Enemies
"We did it! We got Robin back!" Usopp said.
"I'm surprised. Man, what a way to retreat," Franky said.
"It just wouldn't be the same if he didn't use stuff like this smokescreen," Sanji said. "But that was too easy."
"Yeah, even with the cars completely separated, this feels wrong. They're not like those small fries," Franky said.
"Agreed." Cade nodded. "Keep on your toes."
Thorny vines grab onto the car.
"Yup. Too easy." Cade tensed.
"Cut the whips!" Franky said.
Cade pulled her dagger. The car jerked forward, crashing into the other car.
"That smokescreen was a pretty lame idea," Blueno said.
"So, it was useless after all." Sanji charged forward. "Sniper King, guard Robin with your life!"
"O-okay!"
"Sorry you went through all the trouble of pulling these together but, it's time to push them apart again!" Sanji kicked at him.
"Iron Body."
Sanji's kick stalled.
"That's their weird fighting style I told you about!" Franky said.
Sanji spins on his hand. "Concasse!"
"Wait a second, Robin!" Usopp said.
"Occho Fleur Clutch!" Robin grabbed Usopp and bent him backwards. "How many times must I tell you?! Stay out of my business!"
"Hey, pay attention to here you're looking," Kaku said.
Cade shoved water at him. Her fist halted on Blueno's body. His fist knocked into her stomach. She went flying and slammed against the wall. Her head rang.
"Jeez, all you guys are the same. All so stubborn when it comes to your friend." Franky pushed the wall into the car. "Here's your chance to escape!"
"Franky! Wait! I'm not trying to escape!" Robin said.
"Hold on, Robin! We've come this far, what are you saying?! We knew the situation and came to save you!" Sanji said. "Even if we're attacked, somehow, by the government's buster call we can handle it! Why won't you just come with us, Robin?!"
"That buster call is the problem." A door opened behind Sanji.
Blueno kicked Sanji.
"Jerk!" Cade charges. She's kicked back.
Blueno grabbed Robin and kicked Usopp.
"Stop it! I'm not trying to escape!" Robin said.
"He was advancing on me, I had no choice," Blueno said.
"Let's just go." Robin walked towards the door.
"Wait! It's okay! Robin, you'll be okay. There's still something you're hiding, isn't there? We don't care. But when it comes to pirates you can't leave the crew without the captain's permission," Usopp said. So you should have faith in Luffy!"
Blueno kicked Usopp again.
"It's no use. Nico Robin won't break her promise," Blueno said.
"How can you say that?!" Sanji asked.
"In the past, there was a buster call invoked by the navy. The horrific event occurred on an island, the whole thing was burnt to a crisp, leaving no traces behind. The only person to survive that incident was a young Nico Robin."
"What are you saying?" Cade asked.
"In other words, due to the buster call as far as that woman is concerned, she is an irredeemable devil. Those memories of terror planted in her days of youth are what causes her to turn on her friends. It seems as though you've lost your will to fight."
"You really... knowing all of that," Sanji said.
"Of course."
"How rotten can you get?!" Sanji screamed.
"It's all for the sake of justice. That girl has our deepest condolences." Blueno left.
...
After losing Robin again, Cade and the boys had no choice but to stay put. Before long the rest of their group caught up with them. They continued on their way to Enies Lobby. While everyone sat inside, Cade and Luffy slipped out the window and launched over to the island.
"What's this? What a big hole! The island's floating in midair!" Luffy said holding onto the flag.
"It's a waterfall. I wonder if anyone has fallen into it," Cade said.
Guns fire. They jump down. Guns fired. Cade threw out water attack after water attack as Luffy threw punches until they made it to the last gate.
"That's got to be where Robin is," Cade said.
A door appears and Blueno walked out.
"Cade, stand back. This guy is mine." Luffy stretched.
Cade nodded. Standing back she kept a close eye on Luffy's fight walk watching for marines.
Blueno crashed from his fight.
"Robin! We've come for you!" Luffy shouted. His stomach growled. "I was fighting so much. Now I'm starving." He pulls out his meat.
"Leave it you to shove food in your pants," Cade said.
Franky and Robin come blasting out of the building.
"Hey! Robin! I'm glad you're still here!" Luffy said. "Franky's there too. Okay. Wait there. It's kind of far but I'll try to jump over there!"
"I'll take over if you don't make it."
"Wait! I told you several times!" Robin said. "I'll never come back to you! Go away! I never want to see your faces again! Why did you come to rescue me?! I never asked you to do that! I just want to die!"
CP9 walked out of the building.
Luffy picked his nose. "That's dumb. Listen, Robin! We've come all the way here!"
The roof exploded, bring their crew with it.
"About time you all got here." Cade looked at their crew.
"So, we're going to rescue you anyway!" Luffy said. "If you still want to die then die after we save you! I don't care what you want, whether you choose to live or die! But whatever you decide say it while you're with us!"
Usopp comes flying up and embeds in the roof. They pull him out and stand near Luffy and Cade.
"Now, leave everything to us," Luffy said.
"The Franky family is working on lowering the drawbridge," Zoro said. "You two rush ahead too quickly and went to the roof, so we had to get up here in order to regroup."
"CP9!" The mask man with Robin yelled. "Listen, I give you permission to wipe them out, but take them down at the tower of justice! It's not like they could get here to begin with! You pirates! Do you even realize that no matter how brave you are, nothing would ever change?! We have the full strength of an assassin group, CP9! We have the heave gates of justice that human power cannot open! Moreover, I now have the authority to use this golden transponder snail to trigger a buster call! That's right! Twenty years ago! It's the power that obliterated your hometown, Nico Robin! The word Ohara disappeared from the following year's map, didn't it?"
"Robin's hometown?" Chopper asked.
"I want to kick him down the waterfall right now," Sanji said.
I see now. That's why Robin doesn't get close to people and kept her past a secret. Cade knitted her brow.
"I'm sorry." Robin turned back to them. "That attack is now aimed at my friend that I have found. The more I wish to be with you the more my fate will bare its fangs at you. No matter what sea I go to, I have this great foe that I can't shake! Because my enemy is the world and it's darkness. First, the incident with Aokiji! And now this! I've gotten you involved twice already! If this goes on forever, even good nurtured people like you will eventually consider me a burden! In time, you'll betray me! That's what I'm most afraid of! That's why I didn't want you to come save me! If it's a life that I'll eventually lose, I want to just die right here, right now!"
"Of course No one could think you're not a burden with all your problems!" the masked guy said.
"Who is that jerk? He's really getting on my nerves." Cade cracked her knuckles.
"Look at the symbol, pirates!" He pointed at the flag. "That mark represents the unity of over 170 nations in the four seas and the Grand Line! This is the world! Do you understand how insignificant you are to stand against us?! Do you understand how big of an organization was after her?!"
"I understand Robin's enemy very well. Sniper King," Luffy said. "Shoot down that flag."
"Roger." Usopp aimed his slingshot. "Ultimate. Firebird Star."
"Are you bastards insane?! Don't you dare to even dream that you'd survive having the world as an enemy!" mask guy shrieked.
"Robin! I haven't heard it from you yet! Say you want to live!" Luffy shouted.
A pause.
"I want to live! Take me with you! Take me away from here!" Robin cried.
"The drawbridge is lowering," Chopper said.
"I guess they've done their job," Sanji said.
"I'm trembling from the excitement," Usopp said.
Cade rolled her neck.
"Hurry up." Zoro grabbed his swords.
"Looking scary there, Zoro," Nami said.
"Here we go." Luffy cracked his knuckles.
"The bridge stopped!" Sanji said.
"Don't get in the way!" Luffy said. Franky's men start cheering. "Shut it, all of you! Robin's waiting! Hurry it up with the bridge!"
"Straw Hat!" Franky called. "You looked after my precious subordinates. Now let me show you the super battle power of their leader, the great Franky!"
"Do as you please!" Luffy said. "I still haven't forgiven you over Usopp, though!"
Mask guy shoved Franky over the edge.
"I'll get him!" Cade lifted her hands.
"Hey, pirates!"
"Wait. Wasn't that Kokoro?" Cade paused.
Nami pulls out a transponder snail.
"Listen to everything I have to say. Enough with your hesitation!"
"Hesitation? The bridge is only halfway down," Nami said.
"Halfway is good enough! I'll get there in four seconds! Jump into the waterfall!"
"Did she just say jump into the waterfall?" Cade asked.
"The sea train's whistle," Luffy said. "All Right!" He puts his arms around his crew and jumped. "Let's go!"
They fall onto the train and crash into the building.
"Well, that was fun." Cade brushed herself off. The rest of the crew pops out of the debris.
"You guys are all weird," Franky said. "Just thought I'd point that out."
"There's a staircase over there! Let's hurry and get to Robin!" Luffy said.
"Wait!"
Their eyes shoot to the voice.
"Chapapapa! They've broken in! You won't find Nico Robin even if you go to the room you saw earlier Lucci took her to the grate of justice. And the chief. He's heading there now. But I won't tell you how to get there. And us CP9 won't allow you to follow because we've received an order to obliterate you. There's no way for you to free Nico Robin, unless you defeat us. Look at this." He held up a key. "It's a key to the sea stone handcuffs that Nico Robin is restrained with. Should you manage to rescue Nico Robin somehow the sea stone is hard as diamond, so her handcufFs will never come off. If you don't mind that, then go rescue her now."
"Then give it to me!" Luffy threw a punch. The man disappeared in a blink. "Looks like he can use that technique, too."
"Don't rush! I never said this was the real key!"
"Figures." Cade scoffed. "Nice way to delay us."
"There are five CP9 members in this tower, each of us holding a key and waiting for you."
"Then, we won't know if it's real or not until we have all the keys and try them on Robin's handcuffs," Zoro said.
"What a crappy way to waste time. While we're wasting our time here, you're probably planning on taking Robin to the grates of justice, aren't you?" Sanji said.
"But we should take care of Robin first," Nami said. "We should make sure to get Robin back, and take care of getting the keys afterwards. Forget about him and let's hurry."
"You're smart. But if you do that I'll just toss this key into the sea. Chapapapa! We're just giving you a chance. See ya." He takes off.
"You! Wait!" Luffy rushed forward.
"Hold on!" Zoro grabbed Luffy's cheek.
"Let go of me!"
"Hold still for a moment! Wait until we confirm that everyone's gone from here," Zoro said.
"Is Lucci that pigeon guy?" Sanji asked.
"He is." Franky nodded.
"If he's with Robin we can just let Luffy go ahead. Luffy, just go and beat up that pigeon guy," Sanji said. "Excluding Luffy, there are seven of us. We'll find the five CP9 that are here, get all five keys for Robin's cuffs. And then meet up with Luffy."
"If Robin enters the gates, it's all over. Time is very important here," Usopp said.
"In that case I'll head over to the gates," Cade said.
Luffy stopped pulling. "You sure?"
Cade nodded. "If you all have trouble getting past CP9 then I can at least delay that mask guy until you all get there. I'll work best around the water anyway. It's the best solution for me."
"Okay." Luffy nodded. "Take care of yourself."
"Right. You too, Luffy." Cade looked at all of them. "You all take care."
Cade dashed away from her friends. Leaping out of the broken part of the building she lifted herself around it and landed on a grassy area. She paused. A familiar fishman standing before her. Her heart hammered. "K-Kale?"
