Sanji and Glove had been going at it for nearly seven minutes already, and though he'd expected some mentee of Axe-Hand Morgan to be only a shadow of what he had been, Sanji found the two comparable. Even worse, Glove and Sanji were about the same size (really, Glove was a bit bigger) and Glove had more agility. It was like fighting a competent version of that iron fisted fool in Gecko Town. But these iron boxing gloves weighed at least fifty pounds each. How could he lift those so casually and wield them to devastation without destroying the restaurant too bad.

"Commander, we'll help! Dogpile him, men!" one of the Marines cried, waving his arms and leading a charge of about fifteen men toward Sanji. They flayed out in all different angles to surround Sanji from all angles.

Even Glove looked at them in disbelief. "Stay out of this, men! He's mine!" Glove cried out, and he was forced to watch his subordinates leap toward Sanji. Sanji counted them all and spun on his palms, standing on his arms now to batter the Marines one by one. They were swept away, either kicked in the face, the chest, or the stomach, anything to send them off kilter from landing on or hitting Sanji.

The truth is, he's above them as is, Glove thought bitterly. I should expect nothing less of someone who defeated Axe-Hand. Glove gonged his gloves together and stomped toward Sanji, picking up steam as he watched his Marines fall. The last of them, the one who had started the charge, was kicked square in the face and sent flying against one of the support beams, slumping to the floor in an unconscious mess. Glove yelled out in a war cry as he brought his fists swinging toward Sanji from two different angles.

They collided against Sanji's sides, ending his spin and causing the breath to fall from him. Blood erupted from his mouth as his arms gave out, he felt ribs crack, and he crumpled himself to the floor. "You're fighting Navy-men of the Grand Line now, boy!" Glove cried out as he stood above Sanji. Sanji's eyes lolled about in his head, barely able to focus on Glove's fist as it came down into his chest.

Sanji gave out a weak cough as he bounced on the floor. Glove came to kneel beside him, breathing intensely through his nose as he stared at Sanji. The cook's life seemed to fade out of him before Glove's eyes. Glove chuckled. "We're gonna snag you and your entire crew. Especially Nico Robin," he hissed into Sanji's ear. "Admit defeat."

"WAAAAAH!" came a cry as a big box with an afro crashed into the door, bowling over the Marines who were holding guard there. They all tumbled about in a mess around each other. Sanji recognized Gaimon's voice and looked across the restaurant at the tumble of Marines, box-man, and tables and chairs. Gaimon's afro, at least, kept him separated from the Marines and he landed further from them, right side up on a table. They held their bruised faces from the beating the chain around Gaimon had done to them.

"What's this?!" Glove bellowed out as more Marines came running into The White Lotus, panting.

"That little guy . . . sure can run!" one of the Marines panted.

"Sir! Sorry, sir! This prisoner is not properly detained!" another of the newcomer Marines reported.

"Sanji! Are you alright, man?!" Gaimon screamed once he found Sanji in the wreckage of the restaurant under Glove's domineering fists of iron. "Where's Luffy?!"

"With Mosshead," Sanji groaned out. "This guy just messed me up a little, man."

He looks like he's gonna die! Gaimon thought to himself, not wanting to express that to the enemy or even to Sanji. He gritted his teeth and held on tight to the side of his box. "Come on, Sanji! Nami's a prisoner right now, and who knows where Robin is! And maybe before you run off to rescue them, you can help me!" His voice picked up pace as the Marines scrambled toward him, but he got the last word out before hopping from the table to the floor, sprinting off to outrun them in the kitchen.

"Get a grip on the situation! Consider yourselves lucky I won't report this to Captain Hina!" Glove screamed at his underlings, brimming with rage as spittle flew from his mouth. I picked up my slack, why can't these ingrates? Could the Straw Hats be that good? Ain't no way, he thought with a "Harumph."

"Hey," Sanji said quietly from the floor. "Look at me when I'm fighting you."

Glove looked Sanji back in the eye, and though he was obviously still crippled from that last blow, his eyes were back to normal. If anything, they felt stronger than Glove's. Glove's eyes went wide as Sanji spun his body out and around from Glove's, avoiding him entirely with his body and springing his leg up and back down into Glove's side, sending him now to the floor.

"GAH!" Glove croaked out as he collapsed against Sanji's kick. Where did this strength come from all of a sudden?!

"You got a good hit in on me," Sanji admitted to Glove. "You possess some of that raw, dumb strength Axe-Hand has, yeah, fair enough. But I got ladies to go rescue from your dumbie friends now. I swear, these poor ladies can't depend on any of us in a pinch . . ."

Glove cried out as he brought his iron boxing glove slamming against Sanji's shin. The blow was devastating to Sanji's leg, and he felt like his shin was crumbling away into dust as he swallowed the pain, arching his neck up. He cracked it, shutting his eyes in bitter pain as he forced himself to dispel the feeling tingling across his right shin.

Instead of succumbing to it, Sanji brought his leg careening back behind him in a wided arc that came back to slam into Glove's head. He did a flip once onto his back and Sanji was still on him. "Do you need this mask or is it just for show? Cause it looks like it's some weird tribute to someone's Daddy," Sanji taunted, and brought his kicks down in a flurry of three against Glove's face.

"We're Grand Line Marines, pirate dog!" Glove cried out against the third kick as he wrapped his arms around Sanji's leg and whirled him around. Somehow, he wound up on Sanji's back with his knee at a weird angle. He twisted, prepared to snap it and really cripple the cook who brought down his mentor - but he could not against Sanji's strength. He gritted his teeth and pulled all the more, but Sanji, as disadvantageous as his position was, used all his might to avoid the commander damaging his leg.

"These legs of mine are precious, and it's too soon to go losing one," Sanji told Glove harshly. He brought his other leg up into Glove's elbow and pried Glove's arms apart against his grating cry that came out almost through his neck veins. Sanji used his palms to sweep his body back under Glove and back up to a standing position. He stood on Glove's wrists, pinning him to the floor, and stared at him in the eye through his legs.

If Sanji had waited even a moment longer, Glove's strength would have returned and he could have gotten a few more good hits in on Sanji. Though the fight was never his. Had Gaimon not arrived when he did, he might have been able to convince himself there was some other alternative. But instead, Sanji balled his fists up, clutched his elbows tight, and brought his knee up high, his foot poised above Glove's stomach, and brought it crashing back down into his gut. Glove coughed up blood as Sanji stepped off of him.

"Why . . . you . . ." Glove sputtered out.

"Our time's gotta be up. Sorry," Sanji said as he prepared another wide arc of a kick, siling at Glove genuinely as his foot cae crashing against his face. Glove spun into the air in a wide arc, once, twice, three times before he came crashing back down to the floor. The rest of the Marines belonging to Hina Squad stood and stared at Sanji, and despite their pistols and blades, they dared not do battle with this man, who took his jacket off and swung it over his shoulder as he pushed his way shakily into the kitchen.

Gaimon was screaming as he avoided and evaded the Marines chasing him about. The kitchen's strange layout worked to his advantage, able to slip under shelves the Marines readily couldn't, as well as whip himself around corners faster thanks to being lower to the ground. The Marines didn't even noticed Sanji enter at first; it was when he tossed his jacket on the clean counter next to the sink that someone noticed. Sanji loosened his tie as the same Marine said, "Guys! It's the other Straw Hat!"

The Marines stopped their chase of Gaimon and all turned their attention to Sanji, who walked closer to them as they formed up across the kitchen. They said nothing, but Sanji gathered up a knife from nearby and tossed it like lightning at the Marines. It didn't cut them, but it caught one of their caps, pinning it to the wall behind them. Gaimon watched from a small hiding place in a cupboard under the sink, eyes beaming with admiration. "You five look ridiculous in this kitchen," Sanji told them with reproach dripping from his voice. They did not take a step toward him; he had to clear the whole gap to take them down with a flurry of kicks that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Gaimon watched the five Marines go down to Sanji's attacks, a sequence of face kicks that worked from the inside out until the Marines were finally in a puddle among each other. Gaimon walked out of his hiding place and jogged over to Sanji's side. "You really came for me first! I can't believe it!"

"Of course," Sanji said matter of factly. "You gotta lead me to Nami."

"But I said she was in the lob-," Gaimon began, but Sanji bent over and grabbed hold of Gaimon's box, picking him up and hoisting him to his shoulder. "Sanji, no! You're too hurt. I can walk!"

"No time," Sanji said as he walked over to his jacket. "You got that?"

Gaimon gathered it up, and in the next instant, Sanji went careening out of the kitchen doors, using it to batter down a few Marines who had wanted to try their luck against Sanji. Yet the door was enough to knock them down, out of Sanji's way, as the cook barrelled toward the exit to the restaurant. "Sorry, White Lotus," Sanji said to no one in particular. "I hope this doesn't ruin your entire day." It really was a shame to leave a fine establishment like this in such shambles.

"Out of the way, or my friend here'll kick ya to death!" Gaimon yelled from Sanji's back, his chains rattling as his toothy cackle rang out at them. His boxish nature was scarier on back of Sanji, and combined with his tempest of a face beneath his immense hair, the Marines balked and stepped back, a parting wave for Sanji to plow through and make for the lobby. "You got this, Sanji! Soon as we get there, throw me down and start kickin'!"


Hina felt a wave of adrenaline come over her and she held on tighter to Robin, but Usopp swept his arms around her and grabbed on tight, bringing his leg up into Hina's side and prying Robin from Hina's arms. Robin found herself at an odd angle that allowed her to swing her foot into Hina's face - the last push they needed to separate Robin from her captor. Usopp stumbled away and winced as he felt into his own trap, limping a moment until he could run again, pushing on toward the exit from Kyuka's underbelly.

"No!" Hina screamed in retaliation, and she resolved not to waste her time with this longnosed freak. A full hug could take down even the Fleet Admiral, so it would be more than enough to suffocate the freak to death. She barreled after Usopp - but her feet stepped on spiky caltrops and she cried out as they embedded into her feet, one, two, four, six, seven, and she fell over, landing on her side. More caltrops pierced her arm and side, and she cried out in pain.

"How do I free you from this, Robin? We'll do better two against one," Usopp asked, though he did not stop running on.

"Not possible, even if she passes out," Robin explained. "As I understand it, it should wear off with distance. But how did you get free?!"

Usopp huffed as he pressed onward. "I just busted out of it. I dunno."

Hina was actively picking herself up, prying the caltrops from her body and feet one by one and tossing them aside. Robin heard her huffing and looked over her own shoulder at the captain. "Usopp, she's coming!" she warned Usopp. Usopp looked at Robin for a split second, curious, then looked over his opposite shoulder. With Robin on him, he couldn't outrun Hina at this rate.

"Hold on, Robin!" Usopp said, setting Robin down against the wall and spinning to aim his slingshot at Hina with the last of his Explosive Stars. He fired it without an alert this time, quick aiming it at Hina's head. It connected as before, and she stopped, nearly collapsing forward upon herself from the blow. Her body shuddered and shivered and finally evened out. She did not fall.

Hina raged out as she ran onward, intent not to let Nico Robin escape from her clutches. Her desperation was wordless now, though. Too many unforeseen attacks had gotten the best of her, and it had whittled her down to no end. Sloppy! she thought to herself. This was her digging deep, and she hadn't even really put up a fight. Her rage was wordless, though, and she only cried out as Usopp fingered out the last of all his ammo from his pouch, loaded it up, and cried out in response, "LEAD STAR!"

The Lead Star slapped against Hina's forehead and she fell unconscious, collapsing into Usopp's arms. He scrunched his face up in defeat, thinking this was her using her Devil Fruit against him. But he caught her, and her powers did not take effect. Though Robin was still captive, Usopp was alright as he let Hina fall from his arms to the floor. She had fallen unconscious from the last attack; the lead bullet that had collided had been so close that it had with the utmost force the slingshot and Usopp could muster. Usopp was relieved she was alive; he doubted Sanji would forgive him for killing a woman.

"No way," Robin muttered. "There's no way you just did that . . ."

"Why doesn't your bond break now?" Usopp asked, somewhat annoyed as he picked Robin back up.

"It's the nature of certain Paramycia Devil Fruits," Robin explained simply. "Usopp . . . I can't believe -."

"Well, believe it, cause I've done a lot more than that you haven't seen," Usopp said as he continued on toward the exit. He sighed, wondering what the situation would be outside. Navy! I wonder if this means Smoker'll be here soon, he thought, knowing there was no hope, even from Luffy or Robin's Devil Fruit, to escape his clutches.

"Usopp. Thank you," Robin said. It came easier than she would have ever expected.

Usopp panted as he heard her say this, not responding for a moment. He climbed up the stairs to the door that led to the lobby, placing his hand on the knob. He didn't turn it, standing there a moment to dwell on what lay on the other side. He was out of ammo, Robin was done for, and they were both a bit beaten up besides. "Like I said," Usopp responded finally, head bowed, "you can't leave without telling Luffy goodbye."

Usopp twisted the door knob and stepped out into the lobby. Looking to his left immediately, he saw Nami, detained and surrounded by Marines with stern expressions but red cheeks. Chief Petty Officer Asahija perked up from the front door of the lobby, not expecting it to be Usopp who walked out with Robin. "Captain Hina, what's happened?" he whispered to himself, unsure what to do now.

The other Marines, led by Mancini, formed up around Usopp and Robin, guns at the ready. "Stand down, pirate!" Mancini demanded of Usopp. "Hand the Demon Child over to us immediately!"

There was a blasting crash as screams erupted from the restaurant corridor and five Marines came slamming out together to crash against the receptionist's desk. The administrator and some of the staff stood there but now balked and screamed at the destruction directly at their feet. The administrator pressed up flat against his wall and began to hyperventilate. "I do believe it is with fairest authority that I ban both parties from Kyuka Resort henceforth! And shall I actually extend that to all of Kyuka Island!"

"That's fine. We did a number on a really nice restaurant. For our part, I humbly apologize," Sanji said as he walked out from that corridor, carrying Gaimon on his back. He heaved and panted, setting Gaimon down. Gaimon wore Sanji's jacket across the top of his afro, and spotted Usopp, waving and running over as the Marines changed their attention from Usopp and Robin to Sanji.

"Hold fire!" Asahija called out. "Where is Glove?" he called out to Sanji.

"That's such a stupid name," Sanji said. "Someone should tell him." He raised his hands at the Marines, swiping his fingers at them to run to him if they wanted a fight. But before he could actually say anything, or go on the offensive himself, the door to the front lobby exploded open. The guests and staff in the lobby, as well as Nami, screamed in terror at the splintering cracks from the destruction laid out there.

Sanji eased up as he stared through the settling dust from the wreckage. The administrator and some of the other managers of Kyuka Resort were all in a rile behind him. They dogpiled Ensign Mancini about ending this all out brawl destroying the resort, but Sanji heard none of it. "Look who decided to join us."

"Well, someone needed to play cavalry," Zoro replied, one sword drawn that was used in conjunction with Luffy's Bazooka to blast the doors down once they'd found it locked by Asahija. The petty officer was in the middle of the great lobby, unsure of which fire to direct himself toward to put out. He was stern, calculated, and efficient, but he had never had real leadership outside of maintaining the general morale and hygiene of Hina Squad. Yet his swordsman's instinct was kicking in, his right hand itched. This was Roronoa Zoro, one of the up and coming swordsmen of the next generation.

"Keep your heads about you, men," he said to all of Hina Squad, even Ensign Mancini who outranked him on technicality. He drew his sword in a shimmering motion that sent a ring through the air. "Deal with the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates. Roronoa is mine."

"Where's that guy with the boxing gloves? Did ya leave some for me, Sanji?" Luffy asked, fists raised at any of the Marines in the room even though none of them dared to charge B25m Straw Hat.

Sanji looked around the resort lobby, counting the Marines left standing. "I think what you see is what you get. Sorry."

Luffy deflated suddenly. "Aw man! I knew I shoulda stayed to fight."

Zoro drew a second of his blades as he and Asahija faced off, taking measured steps toward one another. "Maybe you can guard our exit. After I take this guy down, I think that deals with the real brass of this crew."

Luffy tensed up a moment as he recalled Zoro's fight with Mr. 7, and he stared into the back of Zoro's head. "Remember what we talked about, Zoro."

Zoro looked back at Luffy over his shoulder, plain faced at first, but finally grinning. "Aye, Captain."

Asahija suddenly sprang forward, sprinting across the floor at Zoro. "Look ahead, Roronoa! Your fight is now!"

"Two Gorilla Cut," Zoro muttered, turning his back to Asahija. Both swords crossed behind his head, and he shut his eyes. Luffy studied him, wondering for a moment what he was doing. Asahija got closer and closer, his knuckles tight against the hilt of his sword. He was ready to pierce Zoro through if given the chance, especially after the day's operation went. But instead, Zoro spun and sent his swords slashing across Asahija's body. They swept past Asahija's own blade, which fell just short of cutting Zoro as his body took the cuts.

For a moment, Luffy thought Zoro had once again killed his foe - but no, he could tell in a moment that Asahija was well alive, but defeated already. He tried to keep his sword held up, but the pain and blood leaked in and out of him respectively, forcing him to drop even the weight of his familiar sword as he fell to his knees, eased himself onto his back, and fell slowly into unconsciousness with only one sentence to see him off: "You are a sword's swordsman, Roronoa."

"N-no way," Mancini sputtered from afar where he had witnessed the ten second sword duel. Although he might have had the rank on Asahija, he did not have the commanding. Much of his progress had been made thanks to his father's lucrative business deals in the World Government, though he thought it was from very dutiful desk work. Now, his senses betrayed him and he knew not what to do, though he remained the ranking officer on deck with the other officers knocked out. The Marines of Hina Squad looked to him for guidance, but none returned from his saucer-sized eyes.

"Can someone get me out of these chains, please?" Nami asked, huffy as indeed the shackles were digging into her wrists, but it was the break in the silence that everyone needed - everyone on the Straw Hat crew, at least. Gaimon was already standing by Luffy and Zoro, and Sanji walked past the Marines nonchalantly to join the others, too.

Usopp was the last to move. His chest heaved with every breath, the weight from Robin on his shoulders almost too much to bear. But he didn't want to fall like Hina did, or like Asahija did; he forced all his strength into his legs, letting them evacuate whatever other part of his body he could relinquish strength from. "Are you alright?" Robin asked quietly, close to his ear. Usopp simply nodded and walked over to the other Straw Hats.

Zoro took one of his blades and jammed it against Nami's handcuffs, splitting them off from her wrists and her ankles. The bands still remained on her as she stood, and she looked at them hanging still from her wrists and ankles. "What about these?"

"We gotta get moving, in case you haven't noticed," Zoro said. The commotion was already rising about the lobby, but luckily, it was the working staff of Kyuka Resort that was now rounding up behind their administrator to berate Mancini and remind him of the ban that was no extended to Hina Squad and perhaps the entire Navy if the man felt it was just.

"Hey! He's walking away with Nico Robin!" cried one of the Marines, pointing at the otherwise unnoticed Usopp up until now.

"Stop right there!" Mancini cried out, uninterested in Kyuka Resort's staff any more. He didn't want to imagine Hina's wrath at letting Nico get away.

Usopp let Robin down to the floor easily, gesturing toward her to Zoro. "Can you cut her out, too?"

Zoro pried his sword into the hard, Black Cage from Hina, but to no avail. The material was still sheen when he pulled the blade from it. There was not even minor scoring or a notch where he'd dug the point in, straining against his weight until he finally gave in. "I'll either cut her up or break my sword. We'll deal with this later, too. Come on!"

The Marines came charging ahead at the Straw Hats now, ignoring any of the staff who came to stand in between them. Weapons were being raised again, and war cries were going up about the capture of the Demon of Ohara, the end of the rookie Straw Hat crew, and vengeance for their fallen comrades. "All together now! They're tough cookies!" one of the Marines cried out.

To that, Luffy agreed, and he grinned as he stepped in front of the others. "Get going! I'll catch up!" He began battering his fists forward, one after another, and bellowed, "Gomu Gomu noooooo -!" And then the punches collided.

"GATLING!" One after another, the main bulk of Hina Squad sent themselves at the Straw Hats but were instead met with the rubber fists of Straw Hat Luffy, who wore the same broad, toothy smile as he knocked away all of the foes that tried to strike forward. The Straw Hats looked over their shoulders as they began their get away, amazed that he was handling such numbers by himself.

Usopp made to pick Robin back up but Sanji stepped in before he could stoop down all the way and grabbed Robin instead. He'd pieced things together, the only one so far to fully consider why Usopp was holding a captive Robin. As he shouldered her onto his back, he smiled at Usopp and clapped him on the shoulder. "Good going, sir."

Robin watched Usopp's face as he stared vacantly out the demolished front door, let out only the vaguest hint of a smile, and said, "Shut up." With that, the Straw Hats let Luffy continue his Gatling assault against Hina Squad until those Marines still standing balked at his strength and stopped charging.

It was the administrator that was able to get Luffy to stop his attack by stomping forward and screaming at him, "STOP THAT THIS INSTANT! YOU ARE HEREBY BANNED FROM KYUKA ISLAND, DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

Luffy let out a laugh as he set his hat back on his head from his neck. "I don't care! This island was boring." He turned, still looking over his shoulder as he ran away, and called over at those they were leaving behind, "See ya later! Thanks for having us!"

Mancini stared at Straw Hat leave the resort, his crew ten paces ahead of him already, and stared still at the numbers they had on them. Nico Robin's locked up in the Black Cage! Go, go, GO! "Let's hurry after them, men! CHARGE!"

The remainder of Hina Squad barrelled out the front door after the Straw Hat crew. This time, Mancini confidently took the lead and raised the battle cries himself. Their legs just weren't enough to keep up with the Straw Hats, who already had the momentum built up to run past the other resorts, the stalls, the people, everything of beauty and splendor just to get back to that merry ship waiting at the harbor for them.

"You guys don't know how to relax, do you?" Zoro teased the others.

"I haven't been relaxed since the day I was born," Usopp replied through measured breathing. His body was aching with exhaustion from his fight with Hina. Had that even been real or had he gotten lucky? That was what his mind wondered. His reply to Zoro was simply factual.

"Hey! You two!" Zoro shouted out as the Straw Hats grew closer to the Going Merry. He had seen Mr. 13 and Miss Friday sitting on the rail, soaking in sun, and wondered what these layabouts could do to help since they'd raided their entire pantry. "Start untying us from the dock! We gotta go!"

"Who are they?" Luffy said as he caught up to the others.

"Dunno," Zoro responded, but the Unluckies set to work as they looked past the Straw Hats at the Marines chasing after them. Panic set in; this was not the place to be picked up by the Navy and tied back to Baroque Works. Their boss would be beyond upset, and able to do whatever he wanted with them.

They did as they were told and set to untying the knots where they could - or in Miss Friday's case, chewing through the rope. The Straw Hats reached the gangplank and manned their stations. Sanji got Robin inside, while Usopp and Gaimon immediately set to the knots with Mr. 13. Usopp brushed the turkey vulture aside. "Stop that! You're ruining our rigging."

Luffy stopped short on the dock, clapping a hand to his head to steady his hat. "Nami! How's the Log Pose doing?"

Nami remembered her lie suddenly from the day before and fished the Pose out from her pocket, quickly clasping it back to her wrist. "Uh, yeah! It just set!" she said as assuredly as she could.

"Luffy! Get on!" Zoro called down at Luffy from the top of the gangplank.

"Take the gangplank!" Luffy ordered, pushing against the Merry with his arms. Zoro grabbed the gangplank as soon as he realized what his captain was doing and hauled the gangplank off the edge of the ship and the dock, slapping it behind him on the surface of the deck. He had just enough time to watch Luffy cry out, "Gum Gum Gatling!" once more, sending fists launching into the charging Marines.

Usopp fell to Robin's side, tugging on the Black Cage more despite its still hardy nature. "How far do we have to get before this wears off?"

"I don't know, but it's only a matter of time now," Robin responded.

The last of Hina Squad stopped charging ahead as the Going Merry slipped calmly out from Kyuka's shores. Luffy's punches were knocking their comrades out in one hit; it was not an outcome the rest of the men from Hina's troop wanted to face, including Mancini. "Riflemen, fire!" Those with guns took aim at the Merry and Luffy, opening fire on the pirates.

Luffy spun on his heel, laughing wildly as he stretched an arm out, grabbing hold of the Merry's railing and whipping himself onto the ship. Nami manned the helm while gunfire still rang out around them, and aside from Robin's binding and the strange animals now accompanying them, they all felt a sigh of relief - and perhaps victory.