Chapter 25
The Tower of Justice
"Ugh… Hey! Are you okay!?" Franky was the first one to get up after their crash into the Tower of Justice. He may have been the first thing hit between the Rocketman and the tower, but he had a constitution of iron, literally. There weren't a lot of people quite like him.
Franky pulled out Kokoro, Chimney, and Gonbe out of the wrecked sea train. He knew these girls. Hell, he even grew up with Kokoro looking after him. They were practically family. "Granny! Brats! Why the heck are you here!? Why did you have the Rocketman out!? Although, thanks to that, I've been saved… but that's not the point!" Franky looked around. He didn't see the Straw-Hats anywhere. They must have been buried in the rubble from when the Rocketman crashed into the tower. Franky chose to focus on the people in front of him, "Hey, Granny, don't pass out! Please, I beg you…! Don't die! Please don't die~!"
Kokoro, Chimney, and Gonbe then sat up, totally fine. Chimney even cheered, "I got a nose bleed!" while all three laughed and rubbed the back of their heads.
"YOU SHOULD HAVE SOMETHING MORE SEVERE THAN JUST A NOSEBLEED AFTER THAT CRASH!" Franky scolded the family. All three of them had a drop of blood hanging out of their nose, and still laughing. They were high on an adrenaline.
Luffy then burst out of the rubble, standing tall like nothing had happened, "ALRIGHT! WE'VE MADE IT!" Franky was surprised to see him unaffected.
"Thanks for the help, Monster Granny!" Luffy called out to Kokoro, who just waved. "Hey guys! Get up already! That was nothing!"
A green burst of energy erupted out of the rubble, clearing chunks of broken stone and mortar. There Maxwell stood up glaring daggers at— "LUFFY…!" Correction, his eyes were beginning to glow green.
"Oh crap…" Luffy realized how pissed off he had made his first-mate, then began to run.
Maxwell chased Luffy around the room, wielding his staff like a baseball bat, "GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT! YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST MAKE US FREEFALL, RAM US INTO A BUILDING, AND THINK YOU GET AWAY WITH IT!?"
"But you used your magic to—!" Luffy quickly tried logic to appease his crewmate, but this did not work.
"F #$ MY MAGIC! I'VE HAD TO DEAL WITH YOUR MORONIC TENDENCIES SINCE DAY ONE, WHEN YOU RECRUITED ME INTO THIS CREW! I'VE BEEN DROPPED, DROWNED, SCARED OF OF MY MIND, AND I'VE HAD TO CHASE YOU AROUND AN ISLAND MORE TIMES THAN I CAN COUNT! THIS IS ME WANTING MY CATHARSIS DAMMIT! NOW TAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT LIKE A MAN!"
Luffy ducked under a swing of Maxwell's staff, "AH~! GUYS! HELP ME!"
Zoro, Nami, Sanji, Sogeking, and Chopper had also been freed from the rubble by Maxwell's spell. They stood in a group, watching their captain being chased around by his first-mate. Honestly, they could have been right there with them if they wanted to… Well, one crew member was probably enough.
"You know, we're not exactly made of rubber like you are," Zoro told his captain, brushing off some dust on his shoulder, "There's no way for humans of flesh and blood to take a plunge like that and still stay uninjured… unless you have Maxwell. —I say let him get it out of his system. Agreed?"
"Aye." "Yes." "Seconded." "Totally." Maxwell did cast a barrier around them before they crashed.
"TRAITORS!" Luffy yelled back at his crew, "Whoa!" He had to duck to avoid another swing from Maxwell.
Franky watched all this with a doubtful eye, "You guys are all weird. Just so you know."
"I don't want to here that from—" Maxwell looked at Franky but then immediately stopped running, "MAKER'S MERCY! WHERE ARE YOUR PANTS!?" He didn't realize Franky's main attire was just a tropic print shirt and swim briefs. Max honestly thought Franky was his small clothes.
No longer in danger of being beaten by his first-mate, Luffy pointed over at the next room, "There's a staircase over there! Let's hurry and get to Robin!"
Right. They had come here to rescue Robin. Maxwell can think of using Luffy as a training dummy later. Their friend was being taken away and they had to find her!
The crew, plus Franky, were about to storm the building when a voice called out above them, "Not so fast!" Up in the corner above was one of the members of CP9, Fukurou. He had his limbs pressed on either wall, keeping him in place up in the corner.
"Chapapapapa…! So, you've broken in! You won't find Nico Robin though, even if you go to the room you saw earlier. Lucci is taking her to the Gates of Justice… Oh, and the Chief too," Fukurou added as an afterthought.
"He's heading there now, but I won't tell you how to get there. And us CP9 won't allow you to follow because we've received an order to obliterate you, chapapa. There's no way for you to free Nico Robin, unless you defeat us." Fukurou then takes something out of his jacket pocket, "Look at this."
"A key!?" "A key to what?"
Maxwell was starting to see a trend when it comes to villains in this world. "It's a key to the kairoseki handcuffs that Nico Robin is restrained with!" Fukurou was playing around with them by sharing vital knowledge.
"Drat…!" Although it did present another problem.
"Kairoseki?" Chopper wasn't familiar with the term. Looking back on it, Chopper hadn't actually listened in on any of the conversations concerning it.
Nami decided to explain, "It's a stone that nullifies Devil Fruit powers! It has the same effect as when you guys fall into the sea." They've encountered it at least three times now. Once with Smoker, a cage with Crocodile (so Maxwell had been told), and then the clouds of the White Sea, (technically.)
Chopper blinked in surprise, "Is that why Robin's being obedient, even though she's strong!? She must be mortified!"
"Should you manage to rescue Nico Robin somehow," Fukurou kept talking, making Maxwell realize how nasal Fukurou's voice was, "Kairoseki is as hard as diamond, and near impervious, so her handcuffs will never come off... But if you don't mind that, then go rescue her now, chapapa."
"Then give it to me!" Luffy fired a rubber-bullet punch at the assassin. However, Fukurou had disappeared from the spot. Luffy snapped his arm back into place, "…Looks like he can use that technique, too."
"Don't rush," Fukurou had appeared at the other end of the hall, "I never said this was the real key. Maybe it's the key to a different pair of handcuffs, chapapa."
The agent then started jumping up into the air, using the… Geppo technique. And to add insult to injury, he playing around in the air, flapping his arms like a bird, "There are five CP9 members in this tower. Each of us holding a key and waiting for you."
"Then we won't know if it's real or not, until we take the keys from you and try them on Robin's handcuffs?" Zoro questioned their enemy.
"What a crappy way to play for time!" Sanji growled with a breath of smoke, "While we're wasting time here, you're probably planning to take Robin to the Gates of Justice, aren't you!?"
"…We should take care of Robin first!" Nami voiced her opinion. "We should make sure to get Robin back and take care of getting the keys afterwards! Forget about him and let's hurry!"
Fukurou eyed the navigator, "Chapapapa. You're smart… But if you do that, I'LL JUST TOSS THIS KEY INTO THE SEA! CHAPAPAPA!" The zipper-mouth laughed as he held out the key in front of him.
"We're giving you a chance. See ya."
Luffy balked as Fukurou had disappeared into the building, "Ack—! You—! Wait~! HOARGH-GA-GA-GA!" He tried to run after him, but Zoro had caught him by the corn of his rubber mouth.
"Hey, Luffy! Just you wait a moment!" "FUNGOGAGAGA—! LEF ME GO GAMMIT!" "Hold if for just a bit! Wait until we confirm everyone's gone from here!"
"Is Lucci that pigeon guy?" Sanji asked around. The chef didn't have a chance to get familiar with any of their names on the Puffing Tom.
"Yeah, he is," Franky nodded in confirmation.
Sanji let out a tsk, "If he's with Robin, we can just let Luffy go ahead." The chef called to his captain, "Hey Luffy! Just go and beat up that pigeon guy!"
Sanji then laid out their game plan, "Excluding Luffy, there are seven of us. We'll find the five members of CP9 that are here, get all five keys for Robin's handcuffs, then meet with Luffy!"
"Someone needs to go with Luffy though," Maxwell added. "There are seven members of CP9 active, not six." Blueno had already been taken out, but that wasn't who Maxwell was talking about, "The director... He seems like a lot of talk, but we'll also have to go after him. He's likely to be escorting Robin as well, and Lucci will be guarding them both."
"Then each of us has a job," Sogeking agreed with the mage. Wait, wasn't there one extra—? "If Robin enters the Gates, it's all over. Time is very important here. So, who goes with Luffy?"
The rubber man was still struggling against Zoro's grip on his cheek, wanting to run off.
"It was Maxwell's idea. So Maxwell will go," Zoro decided for the lot of them. He did waste a moment trying to chase Luffy. "There's not a lot of time left to lose… So win, even if you die!"
"YEAH!" The whole crew yelled together.
It was a battle cry. The Straw-Hat Pirates and their ally, Franky, ran into the tower. They were ready to find the CP9.
O O O
Of course, Maxwell had to keep up with Luffy first.
"Ha… Hah… hohohohoho…!" They we're running up the stairs in the Tower of Justice. Maxwell was no stranger to navigating towers, but even he didn't regularly go running in them.
"They were right there just a minute ago. I'm sure we'll bump into them somewhere! I won't let you go to the Gates of Justice, Robin!" Luffy yelled throughout the tower. He was looking for the balcony the CP9 had been previously standing on. Luffy had hoped to run into Robin and the pigeon guy on their way down.
Maxwell didn't refute his logic. However, he did wish Luffy would stop running up and down every single staircase in this building! Following Luffy, through this tower, was practically a labyrinth. There was no central feature for the tower to revolve around. The staircases ran up and down in chambers, as opposed to rooms, so who had to navigate which stair lead where. Maxwell would have preferred to use the central staircase, but he had to keep track of Luffy first.
The mage knew the dangers of running through towers. Falling down and break your neck was more common than you thought.
Eventually though, they did reach the balcony floor. Even Luffy was panting a little, "Ha… We're finally here. We wound up climbing up and down all those stairs."
"Ha… No… shit… Luffy…!" Maxwell felt near exhausted, leaning on his knees with his head hanging low.
They were in an office. Luffy looked around, "They were probably in this room earlier," the level had been partially destroyed. Maxwell noted the chains built into the wall, where prisons were likely held. A hole in the wall and the windowsill that had lead to the balcony. Furniture and dust littered the room as from some sort of explosion.
Was this how Robin got out onto the balcony? Even if the leader of the CP9 was an idiot, and a viscous idiot at that, there was no way he would have allowed his prisoner to be out in the open like that. Not if he wanted her alive… Perhaps it was Franky? That guy had more of a bleeding heart than he was letting on.
"But nobody's here anymore!" Luffy's brow furrowed, "ROBIN! HEY ROBIN! I'M HERE!" He trying calling out to her but there was no response. "Damn that pigeon guy…! Oh yeah! I know where they are heading to! I'll just have to head straight to the Gates of Justice!"
Luffy ran past Maxwell, "Wait, we're already—? Maker damn it all…!" Though not eager to be running again, Maxwell knew this was no time for a rest. They had to find Robin, and fast, so Maxwell followed his captain back down the tower.
However, he did not anticipate the building to be sliding under him.
"Maker's breath!" Maxwell braced himself against the nearest wall as he felt the sudden shit. He swore he had heard a sudden whoosh of a wind, before the walls slid down on their laurels. Maxwell looked down at the lower levels. It was if some wind blade had bisected the entire tower! The tower's own weight had kept the top half from falling off, but the building had still moved an entire six feet! Which CP9 member got pissed off enough to destroy the entire building!? They were lucky the angle hadn't been any lower, or else they would fall off.
That mystery would have to wait however, as Maxwell noticed he was falling behind Luffy. He had to sprint down the stairs, using the Frost Step to catch up. Luffy seemed totally unconcerned that the building had suddenly moved though.
Maxwell and Luffy did eventually reached the base of the Tower of Justice. They ran out onto the pier, fitting of a fortresses. The docks were made entirely out of stone, with giant iron nails, serving as mooring. Cannons, crates, and wrapped up goods stood organized, ready for shipment. Although, Maxwell had no idea how a marine's ship would even dock at this port. The entire sea between here and the Gates of Justice was littered with whirlpools. "Sweet Andraste!"
Luffy looked at the ocean "…For some reason, I just thought there'd be a bridge or something." There was clearly some other structure out in the middle of the sea. It was closest thing to the Gates of Justice, but even Maxwell was stumped on how to get there.
"Those whirlpools are huge! But I can see the Gates of Justice though! …Hey Max, do you think that boat can get us there?"
"Do I look like Nami to you!?" Maxwell looked back at his captain like he was crazy. He did see the boat moored at the dock. Nami had achieved something similar back on Long-Ring-Long Land, and that barrel boat was a lot smaller than this dingy. But size that wouldn't help them here. Maxwell could do a lot of things, but navigating a whirlpool current was not one of them.
"Nargh! We'll just have to try something! I wonder if Robin's there already!" Luffy paced, looking at the ocean. He was starting to get impatient, trying to think of a way through.
Maxwell held his elbow and chin as he started brainstorming as well. There was no way for a boat to cross these waters. Thankfully the Gates had remained closed. Such a monstrosity moving around would have been obvious from the sound alone. Robin was still being escorted so CP9 must have had a way through!
Maxwell tried looking up.
…Nope. There weren't any cables in the sky. So Robin wasn't taking a gondola. There was no bridge, "Come on…! Think. Think!"
CP9 was an assassination squad, sanctioned by the World Government. It was a secret organization, doing the navy's dirty work for them. What other secret/spy organizations was Maxwell familiar with? The Antivan Crows? Hard in Hightown? Maxwell swore there was at least one secret passage every chapter of that… Wait… Secret passage. That's it!
"Luffy! Help me look around! I—" "UNEBABABOBABAPEBABUBA—!" "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?"
Luffy had tried taking the boat out on the water.
Maxwell jumped in to dive after Luffy. The currents were just as likely to kill him before he could grab Luffy. Maxwell would to fight them just to make sure they could even get inside the pier. It was a dumb idea, but so was going out on that water in a dingy.
The mage gasped for air as he hooked one arm onto the ledge of the dock. He had to drag Luffy onto the pier. That was the problem with Devil Fruit users. They could not swim, and soon as they hit the water they were like a anchor. It had taken all of Maxwell's strength just to make sure they wouldn't go under, let alone get inside the pier.
"UWAH~! Pirate-bro! What are you doing here!?" *Nya, nya!*
Maxwell looked up. It was Chimney, "I should be asking you that!" Maxwell coughed up some seawater as he got Luffy onto the pier, "Shouldn't you be with your grandmother?"
Gonbe jumped up and down on Luffy's stomach to expel all the water he swallowed. "Yeah, but we found something! We know how to get to the Gates of Justice!"
"What!?" Both Maxwell and Chimney looked down to see Luffy sputtering to get up, "Cough, cough! How!?"
O O O
Maxwell abandoned caution to the wind as he ran down the stairs with Luffy. They were following Chimney and Gonbe down a tunnel. They had found a secret passage into the sub-basement levels. "There's an underground passage beneath the sea!?"
"Yup!" the little girl replied. Gonbe was running right along side them, "Lucci's subordinate went down this staircase earlier while laughing out loud, so we followed him." Maxwell held back a laugh. Wasn't it the other way around? Subordinate. HA! "Lucci and the black haired lady went in here too!"
The three humans and cat (rabbit) reached the bottom of the staircase. This was where the underground passage was. Luffy, Maxwell, and the kids were in what appeared to be the boiler room. Giant steel tankards and various machines lined the walls and had pipes moving upwards. They were also adorned with various dials and gauges, probably to adjusting and measuring the output.p of whatever they were controlling.
"Is this it!? It's a hard steel door," Luffy banged on gates of the passage. It was bolted down shut, and seemed to be solid metal. It was reinforced with piston locks and heavy machinery mixed into the door frame.
Chimney pointed to a control panel beside it, "The subordinate touched something over here earlier, so I bet you can operate it using this keyhole! …But I don't see a key." Chimney then looked at Maxwell, "Hey Mr. Pirate, aren't you some kind of wizard? You can go Abracadabra, right?"
"Uh…" Maxwell eyed the console, looking between it and Chimney, "I'm not sure my magic works quite that way…" Truth be told, he had no idea how to pick a lock with magic. He wasn't sure such a spell ever existed… Unless the Chantry chose to censor that knowledge.
Luffy cracked his knuckles "Guys, get back. We can get to the Gates of Justice from here right?"
Maxwell knew that look in his eye, "Chimney, Gonbe, you might want to get behind me…" Luffy was going to try something reckless. The mage took a few steps back while having his arm stretched out to the side. The girl and her pet looked confused, but they followed suit behind him.
Luffy brought his thumb to his mouth, "Gear. Third!" then bit down on that thumb, and blew.
His arm began to ripple as he blew into his thumb. "You have got to be kidding me…!" Luffy was literally blowing air into his bloodstream, blowing up his body like some sort of rubber balloon. And with Luffy's rubber powers, pumping up air wouldn't even be an issue.
"Gomu-Gomu no…!" Maxwell watched as Luffy threw back his inflated fist, aiming at the door. Maxwell quickly tapped his staff on the ground, erecting a Barrier for him and the youngsters. "GIANT PISTOL!"
*KA-BOOM!*
Luffy more than punched a hole through those steel doors. Maxwell swore he felt the entire island shake! Dust fell from cracks in the ceiling, shaken free from the impact. The entire door had been shorn through, leaving a gaping hole in the otherwise secure steel. Still, it got the job done, though there was a lot more steam than what Maxwell was expecting.
"It opened…" Chimney was amazed at what she just saw. She wondered where Luffy went though.
"Good…" a squeaky voice came from the mist, "Here I go!" Then they looked down.
Luffy had shrunken down to about the size of a pre-school toddler.
"EH!? WHY'D YOU SHRINK!?"
Maxwell couldn't help but chortle, "Oh Maker…! Look like I got a dwarf for a captain now—snort!"
"Max!" Luffy's squeaky voice called back to him, "Quit laughing and let's go! We got to rescue Robin!"
"R-Right!" Maxwell immediately silenced his laughter, remembering why they were here.
The mage scooped up his chibi sized captain, "Whoa!" and started running off as fast as he could down the tunnel.