A/N: alright, three chapters left!


57. Evacuation


8:05 PM

The Don Quixote Mansion

Baby 5 is anxious.

She's never communicated with the revolutionaries before, and was always taught that they were bad people by the family. But when that blonde guy introduced himself as one, she felt absolutely no malice. Instead, the aura he emitted was one of worry and comfort. He explained to them that help was coming soon, and, after giving Luffy a glare for calling him that nickname, left them to their devices.

"I'll be headed to the Main Hall," Cavendish had announced, "where they're still fighting."

"But you'll get caught up in the mess!" Buffalo said, but the blonde simply shook his head.

"No, my comrades should be coming any minute from now. I'm sure they'll head there as well." Cavendish gave a two finger salute before disappearing back into the hall. "I'll return!"

It's been about ten minutes since Cavendish left, and still no sign of him.

"Do you think..." Luffy begins sleepily, "that he'll come back?"

"Yes," Baby 5 nods, "I firmly believe he will."

"But he's a revolutionary," Buffalo mutters, "can we really trust him?"

"We have no choice but to," Baby 5 answers. "We can't do anything about the fighting up there; let's let them take care of it."

Luffy groans and holds his stomach. "I'm hungry."

"This is not the time to be feeling hungry, Luffy!" Baby 5 chides, resting a hand on his shoulder. "You should be gathering up as much of your energy as you can."

Luffy nods slowly, brows buckling. "I want to see Law."

"You've done nothing but list off the things we can't help you with," Buffalo deadpans. "Just hold on and you'll see him soon enough. I hope."

The younger man sighs and sits up on his cot, looking at the floor. "...I hope too."

"Wait." Baby 5 motions for them to hush, and cups a hand to her ears. "What is that sound?"

"It sounds like...footsteps," Buffalo murmurs.

Baby readies her gun towards the door. "Buffalo," she says sharply.

"Aye aye," he responds, drawing his own weapon.

Luffy looks scared. "Who is it?"

"Hush," Baby 5 whispers fervently, throwing him a look.

The door opens and in comes Cavendish with a man on his back, eyes wide. "How many times are you going to point those things at me?"

Baby 5 physically relaxes. "Oh, it's just you."

"About damn time," Buffalo grumbles, and Baby 5 elbows his side. Though she can't quite say she didn't know what he was feeling. Those ten minutes felt like an entirety.

"I come bearing gifts," Cavendish says with a smile, stepping off to the side. Another blonde comes barreling through the space, eyes filled with tears, making a beeline straight for Luffy. Baby 5 watches on in astonishment as he flings his arms around the young man, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Luffy, oh my god," the man bawls, hugging him so tight that Luffy winces. "I thought...I thought-"

Luffy brings weak arms around his shaking form, tears of his own falling down his cheeks. "I'm alright, Sabo."

The man named Sabo continues wailing, hugging him close. Baby 5 tears her gaze away from their reunion to the other men coming in through the door. There's a green haired man, another blonde about his height, and a redhead.

The first of the three smiles fondly. "Jesus Luffy, you scared the shit out of us."

"Luffy!" the second cries out, "you look a mess, man! Are you alright? You hurt?"

The redhead declines from speaking, but the relief is evident in his expression.

Luffy turns awkwardly in Sabo's grip. "Zoro. Sanji." His voice cracks. "Man, I've missed you guys."

Then his eyes widen. "...Kidd? What're you doing here?"

The redhead rubs the back of his neck. "Saving your sorry ass, what else?"

Luffy tenses a little but relaxes as Sabo rubs comfortingly up and down his back. "You scared us shitless Luffy."

"I know," Luffy sighs into his shoulder, and Sabo finally lets him go. "I'm sorry."

"What? Don't apologize for getting kidnapped, Luffy," Zoro says, frowning. "It's not your fault at all."

"What the moss brain said," Sanji seconds.

Luffy looks at them all with gratitude. "Thanks for coming to rescue me."

"Of cou-"

"I'd hate to interrupt the touching reunion," Baby 5 cuts in, "but we've got to get moving."

Zoro narrows his eyes at her. "You're the Baby 5 Cavendish told us about on the way here."

"The one and only," she grins lopsidedly.

Sanji turns to the man behind her. "And you must be Buffalo."

"Correct," Buffalo nods.

"Members of the family," Zoro grits.

"But our allies for now," Sabo reminds him, coming over to clap him on the shoulder. "We owe them for taking care of Luffy while we were en route."

"Taking care of him?" Kidd growls, gesturing to Luffy. "Look at the guy. He looks about a skip and hop away from death!"

"He does look pretty beat up," Cavendish murmurs, shifting the man on his back.

"It was the best we could do given the situation," Baby 5 explains, hands up in a show of innocence. "You guys weren't here. You don't know what Luffy could've gone through if not for us."

"We saved him from a hell that you guys wouldn't even begin to imagine," Buffalo says in a low voice. "Be grateful."

"Grateful?!" Zoro is about to stalk up to Buffalo when Luffy coughs lightly. His features soften as he glances over to his friend. "Luffy..."

"They're right," Luffy affirms after a brief coughing fit, "they helped me escape, even putting their own lives at stake."

Buffalo raises his brows. "Told ya."

Baby 5 crosses her arms. "We haven't been in the Family's affairs for years. We're only here because we had to be. We're Family in name only, at this point. It wasn't until this whole ordeal-" she gestures to everyone standing in the room, "that we even stepped in this place again, let alone help them in their scheme."

Zoro scowls but backs off, grumbling to himself all the while.

Luffy tugs on Sabo's arm. "Please believe me. If not for them, I might've died. Law might've died. I was holding Law back and they-" He dissolves into another hacking fit of coughs, and Sabo places an easing hand on his back.

"Enough," the blonde says, "you've said enough. Of course I believe you."

Luffy blinks the water from his eyes and looks around. "Where's Law?"

"Over there," Sabo nods to Cavendish, who comes forward. He sets down the man from his back onto the other side of Luffy's bed, and lo and behold, it's Law. He's unconscious, bloodied, and a mess of soot and debris. Luffy's breath halts in his throat as he looks at him, heart clenching in his chest. He looked terrible, almost a breath away from death, but he was alive.

"He's bleeding terribly," Cavendish says as Luffy comes close, cupping Law's dirty cheeks in his equally dirty hands, "we'll need to get him to a hospital quickly."

"The guy looks dead," Buffalo grunts.

Baby 5 decides to ignore him. "How is the situation up there if he's down here?"

"Diamante is defeated," Cavendish announces.

Luffy lets out an audible breath, holding his hand over his heart. "Thank god."

"Yeah," Cavendish looks down worriedly at Law. "So now we just need to get out of-"

Suddenly, the ground and walls around them shake from the shudder of a large explosion, cutting off Cavendish. Everyone in the room grabs onto nearby items for leverage, grimacing as the entire structure shudders.

"What the hell was that?" Kidd grunts, holding onto the nearby wall for support.

"Fuck," Buffalo curses, face going pale.

"Fuck," Baby 5 echoes him, eyes widening. They were screwed.

Cavendish clutches a railing nearby. "What is it?"

"That might've been the emergency bombs..." Baby 5 trails off, and the men around her all erupt in conversation, yelling, screaming, groaning. Baby 5 motions for them all to shut up and they do so only for her to explain.

"Why the fuck do you guys have emergency bombs?" Sanji spits.

"In case something like this happens!" Baby 5 answers, raising her arms in the air. "We keep bombs everywhere for future use, but they shouldn't go off by themselves."

"So why are they going off now?" Sanji questions.

Buffalo pales further. "That means that something must've triggered them."

Zoro's jaw drops. "The fire."

"That's probably the case," Sabo says darkly.

"Then you guys have no time," Baby 5 urges them out of the room. "We have to evacuate ASAP, before it's too late!"


8:10 PM

The Main Hall

"There, that should do it!" Koala wipes the sweat from her brow. "All the bodies are finally out of the room."

Barty sighs and stands, wiping his hands on his pants. "That took so much longer than it should've."

"Yeah," she agrees, "now we just need to-"

Screams erupt through the air as a nearby room explodes into flames. Koala whips her head towards the sound, mouth dropped open in a soundless shriek as a wave of heat washes over them from the explosion. Barty holds onto the wall, only to jerk his hands back when he realizes just how hot it was.

"Shit, we've been here for too long," Koala curses low, "the place is coming down."

"Hey!" Barty calls out into the flames. "Is everyone alright?"

"We're fine!" Bea returns, coughing as she trudges through the fire. "Just a few burns, though."

Koala stands in front of Barty, arm thrown out to the side. "Everyone follow me, we're getting out of here!"

Bea motions for the Revolutionaries behind her to follow quickly, avoiding falling bits of ceiling and collapsed walls. The fire is so hot it makes Koala's eyes burn, but she tough it out. She has troops to lead.

"Move, move, move!" she points to the exit of the Main Hall and to the stairs from which they came. "We've gotta move fast if we want to escape the fire! I've already called a Medical Unit; they'll meet us outside!"

"You did?" Barty asks from behind her.

"What're you still doing here?" she questions, ignoring him. "You need to move along with the others."

"Sabo told me to protect you," Barty explains simply.

Koala makes a face. "I-"

"So I'm not leaving until you do."

The woman sighs. "You men are so stubborn sometimes."

Barty grins crookedly. "Just wanna make sure you're safe!"

Koala shakes her head and smacks him playfully across the arm. "Fine, but as soon as the last person is in that stairwell, we're getting the hell out of here. It's too damn hot."

"Sure thing, Koala!"


8:12 PM

The Don Quixote Mansion

"I'm trusting Luffy and Law to you three."

Sanji motions to himself, Zoro, and Kidd. "Wait really?"

"Yes," Sabo answers, "Cavendish and I need to go back and check on the Revolutionaries." He sighs as he takes in the look on Luffy's face. "I want to stay with him, trust me, but now that I at least know he's safe, I have to go attend to my duties as their commander."

"There are medical trucks outside," Cavendish says, "so escape, and you'll all be taken care of."

"Buffalo and I can lead you all to the exit," Baby 5 announces.

"I really don't want to trust you, but it looks like we don't have a choice." Zoro runs a hand through his short hair.

"Unless you want to stay in here and burn alive." Baby 5 shoots him a look.

Zoro glares at her but Sanji puts a hand on his shoulder. "Easy there, tiger. We need her help."

Zoro tuts, frowning, but reels in his animosity.

Sabo waves them all goodbye. "I'll see you all outside, alright? Take care. Stay safe."

"You too, man," Sanji bodes him farewell.

When Sabo and Cavendish leave, Buffalo motions to the two men on the hospital bed. "So who volunteers to carry them out of here?"

"I got Luffy," Zoro says gruffly, walking over to the bed and turning around, giving Luffy his back. The man climbs onto him with some effort, and soon enough, he hangs from Zoro's back, arms fastened around his neck.

"And Law?" Baby 5 asks.

When no one in the room volunteers, Buffalo groans. "I've got him."

"Great." Kidd starts for the door. "Now let's get the hell out of here."

"Let me go first," Baby 5 maneuvers around him to take the lead. "Everyone stay close; it's quite a walk."

Sanji stands right behind her, followed by Zoro, then Kidd, with Buffalo taking up the rear.

Baby 5 slams the door to the room. "Let's escape this hellish place."


"Yeah Koala?" Sabo asks when she answers her phone, "where are you?"

"We're escaping through the stairs on level four."

Sabo pauses, catching his breath in the middle of the fires. "Oh, so all the bodies are already outside?"

"Yes," she answers breathlessly, "we've completed our duties before leaving."

"You know I don't care about that," Sabo says, brows drawing together, "are you okay?"

"Yup! Barty was here protecting me the entire time."

"Hell yeah I was!" Barty's voice wafts over the line.

Cavendish stiffens beside him. "Barty?"

Sabo throws him an apologetic look before turning back to his conversation. "So how far are you from the front doors?"

Another explosion rocks the ground under them, heat and flame dancing through the air. Smoke fills the hall they're in, and Sabo and Cavendish take a moment to cough heavily into their elbows, eyes watering.

"Are you alright?" Koala frets over the phone.

"Yes," Sabo answers, wiping at his tears. "How about you?"

"Fine, we're fine. What the hell was that? Another explosion?"

"Yeah, there are bombs everywhere apparently."

"There's what?!"

"Yeah, the Family is crazy." Sabo laughs mirthlessly. "More are gonna go off the more the fire spreads."

"Fuck," Koala mutters under her breath.

"Yeah, I know. I was gonna come help you guys to hurry along, but it seems you guys are already on the move."

"Yeah, we're almost out, just a few more floors to go. You guys better leave too, we've seen floors collapsing and walls falling apart."

"Roger that. See you outside, okay? Love you."

"L-Love? Sabo-"

Sabo clicks off the call before he can say anything else embarrassing. He turns to his partner to discuss escape plans, but Cavendish looks a little pale. "Barty is here, isn't he?"

Fuck, forgot they're exes. "Uh...yes," Sabo answers awkwardly.

Cavendish purses his lips and stalks off, towards a nearby hall. "Wait, where are you going?" Sabo calls out after him.

"We need to escape, right?" Cavendish yells over the fire.

"Right..." Sabo says.

"If he'll be outside, then I need to escape as soon as possible so I don't run into him." Cavendish frowns. "Last thing I need is to see his face right now."

"As long as we're getting out of here," Sabo grumbles, running side by side with his comrade.


8:18 PM

"That's the exit! Hurry!" Baby 5 points to a large door at the end of the hall, "run!"

Luffy feels Zoro's muscles tense under him as he picks up his pace from a jog, to a run, then finally into a sprint. The rest of the crew with them runs as well, fires on either side of them licking their clothing as they pass. Just as the door is a few yards from them, an explosion from right behind them goes off, the force of which knocks everyone into the door. The wooden entrance erupts into splinters, the weight of seven humans too much for it, and bursts outward. The cold air of late fall snaps at their faces as they finally escape outside, fire raging behind them.

Zoro hits the ground with a rough groan, and Luffy flies from his back, rolling ungracefully on the grass below. Luffy can barely keep his eyes open at this point, and can hardly see his surroundings in the darkness of the night. He blinks warily, groaning from the pain all over his body, and struggles to lay on his back, arms spread out on either side of him, facing the cloudless sky.

They were out.

Finally, they were out.

"Luffy! Luffy!"

Luffy turns to the sound of his voice. "Zoro?"

"Yeah, it's me," Zoro looms over his right, worry etched into his features. "Oh god, I didn't know you would be flung like that-"

"Shut up, Marimo!" Sanji looms over his left, and Luffy has to blink him into focus. "This is because you weren't careful enough!"

"How could I have known there would be an explosion right behind me?"

"Maybe if you weren't such an oaf you would be able to land properly regardless! See, Luffy looks like he's about to pass out!"

"You little-"

"Move you two."

A third male voice interrupts their argument, pushing them to the side. "Let us take care of him."

"Oh, right, please," Zoro grumbles, glaring at Sanji when he chuckles.

Luffy feels himself get lifted and placed onto a stretcher. His head lobs to the side as blackness starts taking over his vision bit by bit, mind finally shutting down because of the overwhelming pain. Across from him he sees Law, also placed onto a stretcher, wheeled away by men in scrubs.

"Law..." he murmurs, heart racing. At least he was in good hands now.

He can finally rest in peace.

His eyes close slowly, and Zoro and Sanji scream at him, held back only by medical personnel. Luffy soon tunes them out, body too muddled with pain. The last thing he sees is Law's stretcher before he finally falls unconscious.


A/N: thanks for reading!

P.S. im not so heartless as to kill luffy yall. what do you take me for? LMAO.