April 1, 801 WG
Law stirred to the sound of the cyborg's growling accent.
"Luffy! Wake up!"
"Ease up," second a second low tenor. It sounded familiar but Law couldn't place where he heard it before never mind who it was. "He's not dead, just worn out."
"Are you sure? He's as gray as that night!"
"His breathing is steady and his pulse strong. See to the others, I think they're coming around."
Law's returning awareness brought a delayed sense of alarm as he realized he was lying on the ground with no idea how he got there. He checked for pains and found only a slight ache from the parts of him that were against the ground. No other injuries presented themselves and he could feel his toes moving within his shoes. His fingers flexed in response to his mental commands.
The next alarm sounded when his mind replayed what he had just heard. Something was wrong with Luffy! He recalled his pale skin, sunken eyes and cold body after the psychic outburst that devastated the Marine fleet and nearly destroyed his ship, his crew and himself when they had escaped Vegapunk's island with the survivors from Flevance last month. Had a similar event happened again? Why couldn't he remember anything after reading the Poneglyph?
Law pushed himself up. Those answer would come, right now his brother was injured. He needed to get the reindeer so the two could tend to Luffy.
"Tra-o!" cried Franky. Law looked up and gasped. They were mere yards from the ship and the rest of their crews were sprawled across the sand in a loose circle. A man in a hood and cloak and a long object wrapped in cloth attached to his back cradled the Straw Hat captain, who looked as if he had just climbed out of his grave… again.
The man pulled back Luffy's red, open-front shirt, exposing his right shoulder. It was dark with heavy bruising, oozing blood in certain spots and very obviously dislocating, judging by the unnatural angle the arm was hanging from his body. The man took the arm and, with a grunt, popped it back into place with practiced ease. The shoulder was still a hideous mass of discolored flesh and torn skin. Someone had tried to tear Luffy's arm off.
That begged the question of who had attacked and how. He eyed the stranger with suspicion, but the cyborg wasn't worried about the man as he moved among his comrades trying to rouse them. Law looked to his own people. None appeared injured, just unconscious. He glanced between them and Luffy, torn.
At that moment, Zoro awoke. He pushed himself into a sitting position and rubbed his head. "What the hell happened?"
Franky went off on him. "You don't remember?! You nearly tore Luffy's arm off!"
"Why the hell would I do that?" demanded Zoro then he seemed to notice what Law had noticed first, their change in location. "When did we get back to the beach?"
"You really don't remember?" said Franky, incredulous. "You wandered back toward the ships all hollering about the truth. Luffy ran up yelling to get the ships away from here and not to listen to anything you said. That's when you all turned on him."
Law felt his blood run cold. It sounded like they had been controlled by someone. Not dissimilar to how Doflamingo controlled people with his strings except the victims remained nightmarishly aware of their actions. This, however, seemed worse to him. At least those who were aware had fought to resist the heinous orders their bodies had been given. Even being able to call out warnings to others in attempt to save them from injury and death.
Zoro paled as his less than swift brain came to the same realization. He stared down at his own hands and began to shake with emotion. Law felt for the man. Zoro had hurt, nearly maimed his own captain and didn't even remember doing it.
Bepo rolled over and began to snore, slipping from unconsciousness to sound sleep. Sigh. Law smiled in relief and general compassion for his friend and subordinate. The others were sitting up and began trying to sort themselves out. Law decided they were fine. He glanced over toward the Straw Hats. No surprise, the women were awake and taking in their surroundings. Jinbei was on his feet appearing upset, more so than the situation warranted. The cook shook his head. The long-nosed sniper had gone over to slumberland just as Bepo had, the reindeer doctor having joined him. The skeleton was either asleep or playing possum. At least he hoped it was one of those two and that this incident hadn't inadvertently driven his soul into the afterlife for good.
With an irritated sigh as his brother's irresponsible doctor, Law rose and headed over toward Luffy. Everyone else seemed to have missed Franky's description of events as some were beginning to echo Law and Zoro's earlier confusion. Law ignored them; the cyborg shipwright could answer their questions.
He knelt by the hooded man and Luffy and began probing the young captain's injured shoulder. His Op Op fruit ability, combined with observational haki, allowed him to "see" into the body and determine the course of the treatment. He grimaced. Major blood vessels and nerves had held but everything else had either stretched or been torn. The ligaments and tendons were going to be especially problematic as they didn't heal easily.
He would need his surgeon's glue for the torn muscles and skin. The stretched ligaments and tendons were going to require a sling, rest and, later, special exercises. However, Luffy was in need of special exercises already due to the muscle mass he lost in his resurrection.
"Lance? What are you doing here?" It was Nami that spoke.
Lance? thought Law. Then he remembered the Mendoran who had spoken for the town when Law had returned to apologize for his actions and beg them the favor of taking in his surviving countrymen. The man then had worn only the winter's cape that covered his shoulders and torso for extra warmth but didn't interfere with his ability to handle objects or hunt. The outfit he wore now was much different. The hooded cape was long enough to reach to his calf-high boots and had no front, though it could be closed. The fur vest, flannel shirt, and mittens had been replaced with a metal studded leather vest, thick wool shirt, and chain and leather gauntlets that extended part way up his arm like bracers. Down lined pants switched with wool and metal-lined leather shields. The boots were thick with shin guards and metal toes.
Lance was dressed as a warrior not a hunter. The cape, he now realized, was thick and hung away from the body of its own accord. It could probably thwart arrows and would throw off the aim of a sniper by concealing the body's location within it. He eyed the wrapped pole-like object on his back, wondering what weapon it concealed.
He returned his mind to the present in time to hear, Lance's response.
"I'm here to call on as much aid as possible. I've already alerted Dragon, but I fear we will need more than him to prevent the worst-case scenario. The thing I've been dreading for the last two decades has come to pass," he said in a grave voice. He stood as he spoke while still cradling Luffy. Law stood as well.
"The World Government has located Pluton and they are planning to use it. Against whom, I have no idea at this time, but they are making it ready to sail and may even be in route to its intended victim as we speak."
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Everyone stared at Lance as if they hadn't heard him. Pluton, one of the ancient weapons, and the only one that was an actual weapon and not a person with special abilities, had fallen into the hands of the World Government. For Franky, it was Water Seven and Eines Lobby all over again. He had burned the plans, the only thing that could be used to undo Pluton, to prevent the World Government from getting them and building more. Now they had the original.
Then something else penetrated the fog of despair that filled the shipwright's mind and he turned to regard Lance.
"You've been dreading this for the last two decades?"
Lance sighed and shifted his hold on the unconscious Straw Hat captain. The young man might as well have been a small child in Lance's muscular arms.
"Maryanne found Pluton twenty-years ago and came to Haku and me for helping in hiding it again," replied the Mendoran. Haku was what Lance called Dragon, it was a nickname derived from the time when Dragon had been known as Admiral Hakuryu. Franky still couldn't believe that the world's most dangerous criminal and leader of the Revolutionary Army had been a Marine Admiral that went by the code name "White Dragon". Then again that may have been why Dragon was so good at what he did. He had training.
"Maryanne? Luffy's mother?" said Robin, probably for Law's benefit. He hadn't been there when Lance original dropped all these trivia bombs on them. Law went from being confused to shocked.
"That means Dragon has been aware of where Pluton was," said Jinbei. "Why hasn't he deployed it against the World Government himself. That could have made things much easier for him."
"While completely defeating the purpose of his revolution," replied Lance. The fishman looked abashed but Lance waved his hand. "No, I understand your ponderings, Jinbei. However, Pluton was never meant to be used on people. It was created to tear down the greatest barrier to freedom, the Redline."
"Without that the only thing hindering the creation of the All Blue would be the Grandline," said Law without realizing the significance his description had on one of the Straw Hats. Franky glanced at Sanji who had paled at Law's words.
"Something powerful enough to break the Redline would be strong enough to destroy an island," said Franky, beginning to understand what those ancient shipwrights had been striving for and the unintended consequences of their actions. That had been the peace they had wanted, and it had been thwarted by greedy, power loving humans. Now Pluton was nothing but a deadly threat rather than a means to a united ocean.
"Indeed. It was too big and too strong for us to break. So all we could do was hide it," said Lance with resigned sigh.
"And pray no one found it," said Law's female subordinate. Ikkaku? Can't be, that sounded like a man's name.
"No, we knew that was pointless. Maryanne said it herself then; once something is found it is only a matter of time before it is found again. Haku vowed to find a way to destroy it before it could be used against anyone." A thought flashed in Lance's brown eyes and he laughed.
"What is it?" said Zoro, he still looked distraught over the harm he had done his captain but was refusing to let it drag him down.
"I just remembered something Maryanne said to Haku about it." He snorted again then continued, "She said, Luffy would beat him to it."
Everyone stared for a full thirty seconds as they tried to process what Lance had just said. "Was she clairvoyant?" asked Jinbei at last.
"It was better to believe that she was. She was accurate enough. She just couldn't make it happen on command without earning a splitting headache," replied Lance with a chuckle.
"Shouldn't we be more worried about who is being targeted rather than what was said in the past?" stated Law, sounding irked. Probably because he had been caught in the Straw Hats' flow again when the matter at hand was serious. Franky suppressed a grin, but only because the matter was serious.
"Right, I spoke with Haku one more time before making landfall. His scouts were able to locate that behemoth fairly quickly. Since its as slow as a turtle on land, the thing has to take a direct route. No one has the patience to do evasive maneuvers with that thing. It's heading for Moady, which I assume is to prep it for traveling to the other side of the Redline."
"Moady?" asked Chopper.
"Saboady's twin on this side of the Grandline. There is a way to navigate back the other way after all," replied Jinbei. "They are looking to coat the ship and ride the countercurrent back toward Paradise."
One of Law's crew, a man who wore his hat so low on his head, his eyes appeared covered, appeared and handed Law something. Law took it and began tending to Luffy. Franky returned his focus to Lance and the discussion.
"So, how long until the reach Moady?" asked Nami.
"Probably two weeks and then they'll need to coat all their ships for the journey. Considering its size, that will take longer than the usual three days. I'm certain," replied Lance.
"Ships?" inquired bear mink.
"She needs an escort fleet. Pluton was not designed to fight nor travel long distances on her own. It was built around the weapon itself and has little spare room for crew. They need other ships just to carry the supplies and they'll add a few to act as guards to keep her from being harassed by pirates. It wouldn't be that hard to take her from her crew. It's the sinking that we'll have trouble with."
"In other words, we'll be contending with several battleships while trying to destroy a ship that doesn't sink easily," said a large man from Law's crew. That sounded pretty hopeless.
"She was empty of all ammo when we found her," said Lance. "The World Government probably found her a while ago and just finished recreating the ammo she is supposed to use, which is non-standard. Considering this is island busting shots, I imagine they make a big boom when they explode."
Franky wondered why he was bringing that up, but Law stopped what he was doing and grinned.
"So, we need to get aboard the ship and ignite the magazine," said Law. "These special explosives should be powerful enough to destroy the ship even if it isn't fired from a cannon."
"That's a good plan," said Usopp. He planted one fist on his hip and thumped his chest. "And I the great Usopp, will brave the deadly ship and its Marine crew. Risking life and limb to torch the magazine and destroy the ancient weapon."
"Uh-huh," said Lance in a skeptical tone. "You do realize that you will be literally risking life and limb since I have no idea how sensitive that ammo is, and there is a high probability that they will explode as soon as you light them."
"Huh?"
"I got a good look at the insides of that ship when we hid her twenty years ago. The ammo must have been very sensitive because the magazine is made with non-reactive metal, copper to be precise. The walls are thick, and a heavy door separates it from the main hall. You will have to run into the bowels of the ship, open that door, and hurl both oil and torch into the room, making certain to land both on the ammo itself so that it actually catches fire. I don't know how long it will take to explode but it come happen immediately."
Usopp paled and began babbling about fear-of-dying-in-explosions-disease, which was about right. Franky sighed but no one was happy with Lance's description. If they used this plan, there was a good chance one of them would die. However, if Pluton wasn't stopped thousands would die.
"Can't Sabo burn the ship if Dragon is already in pursuit?" asked Robin.
Lance shook his head. "In theory, if he could get his fire up to the necessary temperature, he might be able to. Pluton is made of Adam's Wood and resistant to burning. I surmise Haku is going to try to get him on the ship and have Sabo torch the interior until the copper magazine heats up enough to ignite the interior. He could pour his fire down the corridor from the deck, thus giving him better odds. Not to mention being a logia offers its own defense."
"If you thought this out that far why are you seeking us out?" asked Law as he finished bandaging Luffy's shoulder and placing it in a makeshift sling. "It sounds like you two have a solid plan and Dragon isn't a flake."
"Because, neither he nor I earned are ranks in the Marines nor Haku's continued success as the leader of the Revolutionary Army by relying on only one plan," stated Lance in blunt tone.
"So, we're the fall back in case Dragon screws up," said Law. "Even, though, he's better equipped to handle this kind of confrontation."
"You have an agile and speedy submarine and a ship made of Adam's Wood. You are not exactly lightweights. Besides better to have a plan B and not need it then to have no plan B should plan A fail."
Franky couldn't argue that logic. Still there was one problem… "If Pluton will be at the Redline crossing in two weeks, we don't have a chance of catching it. We're on the other end of the Grandline, it will take several weeks to travel that way."
"That's right! We can't catch it from here!" agreed Usopp.
"However, Pluton is predicted to be heading to Paradise because of its current destination," said Nami. "And we are on the backside of Reverse Mountain. We can cut them off in Paradise if we ride Reverse Mountain again."
"That works, but we still need to figure out where they are ultimately going," said Ikkaku. "Once they dive, Dragon's scouts will lose them, and they could travel underwater longer than necessary just to throw off any eyes in Paradise."
"We might be able to narrow down the list of targets if we try to figure out which nations have angered the World Government recently. They would likely use that as a pretense to showcase the might of their weapon to the world," said Robin.
"Did you and Dragon discuss that while you were on your way here?" asked Zoro.
"We did," said Lance. He grimaced. "There are just too many possibilities, particularly among the nations you people aided."
Franky felt himself grow cold. If the World Government was looking for a choice of sacrifices, a nation friendly to the notorious Straw Hats would definitely make the cut. It would strike a double blow to them. They had friends on those islands! If they cited their aid of the Straw Hat Pirates, then other nations would be less willing to let them approach. Their travel would be severely limited. With no safe harbor, the Marines might finally capture them. That may have even been the intention.
Law looked as if he was coming to the same conclusion as he ground his teeth. They were pirates, and pirates shouldn't be risking themselves over others' politics. They had intervened numerous times for the sake of friends in local issues, but they would be going to war with the World Government as they tried to execute a problem nation. However, that problem nation could very well be their friends and they could not, would not, allow them to be killed!
"We should probably get moving now," said Jinbei. "We'll need time to figure out their final destination and I rather be closer to their possible victims than still on this side."