LW: Ok, the arc is near climax and things are getting intense, plus we still need the entire crew to reunite… which is right now, yay! Enjoy

Rubber King and Mirror Master - Luffy Vs Lucci, Straw Hats Vs The Buster Call

The only reason Luffy's Giant Pistol didn't end the fight was due to poor luck on his part, as the hit threw Lucci onto a nearby battleship. Shame the marines didn't just shoot him (seems to be a theme in this series)

"What are you doing here?"

"Is it a monster?"

"No, he's a Rokushiki user"

'So I landed on the deck of one of the battleships, that was close' Lucci thinks as he breathes heavily 'if they'd been a little further away I'd probably be in the water right now'

"He came from over there" one of the marines shout, pointing to the wrecked section of the bridge of Hesitation

"Is he a pirate?"

"Did anyone else see that giant hand? Tell me I didn't mix my meds wrong again"

Lucci sits up and returns to his human form, which seemed to get the marines around him even more agitated

"Who are you, answer us or we'll open fire!" One marine shouts

"Hold it" the captain orders "Do you idiots know what you're doing, or who that is? He's Rob Lucci of CP9" he explains, Lucci having ripped off his shirt, exposing his scars

Elsewhere

"Hey look it's the pirate guys, hi… AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Chimney greets with a grin, before going back to screaming in terror as they tried to outrun the wave directly behind them

"Hey that's everyone…" Zoro begins

"...but Luffy and Kaos, yeah" Sanji agrees

"Don't just stand there like morons, do something!" Nami screams

"Got any bright ideas, anyone?" the swordsman asks, genuinely hoping someone did as he was fresh out, well he was once he took some swings at the wall and precisely zip happened

"We're underwater dumbass, those walls have to withstand the pressure, plus even if you did cut it you'd only add to the water rushing in to kill us" Sanji complains just as the groups regroup, and are overtaken by the wave.

And back to the fighting

Gum Gum Rocket

"What's that, some kind of balloon?"

"No you idiot, it's straw hat Luffy"

"He's fatter than I expected" one comments, as the air from Gear 3rd was currently being held in his chest cavity/ribs.

"Open fire" the captain orders, clearly not getting the memo that guns don't work on the rubber kid

"Nice try but my Bone Balloon is too strong for such small fire" Luffy scoffs, then focuses on Lucci before stretching his leg up and directing the air into it

Giant Axe

The attack, while not enough to sink the ship, sure messed it up and knocked a good amount of it's crew off the ship, however it completely missed Lucci, who leap onto the mast in order to be within range, before poncing, shifting into his full beast form mid jump so he could bite down on the rubber boy when they collided.

Screaming in pain Luffy pulls back the air into his torso, causing it to bloat and push Lucci away, who returns to human form just before landing once more on the mast, blood dripping down his chin

Giant Whip

With all the masts broken the battleship was pretty much screwed, Lucci being as fast as he was, much less so, able to easily dodge the attack and once more began peppering the boy with Tobu Shigan "Seems this new power of yours, while a good strength enhancer, comes at the cost of your speed, and without that, you don't stand a chance against me" the leopard man taunts/critiques, just before kicking Luffy down onto the deck

Rankyaku: Gaicho

The strike cut a deep gash into the ship, even cleaving through the solid iron plating, but Luffy managed to dodge in the nick of time, by releasing Gear 3rd, using the air to push himself out of harm's way. This was a mixed blessing as it meant he ended up flying away like a balloon that had the air let out of it, just in time to avoid being blown up when the Vice Admirals decided to fire on the ship they'd been fighting on. I mean it was only 1,000 men who's going to miss them?

"Wow, that was way too close" Luffy sighs, not in his mini form "Are they really that stupid to fire on each other? See, this is why I never listened to Gramps about becoming a marine, they're all idiots" he thinks aloud "Gear 3rd was pretty cool but the side effects, not fun. I'm probably going to be stuck like this for about a minute given I used 3rd for that long, so I better hide before he finds me" the rubber boy says to himself before running off to hide somewhere in the rubble

'Was that a side effect or some kind of joke?' Lucci wonders as he uses Gepo to return to the bridge "Well, either way he's still alive, after all that it would have been boring for a simple cannon attack to take him out I suppose" he muses, using his enhances senses to locate the shrunken pirate

Over on the bridge

"Mom, Pops, can I keep the elephant?" Artemis asks, seemingly unaffected by the battleship bombardment

"It's already on your back sweetie" Robin points out "It's a little late to ask"

"You should have waited until we got back to Water 7, then said 'It followed me home, can we keep him?' I doubt even Nami could say no at that point " Kaos teases, backhanding a marine into the water as they walk down the steps toward the boat

"Hey kid, is now really the time, also are none of you worried even a little about Straw Hat? The ship he was on got blown the fuck up" Franky asks

Artemis shakes her head and smiles "I'm not worried, because Papa isn't worried. He can detect Devil fruits and people with Devil fruits" the artist explains

"Holy crap, that's a thing?"

"Indeed, Aolkiji even confirmed it, seemed amused there was and I quote 'A sensor from the East Blue' when we ran into him a week ago, which is good enough for me" Robin explains "So, what exactly do we need to do to this ship to make it capable of surviving a Buster Call?"

Back with Luffy

Bang

Crash

"Damn it, he sniffed me out" Luffy groans, still waiting for for his timer to end so he could fight again, a problem Lucci clearly didn't have

"So that power of yours takes as much as it gives, seems like a fair trade especially if your attacks had been successful. After all great power always comes with a great cost" Lucci notes, before slimming down significantly

Life Return: Kami-e Bushin

Shigan

Luffy grunts as Lucci impales him with his claws, slamming him into the wall hard enough to leave a crater

"Time to give up brat, if you continue this farce I'll be forced to…" he stops mostly out of shock when Luffy punches him, though in his current form it wasn't even a slap. It was a metaphorical spit in the face though, as Lucci grits his teeth and shoves Luffy deeper into the wall so he was pretty much imbedded, then jumps back

"Shit, I can't move, this is bad" Luffy thinks aloud as he squirms and wriggles

"I apologise, but I'm going to kill you now in that puny form" Lucci says, sounding at least honest, as well as a little disappointed

Shigan: Madara

...well he tried, mid way through he stumbled and nearly fell, stopping mid way between where he'd started and Luffy 'Damn it, that first Bone Balloon attack, it did more damage to me than I thought. Fuck, it had to be my legs, I could probably ignore a rib or 2 but this will be a problem' the agent thinks, just a Luffy finally manages to pull himself out of the wall, normal size again

"Seems 3rd was worth it, I messed you up pretty badly didn't I?" Luffy asks, half tauntingly, seeing Lucci's wince and grimace a minute ago

"So, that over the top fighting style you were using, it wasn't just fun and games then, interesting. But it'll take more than tricks to beat a master at all 6 Rokushiki techniques" Lucci declares "In order to use them, their body must be powerful enough to sustain them"

"Why do you keep telling me things like I'm supposed to care?" Luffy shouts in response, running straight at the leopard man, his punch blocked by a kick before he's forced to dodge another Rakyaku: Gaicho.

In the tunnel

Given 5 of the current 10 straw hats in the tunnel were Devil fruit users, it isn't surprising that the group as a whole weren't fairing too well within a submerged tunnel system, simply being carried by the water with a very limited amount of air still in their lungs, hope was nearly lost for the few still conscious until…

"No need to worry, I'm not going to let you die down here" a melodious voice coos, before the crew find themselve caught in something, which then proceeds to pull them along through the water

'I've got to be hallucinating, but I guess a cute mermaid girl is a nice final image before I drown' Sanji thinks, seeing a pink tail flick in and out of his vision

"I'm swimming as fast as I can, none of you are going to die on my watch!" The dream was broken for all of them as Kokoro shouts, her tail beating as fast as she could make it, as well as a shocked gasp from the non-Devil fruit users, not exactly helping their situation there.

Back with Robin and company

"And stay out!" Franky shouts, him and Kaos having managed to clear out most of the ship that had been meant to bring Robin to marine headquarters, the cyborg laughing as he watches the grunts swim away in terror… honestly that razor wire thing probably would have worried him if the lanky bastard had been on the marine's instead of their side

"That's all of them Mr. Franky" Artemis chirps happily

"Just Franky kid, and good to know, now all we need to do is find and round up the others, hopefully Luffy will have beaten or else given Lucci the slip by then" Franky explains, watching Robin and Kaos look for the wheel, or whatever method is used to control this particular vessel (in their/my defense, Merry used a pole with a sheep on the top).

"They're almost here, so keep an eye out Franky" Kaos shouts, not seeing the bluenette nod but the yell did bring both of them out to see the commission

"DON'T YOU DIE ON ME NOW!"

"WHAAAAAAAAA!"

"That's…" Robin gasps

"The crazy old lady from the train station" Kaos supplies, getting an elbow to the ribs

"I was going to say a mermaid, but yes I believe that is that Kokoro woman" the archaeologist agrees

"Are they saggy because she's old or because she's a mermaid and the water should be holding them up?" Artemis asks, causing coughing fits in the 2 men and a sigh from Robin

"Age kiddo, but that's not important right now, getting the others to wake up is" she orders, snapping Franky and Kaos out of their moments, and in turn moving to assist Kokoro with getting the rest of the crew to regain consciousness. Understandably Robin and Kaos started with the Devil fruit users, while the other 3 kind of just started shaking people, eh, same end result: many fountains of water and coughing straw hats as they greedily sucked in air.

"Ok, everyone seems to be breathing and mildly conscious" Robin says, sighing in relief

"Any injuries sustained during this rescue incident were probably made worse by whatever the fuck happened but this was necessary" Kaos muses, again NOT the ship doctor "Speaking of…"

"Tunnel sprung a leak or something either way there was a tidal wave inside the structure. We all got swept up in it" Kokoro explains

"You have flippers for feet" Artemis points out, now the others were as safe as they could make them the 'mermaid' had all her attention

"That I do little lady" Kokoro replies, then see's Robin "There you are, the girl that all this fuss is over. Pirate King boy may not be here but everyone else is so I count that as a rescue half complete. When I met you all back at the terminal I'd never of suspected you had the strength or willpower to actually pull something like this off, but now, I'm really quite impressed" she chuckles, as the Straw hats start to come to, and see a still mostly topless Kokoro, shells covering the important parts

"It wasn't a nightmare!" Usopp shrieks

"Looks like they were right, mermaid sightings really are dugong while delirious" Zoro grumbles

"Shut up asshole and stop killing my fantasies. She didn't even claim to be a mermaid" Sanji growls, glaring murderously as the back of the swordsman's head.

"Specifically I'm an icefish mermaid" Kokoro decides to admit

"Shut up!" the cook cries

"Sanji, mermaids age like regular people, an old mermaid will look the same as a old lady, just with a tail instead of legs" Kaos sighs, not that he was going to even think about looking in Kokoro's direction until Franky or one of the others give the all clear.

"Also for the record, once a mermaid reaches the age of about 30, her tail splits in two and she can walk on land like a regular human. If you guys manage to survive long enough to make it to Fishman island you'll see exactly what I mean" kokoro says, while continuing to laugh at Sanji's mental collapse.

"Ah, fuck that tumble really didn't do much for my legs" Vivi whimpers, getting grimaces from some of the more aware crewmates

"Damn, that… wait who did you fight?" Zoro asks

"The hair guy" Kaya coughs ["Attention pirates, my hair will now capture you" Really wish I'd thought of that joke like a month ago :(]

"Kumadori" Nami adds, then her brain catches up to her on where she is, and alongside Chopper the 2 tackle hug Robin "Are you hurt, did those bastards do anything to you?"

"Any damage done to me has been paid in full with interest by Spandam courtesy of Kaos. I'm actually most likely the least injured person here, after Artemis so really my injuries should low priority" she assures them, as well as a still sitting Kaya (she was going to need to work on repairing her relationship with the young medic)

"Damn, these marines clearly known what 'Scorched Earth' is" Valentino mutters half jokingly

"I can see why even the thought of a Buster Call scares you" Victor adds, directed as Robin who nods "This is some messed up stuff"

"Yeah, but they also seem to rather notably be ignoring where Robin is supposed to be, otherwise they'd have already destroyed the bridge by now" Franky notes "Guess they plan to capture her and take her in once they're finished with the rest of Ennis Lobby"

"You don't, or I suppose more accurately can't use a battleship to take someone in alive, so they'll probably be letting off hand to hand units once their current objective is complete" Sanji agrees

"Which is bad, given most of us are mildly screwed after taking out CP9" Alvida adds, checking on Vivi "Also, where the Hell is Luffy?"

"Last I saw, on the first tower of the bridge" Franky answers, getting a nod from Kaos to pretty much confirm their captain was still there "Him and that pigeon guy"

"So, should we go help him?" Usopp asks

"No, against Rob Lucci we'd just get in the way" Kaos states, now sitting on the deck with his arms crossed

"Even you?" Nami teases, surprised by the nod

"Most likely yes, I'd probably be able to distract him, but if I'm being honest, Luffy works best alone when he can just focus on the fight and not worry about allies or things to defend. All we can do is wait here, and make sure there's somewhere for him to run to when he's done"

"You're keeping an eye on the situation though, right?" Robin whispers to him

"Of course I am. He may be my captain, but he'll always be my little brother" the purplette chuckles

"Things are about to get worse before they get better," Valentina sighs, preparing to fight.

"The ship is ready to go, all that's missing is Luffy" Nami announces "He's still holding his own, right?"

"The captain is fine, a little beat up but we all are at this point" the researcher answers, standing up and considering joining in on the bridge, but the 4 (Franky, Zoro, Sanji, Ussop) seemed to be more than enough for cannon fodder and it was probably a good idea to have a 2nd line for them to fall back to if things go south. Such as right now given what just came over the Den Den's

"This is a report from the main island's front gate. We have collected and accounted for all personnel from Enies Lobby, during which about 50 pirates as well as the 2 mutinous giants were located attempting to flee the island via the northwest gate. We hit them with a full barrage, all targets are believed to be eliminated. In the island's current condition the chances of survival are minimal. Report, the number of survivors on Enise Lobby are 0"

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

"Galley La, and the Franky Family" Vivi gasps

"Oimo and Kashi" Usopp whimpers, tears leaking out of his mask

"Yokozuna too, I know he wouldn't have abandoned them so he must have been taken out too" Kokoro states, her tone sad even if her face seemed unable to make that expression

"That means Sodem and Gomorra are dead too" Chopper cries, lying on the deck of the ship

Robin didn't know any of the Franky Family or Galley La, but they had helped her crew get this far, so turned to Kaos, whose face was expressionless for once "Ready the cannon" this caused actual cracks to form a smile across his cheeks, his lips still held in an straight line

"I don't know how many times I can use it" he warns

"I don't care, and I doubt you do right now either" Robin snaps

"You've got me there"

"If we're going down…" Valentina declares

"...we're taking as many of them with us as we can" Victor finishes

"This is Battleship 2, the Tower of Law as well as the underground passages connecting it to the Bridge of Hesitation have both been destroyed. This along with the general leveling of the island, means the only remaining structures are the Bridge itself"

Over with Luffy

Luffy pants heavily, forcing his body to enter Gear 2nd, and having menial success "This is the last time, I'm not going to stop until I beat you" he says

"Don't kid yourself, your body can't take much more of this, keep using that technique and you'll die" Lucci scoffs

"I don't care, if I die stopping you from taking my friends from me, then so be it" Luffy states just as his skin starts to pink and steam.

Jet Pistol

Gepo

'Damn it, he jumped back so he wouldn't take the full force of the blow' Luffy grimaces, before having to dodge several Shigan coming from his side, bobbing and weaving before catching a punch from Lucci with his hand, so he knew the leopard couldn't dodge a...

Jet Bullet

...right in his ribs, throwing him back and disorientating him enough for another direct hit, this time

Jet Shotgun

This attack leaving fist shaped imprints in Lucci's chest, and probably the rumble he'd been thrown through if it hadn't shattered on impact

'Damn it, this kid is making me go all out. I'm going to have to go to my limit and use the secret technique to end this' Lucci thinks as he shakilly pulls himself to his feet, leaping towards a charging Luffy, his clenched fists just shy of touching his chest when he unleashes it

ROKUOGAN

"That, was like an impact dial from skypiea" Luffy wheezes, thinking aloud "only a lot more painful, so maybe that's what it feels to take a Reject to the chest" he didn't really have much time to think it over as Lucci took less time to recover from using the Rokuogan

Rakyaku: Gaicho

On the actual bridge

"Luffy's not going to die, is he?" Usopp asks

"Did you hit your head again while I wasn't looking, because I know you can't be that stupid" Zoro retorts

"There's no need to be so rude"

"He means Luffy won't die here long nose" Alvida translates "you shouldn't think so negatively about the captain, it's bad manners for a pirate" she adds, just as the battleships begin to converge on the bridge

BANG

"What are those idiots doing now?" Vivi moans, not able to see from the boat

"The 1st support has been cut off" announced one of the marines on the Den Den

"Oh no, if only the kid was made of rubber or something he could just bounce to freedom" Kaos sighs "We're not going to die surrounded by these morons"

"Rob Lucci and Straw Hat Luffy are both inside the support column. All ships converge on the bridge, on the vessel we're located 14 pirates, including Pirate Hunter Zoro, Nico Robin, Mirror Master Kaos and the Artist of Death Artemis. We believe these to be the criminals who defeated CP9 in the Tower or Law,"

"I don't know if I should be happy or annoyed to not be important enough to recognise" Alvida huffs

"They're going to try kill us anyway, feel free to be as pissed off as you like" Robin responds "Any chance?"

"I know"

Himawari Kyannon

"Yeah, recoil's a bitch. I'm going to be leaving this island with broken arms, which sucks" the researcher sighs, annoyed that the side on attack did notably less damage than head on.

"Hey guys, look over there!" Usopp shouts, pointing to the wrecked support pillar, the wall being destroyed meaning the could finally see Luffy again as well as Lucci, both clearly starting to reach their limit "Hey Luffy!" he calls, trying to get his attention "We made it!"

"Everyone made it to the bridge safe and sound, little banged up but they'll live" Franky adds

"We even rescued Robin and Artemis. Beat this pussy cat so we can get out of here!" Sanji shouts, his side objective successful when Lucci scowls just as Luffy smiles, his friends were alive and Robin had been rescued, everything was going according to plan.

"Now, we just need to figure out how to hold off this many marines while he deals with Lucci" Zoro says to the rest of the crew

'To the 200 elite captain and commanders, eliminate these criminals immediately, all lower ranked soldiers remain on the ship' was heard from the ships

"200!" Ussop screams "We can't deal with that many all at once, especially if they're all at least as strong as that Smoker guy from Loguetown and Alabasta"

"The fact they're trying to overwhelm us with numbers, just means they're afraid of what we can do. If they didn't think we were a threat they'd have sent one guy, or even a handful of lieutenants" Zoro argues, trying to reassure or at least relight the sniper's confidence, helped by the fact he did believe throwing so many high ranked men against so few enemies showed how powerful they thought they were.

"Nami, you Robin, Vivi and Kaya can hold the ship right?" Alvida asks, the question returning a smirk to the researcher's face as well as a determined grin on the V's

"I guess, where are you going?" the navigator asks, not quite connecting the dots just yet

"Making sure the boys don't have all the fun, and more importantly, not letting those bastards get anywhere near this ship" the smooth woman explains/declares, hopping off the ship and back onto the bridge's platform, Kaos, Valentina and Victor following swiftly after.

"Destroy them!" came the apparent battle cry "Capture Nico Robin and bring her in!" as the captain lept from the battleships onto the Bridge of Hesitation

"Not a chance, not after all the shit we had to go through to get her back" Zoro growls before putting Wado in his mouth

"Send all the goons you want, we'll break 'em really good" Franky smirks as he opens up his cannon arm

Weapons Left

"We don't have time for single combat, take out as many as you can" Kaos shouts, Hebi lancing a couple before deciding on something else

Combo move: Subarashī hinotama

After ensuring he wasn't about to get incinerated Usopp turns and smiles behind his mask "Those Dial gloves working how you wanted them?"

Valentina grins "Almost perfect, but really as imitations go I couldn't ask for better" she replies, before making a hand gesture and flicking her arm behind her, sending a couple captains flying off the bridge

Fūton: Daitoppa

"That's what I call Super there Val, keep knocking them off like that and we might actually be able to get this done" Franky cheers, knocking a handful of captains away with his chain arm

Not wanting to be outdone Usopp aims up at some of the still falling/leaping marines "Feast your eyes upon my crowd control techniques"

Sunflower Star

"For so called captains these guys only have their numbers going for them, they're all weak" Zoro complains "Not to steal a line from mirror eyes, but I'm almost bored fighting these weaklings" until a large man with a axe steps in his path "Ooh a broadaxe, but can you use it?" he taunts, blocking a strike with 2 swords "Ok, now I'm invested again, thanks" he smirks around Wado, the smile growing when the man began to spin like a top while swinging the axe, it pushed him back a little, but that didn't mean he was in any danger. Like the rest he went down in one hit, but at least it was one of his usual finishers for a change.

Oni Giri

"Anyone seen Sanji?" Alvida wonders aloud, glad her fruit kept her clean as otherwise she'd once more be covering in blood and viscera like back on Whisky peak

"Not since the battleships showed up, and he isn't like you or me so tracking him is out of the question" Kaos replies, spinning his Firedance Rathmaul and severing a sword wielding commander's arm, the heat from the blades cauterising the wounds 'Oh I've missed using one of these'

"Of all the times to piss off it's now" the mace wielder groans

Thunderbolt tempo

ZAP

"Guess we missed a few" Victor sighs "At least that explosion means Nami and the others are holding their own"

"Yeah, seems our little staff wielding thief has got some ranged side options"

Clutch

"Boom, broken spine!" Artemis cheers alongside Chimney as Robin takes out a handful of marines

"Keep it up big boobied pirate lady!"

"Stay off the ship!" Vivi shouts, her wires doing damage to anyone who manages to dodge Nami's thunderbolts, before either Robin or Kaya take them down

In the tower

"So, your friends ARE still alive, sometimes things can even surprise me" Lucci hums, before the fight resumes, Luffy going all out just as much as he was "Seems you really are on your last legs, that blood pumping technique seems to be losing it's edge, guess it only multiples your base strength so as you weaken so does it" he taunts even as Luffy's punches become blurs to anyone who could see them right now "It's pointless to struggle, you never stood a chance in the first place, not against me, and certainly not the World Government. Face the facts"

Jet Axe

Lucci leaps into the air to dodge then rains down Rankyakus on Luffy who punches back in response "I don't care if this island burns, I will chase that woman to the ends of the earth as long as she's wanted by the World Government. I'll never stop chasing her and there's not a damn thing you can do to stop me, that is the meaning of Dark Justice"

"You won't be chasing anyone ever again, because I'm going to stop you right here right now!" Luffy declares

Jet Stamp

Another wall collapses and Luffy grimaces, then eyes widen in shock as Lucci is once more in his face

ROKUOGAN

Luffy hits the ground like a comet, Lucci landing with a touch more grace but the recoil/toll using the King gun was clear in his body language and stance, it was unlikely he had enough in him to use it a 3rd time. Which was why he was shocked to see Luffy pull himself to his feet, (even if he did drop back to his knees a moment later body) still steaming in Gear 2nd, having thought at the very least he would have knocked the rubber brat out of his power up. Still, it didn't look like he was going to last much longer, this fight was as good as over…

"LUFFY!"

TBC

LW: Yeah, I'm gonna be a dick and end it here, eh we're almost done so I'm sure everything should be fine. This arc is most likely going to be one more chapter so definitely come back next time to see Enise Lobby end.

I'd like to state here, all the Vice Admirals introduced in this arc, can go die in a fire. Just fuck them all!