Chapter 14: Sheer Cold

Kuzan, better known to the world as Admiral Aokiji, took in the surprise on the faces of the assembled pirates before him with satisfaction. Straw Hat, while amusing and potentially powerful in the years to come, was still nowhere near strong enough to be concerned about. His crew was much the same, ranging the gamut from "interesting" to "not worth a second glance" apart from Nico Robin. And some small, near-insignificant part of his long-since frozen heart acknowledged the care the Straw Hats were showing towards her, and was pleased. But she and they were not his main focus anyways.

Not even those two rather powerful signatures nearby were worth more than a portion of his attention. He didn't know who or what they were, but as long as they stayed out of this he didn't really care. It was one less thing to have to file paperwork over. He disregarded all of that to turn his focus back to Lucas, who had recovered from his shock and was now giving him an uncharitable look.

"You're asking me to come work for you to make up for the crime that you did to me?" As expected, the Pokémon Champion wasn't exactly on board with the offer. Kuzan sighed internally, before turning his head to give the young man and his companions a side-long glance.

"Officially, becoming a Warlord results in a freezing of your current bounty, and any crimes committed before your acceptance being forgiven. Essentially, a blank slate regarding your status."

Lucas wasn't convinced, and the two beings at his side weren't any better.

"I did what I did because your Saint Rhode forced me into a no-win situation." Ah, yes, that. Kuzan had to try extra hard not to grimace as he remembered Vice-Admiral Gion's very, very strongly worded report on that debacle. "Working with your Government is going to make me easily accessible to him and all the other World Nobles, who are just as bad. Why would I put myself into another situation where the options are to obey an unpalatable order or to pit myself against an entire Marine Base?"

"Anything less than a compulsory summons is essentially a suggestion. The biggest ironclad rules are that you don't harm civilians or Marines and that you don't make alliances with other outlaws. Having them as subordinates is fine. The Warlord system is to make sure the Government has an extra defense against the Four Emperors, so having a powerful group such as yours as an ally, even in name only, would be a significant deterrent."

Lucas didn't answer, and Kuzan tilted his head back. It was time to reveal the main thrust of his argument.

"Here's something that you should know, Lucas: Whether for moral or pragmatic reasons, plenty of higher-ups are angry about what happened at G-4. The fact that I'm here should show how much we'd like you on our side again, because normally you would either be receiving a messenger bat or, at most, a visit from another Warlord. Additionally, should you accept this position, I can't think of anyone in the Navy, at least, who would be upset if Saint Rhode were to, I don't know…disappear."

And wasn't that an argument for the ages back at HQ. Aokiji still wasn't sure if he was completely truthful when he said it, but he knew for a fact that if Sengoku gave the order, even the most die-hard of the naysayers would shut up and obey.

Kuzan scratched his head and shook it a bit, pretending to have lost his train of thought. "Sorry, I think I let my mind wander for a minute there. But with all that said, what do you think?"

Lucas had barely been considering the offer before, but Aokiji could tell now that he was looking at it through a new lens. They were offering to give him back as much freedom as they could while also offering revenge.

He clearly didn't trust the Government, and likely never would as long as the World Nobles held power. But he had nothing against the Navy as a whole, based on his experiences thus far…

"I hope you don't mind, but I want to confer with my team," he said.

Kuzan shrugged. "I was told not to come back without an answer, so the longer you take, the better for me," he drawled, letting his natural laziness leak into his speech once again. "I'd appreciate the extra nap time, at least."

-o-

Absolutely not. Gardevoir's opinion on the matter was direct and merciless. Serving the World Government in any capacity is not in our best interests.

We'd set up a small "council area" a decent distance away from the others, using Torterra's geokinesis to lift up some low stone walls to prevent casual eavesdropping (though not tall enough to make Aokiji suspicious). Even so, we kept our discussion as quiet and restrained as we could, even with the rather daunting choice in front of us.

And yet, I returned silently, We wouldn't have to follow anything but the most serious of orders. And a lot of the restrictions that come with being outlaws would be handled, lack of resources most of all. For all that Dragon had promised his aid, he'd made no bones about how the odds were stacked against the Revolutionary Army. His operatives were in large part geared towards stealth, subterfuge, and sabotage, with only a few real heavy hitters available. The World Government, on the other hand… For all my desire to stick with our current outlaw status, I couldn't deny that my declaration of war back at G-4 was… perhaps a little premature.

The fact that Gardevoir could only frown in response gave the argument even more weight, because she was even more against the Government than I was.

It is… disconcerting, Lucario commented, brow furrowed, How willing they are to discard one of their World Nobles for the sake of our allegiance.

I think it's kind of a relief, honestly. Enough people at the top of the chain care about doing the right thing or the smart thing instead of catering to the whims of someone like Rhode.

Crobat hissed, bringing two of his wings together and then snapping them apart.

Of course it wouldn't end well, I nodded. But at best, accepting could buy us the time, reach, and resources to find a way back home, and maybe make some more friends and allies along the way.

Crobat tilted his head to one side.

And… I do miss them. It would be nice to see Tashigi and Smoker again, without having to worry about them having to try and arrest us. Even Bentham, for all his eccentricities, was a good guy, and surprisingly insightful as well.

I suppose… At worst, Gardevoir said reluctantly, We will have more insight into the Government's capabilities.

Houndoom growled, shaking her head and barking quietly. While usually she wasn't able to hear Gardevoir's telepathy, Lucario's Aura-based communications weren't as restricted, and he was relaying our words to her. Her own intentions, though, were pretty clear.

Yeah…that probably is what they're thinking, too, I conceded. I looked back in Kuzan's direction, my eyes narrowing. Battlefield reports and secondhand accounts from G-4 could only go so far when it came to knowledge on us. Not just on my team, but on my home, too.

Vaporeon yipped a bit, moving his head to and fro and gesturing back towards the shore.

That's another good point, Lucario conceded with a frown. If they don't know what we've been up to since G-4, the information could benefit more than just us.

The fact that they're offering the position in the first place is pretty telling, I commented. If they knew who exactly found us, the Government would've sent a closed fist instead of an open hand.

I nodded as I looked back over my shoulder, visualizing Kuzan on the other side of the rock wall. Houndoom growled again, a different tone that had most of us straightening. I turned back to them, and a smirk slowly grew on my face.

Well, he did say he wouldn't leave without an answer. If he's here to try coercing us…why don't we see who'll be coercing who in the end? What do you think?

Torterra was the first to respond…with a petulant grumble that set the rest of us wincing.

"I'm sorry, Torterra," I said aloud, rubbing his head. "We can get some sparring in with the Straw Hats before we go, how about that?"

Torterra nodded slowly.

Accepting this would likely mean much less chance to go stir-crazy, one way or the other, Gardevoir admitted.

-o-

Luffy's tears had only just started to dry when the rest of the Straw Hats returned to the Going Merry without Lucas. And all of them looked disturbed.

"Ace, you're supposed to be one of the strongest members of the Whitebeard Pirates, right?" Usopp asked.

"…Yes?" Ace asked curiously.

"So, are you the kind of person who would challenge an Admiral for fun?"

He raised an eyebrow. "If I couldn't get out of it, I'd probably try to enjoy it, but for fun? No. Where did that question come from?"

The answer came as a sudden cold gust of wind billowed out, accompanied by some explosions echoing from inside the island.

"…Icy." Ace stared at the glacier for a moment longer. "I think I can figure it out."

~o~

The walls lowered, and Lucas returned Torterra, Vaporeon, and Crobat as he walked back over. All present noticed that he did not return Houndoom and that the two bipedal members of his team were still hovering nearby.

"Your offer is a tempting one, Admiral. And if there are as few strings attached as you said, I think I might accept." The Straw Hats tensed, and Aokiji opened his mouth to reply, but Lucas instantly raised his hand, forestalling any response. "Do note, this isn't me taking back anything I've said earlier. I still hate the World Nobles, and I will still go against any World Government oppression that I find. And some of what the Navy has done sickens me to the core. But the Marines I personally know have been good to me, even when forced to go against my actions. I will never submit to the World Government. But the good, honorable parts of your Navy? Them I can work with."

Aokiji's expression had gotten progressively stonier as Lucas spoke, until he sighed and slumped over. "Surprisingly, that's not the worst acceptance speech we've gotten for a Warlord position."

And then Lucas held up a finger. "However, I still have some conditions. A talk with your Fleet Admiral, for one."

The Admiral raised a brow as he straightened back up. "That can be arranged. The Fleet Admiral is a busy man, but I could arrange a call right now if you wished."

"I'd prefer in person, away from your headquarters if possible." Lucas crossed his arms with a stern look. "I've got some questions I'd rather not be overheard, and I'm not going to just put myself in the middle of your most secure base to do it."

Aokiji shrugged. "A little more troublesome, but I'll see what can be done." Sengoku definitely wouldn't like it, but the chance to get this man and his companions on their side, even nominally, might be enough to sway him. "Anything else?"

"Battle me."

The Straw Hats started, and Kuzan's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

Lucas smirked cheekily. "According to Gion, you're one of the best fighters that this world has to offer. I want to see that power for myself. I'll use half of my team against you, and you can go as hard as you need to."

Aokiji stared and kept staring. This was not the outcome he'd expected. "So, if I'm understanding you right, you're challenging me…for fun?"

"Pretty much, yeah." The young man shrugged, as if he was merely asking for a favor, as opposed to challenging one of the Navy's greatest weapons to a fight. "Where I come from, battling is as casual a greeting as shaking hands." His grin widened. "Besides, you'll be able to take an assessment of our strength back to your boss. I know they've been wanting an accurate one of those for a while."

The Admiral sighed and shook his head. "You know, I was hoping this wouldn't come to a fight. I forgot to consider the kind of culture you come from. But, if that's what you want…"

Lucas just kept smiling as Houndoom reared her head back and howled. The temperature immediately rose as the sunlight intensified, evaporating all clouds in sight. At the same time, Gardevoir levitated a strange iron ring into view behind her head, a pair of shotels sliding out of it and into her hands. Lucario, paws burning with Aura, looked back at the Straw Hats.

You should tell Luffy about this, he said, and some of them started at his voice, but it was Robin who spoke.

"Don't get yourselves killed," she whispered.

Don't worry yourself, Robin, Gardevoir said, her tone tinged with a frightening eagerness. This is just a test of our strength.

~o~

"…Tacking on to what Ace said earlier," Sabo said woodenly. "If you want a good example of someone who would challenge an Admiral for fun, that would be 'Hawk-Eye' Mihawk. When you dedicate your life to hitting the top of the world, and you make it? It's pretty easy to get bored."

A loud rumbling and a rush of cold air heralded the rising of a massive glacier in the distance. Gouts of flame fired out into the air, lingering for a couple of seconds before dissipating away. A moment went by, then two, before another sound, like all the glass in the world was being punched to pieces, rang out, and the glacier fragmented, collapsing under its own weight as parts of it started to break off.

"He's nuts," Usopp concluded, strangling his Kabuto in a white-knuckled grip. "There's no other way to say it! He's insane! He already accepted the Warlord offer! Why go even further?"

Ace blinked, turning away from the battle in the distance. "Wait, he accepted? Really? The Government must've given him one hell of an offer." Like a certain World Noble's head on a platter, or something, based on what Lucas had told him about G-4.

Something about that must've shown on his face, because Nami grimaced. "The Admiral… didn't exactly offer the World Noble up, but what he said…"

"…Was implied to be exactly that," Sabo finished. "I'm surprised, but I think this works out well enough." At everyone else's questioning looks, he shrugged with a sheepish grin. "I'll just say there's a reason I'm not too surprised about why Aokiji's here, and leave it at that until Lucas gets back."

Unnoticed to the others, Robin slowly crossed her arms, silently spawning a pair of eyes and ears closer to the battlefield. She believed in Lucas's team, but Aokiji had been a mainstay of her nightmares for so long… She needed to see it with her own eyes, proof that she'd made the right choice in trusting someone else one more time.

-o-

Candice's Froslass was at the front of my mind almost from the start of the battle. She had been a master of blending into her element, seeming to be one with the ice and snow she summoned. It had been a painful demonstration of how type advantage wasn't everything: Between the abundant projectiles, the cold numbing your senses, and the terrain going from safe to hazardous in an instant, Ice made up for its many weaknesses by being just that disorienting and dangerous.

With Torterra's acute weakness, I had done a lot of practice finding the best ways to dismantle Ice-type opponents. I'd like to say that all of that experience made it so this battle wasn't as hard as it could have been. But a more accurate description would be that all of that experience is the only reason the fight didn't end within sixty seconds.

Because Kuzan wasn't blending into his element. He was ice itself. Which meant one slip-up could mean immediate defeat. The only silver lining was that his powers seemed more literal: he couldn't control cold or snow or even hail, just ice. But that was dangerous enough as it was.

"Ice Time Capsule," the Admiral intoned, now with a distinctly dangerous look in his eye. Then, as fast as blinking, the terrain froze as far as I could see. The fact that Tonjit's house was notably excluded said good things about Kuzan's character, but downright scary things about his control.

My team all evaded the wave of ice in their own ways. Gardevoir's teleportation spoke for itself, and Lucario was able to leap high enough for it not to affect him. Houndoom merely set the ground aflame around her, and the blaze was just enough to slow the ice down. Houndoom still yelped as the ice crept up her front paws, breathing out even more fire to melt them free.

I grimaced at the abrupt drop in temperature, even with Sunny Day active. "Fire Blast! Put some pressure on!"

Enhanced by her Sunny Day, Houndoom's attack roared out, only for Kuzan to dodge in a burst of speed. Lucario darted into his path with an Extremespeed of his own, plunging paws-first into the Admiral's body and shattering it apart.

Kuzan reformed behind Lucario moments later, one hand reaching out. "Ice Time," he said, hand closing around Lucario's shoulder, and my friend howled in pain as the ice quickly started to spread. The admiral's arm was severed by Gardevoir's swords moments later, but the damage was done. Lucario blurred away, staggering to a halt at my side with his entire left arm frozen solid.

Kuzan's arm was already reforming, this time with a large, frozen sword in hand, which he used to bat away Gardevoir's next assault. "Ice Saber," he drawled, letting himself slouch as Gardevoir materialized nearby. "If that's all you can do, I'm disappointed."

I grit my teeth in frustration. Even with Koala's training, I didn't have a chance of taking on someone of this level in a straight fight. That left me with what I could do, supporting my team as only a trainer could. But first… "Oh, you haven't seen anything yet," I snapped. "Let's kick this up a notch! Anti-Logia!"

Houndoom instantly fired off a Shadow Ball, and Kuzan staggered as it caught him in the shoulder. His eyes widened as he grasped at his still-ice body, and he dashed away seconds later with his speed technique to dodge more attacks from Houndoom and Lucario.

Gardevoir's eyes shone gray, and she grinned maliciously as she let Ghost-type energy suffuse the blades of her swords. I hope you're ready, she said, before the swords lashed out, chasing after the admiral like a pair of demented Spearows.

Houndoom started peppering the area around him with Dark Pulses, and I grinned as Kuzan almost seemed to stutter-step once or twice as the Dark-type energy messed with his Haki. Lucario ran in right after, a Shadow Claw covering his one unfrozen arm as he slashed at the off-balance Kuzan. To his credit, the Admiral was handling his sudden vulnerability well, ducking and weaving around the combined efforts of my team despite the small cuts and gashes that started opening on his ice form.

And, of course, he wasn't going to take this lying down. I barely made out the thickening of ice around his body, and had seconds to shout out a warning before the area around Kuzan exploded. Gardevoir's swords were scattered away, and Lucario only escaped thanks to a last-minute use of Detect. All three of my team ended up back near my position, facing Kuzan down as he straightened back up.

"Ice Block: Shell," Kuzan grimaced, tracing one of the cuts across his chest that Gardevoir's still-unnamed sword technique had left behind. The presence of wounds across his fully-transformed ice body was interesting, but something to shelve until later, especially with the look he was giving me. "This is… not Haki, but a similar effect? Circumventing my Logia form, somehow, and attacking my true self. You truly are a dangerous one."

For someone with no experience with the Ghost-type and all of its esoteric nonsense, Kuzan had put together the attacks' effects remarkably quickly. "You're no slouch yourself, you know," I replied, gesturing at the frozen landscape around us. "I can't think of too many Pokémon who could pull this off in one shot."

Kuzan's eyebrows rose. "You realize why still being able to think of some scares the hell out of me, right?"

I believe we've made it clear already, Admiral, Gardevoir said, smirking widely as her shotel sheath hovered before her and charged with Ghost energy. Your level of power is impressive. But it's one that we've been training against for years.

The iron ring spun towards Kuzan, and between the Steel structure, Ghost coating, and Psychic propulsion, it quickly became a problem for him.

Then, all at once, he caught it with his bare hand.

"I see," he said coldly, his grip not faltering despite Gardevoir's visible effort. "You know, this is unheard of. All of it. I could list off all of the reasons why, but I'll skip to the bottom line."

He threw the ring toward Gardevoir, who had to parry with both shotels before regaining control of the ring. All four of us watched Kuzan warily as his wounds froze closed.

"I can't afford to hold back against you."

My eyes widened as I realized the ground was rumbling, and I could only watch in awe as the ice underneath Kuzan exploded upwards. Up, up, larger, and larger still, until the Admiral was staring down at us from a glacier almost as large as the Sinnoh League's castle.

"Ice Block," he said, tone deadly serious as several large spears of ice formed around him. "Partisan." With a push of his hand, the barrage was unleashed, soaring through the air with lethal intent. And even while facing the attack down, I couldn't keep the grin off my face.

"Now this is more like it! Gardevoir, Psychic! Lucario, Houndoom, blast the rest!"

My team reacted like a well-oiled machine, Gardevoir scattering the majority of the spears with a pulse of her psychic power and Lucario and Houndoom intercepting the remaining ones out of the air with Aura Sphere and Dark Pulse attacks, respectively. The colliding moves kicked up a large cloud of smoke as the attacks exploded on impact, and as the smoke cleared, I realized Kuzan had used it as cover to strike off part of the glacier, which was now rumbling towards us as part of a massive avalanche.

"Gardevoir, angle your shields, and get ready with that Psychic. Houndoom, soften it up. Lucario, get your Metal Claw ready. We're cutting right through this!"

Houndoom barked enthusiastically, blasting out the strongest Flamethrower she could manage. Gardevoir instantly took hold of it with her Psychic, shaping and compressing the stream of flames even further into a lance that bored into the approaching ice, carving away at it and slowing it down ever so slightly.

Lucario grinned savagely as the ice on his left arm finally started melting and crumbling off, revealing strings of electricity coursing over the newly freed fur. The spikes on both his hands glowed and sharpened into three-pronged claws as he leaped forward, darting directly under the oncoming ice so that he could spring up, slicing clean into the largest part of the glacier with a devastating Metal Claw-powered uppercut. The ice, already half-melting and weakened by the flames, gave up easily, leaving three large gashes that reached almost halfway through it.

"Ready, Gardevoir?" I asked, getting a mental ping of confirmation as my friend channeled her Psychic might, forming a large, wedge-shaped shield over us. "Then everyone, brace!"

When the weakened, half-bisected glacier met Gardevoir's shield, there was a massive CRACK as the shield's edge drove into the openings Lucario made. Physics and gravity took care of the rest, splitting the massive block of ice the rest of the way through with a thunderous splintering and leaving two equally sized halves to crash down on either side of us.

My team was immediately on guard as icy mist gathered around us, expecting a follow-up any moment. And when it happened, it was merciless.

"Ice Block: Stalagmite."

The ground erupted with ice crystals jabbing in every direction. Gardevoir's barriers strained hard, and Lucario snarled in pain from several cuts along his body. But Houndoom got the worst of it.

I winced from the patchwork of jagged scars across her body, to the point where she struggled just to stay upright. Kuzan saw the weakness, and I saw him blur forwards, arm raised to finish her off. But if she was going down, I resolved, it wouldn't be without one last strike back.

"INFERNO!" I roared, and Kuzan stumbled mid-attack, legs blurring as he tried to change direction as quickly as possible. But he was too slow. Houndoom roared, expelling a blast of blue flames, and with her target at point-blank distance, they found their mark. I winced again as Kuzan lashed out with a solid kick, knocking Houndoom down and out, but as the flames receded, he was disheveled, panting…and seared.

"I was ice," he hissed incredulously, turning part of his body back to flesh and staring at the raw, red burn marks running along it. "And that still burned." He gazed at Houndoom's unconscious form with something approaching surprise.

My only response was to return Houndoom to her Pokéball and point toward him.

"Press the advantage."

Claws and blades at the ready, Lucario and Gardevoir flew forward, leaving Kuzan to freeze more sabers and partisans for them to deflect, shatter, and parry. The constructs rematerialized quickly, though, and despite his injuries, Kuzan was still able to sense and parry almost all of my team's attacks, nicks and scratches getting through to Gardevoir and Lucario more often than they got through to him.

But I had realized something about Observation Haki: it reacted to what the user was intending to do at that particular moment. Gardevoir and Lucario were used to changing their rhythm at a moment's notice, but Kuzan clearly wasn't. He could adjust ridiculously fast when I gave an order, of course, but usually not quite fast enough to avoid at least the first hit.

Ghost energy to Steel. Steel to Electric and Fairy. Then Fighting and Psychic, and back to Ghost…what we lacked in his raw power, we made up for with our coverage and techniques. We were a match for him.

As I realized that, I suppressed a sigh. This was supposed to be a friendly battle, after all, and with the opponent being human, it was a bad idea to take it too far.

"That's enough!" I called, startling all three combatants. I shook my head as I walked forward. "That's good enough, Admiral. It's normal for us to keep fighting until unconsciousness hits, but I won't press you that far."

Gardevoir and Lucario looked between the two of us, and slowly stood down before returning to my sides.

-o-

Kuzan did not attempt to hide his relief as Lucas said that, slouching over and wincing as he made an effort not to fall to one knee. But he still observed as Lucas dug his hand into his bag and flung something toward him with impressive strength. He caught it immediately: a blue strawberry, surprisingly cool to the touch.

"Eat that. It's bitter as heck, but it'll heal your burns," Lucas said as he started spraying down his teammates with his medicines. Kuzan looked between him and the berry before popping it into his mouth. Immediately, his face scrunched up; the concentrated bitterness nearly made him spit the whole thing back out, but he forced himself to swallow. Shaking his head with a grimace, he conjured a large block of ice to suck on to get the horrible taste out of his mouth.

But his attention fell instead on the wounds around his middle. The cool juices trickling down his throat somehow sped through his body and pooled at the burned skin. His eyes widened as, in less than a minute, the black and red skin began flaking off, revealing tender but unscathed flesh beneath.

If this kind of medicine literally grows on trees, no wonder they can fight so well, Kuzan realized in equal parts awe and dread. Vegapunk's loud and very scathing complaints about Saint Rhode's actions now held even more weight to them.

"Hmm. Now that I think about it, take this, too."

Kuzan reflexively caught the second projectile Lucas threw his way, and he double-took at the label of the bottle he now held: Moomoo Milk. He glanced up at Lucas, and his eyes widened again as he saw Gardevoir and Lucario looked nearly unscathed now, albeit winded, and he was in the process of patching up an equally awake Houndoom.

Almost absentmindedly, he opened the bottle and started drinking.

And almost choked. He knew milk, he loved drinking it, and he had sampled many kinds thanks to the freedom and range of his position. And what he was drinking was among the richest he had ever tasted. But more than the taste, he felt the contents permeating his body again, seeping wherever he was injured or sore and, if not destroying the damage, stimulating growth enough that the pain faded to nothing. He still wasn't at 100% even after he drained the bottle, but he was close enough to it that the only trace on his body he'd been in a fight was the damage to his clothes.

He finally gave in to the desire to sit down.

"…You are incredible, all of you," the Admiral huffed. "It should have taken days for me to use that much stamina, and around twice as long to get it back."

"You're no slouch yourself," Lucas answered, completely at ease despite the destruction all around them. "Not many Pokémon can handle a three-on-one fight like that, especially against my team."

Kuzan stared and shook his head. "I repeat: the fact that you can still think of any such Pokémon in the first place is quite horrifying."

He folded his arms and smirked. "What can I say? We're made to be strong and grow stronger."

For several moments, they looked at each other silently.

"I'll pass your conditions on to Fleet Admiral Sengoku. If you have a Den-Den Mushi, I'd like the contact number so that we can arrange your meeting. Though even with your medicines, it's unlikely that Sengoku will battle you, if that's what you want. He chooses to husband his strength for when it is truly needed."

"Fair enough," Lucas said. To Aokiji's mild incredulity, he still sounded a bit disappointed, even after having the chance to test his companions against one of the Navy's finest.

"But are you sure that's your only other proviso? We'd rather know now than later."

Lucas exchanged looks with his team before looking back at Kuzan.

"I think it goes without saying that there won't be a third chance if you betray me again."

"Obviously. But give us the benefit of the doubt until we've had the chance to court-martial whoever's responsible," Kuzan countered. If there was an officer stupid (or justice-blind) enough to violate the tenets of the Warlord contract for the sake of the Celestial Dragons after hearing about this report, they deserved what they got. Sakazuki included.

Lucas slowly nodded. "Then, in that case, just one more thing. The Straw Hat Pirates."

Of course. Kuzan let a hint of steel back into his eyes as he stared Lucas down.

"I'm not claiming them as my subordinates. But they are my friends. Don't put me in a position where I have to choose between the Government and them, because it will be them."

Whatever Luffy brings down on his head, on his head be it. We neither can nor want to control him, Gardevoir continued. But we will not tolerate any orders to bring them to Justice ourselves. And Nico Robin, least of all.

Kuzan stared at them for a bit before sighing and getting to his feet. They apparently already knew so much of what happened that day, and they were willing to bargain with their own safety for that of Nico Robin. If they were willing to take that risk for her…

"If you've seen the story through her eyes already, I'll fill in some of the blanks: Former Vice Admiral Jaguar D. Saul was once my closest friend."

Gardevoir's eyes widened.

"I didn't see what made him go against orders to the degree he did. I still don't. But after Sakazuki destroyed the evacuation ship, I couldn't deny that things had gone too far. That's why I let Nico Robin go. The one choice I could make for the sake of my own Justice, rather than his."

He looked Gardevoir in the eyes, seeing… something there. Sympathy, almost, if he wanted to delude himself. "I don't have to tell you what she's been through. After all this time wandering, I did think that she should be put out of her misery. If you disagree…if you think that she's found her place with the Straw Hats?"

They were going to fight. Lucario stared hard at him, eyes glowing. If you had come to take her, they would have fought, even knowing that they could not win. And if they had lost, they would have come back stronger, again and again, no matter the price.

"I'm not the only one who would sooner declare war on the World Government than let them take one of my friends," Lucas added firmly.

Aokiji sighed and nodded again.

"So be it. Ohara's legacy still lives in her; I'll be counting on her to show the world who was right twenty years ago."

With that said, he turned around and strode off to where he'd left his bike and the Den-Den Mushi along with it. Sengoku needed to hear about this immediately.

-o-

"…And that was it. After he gave me his number, he just got on his bike and rode away."

From the looks on everyone's faces when I had arrived—and the fact that they were waiting on the grass rather than the ship—I had expected a few incredulous exclamations about who I had picked a fight with. But everyone's focus was now solidly on Robin, who was staring at me. It took a minute longer before she found her voice.

"…Why?" she asked, on the verge of tears. "Why would you go that far for me?"

"Because we know that you're innocent," Lucario and Gardevoir joined me in saying, the force of which made her fall over.

I know you have little experience with people who will pay kindness unto kindness, people who won't hate you for the very fact that you're alive, Gardevoir said gently. But we are far from the only ones who would fight for you. And you may find that some people here understand what you've been through more than you would expect.

A pause fell, everyone's focus still on Robin for a moment. Then, with a loud exhale, Ace looked at Gardevoir with a frown.

"You're twisting my arm here."

Had you stayed silent, I would not have pressed you, she returned, the same gentleness in her tone that she had had before. Ace sighed before looking down at Robin.

"When I was a kid, people told me all the time that I should never have been born, that I was better off dead. My mother died giving birth to me, and…that man was the source of all the attacks. I was always angry, and I didn't have any good reason to live until I met these two. Sabo and I planned on becoming pirates together when we grew up, so we could be free of a world where we had no place…and Luffy was the first person who ever told me that he wanted me to live."

Robin's eyes were wide as Ace turned his back, pointing to the Whitebeard jolly roger he wore.

"When I hit the New World, I challenged Whitebeard to bolster my own name. Over the 100 times I tried and failed to beat him, it sunk in that Whitebeard knew who I was. He saw me for me, and he accepted me for me. Even the parts I refused to admit to myself. He calls us all his sons. And that's why he's the only father I'll ever acknowledge. Do I still ask myself all the time if I deserve it? Of course."

He turned back to look Robin in the eyes.

"But I let what my captain and nakama say take precedence over the old voices."

Robin's tears started falling. Nami was the next one to come forward, kneeling beside Robin with one hand tracing a tattoo on her shoulder.

"'Saw-Tooth' Arlong took over my village and killed my mother in front of me when I was 8. He enslaved me to draw maps for him but promised he'd free me if I paid him 100 million beri. Living by your wits as a criminal? Betraying whoever you had to? You're not the only one. But Luffy saved me. When I tried going back to Arlong, he followed me. When I tried chasing them away, he refused. When Arlong wouldn't let me go, when I had lost all hope, I finally asked him to help me. And a couple of hours later, Arlong and his crew were defeated. The monsters that I had feared for half of my life, gone just like that, by the first friends I'd made in eight years."

Robin shook her head slowly, unable to keep up her composure as the tears kept falling. "This isn't just one crew. I'm facing the world and all of its darkness!"

"So are we," Sabo said, removing his hat. "I never introduced myself, did I? I'm Sabo of the Revolutionary Army. Dragon's Chief of Staff."

The solemn mood finally broke at that; all of the Straw Hats other than Luffy were now gawking at Sabo.

"Dragon? Who's that?"

I slapped my palm to my face, an action that Lucario and Gardevoir mirrored. It was one thing if he didn't know the man was his father; I kind of figured it was a secret. But I forgot that Luffy really was this oblivious.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Sanji roared. "You have a brother in the Revolutionary Army and you've never heard of Dragon before?"

"Have you ever read a newspaper in your life?" I asked Luffy dryly.

"Uh…no?"

Everyone else joined me in facepalming. Everyone but Robin, though she was bewildered too.

"Ignoring this idiot for a minute," Sabo sighed, shaking his head and refocusing on Robin. "We've been trying to find you and offer asylum for as long as we've been active. You're not the only one trying to fight against the world; all three of us are."

Luffy was aware enough to move at that, standing in front of his brothers and looking at Robin seriously.

"I invited you to join my crew, Robin. You belong with us. We're not going to betray you like Crocodile. And if the Government tries to make us? We'll kick their asses."

"Damn straight," Sanji said firmly, everyone else affirming the claim with him.

"You can trust our dumbass little brother," Ace said, a hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Nothing would ever make him betray his nakama. And he'd take on anything for their sake."

"And you've seen his track record there for yourself," Sabo said, laying his hand on Luffy's other shoulder. "You've got Luffy, you've got Lucas, and they've got us if they need us. You're not alone anymore, Robin."

And that was the breaking point. The doubt finally left her eyes, and she started sobbing openly. Luffy immediately moved beside her and pulled her into a hug, with Nami joining a moment later. Chopper and Sanji darted over right after, with Usopp bringing up the rear. Zoro visibly suppressed a sigh before joining them, only able to lay a hand on Robin's shoulder with the collection of limbs.

It was a beautiful sight, and almost absentmindedly, I draped my arms around Gardevoir and Lucario, who returned the gesture. And a few flashes later, the rest of my team was joining in the group hug as well.

"Get over here," I heard Luffy grumble before strong fingers suddenly grabbed my jacket and yanked. Fortunately, my team's hold on me kept me from flying over and slamming into the Straw Hats, but Luffy was still looking my way with annoyance.

"Even if you're not joining my crew, you're all nakama, too," Luffy said matter-of-factly.

"Don't bother arguing," Zoro chuckled. "He never changes his mind about that."

Well…I didn't have much reason to resist. I walked over, side-eyeing Ace and Sabo.

"I hope you two don't plan on staying out?"

Between my eyes and Luffy's, neither of them bothered resisting. And the group hug the sixteen of us shared would always be one of my fondest memories on the Grand Line.

And with that we have the final verdict on the Warlord question. For now, at least. Hopefully Lucas's reasoning made sense, but if not feel free to let us know and we can try to elaborate on it further.