Chapter 22- Hot Touch
One Piece © Eiichiro Oda
Scorcher, Beau-Père, Fixit, Seventy, William Henley, and the G-13 Base © HatOnFire/Me
With the Straw Hat Pirates' arrival at the G-13 Base, total mayhem came crashing at the marines stationed here. The first wave was outclassed by the others and taken out of the fight. However, Fixit, Seventy, and Scorcher came out of the main building to battle the intruders.
Right now, Scorcher was taking on Chopper and Franky at the same time, and had the upper hand.
"Tinder Boxing!" He took on a fighting stance, raising his forearms and clenching his fists. His feet moved up and down, sidestepping to the left and right, dodging Chopper's Heavy Point punches.
The marine then hit Chopper across his face twice with his left hand before attacking with a right jab. The doctor moved back a few steps until he tried to land a hard punch, only for Scorcher to catch it and throw him over his shoulder.
"Not good enough!" He chortled, but his cocky smile went out when he saw Franky's open left hand showing a cannon in his arm.
"Weapons Left!" The cyborg fired at the blonde, but the shot missed by a long shot. It did manage to hit the large pile of boxes that Nami hid behind when she snuck in the detention center, which went out with a bang. As in, a blazing combustion type of bang.
"Woah!" Scorcher exclaimed, "What was in those boxes?!"
"It was some belt grenades, sir!" A marine called out, clutching his rifle.
"Rhetorical question, soldier, but thanks!"
"Sir, those grenades were meant for us, mainly for you to use and train some recruits in handling them!"
"Oh..." The candle-haired marine sweatdropped, "Oh... ...dammit."
"Seriously," Chopper began to question, "Who keeps live bombs inside a base if they could blow up like that?!"
"For the record, we didn't expect an attack on our base after the last riot we had a few days ago!"
"So is that why you're security's crap?" The cyborg pondered aloud.
"Them's fightin' words! Black Match!" Scorcher charged at Franky, throwing multiple punches at his face and body. Franky managed to block some, but he still got hit by a few swings.
"Heavy Gong!" Chopper, in Heavy Point, rushed in with a punch, taking Scorcher off guard. He stumbled from the blow but shook it off and returned a punch to him. It wasn't the only thing he did, however.
"Mons Meg: Ash Cloud!" Using his cannons, he sprayed ash in front of him, blocking the doctor's vision.
"I can't see!" Chopper cried, blocking his eyes with a hand. He couldn't see a barrage of punches coming to him, and thus, he got knocked around badly. He grunted from at least twelve blows to his torso and his face before being grabbed from behind.
"Match Lock!" Scorcher got his opponent in an armlock and pulled him out of the ash cloud. Then, he turned around and slammed him into the dirt facefirst. "Kindle Slam!"
An inaudible sound came from Chopper as he struggled to move.
'Crap!' He cursed mentally, 'If I try to transform now, I'll still be stuck here!'
"Ocho Fleur!" From a distance, Robin sprouted eight arms to trap Scorcher and force him off the reindeer-human. "Franky, now!"
"Strong Right!" The cyborg fired his fist at the marine, knocking him away and sending him to his back.
"Hey!" Scorcher piped up, getting a glance at the archeologist. "That's a nice dress! Isn't it stylized like a ladybug?"
"Indeed it is," Robin replied, "Such a shame it's ruined by dirt, now."
"Of course that would happen. This is a battlefield now! But if I'm being honest, a dress like that doesn't make you come off as a fighter, much less a miraculous individual."
"Wow, Chopper," Franky sarcastically called out to the reindeer, "Look at this guy, using four to five syllables."
"I know," Chopper nodded, "I didn't think this candle head knew more than two. Three, maybe, but that was a stretch."
Scorcher gritted his teeth so hard he snapped the matchstick in his mouth in half.
"You think you're so hilarious, don't ya?" He growled, spitting out the tiny stick. "I make the jokes around here!"
"So does that mean you're the joke?" Chopper smirked, feeling proud of his remark. It sank when the marine ran right towards him, intent on clobbering him.
"I AIN'T NO JOKE!" He screamed, sending another barrage at him. "BLACK MATCH!"
Had the doctor not turn into Walk Point and dart away, he would've been pummeled beyond belief.
"That was close!" He muttered under his breath, "I can't trade insults with someone who can't dish what they take out!"
"Where are you going?!" Scorcher yelled, aiming his cannons at the reindeer.
"Mons Meg: Nets!" They fired nets with cables attached to them, though Chopper was able to dodge them, making the nets retract. Next, he switched to Brain Point and threw a Rumble Ball in the air and caught it in his teeth.
"Rumble Ball!" The minute he chomped on the ball, he went back into Walk Point and charged at Scorcher.
"Jumping Point!" When the candle-haired marine fired the nets once again, Chopper went into Jumping Point and leaped over them, landing in front of the marine.
"Oh, crap...!" He could only curse for a moment.
"Arm Point!" Chopper's frame became more muscular, especially around the arms, and he struck the marine in his chest with his hooves.
"Cloven Cross!" The attack connected, leaving an imprint similar to an X and pushing away Scorcher.
The soldier stumbled a few steps and braced for another blow.
"Cloven Roseo!" Chopper reeled his a hoof back and sent it into the marine's face, making him move further away. He proceeded to land some more hits on his foe for around thirty seconds until he switched to...
"Horn Point!" Then, the reindeer used his antlers to shove Scorcher and push him into a crate. He completed destroyed it with his back thanks to the effort Chopper put into pushing him around.
"E-Enough of this!" Scorcher stuttered, then got dropped to the ground. Chopper morphed into his jumping form and landed on top of his chest, hopped high into the air, and came crashing down on top with...
"Guard Point!" The impact of the fur didn't just damage Scorcher, it suddenly got heavy for him, and he had to turn his head to the side to avoid suffocating.
"GAH!" He cried, "This is embarrassing, getting beaten around by a furball!" He shoved Chopper off of him with an arm, though it wasn't easy for him to do.
The doctor transformed into Heavy Point and grabbed the soldier by his waist.
"Robin!" He called, "Get me some extra legs!"
"Roger!" Robin replied, sprouting legs underneath Chopper at a quick rate. "Pierna Fleur!"
"Robi-Cho Suplex!" The legs curved and Chopper came down to earth with the marine in tow, slamming him on his back.
"RAAAHHHH!" Scorcher screamed from the pain, his eyes turning blank white.
The reindeer went to Brain Point and stood up, brushing black ash and dust off his white shirt and blue tie.
"Whew!" He sighed, running to Franky and Robin. "I can't use another Rumble Ball and risk losing control of my transformations. I don't even want to think about using a third. But I think that took care of him."
"That was really something, Reindeer-Gorilla!" The cyborg raised did a thumbs-up, heedless of a soldier aiming a mortar at Robin, who has turned her attention to forcing a few marines into submission.
"Robin, look out!" Chopper quickly entered Guard Point and defended against the cannon blast meant for her. When the smoke cleared, the doctor was back in his Brain Point form.
"And my three minutes are done for tonight..." He murmured as Franky ran up to the marine and roughly beat him.
"My hero," Robin smiled, snapping Chopper out of his thoughts.
"S-Shut up!" He yelled, blushing from embarrassment and dancing happily. "Calling me a hero doesn't make me happy, you damn jerk!"
Chopper was so caught up in his own world, he failed to notice a net fired at him, ensnaring him in it and making him tumble towards the barrier of the base.
"By the way," Scorcher muttered, hunching his back. "Not dead from that. Thanks for playing, g'night."
"Oh no," Robin crossed her arms, "We shouldn't have taken our eyes off of you."
"Y'know, I hate to be the guy that breaks up a party," Scorcher stretched his back, hearing and feeling something straighten down there with a crack. "Mainly because I'm the life of the party. But this is business, and it's no screwing around for me now."
"Would you like me to straighten your back further?" Robin queried with a stern look, "It'll do wonders for you."
"I don't think you'd wanna touch me," The marine warned, tightening his black gloves. "You'd get burned. But then again, that might be only the second-worst thing you did in one day."
"A-And what was the first?" Robin made a big mistake asking that question, and Scorcher replied coldly...
"Driving your own captain away and into our hands."
The archeologist trembled from the statement, glaring at the enemy and showing her teeth.
"I'll break you for that remark, you son of a b-!"
"Mons Meg: Ash Cloud!" Scorcher's cannons sprayed more ash around the field, engulfing Robin in it.
'Not good!' She thought, 'If I can't see him, I can't twist his bones!'
"Cien Fleur: Wing!" She tried sprouting a hundred arms on her body to create a gust of wind that could blow away the ash cloud, which was partially successful. The wings dissipated after a few seconds of use.
"Mons Meg: Nets!" Scorcher had snuck around behind Robin and fired nets from his cannons, ensnaring her arms and pulling her toward him!
"Match Lock!" He then lifted her by her arms, rendering her helpless. "Nothing against you, but I can't let you go on and cause trouble."
"Strong Right!" Franky shot his fist in the marine's face, forcing him to let go of Robin. The cyborg retracted his fist, punched him in the gut, and then uppercut him, pushing him back.
"Let me get you out of these!" Franky grabbed the cables pulling the nets and snapped them both in half. He also grabbed the nets themselves and discarded them.
"Thank you, Franky," Robin smiled, with the cyborg nodding in return.
Scorcher wiped the blood from his nose and went back in to attack, punching Franky straight in his face so hard he breaks his sunglasses! They hit the dirt floor as Franky stumbled, attempting to processing what just happened.
When he saw the damage done, saying he was pissed off would be an understatement.
"You broke my shades!" Franky bellowed, exposing his metal fist and punching Scorcher in his face. "No one breaks the shades! Strong Hammer!" The impact was enough to send the fool flying and skidding across the ground. His body stopped in front of a few marines.
"Sir!" A couple of men called out, shocked from witnessing Scorcher beaten bad.
"Now that was SUPER!" Franky stretched his legs, almost shaking his butt. He struck a pose and slammed his arms together. "Don't mess with my shades!"
"That won't stop him," Robin stated, "He's very durable!"
"Maybe, but so am I!" The cyborg struck another pose, "I can take him!"
"But I can't remove the net off of Chopper. Perhaps you should go free him while I-"
"I'll take care of this candle-head! Just keep the marines away from Chopper!"
"I feel that is a poor decision."
"Robin, he made the mistake of breaking my favorite shades. Between a couple of guys, that's personal."
"Well, I'll be damned..." Scorcher murmured, lifting himself up from the ground. He motioned for the soldiers behind him to back off. "That was some punch, Metal Man."
"I know," Franky responded, staring at his metal fist. He put the plate concealing his right hand back on it. "That was for my shades."
"I thought it would be for your captain?"
"Everything we do here is for him."
"Well, let me give you a reason why you might not win... I got superpowers."
"Y-You mean...?!" The cyborg blinked, almost taken off guard.
"No, I don't have a Devil Fruit, but this ability would make others think I do."
As the candle-haired marine explained, a black-and-white monochrome image played in the background. It comprised of a certain young man writing on a clipboard in a chair with Scorcher in front of him, sitting on a bed. The marine didn't have much soot covering his face, let alone him having his shoulder cannons mounted on his arms.
"You see, I got these powers from a mission that failed badly. I don't remember much of how I managed to get them, but I got the details from a smart chemist, William Henley."
"Oh goddammit," Franky cursed, "Not again with him."
"The gist was," Scorcher explained while some images played out, "From his understanding, a boiler on a battleship was filled with destructive chemicals from some crafty pirates, some of those substances involving mutation. He says one of those substances would be the key to mutate a human and give them superpowers, but not like how Devil Fruits do."
"And that's how you got those powers?"
"According to the little guy, I must've inhaled those fumes from the explosion of the boiler, and that caused my body temperature to rise. I made it go up when I didn't even know it!"
"That's hard to believe," Franky muttered.
"Coming from the cyborg whose friends with a transforming raccoon dog!"
"Reindeer, dickhead!" Chopper yelled behind Franky, until he collapsed with his tongue out. "Stupid Sea-Prism Stone net...!"
"Don't worry, Chopper," Robin reassured as she broke the backs of a few marines with her arms, "We'll get you out soon."
"If you're don't believe me," Scorcher chuckled, "How about a little demonstration?"
Just then, his body began to hiss and shoot steam out from his nostrils, ears, from every part of his body! The ground where he stood started heating up, leaving footprints that looked similar to grill marks on steak. Scorcher laughed and roared while the air around him swayed, with heat shooting out from his arms when he threw them up into the air!
"PYRO PUNK!"
"Holy crap!" The shipwright stared in awe, "His body... It's actually heating up!"
'Just like how Luffy's does...' He told himself as he remembered when Luffy performed a special ability.
"Second Gear!"
"That's the idea, pal," Scorcher said, "I can raise my body temperature and make my body steaming hot. This makes me singe whatever I touch. Especially metal. If I raise my temperature high enough, I can make almost anything melt!"
"I believe it now!" Franky grit his teeth hard as he aimed his left arm at the marine, "I think you could melt my body with a few touches... But not if I hit you from a distance like this! Weapons Left!"
He fired his cannon three times, and the shots made their mark. However, though the smoke, he could see that Scorcher was unfazed by the blasts.
"Oh yeah," He pointed out, "That also means explosives, being combustible, won't have much of an effect on me. Same for any kind of cannonballs. Id est, your arsenal can't beat me."
"S-So what?!" Franky replied in a nervous sweat, "Just because you can raise your body temperature, that doesn't mean you don't have a limit! I'll just use some more of my moves until you can't take any more heat!"
"But you don't know my limits, do you?" Scorcher pondered, smiling condescendingly. "You fight with your ammunition, you run the risk of running out of ammo before beating me. Besides, I don't just have nets."
"Huh?"
"Sure, I'm already a walking furnace. But with these babies," Scorcher flicked a switch on both of his shoulder cannons, "I'm a walking battleship cannon with a special fighting style."
"Quick Match!" Suddenly, he rushed Franky and delivered two punches to his chest, taking him off guard.
"Black Match!" Next, he sent a flurry of fists, striking the shipwright in his chest and face, and covertly removed a glove on his right hand. He waited for him to punch back, and he did.
"Hot Touch!" Scorcher caught the right fist with his own, and melted part of the skin!
"HEY!" Franky shouted, trying to pull his hand away, to no avail. "LET GO!" It was only by delivering a left hook to the marine he was released. After getting some distance, he looked at his hand, seeing his metal fist beneath the skin.
"Oh my god," He uttered, "He actually melted through it...!"
"And it's too late for you..." Scorcher took off the other glove and chucked it to the side, "I'm sure we can set up another cell with your name on it. Yours, and the rest of the crew."
"We'll see about that," Franky grumbled, tearing the skin off his hand. "If you went for Robin and Chopper instead of me, you would've won. But I'm stronger. Strong enough, at least, to beat you."
"Really, Metal Man?" Scorcher shrugged, "In case you haven't noticed, I can take anything you got. Whatever move you can use, it's a big gamble. You either run the risk of running out of ammo to defend yourself or me breaking your body apart until you can't do anything. Either way, I'm untouchable."
"You remind of somebody I hate who talks like he's high and mighty. But you know something? You're not so bad, compared to him. For a dirty guy, you're definitely prettier."
"W-What?" The candle-haired marine stifled a laugh, "I don't know what you're talking about, pal! I mean, I like you too, if you going where I think you're going. But not that way."
"Huh?" Franky became confused, "What do you mean, 'Going where I think you're going?' You're not making much sense."
"I mean, it's not that there's anything wrong with it, but I'd settle more for being bros."
"Bros are my thing! Also, what's with, 'Not that there's anything wrong with it?!' What are you implying?!"
"I thought you knew!" Scorcher threw his arms down in front of him, "That's why I said that!"
"Wait, wait, wait, back up. Didn't you say you 'Liked me too?' What did you mean?"
"You complimented me for my looks! Eargo, or however you say that word, that means you're hitting on me!"
"Wait, what?!" Franky realized the misunderstanding and responded as calmly as possible, "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!"
Would you believe as casually as possible?
"I-I wasn't hitting on you! It was just a compliment! I swear!"
"Oh~, okay!" Scorcher understood, "That makes sense. I just didn't want to get the wrong idea... Wait a second."
Perhaps he partially understood...
"What do you mean, 'You weren't hitting on me?!' Am I not good enough for you?!"
"Okay, this is getting ridiculous," Franky shook his head, "There's nothing wrong with going one way or the other. All you need to know is that we could've been bros if things were different."
"Yeah," Scorcher agreed, "We could've been bros. Nothing more than that. Not that there was anything wrong with the other way. Let's not make this a big deal.
'It could be too much to ask to not talk about this again,' He thought, rubbing his chin.
'Well, with that mess settled,' The cyborg got to thinking, turning around and opening the fridge in his stomach. He pulled out a bottle of cola and drank it down as quickly as possible. 'If I can't touch him without getting some damage on me, I'll have to hit him hard and fast. Maybe if I can use a Coup de Vent, I can end this!'
While he was thinking, he stopped to notice a small fireball coming right at him! He managed to dodge and roll out of the way as the fireball went past him and hit the wall. The ground went ablaze, affected by the blast.
"Oh crap, this guy has fireballs too?!" He exclaimed, turning right to see Scorcher holding down his right cannon with a dull expression.
"Oh, now you notice me," He dryly muttered.
"What the hell was that for, you bastard?!" Franky shouted, "You almost hit me in the back!"
"I had to get your attention. This was about to get boring."
"You don't attack a man when his back is turned!"
"No, Franky," Chopper sarcastically spoke with annoyance, "Don't remember I was behind you, that would be too much. Also..." He took a deep breath and yelled with bugged eyes, "SINCE WHEN COULD HE DO THAT?!"
"Sorry, Chopper!" Franky called from a distance, "I'll have you out soon!"
"I don't think you will!" Scorcher began exuding more steam from his body, aiming both cannons at his opponent. "Not with this form! Mons Meg: Fireball!"
He began launching fireballs, turning this part of the base into a barren war zone. Franky did avoid a few shots, but one of them managed to hit him in his chest.
"ARRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!" He screamed from the impact, falling to the ground. He rolled over, snuffing out the flames on his shirt. "That really hurt! It felt like the fire was gonna get into my body!"
"It hurt that bad, huh?" As Scorcher said that, he used his legs and the steam to propel himself next to the cyborg, much to his surprise. "Oh yeah, with my increased body temperature, I'm not just tough or stronger, but my speed and agility are better than above average!"
"I could tell..." Franky muttered, still on all fours. "You sent yourself flying like a bullet got shot from a rifle...!"
"Wait, I just realized something!" The marine proceeded to walk away from Franky, releasing steam from his body, cooling off. "I'll be right back!"
"Where are you going?!"
Scorcher just strolled past the strands of fire that stayed on the field and past Chopper, unable to do anything. Then, he stood at the entrance of the base, waving at Nico Robin, who was slapping around weak mooks like it was nobody's business.
"You know," He mused, "If I didn't have to do my job, I'd take you out to dinner!"
"In that outfit?" Robin questioned, "With that hair? I hope you don't have a fancy place in mind. You'd be thrown out before you even set foot."
Scorcher laughed up a storm before he turned to the bridge. "You're right! But whatever." He aimed his cannons and prepared to fire.
"Diez Fleur!" Robin restrained Scorcher with multiple arms, trying to break his back. "Clutch!"
"Really?" The marine didn't even miss a beat, slowly raising his own temperature. "Not on the first date! At least get to know me!" Soon enough, he became to hot for Robin to handle, and she was forced to cancel her powers on him.
"I can't touch him now!" She seethed, rubbing her arms. "He's too hot!"
"I said you wouldn't want to touch me, 'cause you'd get burned!"
"Get away from that bridge!" Franky got up to try and tackle Scorcher, but it was too late."Get off me!" Scorcher got desperate, making attempts to worm his way out of Franky's grasp. He managed to get free, but only through touching a part of his back.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Franky rolled off his foe and along the ground, writhing and screaming bloody murder.
Zoro and Brook halted their dueling with Fixit to see their friend in pain.
"Franky!" The skeleton cried, running toward him and leaving Zoro behind.
"Brook, get back here!" He shouted, blocking another baton strike from Fixit.
"Look away from me again," The mechanic said, "And you will join him in the dirt. In a fight such as this, you can't avert your gaze!"
"You think I don't know that, smartass?!" Zoro pushed him back and tried to swipe Shusui at him, only for him to dodge it.
On the walls, Usopp saw the commotion playing out for his eyes. There was a fire on the bridge, from what he gathered, and he saw Franky get burned by one of these strong marines.
"This is bad...!" He quivered, "We're all trapped here now!"
"He's right," Seventy concurred, swinging his bazooka across Sanji's face and kicking him away.
"W-What the hell...?" The cook grunted as he stood up, "Are you talking about?"
"Scorcher set the drawbridge on fire, meaning you're trapped with us."
"Us trapped with you?" Sanji almost chuckled, "Don't kid yourself, you overgrown meathead."
Taking offense to that, Seventy fired another cannonball at Sanji, who simply kicked it back to him. He dodged the rebound, and the two went back in for another clash.
Back down...
"Franky!" Brook kneeled to the shipwright's level alongside Robin, looking at a few small burn marks on the lower back on his left. They looked like fingers pressed down in there. "Oh, my lord... His skin...!"
"It really stings...!" Franky seethed, almost on the verge of crying from the pain. "This shouldn't be as bad as getting ran over by the Sea Train, but...!"
"Don't talk!" Robin commanded, "Save your strength!"
"That man over there..." Brook murmured, glancing at Scorcher and grasping his sword. "He did this to you... Such a disgraceful attack from behind! I'll deal with-!"
"No," Franky lifted himself up, growling through the burning itch. "He's mine!"
"Franky, he knows you're vulnerable in the back," Robin stated, "Let Brook take your place!"
"Nico Robin," The cyborg said with a serious expression, "I can't let this slide. He's a man, but I forced him to do something unmanly: Attack me in my back. He was only desperate, and I understand that. I won't let that happen again."
He struck his signature pose and announced to the world...
"I'll kick this guy's ass in the only manly way I know! THE SUPER WAY!"
Scorcher blinked, very much bewildered as the others were. However, he smirked and strutted up to the cyborg, who went up to him as well. When they stopped, the two of them stood about twelve feet away from each other.
"I gotta say," He told his foe, "That was a nice speech. You think you can beat me the manly way?"
"I faced guys shorter and bigger than you," Franky replied, "I'm sure I can."
"By the way, I'm sorry for burning you in your back like that."
"It's alright. As long as it doesn't happen again."
Scorcher pounded his chest with his right hand, "You have my word as a man that I won't burn your back. So, as a show of me being a good sport, I'll let you take the first swing at me."
'I can't win as long as this guy can take me apart with his heat!' Franky thought to himself, 'Maybe I can nullify his powers with a Coup de Vent...!'
"How about I shoot you with something I've been saving up?"
"What do you got?"
Franky pulled out a T-shaped pipe and connected it to both of his arms, and charged his shot. His already large forearms grew bigger, and he was ready to fire.
"Oh-ho-ho!" Scorcher laughed as he increased his body temperature again, "That's interesting! Either I'll feel something rough me up, or I'll feel letdown."
"Ain't ya feeling a breeze in the air?" The cyborg questioned, "Well guess what? You'll be feeling a gust of wind blow you away in a minute!"
"Well," Brook spoke up, "I'll go back to helping Zoro, assuming my presence around him is needed at all."
"I only hope Franky has a plan for what will happen if this man gets up again..." Robin muttered, heading back to guard Chopper.
"Coup de Vent!" Franky shot a blast of air from the pipe, which traveled until it hit Scorcher.
"GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He was taken off of his feet instantly. The air nullified the heat shield that made him untouchable, making the impact of the blast that much greater to him. The marine fell on his back in a heap, almost knocked unconscious.
'That was some shot...!' He told himself, panting heavily. 'Now that I think about it, that blast felt like I got hit by a... A blast from a boiler blowing up!'
At that moment, so many memories of that fateful day came back into his mind.
XXX
Several marines were caught in the blast radius of the boiler, instantly dead from it. However, Scorcher was sent flying into a wall and he recoiled, his skull colliding with it. He wasn't knocked out, but his senses began to grow hazy.
The fumes of the explosion filled the room, and Scorcher got up, though he breathed in some of them. He coughed and stumbled for the exit, but the door was locked.
"Those assholes locked the door!" He growled, "They set us up! We were walking into a trap from the start!"
He backed up and tried to body slam the door, but it wouldn't budge.
"GODDAMN IT!" The tall, young blonde with short hair balled his fists and hit the door, "HELP! SOMEONE! COMMANDER! FIXIT! SEVENTY, YOU BIG BASTARD, HELP ME!"
The smoke got heavier and the fire from the boiler spread out to the room, and slowly cornered Scorcher. It caused him to panic even more.
"HACK! HACK-HACK!" He coughed violently, "GOD...! I DON'T WANNA DIE HERE!"
He pressed his hands against the door, believing he could push it. Just then, something strange happened.
"It's getting hot...! It's getting hot! It's... ...Not?"
Scorcher felt the temperature of the room die down. It didn't make sense. The fire's still burning behind him, but he can't feel the heat anymore. He can't feel any sweat pour down from his head, his hands were melting through the door, and...
"M-My hands!" Scorcher saw as his hands steamed up, driving into the door with ease. In fact, the steam generated from his hands made the door slowly melt like the wax under a lit candle's flame.
In no time at all, he tore into the door, running out of the room before the fire caught him, not that it could burn him now.
'I-I don't get it,' He thought as he ran, what happened-?"
The memory stopped there when a silhouette approached behind him and delivered a heavy object to his cranium.
XXX
"So..." Scorcher's brain came back to the present, lifting himself up. "That's how I got those powers...!"
He glanced behind him, seeing the illumination of fire from the ground behind him.
"Fire... So terrifying to feel, yet so beautiful to watch... I always loved the sight of it, though I was afraid of dying from it. Now I can, in some way or another, become a part of it."
"Hey!" Franky called out, cracking his metal knuckles. "Are we doing this or what?"
"Now that I think about it," Scorcher hopped onto another subject, raising his voice. "Your captain is feeling like crap. From my guess, it's because you made him leave! But here you are, coming here to rescue him! Why is that?!"
"Because he's our friend!" The cyborg answered, "We do care about him, even if he doesn't think so right now!"
"If he's your friend as you say, then why did you drive him away?"
"He ran off on his own because he got mad at us! Because we lied to him bad!"
"Hmm," Scorcher crossed his arms, "I'd probably do the same thing in his shoes. I can't stand being kept out of the loop, and I'm the stupid one in my group!"
"I wouldn't like it, either," Franky closed his eyes, "I should've told him from the start."
"Yeah, this sucks. And if you lose, it'll suck more because the little guy's gonna be executed in front of the world at Marineford."
"W-WHAT?!" Franky exclaimed, staring slack-jawed. "THEY'RE GONNA DO THAT?!"
"Uh-huh," The marine nodded, "The fleet admiral has it arranged to show everybody that the marines aren't weak, let alone the World Government. It's messed up 'cause he saved our commander's home, saved a country from Crocodile, and beat up Shiki before something else bad happened. But then again, he declared war on the World Government and destroyed Enies Lobby."
"But that last part's bullshit!" Franky yelled, swatting his arm. "Spandam's the one who got Enies Lobby destroyed! That little bastard's responsible for-!"
"If that's true, then the report we got is bogus. But we can't prove a thing, not now that CP9's members are all fugitives, with the exception of the director."
"Wait, what?"
"Oh yeah," Scorcher murmured, "CP9's assassins survived the Buster Call, but they're all on the run now. If what you say is true, then Spandam blamed the failure of the capture of Nico Robin on them."
"Why am I not surprised?" Robin shook her head, exasperated. At the same time, she sprouted legs from the ground that jabbed into the groins of a few soldiers. Their screams could be heard from the background.
"That little bastard!" Franky balled his fist up, "That just makes me angrier!"
"Then take that aggression," Scorcher got into a fighting stance, "Use it on me, and we'll see if you win or not. If you do, then nobody can stop you from saving Monkey D. Luffy."
"Yeah," Franky raised his fists, "He'll be saved. I have faith."
'And I'm not sure if I do,' The candle-head sighed, 'Gonna have to tell the commander about what I heard when this is over. Win or lose.'
'I can't use anymore cola,' Franky whispered internally, 'But I still got my ammo. And I think that last blast of Coup de Vent took out his powers.'
(BGM: Boss Battle 1, One Piece: Unlimited Adventure)
The two went up to each other for round two, feet moving up and down, ready to dodge at a moment's notice.
"Franky Boxing!"
"Tinder Boxing!"
Fists began flying. Scorcher blocked a punch on his right and sent his fist into Franky's face. But the next time around, the cyborg did a gut punch with a left hand.
The marine's punches grew to a fast rate, as did his opponent's. Soon enough, the two of them fought at the same pace, with some fists connecting with the desired hits, and others were blocked off.
"W-Wow..." Chopper could see them from his cable prison, "That's really cool..."
'We're both going back and forth!' Franky thought as he sent a right hook across the taller man's jaw, 'He might be stalling me until he gets his powers back! But maybe we'll both see how well that goes!'
'I may not have my powers now,' Scorcher thought as he blocked another hit and delivered a one-two combo the cyborg's face, 'But I can go back and forth until I get them back. Better avoid his extra ammunition, though. If he hits my canister...'
Franky jumped back and twisted his left arm, slightly moving it up and revealing four small holes.
"Beans Left!" Then, four small pellets fired like they came from a machine gun and blew up upon contacting with Scorcher!
"Hey!" Scorcher dusted himself, "You're lucky this black vest is bulletproof and blastproof!"
"Strong Right!" Ignoring that, Franky shot his right fist into Scorcher's chest, then swung it like a flail and into his's enemy's side.
"GUH!"
"Weapons Left!" Franky fired with his left hand open once again, blowing Scorcher back with three shots.
"Now that's you're normal," He shouted as the marine jumped back up, "Try this! Franky Destroy Cannon!"
He unveiled cannons embedded into his shoulders, beginning to run and try shooting at him.
"Oh god!" Scorcher could only run as Franky fired at the ground, "Please give me back my powers! Please give me back my powers! Please give me back my powers! Please give me back my powers!"
"What are you shouting?!"
"If I keep shouting that phrase, then I'll get my powers back!" Scorcher replied, returning to his mantra.
"That's not how it works, idiot!" The cyborg opened up his left finger and tried to shoot at him. However, Scorcher dashed out of the line of fire with steam emitting from his legs.
"Crap!" He cursed under his breath, "He got them back!"
"Welp," Scorcher loudly mused, jetting around in a zigzag fashion. "I'm back and packing heat! You fought a good fight, but now it's time to end it!"
"Something we both can agree on," Franky raised a thumb up before turning it down. "'Cause you're going down!"
The marine shook his head over Franky's claim, before aiming and firing at him once more. "I think not! Mons Meg: Fireball!"
Franky managed to dodge the ball via somersault and opened up his left hand to fire.
"Weapons Left!" He fired a few shots, intentionally hitting Scorcher.
"What the hell?!" He laughed, "What are you trying to do?!"
"Even the playing field!" Franky retorted, suddenly shooting fire out of his mouth. "Fresh Fire!"
It went through Scorcher, no so much as even leaving a mark on him.
"Mons Meg: Propane Torch!"
His cannons began spitting flames out once more, igniting the ground again. Franky dodged, careful not to have it catch his shirt and by extension, his back.
He secretly opened up his left finger and attacked with his right fist once more.
"Strong Right!" This time, the cyborg swung it at the cannons before pulling it back, predicting the marine was ready to catch it. Then, he retracted and fired it again, only he shot at the legs, tripping the marine and making him meet the dirt.
"OOF!" He grunted, hearing the sound of a bullet hit the metallic barrel on his back! "Aw crap!"
*BOOM!*
A hiss rang out, followed by a large explosion.
Franky didn't need to see the damage to know what happened, his ears ringing was proof enough. He looked at his open left finger and closed it back up.
"Ouchie Finger," He whispered.
The demolition man picked himself up, though not without considerable effort, and walked out of the inferno. He wasn't burned badly, seeing as his heat shielded him.
"My canister..." Scorcher, with shadowed eyes, pulled off the cannons on his shoulders to survey the damage. He looked down next to him and saw the large canister he carried on his back in pieces, possibly due to the damage done. "My cannons... You actually destroyed them. Now I can't use them..."
"Well, how do ya like that?" Franky chuckled, "A little firework for a guy who loves 'em. Guess the playing field's even now."
Scorcher looked up, grinning as his body temperature rose up to that of a burning furnace. He discarded his weapons with a chuckle, followed by a roar of intensity.
(BGM: Karakuri Defense System, Deploy!, One Piece Movie 7)
"I GUESS IT IS, METAL MAN!" He bellowed, placing his arms in front of him. "BUT NOW IT'S REALLY TIME TO END IT!"
"Oh crap," Franky sweat-dropped in the tense moment, "Here it comes."
The marine's hands were heating faster and hotter than his own body, creating a dense cloud of steam around his hands. He continued to concentrate on making it as heavy as possible, until the right possible time. A few seconds later...
"HEAT WAVE!" He launched a blistering blast at Franky, causing him to slightly get pushed back. The steam from his hands launched straight up into the air, leaving Scorcher.
"Goddammit, that's hot!" The cyborg exclaimed, feeling the heat melt his skin and armor underneath! He could even see it all unfold on his exposed right hand! "If I don't end this now...!"
Franky began toughing out the stroke, trudging slowly towards Scorcher. He covered his face with his large elbows, approaching blindly, step by step until he grabbed his sideburns.
"Franky Triangle Jacker!" Afterward, he sent them out to hit Scorcher, but missed by a few inches.
"Getting tired yet, Metal Man?!" Scorcher cackled insanely, "I'M ONLY GETTIN' WARMED UP! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!"
"I ain't tired yet, you crazy bastard!" Franky retorted, before beginning to shoot something from his mouth.
"Master Nail Gun!" He fired a barrage of nails right into Scorcher's face. However, what he counted on was the marine's reflex to guard it, and it's just what he did.
"AAHHHHH!" Scorcher shouted, seeing his flesh pierced by the large nails. "MY HANDS!"
"Franky Centaur!" The cyborg split open his legs, and ran to subdue the boiling bruiser before him. He jumped, allowing his front legs to lock his arms down, while his back legs took care of Scorcher's legs. Next, he pinned him down to the dirt on his back.
"Now it's over!" Franky prepared to pound his metal fist into Scorcher's skull, "Say goodnight, Gracie!"
"Well, I guess you're the winner!" Scorcher yelled, grinning wildly. "Better finish it if you don't wanna melt! COME ON! DO IT!"
"ULTIMATE HAMMER!"
Franky slammed his fist into Scorcher's face as hard as he could, sending his body into the ground. The impact resulted in a large crater forming in its wake, driving the defeated marine further down.
The cyborg crawled out of the hole he created, panting hard and tired.
"I did it," The cyborg murmured, "I got him. That was for you, Luffy."
His separated legs reconnected, and Franky got up, looking at his beaten foe, who wore a goofy expression upon his defeat.
"You are one wild sonnovabitch," He told him, even though he wouldn't be listening right now. "But you are a man. I'm glad I met you. If I met marines who had your heart, maybe I would've wanted to become one. But in another lifetime."
Finished with his monologue, he began walking towards Chopper and Robin, pulling the Sea-Prism Stone net off the reindeer.
"Are you alright, Chopper?" He got down on a knee to look closely at him.
"I'll be fine," The doctor responded, "Thanks. It took you long enough, though."
"Yeah, sorry I kept ya waiting," Franky nodded, looking to Robin. "The drawbridge got burned up thanks to that guy, though."
"We're effectively trapped," The archeologist mused, "Unless I create a bridge with my arms."
"Can you do that?" Chopper questioned, beginning to grow worried.
"It will take an abundance of concentration, but yes, I can do it. Though William Henley could help us, we shouldn't expect him to."
"So, in other words, you're the only one who can get us out of here?"
"Provided there aren't any more marines around this area."
"Then let's take care of them first before Nami gets Luffy out here!"
"Are you going to join in, Franky?" Robin asked, seeing the shipwright rest against the wall next to the exit of the base.
"If it's all the same with you," He said, "I'm going to rest here. I don't have any more cola, and I don't have much ammunition left to help you fight. I can make sure no one comes over here and cause some trouble for us."
"Of course!" Chopper chirped, "You're a super guy, Franky!"
"Thanks, Reindeer-Gorilla..." Franky smiled, looking up to the detention center.
'We're waiting for you to return, Luffy!' He shouted in his mind, 'Come on back to us!'
XXX
Meanwhile, inside a battleship...
"He's over here!" A marine yelled, firing his rifle.
"Dammit, I don't have time for this!" Henley dodged the shot and responded with around three small spheres of cobwebs, knocking the soldier out. "Cobweb Muskets!"
As he used his spider legs and crawled on the ceiling upside-down, he could see more soldiers running through the halls, some bigger than the others.
'This is not what I expected when I got in here...' He thought to himself, 'Here's hoping Beau-Pére takes his time with Nami and doesn't just throw her in a cell before I get there!'
Scorcher has been defeated by Franky, but Beau-Pére remains, along with his other top men, Seventy and Fixit, both of whom stronger than the candle-haired marine.
On the ninth floor, Nami stands with her Clima-Tact against the approaching commander. She knows that this man stands between her and Luffy's freedom, but how will she endure in a fight she cannot win at her current state?
TO BE CONTINUED...