-Sabaody Archipelago-
-Grove 37-
-High Noon-
Grove 37 of Sabaody Archipelago was well-placed for illicit business. It was close enough to the outside of the island that legitimate traffic could reach it, but far enough inward and far enough from the nearest Marine base on Grove 66 that the Marines could never quite dedicate the resources they needed to patrol here. Such was the nature of the Archipelago. On the Straw-Hats' earlier trip inward to meet with Rayleigh they had even encountered such flagrant displays of lawlessness as seeing a Marine's skeleton pinned to a bloody warning sign. That, however, had been near the very center, where the law was enforced only at the whims of the human traffickers and other cartels.
Even so, only the most foolhardy of ne'er-do-wells thought such a lawless state of affairs was inevitable. The island sat at the base of the most powerful government fortress in the world, and only the supreme poverty of the island's central areas (as well as the Nobility-approved slave trade) allowed its continued existence. The inner areas were composed of ninety-percent scum, and it was the opinion of many that that ratio only increased when the Celestial Dragons came to visit.
Grove 37 was different from all of that. You could see the lights of the amusement park reflecting off of the leaves of the trees at night. There was legitimate business up above. People 'lived' there rather than 'lurked'. Granted they weren't always the most savory of people, but, hey, you can't have everything.
Grove 37 was special for one more reason. It was also the current host to a most unusual establishment that had existed on the island as long as anyone could remember. Right now it was nestled in the roots of the great mangrove that formed the body of this part of the island, and the Straw-Hat's Special Team to Keep Luffy and Zoro From Getting Someone Killed (so-named by Usopp) sat above, keeping watch while trying to remain unobtrusive.
"Well, they're in there," muttered Sasuke. "How long do you think we have until something goes wrong?"
"Five minutes, tops," stated Sanji, scowling as he knocked some ash off of his cigarette. "Cut that in half if there's another swordsman hanging around. That stupid mossball won't hesitate to pick a fight."
"He's that bad?" asked Hinata, turning to Naruto and Sasuke with a furrowed brow. "I haven't seen him get into any fights since I've known him."
"I dunno if it's as bad as that," said Naruto, "But yeah, those two being in there alone really worries me. We're probably gonna have to bust some heads before the day's out."
Sakura, meanwhile, had her eyes closed, sighing with exasperation. "You know, you guys aren't doing a very good job of selling these guys as competent people I can leave my friends with. We're even going out of our way to babysit the two of them."
"We're not 'babysitting' them," said Sasuke, tossing a glare at Sanji when it seemed he was about to heartily disagree. "They'd come out of this just fine if this were just about the Summit. You know why we're really here."
"Akatsuki," said Sakura, shaking her head. "Naruto, you're sure they're planning something today? It doesn't speak very well that you didn't know it was Tobi until it was too late."
"Argh! For the last time, he wasn't wearing a mask, his robes, or anything! He just sounded like a cheerful, friendly sort of guy! A real weirdo, but I didn't think that bastard was a murderer! And yeah, I don't know if they'll make it work, but he said he wanted to get whatever it is done as soon as possible, and today was the 'big day.'"
"And you think the Summit might have something to do with this?" asked Sakura.
"Yeah, alright?!" Naruto scowled and continued pacing back and forth. "I mean… I dunno. I just… I've just got this bad feeling. I know there's probably a lot of things happening on the island today, but… it just feels like if he wanted to cause problems then this is the place to do it. We should really be inside with the rest of them right now."
Beside them, the last member of their team, Robin, laughed, a far-off look in her eyes. She was even now listening in to the meeting below using several well-placed ears and eyes.
"Well, it can't be helped, can it?" she asked. "Like it or not, the Straw-Hats have the largest total bounties on the island, and no one would believe we came peacefully if we were all present for the meeting. Besides… Luffy and Zoro seem to have taken Nami's warning to heart and are behaving quite politely, as these things go."
"That's something, at least," said Sasuke. "I know this meeting was supposed to make everyone play nice, but somehow I get the feeling it's creating nearly as much danger as it's meant to prevent." Sighing, he shook his head. "Who's in there, anyway? What are we dealing with if things get messy?"
Robin smiled. "Well…"
-Earlier-
-Underneath Grove 37-
-Vagabond's Roost-
When Luffy and Zoro stepped down from the rickety staircase onto the stained wooden boards of Vagabond's Roost, the deck beneath them shifted under their feet. The slight groaning noise echoed through the dim underbelly of Grove 37's mangrove tree, and slender fingers of light peeked through the surrounding roots that reached out into the ocean like a spidered palm.
"Whoa, is this a ship or something?" asked Luffy, looking around at the large, moss-covered building made of salt-stained and unfinished wood. As if in response, the deck shifted beneath them again in a way similar to, yet not quite the same as, the rocking of the waves.
"No…" said Zoro, scanning the dark and dingy hideout with a trained eye as they moved underneath the worn-down sign that proclaimed the place to be the 'V gab nd s Ro st.' "Not a ship. This thing's alive."
"Right you are," said a familiar voice from inside. They stepped inside and then looked up. Trafalgar Law was looking down at the entryway from a second-floor vantage-point, smirking from underneath his furry hat as the smiling emblem on his shirt added its own grin.
"It is alive," he said. "At least, what's carrying us is. They're called the Yarukinai Mangrove Sloths, and they lurk around in the underbellies of the Yarukiman Mangroves. Right now this establishment is resting on the belly of one of them."
Luffy turned right around and looked out the door. Just barely visible in the darkness of the twisted roots was a tremendous fuzzy arm that was curling up into the thick tree roots.
"The owners of this place shuffle the location from time to time. Word of mouth is the only way to find it."
"Aw, cool!" exclaimed Luffy, grinning up at the titanic brown-and-algae-green arm. "I'm gonna call them mankies!"
"You're too late," replied Law. "People already call them that."
Luffy cursed in displeasure. Zoro hadn't shown any interest either way, scanning the area while keeping Captain Law in his sight.
"Is Fire-Fist not with you?" asked Law. "I haven't heard anything about him yet, but I assume he's still on the island..."
"Relax," said Luffy, coming back inside to join his first-mate. "If Ace said he'd be here then he'll be here."
"I hope so. Most of the others are already inside, and we're about ready to start."
"You aren't in there trying to stop them from causing trouble?" asked Zoro.
Law smirked, shrugging lazily. "What do I look like, their parent? If everyone's so worked up that they'll start a fight before the meeting even happens, then this whole thing was doomed from the beginning whether I was there or not. Besides, for what it's worth, I think most of them understand the situation we're in. Just remember, the purpose of this meeting isn't only to make sure no one causes trouble. It's also so we can put pressure on anyone hell-bent on fighting. Be ready to follow our lead if someone needs to be taught a lesson."
They entered the wide saloon doors and into the dim interior of the Roost. The room was enormous, and it had a central area that was open all the way to the ceiling. It looked as though someone had decided to build a three-level combination restaurant and burlesque stage out of unfinished timber, then spent two decades hiring various rowdy drunks to beat the shit out of it. When slabs of wood had been torn out of the building itself those slabs had been turned into tables. When the tables had been split into chunks those chunks had been turned into chairs. When the chairs had been ripped into splinters those splinters had been turned into toothpicks and cutlery. It was an unrepentant mausoleum of thuggery.
Luckily, the normal clientele was absent. Everyone inside was here on very specific business. And mostly everyone who was supposed to be present was there, too. Some were even eating food that had been presumably prepared by the completely unseen staff.
Luffy and Zoro took a seat near the center of the lower floor, and ten minutes later Ace still hadn't shown.
"He's not here," said Zoro.
Luffy said nothing.
"You thinking he ran into trouble?"
Luffy continued frowning out into the smoky air of the building. No one present was actually smoking at this time, but that hardly mattered. The nicotine-soaked walls had seen decades of vigorous plumes and needed no assistance in continuing the long tradition without help. It seeped from the walls, ascended to the murky heights of the ceiling, and was then reabsorbed, creating its own beautiful tobacco ecosystem. Zoro was right, though. Ace wasn't here. Off to the side, Law took the two Straw-Hats' pensive looks to mean that Fire-Fist wouldn't be coming, and called the meeting to order.
"Alright everyone, please shut the hell up! I know no one wants to be here, so let's get this over with quickly."
"Surgeon of Death" TRAFALGAR D. LAW
B200,000,000 - Captain - Heart Pirates
The assembled Rookies gave this greeting a wildly mixed reaction.
"Who the hell do you think you are, telling me what to do, huh?" exclaimed a slim young woman who was shouting in between bites of an enormous pizza with well-practiced ease. "The only reason I'm here at all is to make sure you screwballs don't get your heads stuck up your own asses and start dictating terms to all the rest of us."
"Big Eater" JEWELRY BONNEY
B140,000,000 - Captain - Bonney Pirates
"I'm not here to dictate terms to anyone," said Law, sounding distinctly bored. "I'm just laying out the facts. This should be simple as long as everyone can come to an understanding."
"Oh, I've got an understanding, alright. This is all bullshit, that's my understanding. Are you guys Pirates or pansies? Besides, most of the Nobility is off the island now- that's no secret. No one in white and blue gives two shits about this place any more."
"That's where you're wrong." A regal-looking man in a rather revealing blue outfit and peculiar beaked hat spoke the words with absolute certainty.
"Red Flag" X DRAKE
B222,000,000 - Captain - Drake Pirates
"You… and I think all of you... underestimate the sheer power the government can bring against us right now. What kept this island safe before now was apathy, pure and simple, but we stand at the very foot of the capital of the World."
"Yeah?" said Bonney, rolling her eyes as she tore off another bite. "The Marines don't have time for us! Everyone knows it's true! No way is some high-powered Marine gonna take the time to start brawling when they're all busy heading off to every part of the damn ocean."
"For those who may be unaware," stated Law, speaking to the others "Captain Drake there is a former Marine officer. I'm very interested in his take on their capabilities."
Captain Drake slammed one fist into the table he sat at, growling as he swept the entire room with his gaze. "Damn it! This isn't about me, and this isn't about the Marines, either! This is about Mariejois, capital of the known world! Listen… there are two problems here. The first is that while the Marines certainly won't have time to stop everything and hunt us down, at this very moment there are five times as many ships here as usual. Fleets are being formed out of nothing, and their leaders would love the opportunity to blood their ragtag soldiers with a pirate-hunt. They could crush any individual pirate crew here! But that's not even the real problem."
He continued looking around the smoky, softly-swaying room, and it seemed as though he had their attention for just a little longer.
"The real problem," he continued, "-is the World Government's special forces. I've seen enough to be frightened, and I've heard rumors of even worse. Secret armies outfitted by Doctor Vegapunk, legions of perfectly loyal assassins, prototype ship-technology that can outpace anything else in the world…" Finally, he held up both gloved hands, all fingers extended. "All of that could be dropped here in ten minutes. They're not about to leave the area around Mariejois, but the World Government is definitely not above sending those things out on a field trip since everyone else is busy. That's what we're really dealing with."
When it was clear Drake had finished speaking, Bonney merely snorted in derision. But she didn't say anything, simply returning to her meal, gnashing and pulling at doughy crust and long strings of cheese with her trademark voracious appetite.
"Well," interrupted another voice, "I think only the idiots here failed to realize the nature of the situation."
The man who had spoken was dour-faced, glaring out from above a sharp, angular nose as he contrasted with the messy eater by delicately patting his lips with a custom-embroidered handkerchief. He was also the only one present who didn't appear to have arrived with a second-in-command.
CAPONE "Gang" BEGE
B138,000,000 - Captain - Firetank Pirates
"Make no mistake, fighting here would be bad for business, plain and simple. There's nothing for us to gain on this island and much to lose."
"What the hell did you call me, fatso?!" exclaimed Bonney, whipping a slice of pizza through the air on a straight trajectory for Capone's face. Time crystallized for a moment before a rubber fist shot out of the darkness, snatching the slice from mid-air and depositing it straight into Luffy's mouth, where it disappeared in an instant.
"Well I'm not an idiot, but I don't know what you're talking about either," said the rubber-man.
"Straw-Hat" Monkey D. Luffy
B350,000,000 - Captain - Straw-Hat Pirates
"Hey, this pizza is pretty good. Think I could get some to go? But come on, I wanna get to Fish-Man Island, so everybody should just agree to not fight each other so we can get out of here quickly, okay?"
Bonney shot a disbelieving glare at the Straw-Hats' table, noting as she did so that a small cannon had emerged from underneath Capone's hat. With great effort the man refrained from pointing it directly at the young woman, tossing a dismissive sneer in Straw-Hat's direction.
Law tossed an appreciative nod Luffy's way and then spoke up again, his eyes lidded.
"While I appreciate the willingness to go along with this plan of ours, Captain Bege… it would work out better for us if you avoided antagonizing the others…"
Capone's sole concession to this request was the disappearance of the mysterious cannon, which seemed to melt back underneath his hat. The sour glare remained where it was. Having finished his meal, however, Capone pulled out a cigar and lit it before continuing.
"Let it not be said that I'm unreasonable… All I ask is a bit of thought from the rest of you. Think very carefully before you undertake anything other than perfectly legitimate business here on the island. Theft, arson, extortion, murder, forgery…" He paused to exhale a puff of cigar smoke that formed the image of a crude sailing ship, wafting away into the mysterious tobacco sea that filled the upper reaches of the ceiling. "Those kinds of things should be fine. Keep it low-key."
"Hah! Low-key, that's a real laugh!" exclaimed a nasal voice from one of the second-floor areas. A colorfully-dressed man with a wide piano-grin and long double-elbowed arms sat resting his head on both right-angled wrists.
"Roar of the Sea" SCRATCHMEN APOO
B198,000,000 - Captain - On-Air Pirates
"I'll play it any key you want, you know? I've got no problem with keeping things smooth and easy for a change, but something tells me that's not the problem. Unless Straw-Hat here knocks down one of these goddamn trees and tries to go two for two on island-destruction, everyone who came here isn't gonna make too much of a fuss. You see, the problem is the people who aren't even here in the first place!"
"The Longarm is correct," grumbled a smiling hulk of a man who had so far neglected to take a seat at all. "We're not all here, are we? I see no one from the Kid Pirates, and Captain Kid is the one we should be most worried about."
"Mad Monk" UROUGE
B108,000,000 - Captain - Fallen Monk Pirates
"Everyone here has heard of the bounty he's racked up from a career of indiscriminate violence. Marine, Pirate, civilian… it made no difference to him. I don't think he'll restrain himself if he thinks he can get away with it."
"I agree," said Law. "He refused the invitation outright, as I expected. And he's not the only one missing. 'Good-Boy' Tobi of Akatsuki is on the island as well, and-"
"Hah! Not those guys! I was talking about Fire-Fist Ace!" interrupted Apoo. "He's a walking invitation for Marine intervention, accept no imitation!"
"...Yes," agreed Law, casting a glance in Luffy's direction. "Straw-Hat and I met with Ace before arriving on the island. Originally he had agreed to come to this meeting, but it appears other matters have prevented him from joining. Still, he already agreed with the purpose of the meeting and said he would do his best to lay low and avoid trouble. Take that as you will. Actually, I'd like to discuss the issue of Akatsuki in more detail, but first..."
Law turned his head to regard a table half-hidden in the gloom near the exit to the front hall.
"Captain Hawkins, you're the only one who hasn't spoken," said Law, calling to the two figures cloaked in shadow. "Do you disagree with the aim of this meeting?"
The long-haired blond man leaned forward slightly, artfully catching the light as several others gave him their attention. Among those present, his was the highest bounty that didn't belong to Straw-Hat Luffy. His face was turned down into a particularly bored look of displeasure, as if he was being forced to watch a play that he had already seen once before and hadn't particularly liked the first time around.
"I disagree not with your aims, merely its outcome," said the man, spreading his arms to indicate the array of ornate cards laid on the table before him. As they watched, the cards danced into the air and shuffled about before slapping back down into different positions.
"Magician" BASIL HAWKINS
B249,000,000 - Captain - Hawkins Pirates
"The cards tell the same story over and over again. This meeting will end in vicious strife, regardless of our agreed course of action. It is foretold."
A pause seemed to indicate that that was the end of Captain Hawkins' statement.
Law frowned. "You're saying we're going to fail? Sorry if I don't trust the accuracy of those predictions, fortune-teller, but if you think this was a waste of time then why come here at all?"
"Remaining absent made my predictions worse," stated Hawkins with complete certainty. "Dark times are coming, and my presence here seems to be necessary."
Law sighed. Sometimes it seemed to him as though everyone on the ocean had a shtick, and most people chose deliberately irritating ones.
"I don't suppose your cards told you anything about who was going to do this, did they?" he asked.
"You can rest assured. The threat is not from within."
"You see?" said Urouge, still smiling wide. "Just as we said. The problem will come from one of those three outsiders. Ace, Kid, or Tobi."
"Since when did we start making a habit of listening to pieces of paper, huh?" groused Bonney. "Fortune-telling's a racket."
"Well… I don't listen to fortune-telling myself," said Law, "-but in this case there may be some merit to it. I've already been attacked since I set foot on the island. By Akatsuki."
There was a slight commotion at this. Everyone aside from Luffy and Zoro registered some degree of surprise, even Captain Hawkins. As this was processed, Hawkins' first-mate put one hand to his ear, listening carefully for a moment, and then bent over to his superior, exchanging a few hushed words.
Apoo was the first one to actually address Law. "So when were you planning to tell us about that, huh? Seems pretty frickin' important for everyone here, yeah?"
"I told all of you that I'd speak about Akatsuki later, didn't I?" grinned Law. "Well, here's the problem. Orochimaru, the Undertaker, attacked me last night. He was alone, luckily, but he fought until the Marines came after him, and I believe that he'll try it again."
"So what the hell did you do to piss him off?" asked Bonney, rolling her eyes.
"Nothing. He claimed he was after my skills as a surgeon," said Law, smoothly replacing the truth with a lie. "But if he's willing to cause trouble here then I doubt the rest are going to keep quiet. According to Straw-Hat, one of the other Akatsuki members blew up the base of the Flying-Fish Riders and tried to make it look like an accident."
Some irritated expressions filled the hall from those who had spent time in the area. That gang was notoriously difficult to deal with.
"Wait," interrupted Apoo. "I talked to those fish riders not too long ago, and they had a different story. Well, by 'talked to' I mean 'they tried to capture me and I beat their skulls in,' but, hey, same difference, right? Their leader, Duval, wouldn't stop complaining about the Straw-Hats. Ring any bells?"
Now it was Luffy and Zoro's turn to be puzzled. They looked at each other with open confusion.
"What the hell are they talking about? Sure we were heading to beat them up, but we never actually met 'em," said Luffy.
"Dunno," said Zoro.
"Listen, I don't want to get off-topic," interrupted Law. "The point is, Akatsuki is testing the limits of what they think they can get away with, and it's going to bring trouble down on all of us. Moreover, I've just heard that the 'Good-Boy' himself, Tobi, may be aiming to pull something big today."
He looked around the room, making sure everyone was listening. "This is about more than just playing nice with each other here. We need to step in and put pressure on Kid and Tobi before this blows up in our faces."
"Bullshit," interrupted Bonney. "Awfully convenient you're trying to get us to take down the guys that are giving you trouble. Look, if they're keeping a low profile then I really don't give a damn. I'll stop them if they show up, but I'm not about to go hunting them down. That sounds like the opposite of what we wanted, right?"
Law glared across the hall at her, but hardly a moment had passed before Basil Hawkins spoke up once more.
"This may be a moot point," said the magician. "Fire-Fist Ace was seen fighting last night by several witnesses. His flames brightened the darkness, but no one was able to get close."
As Luffy's eyes widened, Hawkins added, "Perhaps that is why he isn't present, hmm?"
"Your cards tell you that?" asked Zoro, the first time he had addressed the group since the meeting had begun.
Hawkins returned his stare evenly. "No. I've been waiting for any news about the parties that might bring misfortune upon us, and word just now reached me. Fire-Fist was certainly involved in a fight during the dead of night, and that is all I have heard from mundane sources. Though, the cards do tell me that his fate is dire."
"What did you say?!" yelled Luffy.
Zoro quickly leaned over to explain what 'his fate is dire' meant, at which point Luffy's temper rose further.
"You think someone here was able to beat up Ace?!" yelled Luffy. "Don't be stupid! He's stronger than everyone here except me!"
Zoro rolled his eyes, but thankfully the rest of the pirates here were well-used to bluster and boasting.
"Well, then why isn't he here," puffed Capone. "We should be concerning ourselves with finding out who might be capable of taking down one of Whitebeard's top lieutenants and going to appease them. This is the kind of situation where a little bit of bribery can go a long way."
"Fighting someone in secret means it wasn't the Marines," stated Drake. "They feel like they're in control of this island and they wouldn't play this quietly. But I doubt anyone else on this island could be a problem for him. It's possible that he was attacked by a rival from the Four Emperors…"
"Or Akatsuki," inserted Zoro.
"You don't really think that's likely, do you?" asked Drake, shaking his head. "Fire-Fist Ace is one of the most notorious pirates in the world. I don't think he's likely to be seriously threatened by a gang of newcomers, no matter how skilled they are."
"Tobi wounded an Admiral." Zoro stated this fact simply and without stressing any word. "He stabbed Aokiji in the abdomen. The ice-bastard was looking pretty bad when we saw him, too- not that it stopped him from giving us a hard time."
Several jaws dropped.
"Holy hell…" sighed Law. "That's what you meant when you said to stay away from them. You really should have said that outright."
"And you want us to take on a group that can do that?" asked Bonney. "Hell. No. I'm not sticking my neck out for something like that."
"There, at least, I can agree with you," growled Capone. "I don't want nothing to do with any such group."
"Akatsuki's not such a huge pain," admitted Zoro. "We already killed one of them and fought a few more here and there. Tough customers, but not unbeatable, which makes me think this Tobi guy got lucky somehow."
Capone chuckled, wisps of smoke escaping from his mouth. "I hope you'll excuse me when I say I don't see the profit in fighting a group that the Straw-Hats are calling 'tough customers.' I'm not gonna antagonize Akatsuki unless there's no other option, and right now I can't see any reason for them to bother me and mine."
"He's already here," stated Luffy, glaring up into the gloom.
"And that's only a problem for the people they have a grudge against," insisted Capone, tapping out his ashes and standing from the table in a gesture of finality. "Law, Straw-Hat, my crew and I will agree to lay low and keep the peace, and we'll even help put the hooks into Captain Kid if he needs to be taught a lesson, but you two are on your own with Akatsuki. You'd better hope the 'Good-Boy' is true to his namesake."
"Well, Tobi is a good boy, I guess," stated a cheerful voice from the rafters.
They looked up just in time for a figure to pierce the smoke, landing from above with a thump on a table in the center of the room. Wearing a black robe adorned with crimson clouds, the black-haired man's face was covered by a sun-bleached driftwood mask, warped and twisted on one side. He looked up and around at the pirates gathered across the different levels, his strange eyes glinting in the dark.
"Hello," said Tobi pleasantly.
"Aw, horse-shit," cursed Apoo.
The uproar was immediate.
"Who the hell is this ass-hat?" exclaimed Bonney.
"You jerk!" yelled Luffy, putting one foot up on his table. "I said I'd beat the crap outta you after what you did to the Merry!"
"Akatsuki, hmm?" muttered Hawkins, flipping over one card after another in a hurried reading. "I certainly predicted a disturbance, but I did not think it would be caused by them…"
"Hello everyone!" exclaimed Tobi. "Wait, I already said that. Well, anyway, I think it's a bit rude to be talking about us without having us here to represent ourselves, but that's alright. I'm jumping in anyway!"
"Tobi," intoned Trafalgar Law, projecting his voice to be heard over the commotion. "I think the reason you weren't invited should be obvious. Your subordinate, Orochimaru, attacked me last night and nearly brought the Marines down on us."
"Oh, really?" asked Tobi, sounding genuinely surprised. "Wow, I didn't see that coming. He didn't say anything about it, either. Good initiative on his part, though. Really putting in the extra effort."
"Hey!" exclaimed Apoo, both arms bending at wild angles as his body transformed slightly, valves and resonating chambers raising from his skin. "You don't have time to joke here, man! We've got you surrounded so many ways it's actually crazy! Dead to rights! Fat lady ready for her solo! You really don't want to cause trouble now."
There was a smattering of reluctant agreement around the room, with the loudest shouts coming from Luffy. The idea of working together was anathema to most of the assembled Rookies, but they could understand just how much trouble they'd all be in if the situation got out of hand.
Tobi, however, simply cocked his masked head to the side as if pondering something deeply confusing. He dropped lightly from the tabletop and walked out into the center of everything, speaking almost as if to himself as he moved. Eventually he seemed to reach enlightenment.
"Don't… want… to cause trouble…? Oh! Oh-hoh! Right, right… you guys wouldn't know the plan, huh? Well, that makes sense," he said, nodding to himself. "We never really wanted to tell anyone about it, after all…"
"Get to the point, you half-wit!" shouted Bonney.
"Hey, don't be rude now. Okay, so… the reason I'm here isn't to prevent trouble at all. It's actually quite the opposite! In fact, we're aiming to cause a lot of trouble. See, you guys are all going to be pretty busy fighting for your lives! Starting… uhh… probably right about now, actually!"
There was a tense moment as the assembled pirates prepared for combat, but nothing happened.
Several seconds later, someone coughed.
"Oh, I didn't mean I was going to do it," said Tobi, waving his hands vaguely in front of his mask. "There's other stuff happening out there."
"What a farce," muttered Capone. "I'm supposed to be intimidated by this? Bursting in here and making vague threats isn't fitting behavior for a pirate. If you've got anything specific then lay it out."
As the assembled Rookies continued arguing with the oddly-composed Tobi, a mouth sprouted from the table beside Luffy.
"Luffy. Zoro," said Robin, speaking through her Devil-Fruit link. "A team of Marines are coming this way, and they're ready for trouble. Also, Shichibukai Gecko Moriah and his underlings are attacking some of the larger shopping and residential districts on Grove 48 near the Marine base. I don't know what to make of this, but that's much too close to the ship for my comfort. We'll hold the Marines up here, but please wrap this up quickly."
Around the room the noise of assorted Den-Den Mushi seemed to indicate other crews were getting similar news. Luffy and Zoro caught Law's eye after he had been briefed by one of his underlings, and his expression was grim. Tobi, meanwhile, was bobbing up and down excitedly.
"You see? It was kind of hard to get him up and running since I took his soul and all, but I figured it out in the end! And Moria's not even the only surprise waiting for you all!"
This odd statement was difficult to parse for the assembled Rookies.
"You're saying you knew he was going to attack here?" asked Drake. "Even though the rumors said he may have died during the attack on Thriller Bark, Moria has already had his Shichibukai status revoked. What the hell is he doing attacking the Archipelago now of all times?"
"'Did I know he was going to attack here?!'" Tobi laughed. "Hah! He's doing this 'cause we told him to! And that's just the start!"
"You told him to do this?! Why the hell would he listen to you?" asked Drake.
"'Cause now he's nothing more than a puppet on our strings," said Tobi, smiling behind his mask.
Drake twitched, grinding his teeth together as he scowled down at the robed Akatsuki leader. "You imbecile! Is this a joke to you?! Do you really think you're going to get out of this unscathed?! The government has an immense amount of power in this area of the sea, and they can bring innumerable fighters to the island in under an hour. They're going to scour everything! If you really go through with whatever this is, you'll be taken down with the rest of us!"
Bothering everyone present, Tobi giggled.
"I know something you don't know…!" he called out in a sing-song voice, before waving a hand in Drake's direction. "Aw, don't you worry about me. We'll all be fine, no matter what happens. Hee-hee-hee… That's the beauty of this plan!"
"What purpose could you possibly have for doing this?" asked Urouge, the Mad Monk, still smiling even now. "Is this about wiping out challengers? No, I don't believe you care about us at all. You'll claim no bounty from this, either. Is this an action against a particular person? The Straw-Hats, or Trafalgar Law, perhaps?"
"No, I think not," interrupted Basil Hawkins. "My predictions say this is a distraction. More than a ninety-eight percent chance. A distraction for something very important. No more, no less."
"Screw your predictions! What the hell does Moria have to do with this?! Does he wanna die?!" shouted Bonney.
"No…" said Law, staring straight at Tobi with a horrified expression. "You've got some control over him somehow. He's already dead… isn't he…? You've… turned his Fruit against him or something, and now only a zombie is left?"
Tobi smiled back.
"Wow, you're actually a lot closer than I thought you'd be," he said.
-Meanwhile-
-Grove 48-
A creature that spoke no words was running rampant throughout the island, and the Marines were finding it very difficult to stop him.
"Back! Get back! If you get too close to him he can steal your shadow! Engage from range only! Moria's Shichibukai status has been revoked and you are fully authorized to kill!"
Despite the warning, several Marines were not fast enough to avoid the rampaging warlord. Moria's long arms swung down and snagged three of them, pulling their shadows away from them and severing them with a wicked pair of shears. The three shadow-less bodies collapsed, completely unconscious, and Moria flung them violently into a second-story window where they'd remain out of the sunlight.
The shears lashed out again, stabbing two more of the Marines in the heart as his comrades fired uselessly into the monster-man's unflinching bulk. The two bodies collapsed lifelessly to the ground, but only lay still as long as it took for Moria to stuff two of the shadows into the corpses. The third was consumed by the monster himself a moment later, bolstering Moria's power.
Several volleys of rifle fire poured into the Shichibukai's body, but aside from a slight jerk from side to side they seemed to go unnoticed. He dashed away moments later, lunging through the streets as he sought to continue his rampage. Though the man was built like a fat shallot he was so tremendous that he rapidly outpaced most of the Marines following him.
"N- Nothing's working!" shouted one Marine who had abandoned rifle fire. "Why isn't he dying?!"
"You idiots!" roared his superior, an officer with a salt and pepper beard and two six-shot revolvers at his hip. "Are your eyes just empty holes?! Look at the wounds!"
Before their eyes a slight limp which had been caused by a bullet to the knee was corrected as the bloodless hole sealed itself shut.
"I don't know how, but he's regenerating!" The experienced veteran pointed to one of his communications retinue. "New plan! You there, get Captain Hina and the Black Cage Brigade on the snail right away. This is right up her alley and I know she's somewhere on the island. The rest of you… Squad A, hunt him down but focus on hitting his legs. If we can't kill him we can at least slow him down. Squad B, try to get those damn scissors off of him. C, communicate with the others and make damn sure you keep that fat bastard on this grove."
As he rattled off orders, several of the corpses of fallen Marines and civilians alike began rising from the ground, shuffling unsteadily as they got their feet under them. The veteran hardly blinked as he whipped out his revolver, putting a bullet in each of the zombies' heads. Smoke wafted from the barrel and his face was grim as the living corpses collapsed to the ground.
"Squad D, sorry, but you're on cleanup duty today. Get people evacuated and handle the zombies as you find 'em. And for god's sake, don't forget to double-tap."
Saying this, he stepped up to the twitching bodies and put another bullet into each of the moving corpses of his former subordinates. Unlike their shadow-master, these zombies didn't seem to be regenerating.
"The rest of you-" he began.
"Sir!" interrupted his communications officer. "We're getting reports that a number of special zombies have been seen in the nearby groves! And… wait… Perona's ghost army is attacking Grove 66! The Marine base there is being overwhelmed!"
"Well ain't that just dandy," growled the officer, spitting on the ground with distaste. There was a momentary pause before he seemed ready to amend his earlier orders, and then he was interrupted again by a different, yet familiar-seeming Marine. He turned to see an older-looking man from a different unit wearing an eyepatch and a crisp salute that shaded his grim face.
"Yes, Lieutenant?" he asked, reading the man's insignia.
"Message from Headquarters!" stated the one-eyed man, adjusting an official-looking Den-Den Mushi at his side. "We have information regarding Perona's location as well as Moria's objective here on the island. I'm sorry, but they say it's for your ears only!"
The officer sighed and followed the one-eyed man inside the nearest building.
Thirty seconds later, Danzou stepped back out of the door, sparing not even a single glance back to the corpse cooling inside or the devastation left by Moria's Edo Tensei. Adjusting his cap and eyepatch, Danzou hurried off to hunt down the next competent leader he could find.
-Meanwhile-
-Grove 79-
-Nobility District-
"Bahahahah! Get out of my way or suffer my flames!" roared what appeared to be Fire-Fist Ace, bringing his hands together under the cover of the writhing hellfire. A few subtle hand-motions and the fires intensified, blasting outwards with the assistance of a sudden gale that washed incineration over the few guards that still stood in his way. Where the fires passed only ash remained, and teams were already abandoning the fight to try and prevent the mangrove itself from being consumed.
This was the final, outermost tree on the island, and also where the Celestial Dragons kept their temporary residences for when either a shopping trip went on too long or when they purchased more than they could carry back in whatever ship had brought them here. Very few of the Nobility had been so foolish as to stay outside the Capital during a time such as this, but very few was not equal to none. Now, the notorious figure of one of Whitebeard's Lieutenants was burning his way through the shopping districts, restaurants, and winter homes with reckless abandon, walking the devastation across the island. It wouldn't be long before he reached one of the Nobility themselves.
And until more powerful defenders arrived on the scene, no one would be able to stop him.
-Meanwhile-
-Grove 1-
-Human Auction-
At the center of the island a merciless green-haired swordsman advanced on the largest of the Human Auction houses. Far from sneaking, the man advanced with two swords unsheathed. Bounty hunters immediately recognized this man as Roronoa Zoro.
So he killed them.
Then, the thugs that guarded the Auction House told the man that business was closed.
So he killed them, too.
When he entered the slave pens, he found the vicious men and women who trained and domesticated the merchandise.
They died most sweetly of all.
When the call went out to the dens of vice and power that held interests in the Auction Houses, the mob bosses, slave traders, kidnappers, and crooked officials were all in swift agreement. Swarms of powerful enforcers converged on Grove 1 from every single one of the lawless Groves, eager to teach a painful lesson to the outsider threatening their business.
Those people had not yet arrived, but the intruder waited patiently, sitting cross-legged at the center of the stage.
Roronoa Zoro closed his eyes and smiled, exposing two rows of sharply-pointed teeth as his twin blades dripped with the blood of his victims.
-Vagabond's Roost-
Tobi laughed again, hardly able to contain his excitement as he saw the astonished and enraged looks on their faces.
"Yeah, it might be a while before you figure out everything that's going on, but that's part of the magic! Anyway, this has been super fun, but it's time for me to go now. I'll see you all later! Well, actually, no I won't, but…" Tobi paused. "Anyway, goodbye!"
With that, the Akatsuki leader melted into the floor. The transparent dome of Law's Room shot outwards and his scalpel flicked out from his pocket, the extending edge invisibly carving a large round hole in the floor. The instant the carved section separated from the surrounding wood, the circular chunk of lifted up into the air as if released from gravity's control. As it floated gently upwards, Tobi emerged from the underside of the floor-fragment looking distinctly puzzled by his upside-down predicament. Getting his bearings, Tobi dropped from his perch and fell towards the hole that exposed the frame of thick wooden support beams and straps that anchored the establishment to the enormous sloth's furry belly.
Without hesitation, Law tried to swap Tobi's position with one of the tables back up inside the room, but there was an odd pulling feeling and the transfer failed with a painful sensation that felt like a rubber band snapping inside his brain.
At the very same time, Captain Bege stood up with a furious glower and thrust out one hand. A wickedly-barbed harpoon speared out from beneath his pin-striped sleeve, rapidly growing to full-size as it left whatever field was controlling his power. It moved as though it had been fired out of a cannon, clipping Tobi as he fell and catching on his robes. Capone sneered as the hooks caught and the rope began reeling its prey back in.
Several of the Rookies closed in, but Tobi continued giggling as he hung on the end of the rope like the catch of the day.
"Wow, no one's ever shot me with a harpoon before!" he exclaimed, looking back towards Captain Bege and focusing. An instant later the gangster floated up off the ground, losing his purchase and getting pulled over the edge of his second-floor vantage point. That done, Tobi fell right back down through the opening and cut the rope.
Luffy was there barely an eyeblink later, screaming as he dashed through the opening and slamming bodily into the Akatsuki leader. Tobi jerked backwards in pain. Luffy raised his fist and struck, but his hand never reached the other man's face. Tobi's eyes pulsed again with power and the Rinnegan pushed Luffy away with extreme prejudice, sending the rubber-man shooting down through hole and into the mess of woodwork and structural supports until he collided with the sloth's algae-laden belly.
Tobi had just a split-second to realize something hadn't gone as expected. In the last moment, Luffy had grabbed onto his shoulder and robes, and he hadn't let go. They were now connected by Luffy's stretchy grip, and pushing back with the Rinnegan didn't seem to be helping matters.
Tobi screamed in surprise as the rubber-man's limbs snapped back against the tension, accelerating the AkatsukI leader to breakneck speed as the he slammed through a couple of the support struts before colliding with Luffy. The collision tore at Tobi's robes, sending him rolling off onto the sloth's belly.
Luffy recovered first, getting up and charging. His leg snapped forward to punt Tobi into the air and send him back towards the other Pirates, but the masked-man caught his foot, riding the momentum upwards into an artful aerial spin. Focusing again, Tobi's eyes sent Luffy's body soaring away off into the ocean, only to be foiled by his firm grip in the sloth's fur. Luffy snapped back to his original position with even more momentum than before, shooting at Tobi like a bullet. Tobi dodged, but the rubber-man rebounded off another beam and shot back into the combat without a single misstep, firing a storm of punches as he did so.
"Holy crap!" exclaimed Tobi, parrying the fierce attacks one after another. "That's awesome!"
He reached out with one glowing hand, but Luffy kicked out and knocked Tobi away, dodging the touch as if he somehow knew what was coming.
There was the sound of a bass-drum that rolled over the area, and Tobi spun in place to face the dancing figure of Apoo, who was perched on a distant strut. His chest had widened into the shape of a drum, and he slammed his fists into it one after another, each strike resounding through the air.
[FIGHTING MUSIC - BOOM]
When Apoo struck his chest again, Tobi was engulfed in an explosion. Much to Apoo's surprise, he emerged from the blast completely unharmed, dashing away from the chaotic attack and leaping off of the sloth's belly into the ocean as Luffy charged after him.
"You're not getting away from me, jerk!" yelled Luffy, adding, "Whoa!"
Teeth. The ocean below the sloth exploded, and what leapt up through the crash of spray was an enormous shark, its body studded with metal and each tooth the size of a person. Luffy's eyes went wide and he instantly moved to attack position, only for him to be slapped out of the way by an enormous scaly foot.
Captain Drake had transformed into the form of an immense predatory dinosaur, and bull-rushed the oncoming dire-shark, halting its forward momentum and pushing it backwards before it could collide with the building's supports. The sloth beneath their feet began the very slow process of roaring in pain as the two titanic predators engaged in combat on its belly, and the supports for the entire structure began to shudder.
"Get that thing off of here!" shouted Law from up above.
Heaving with effort, Drake bit down on the sea-beast and grabbed on, swinging around and dropping the dire-shark back into the ocean. It disappeared beneath the waves and swam away without further complaint. Tobi caught up with the beast a moment later, landing on its back as they rode across the ocean's waves, now thoroughly beyond the reach of most of the Devil-Fruit users as it moved through the thickly-bunched mangrove roots.
Just before Tobi could finish his escape, Naruto appeared in front of him, flying straight at the Akatsuki leader while carrying a huge vortex of swirling chakra in his palm.
"TOBI!" he yelled, his face transformed by the distinctive marks of Sage Mode. "You're coming with me!"
The immense Rasengan struck Tobi dead on, but failed to do damage, instead being sucked away as if funneled off into some bottomless reservoir. Naruto barely had time to register his shock before he was sent flying away as well, coming to rest on the underside of one of the tree roots.
"Sorry, Naruto!" yelled Tobi. "I'll try to make sure nothing happens to you when this is all over, okay?!"
Spurred on by some unseen signal, the dire-shark accelerated through the water, disappearing between the mangrove's roots and into the light of day once more.
The assembled Rookies returned above cursing their luck. They didn't have long to lament the current state of affairs before things got worse. Several subordinates were waiting for them inside, Sasuke among them.
"What's going on out there?" asked Law, looking between the gathered individuals.
"We're under attack," said Sasuke, crossing his arms and looking out towards the entrance. "Tobi drew the Marines here somehow.
Several of the Rookie captains cursed and headed for the surface, ready to do battle. The only ones who stayed behind were Drake, Law, Luffy, and Sasuke.
"Where'd Zoro go?" asked Luffy. "He was right here a minute ago. Is he out fighting the Marines?"
Sasuke sighed, scratching his head in frustration. "No… not quite. The rest of us are still up there holding them off, and Naruto is probably coming back soon, but… we're hearing things about the rest of the island. Zoro left to deal with it before I could stop him."
"Is this about Moria?" asked Law, frowning deeply. "Tobi already told us about that."
"Nope… 'fraid not. Moria is still out there causing trouble, but that's not all there is to this. We heard three other pieces of news that I don't like. Some sort of fake Zoro is attacking the slave marketplace and wreaking all sorts of havoc. Zoro dashed off the instant he heard about it."
"Wait, who's got a fake Zoro?" asked Luffy.
"Well, I don't want to leap to conclusions, but Akatsuki could manage that kind of thing easily… Changing one's form is extremely simple for a ninja. That's not the only bad news, though… the Kid Pirates may or may not be attacking civilians in the hotel districts."
"'May or may not be?'" asked Law, wincing in irritation. "More fakes?"
"Maybe," said Sasuke. "News was uncertain. That's not the worst of it, though. They also say that Fire-Fist Ace was spotted burning his way through the defenders of the Nobility's quarters. I'd be shocked if that was the real Ace out there, but whoever it is is killing civilians and heading straight for the remaining Nobility on the island."
Luffy's jaw dropped, and Law and Drake's faces paled in horror.
"Son of a bitch…" muttered Law. "We've been played like a bunch of chumps…"
"This is the worst possible situation," said Drake. "They're knocking down every hornet nest in town and sticking us with the clean-up. I don't know why they're causing trouble now, but we need to start thinking about getting off of the island."
"Maybe…" mused Law, before pausing. "No… on second thought, that's not going to work at all. There are too many ships nearby that can be recalled, and I doubt this is all the arrows they have in their quiver..."
"Why did Tobi come here in person to tell us this, anyway?" asked Drake.
"I don't know… If we take him at his word, they're trying to stir up trouble, and I suppose he thinks we'll be in a better shape to cause it if we know about it beforehand..."
"I can't say for certain why Akatsuki is doing this," interrupted Sasuke. "But I can say that the information we got on Tobi suggests it isn't his true objective to get us all killed. Maybe that's going to be a side-effect, but his real goal for today was something else entirely. Whatever it is, they don't seem to want the government figuring out this was caused by them until it's too late."
"So it was a distraction after all...?" asked Drake, scratching at the scar on his chin.
"Yeah. I think it is," stated Sasuke. "But I don't know what it's for. Generally you don't put all your assets into a distraction, after all, but in this case it sounds like their entire team might be in on this. It doesn't make any damn sense, but I've got a feeling we might know someone who can shed some light on this. Either way, it sounds like retreating to the center of the island would be best for now, right?"
"Yes… At the very least it should cut down on the heat…" said Law. "What are you thinking?"
"There's a man by the name of Silvers Rayleigh who lives on Grove 6, and I think he may know what's going on."
"Rayleigh?" asked Drake. "As in, the 'Dark King' Rayleigh? He's here?! Wait, Straw-Hat, where are you going?"
Luffy, it seemed, had lost patience and was making a beeline directly for the entrance. He didn't turn around when they called out to him.
"I'm going after Ace," he said.
Sasuke was the only one who didn't look surprised.
"Fire-Fist?" asked Law. "You realize that this is a trap, right? There's no reason that someone like him would risk everything by angering the Nobility!"
"Yeah. I know. That's why I can't let this slide. If those jerks wanna drag Ace's name through the mud then I've got to teach them a lesson," said Luffy. "Sasuke, find out what's going on. I'm going out."
"Luffy," interrupted Sasuke. "Please let the others know where you're going. And… don't forget about the Vivre Card. If Ace is missing, that should show where he is, right?"
Luffy nodded, and then he was gone.
"Son of a bitch," muttered Law. "He'll be lucky if he only gets himself killed…"
"Aren't you going to stop him?" asked Drake, casting a displeased glance in Sasuke's direction, both arms crossed.
The young ninja shook his head. "No… I trust him. He'll see this through and then he'll come back. In the meantime, we have more important things to worry about."
"I'm not going to stick around for this," said Drake, following after Luffy as he headed to the exit. "I'm going to fight my way back to my crew, then we're going to try and make it clear of the island. Good luck to you, Law. You, at least, tried to be reasonable."
Then he was gone too.
Sasuke nodded. "Our team up above will likely split into groups to gather our crew back together. I'll be heading for Rayleigh. I don't care if you come with me or not."
"Wait…" said Law. He paused, then motioned to his subordinate.
"Get back to the ship and then wait under Grove 22. If I'm not back by sunset then leave as carefully as you can and come back in a week's time, same place."
Orders given, he turned back to Sasuke.
"I'm coming with you. You know things about Akatsuki, right?"
The ninja nodded, and Law smiled without mirth.
"Good. Tell me everything you know about the Undertaker… Orochimaru."
A/N: I'm guessing someone will figure out most of what's going on here before too long. This is also the first time the Straw-Hats have witnessed the powers of the Rinnegan, which may or may not come in handy later.
I was delayed these last weeks by buying a house, but am getting back into the swing of things. I've been dearly looking forward to this part of the story since before I even started this.