The Marines are running as quickly as they can towards the Main Island Front Gate.
"Evacuate Enies Lobby! They're going to start shooting!"
"The Buster Call is going to wipe us out along with the pirates!"
Heather was now running down the stairs as quickly as she could, and Spandam was chasing after her.
"You get back here, Heather Owson!" he yelled. "Even if you make it out of this tunnel, all you'll find your friends corpses!"
Heather ignored him and kept on running, and Spandam wasn't as fit as her. Pretty soon came to a stop, utterly exhausted.
"I've had enough of this nonsense," he said as he drew his sword. "Let's teach a lesson, Tusk."
'Hiccup is just up ahead,' said Heather.
Spandam then raised his sword. "But don't kill understood? Ivory Dart!"
The blade then suddenly began to extend transform into an elephant's head with its trunk still as sharp as a blade. Heather turned around and got slammed by the sword and was hit against the wall. The sword and began to attract and return to its normal sword form.
"Idiot," Spandam laughed. "You will never escape, don't underestimate me. Now come along, you wrench through the Gate of dreams."
Eret, meanwhile, had managed to pull Chopper, who was now in his hybrid form, to shore, but he seemed to be completely out cold. There again, after what he went through, Eret couldn't really blame him.
"He's finally back to normal," said Eret looking at him. "Doesn't look like he's dead. This is weird; not even his friends knew how to handle this guy after he changed. Whatever, at least you manage to take out one of the CP9 guys. Kinda lame how you turned into that giant thing and tried to kill me, but if your friends are willing to stand up for you, then I won't hold a grudge."
He then pressed down on Chopper's stomach to force him to cough out the water he had drank. "We better get moving. Now that I think about it, even if we hurry, how are we going to get to the Gates of Justice without a bridge?"
"We'll show you the way," said Chimney as both she and Paw popped out from a crate.
"It's you guys," said Eret looking back at them.
"Look, we found Eret!" Chimney cheered.
Chimney then explained the secret passage that she had discovered that Rand beneath the sea.
"Wait, you found a tunnel that leads to the Gates of Justice?" Eret blinked.
"Sure did," she smiled. "And we'll take you right through if you like. I showed granny, she's down there now, and we even ran into those twins."
"Right then, let's get moving; I'll throw you in on the plan after we meet up with the old lady," said Eret. "Got it?"
"Roger!" said Chimney saluting.
Chimney then led Eret to Coco, who had been raiding the seller and drinking all the booze she could find. The twins were there, too though they were still a little bruised from their battle with Lily, but otherwise, they were fine.
"You're saying that he transformed into a giant monster?" said Ruffnut.
"Man, shame we mess that," said Tuffnut looking disappointed.
"I wouldn't be too psyched; he was attacking friend and foe alike," said Eret folding his arms.
"He is unconscious, but I'm pretty sure he's going to be okay," Coco assured them.
Eret wasn't entirely certain to trust her diagnosis as she looked as if she was gonna topple over any moment.
"Stop that, you old hag. Give that bottle a break," said Eret, and then he remembered the situation. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I need to get these keys to Heather Owson before they take her through that Gate."
He then ran off, and the twins quickly followed him.
"We're with you," said Ruffnut.
"Yeah, we'll back you up," said Tuffnut.
Eret nodded and looked back at Coco. "You grab the deer and follow me, all right?"
"Yep!" said Coco as she drank another bottle.
"Okay, good luck Eret! You to pirate guys!" Chimney yelled.
As they ran down the corridor, Eret remembered the conversation he had with Astrid and Fishlegs.
"We have no choice; it's the only way we can stop Chopper," said Astrid. "And why are you better take these." She and Fishlegs then pulled out the respective keys and handed them to Eret. "Once we get him back to normal, you're going to need to get the number 3, 4 and 6 keys to Heather. One of them should be able to unlock her restraints."
"And as soon as you get the cuffs off, call us on the transponder snail I took from Kala," said Fishlegs handing Eret a transponder snail.
"Right," Eret nodded.
"At the same time, Fishlegs and I will take the number two key and get the cuffs of Toothless and Maksed Muttonhead," Astrid continued.
"Seems like a solid plan, but what do we do after that?" Eret asked. "Even if we are able to free everyone and rescue Heather Owson, that drawbridge is still locked up. We'll be running around this damn tower with no way to get back to Enies Lobby. We're stuck here."
"True, and there's the Buster Call to deal with too," Astrid added. "If we try going back the way we came, we'll get blown to bits."
"Not a mention deal of all the Marines still left on the island," Fishlegs added.
"So…" said Eret looking at the two of them.
"I think the choice is pretty clear now, isn't it?" Astrid smiled.
Three of them then immediately began running towards the garden as quickly as they could.
"A waterfall death behind us, a mysterious path ahead… which way would you go?" Astrid asked.
"The mysterious path ahead, of course," said Eret.
"Exactly, so once we freed everyone and we're done in this tower, we'll meet up at the Gates of Justice," said Astrid.
"We're just making this up as we go along now," said Fishlegs.
"True, but we always come out on top," Astrid smiled.
Back in the present, Toothless was standing there with his swords drawn facing down Silvernose and Jabez.
"Come on," Jabez growled.
"We've waited quite a bit of time here," said Silvernose.
"He's not wrong," said Astrid frowning at them. "I can't believe that you two have been screwing around time like this!"
"Hey, it's not my fault," said Toothless, looking at Snotlout. "He's the one that got us handcuffed together."
"If you happen tackled me, we would have been that mess!"
"I was trying to save your life!"
"Never mind, just get those keys," Astrid groaned.
"Tempest Kick: Straight Line!" Silvernose yelled, firing a powerful Tempest Kick directly at Toothless.
Fortunately, he got his swords ready and deflected the attack.
Toothless looked at Astrid and Fishlegs. "You two better find some cover."
"Why them?" Snotlout complained.
"Because they've already been wounded in their previous fights!" said Toothless. Then to Silvernose's surprise, he was able to cut through the Tempest Kick and quickly launched himself at him. "That long neck of yours sure looks like a weak spot to me."
"Sorry, but that's where you're wrong," said Silvernose and leaned his neck back to avoid Toothless' attack. "The abilities that I've gained allow me to really control my neck with ease. Plus, I have a new attack. Nose Pistol!"
He then thrust his nose right down at Toothless, who quickly drew Light Fury and placed it in his mouth. He quickly blocked Silvernose's attack, but the shockwave was so immense that it covered the entire room.
"Wow, we're all the way over here, and I can still feel the shockwave," said Snotlout.
Toothless then used his strength to toss Silvernose and his nose pierced right through a boulder, leaving a square-shaped hole.
"A square-shaped hole?" Astrid stared.
"Now that is impressive news," said Fishlegs stunned.
"It really looks like that Silvernose has really got the handle of using his Devil Fruit abilities.," said Jabez, who was sitting right next to them. "Fast learner."
Snotlout immediately raised his fists. "Okay, wolf, I'm the one you're going have to deal with now. So, bring it on!"
"Don't get so worked up," said Jabez. "Listen, you guys want to save your friend, right?"
"Yeah, that's right, and I'm gonna take your key to do it!"
Then to their surprise, he tossed his key at Snotlout's feet.
"Then go and save her while you still can," he said.
"What?" Snotlout blinked.
"You heard me; take the key and go and save your friend."
"I don't get? Why?" Snotlout asked.
"I don't like killing people; the site of bloodshed makes me sick to my stomach. I'm a pacifist."
Astrid looked at him suspiciously, not buying his explanation, but Snotlout definitely was.
"Uh, okay then," said Snotlout and bent down to reach the key. "Then I'll just take this key and—"
Astrid then saw Jabez licking his lips. "No! Look out!"
Astrid then quickly shoved him out of the way just in time to receive Jabez's attack.
"Ten Finger Pistol!" he yelled.
He placed both his palms together and struck Astrid with all ten of his sharp claws.
"You should never let your guard down," Jabez sneered, looking at Snotlout. "I'm a wolf, understand? I outsmart my prey, and I eat it."
Then using his strength, he tossed Astrid right into the wall and then howled loudly.
"Astrid!" Fishlegs yelled, running to his side.
"I'm fine," Astrid winced.
"You should let your friend take the fall, little girl," Jabez laughed.
"You shut up," said Astrid as she got back on her feet. "We don't have time for crap like this." She then grasped her battleaxe and swung it as hard as she could. "Valkyrie Inferno!"
She then unleashed a powerful burst of flames at Jabez, who looked to the attack intrigued. Unfortunately, he used the Shave technique to get directly behind her.
"An interesting attack, I will admit that," said Jabez and then kicked her as hard as he could.
"Astrid!" Fishlegs screamed.
"Moonwalk!" said Jabez jumping around in the air until he got in front of Astrid.
He then slammed his palm right on top of her face and slammed her into the ground, and then constantly began hitting her.
"Leave her alone!" Fishlegs yelled, charging electricity to his gauntlets.
However, before he could land an attack on Jabez, he slammed his final palm right down on top of Astrid, creating a powerful shockwave that knocked him off his feet. Jabez then picked up Astrid and looked directly in the face.
"I don't know who was a bigger fool, you for butting into my fight or your friend for letting his guard down," said Jabez. "But don't worry, I'm going to kill you quickly so there won't be any pain. It's a shame, really, killing a beauty like you, but I'm sure I'll get over it. Now you're nothing more than a little girl getting devoured by the Big Bad Wolf. This is the end!"
Toothless was too busy fending off Silvernose to help Astrid, and he watched as Jabez raised his claw.
"Let her go, damn wolf!" Toothless yelled as he blocked Silvernose's attacks.
"Please, don't kill her!" Fishlegs begged. "Keep your key; we don't need it!"
"You stupid boy, you're going to be the next one to die," Jabez promised.
Toothless quickly disengaged with Silvernose to help Astrid, but he wouldn't allow that to happen.
"Tempest Kick!" Silvernose yelled.
Toothless quickly jumped back to avoid the attack putting even more distance between him and Jabez.
"Oh no," he said.
"And now it's over!" Jabez yelled, swinging his claw down at Astrid.
"Astrid!" Fishlegs and Toothless screamed.
However, before Jabez attack landed, Snotlout appeared out of nowhere and punched him right across the face as hard as he could, sending him across the room. This, of course, read Astrid from his grip, and she landed on the ground, a little bloodied but all right.
"Who do you think you are?" said Jabez as he got back up.
"If you're the Big Bad Wolf, then I guess that makes me the Hunter," Snotlout smiled. He then immediately rushed towards Astrid, who was breathing rather heavily. "Why did you save me like that?"
Astrid narrowed her eyes. "Because as much as I hate to admit it, you're still my friend. Also, you need to get your head in the game; there's too much riding on this for you to play around. Just take a look outside."
Snotlout and Fishlegs then turned their eyes to the hole that Eret had made earlier. Their eyes immediately widened in horror as they could see that the Gates of Justice was slowly opening.
"Oh no," said Fishlegs. "It's the Gates of Justice; they're starting to open."
"If those gates open up and Heather goes through, we won't have any way to follow her," said Astrid plainly. "She'll cross waters infested with Sea Kings, and beyond that is either the undersea prison on Navy headquarters. Everywhere on the other side of those gates are beyond our reach; we'll lose her forever."
"But I thought that Hiccup would have caught up to her by now," said Fishlegs.
"Unless someone was blocking his path," said Astrid.
Hiccup was still battling against Lael in the storage room. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't overpower him.
"Damnit," said Hiccup after he was pushed back again. "I can't get through. Heather is waiting for me."
"Ha, just give it up; you'll never see your friend again," said Lael. "This is as far as your going to get."
Hiccup then charged him once more and swung his fist, and Lael swung his leg. The two attacks collided, creating a massive shock wave, but Lael kicked him under the chin with his other leg and then performed a jumping spinning kick hitting him in the chest, sending him flying. Hiccup slammed into some crates, but he quickly got back up and charged Lael once more.
"Dragon Combat!" Hiccup yelled, swinging his fists, legs and tail at Lael.
"That isn't going to work on me," said Lael dodging each and every attack and then grabbing his fists.
Hiccup quickly opened his mouth, preparing to fire a close-range plasma blast, but Lael spun around and tossed him into another crate before he had the chance to fire.
Hiccup picked himself up; he knew that this was not going to be an easy fight, but still. Every second count; the longer he remained here battling against Lael, the more likely that Heather would go through the Gates of Justice.
At the moment, Spandam was now dragging Heather by the hair up the steps.
"Come on!" he yelled as she fought him every step they took. "I said come! We're going to the bridge!"
At the same time, Eret and the twins were making their way down the secret passageway, hoping to catch up with Hiccup.
"How are we going to make it in time?" Eret asked.
"Let's not think about it," said Tuffnut.
"Yeah, things are bad enough already without that kind of negativity," Ruffnut agreed.
"I sure hope this number three, four and six key will unlock those down handcuffs," said Eret.
"What did we just say about the negative?" said Ruffnut.
"Fine point, but no matter what, we've got to stop them," said Eret.
Back at the Tower, Chimney was painting some arrows on the walls so the others could follow them.
"Go this way! Go this way!" she said repeatedly.
"Come on, Chimney, hurry up," said Coco, who was carrying Chopper on her back. "This tower is in the line of fire too."
"Hold on, granny, if I don't show them the way, everybody's going to get lost," Chimney pointed out.
The fight in the garden was still going on, and it was so fierce that the entire tower shook.
Toothless, at the moment, was holding his own against Silvernose, but he was being relentless, barely leaving an opening for him to strike. Silvernose then struck him with his nose, and he was just able to block it, but he skidded across the ground until he finally came to a stop.
"In hindsight picking me as your opponent wasn't the best idea now, was it?" said Silvernose. "From the looks of it, I think you would have been better off fighting Jabez."
Toothless stared then remembered that Palmer wanted him to relay the members of CP9 with a message.
"No," he said. "I'm happy that it's you."
"Huh, feeling a little cocky, are we?" said Silvernose.
The Marines, meanwhile, were boarding the Sea Train as quickly as they could, but it was now overcrowded. Some Marines even got onto the roof in desperation.
"Hey, let us on!"
"Impossible, this train is full! You'll have to find another way!"
At the courthouse, Palmer had managed and tied himself. The Marines made the costly mistake of tying him up with his own ropes, and once they were gone, he easily untied himself.
"You bastard, I thought you were just playing it cool," said Teeny. "You were pretending to be tied up with your own ropes the whole time?"
"Yeah, I was just waiting for a chance," he said as he untied the others.
"Waiting for a chance? This whole time is going to go up in flames! We just got left behind, and there's no way out!"
"Well, look at it this way, we were able to get away from the Marines now, weren't we?"
"We don't have time for this kind of crap, Galley Law!"
"They did say something about the Buster Call," Palmer remembered. "And considering how panicky they got, I'd say we don't have much time."
"What about Big Bro? What about the Dragon Riders?"
"Those guys are all unstoppable; there's no need to worry about them. They'll be fine."
"We need to hurry and get off this island!" said Teeny.
"Yeah!" they all cheered.
At Navy headquarters, the Marines were still scrambling to the battleships for the Buster Call.
"10 battleships have just departed! They set sail towards the island of Enies Lobby!"
10 battleships were now making their voyage towards Enies Lobby, and they would be there at any moment.
Astrid was fully aware of the situation.
"This is the worst situation I can imagine," she winced. "But in every situation, even as one as bad as this, there is always a chance."
Snotlout nodded. "Then I'll start taking this more seriously; the two of you should go."
"So you still have some fight left in you," said Jabez smiled. "Not that it matters."
Astrid began picking herself up. "Just don't fall for his tricks; make one mistake, and you're dead."
"Don't worry, not going to be fooled this time; you have my word."