LW: We're nearly done, just a little more time in Water 7. Also Aqua Lagoona has arrived, oh boy.
Rubber King and Mirror Master - All Aboard!
"CP9 should be here shortly" Corgi says with a smirk "Time to get on that train Robin. Men, escort the lady, make sure she doesn't do anything stupid like try run away" he orders, the 4 goons in suits and shades nod before shooing the woman forward
'This is it, the end for me. But at least the others will be safe. I've hurt them, some more than others…' she tries get the heartbroken look on Artemis' face out of her head '...but they'll recover and be stronger than ever' she thinks as she enters the seatrain
Meanwhile
Sanji was in his own little world, imagining her thanking him for rescuing her, after seeing her be taken away without any issue, until he heard familiar shouting
"...if you don't let us go, my 8,000 men will leap out of the shadows and tear you apart"
"Wha! Usopp" Sanji mutters in confusion then his eyes widen seeing the blond held in Kaku's arms, delirious from her seastone chains "Kaya-chan!" he gasps 'Crap, now they're taking away 2 of the best people on the crew' he thinks sadly, ignoring the fact both of them and Robin left, you're a Straw Hat till you die.
Elsewhere
With a little help from Iceberg and Poly, mostly yelling on the latter's part the straw hats were given a hand in both getting to the sea train and locating their missing members, Chopper, Artemis, Vivi and Valentina heading up the search team, while Nami, Victor and Alvida followed Polly as he lead them to the station as quickly as he could, taking every shortcut and backroad the man could think of.
"LUFFY!"
"ZORO!"
"SANJI!"
"Usopp and Kaya, you guys are welcome back too"
"Think this will work?" Artemis asks, keeping her eyes on the roofs for their missing family
"It has to kiddo, we're going to need everyone to deal with these government goons" Vivi assures her, squeezing her shoulder and smiling, even if even the kid could see how tight and forced it was
"Thanks for trying Aunt Vivi" Artemis responds, then continues hunting, though in the pit of her stomach she feels, they won't make it in time.
Blue Station
"Due to Aqua Lagoona the 11:00 seatrain to Ennis Lobby will be departing early, please board now so departure can begin" the voice on the intercom snail announces, causing Sanji to sigh
"Whelp, guess there's no point waiting around any longer, time to rescue Robin and Kaya-chan, oh and Usopp I suppose" the cook shrugs and runs towards the train, just as it begins to pull away from the station. Because of this, he missed the arrival of the other 3 by about a minute and a half, long enough there was no chance for the 3 to get anywhere near the train.
"This is Bullshit!" Alvida shouts, nearly throwing her mace at the train, but catching herself enough to stop and silently fume, Nami was practically in the fetal position, and Victor grimaces as the rain begins to soak them. This was the sight Poly entered onto, the crew looking kind of pitiful if he was being honest.
"Train left a little early there" he says aloud, noticing the conductors badly attempting to spy/easedrop on them
"Yes, well the passangers were already on board" one begins, then gets interupted
"And with Aqua Lagoona so close it was decided the best plan was to just send it on early
Poly nods "Figures" he then looks down at the shaking navigator "Hey listen, don't get too upset, maybe it's for the best, Ennis Lobby isn't exactly a good place for anyone to go…"
"AFTER THEM!" Nami yells with the fury of a Yonko
'Damn, that girl is pissed' Poly think, then notices the girl getting in his face "Yeah?"
"We need a ship" she states rather than asks or demands
"What are you on now?"
"The strongest, and fastest you've got"
"You straw hats really are insane aren't you?" Poly asks rhetorically "You want to sail in that? Don't you have any idea how dangerous Aqua Lagoona is?"
"No, and if it's to rescue Robin I don't particularly care" Alvida responds, getting nods from Nami and Victor
"You idiots don't understand, going out there is a death sentence, nothing less" he growls around his cigar
"I don't care, Robin is risking her life for us, so we're going to do the sa…" Nami is interrupted when Poly grabs the conductors and runs up the stairs, the 6 being chased by a massive wave which floors the main level of the station
"See. What. I. Mean?" Poly pants once they were in a safer position, then grimaces "Shit, these waves are stronger than usual, this year's Aqua Lagoona is going to be a bad one"
"Hey, if things are this bad now, is the sea train in any danger?" Victor asks
"On the one hand, it should be out of harms wave long before the main storm hits, plus unless it's a direct hit the train was built to pretty much cut through all waves even ones this bad" Poly explains
"Hey, one of you are Nami right?" one of the dock workers call as he runs down the stairs "There was a note left outside for you"
"I'm Nami, but how did you find such a small note?" the red head asks, her companions thinking the same thing
"It was actually really easy, whoever left you the note wanted to make sure you saw it" he chuckled, the 3 straw hat's jaws dropped when they saw the massive arrow and message on the station entrance wall
Nami-Swan! Please Read This!
(Those other than Nami-swan don't have to read it, because they're stupid)
"Sanji?" Victor asks rhetorically
"Sanji" Alvida nods
"I'm going to beat that moron's face in the next time I see him" Nami growls, before actually looking at the note, then sighs
"Problem?" Poly asks "How bad is the news?"
"Give me a minute, the first part is a really sappy love note. Ok here's the important… crap. Sanji's on the train, he got on because he saw Robin boarding"
"Did he see Kaos as well?" Alvida asks, the researcher did run off after Robin after all, it would make sense he'd have stuck to her
"I doubt he'd have mentioned it even if he had. He mentioned Kaya being carried on board so Usopp is probably there too. Plus I don't understand his fruit, if it makes him invisible I'm just going to nod politely at this point" the navigator sighs again "Main point, Sanji, Robin, Usopp and Kaya are on that train, and we need to catch it, or at worst, meet up with them at Ennis Lobby" she declares confidently, meanwhile one of the dock workers pass the nearby baby/portable den den to Alvida, the smooth woman kind of liking the psychic snails now her fruit stopped them sliming her, they were cute, friendly, and slept most of the time when not hungry or working.
On the Sea Train
"Damn, this storm's so bad I can't even light a smoke" Sanji sighs to himself, watching Water 7 disappear into the night fog "Well, that's a problem for another time, right now I need to figure out how to get into this thing"
"Damn, the storm's really getting bad tonight" an agent says as he opens the door, seems the universe was being nice to Sanji tonight. He thanks the man by kicking him into the other side of the carriage, announcing his presence to the entire car.
"Who are you?" an agent asks/shouts, all but 2 pulling out guns and getting into defensive positions. Sanji doesn't answer, instead reaching into his coat "Hands where I can see them!"
"Did you see that kick, he's not some ordinary civilian" another whispers, causign Sanji to smirk ever so slightly before revealing it to be a cigerette, which he puts in his mouth and lights
"Stop that, you'll make me blush" he says in an even tone
"It's not a compliment!"
"Quick, someone tell Rob Lucci we have an intruder" the still seated agent moves to leave but is stopped
"Now hold on #cough, cough# there's no need to have CP9 come down for this bug. Not while I'm here!" a very tall man, so much he needs to bend over in order to fit in the carriage says, coughing when Sanji's smoke plume rises into his face "I'm Jerry of CP6, undefeated boxing champion of the South Blue Karate island"
"Boxings not really my thing, I do enjoy karate though" Sanji interrupts
"Well, let's see if you can handle my punches" he smirks, before unleashing a series of blows fast enough the blur gave the illusion of multiple arms
Jerry Aurora Flicker Jab
Of course given the man's size, this wasn't a good idea to do in a confined space, plus Sanji simply walked between the man's long legs, avoiding the attack entirely and instead Jerry pummeled most of the other agents in the car.
"Hm" the boxer then moves to something resembling a handstand, looking at an upside down Sanji "Don't think you have me at a disadvantage here, just because I'm so large and this train car is so tiny, I can still…"
"I've never spoken to someone where their head is where their crotch should be" Sanji grumbles, wishing it had been a woman, especially because given the position Jerry was in, her breasts would have gotten in the way, giving him something nice to look at, though it would have stopped him kicking her ass, so there's that.
"Arrogant brat. What I was trying to say was my boxing technique is actually better in tight spaces, now behold, battle yoga!"
"You idiot, you've just shortened your reach" Sanji groans
"That's what you think"
Screw Drop Kick
"That's not even boxing!" Sanji shouts as he dodges the spinning kick
"Sesese, I hope you don't need my help to deal with one lanky dumbass" a familiar voice mocks him
"That's what you think psycho" the cook responds, jumping just as Jerry makes a return strike, kicking him in the face and knocking him out in one blow. He smirks, looking at the panicking agents "Duck or jump?" he asks casually
"What?" the men think
Crescent Blade. Crescent Wave
The wind blades slam into the agent's unprotected backs, cutting into them, some through, and the others being knocked out with the force they hit the seats, walls or ceiling of the train. Sanji lands with a soft thud, unsurprised Kaos had been hiding in the carriage
"What gave it away Eros?" he asks curiously
"You have a sword, the others have guns" the blond replies
Bang
The cook jumps as the man behind him falls, the reflect human sliding the firearm into his coat, ripples barely visible in the silver coloured surface.
I'll keep that in mind, also sorry I missed that one" Kaos says with a shrug "Ready to go?"
"As I'll ever be"
Meanwhile back on Water 7- Galley La
"Mr. Iceberg, where are you going?" one of the men ask, the blue haired man pushing himself to his feet and slowly making his way out the gate, he had somewhere to be, his injuries be damned
In the lower levels
"Damn it feels like we've been yelling for hours and still no reply"
"Well we have to keep trying, these people are counting on us to find them"
"You don't think that they're… you know?"
"No way, don't think like that. They're here"
Nami's jaw clenches for a moment, overhearing the workers 'Luffy and Zoro wouldn't go down like that, by some leopard nobody' she thinks, her eyes locked on the wanted poster containing most of her crewmates 'We finally know why Robin left us, we need you guys in order to rescue her.'
"Poly, get over here!"
"What do you wa…. Holy fuck" the blond yells, seeing the bare ocean floor all the way to the horizon "I thought the waves seemed larger than before, but this… this doesn't seem possible. A wave this big, it'll destroy most of the lower level of Water 7, anyone down there will be killed instantly"
'All this searching, and still not Luffy or Zoro' Alvida fumes internally, though given the wide berth the others seemed to be giving her, the feeling was probably able to be felt outside her mind as well
"Granny, look, look, see it, Granny" the smooth woman hears the yelling and turns, seeing a little girl, a rabbit and a drunk old coot
"Kokoro!" she shouts, the woman turns
"Oh look it's one of those straw hat girls, how you doing?"
"Hey Miss Pirate Lady, I see something between the buildings, come look!" Chimney yells, looking really excited
Seeing as nothing else was working she decided to humour the girl and take a peek, following the girl's flailing arms was hard but she managed to zero in… and her heart stopped 'Luffy' she thinks, seeing the edge of the hat, and with a little more focus, part of her idiot of a husband, wedged between the buildings "Fuck"
"Isn't that your king of the pirates captain down there?" Kokoro asks, taking another swig
"Yes it is. Goodbye old lady, I have somewhere to be" Alvida gives a quick bow before running/sliding across the paths and down some steps towards Luffy's position
"Whaa! You can't go down to the backstreets!" Kokoro bellows, drawing the attention of any foremen and straw hat in the area "Aqua Lagoona is minutes away, you'll die!"
"I know what I'm doing: Getting Luffy back" she shouts back, sliding down the wall of the bridge before using the speed to hop onto one of the rooftops and continues running "And Nothing is going to stop me"
"Please tell me she isn't doing what I think she is?" Nami asks fearfully, the 2 girls having been drawn to the yelling of the workers trying to get Alvida to stop
"She's going to get Luffy, luckily her fruit will help her avoid slipping as much as it lets her slide when needed. I just hope she can get to him and back before the waters come crashing back" Vivi says, trying to sound confident but the navigator could practically feel her shaking.
"Chopper, now's not the time to run off!" Valentina yells, the reindeer nearly bowling her over in his haste.
"It's Zoro, I found him!" Chopper calls back, before running and jumping off the same bridge as Alvida, though off the other side and cantering across the rooftops
"So, we've found your missing crewmates, and just in the nick of time too" Poly says, sighing in relief
"Provided Aunt Nami is right and Papa's on the train with Sanji, then yes, all that's missing are Luffy and Zoro" Artemis, the closest straw hat to the foreman replies "Zoro would have probably been fine, but Luffy's Devil fruit, means he wouldn't have stood a chance when the wave hit" she adds morbidly "He's have drowned in seconds"
"You're a dark kid, you know that?" the blond asks, getting a chuckle from the 14 year old artist.
"I get that from my mom, she has a weird sense of humour" she admits, smiling at him sweetly, making him smile slightly in her direction
"Go pirate lady, you're so cool!" Chimney yells, cheering Alvida on as she practically skates across rooftops on her path to Luffy
"You stupid girl, you won't make it there and back in time. Turn back, the waves are already on the way towards you, you'll die if you keep this up!" Kokoro shouts, as the missing water had finally appeared on the horizon.
Alvida stops just across from Luffy "Fuck, I can't go any further, this roof isn't even long enough for me to try some kind of running start" she grits her teeth hard enough she can feel her jaw protest her actions "What do I do? He's right there" she asks herself, then her eyes widen when she see's his arm twitch 'he's awake? Maybe…' "LUFFY!" she shouts, seeing she had his attention when his hand freezes "What are you doing there at a time like this? Robin's on her way to Ennis Lobby, and we need to rescue her because she's an idiot trying to protect us"
"Alvida? You're ok! Are the others? 1st, this isn't my fault, that cat guy threw me into the storm and I got stuck between these buildings….wait did you say we're rescuing Robin? Yes!" Luffy says in a mix of confusion, annoyance and joy, which has Alvida chuckle even as she shakes her head
"Robin did everything to save us, she gave herself to them in order to keep us safe. She's willing to die, just so we can live. And just what are you going to do about that?" she shouts, if anyone but Luffy could hear her right now, they'd be reminded this woman had been a captain of her own ship once, before joining up with Luffy.
A growl could be heard in the shadow between those buildings, anger nearly palatable leaking from the crack "They think they can hurt my friends, my family, by taking Robin away from us? Well who decided that?" With renewed motivation and anger helping fuel his body, he began to push against the buildings, just as the waves began to encroach on the edges of Water 7
"Come on Zoro!" Chopper grunts, pulling in his human form "Why won't you budge?"
"How the fuck should I know, I'm just stuck here" Zoro grumbles, then stops "Hey Chopper, are you carrying the Kitetsu blade by any chance?"
Chopper blinks "I have one of your swords, so maybe. How did you know"
"It's cursed, I can just sort of tell" Zoro admits, scaring the reindeer enough he freezes up for a moment "Not important right now, just give it to me" he requests, he hand twitching at the edge of the chimney entrance.
"AHHHHHHHH!"/"36 Calibre Phoenix!"
Crack
Slice
No words were enough to describe how shocked everyone was, nor how happy the straw hats were as Luffy and Zoro managed to free themselves in time to avoid being hit by the waves, Luffy grabbing Alvida on his way to slingshotting them back to safety, while Zoro, who had been unaware of what was happening, given his upper half had been stuck in a chimney, was frozen in shock, luckily Chopper was able to grab him using 'Jump Point' then similarly bounce his way out of harm's way.
"Yay! Perfect 10" Chimney cheers, her rabbit nodding in agreement, while Vivi and Nami were the first to run towards the returning straw hats, the others not far behind
"Luffy!" the princess screams, wrapping her arms around him, then pulls the smooth woman into the hug "Alvida! You 2 need to stop scaring me like that" she whimpers, the aura of rage having faded for now as Luffy relaxes against his lovers.
"You're back" Nami states, her eyes watery, as 2 of the Monster Trio look up at her "You guys ready to launch a rescue mission?" she asks, then her face loses colour "Everyone run!"
Luffy and Zoro look behind and stand, the waves were still coming, larger and more destructive as it moves. With full power the straw hats already on the bridge make a break for it at full tilt, the few at the top encouraging them to hurry, then on Polly's orders start running themselves, heading for higher ground.
"Fuck, these waves aren't supposed to come this far" Poly groans, sitting as the pirates try catch their breath
"You kids are a few shells short of crazy" Kokoro chuckles as she approaches them
"Hey drunk granny, how you doing?" Luffy says with a slight wave
"Fine, especially while I'm off the sea given this weather" she cackles
"Nami, you mentioned a rescue mission, what's going on?" Zoro asks, causing the navigator to facepalm
"Right, you missed it, though I think Alvida's yelling as Luffy at least partly up to speed. Robin didn't betray us, not exactly. She turned herself over to World Government in order to protect us, it's not her fault they used her to help them with this heist. Now Robin, Sanji, probably Kaos, as well as Usopp and Kaya are on the seatrain bound for Ennis Lobby"
"And we're going to go get them, right Captain?" the swordsman deduces
"Exactly, we're leaving right away" Luffy declares loudly
"Just as we thought" Victor and Valentina respond together
"Let's save Mama!" Artemis shouts, trying to do a serious face
"Look out Ennis Lobby, you won't stop us reuniting with Robin!"
TBC
LW: The gang's mostly back together, and now we're heading for Ennis Lobby. Also for anyone who noticed, yes what you think is a 7 Deadly Sins reference is exactly that.
JustMe: I hadn't really put much thought into a voice actor for Kaos, he had a voice in my head obviously but it wasn't a specific person. I like your suggestions though, so picked one that suited him rather well, especially with some of the things I have set up for him in the future. Also on the subject of filler, because unlike some series the filler fits into the story, as basically another island between arcs (at least so far) I'll probably either add them to the main series, or skip them entirely. Movies will probably be put in a spin-off story, with Film 4 being the exception as it's already part of this one.
Update of information:
Serpens D. Kaos: Voiced by John Swasey, best known for…
All for One (MHA)
Crocodile (One Piece, the funimation dub, though I'll be honest I prefer his 4kids voice actor for the role so that's what he sounds like in this story)
Van Hohenheim (Full Metal Alchemist)
Lord Death (Soul Eater)
Undertaker (Black Butler)
Interestingly, this technically means The strawhats have All for One, and One for All (who has the same english voice actor as Zoro) on their side.
Let's see CP9 get through that :P
