"Heat Haze!" growls Run, firing off a blast of flames into the approaching crowd. A number of Big Mom's approaching soldiers quickly dodge out of the way, but an even greater number of swallowed by the flames before they can react, disappearing and reappearing in the blast of ensuing steam lying motionless. The red head draws his saber quickly as they approach. "Luffy, I'm going!" To the approaching soldiers, he seems to simply disappear, and reappear standing among them. "Crimson Tide." There's a loud 'whoosh!' as a wall of flames crawls across the ground, scarring the earth and exploding into a pillar of flames behind him.
"Get him!" screams one of the soldiers. They rush forward, surrounding the red head on all sides before collapsing face first into the rain soaked ground, sliding to a stop in a ring around him. More and more soldiers drop motionless to the earth around him but his Haoshoku doesn't seem to deter them at all, as they trample their own unconscious comrades to swarm in his direction. If he doesn't stop, they'll turn into a mountain of bodies that buries him! Again he disappears, reappearing among the army once again, saber moving, and cry's of pain issue from several soldiers as they drop to the ground. The soldiers surrounding him all rush forward, thrusting their blades into the red head's body. Run looks down at the weapons piecing through him before flexing the fingers of his free hand.
"Flame Pillar." Flames roar wildly outwards from the red head's body before erupting skyward. Run and the soldiers disappear from view for several long moments before they reappear in a burst of steam. The soldiers lie motionless on the scorched earth while Run simply cracks his neck loudly.
"Gum-Gum...Giant Axe!" shouts Luffy, his attack scattering a huge number of the soldiers with ease. Luffy lands beside Run, and the two turn to face the still massive army gathered before them. It doesn't seem like they've even made a small dent in their numbers.
"Damn it!" growls a painted face man. "There's only two of them! How hard can it be to take down two weaklings?! Go!" The soldiers swarm forward as quickly as they can towards the two of them.
"Thunderbolt Tempo!" calls a familiar voice, bolts of lighting raining down from the sky and striking the approaching soldiers. The two look back at Nami who stands on top of the giant tree that had before been rather quick to make his escape.
"I knew you had allies!" calls a woman. "So, it was you, Kingbaum!"
"N-No!" panics Kingbaum. "It's not what it seems! I'm telling you-" They ignore his pleas for mercy and reason, and instead charge forward once again. Big Mom's soldiers don't seem to have any fear at all. In fact, they seem rather single minded in their pursuit. Not waiting for them to recover, Luffy is quick to make his next move.
"Gum-Gum...Hawk Gattling!" bellows Luffy, knocking down a hoard of soldiers. Seizing the opportunity, the red head wades into the fold of soldiers. They fall in droves, dropping to the ground motionless under the strength of his Haoshoku. But once again they simply swarm over their fallen comrades like ants in his direction. He's quick to move once again, saber flashing and soldiers falling one after another as he forces through. A flex of his fingers and a motion of his hand brings an eruption of flames, incinerating a group of them with ease and scattering several dozen more.
Flames roar to life in his palm, compressing and then expanding in a mighty explosion that consumes dozens more. With a hiss of steam the red head is revealed standing among the charred earth, flames crackling and hissing as they swirl around him. Those blown away or incinerated completely are rapidly replaced by more. No matter how many they take down there doesn't seem to be an end to them!
"You'd never think you were fighting Big Bro Cracker all night, red hair!" calls a voice from above. He looks up at the man with the painted face, who is standing on levatating books. "The Chess Peacekeepers aren't that weak, after all! Maybe you're a bit stronger than I thought!"
"Why don't you come down here and find out," Run tells him, smirking. "Better yet, I'll-" His sentence is cut short when a blade suddenly slices cleanly across his chest. Rather than blood, however, flames suddenly leap wildly from the cut before exploding out in all directions. When he reappears he's standing unharmed with a hand pressed against his chest. He turns to face a long necked swordswoman standing several meters away. A portion of her sword is glowing a soft orange, and hissing steam as the rain beats against it. She moves the next second, appearing before him with her sword held above her head.
"Slow Ballad," speaks the woman, bringing her sword down. Run turns his shoulder, avoiding her blade before she turns sharply, aiming once again for the red head's neck, although for a far more shallow cut this time. He ducks under her blade, his saber whipping up towards her. The long necked woman sways backwards, her neck bending in what would be impossible for anyone else and narrowly avoiding his saber. The cherry of her cigarette and the brim of her massive hat, however, aren't nearly as lucky. Both are sliced clean through, and swept away by the storm. He brings his saber straight back down, aiming to slice her in two.
Her own sword comes up quickly, and the ringing of steel on steel follows. Her whole body feels like it vibrates from the impact, arms going numb under his strength. Before she can make a move to respond, however, a foot slams into her stomach and drives the air from her lungs. She follows it backwards, bowling over several soldiers and eventually coming to a stop in a tangled mess of limbs several meters away. She quickly pulls herself free from the pile of soldiers as the red head closes in quickly.
"Oh, no," calls the man with the painted face. "That's not going to happen, red hair." As the red head closes in, a book appears in his path and he tries to come to a stop but smashes right into the pages of the open book. His world spins rapidly, becoming a blur of colors surrounding him before finally coming to an abrupt halt. He finds himself in some strange kitchen of bright colors, and chattering skulls.
"What the hell?" questions Run, looking around. A hissing sound draws his attention to a rapidly darkening spot on one of the walls, which burns away to reveal the same man from before.
"You're in my World of Books!" A gout of flame erupts from the weapon the man is carrying, and the red head simply raises a hand to shield his eyes in response.
"Really? Fighting fire with fire?" A sharp blow across his shoulder-blades causes him to stagger forward, and he turns sharply in response swinging his saber through the open air. "What the-" More hissing fills the air and he glances over his shoulder as a great number of snakes that seem to form out of the very air. They swarm forward, surrounding the red head and quickly wrapping him up tightly. He growls in response, flames roaring to life across his body. "Flame Pillar." Flames erupt skyward, burning the snakes binding his body to nothing but cinders. When they fade he finds himself in a completely new area, snow blowing around him on all sides. "I can do this all day!"
Another sharp blow to his jaw and he growls, launching a punch in the direction the attack had come from. However, rather than connect with something, he's surprised when a soft 'click!' reaches his ears and his sharp tug causes him to take a step to his right. "What the-" Several more sharp tugs follow and he yanks back hard with a growl. To his surprise, a large man comes flying in his direction, holding tight to the end of a long chain. He whips around and slams him back first into the ground behind him. The illusion surrounding him drops very suddenly as Run rushes forward, saber raised to piece the man's chest.
"STOP!" demands a female voice. Run appears before the man, the tip of his saber pressed against the man's chest. The illusion surrounding him drops now, revealing a captured Nami with a gun pointed at her head. "Unless you want me to kill this woman...I'd toss that sword of yours aside, red hair." Run slowly scans the area, finding a massive pile of soldiers pressing down on a hand-cuffed Luffy. He slowly turns to look down at the large man pinned by his blade. "Red hair! This is your last warning!" After a few tense moments he slowly shoves his saber back into it's sheath. "Hmph. Good boy. Cadenza, get up." The large man slowly pushes himself up with a pained grunt, and a soft 'click' sounds as he clasps the other cuff around Run's wrist. The large man quickly strips his saber from his hip and steps back, holding tightly to the chain.
"You two sure put up one hell of a fight," the painted face man says, looking around at all the defeated soldiers. "Fortunately for you, we were ordered to capture you all alive. Now, let's go." Cadenza tugs sharply on the chain attached to the red head's wrists, his brow furrowing when he doesn't budge an inch. "Don't be stubborn now, red hair. You wouldn't want something unfortunate to happen to your friend, now would you." Run growls a bit in response but begins walking regardless...
Held captive by Big Mom...not something that any of them thought was in the cards for them, honestly. But, regardless, they find themselves in some strange book shaped prison and pinned to the wall unable to make their escape. Run is surprised to find that even after having the sea-stone cuff's removed, he's unable to use his Devil Fruit abilities...and even more surprised to find that try as he might, he can't seem to pull himself free. Even Luffy is unable to wriggle free from his bonds, something that seems to amuse the people gathered before them.
"Let us out!" bellows Luffy.
"Why would I want to do that?" asks Montd'Or.
"I gotta get back to that spot before Sanji comes!"
"Good luck with that. Because you're never going to get out of here. Ever!"
"Let me out!" Nami barks at them. "I want a shower! My body is completely covered in that sticky syrup!" Run actually laughs a bit in response. "It's not funny! My whole body feels sticky and uncomfortable!"
"Here comes Mama." However, rather than come face to face with the Yonko herself, they find themselves confronted with a transponder snail set on top of a pedestal. After a few moments of silence, the transponder snail opens it's eyes.
"It's been a while, Straw Hat Luffy," Big Mom says through the transponder snail. "You finally made it this far."
"Big Mom?" questions Luffy. "Let me out! I gotta go back! I'm gonna get outta here even if I have to destroy everything!"
"Wow, you've still got that kind of fight in you, huh? Since you didn't bring your whole crew, I thought you'd forgotten what you said to me on Fish-Man Island."
"Yeah, I'm gonna kick your ass someday. But right now, I'm just here to take Sanji back."
"Even with the bluffing! You're just gonna rot away helplessly in there! Straw Hat, you're already doomed! And as for you, red hair...I wonder what kind of face your father will make when he finds out that I've got you locked up nice and tight, never to be seen again!"
"Do your worst, old woman," Run growls. "We'll settle up after."
"If you wanna fight, then come face me!" demands Luffy. "Show yourself!"
"Don't push your luck!" laughs Big Mom. "You're a rookie who just entered the New World! That's presumptuous of you to request an audience with me. Plus, they don't need my help in killing you. Listen up...if you give up on Sanji completely, then I'll let you all leave alive. Sanji and Pudding's wedding is very special to me. So sit there quietly until everything is over. If you spoil what I've been looking forward to, then I'll really make you pay. Oh, yeah! When you gave me all that treasure as compensation for the sweets on Fish-Man Island, guess what I found in it? The Tamate Box! It's a treasure that's been passed down through generations. I really love treasure boxes, so you can forget about the candies. I'm gonna open it tomorrow at the tea party, it's going to be so fun!"
"No, it won't! Because Sanji isn't going to marry! I want to speak to Pudding! She's my friend!"
"Huh? Friend? Don't be absurd! Why would the bride be your friend? By the way, girl. I heard you killed Lola."
"What?!" gasps Nami. "There's no way I would! Lola is my friend! She gave me that Vivre Card as a token of friendship! She told me to take it, and if we got in trouble that we could use it to find you so you could help! That's the message she gave me! She told me her mother was a pirate but I didn't think she was a Yonko."
"Screw that! I want her dead! If you know where she is, then tell me! I'll send an assassin right away! She still thinks we're family?! Children just don't know how indebted they are to their parents, as they say! She ran away after rejecting the biggest political marriage I ever arranged! Lola's friend, Cat Burglar Nami...I'll make you cough up where she's at."
"What a boring story," complains Luffy. "Lola didn't marry...you didn't become King of the Pirates. I'm gonna pick a fight with you again! Just because you're a Yonko, doesn't mean you can be cocky! I'll win Sanji back! We're the one's who will have the last laugh!"
"You damn brat! You talk like you're someone! But that's alright! I don't mind hearing some nonsense. It's nothing compared to the fun that I'll have tomorrow." The line goes dead and Luffy growls in response, shouting at the transponder snail.
"How amusing!" laughs Galette.
"How dumb are you?" asks Mont-d'Or. "Picking a fight with Mama in this castle?!" The door to the room is suddenly thrown open and a child riding on top of a caterpiller comes barging in quickly. "Oh, Anglais, what's going on?"
"We have an intrudee at the treasure room," Anglais tells them. "I'm not gonna brush my teeth tonight! Thank you! Everyone is chasing after the intrudee! Thank you!" The child's warning causes all of them to quickly leave the room to deal with the intruder, leaving behind Opera to watch over them. Several long minutes of listening to Luffy complaining and shouting is eventually interrupted by the arrival of Pudding.
"Oi, Pudding, get us outta here!" Luffy shouts. "We got caught!"
"Brother Opera, can I talk to Luffy, Nami and Run in there for a minute?" Pudding asks.
"Yeah, sure," Opera tells her. "Oi, go ahead and open it for her." One of the soldiers approaches and opens the bars to the cage with a large book-mark. Pudding steps inside, stopping at the entrance of the large jail cell several feet away.
"Oi, Pudding, we went to the coast!" shouts Luffy.
"You got beat up," Pudding says. "Luffy, Nami, Run...I'm sure that my brothers and sisters did horrible things to you. I'm sorry." She approaches and kneels down in front of the three of them. "I couldn't go to the coast where we promised to meet, either...I'm sorry."
"That's alright," Nami assures her. "We'll figure out a way to get out of here."
"Listen, there's something I have to tell you three. I was actually proposed to by Sanji. But I know that Sanji is just being nice to me. I'm not going to marry him because...that idiot who played right into my hands and fell completely head over heels for me...I'm going to kill him myself right in the middle of the wedding." The bangs of her hair split to reveal a third eye in the middle of her forehead, surprising all of them nearly as much as her words are. "We're not gonna keep you guys alive, either." She stands and walks away from the three of them calmly.
"Shoulda let Pedro kill you when we had the chance," Run mutters. Pudding leaves the cell and Luffy begins to rant and rave, thrashing violently against his restraints even as she leaves the room. He stretches himself again and again, winding himself up and smashing against the bars of their cell with no regard to his well-being. "Luffy! Stop! You're gonna tear your arms off!"
"That's better than sitting here!" Luffy retorts. "We can't stay trapped in here! I gotta tell Sanji about Pudding's true colors!"
"Just calm down! We need to think!"
"Oi, girl," calls Opera. "Mama told me to get Lola's where abouts out of you during the night. So, out with it already."
"No way!" Nami shouts back. "I'm not gonna betray my friend!"
"Fine, I'll just torture you, then."
"Don't say it so casually!" The man walks across the room to retrieve something and finally comes back with a crossbow which he points at her.
"I'm gonna shoot you with this every five seconds. So just go ahead and spit it out whenever you feel like it."
"You hurt her," begins Run. "And I'm gonna choke the life outta you when I get out of here." Before the man can fire the first shot, however, the door to the room opens and a large figure steps inside. "Is that...?" Opera turns quickly, surprise washing over his face.
"Wait, I thought you weren't allowed to enter the castle right now!"
"There are fights everywhere," Jinbe says. "So don't be so hard headed. I'm sorry, Opera." Jinbe stops in front of the man and quickly raises a fist. "Five-Thousand...Brick Fist!" His punch strikes Opera square in the stomach, and sends him flying across the room before crashing into the wall. Jinbe approaches the cell they're locked in with a smile.
"Jinbe!" cries Luffy. "What are you doing here?!"
"I heard that you were captured. I'm glad that you're alright. We'll talk later but for now let's get you out of there." Jinbe steps back, taking his stance. "Fishman Karate...Shark Brick Fist!" His strike flies in their direction but after several moments there's no effect. "Just what I'd expect from Mont-d'Or's book. But there's another way...books can be destroyed by fire!" Jinbe produces a small touch which he quickly sparks to life.
"You're gonna burn the book?!" demands Nami.
"Yes. It's the only way I can think of. So, it would behoove you to get out of there as quickly as you can." He tosses the torch at the base of the book, which rapidly catches fire. The flames quickly spread across the entire book, surrounding them on all sides. Nami panics as the flames quickly begin to encroach on them, drawing closer and closer to the nail that's been pinning their hands to the wall. Luffy, Nami and Run strain against the restraints violently until at last the nails themselves give way, going up in smoke.
"Yes!" Luffy and Run shout in unison. While Luffy quickly scoops up Nami flames roar to life across the red head and he sweeps his hand through the air in front of him, parting the flames as they barrel out of the prison. Luffy hauls Nami out of the fire while the red head trails behind. He's barely cleared the flames, however, before he finds himself doused with water from head to toe courtesy of Jinbe. Loud hissing and a burst of steam follows as the flames briefly flicker before roaring back to life. Run sighs heavily and turns his head to spit out a small mouthful of water.
"Thank you, Jinbe," Run mutters, the flames across his body disappearing completely. He spots his saber leaned against the arm of the couch and quickly picks it up, and threds it under the sash wrapped around his waist.
"Yeah!" cheers Luffy. "We got out!" He turns to Jinbe, grinning from ear to ear. "Thanks, Jinbe! Because of you I didn't have to rip my arms apart!"
"Come to think of it," begins Jinbe. "The first time we met was in a prison like this." The large Fishman motions to all the burned people lying around the book they'd been kept in. "Look. They were all captured in the same book as the three of you. The World of Books is as big as your imagination which means that it's infinite. Big Mom has a great number of powerful underlings like Mont-d'Or."
"Thank you for the help," Nami tells Jinbe. "But what are you doing here?"
"The Sun Pirates that I led are affiliated with Big Mom."
"Really?! But then...that means..."
"Yeah, this is a rebellion. I can't go back now."
"What about your responsibilities?" Run asks him. "Do you take care of them?"
"Not exactly. I just threw them away." Hearing voices coming from the echoing out of one of the halls across the room, all heads turn. "They sure are quick to react. We need to find somewhere to hide." Before they can make a move, however, Luffy collapses onto the ground beside them.
"I'm so hungry all of a sudden," complains Luffy. "It's alright, though. I'm not saying I want to eat something." A heavy sigh escapes the red head who bends down and lifts Luffy with ease, tossing him over a shoulder. "Let's go, Run! We need to warn Sanji! Jinbe, take care of Nami for us!"
"Wait, you two! There are tons of tough enemies in this castle!" Regardless, Run charges forward down the hall. Flames roar to life in Run's free hand and he fires off a blast of flames straight down the path, scattering the enemies as they approach. He clinches his fist and thrusts it forward, sending his flames cascading down the hall as a wave of fire in front of them. It dissipates seconds later, revealing a crowd of Big Mom's soldiers gathered before them. Run smirks and flexes his fingers, flames crackling and condensing in the palm of his hand.
"Fireball," Run mutters, snapping his fingers. A massive explosion sweeps down the hall, completely blocking off the path for several seconds before eventually dying off to reveal a cleared path before them. The sound of footsteps from behind causes him to glance over his shoulder only to find a large ground of Big Mom's men chasing after them. He charges on, carrying Luffy like a sack of potatoes as he barrels down hall after hall, eventually taking a set of stairs two at a time with the number of people chasing them growing by the second. "They're like freaking ants! Flame Pillar!" With a motion of his hand, a pillar of flames erupts from the ground, completely blocking off the path behind them. "Where the hell-"
"Ow, ow, ow, ow!" shouts Luffy, as Run's pace begins to slow down. "Run! Stop! Someone is-" Run finds himself yanked backwards suddenly, flying through the air and striking the ground flat on his back. Luffy bounces around the new room they find themselves in several times before eventually landing on top of the red head. Both men grunt loudly from the impact and lie still for several moments before pushing themselves up.
"Where did they go?!" demands a muffled voice. Both look at the door to the room, held tightly shut by none other than Reiju. "That damn red head is so quick! Oi, check that door!" The door to the room shakes several times before eventually stopping. "It must be locked. Alright! They can't have gotten far! Let's go!" The sound of footsteps rapidly departing sounds, and Reiju finally releases the door.
"Don't expect a thank you," Run tells her.
"Oh, my," sighs Reiju. "You're awfully cold to someone who saved your life."
"You needed to use your tongue for that, huh?" Reiju approaches with a soft smile on her face, eventually coming to a stop in front of Run.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me I stole your first kiss? I'll accept it gladly."
"Don't flatter yourself." She cocks her head slightly, a small pout accompanying it.
"Mmm, such a shame." A soft sigh escapes her and she takes a step back. "You're looking for Sanji, right? He was just here."
"Really?!" asks Luffy quickly. "Where is he?! Which way did he go?! Pudding was lying to us! She plans to kill him!"
"He knows about Pudding."
"What?! Has he known this whole time?!"
"He just found out. I convinced him to get away from this island but he was worried about the hostages in the East Blue and the harm it would cause to you guys."
"You mean Baratie? I know them well, too! If they're really in danger, then I'll go there and fight for them!" Luffy's stomach growls loudly and he presses a hand to it with a grimace.
"Are you hungry?"
"No! I'm completely fine!" After a few long seconds he releases a loud sigh. "But that's good. Sanji...Sanji knows about Pudding. If he's not being fooled, then that's good! Aside from that, I've done everything that I can! Alright! Thank you, Sanji's sister!" Without warning Luffy turns and sprints towards the window across the room. "Let's go, Run! This isn't the rendezvous point!" Luffy leaps through the window, smashing the glass to bits and plummeting straight down. Run dashes to the window and glances down at the ground just in time to watch as his Captain smashes through the roof of some poor person's home.
"Oh, fer..." mutters Run, stepping up onto the window sill. "How many times Luffy." He cracks his neck loudly as he begins to lean forward.
"Before you go," calls Reiju. "Here." The red head glances back and snatches something from the air as it flies towards him. "For good luck." He raises it and takes a look his eyes widening slightly as he stares at the panties in his hand. A groan escapes him as he tosses them to the ground and then leaps out the window without a second thought...
