Chapter 16: Arena Trap
Crocodile scowled as he read through his agents' most recent reports. The World Government and the Navy had moved to root out Baroque Works with unnatural efficiency, all but confirming that he had rats in his organization. Even after their screwup with Lucas (and that was a good day, finding out what the World Nobles' follies had cost their Government), the Marines had been out in force along the Grand Line. Commodore Smoker alone was responsible for destroying at least three of his cells, and the rest were hemorrhaging resources and manpower fast.
The pacing was not ideal; any more delays, and he would need to rethink his plans again. It didn't help at all that all of the bounty posters included a description of Downpour, and with its distinctive (and unique) smokestack that meant that he was mostly denied safe harbor wherever he went, forcing him to act through proxies to get the supplies he needed to keep going.
"Sir, ship on the horizon!" Mr. 6 called out from his position on Downpour's crow's nest. "It's Mr. 3's crew!"
And speaking of proxies, there was the most important group of them. The services of Water 7 were essential to ensure Downpour's continued usefulness on the Grand Line. And with its proximity to Enies Lobby via the Sea Train network, Mr. 3 was the only one he could "trust" to fulfill his duties while avoiding Government notice. Combined with the Mr. 10 and Mr. 12 pairs to ensure his loyalty and the majority of the funds Crocodile had saved up, the wax-man should be returning now with a legitimately hired shipwright in tow. Not one of Galley-La's best; that would be too high-profile. But anyone from Water 7 would be a boon to his operations.
Crocodile stood and, accompanied by Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger, strode over to Mr. 3's ship as it pulled into shore alongside Downpour. What he saw on the deck of that ship, however, only worsened his frustrations. Instead of a single shipwright, or even two, Mr. 3 was standing next to a large, unkempt man, behind which a motley group was assembled.
"Mr. 3," he called out, letting just a little bit of his anger color his voice, "Who is this?"
Unlike previous times, though, Mr. 3 didn't flinch back at Crocodile's tone. He stayed in that same standing position, a vacant look on his face. It was the large man instead who reacted, leaping across the gap between ship and shore with deceptive ease, flashing an unsettlingly jovial grin as Crocodile's subordinates moved to restrain him.
"Why, I'm your new boss, of course!"
His gap-toothed smile didn't twitch as he grabbed Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger by their shoulders. Crocodile saw them flinch in the brief moment before he hefted them up and slammed them face-first into the ground, the force enough to knock out both agents immediately. He paid no mind to them or Crocodile's growing anger and wariness.
"Former Warlord Crocodile, I've come to recruit you."
"I refuse," Crocodile snapped back, sand already coalescing in his palm.
"And I refuse your refusal," the stranger countered, raising his own hand from which darkness spilled. "Black Vortex."
Crocodile immediately felt the pull on his body, drawing him closer to the man's hand.
"Desert Spada!" he snapped, snapping out a knife hand that sent a jet of sand tearing toward the stranger. To his mild incredulity, it struck true, and he fell back from the gash it opened on his belly.
"OWOWOW! IT HURTS!"
Crocodile regarded him warily; nobody who could beat his best agents without even trying was someone he could afford to underestimate. And he could tell that physical contact was what this man needed for whatever advantage he had.
"Sables," he intoned, unleashing a tornado of sand on the dark man. But when he looked up, his opponent was no longer smiling.
"You wanna play hard to get? Fine! You'll submit one way or another! BLACK HOLE!"
Crocodile leaped back as darkness spiraled out from the man, scowling as he saw the sandstorm he had whipped up destabilizing and collapsing.
The stranger's powers were gravity-based, which let him break the sandstorm and draw things closer, and apparently drain things into a void. How that had circumvented Mr. 1's defenses, he didn't know, but if it had been brute force, then he couldn't afford to give an inch. If that gravity could compact his Logia defense like water could, it would be over if the man managed to touch him. Yet, from how he cried out before, he had weak defenses, or perhaps his powers made it difficult to dodge.
Crocodile's tactical mind and experience realized all of that in the two seconds it took for his sandstorm to disappear. His guile should have been enough to give the invader a run for his money. Unfortunately for Crocodile, anger had a way of clouding his better judgment, especially when his back was already to the wall.
It was infuriating enough to see his temporary base sinking into the stranger's darkness inch by inch. But his good judgment lost all control when, with a huge grin, the stranger turned a hand towards the ocean, and Downpour, now devoid of passengers, began drawing nearer to the shore. Or rather, towards the darkness that covered it.
Oh, he tried to stop it. Blasts of sand, powerful enough to pierce through steel, slammed into the darkness-wielding stranger. But all he had to do was raise his other hand, and the attacks were sucked away, distorting as they were absorbed into whatever void the man's powers created.
Seething, Crocodile wormed some of his sand into the ground, sending it behind the stranger to launch a Grande Espada into his back. It hit, but instead of slicing the man in half like it was supposed to, it only cut a deep gash into his side as he shifted his body at the last second. And then it was too late. With a thunderous splintering sound, Downpour was cut in two, the prow disappearing into the black vortex while the stern, smokestack included, was left to topple over in the shallow waters around the beach.
"There we go!" The bastard had the audacity to grin, even with the new gaping wound in his side, as the Alabasta Poneglyph was made visible inside the remains of Downpour's smokestack. "Can't have my Poneglyph getting eaten up by accident, now can I?"
Crocodile snarled, idly noticing that the man's companions had broken off to subdue his other officers. They didn't matter. All he cared about now was carving that fat bastard's face off with his hook. Sand swirled around him, forming into several hovering blades that fired off as he rushed forwards into the wave of darkness that rose to meet him.
-o-
When it had been established five years ago, Blueno's Bar was a little hole-in-the-wall place only visited by a few. That changed several months later when newly hired shipwrights Rob Lucci and Kaku treated their then-seniors Paulie and Tilestone to a night there. Blueno's Bar had become a hit among all of Galley-La, and from there, the rest of Water 7. Several years and building upgrades later, it was one of the more popular hangouts in the city, and its owner and bartender one of its most respected citizens.
As a result, when Blueno got a snail call early one morning and immediately thereafter closed down in the middle of the day, it resulted in some speculation and muttering but little else. Someone of Blueno's caliber absolutely had a legitimate reason for such actions, they said. It wasn't like that Franky Family, who was always up to some kind of mischief. It was unfortunate, especially for the bar's patrons, but overall unremarkable.
What these people didn't know was that Water 7 was host to several dead drop locations where a visiting Government official might leave behind some crucial information. They also wouldn't know about the meeting that night between several of the city's most trusted citizens.
"The Boss sent new orders," Blueno said, jovial facade completely absent as he passed out the slips of paper. "The parameters of our mission have changed. Iceburg is no longer a priority target."
Wordlessly, the other three members took the papers and skimmed them. Their frowns grew deeper as they took in what they were seeing.
"I suppose we need to be more cautious if someone like that is ready to oppose us," Kaku admitted.
"This is still distasteful," Kalifa scoffed. "But if this is the new plan, it can't be helped."
"Our role is painfully straightforward," Blueno agreed.
A pause fell, but they had to address one other thing about the orders.
"Why are these in all capital letters?" Kaku asked.
"And typed in such an ugly font?" Kalifa added disgruntledly. "I could complain solely about how ugly this looks."
"An enemy of this caliber is one to be wary of, but it's almost as though he doubts our abilities," Lucci said darkly, causing a quiet discontent among the four of them.
But they set aside their annoyance, as they often had to do. The orders were memorized and burned, and the assassins returned to their mission with nobody the wiser.
-o-
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
Crocodile had hit his opponent with everything. Spears, storms, even some of the wide-area tricks he'd been developing for his next run-in with Lucas's pets. The bastard (named Blackbeard, apparently, which was even more infuriating) had countered every single one with his damn darkness ability, and his pure bulk and vitality were enough to endure what got through. He'd inflicted several dozen wounds, many of which would have been fatal on a normal man. And in the end, when he'd tried to get in close to utilize his poisoned hook and moisture-absorbing touch, Blackbeard had been fast enough to put a hand on him. Suddenly, Crocodile's powers were gone, as if the other pirate's grasp had been made of Seastone, and he was trapped and vulnerable in the bastard's grasp.
"Liberation!"
And then Blackbeard had revealed his trump card: Every single thing he'd absorbed with his Devil Fruit wasn't annihilated like Crocodile had thought. It was stored up, and could be released whenever he willed it. And he'd used that fact to trap Crocodile in his grip, leaving him powerless so that he could expel every single attack he'd absorbed, along with the entire front half of his ship, at point-blank range.
If Downpour's figurehead hadn't knocked him free of Blackbeard's grasp, he'd have been shredded by the equivalent of a Seastone blunderbuss as all the sand Blackbeard had absorbed was shot back at him at lethal speeds. As it was, he was left helpless, all four limbs fractured, if not worse, with deep, weeping cuts all over his body.
"Geez, I really overdid it this time, huh?" The bastard didn't even have the grace to act properly injured despite the many wounds littering his body. "Ah, well, Doc Q's gonna fix you right up once you're my subordinate proper!"
"Go… to… hell…" Crocodile rasped, glaring defiantly at the mass of darkness looming over him.
"Zehahaha, don't be like that, you old lizard!" The darkness grinned its gap-toothed grin. "Who knows, you might even like the job I'm gonna give you! Not that you get a choice, of course. Laffitte?"
"Of course, captain," the pale-faced man said, sidling into Crocodile's view with an unctuous grin. "Now then, 'Sir' Crocodile." The man's grin turned sadistic as he pulled a small, glittering pendant from his pocket. "You're going to keep your eyes on the light."
-One Week Later-
"Franky, even for me, this is a bit out there. Do you really have to chase down every single lead like this?"
"You know what people have been saying around town. With those reports about how Crocodile's after the Ancient Weapons, we can't take any risks."
"Damn it, Flunky, you know I've blacklisted that bastard from all of Water 7! If he shows up, Galley-La will be showing him a jail cell, Logia or not!"
"And how does that help us with Nico Robin, huh?" the blue-haired cyborg snapped back before looking around quickly to ensure he was still alone. His secret base was just that, but with his family thinking he was out of town, questions could arise if they heard him there. After a moment, he turned his gaze back to his best friend.
"I'm not taking any chances, Iceburg. Not when we know how far they'll go for this."
There was a deep sigh on the other end of the call. "I know I won't be able to stop you, nor will I try to when you're speaking like that. But Galley-La won't be letting you just check every single ship like I know you want to."
Franky snorted, leaning back in his seat. "Oh, calm down, Ice-For-Brains. I'm not going in guns blazing, alright? I've got a plan!"
-o-
Water 7 was my first real experience with how crazy things could be on the Grand Line. Alabasta and Baltigo had been normal islands, and while Long Ring Long and G-4 had had strange traits with their landmasses, I could see now why they were mild for Grand Line geography.
All seven of us were gaping as we stared at the colossal fountain that was Water 7.
"It's quite something, isn't it?" Sabo grinned. "Water 7's home to the best shipwrights anywhere on the Grand Line, and they know how to show it."
"I'll say," I commented dumbly. My team wasn't much better at keeping their composure. Vaporeon was outright starry-eyed at the sheer amount of water being pumped around, and I'm pretty sure he hadn't even twitched since we first saw the island.
These are the ones responsible for the Sea Train, Lucario pointed out. It makes sense that their home is a symbol of their craft. The Gym Leaders did it.
I think this architecture outclasses any of the Gym Leaders, Gardevoir replied. Except, perhaps, Mr. Volkner.
I opened my mouth to agree, then remembered that in the process of updating his Gym, Volkner had caused a city-wide power outage in a city known for both its solar power grid and its Electric-type specialists. And while I respected the man as a near Elite Four-level trainer, the thought of him being Sunyshore's lead architect rather than just their lead engineer was somewhat terrifying.
"I think the people here take a lot more precautions than Volkner does," I said.
"Hope so. We don't need more crazy people making things worse for Merry," Nami said.
It said something when she was one of the physically weakest members of the Straw Hats and could still repeatedly jump between two moving ships on the open sea.
"Yeah, you've got enough of those already," I teased.
"Don't I know it," she said back, shaking her head with a fond smile.
"Hey, hold on!" came a call from off to the side, drawing our gazes toward a fisherman in a nearby boat. "Pirates shouldn't sail in the front! You gotta be more discreet! Use the backstreet entrance over there instead!" he said, pointing down a channel between a group of nearby buildings.
"Oh, ok! Thank you!" Nami called, already running back towards Merry.
"Does that go for Warlords too?" Luffy called.
"Warlords?" the fisherman repeated. Then his eyes widened as he got a good look at the other ship in front of him. "Whoa! The newest Warlord is here?!"
"On business of my own," I confirmed. "I'd like to see what options I can get for a new ship."
"I guess you're technically not a criminal," he said, rubbing his head before pointing out one of the many stone towers around the island. "You should be fine taking the front entrance, then. Head for the water gate elevator; you'll have a straight shot for the shipbuilding docks."
"Guess we're splitting up for now. We'll meet up with you guys later," I called, waving as the Merry made its way down towards the backstreets.
-o-
The city as a whole had brought up Volkner, but the elevator immediately made me think of Crasher Wake's gym. The scale was impressive, as was the fact that they were doing it without Pokémon help, but the rising water level was nothing I hadn't seen before.
It let out on a higher tier of the city, a ring of water surrounding what seemed to be the business district, and gigantic machines that made me think of some mixture of Canalave's docks and Oreburgh's mines visible all around. It looked like we were in the right place.
"Ahoy the ship!"
Everyone on my team but Torterra was alongside me as I moved to the railing. The one who hailed me was a man with sunglasses and short black hair, aside from one spike poking out on one side. He was also shirtless, revealing intricate tattoos on his chest and biceps and a form rippling with muscle.
"What business have you got here, young man?" he called.
"Hold on," I called back, looking over my shoulder. "I'll be right back," I said, seemingly to Torterra. He (and the hidden Revolutionaries) nodded back. Before I finished turning, Lucario, Gardevoir, and I had teleported beside the man on the shore, causing him to jump back and suppress some kind of curse.
"This ship has done well for me, but it has too many bad memories attached. I'd like to sell it and see my options for building a new ship," I explained.
The man shook off his surprise and folded his arms. "I see. How quick a job are you looking for?"
"We'd rather have it done right than fast," was my response, and the man smiled lightly.
"Well, you've come to the right place," he said, holding out one hand and absentmindedly pushing down the spike of hair on his head with the other, only for it to push out on the other side. "Let me introduce myself: Peepley Lulu, Dock 1 Foreman of the Galley-La Company."
I took his hand, and I could tell how much stronger I'd grown from the strength of his grip against mine.
"'Pokémon Champion' Lucas, newly appointed Warlord of the Sea. Gardevoir and Lucario are part of my team."
The man's brow rose as he released my hand. "You're not planning anything nefarious, are you?" he asked. "Warlord or not, we won't hesitate to show you that you're in shipwright territory."
"Don't start any trouble with me, and I won't either," I answered evenly. "I'm not looking to make any more enemies."
He held my gaze for a moment, his head turning slightly toward Gardevoir and Lucario as well, then nodded in acceptance.
"Well, for starters, if you want to get rid of this ship? Which, if I'm not mistaken, is formerly a Celestial Dragon's vessel? Your best bet is selling it in pieces, so—and I don't say this often—I'd recommend you ask the Franky Family. They're not associated with Galley-La, but they're good at taking ships apart, and they've got connections in low places. I'd head clockwise from here until you reach Dock 7; the Franky House is on a cape at the edge of the island near there, but you can probably find some of their members lurking around."
I narrowed my eyes a bit at what he said, but I could look into those implied criminals later. "All right, and for the new ship?"
"Head for the Galley-La Company building. If you already know what you want, we can draw up the blueprints and prices. If not, we've got a catalog, so you can look at our past projects and see what stands out to you."
He shoved the spike of hair down again, and it reappeared sticking out of that arm's elbow… What.
"But if you're looking to build something more exotic, ask to meet with my fellow foreman Kaku," the man continued, ignorant of the many laws of biology he'd just casually broken. "Mechanics and diagnostics are his specialties, so he should be able to help you. Tell him I sent ya, and you'll get a good price off of it!"
"Will do. Thanks, Lulu," I said.
The next moment, we were back on the ship. I waited until we were out of earshot and then turned to Sabo, who was manning the helm. "You think that's good enough for us?"
Sabo snorted. "That one fisherman we ran into even before we got here would've been enough for our purposes," he said. "With Galley-La in the know? I bet the news will be across the island within the hour and worldwide by this time tomorrow."
"Then the bait is set." I nodded, returning my attention to the island we were sailing around. "And when our target decides to bite, we'll be able to pay you guys back for all your help." No way the so-called Noble would be able to pass up the chance to get his ship back. And when he did come, we'd be ready and waiting.
"Free access to the retinue of a World Noble, not to mention the Noble himself?" Ace grinned, coming up from where he'd been waiting below deck. "I think whatever debt you owe Dragon will be more than made even."
"Bold of you to assume there's a debt at all!" Haru called out as he slid down from the ship's rigging, his cloak notably missing and his features completely different from usual. "Getting another guy in the Warlords is plenty, not to mention what you've done for Sabo!"
I smiled in acceptance while Ace hauled up his Striker.
"Well, I've got bar crawling to do," he said. "I'll meet you guys at Dock 7 once I'm finished; so long as we're here, I may as well see if they've got an upgrade worth buying."
"Ace?" Sabo asked warningly, causing his brother to roll his eyes.
"If I find Teach, I won't start a battle unless you're with me," Ace promised. And at Sabo's nod, he dropped the raft down and sped off in a burst of flame.
"Even if Teach finds him first, fire of that scale will be hard to miss," I said, seeing Sabo still pensive. He nodded with a sigh before another person aboard came up to him.
"Sabo, everyone's done but you. Are you ready?" she asked.
"Yeah. Let's go, Aki," he said, following the resident disguise expert back below deck. Why Rhode had such an extensive makeup collection she could use was not something that I wanted to think about, so I turned to the others still on deck.
"Haru, Fuyu, let's get this thing docked. I'm going to go track down those Franky Family guys."
-o-
Going Merry passed through the backstreets of Water 7 without incident. After a brief discussion, Zoro, Robin, and Chopper chose to stay behind, both to guard the ship and to practice their new training focuses. Or, rather, Zoro and Robin were helping Chopper with his, which had him dancing as the others left.
Luffy and Sanji pulled a cart weighing heavy with every piece of gold they had been able to extract and reforge from the broken pillar, the whole thing barely fitting onto the bridge connecting the Rocky Cape to the rest of the island. And the gateway was an interesting shop.
"Rental bulls?" Sanji asked as he read the sign. "What would we need a bull for?"
"Some different kind of bull? Maybe a bulldog?" Usopp suggested.
"I doubt that, but I don't have any better ideas," Nami said.
"Excuse me! We'd like to rent some bulls!" Luffy called.
"FIND OUT WHAT THEY ARE FIRST!" the other three yelled as they continued into the shop.
Inside, a man looked up from his newspaper with a smile. "Hi! Looking for some bulls, you said? How many people?"
"We've got four!" Luffy said, holding up four fingers.
"And a ton of cargo, possibly literally," Sanji added. "And before we get too far into this, what is a bull?"
"Huh?" the man said as he got to his feet. "You don't know? This must be your first time on the island, then."
"We were following the log to get here, but we also came looking to get our ship repaired," Nami explained.
"I see. Well, it'll be easier to show you all. Step over here," he said, moving out the other side of the shop. A quick explanation followed as the Straw Hats looked across the waterways running through the city, a few dozen of the equine fishes that they called bulls in any given direction.
"The most common rank is the Yagara, which is what you see here," the man finished, raising a brow as he looked back at the huge bag. "A thousand beri'll get you a two-seater Yagara. But if you need to carry whatever that is with you, you'll need at least a Rabuka Bull."
"What does that get us, and for how much?" Nami asked, an undercurrent of danger in her tone. The man may have noticed, as he immediately went back over to his desk, withdrew a whistle, and blew it as he stepped back outside.
After a few seconds, a larger shadow swam into sight beneath the water, breaking the surface to reveal a silver bull with sharper teeth, upward of ten times as big as the Yagaras. On its back was a cabin with seats on the roof and shutters over its windows.
The man looked back at the stunned Straw Hats with a smile.
"Rabuka Bulls are usually for large groups, a couple of dozen at least. Renting one out is normally 20,000 beri, plus an extra 10,000 for the double-decker cabin, which you'll need for that much cargo. Sure it isn't something you could deal with later?"
A brief pause as the Straw Hats exchanged looks, mostly in Nami's direction. But it didn't take long for them to remember how dire the circumstances were, and what they needed this money for.
"We'll take it," Nami said, withdrawing a bundle of bills and counting them out.
"Excellent," the man replied. "And if you're after ship repairs, you'll want to see the best on the island at Dock 1 under the Galley-La company. Sidon here knows the way."
"Cool, thanks, Dealer Guy!" Luffy immediately leaped onto the Rabuka Bull's head, then stretched his arms out to grab Nami and Usopp while Sanji followed soon after. "Let's go!"
-o-
They entered the area to the sounds of yelling and activity, as shipwrights were walking every which way while one more sharply-dressed man held a conversation with a large, burly one, while a blonde woman was standing off to the side, taking notes.
"Hellooooo!" Luffy called out, getting the pair's attention. "Is this Dock 1?"
"And who are you all?" The first man didn't seem surprised to see the group walking into the busy dock. "If you're looking to schedule something, you'll need to make an appointment. I'm pretty busy these days, you know."
The woman spoke up before they could reply. "The Straw Hat Pirates," she said coolly, adjusting her glasses as she flipped through her notes. "You were that rookie crew from the Alabasta incident. Rumor has it that you've got one Nico Robin on your ship."
"So what if she is?" Luffy snapped back, hackles raised. The woman raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, as the first man stepped between them, hands raised.
"Easy, there. Let's not start any trouble, shall we? The name's Iceburg, the lady's my secretary, Kalifa, and this here's one of the foremen, Tilestone. What business do you have with Galley-La?"
Slowly, Luffy's fists unclenched, and Usopp took that as his cue to step forwards. "It's our ship, the Going Merry," he explained. "She's been with us since we set out, and we want her fixed up and reinforced for the rest of our trip."
"A REPAIR AND REINFORCING JOB FOR AN EAST BLUE SHIP?" Tilestone boomed, oblivious to how several of the pirates flinched away from his volume. The Galley-La workers, however, didn't bat an eye. "ARE YOU SURE YOU DON'T JUST WANT A REPLACEMENT? A DINKY LITTLE BOAT LIKE THAT WON'T BE HOLDING UP FOR MUCH LONGER FROM THE SOUND OF IT."
Luffy's return glare actually caused the larger man to flinch back a little. "Shut up," he growled. "Merry's tougher than you think, and her keel isn't cracked yet! She'll carry us even further once she's fixed up! You'll see!"
Tilestone glared back, and a tense silence reigned on Dock 1 as several lower-level Galley-La workers took several steps away from the two groups.
"Eh, it's your money," Iceburg said eventually, breaking the stand-off with a shrug as he turned away. "I'll have one of our best take a look at it. Kalifa, cancel today's appointments, then grab Kaku and have him take an in-depth look at this ship. Straw Hat, come with me. If you're really looking for a repair job, then when he gets back, you'll want to see the projected costs and such, as well as our options for reinforcement. I don't care if you want to throw your lives away sailing an East Blue ship on the Grand Line, but I won't let it be because Galley-La underperformed in its duties."
"Ah," Nami quickly stepped forwards. "I'll be coming with you. I'm probably the best one for looking at financial matters, anyways." Sanji, of course, immediately proclaimed his desire to join them as well. The fact that he was holding on to a large piece of the Straw Hats' funds didn't hurt his case.
"I'll come too," Usopp added. "I want to know for sure what you're doing for Merry's sake."
Iceburg shrugged. "I still say you're better off replacing her, but sure. My office is big enough for all of you." And then he turned around to give one more piece of information. "Oh yeah, let the guys on your ship know to keep an eye out. The Franky Family's been acting up recently, and they've got a bad habit of sneaking around company property. They're expert ship dismantlers and thieves, so tell your guys to call if there's a problem, and I'll sic our best guys on it. Lucci's usually able to throw them out quickly enough."
"Eh, Zoro should be able to take care of that," Luffy said as they walked off toward the main Galley-La offices. "And he's got Chopper and Robin with him, too! They'll be fine!"
"Still, I'll wait here," Sanji said, eyeing the surrounding area with a frown. "I think we've had a tail since the gold exchange. But rest assured, dear Nami, they won't lay a finger on our money~" he sang.
-o-
Surprisingly, it wasn't too hard to find some members of the Franky Family. The dockworkers I'd spoken to about it weren't the most charitable towards them, but it seemed more along the lines of "oh, those troublemakers" rather than anything resembling a strong dislike or fear. It was a good sign, especially since the guys who recognized me asked that I not be "too rough" with them. A far better reception than anything Team Galactic could have dreamed of, even before Cyrus revealed his true colors.
Thankfully, the Franky Family followed one of the unwritten rules of criminal gangs and had a distinct and recognizable uniform. As a result, it wasn't long before I found a group of large, shady-looking men skulking around the back streets wearing a rather odd suspenders-stockings combo and odd-looking goggles.
As futile as it seemed, I went with the pacifistic approach first, with Gardevoir watching from out of sight. "Excuse me, do you have a minute?"
The group looked back at me, and despite the goggles hiding their eyes, I could feel them sizing me up.
"Who are you? That weird outfit looks familiar," one of them said. I frowned, fighting the urge to tell them that they had no room to talk about weird outfits, but one of the others suddenly straightened.
"Wait a second. You're Lucas? That new Warlord?" he asked.
"That's me," I confirmed. Hopefully, being recognized would keep things from escalating… And never mind, they're all laughing now.
"Geez, the Government must be desperate if they recruited a kid like you! Aren't they supposed to be making the Government seem scarier?"
"This is me trying to be polite," I replied stiffly. At that, all of them looked straight at me, wearing identical earsplitting grins. It was an odd thing; their smiles had malice, of course, but they seemed mostly just happy. I didn't have the chance to reflect on that for long, though, before they closed in on me.
"Look, kid. I don't know what the Government is thinking, picking someone like you to help them," one of the thugs said, his voice full of malice. "But you're barely a step above any other pirates as far as we're concerned. If you know what's good for you, stay out of our way while you're in our city."
"Otherwise, we'll see how much the Government really cares about you," another said, gripping my shoulder menacingly.
"Oh, well. I tried playing nice," I sighed, dropping one hand down to my side and giving the signal. "You only have yourselves to blame for this."
All six of them were instantly frozen in Confusion, unable to respond, and the glare in Gardevoir's eyes was evident as she warped in from the roof she was waiting on. She held them for as long as it took for me to step out of arm's reach, then they staggered as she released them.
"I just want some answers about your boss," I said, folding my arms. "I'm not looking to start a fight, but I have no problem finishing one. Now, can we talk? If you don't tell me, I'll just look for him myself."
That got a reaction out of them, and Gardevoir taking a pointed step closer to me is probably the only reason they didn't charge me with weapons drawn. But their hands stayed clamped around their swords, clubs, and guns.
"What do you want with Big Bro Franky?" the leader demanded.
"I don't know yet. That's why I'm talking to you. Tell me about him," I said, letting some of my exasperation show. "What's his reason for forming a gang like yours?"
They faltered, staring at me in confusion.
"What's his reason?" he repeated. "That's how things work in the backstreets: the biggest and strongest leads and the rest obey. He's been the head of Water 7's underworld since he stomped me. Nobody stands a chance against Big Bro."
"So, he keeps you under his heel out of fear?"
"Hey, don't put words in my mouth!" he snapped. He shook his head. "Sure, at the start, I was angry and a little scared. But Big Bro never mistreated us. He saved us. We're all Water 7's rejects. The thugs, the drunks, the homeless, the ones who tried and failed to make it as shipwrights. Even when I led my gang, there was always a huge part that was angry and lashing out. But not anymore."
He grinned, this time with no malice. "Ever since Big Bro formed the Franky Family, I've never been happier. He brought us together. He taught us how to dismantle and fight and hunt pirates. He gave us a place to belong, and we owe him everything for that."
"Yeah! Big Bro's the best, don't you forget it!" said another one, the rest of the group just as fervent.
I heaved a large internal sigh of relief. At least this group of troublemakers wasn't led by a genocidal megalomaniac. Out loud, all I said was, "That's good."
"What are you asking for, though?" the leader said, his smile fading but his stance not as hostile as before. I shook my head.
"I've got a lot of bad memories of the last criminal organization with eccentric aesthetics I went after. Team Galactic went underestimated for years, but it turned out that their leader was a monster, one that inspired blind loyalty to his goal. A goal that was a lie, in the end, just designed to gather pawns in a plot to destroy everything. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't dealing with someone like that again. And from what you've told me, this Franky seems like a good guy."
The leader of a group of outcasts wasn't automatically a bad person, after all. Made me think of Ghost-types: mischievous and reclusive but not inherently evil. If these criminals only went after other criminals, then hopefully, everything would be fine. Of course, I'd have to be sure first.
"So, what now, then?" the leader asked neutrally.
"Could you guys set up a meeting with him?" I asked. "I heard you guys are the best at dismantling ships, and I've got one I'd like to get rid of before I buy a replacement."
The Franky Family members stared at me, then exchanged looks, which quickly turned into a full-blown huddle. Gardevoir drew closer to me.
He was sincere, she conveyed quietly. And their loyalty to their boss runs as deep as ours to each other.
"Love to the point of waging war," I muttered, smiling softly. It was an incredible thing.
Finally, they broke apart, and the leader smiled at me. "Sure, we can bring you to our place," he said. "Big Bro's out right now, but we can let you know when he gets back. He just said he'd take care of an errand or something, so it shouldn't be too long."
"Sounds good. But if he's not available right now, I think I'll head for Galley-La's main building to browse through some of their blueprints. Your base is off of Dock 7, right?"
"Yeah, you can't miss it," the leader nodded. "Just tell 'em Zambai sent you and you won't have any trouble."
"Thanks, Zambai," I said, offering a hand. After a second, he took it and grinned at me.
"Guess I should apologize for the rude reception. You're all right, Lucas."
Thank goodness. Franky and his family seemed to be pretty reasonable guys.
-o-
"Hmm. These recent repairs were done well," Kaku muttered, running his hand where the new mast met the ship.
"They'd better have been," Zoro grumbled as he lounged against the ship's side. The Galley-La shipwright had more or less shown up unannounced, and after a brief misunderstanding regarding his appearance (because honestly, how many other people had a nose like Usopp's?), he'd gone over the Merry with an expert eye. He'd looked over the mast, the sides, the helm, and had even picked up some of the floorboards to get a look at the bottom.
"Looks like everything's in a good state," Kaku finally said, turning to face the three Straw Hats on the deck. "Nothing that can't be improved on by Galley-La, of course, but still pretty good."
"And the keel?" Chopper asked.
The shipwright heaved a sigh. "Not the worst one I've ever seen, is what I'll say. Even one more day out on the open sea, and it might have been another story, but right now, she looks fixable." He held up a hand to forestall any exclamations. "It won't be perfect, and I still think you guys would be better off on a different ship, but if you guys are paying for a Galley-La reinforcement job, a Galley-La reinforcement job you'll have."
Chopper sighed in relief, paying little mind to what else he said, while Zoro and Robin nodded.
"We'll need to make sure things never get this bad again," Robin said. "Do you have any suggestions?"
"There's little I can suggest," he shrugged. "More reinforcement ultimately means more weight to the ship, so we're limited in how much we can add to the main body without causing the damage we're here to fix. And even with a crew of only seven, you're pushing her limits for living space. If you ask me, the only way you can effectively upgrade this ship is to make her bigger, and there are only two ways to do that without worrying about the weight limit: build below her, or build around her. You'll need to discuss amongst yourselves which of those you'd prefer; both are unorthodox designs."
"Unorthodox is fine, as long as it works," Zoro said, though he was frowning at what Kaku said. Robin and Chopper were both picturing the two options in their minds. Kaku, meanwhile, began walking away.
"Well, we'll start with the initial repairs. I'll head back to Dock 1 to discuss matters, and—oh, bother."
The three Straw Hats followed his gaze to a group of men approaching the ship.
It was a rather small group, number-wise. But three of the men approaching were three times the size of a normal human, and the remaining one, while less extreme, was still over seven feet tall. They all dressed oddly as well, the three giants shirtless with strange goggles and metal lederhosen, and their apparent leader man wearing an elaborate poncho-and-robe combination covered with stars, combined with a three-pointed helmet and a stoic-faced mask. He made the first move, cupping his hands up to the mask's mouth and shouting up at them.
"Nico Robin! Are you there?"
"And who wants to know?" she heard Zoro respond.
The man just adjusted his helmet with one large hand, an insolent grin audible in his response. "Just some concerned citizens looking to keep the city safe," he said. "Ah, there she is! Come on down here, Nico Robin! I've just got a couple of questions, and I don't wanna bust this cute little boat up while trying to ask them!"
"Gentlemen, lady, it is my displeasure to introduce you to the faces of Water 7's underworld, the Franky Family," Kaku sighed, holding a hand over his eyes. "And it would seem that you have the rare privilege of meeting with the boss himself. Even Mayor Iceburg is wary of Franky."
Despite him being next to her, Kaku's words came through distantly, almost as if through a tunnel, as Robin stared at the assembled gang. It was far from the first group of criminals that singled her out for her reputation, but this was the first one where she didn't know what to do. Normally, it was a simple matter of giving her pursuers the slip, disguising herself, and vacating the island as soon as possible, but Zoro and Chopper were here. And there was no way the other Straw Hats would leave either, nor would these strangers let her go…
"Robin, keep an eye on Merry, would you?" Zoro's voice snapped her out of her thoughts as he leaped off the deck, landing with a loud thud on the island itself. "As First Mate, in the captain's absence, it's my job to handle any concerns for the crew." His glare sharpened as he unsheathed his swords, brandishing them threateningly at the oncoming Franky Family. "And I'll be sure to treat any threats towards my nakama with all the respect they deserve."
Robin's eyes widened. Just like that? Motion at her side drew her attention away from Zoro to see Chopper stride past her, leaping off the ship in his Heavy Point. "And as the crew's doctor," he rumbled, slamming fist to palm, "I diagnose that some preventative medicine is in order to maintain our nakama's good health."
Robin could do nothing but stare as the two of them faced down the gang. It was one thing indeed for her crewmates to say they'd face the world for her sake, to hear that they would take on any challenge to defend her. It was quite another to see it put into practice. Sure it was just one gang, not anyone that seemed truly dangerous, but this warm feeling was still unfamiliar, even after several weeks with her.
Was this what friends were like? She'd forgotten after so long…
The sound of steel on steel pulled her attention to where Zoro and Franky were already clashing, or rather where Zoro was defending himself against bursts of gunfire and… Franky's right fist, which seemed to be detachable and able to be swung around like a flail. Zoro didn't seem to be in danger, mostly keeping the flail from wrapping around his swords while trying to deflect the gunfire. Chopper, meanwhile, was taking on the other thugs, using his newly-developed Heavy Thorn to render their arms and legs temporarily immobile via pressure point hits.
She remembered what Lucario had said that day, what he'd told Admiral Aokiji, and what she'd inadvertently overheard by way of how her Devil Fruit interacted with his telepathy. That they would have fought, no matter who or what stood before them, for the sake of one such as her, just because they claimed her as nakama.
And as the last doubts of that died, her expression hardened. It was time to do the same for them.
She jumped off the ship and made her way towards Zoro, who was currently using all three of his swords to deflect a hail of bullets coming from Franky's left arm, whose hand had flipped back to reveal a set of gun barrels embedded in his wrist.
"What the hell are you?!" she heard Zoro ask, not slowing his deflections despite his shock.
"A cyborg," Franky responded smugly. "So you'd better step off, or I'll be leaving you with a SUPER concussion! Strong Right!"
The crime boss's fist shot out once more, but this time Robin decided to announce her presence.
"Doce Fleur: Grab."
A dozen arms sprouted from the ground, grabbing onto the chain between the arm and the hand and stopping it in midair as she strode forwards.
"Thank you, Zoro," she said, giving the swordsman a warm smile. "But I think it's time for me to defend my own honor."
Zoro snorted, lowering his swords as the barrage of gunfire ceased. "As if you need any help doing that," he scoffed with no heat in his voice. "This guy just pissed me off." He proceeded to run over to where Chopper was now trading blows with the other giants, one of which was already lying paralyzed on the ground.
Robin turned her focus back to Franky, who was now tugging on his right arm to try and free it. Robin scowled and made sure her arms redoubled their efforts.
"Damn it, let go already!" Franky yelled, bringing his left arm up and revealing the gun barrels within. "Weapons Left!"
Robin ducked under the fresh burst of gunfire, quickly summoning even more limbs to wrench the arm and its gun barrel into the ground.
"Fresh Fire!" Franky reared his head back, spitting out a burst of fire through his mask at the limbs holding his arms prisoner. Robin's eyes widened, and she quickly dispelled the arms, wincing as several burns appeared on her own arms. With his arms free, Franky flexed confidently, showing how they were completely undamaged by his actions. "A little heat resistance goes a long way!" He boasted. "Still want to fight me?"
"I don't want to do any of this," Robin replied testily, before summoning even more arms to grab him from behind.
"Treinta Fleur: Whip!" She said, using those arms to toss Franky into the air before winding another group into a lasso to snag his leg and slam him face-first into the ground. As he staggered back upright, she saw the cyborg's helmet and mask had broken off, showing his pained yet still angry expression.
"Veinte Fleur: Tear!" This time, the arms sprouted out around Franky, rearing back before slamming into him one after the other. Franky did his best to block what he could, but Robin saw and felt each hand impacting, using them to grasp at his outfit and literally rip it to pieces, leaving the cyborg with only a speedo covering his body.
"Now, will you surrender?" Robin asked sharply. "If not, that outfit is not the only thing that will need replacing." A little embarrassment should push things towards deescalation easily enough.
Contrary to her expectations, though, Franky stood proudly, even striking a pose with naught but his speedo to cover him up. "As if!" he shouted, pulling his arms together over his head. "You think a simple wardrobe malfunction can stop a SUPER guy like me? You've got another thing coming!"
Robin couldn't do anything but stare at the display of… she didn't really have a name for it, but it was definitely on display. Finally, she crossed her arms again, forming a mouth and pair of ears on Merry's railing where Kaku was watching them. "Is he serious?" she asked blandly.
The responding sigh was not reassuring. "Sadly, yes," the shipwright replied. "He was actually more dressed up than I expected when he first got here."
Brilliant.
Robin gave herself a moment longer to contemplate where the hell her life had gone ever since leaving Alabasta before interrupting Franky's posing with a glare. "Regardless, I suggest you surrender," she said. "If you are unable to defeat me in a one-on-one fight—"
"A three-on-one should go even worse." Zoro's voice rang out, and a quick glance to the side showed him and Chopper standing amidst a heap of groaning and unconscious Franky Family members. "You should just give up now. You couldn't beat Robin or me on our own, so save yourself the trouble and get lost."
Franky's scowl deepened as he realized exactly what situation he was now in, and Robin's eyes widened as his voice took on a tinge of desperation. "I won't let you reawaken the Ancient Weapons!" He pulled out a T-shaped pipe, slotting it into his arms and taking aim at her. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect what Tom died for! Coup de…"
Usually, she wouldn't have given her opponent's words a second thought. But after her most recent bout of emotional realizations, Robin could be forgiven for very slightly losing her temper.
"I don't want to reawaken anything!" she snapped back, already preparing some arms to divert his aim upwards. "I just want to rediscover the world's lost history!"
Surprisingly, that was enough to get Franky to pause his attack. "Wait, seriously?"
Robin glared at him, but at the earnest surprise on his face and the sight of Zoro and Chopper ready to pile on him, she took a deep breath and spoke the forbidden truth.
"Ohara was destroyed because its scholars were researching the Poneglyphs. But their interest was never more or less than learning the lost history the Poneglyphs tell."
Franky's own eyes narrowed, but he kept his arms raised. "Hard to take someone like you at your word."
"So the local crime lord believes that the World Government never attacked an innocent person just for knowing too much?"
Robin noticed a flash of utter hatred pass over Franky's face at Zoro's dry question. Slowly, the cyborg disconnected the strange device, but his arms remained raised and ready as he regarded the swordsman.
"Why is she with you?"
"Because our captain invited her to join us."
Franky rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."
"That's all there is to it," Zoro said calmly but firmly. "We don't know what all Robin has done or been through, and we don't need to. She's our nakama."
For a long, long moment, there was silence, and Robin slowly prepared to reactivate her powers for a quick takedown. Then Franky smiled, shaking his head ruefully. "I'm such a dumbass," he chuckled. "I should have considered that the Government was lying about that, too."
Everyone relaxed as Franky's arms dropped back to his sides, and the crime boss sat down with a heavy thump. "Sorry about the trouble, Nico Robin," he said with a slight grin, pulling a flowered shirt out of… somewhere… to pull on over his torso. "If there's something I can do to make up for it, just name it."
It was a moment of calm. And it didn't last.
Robin's senses screamed at her a second before cracks suddenly appeared across the entire rocky outcrop they stood on. And then another voice reached her ears. A voice she'd hoped she would never hear again.
"Ground Secco! GROUND DEATH!"
And then the island fell away.
-o-
"Ah, there you are, Lucas!"
Lucci watched as the newest Warlord gave the Straw Hats a wave before introducing himself and his companions to Iceburg, listening to them with one ear as he contemplated the newcomers. Those two, the "Lady Devil'' and "Cobalt Jackal," were supposed to be among the greatest threats to his mission? They definitely weren't the most intimidating figures at first glance.
Though, Lucci supposed, the fact that he was making use of all the social training drilled into him by his instructors to remain uninteresting spoke volumes. He was standing off to the side, almost out of the Warlord's peripheral vision, shoulders slightly hunched to hide his already-unassuming height and face carefully schooled into a calmly neutral expression. Tilestone and Lulu on the mayor's other side were being their usual attention-getting selves, ensuring that he remained in the background and beneath notice. And aside from a few curious glances at Hattori, it was working as expected.
It gave him a good opportunity to observe the newcomers in detail, and part of him was displeased. Despite the differences in body type, he could see that they carried themselves with the ease of expert fighters. They wouldn't be easy targets, but that knowledge only made another part of him, the animal within, even more eager for the confrontation.
Their leader, the Pokémon Champion, also had an air of experience around him, just like his companions. It was an odd dichotomy to have such casual confidence while being so physically weak, but if it made the Warlord an easier target, then it was all the better.
The Straw Hats, on the other hand, were of negligible import. Their captain was an imbecile, and his companions, Nami and Usopp, were weaklings. But the easy rapport they had with Lucas was something to be wary of.
"Is Kaku here?"
Lucci returned his attention to Lucas at the question.
"Square Usopp?" Luffy asked.
"I TOLD YOU TO CUT THAT OUT!" the long-nosed Straw Hat, evidently the Usopp in question, barked. Luffy ignored him.
"He went off to look at Merry," Nami said. "He said it shouldn't take long; he went off that way about—huh? What's that?"
Lucci looked in the direction that the woman was pointing, and his eyebrows rose at the sight of a large cloud of sand surging up from sea level. He carefully suppressed a brief surge of satisfaction. It seemed that the mission was proceeding apace.
"Is that normal around here?" Lucas asked Iceburg warily.
"Not at all," the mayor said, frowning curiously. "There's nothing of particular interest by the Rocky Cape, and even if Franky were up to something, he's never done anything this destructive. What could be kicking up that much—?"
All of their minds skipped a beat. Iceburg never actually said 'sand,' but the moment after it registered, Lucas's hands were already blurring, and Straw Hat had taken off running.
"Crobat, let's Fly!" Lucas called, flinging a ball with one hand and drawing something out of his bag with another as Crobat materialized. Gardevoir's assistance stretched the thing out, revealing it to be a pair of harnesses linked by several cords, and in seconds, her powers had one harness fitted around Crobat. Lucas braced himself against the other, a hammock-like sling, and returned Lucario with one hand.
"Gardevoir, get the Straw Hats and cut him off! He's not getting away this time! Crobat, head for the sandstorm!" Lucas ordered, his hands gripping tightly to his harness's control bar.
The next second, the pair of them were already several feet off of the ground. And despite the situation, all the pirates and shipwrights were left staring as they disappeared into the distance.
"Remind me later to ask how long he's had that in his pocket," Nami commented dumbly. A second later, though, she shook herself, pulling an ornate, multi-component staff from her pockets and assembling it in one quick motion.
"I will, believe me, but right now, that's where Merry is!" Usopp said, a giant slingshot already in hand. "Let's go!"
Gardevoir looked at Nami, and the latter barely flinched before nodding in consent. An instant later, they and Usopp flashed away.
Now that they were gone, Lucci felt safe enough to straighten up. "That's not something you see every day," 'Hattori' remarked from his shoulder.
"Never mind that," Iceburg said darkly. "Crocodile is on this island. Spread the word to every dock; if Lucas and the Straw Hats don't subdue him, I want everyone on high alert."
"Yes, sir," Kalifa and the foremen assured, splitting up at once. Like they'd discussed, Kalifa split off towards the Sea Train station, claiming that she was putting the operators on notice. Lucci himself ran off towards a side street, ensuring that there were no possible witnesses before doubling around and leaping onto the rooftops with Moonwalk. His task was to pay a visit to the mayor's empty office.
-o-
The flight harness was old technology, developed way back before Sinnoh was still Hisui and under the custodianship of the Diamond and Pearl clans. The fact that it had only seen minor improvements since then spoke volumes of its effectiveness. Thankfully, there were even variations available for Crobat's unique anatomy, allowing him to fly through the air at speeds that, while nowhere near his best, were still comparable to most Flying-types even while weighted down.
Initially, the plan was to have Gardevoir sync up with me and use my eyes to visualize the location to teleport to, Nami and her weather-manipulating abilities in tow to combine with Vaporeon's own rain creation. That plan was scrapped when Gardevoir informed me that the sandstorm was in the same direction as the Merry and that she was going ahead with the Straw Hats, leaving Crobat and myself to catch up the long way. At least we were able to pick up Luffy on the way from the alleyway he'd gotten stuck in.
The sandstorm had long since died away by the time we swooped down to the island, which was bearing all the signs of Crocodile's handiwork, and the man himself was long gone. As we reached the newly created sandbar, I saw the Straw Hats present had fallen to their knees, their expressions shattered. And I couldn't blame them.
A strange man in an Alolan shirt and speedo sat grimly near the shore. Around him was a trio of giant-blooded men dressed in the Franky Family's outfits, battered and unconscious. Chopper had tears in his eyes as he and Gardevoir worked together to patch Zoro up while Smoker (when did he get there?) looked on. Robin and Kaku were nowhere to be seen.
And scattered in the sand and the nearby water were hunks of flotsam and jetsam, a couple of uprooted trees, scraps of cloth and canvas, and a snapped-off and scarred white figurehead.
All surrounding a still-floating shipwreck that, less than an hour ago, had been the Going Merry.
So, how's this for a Holiday gift?
This has been an arc we've been planning out for a good while now, just to make sure everything is as much of a mess as possible. I think this will do nicely as a starter.
And just to be clear, we will be covering what exactly happened to Robin and Kaku at the end there. So don't worry about that (or worry more, hehehe).
