?" Law asked. "You might want to rescind that statement."

Jupiter blinked at Law before he looked over at Luffy…who had his usual goofy grin on his face…the same one he had whenever he had one of his famous "bright ideas".

"…Oh, no," Jupiter muttered in dread, his ears drooping. "What have I done?!"

"Welcome to my world, buddy," Blizzard said.

XXX

Meanwhile, Kyros has just arrived on the first step.

"…I made it, it seems," he said. "What is this?"

He looked around and saw the many scattered underlings that Luffy and the Coliseum Fighters had defeated…when suddenly…

"GUM-GUUUUUUUM…"

"Hmm?" Kyros muttered. "What's that?"

XXX

On the second step, the Coliseum Fighters had made it and are already on their way to the third. However, the 6 executives stood in their path.

"KYAA!" Dellinger shrieked. "Not a single one of them fell in battle on the first step!"

"The foot soldiers ain't enough-n to stop 'em!" Machvise shouted.

Gladius glared silently while Rita let a powerful roar.

"I don't see Straw Hat, yet," said Baby-5.

"Let us crush them, one-by-one!" exclaimed Lao G.

Just then…

"ELEPHANT GUUUUUUUUUUN!"

KABOOM! A gigantic, black fist erupted from the ground, much to everyone's shock!

"Whoa, Farul! Whoa!" Cavendish cried, trying to calm his horse. "What in the world was that, anyway?!"

XXX

"All right!" Luffy exclaimed, holding Law over his shoulder. "Instant shortcut!"

"You are such a reckless moron," Blizzard said.

"You really did make a shortcut!" Abdullah and Jeet cried.

"Hey, you two!" Luffy said. "Take care of Moocy, okay?!"

"Uh…yeah! Leave the bull to us!" answered Jeet.

"Great!" Luffy said as he got on Blizzard's back. "C'mon, Blizzard! Juppy! Let's go!"

XXX

"Enough of this nonsensical madness!" shouted Gladius. "Don't lose sight of the enemy, men!"

"What in the hell was that?!" cried an underling wearing a wrestler's mask. "Is it coming again?!"

"HYAHOHOHOHO!" laughed Chinjao. "Now this is what I call chaos! Takes me back to the days of my youth!"

With that, he charged ahead.

"Chinjao's heading for the third step!" cried another underling that was wearing a dog nose. "Stop him!"

Meanwhile, the rest of the foot soldiers were looking at the hole in the ground Luffy made.

"Look at the size of this hole."

"Where'd it even come from-"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAARRGH!" Luffy roared as he punched the minions away as he and Law sat upon Blizzard's back with Jupiter following after him.

"Here I come, Mingo~!" Luffy shouted.

"Look out!" cried an underling wearing a rat mask. "It's Straw Hat, White Wolf, Law, and Beastly Bird!"

XXX

Back at the old Royal Plateau…

"You're kidding, right?!" Rebecca asked.

"This has to be a joke," said Robin.

"It is, right?" asked Bartolomeo.

"It's true!" Leo replied.

It is revealed that Leo and the Tontattas had gathered all of Cub's Yellow Kabu stag beetles and attached them to strings.

"People can't fly using stag beetles!" said Rebecca.

"Isn't it easier to just run through town?" Robin asked.

"I agree!" cried Bartolomeo.

"Don't worry about it," said Leo. "Now, here's the explanation!"

"I don't think you're hearing us, squirt?!" Bartolomeo asked.

"This is the Tontatta Airlines Jumping Service!" said Leo. "Big people like you are too heavy to fly!"

"That's what we're saying!" Bartolomeo shouted.

"But we don't have much time!" Leo continued. "So…you'll have to fly yourselves!"

With that, he pushed Robin, Rebecca, and Bartolomeo off the ledge!

"BUT WE CAN'T FLY~!" cried Bartolomeo. "YOU DAMN TONTATTA BASTARDS!"

"Oh, my!" cried Violet. "Are they all right?!"

"How reckless!" King Riku shouted, but as they looked down…they saw that they were actually floating through the air, using the Yellow Kabu beetles to hover!

"You can't fly," said Leo, "but we can at least slow your fall!"

"Amazing!" exclaimed Rebecca. "Uh…nobody's looking up my armor, right?"

"As long you keep your legs closed," Robin answered.

Koala sighed in relief as she watched them float safely across the sky…but as she turned around, she saw that Aika and Kumi had disappeared.

"W-what the…?" she asked as she looked around. "Aika? Kumi?! Where are you?!"

"HEY!" cried Usopp. "STOP 'EM!"

Koala turned to see Aika, in her Wolf Form, running towards the ledge, with Kumi following her.

"Aika, stop!" Kumi cried. "DON'T DO IT!"

"Oh, my god!" Koala shrieked as she ran after them. "Girls, wait!"

Too late. Aika and a reluctant Kumi jumped right off the ledge, falling towards Robin, Rebecca, and Bartolomeo.

"HERE I COOOOOOOOME!" Aika screamed before she jumped onto Robin, her arms wrapping around her neck while Kumi grabbed onto Bartolomeo's leg, whimpering in fear.

"Aika!" Robin cried. "What are you doing?!"

"I just wanna see Big Brother!" Aika answered. "I'll be good, I promise!"

"Aika, that's not the point!" Robin argued. "It's too dangerous!"

'That's what I tried to tell her…!' Kumi thought, clinging to Bartolomeo's pants.

"Pay attention!" Leo called. "Here comes the first landing! If you kick yourselves off just right, you'll be able to get more air!"

On that, the three landed and then kicked off of a roof, sending them all flying through the air even higher and farther than before!

"Wow!" Bartolomeo exclaimed. "Look at me! I feel like a balloon!"

"Just be careful and look out for attacks from below as we make our way to the Flower Field on the fourth step!" Leo warned.

"Understood," Robin said as she looked back at Aika, who grinned sheepishly. "…Fine, Aika. You can come. It's not like you can go back, anyway."

"Yay!" Aika cheered.

"But please," Robin began, "stay out of trouble!"

"Yes, Aunt Robin," Aika answered.

XXX

Concurrently, outside the SMILE Factory, Inhel and the rest of his group have made it to Franky.

"Hey, Fraland!" Inhel called. "We got an idea how to open the factory!"

"Is that true?!" Franky asked.

"Yes!" Inhel answered. "In the meantime, see if you can stop Senor Pink!"

"Got it!" Franky replied until he was suddenly struck by another of Pink's supplex moves!

XXX

KLANG! Zoro grinned as he still clashed with Pica.

"C'mon!" the swordsman shouted. "Show me what you got!"

XXX

"RAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!" Sabo roared as he flung fireballs at Fujitora, who was deflecting them with his sword.

XXX

Back on the second step, Luffy, Blizzard, Law, and Jupiter are still trying to get to the palace before everyone else.

"Hey! Straw Hat!" called Cavendish, riding up to the quartet on Farul.

"Cabbage?!" Luffy questioned. "Go away! I'm gonna beat up Mingo, first!"

"Listen, just hear me out!" Cavendish said. "I have an idea!"

XXX

At the palace…

"Hey, Doffy," said Diamante. "Where'd you send that Marionette, anyway?"

"Oh, just to deliver a message," Doflamingo answered, "but I guess needn't have bothered." As he spoke, he was tossing a key up and down in his hand. "Say…do you remember when we first met Law?"

"Oh, yeah!" Diamante replied. "Man, was he crazy! Had this mean look in his eyes and everything!"

"He was a lot like me when I was a kid," said Doflamingo. "I had premonition that in 10 years time, he'd be my second-in-command…but it's a shame that I have to kill him and that mutt of his, now."

Flashback

Somewhere in a town in the North Blue…

"Hey! We've got an intruder!"

"What?! Well, why didn't you stop him?!"

"I-I couldn't! He…he had bombs strapped to his body!"

"WHAT?!"

A young boy, probably about 10 years old, stood before Doflamingo and his executives. Strapped to his body…were a bunch of grenades.

"What do you want, you little runt?" asked Doflamingo.

"…I wanna join you guys," said the boy. "I want…to destroy everything I see!"

Doflamingo looked at the boy in surprise.

"Who are you?" he asked the ten-year-old.

"My name is Trafalgar Law," Law answered, "and I want to destroy everything in my path. I was raised…in the White Town."

Hearing that caused the Donquixote Pirates to gasp.

"…I don't have much longer to live," Law said, "so in the time I have left…I'll destroy everything in sight!"

Flashback end

"…Hey, Straw Hat-ya," Law said, "can't I at least ride on Jupiter's back instead?!"

"Why not?" Luffy asked. "Aren't you comfortable?"

"NO, I'M NOT!" Law barked.

TO BE CONTINUED…


R.I.P Jack Riley, voice of Stu Pickles from Rugrats.

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