Chapter 103: Battle Convictions
Upon hearing Robin's scream of affirmation for continued longevity; Luffy instantly grinned turning left and then right, at his friends either side. Then bring his hands up, made a series of black circles appear under the feet of the others. "I don't care if you're Government, Navy, Republic or Wizard! Hey in my way and you die!" He snarled up at the assembled suited people above. "Black Hole, spacial transference!" Then all eight pirates disappeared into the black circles. Looking down at the now empty opposite rooftop, Chief Spandam growled under his breath. Turning towards Rob Lucci, he was about to issue him an order when he saw the man grinning madly; "this boy—this devil fruit..." Lucci then jumped off the balcony swinging down to the lower floors of the tower of law; hunting his prey. "Well..." Spandam spoke to the other agents, "what are you waiting for! Go kill them!" They didn't need to be told twice, they followed Lucci's lead with the exception of Kaku who simply remained frozen on the spot. Then without warning the chief walked over to the last agent and shoved him off the balcony, "you will be punished for your insubordination, Kaku! Now miss Nico Robin, I Do believe we have a bridge to cross and aboat to catch".
"Alright!" Luffy cheered, as all the crew appeared inside the tower of law. "Split up and find these kidnappers, then we'll take back Robin!" Sanji and Zoro looked at each other, mentally challenging the other to see who would get to Robin first, "stay back, Curly Brow!" Zoro stated pushing past the chef and heading up the stairs, the masked Usopp following him clutching his sniper rifle. Sanji was about to snap back when suddenly a round man with a zipper for a mouth, and a bespectacled woman; both in suits, jumped down in his way. "You will never be able to save your friend. She's being escorted to the Bridge of Hesitation, once they're past the Gates of Justice you will never see your friend again. She will be the property of the Government, Chapapa!" Before Luffy or Sanji could demand either explanation or location, it was Zoro who barked "Where is Robin!" Fukurou blinked, surprised by the rage in the swordsman's voice but the agent recomposes himself into one of taunting. "Getting out of your reach, even if you somehow miraculously get her back, you won't be able to free her without beating all of us, chapapa". Mumbling, the zipper mouthed man plucked a key for his suit pocket, twirling it around his fingers,the number four was clearly written on the head of the key. "This may or may not be the key you need to free Nico Robin from her Sea Prism Stone handcuffs...chapapahh!" The agent suddenly screamed, as both a gigantic hand made from sand and a series of led bullets struck their target, "how dare you strike me before I'm ready! You have no honour!" Fukurou snapped, climbing back to his feet. "Everyone go on, me and Vivi will deal with this punk", Usopp snarled.
Everyone blinked at the turn of events. Usopp the cowardly sniper, who quit the crew, not so secretly back with them behind a mask...was now spearheading a fightback. "What the hell are you waiting for go!" The sniper repeated, switching this rifle to multi shot mode, rather than per one, and then unleashing a hail of bullets. "Poison lead stars!" Zoro dashed along the corridor and up the end stair case whereas Sanji and Chopper leapt into the air vanishing up the inside of the atrium of the hall they were standing in. Luffy, Nami and Suki hurried off after the departed Zoro, shouting out to Usopp, "You got this you two!"
"Even if you defeat me, you don't know if this is the key you need, chapapa. There are seven of us with keys, you'd have to take us all down, and Lucci of ten strongest of us all", the rotund zipper mouthed agent stated, before vanishing in a blur. "Shade", the agent reappeared moments later directly in front of Vivi who just about managed to swipe sand across herself as protection. As much as she hated having to use the attack names that Crocodile used, Vivi didn't have the time to think up knew ones; and so acted purely in instinct, "sable!" The agent shot forth again, this time index finger pointing straight at her throat, "finger pistolaahh", another round of poison lead stars made contact with the rotund man, who spun around and shot towards Usopp, "skywalk" "tempest kick!" Usopp was thrown backwards and smashed threw an adjoining wall that led to a small communications room. Meanwhile, Vivi created a sand tornado and flung it at the agent, before moving towards her friend grabbing him from the room and dragging him up the stairs to the upper floors, "Usopp! We need to keep him apart from the others and Luffy".
Fukurou snarled as he was caught up in the sand trap tornado. Thrusting his hand out he grunted, "shade...finger pistol", then the agent broke free from the sand vortex and smashed straight into the masked boy, leaving him with a bloody gauge wound to his shoulder. "Usopp!" Vivi cried out as she watched in horror as her friend fell to his knees trying on stem his bleeding shoulder; rage began swelling within her and before she knew what was happening she found herself charging towards Fukurou holding blades of reddish-orange sand in each hand. "Silt Blade!" Vivi slashed her sand at the agent and then withdrew her peacock slashers and about to use them as well when a sudden shrill scream caught her attention. Looking at her opponent, she noticed that her sand blades had cut deep into Fukurou's chest, to such an extent that he was now entering anaphylactic shock. Terror was etched on his face as he realised that this was the end for him; his dreams of ridding the world of 'scum and filth', were now at an end. All due to his underestimating of a princess turned pirate, yet he took solace in the fact that his injury of the crew mate of hers would unquestionably be a cause of great languishing pain for the rest of his life. "—You won't defeat us all..." Fukurou whispered as he fell to the ground and expired.
Seeing her opponent fall, was both a blessing and a realisation. It was good that there was now one less government agent in their way but at the same time Vivi realised that she had just taken a life; something which both her father and his head of the royal guard, Pell, had explicably told her to try and avoid. But what was she supposed to do, let Usopp die. 'No way in hell!' She snapped at herself, "I won't be the helpless princess I was back in Alabaster. Crocodile, the Wizard and the Emperors subordinate...I will never let my friends fight on my behalf". Turning and helping Usopp to his feet, both sniper and princess began moving all of the corridor trying to catch up with either Luffy's group or Sanji and Chopper. It was at the end of the hallway, by a large window overlooking the entire Judicial island that they took notice of a giant black mass swirling engulfing two buildings away. "Way to go Luffy..." Usopp gasped removing his mask and wiping sweat and blood from his face, "I know you can win". Vivi grinned back at the sniper, who went bright red and affixed his mask back to his visage "we should be meeting up with Sanji and Chopper..." the princess uttered. Suddenly, a door adjacent to them was hurled open and two small objects barrelled into them. "Princess. Sniper king! We've been looking for you", the unmistakable voice of little Chimney spoke up, picking up her rabbit friend, and then yelling behind her, "granny! There over here".
They didn't have to wait any longer as Granny Kokoro appeared, very much out of breath and clutching a bottle of wine. "Ah, Princess. Sniper king, we met Mr Chef and the Doctor back there. They had just beaten another of CP9, that big fella with the pink hair...hic". The older woman hiccuped drunkenly, "they also rescued the person that agent was guarding..." Then a tall man wearing an open shirt and speedos appeared, grinning. "Super, thanks straw hats..." Franky didn't eve man finish his thought as both sand and bullets struck him in the chest sending him flying into a wall, "you bastard!" Vivi yelled, "why did sanji free him, he tried to rob us of our money!" It was Chimney who managed to ease the distrust by placing herself between the pirates and the super freak, "Franky is Iceberg's oldest friend, and both of them were basically raised by my Granny and the former founder of Galley-La, Tom". Now it was Kokoro's turn to speak, and surprisingly she managed to pull it off without sound too out of it. "Franky, or Cutty Flam, was being taken to Mariejois because he was given by Tom the plans for the Ancient Weapon, Uranus. And so after I explained to Mr Chef, both your crew mates agreed to save him".
"Fine we'll go along with this," Vivi sighed. "Still we don't trust you!" Usopp snapped. "Follow me then", Franky stared, "I'll lead the way that Straw hat would probably go. And I'll help you out, as means of apology". Following the "freak", as Usopp described, which seemed to make the older man gooey with joy at being described as such, the sniper and the princess reached the top room landing where they came face to face with a dark haired man with a long moustache no wild hair. "I see Fukurou has been defeated..." he began, only for Vivi to snap back. "Your associate is dead. And you will join him soon enough!"