Chapter 146: Descending Doom!

Vice Admiral Garp, Don Quixote Doflamingo and Bartholomew Kuma

"What the hell!" Garp yelled, crushing a bag of rice crackers in his large fist. The vice admiral was currently sitting by the desk of his friend, and current fleet admiral Sengoku, when the news had come bursting into the room by means of an out of breath and visibly shaken petty officer. Who right now was trembling under the force of the vice admirals Conqueror's Haki, and the intense stare coming of Sengoku.

Reaching over and snatching the paper from Garp's hands, the fleet admiral groaned as the name 'straw hat' bounced right off the page. Yet, whilst the teenage boys crime was a mere assault of a world noble, reading on Sengoku blanched at the mention of 'brutal dismemberment', 'public murder' and 'bifurcation' of CP-0 agents: Ran Hijong and Dabur Fi. "How new is this?" Sengoku roared, making the messenger flinch.

"The news came no longer than ten minutes ago. Saint Flavian and the two agents were brutally murdered by the 'Sword' herself, in a public street full of civilians and lowers ranked pirates. Whereas Saints Roswell, Shalria and Charlie's were assaulted by the devil fruit power of 'straw hat' Luffy in the human shop". Both Garp and Sengoku both scowled at the audacity of both involved parties to do this at this point in time.

"Damn it! Why now of times! We need our tops forces here".

"Let me handle this. Get me in contact with the team we have assembled outside the ruined Auction House, the 'Dark King' will have to be let go for right now. I'll take Kizaru with me, and arrest my scallywag of a grandson, and fight off my brothers emir", Garp stood up and pulled a transponder snail from his jacket pocket before speaking into the shell receiver.

"Kizaru, meet me down by the docks. We're going to help reduce Senny's blood pressure by hunting down those pirates on Sabaody who attacked and killed celestial dragons". The slow lethargic voice of the aforementioned admiral responded with "aye. I'll be there in five". Just as Garp was about to make his exit, the office door was thrown wide open revealing the grinning face of Don Quixote Doflamingo and the neutral expression of Bartholomew Kuma blocking his way.

"I hear you are going hunting... we'll be accompanying you, if you don't mind. Vice Admiral". Doflamingo cackled maniacally. "Fine come along if you wish. But don't forget who your allies are, pirate" Garp growled, shoving his way past the two warlords and out of the room. "Don't worry Senny. It's not good for your heart", he laughed over his shoulder. "The last person I want to hear that from is you!" Sengoku frustratingly yelled back, as the door swung closed.

Meeting up with Kizaru on the deck of the navy warship was a stark reminder of just how hated the pirates were in the eyes of the marines. Borsalino Kizaru was hardly an aggressive man, lacking enough motivation and energy at the best of times to defend justice and order, but in this moment Garp saw a quiet rage boiling within the admirals eyes. Pulling a faded photograph from his pocket, Garp stared at the three young boys sitting on a tree stump, arms wrapped around each other and grinning ear to ear. A blond top hat and a chipped tooth and two dark haired boys; one freckled and the other wearing his trademark straw hat.

"This is all my fault?" the old man muttered, holding g the photo close to his chest. "Did I push you boys too hard, or not hard enough..." Garp's throat seized a bit as a single tear rolled down his cheek. "Everything I've done... I'm alone. My son fights me. My brother is an emperor of the sea. You boys fight me. Now look at the trouble you're in. One of you is a revolutionary, One of you is at death's door. And the other... This... This is why couldn't you have listened to me". He placed the photo back into his jacket pocket and then headed up to the helms deck, where the admiral and warlords were standing. "Set sail for Sabaody! Our targets are Maris Cajun, the 'sword' and 'straw hat' Luffy".

Meanwhile, back on Sabaody, the two StrawHats groups had met up back at shaky's bar wherein they were told that several navy battleships being observed departing Marineford for Sabaody. "They are most definitely coming for you now straw hat, and Maris Cajun", Shaky explained. "You should head back to your ship, that part of the archipelago is relatively unexplored and won't be easily discovered". The half of the crew that had been with Luffy freeing Camie from potential slavery, all looked blank at the other name.

"Who is Maris Cajun?" Usopp and Chopper asked, "and why is she wanted by the marines?" Added Suki. Before Shaky could inform them, Franky spoke up, "me, Robin, Zoro, Usopp, Chopper and Brook all went and had drinks in a cafe. It was there that we saw a fight between two of the supernovas; Kidd and Apoo abruptly ended by the arrival of a woman that the civilians called 'the sword'. This woman tuned out to be Maris Cajun, a subordinate of the Dragon King, who went on and humiliated the two supernovas, killed two Cipher Pol agents and then brutally killed a celestial dragon in full view of everyone in the street".

A small sandstorm suddenly erupted in Vivi's hands coating Usopp and Sanji in sand. "One of the dragon king's enforcers was here?" The princess snarled, "I should have gone with you... I could have gotten even".

Vivi didn't let up her grumbling and growling at missing her chance of inflicting a semblance of revenge against the Dragon King for her father's murder and Alabasters fall to the World Republic. "Should have been there... I'll make him pay", with just a few of the angry musings Robin and Nami overheard the princess muttering, there were more but most were so vulgar and expletive that the archeologist and navigator had to permanently have their hands over Suki's ears to keep her from hearing such crude language.

The straw hats left the bar and headed back towards the Sunny, in its hidden location of Grove 41. They had also left Hachi, Camie and Papagu with Shaky as Luffy and Zoro felt that it was safer for the fishman, mermaid and starfish to not be seen with the pirates for a little while. Along the way they had beaten up a small contingent of bounty hunters that had attempted to capture them for their collective bounties and for safe travels off of Sabaody but unfortunately the opponents were soundly defeated but the just as the crew was about to move on, two shapes leapt deon from the branches of the mangroves in front of them. "Uncle Kizaru! Will you please get serious!"

Quickly, Zoro and Sanji dashed forwards and managed to land a few hits on the tall shadowy creature only then to be hurled away by a powerful gust of wind created by a short stocky man wielding a giant axe. Taking the holt of his sword cane, Brook launched himself at the man "12 Verse Humming: Aero Naught Slash!" Yet instead of any damage being inflicted, the man swung his axe in an arc over his head and brought it swinging down straight into Brooks chest, breaking the skeleton apart, and sending bones flying everywhere.

"You will not break my resolve pirates! I'll hold you off, whilst my uncle defeats the boy captain!" The man yelled. Luffy, boiling with rage at seeing Brook scattered across the forest floor, and being belittled, clicked his fingers making a concentrated pulse of darkness appear at his finger tips. "Dark Bullet!" Pointing his extended index and middle fingers forward, a shot of black burst forth and raced towards the man, but was deflected by the axe.

Just then the other guy, tall wearing a white coat with the word 'justice' written on his back as in sunglasses landed in the ground. Taking a fighting pose, the man raised both hands and unleashed two laser blasts from each hand, making the other straw hats dodge for cover as the beams set alight the surrounding mangrove trees and grassland. From his position next to Suki, Chopper felt an unbridled desire to protect his friends surge through his being; and without even realising it his reindeer body transformed into its giant rumble form, and then charged at the laser firing man. Lost in a haze of rage and love.

Usopp stood rooted to the spot, his eyes fixed on the massive transformed form of Chopper battling the now realised Afmiral Kizaru. "If only Chopper had this power back at Thriller Bark, we could have fought back against Kuma..." the sniper muttered. It was then that he felt Franky nudge him, "we need to run, Chopper's covering out escape, as are the captain, vice captain and chef!" Slowly nodding his head, Usopp lifted Suki onto his back, much to the young girls annoyance, and ran hurried after Vivi and Nami. Franky, Brook and Robin were with him; Luffy, Sanji and Zoro were behind, covering the retreat against the axman's strikes.

"Sentomaru... I have to leave, I've gotten a location on Maris Cajun", the Admiral spoke, the dulcet tones surprising the straw hats. "I'll use the Yata Mirror..." Kizaru uttered, before suddenly turning into a beam of light and zigzagging away through the trees.

"And where do you think you're going?" The group had been about to cross the stone bridge over a causeway leading down towards the hidden cove where the Sunny was secreted away, yet standing in the middle of the bridge was a man dressed in white grey trousers, a white dress shirt and pink feather coat stood the voice that some remembered hearing at the end of their trip in Skypiea.

"I've been so looking forward to meeting you! You in particular, my dear Nico Robin!" Vivi and Nami flittered their eyes towards the archeologist, preparing to accuse her of betrayal but instead saw Robin narrow her eyes at the man before them, cross her arms and manifest a huge 'flower-flower' "giganto mano" to slap the mans away. "Leave me alone! I told you years ago that I was done with you, Doflamingo!"

Having their trust in their friend reinforced, Usopp raised his sniper rifle and fired off a "fire star", only to be suddenly afflicted by a sense of numbness and fear as a force compelled him to turn around and point his rifle at his friends. "What the hell are you doing!" Franky railed before being shot in the stomach, "I-I thought we were friends..." he muttered as dropped to his knees. "Nnnnnhaha" Doflamingo laughed as he watched his puppet fire upon its friends. "Guys... help me! I can't control my body!" Usopp cried, tears falling down his face.

As he prepared to use his puppet again, Doflamingo became aware of a sudden mass rapidly approaching. Jumping out of the way, he managed to dodge a series of cannon balls flinging out of a black hole and exploding around him. "Ha! Luffy got him!" Usopp yelled, feeling the force leave his body and rushing back to Franky and wrapping bandages over his friends wound. "Don't be so sure!" Out of the smoke, the feather coat wearing Doflamingo strode forth, horrific wounds all over his body, and yet right before luffy's and the crews eyes, the wounds shrank and closed up.

"People don't call me the Heavenly Demon for nothing! Nothing can kill me, all injuries I receive heal. I have immortality!" Just as Luffy was about to strike out again at the madly grinning death defying man, he caught sight of a familiar person approaching from behind. Accompanied by a tall bear like man carrying a bible.

"...Grandpa?"