Here's a new chapter for you at last my dear readers! Just think, today is the one-year anniversary since I first started this fanfic. Since then, I've received 128 Reviews, 103 Favorites and 142 Follows!
I would like to thank my constant reviewers who have been with me up to this point: Scorpinac, TheEldrichWriter, Beloved Shadow of Light, OracleNorZi, DeathShark, SugarFeather, The Patient One, wolf354 zxc, NoaRein, Divinepinkdragon, Playeus, codegeassfan123, baba69, ScytheMasterX, Traitor of All Traitors, Kurottan, and SOGEKINGU.
Thanks for your reviews, feedback and theories on PEW. I can say that quite a few of you are on the right track with him, however I can't spoil things for everyone else. Everyone else are those that chose to put this story on their Favorites and Follows but chose not to say anything, that's perfectly all right, at least I know you're enjoying my story without having to say anything.
Now then, on with the story! Also, I think you'll find the end of this chapter, satisfying. VERY Satisfying indeed!
As always, I'd like to apologize in advance if anyone in this story is out of character…but creating stories and fanfics are a LEARNING experience for everyone after all. Also, I'm going to try and be fair and use the Japanese/English names for things like Devil Fruits etc.
(By the way…all flames and flamers will be ignored thank-you. I'll make an exception for CONSTRUCTIVE reviews on what needs an adjustment or suggestions for other chapters/stories, for they are most welcome. Remember if you don't like my work then don't read or review it! NO-ONE is forcing you to! This advice extends to other works besides my own that you choose read on this website too.)
Disclaimer: I sadly DON'T own anything from One Piece, not the people OR the places (except my OWN characters, places and so on) they all belong to Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shonen Jump Manga and that genius Odo Eiichiro.
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PART THIRTEEN:
Before Chaka could make a move to attack Crocodile, Miss All Sunday gave a gasp of pain and clutched her right hand as if she had been cut. At that moment the main gates suddenly flew open to reveal a quartet of men wearing armor similar to the regular Alabastian Royal Guards. However, they had an addition of a turban with a dark headband with wings on each side. They were also wearing what appeared to be war paint, with one line going down their noses as their common mark.
"No Chaka, please wait!" the leader of the men, a man called Hyota cried out. He was very muscular, with a large stubble covered chin, a bulbous nose and wore an armor that didn't have any shoulder straps. Over his left shoulder he was wielding an extremely large sword that resembled a butcher's knife.
"Huh?" Crocodile said in puzzlement at this unexpected development "Who are they?"
"They're the four most fiercely loyal warriors for Alabasta and its Royal Family," PEW informed the Warlord grandly.
"It's the Guardians," Chaka said in slow realization.
"The Kicking Claw Force!" Vivi finished off for him.
"Are you alright?" PEW asked Miss All Sunday who was still clutching her hand. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"
"I'll be fine," she reassured the hooded information dealer. "I've had worse, I was just careless this time around."
"Don't attack men!" King Cobra yelled urgently to the Kicking Claw Force. "You'll only be throwing your lives away if you do!
"Your Majesty," Hyota said respectfully to his King. "Defending you to the death is not only our mission. It is the highest honour and privilege we can have. Therefore, we can't simply avoid someone like Crocodile."
"Indeed," a second man wearing shabby pants named Arrow said coming forward to join his leader. He himself was tall and thin, with a pointed chin and face paint around his eyes and jawline. Like Hyota, Arrow was also armed with a large sword, only his was double-edged with a golden hilt. "He is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"The only way to beat him," Hyota said grimly. "Is to fight dirty!"
"We four are as one!" the entire Kicking Claw Force said together in grim determination.
"We fight for your honor!" a third man named Barrel said determinedly as he readied himself beside his comrades. He was bulky and rotund with a prominent nose, wearing thick white ropes around his shoulders with face paint around and under his eyes. Unlike Hyota and Arrow who had their swords, Barrel was wielding a large axe with a handle that was reminiscent of a flute.
"To set things right!" the fourth and final man named Brahm finished up as he brandished his two pole arms. He was tall with a hunchback appearance wearing a turban and had light brown hair which was parted as a 1.1 Raito covering his eyes.
"It seems you four have quite the reputation," Crocodile said folding his arms while still puffing away on his cigar. "Therefore, I will spare you lives, so leave now and go home."
"We can't do that," Arrow replied grimly as he and his fellows prepared to battle. "There is another reason why we can't simply withdrawal."
"What reason might that be?" Crocodile asked curiously.
"If the rumor's are true," Arrow said determinedly his veins starting to bulge through his skin turning an ugly purplish bruisy color. "And you really are the ringleader," he went on as the muscles on his arms, legs chest and face began to bulk up. "The architect of this whole rebellion."
"Oh no!" Chaka gasped in sudden horror. For what was happening to Arrow's body was also happening to Hyota, Barrel and Brahm too. "Those bruises! What have you men done?!" he called out in appalled horror.
Seeing the Kicking Claw Force's strange transformation Miss All Sunday walked up beside Crocodile, her face calm at the scene in front of them. "Do you want me to deal with them?"
"Don't bother," Crocodile replied casually. "You needn't waste your time with these fools."
As Crocodile spoke the veins and bruises continued to expand over the bodies of the Kicking Claw Force as their bodies suddenly bulked up at an alarming rate to all those watching them.
"Oh my God…" PEW said in quiet realization. "Those guys are CRAZY!"
"Please tell me…" Cobra said in quiet horror as the sudden realization had struck him too. "That those men…didn't…."
"Unfortunately, they did," PEW said in grim confirmation at the sight before them.
"Chaka," Vivi said in alarm to her guard commander. "What's happening to their bodies?"
"I fear Princess," Chaka answered back helplessly. "That to temporally increase their fighting power and abilities, these four men drank the fabled elixir…'The Hero Water!' It grants the drinker incredible strength…but then…kills the host within four to five minutes as being so strong…burns them out!"
"He's right," PEW said shaking his head in sad confirmation. "Those four are all dead men walking."
"Is that a fact?" Crocodile said smirking from what he had just heard. "So," he said addressing the Kicking Claw Force. "You four bulked yourselves up just to challenge me? I'm flattered! But what good is victory if you're not around to enjoy it?"
"Chaka," the now bulked up Hyota said apologetically to his commander as he and his men readied their weapons. "Please forgive us for doing this, without consulting you first. But we HAD to take dramatic measures…to end this country's suffering!"
"Those IDIOTS!" Chaka growled furiously to himself. "How could they DO THAT to themselves?!"
"We have to make Crocodile realize the fury of this country!" Hyota roared as he and his men charged forward at their waiting opponent. Then, as one the quartet leapt up into the air giving out a loud battle cry swinging their weapons at Crocodile. But as soon as the Kicking Claw Force's weapon's all struck the Warlord's body, he just dissolved himself into harmless sand. The sand then flew over the stunned warriors before it reformed itself as Crocodile, who was now sitting casually on the palace roof high above everyone.
"That was not the smartest decision I've ever seen," Crocodile chuckled as he puffed away on his cigar. "A person should value his life above all else! But its too late for regrets now, yes? If you four are all going to die anyway," Crocodile went on laughing evilly as he talked. "I don't even have to bother killing you myself, right?"
"You don't even have the decency to fight these men?!" Chaka fumed infuriated at Crocodile for his callousness. Just then to Chaka and Vivi's horror, the Kicking Claw Force slowly fell to the ground one by one, as the 'Hero Water' finally took its fatal effect on them.
"Chaka…" Arrow managed to say weakly to his commander being the last one to fall. "I'm…sorry…."
"Behold," Crocodile laughed as Arrow fell to the ground, dead alongside his fellow warriors. "The very definition of stupidity!"
"You bastard!" Chaka growled furiously as his face, hands and body rapidly morphed into that of a Jackal. "You'll pay dearly for this!"
"So, he's a Devil Fruit user?" Miss All Sunday asked PEW.
"That's right," PEW nodded in confirmation. "Chaka 'the Jackal' is eater of the Inu-Inu no Mi, Model: Jackal better known as the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Jackal, which fits his name really good now that you think about it."
"No Chaka don't do it!" Vivi yelled after the guard commander as he drew his sword, put it in his mouth and charged off towards Crocodile.
"Chaka!" King Cobra shouted desperately from his position on the wall. "What you're doing is senseless and you know it! You'll just be following the Kicking Claw Force to their deaths!"
"So," Crocodile said calmly to Chaka as he ran up the wall of the Palace right towards him. "You're a Zoan Type huh?"
In a matter of seconds Chaka had scaled the wall to where Crocodile was sitting jumped up into the air and grabbed his sword out of his mouth. "Howling Fang!" he roared swinging his sword furiously at Crocodile. But as soon as Chaka's sword blade hit the Warlord, his body once again dispersed into dry sand again.
"Fu, fu, fu," Miss All Sunday smiled at PEW. "Some people really don't learn, do they?"
"I know," PEW said in sad agreement. "Its why I've given up trying to warn people against attacking Crocodile directly."
"I see that you share the same flaws as all of these fools," Crocodile said to Chaka as he calmly reformed his undamaged body. "You're prepared to die for others."
"No points for guessing how this battle will end is there?" PEW said to Miss All Sunday who just nodded in silent agreement.
Sure enough, after a minute or two a badly beaten Chaka, still in his hybrid Jackal form, slumped over the palace roof at Crocodile's feet.
"Chaka!" Vivi cried out in horror
"That noble fool!" Cobra sighed despairingly to himself.
"Weakness is a crime," Crocodile said to his defeated opponent. "Which is punishable by death."
"Vivi!"
Hearing the panting voice, the Princess turned to see her childhood friend and rebel leader had finally turned up. "Koza!" she cried in relief.
"Huh?" Crocodile said turning his attention to the new arrival. The young rebel leader was looking very battered and beaten obviously having to fight every inch of his way to get to the palace.
"Its you," Cobra said in quiet amazement. "I see, you came through the shortcut you used to use…"
"Just what the hell is going on here?" Koza said in exhausted disbelief as he got his breath back. Once he had done so, he then took in the dead bodies of the Kicking Claw Force, the defeated Chaka, as well as the restrained King Cobra with PEW and Miss All Sunday standing on either side of him. "I came here in hopes of persuading the Royal Army to surrender, but…Chaka is down…and the King is about to be killed by this country's hero?! I can't believe my eyes!"
"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Crocodile laughed as he RELISHED Koza's disbelief. "NOW things are really starting to get interesting! Here we are in the midst of a battle, an epic war, and yet the leaders of both sides aren't on the battlefield. Fate has placed them squabbling at my feet! A battle to the death between two broken titans, bleeding out the last remnants of their power!"
"You seem lost and confused," Miss All Sunday said to the baffled Koza. "Don't worry that's a natural reaction, so let me help you understand. You don't mind if I do that, do you?" she suddenly asked PEW.
"Go right ahead," PEW said with a casual wave of his hand. "I love it when someone else besides myself can give an explanation."
"You're too kind," she smiled before turning back to Koza. "Just relax and open your mind, then imagine being faced with the worst possible scenario."
Hearing this Koza's eyes widened in horror as the meaning of Miss All Sunday's words struck home.
"Koza," Vivi started to say to her friend. "Listen…"
"Vivi!" the young rebel leader interrupted her urgently. "Who is responsible for the damage ravaging this country?! Tell me!"
"Oh, for the love of Gold Roger!" PEW groaned in annoyance at how Koza couldn't put two and two together so easily. "Take one God-dammed GUESS!" he said pointing up at the palace roof.
"That honor belongs to me," Crocodile called down to Koza. "Over the last four years each and every malicious deed you attributed to the King's doing, was in fact perpetrated by my company. A trap that saw you playing right into our hands, it was a flawless systematic plot of deception! I must say it was most entertaining watching as the royal family and its mighty army desperately chased out shadows! It's a pity really," Crocodile laughed. "You probably would have died in ignorant bliss not knowing these brutal facts."
"Koza!" Cobra shouted to the horrified rebel leader. "Listen to me!"
"Your majesty?"
"There's still some time if you have the courage," Cobra said to him urgently. "You must act now! Save as many of the citizens as you can!"
"What do you mean?"
"In less than half an hour…" Chaka suddenly called out weakly. "The whole…Palace Square will be…blown to…kingdom come!"
"What?! What do you mean Chaka?"
"So, you're still alive, are you?" Crocodile said to the injured Chaka before raising his hook to finish him off.
"HURRY!" Chaka yelled to Koza before Crocodile's hook impaled itself in his body and silenced him.
This terrible sight caused Koza to start running off with Vivi right after him. "Koza wait a minute!" Vivi cried grabbing the rebel leader by the back of his coat causing the two of them to fall over together in a heap. "Just listen to me for a minute, will you?!"
"Will you get off me!" Koza yelled impatiently desperately trying to free himself from Vivi's grip. "What are you doing?! We don't have time for this! The battle is about to spill into the Square and its about to be blown up! Get off me!"
"Koza," Vivi said urgently. "Will you LISTEN to me and think this through?! What do you think will happen if you tell the army's that the Square is set to explode?" she asked him letting her words sink in. "The men will panic!" she went on grimly. "That will add just more chaos to the battle already! Even if you stop the bomb, it won't stop the fighting, so either way people are going to die! So, you won't save anyone that way! You understand now?"
"Well, well, well," Crocodile said mockingly at the sight before him. "What a perspective little girl."
"Our only hope," Vivi told Koza ignoring Crocodile's taunting. "Is to do what should have been done from the start! We have to stop the rebellion and all this bloodshed! And you are the only one who can do that!"
As Vivi spoke the sounds of battle, which had been going on constantly in the background this entire time, continued to get louder and more destructive.
"Vivi," Koza said gripping the Princess' hand gently with his own. "You're right."
Just then Crocodile suddenly appeared right behind Vivi, having used his powers to transport himself down off the palace roof, with his hook held high above him. "Did you two really think I was just going to sit back and watch passively as you tried to ruin my plans?"
As Vivi turned around to face Crocodile, Koza started to draw his own sword which was strapped to his back. At that very same moment, Chaka suddenly dived down from the palace roof, despite his terrible injuries, and blocked the Warlord's attack with his sword.
"Chaka!"
"I am…Alabasta's guardian deity…the Jackal!" Chaka grunted determinedly. "Destroyer of all those…who threaten the royal family. I fight…as long as there is…breath in my body!"
"Some people might call this bravery," Crocodile said to Chaka with a deadpan face and voice. "I call it stupidity."
"Get out of here both of you!" Chaka ordered Vivi and Koza. "I will hold him back for a few more minutes!"
"Ok Chaka," Koza said as he and Vivi ran off towards the palace gates.
As Cobra watched the young pair run off, he was suddenly aware that neither PEW or Miss All Sunday were making no attempt to try and stop them.
"Wondering why we're not doing anything to stop them?" Miss All Sunday asked the puzzled King. "It's because we don't need to."
"What?!" Cobra exclaimed his eyes widening in alarm.
"Use your intelligence man," PEW told him. "Crocodile's not a fool, he's probably got a contingency plan in place for an eventually like this. Otherwise, he be asking for Miss All Sunday to stop them."
PEW's reasoning turned out to be correct, while Vivi went to the remainder of the Royal Army and told them to raise the white flag, Koza confronted the advancing Rebel Army ordering them to halt their advance and cease all fighting. But before Koza could explain anything to his men, a series of gunshots echoed out hitting the rebel leader in the chest and stomach causing him to fall to the ground badly injured. This terrible act had been done by a Baroque Works agent disguised as a Royal Guard, who had orders to do such a thing if both the army's decided to call a cease fire.
"KOZA!" Vivi screamed in horror, causing PEW to wince at the high-pitched noise the Princess had made, as she saw her childhood friend fall from her position at the palace walls.
"I told you so," PEW said to Cobra as he took out his aspirins before swallowing them with some water from his hydration pack. "Don't underestimate Crocodile, he thinks of everything."
"Oh my God," Cobra said in quiet horror. "If Koza's been shot just when Vivi ordered a surrender…such a despicable act will infuriate the rebels if they think the Royal Guard did that!"
Cobra was absolutely right in his fears. For a moment the rebels were all left in stunned silence at what had just happened to their leader. But before anyone could say or do anything, a sudden sandstorm flared up over all of them. Taking advantage of the sudden cover, the disguised Baroque Works agent started shooting down a few more confused rebels. At that same moment some other Baroque Works agents disguised as rebels, started shooting at the Royal Army. Unable to see where the shots were coming from, as well as who was shooting at them due to the sandstorm. Both Rebel and Royal Army's became enraged that either side would choose to do such a dirty act under a white flag, so they recommenced their fighting with renewed angry vigor, blissfully unaware they were being manipulated.
"No!" Vivi yelled to the two-fighting army's below her from the palace walls. "Stop fighting all of you! You've been set up!" But no matter how hard the Princess screamed and shouted, her voice was drowned out by the fighting, along with the roaring of the sandstorm going on around them.
"Stop it! Stop it! Stop fighting PLEASE!" Vivi continued to scream beggingly but all to no avail.
"You fought long and hard Princess," Miss All Sunday spoke up calmly. "And you did well, but now I suggest you give up. Thanks to all that fighting mixed in with that sandstorm, your voice will no longer reach them."
At that moment, Chaka who was still facing Crocodile, suddenly collapsed at the Warlord's feet as his injuries finally caught up with him.
"So, this is it…" Cobra said wearily at what he was seeing. "You have to get away Vivi!" he yelled urgently to his daughter. "Get away from Crocodile before it's too late!"
"Don't be such an idiot," PEW snorted. "You seriously think Vivi's going to actually do that? She won't run…not now."
"PEW's right," Vivi said determinedly turning around to face Crocodile. "I also don't need him to tell me that it was YOU who created that sudden sandstorm!" she snapped accusingly to the smirking Warlord. "But there's still time to stop the explosion set to go off in fifteen minutes, I can reduce the number of casualties."
"Oh, that's right," PEW groaned in exasperation to Vivi. "Just tell your enemy what you intend to DO out loud why don't you?! You know for a Princess you are REALLY lousy at keeping secrets as well as remembering important things, way after its too late!"
"He's right you know," Crocodile said coming forward to tower over Vivi before she could reply to PEW's sarcasm. "'If I try this the rebellion will stop. If I try that the rebellion will stop,'" he said mockingly mimicking Vivi's words before grabbing her by the neck, picking her up and holding her over the palace wall. "Its time to wake up Princess! I am getting tried of your useless idealism because it is getting BEYOND pathetic What good are your 'happy ideals' when you can't do anything to make them reality? They're nothing but dreams!" he said dismissively he said to the struggling and gasping Princess. "And your dreams don't stand a chance!"
"I don't care…what you think of my ideals!" Vivi gasped as she tried to free herself from Crocodile's grip. "I am NEVER…going to give up on them! Someone like you…would never…understand that! I won't…give in...no matter…what!"
"You really are a sad little girl, aren't you?" Crocodile said with an unimpressed deadpan face.
"I…WILL…SAVE…THIS…COUNTRY!"
"Vivi…" King Cobra said weakly helpless to help his daughter due to still being glued to the wall.
As this was going on PEW, who was tired of how Crocodile's childish desire to gloat was dragging things out, was looking up in the sky in boredom. Suddenly he frowned as he became aware of something high in the sky above them closing in fast.
"Now what is that?" the hooded information dealer wondered to himself as he got out his binoculars from under his robes, before taking a look through them. "Well, well, well…" he said with a sudden smile.
"What is it?" Miss All Sunday asked him curiously.
"It appears we're about to have an unexpected visitor," PEW replied with a mysterious smile. "It's the guy you…leant a 'helping hand' to," he added putting his binoculars away.
"Ah," Miss All Sunday said in sudden understanding. "I'd better tell Crocodile."
"Too late," PEW said as he indicated Crocodile dropping Vivi over the edge of the palace wall, laughing as he did so. "Oh Crocodile," he called out to the still laughing Warlord pointing over his shoulder. "You might want to take a good look up in the sky at what's coming towards you."
Puzzled by obligingly Crocodile followed PEW's finger, then gave a gasp of pure disbelief. "It can't be!"
"CROCODILE!" Luffy roared angrily as he flew in on the back of the transformed Pell the Falcon, eater of the Tori-Tori no Mi, Model: Falcon (The Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Falcon) which had help earn his title of the other commander of the royal guard besides Chaka.
"It just CAN'T be!" Crocodile said in furious disbelief as he, Miss All Sunday, Cobra and PEW watched Pell fly down with Luffy under the falling Vivi. Luffy then used his Gum-Gum powers to grab Vivi safely out of the air before they few the Princess to safety over the ongoing battle below them.
"I don't believe this!" Crocodile exclaimed to himself. "How the hell did that Straw Hat manage to survive?!"
"I have a feeling that we'll find out in a second or two," PEW told him as Luffy used his abilities to stretch his arms and launch himself up to where they were all watching.
"Try to attack me as many times as you want Straw Hat," Crocodile said grimly to the approaching Luffy. "But you can't hit me no matter how many times you try!"
"Actually, Crocodile I think he might be able to manage it," PEW began to speak however he was cut off by the crunching sound of Luffy PUNCHING Crocodile square in the face!
"Because," the hooded information broker went on calmly to the falling Warlord as he hit the ground. "Luffy's got himself a water barrel and hose on his back, obviously his version of a hydration pack."
"I don't believe this!" Cobra said in amazement at what he had just seen while Miss All Sunday just looked on calmly. "Who the hell IS that?" he asked PEW as Luffy launched himself at the flabbergasted Crocodile, who had just picked himself up, only to be slammed into the wall by the rubber boy before getting large headbutt off him.
"That your Majesty," PEW said grandly to Cobra as Luffy let go of Crocodile causing him to fall in a heap on the ground. "Is one Monkey D Luffy Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. To answer your question," he went on. "I do believe that Luffy has actually used his brains for a change, so there may JUST be hope for him and your kingdom yet!"
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There you go dear readers! Crocodile FINALLY got his arrogant face punched in by Luffy! I told you the end of this chapter would be very satisfying for you all! As for PEW, HIS moment for dealing with Crocodile is rapidly approaching too. He's awaiting the absolute RIGHT moment as Crocodile KNOWS the information dealer will try something eventually, but as PEW is good at keeping his word with his clients Crocodile doesn't know WHERE or WHEN something will happen.
The answers are coming, so please be patient as you have been with all my other chapters. In the meantime, feel free to read and review like always! Good Health, Clear Body, Strong Mind!
Also please remember once again, if you don't like my work then don't read or review it! NO-ONE, is forcing you to!