"Ohhh, fuck you, Target!" Franky shouted in frustration. He knocked the rack of pants over, kicking it for good measure.

"The language that comes from that mouth," Robin chastised, covering Chopper's ears.

"There ain't a fucking God damn thing I can fucking wear in this entire fucking store!" Franky raged.

Robin made a face and Franky seemed to shrivel. She shook her head, her eyes narrowed, "Didn't you bring some clothes from the apartment? Don't you know you're a big boy and have to buy clothes from special shops? Is it a surprise?"

"No…" Franky grumbled, kicking the rack again.

"No, you didn't bring clothes from the apartment or no, it's not a surprise?" Robin pressed.

Franky pouted, "No, it's not a surprise."

"Don't throw fits," Robin scolded, "It sets a bad example for the children." She turned to the cart where Chopper sat, eating bags of candy, "Right, Tony?"

"Right," Chopper agreed, licking his sticky fingers greedily.

"Alright," Crocus announced, coming back with multiple bags. "We have antibiotics and painkillers." He jiggled the bag, "High blood pressure meds for me. What Nami requested and some vitamins for us all to take…"

"I thought vitamins just made expensive pee," Zoro grumbled, opening another can of beer.

Crocus shrugged, "Depends on the vitamin."

"Where's Luffy?" Robin wondered, looking around.

As if on cue, Usopp and Luffy sped past them, both cycling as fast as they could. Usopp honked the horn, the streamers swishing loudly from his handle bars. Luffy rang the silver bell, his knees above his head. They shouted in excitement, racing out of view. Nami appeared a few seconds later, her clothes changed, she waved at them, panting heavily, "Guys… guys…" she threw her hands up in surrender, "Whatever."

"That looks fun," Chopper decided, climbing down from the cart.

"Wait," Robin called out, trying to scoop him up in concern.

Chopper shook his head, waving his small hand, "Bye-Bye!"

Zoro lazily flipped through the pages of the magazine he was reading and continued to drink his beer. He closed his eyes as something large crashed across the store. He shook his head and finished the beer, crushing the can in his hand, "Luf-fy!"

"I'm okay!" Luffy called back. "I'm okay!"

"What about Chopper?" Robin demanded loudly, her hands on her hips.

"I'm okay!" Chopper called out.

"He… He's okay!" Luffy added.

"Ya'll knock it off!" Nami yelled, "Before ya'll break something important."

"Too… late…" Usopp groaned.

"Dinner is served!" Sanji declared, stepping out from the small kitchen with a tray of food.

"Ooh, looks super," Franky murmured, peering over Sanji's shoulder. "What is it?"

"It's what I like to call 'White Tras-," Sanji hesitated. He cleared his throat, "It's American goulash."

"Smells good…" Luffy breathed, appearing out of thin air. He inhaled deeply, his eyes closing. "Soooo good… Sanji's cooking is the best…"

"Yeah, well, I've kept you alive for weeks on my own," Zoro muttered. "I should get credit for that."

"All food is good," Luffy corrected, grabbing the first plate Sanji served. "All food."

"Yeah, but Sanji's is better," Nami insisted, grabbing the next plate and handing it to Robin. "It's a talent."

"Well, thank you, Nami, sweetheart, it is a talent, huh?" Sanji cooed excitedly.

"A chef that smokes," Franky murmured, trying to balance his plate with one hand. "It's like being back in prison…" Everyone laughed until he didn't.

"Oh, wow…" Usopp murmured. "I see."

"What?" Franky rumbled.

Usopp shook his head back and forth quickly, "Nothing… just eatin'…" he scooped a spoonful into his mouth, "Mmmmm… delicious…"

"We'll spend the night here," Zoro decided, looking to Luffy for confirmation. "We'll leave in the morning."

"Where we headed?" Nami asked, twisting open her bottle of soda.

"I don't think you should come with us," Sanji interjected. "I think it's time we split up."

Franky scoffed, his bottle of soda held tightly between his thighs. He struggled to open it with one arm. Finally, Robin opened it for him, kissing him lightly on the cheek. Franky took a swig of cola before speaking, "Like Hell. We're already balls deep into this conspiracy and- Ow! Ow! Woman! Ow!"

Robin gestured to Chopper. He sat on the floor poking at his noodles with suspicion. He looked at Robin and Franky and smiled, waving his small hand, "Hi!"

"Maybe we should just get the kid some damn headphones because the chance of me cleaning up my language is really fucking slight, Robin," Franky argued.

"We're involved in this," Usopp said simply. "And I think we make a pretty solid team."

"A team…" Luffy murmured, nodding his head slowly.

"They will kill all of us," Sanji breathed out, grabbing for his pack of cigarettes. "I can assure you, they will do anything to get their assets returned to them."

"They'll kill us," Zoro clarified, "You're a Vinsmoke."

Sanji flinched. He lit the cigarette between his lips and took a long drag, "I guess it just depends on who we run into first."

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked.

Sanji smiled humorlessly, "The D Foundation or the Revolutionary Army."

Zoro nodded in understanding, "Either way, I think it's safe to say we don't wanna be found."

"But I have to find Law," Luffy insisted.

"Law," Robin questioned, "That was your friend?"

"Yeah," Luffy nodded in affirmation.

"The tall, skinny guy with the mean face?" Chopper asked, eating more candy.

Luffy rocked forward, leaning on his hands, "Yes… how do you know?"

Chopper swallowed a lump of chocolate, "I saw him!"

"Where? When?" Luffy demanded.

Chopper scratched the side of his head, deep in thought, "It was weeks ago now… I think…" Chopper chewed on his lip. "He was there when people started shooting at me," Chopper said, his brows furrowed together in anger.

"He shot at you?" Robin asked, her white hand clenching.

Chopper shook his head, "Nope. People were shooting at us…" Chopper turned to Luffy, "I don't know if he got shot or not…"

"Wouldn't matter if he was shot or not," Sanji murmured. "It just matters where he is."

"I told you we should've moved back to Memphis," Franky complained, nudging Robin with his foot. "This shit isn't happenin' in Memphis…"

"Well I heard it's raining lava in Memphis," Robin sighed, "So really, we've come out ahead…"

Franky shook his head, "Woman, don't lie. Ain't no lava rain in Tennessee…"

"The Canadians were adamant that-"

Luffy laughed loudly, "You guys…" He wrapped his arms around himself tightly, as if in embrace. "I like you." Luffy smiled, his eyes cast down to the floor, "We should stick together."

Zoro watched Luffy for a long moment before replying, "We decide here and now, we're not gonna have this argument every few days. If you want to come with Luffy and I, come with Luffy and I. If you want to stay behind, fuck if I care… Stay behind…" Zoro opened another can of beer. "No one will think less of you. You might actually live longer if you head off on your own. Who knows…"

"If you're afraid of dying," Zoro continued, "Then this apocalypse party just isn't for you."

Everyone was quiet. The speech hung over them heavily, each person letting it sink in.

"You're such a loser," Sanji groaned, throwing a bag of chips at Zoro's head. "I was gonna go with ya'll, but now that you've said such lame things, I don't know if I can…"

"Shut up!" Zoro barked, hurling his magazine at Sanji's face. "I hope you get a damn paper cut."

"I feel like…" Usopp shook his head excitedly, "I'm in a great fellowship… We were destined to carry the ring into-"

Nami placed her thin finger against Usopp's lips. She pressed gently, her lips tickling against his ear, "Shhhhhhh… I'm getting secondhand embarrassment."

"I don't care if it kills me," Franky bellowed unexpectedly, "But I'm going to fucking obliterate those D Foundation cocksuckers…" Franky licked his teeth in frustration, "I'll cut off every single fucking arm I see…"

"Simmer down, killer," Nami sighed. "You're a mechanic… and not even a zoo mechanic. Those are trained professionals… And you have one arm…"

Franky rolled his neck until it cracked. He looked down and opened his mouth, clearly ready to spew profanity at Nami. Robin intercepted, placing her hand on Franky's chest. She gazed up at him and smiled, "Have I told you how brave you were?" Franky seemed to deflate. He looked at Robin, his eyes darting back and forth unsurely. Robin smiled even wider, "I can't imagine how hard it was to be so confident and manly…"

"I was pretty manly…" Franky agreed.

Robin nodded, "The manliest."

"And if those bastards didn't have guns…" Franky continued.

Robin agreed, squeezing his arm gently, "Who's still standing, Franky?"

Franky nodded, his chest flexing as he straightened up, "Me."

"That's right," Robin breathed out, pushing up onto her tippy toes. She kissed Franky, her mouth warm against his. "You are."

Luffy snickered, "Teach told me about this once." Luffy sat back on his hands, settling more comfortably onto the floor. "Her pipe is gonna burst and he's gonna have to fix it."

"What the hell are you talkin' about?!" Zoro demanded.

"It was one of Teach's favorite shows before he went to Deadhouse," Luffy explained. "A lady would break something and some guy would come and plug her hole…"

"And that's enough," Sanji sighed, shaking his head. "That's not something we talk about in mixed company."

"Home repair shows," Franky rumbled, "Sounds like my kinda guy."

Robin slapped her hand across his chest, "Pizza delivery. Librarian. Teacher. The options are endless really…"

"Jesus," Usopp murmured. "I feel like I might've taken the wrong path somewhere…"

"Guys, guys," Nami spoke up, smiling. "We could be some of the last people in America and we're sitting here talking about porn."

"Wait a minute…" Franky blurted. "We could make it!" Franky laughed loudly, "We could be super famous and show the entire world how 'Merica do! It's a win, win…"

"Me-ri-ca! Me-ri-ca! Me-ri-ca!" Franky started chanting, with Usopp and Luffy joining in.

"Do you even have any idea what he's actually talking about?" Sanji asked, tapping Luffy's thigh with his foot.

Luffy shrugged, "I don't know, but he's yelling and now I'm yelling! It's fun! You should yell too!"

"You guys have problems," Chopper decided, opening a coloring book.

"I agree," Robin sighed, scooting closer to Chopper.

Sanji shook his head, sighing heavily. He slid across the linoleum until he was beside Luffy. He knocked his leather shoe against Luffy's sandal roughly, "You're out of your depth here, Luffy," he leaned into Luffy whispering an explanation.

Luffy listened quietly. And once Sanji was finished he nodded, knocking his fist against his palm, "Mysterious…"

"What?!" Sanji shook his head in disbelief, his brows furrowed. "Nothing I said would elicit that response… What… What did you hear?"

"Leave 'im alone," Zoro muttered, turning onto his side. "You'll ruin him."

"Ruin him how?" Sanji spat. "He's not in Deadhouse anymore. He's in the big, wide world. He needs to know certain things…"

"Your hobbies aren't important," Zoro replied.

Sanji looked like he might explode. He looked from Nami to Robin back again. He shook his head, his cigarette glowing red, "That's not a hobby of mine… Zor-o."

"Well, it's a hobby of mine," Franky interjected. "And I'm more than a little miffed I'm down to one arm."

"Let's keep it PG-13, Mr. Cutty," Crocus sighed, settling into a reclined lawn chair. "There are women and children present."

"Who's a children?" Luffy demanded, clapping his feet together.

"You's a children," Nami insisted. "And Chopper too." Nami shook her head in refusal, "And ain't no sense arguing. One of you is coloring and the other thinks porn is an ongoing television drama…"

"I'm a grown ass man," Luffy argued, "I'm just petite." He scratched his chin, "Which really doesn't make sense because my dad is huuuge…" Luffy shrugged, "Must've been all the experimentation. It made me short."

"Law isn't short," Sanji murmured, his cigarette held loosely between his lips. He met Luffy's gaze and teasingly added, "Teach isn't short either…"

"Jesus," Zoro interjected. "We couldn't handle Luffy if he was any bigger. It's a favor from the universe…"

Luffy snickered, "Can you handle me now?"

For some reason, and to Luffy's total surprise, Zoro's face turned a startling shade of crimson. He downed the rest of his can of beer and stood up, his arms held stiffly at his side. He spun around in a circle and stormed off declaring, "I need more beer!"

"Well," Crocus spoke up, "We should all get some rest. We don't know the next time we'll have pillows and blankets readily available…"

They awoke several hours later to the sound of something on the roof. Luffy sat up, nearly knocking into Zoro. Zoro grabbed Luffy hoisting him to his feet. Usopp still had the pattern of his blanket imprinted on the side of his face, but he was up. Sanji was packing, meticulous and neat, a half-spent cigarette in his mouth. Robin and Franky were awake and ready; Chopper sleeping, draped over Franky's shoulder. Nami was holding an aluminum bat, her hands shaking. But Crocus was still sound asleep.

"We need to move to the side of the store," Zoro whispered, gesturing.

"Hey, Crocus," Luffy murmured, shaking the man gently. "Wake up."

"Doc's not comin'," Franky exhaled, shaking his head.

"But it's dangerous…" Luffy insisted. And then he realized. Crocus's skin was cold through his shirt. His expression was still. His chest didn't move up and down. Luffy released Crocus in shock. He looked around at the others, pointing to Crocus, "He's dead? What? Why? How?"

"Shhhhh…" Usopp pleaded, his eyes wide.

"He was an old man," Robin explained, approaching Luffy. "He'd been off his medication for over a month… He was comfortable here. He wasn't afraid or in terrible pain. It was the best way to go."

"We need to move," Zoro repeated, ushering everyone through the store.

"Grab that garbage," Sanji instructed, snapping his fingers. "The empty bottles. I need them."

Franky wiggled his stump of an arm and made a face, "I'm already carrying the kid, what more do you want?"

Sanji sighed, long and disappointed, before turning to Usopp, "I need those bottles, grab them."

Usopp collected the empty soda bottles and followed after the group. They walked through the store silently, making their way to the side wall. Nami shook her head, "Shouldn't we be going out the back?"

Sanji plucked several bottles of cleaner from the shelves, carrying them in his overburdened arms. He stacked them directly up to his chin. He shook his head, his teeth gritted around his cigarette, "Nope. That's where they'll be…"

"Front, back, roof," Zoro explained, gesturing as he spoke.

"But we can't get out from here," Robin pointed out.

Sanji smiled, tense and forced, "I'm working on it, doll."

Once they'd reached the furthest aisle, Sanji dropped the cleaners to the floor. He beckoned Usopp forward, grabbing at the empty soda containers. He started unscrewing caps, throwing the spray nozzles away. He poured the drain cleaner into every soda bottle, filling half way. He prepped the jugs of bleach, opening them but not yet pouring.

Franky shook his head, "What the hell, man…"

"Sodium hypochlorite and hydrochloric acid," Sanji explained. "Boom and then…"

"Boom and then death!" Franky argued, shaking his head. "I don't wanna fucking die that way, brother!"

"We won't." Sanji said simply. He looked around, his cigarette burning to his lips. He tossed it to the floor, "Move to the toys."

"But that's on the other side of the fucking store…" Nami complained.

Sanji nodded, "Good."

He began filling the soda bottles with bleach. He poured quickly, spilling occasionally. He twisted the caps on and moved on. Fast, messy, desperate. "Fucking move! Now!"

They'd nearly made it to the toys when the glass storefront shattered. They heard footsteps, crashing over the glass. There were shots fired, probably into Crocus.

"What now?" Nami breathed out.

Usopp shook his head, climbing up the shelving. He laid on top, positioning himself as comfortably as possible, "You guys stay down."

"Do you see Sanji?" Luffy asked.

"What can you see?" Zoro questioned.

Sanji rounded the corner. He searched the shelving, turning in several hurried circles. "I need… I need…"

"What are you looking for?" Robin asked, walking over to help.

"Etch-a-Sketch."

"Right now?!" Franky murmured, astonished.

"Trust me," Sanji replied. "I'm a chemical engineer."

"And I'm a mechanical engineer," Franky barked. "Should I find some Lego bricks?"

"Shhhhhhh!" Nami and Usopp both hissed.

"Found it!" Robin breathed, tossing the toy to Sanji.

Sanji kneeled on the floor, cracking it open. He grabbed a steel wool cleaner from his pocket and scraped it over the loose powdered aluminum. "Another one, please, Robin, dear…"

Usopp fired.

The mercenaries infiltrated the store.

Chopper slept on Franky.

Usopp fired again.

And finally, Sanji lit another cigarette. He leaned forward, his face inches from the mess of steel wool and powdered aluminum. He stood up quickly and jumped back as the chemicals exploded.

On the other side of the store a chain reaction of chlorine gas bombs erupted. The chloric acid reaction was loud and completely disguised the noise they were making in the toy section. Fire and smoke spread throughout the entire store.

"Go," Zoro instructed, nudging Sanji through the hole in the wall first.

"But, I…"

Zoro ignored him, gesturing for Franky, with Chopper, to go next. Franky, naturally, went after Robin. Usopp and Nami went through, practically together, and then it was the last two.

"You first," Luffy insisted, pushing Zoro forward.

"No, after you…" Zoro protested.

"You first," Luffy said with finality, kicking Zoro in the butt roughly.

Finally, Luffy crawled through the hole. He wondered how someone as big as Franky managed with one arm and a kid on his shoulder. He stepped through, emerging on the other side; in a cell phone shop.

Sanji was already working on the next wall.

"What about the door?" Nami asked, worried as smoke began to pour into the small room.

"We can't." Sanji refused.

Zoro nodded in agreement, "There's people on the roof. At the back. Outside."

"We're trapped then," Nami realized.

"Shirts up," Franky grumbled, taking off his shirt to cover Chopper's head. He nuzzled his face against Chopper's neck, covering his nose and mouth.

"Kids can sleep through anything," Usopp murmured in wonder.

"We'll think of something," Luffy promised, winking at Nami. "We're not dying here."

"What about being captured?" Usopp asked. "Because that seems more likely."

"I'm not going back," Luffy growled. His hands curled into fists at his side, "I'm not going back."

"Ideas, Mr. Mechanical Engineer?" Sanji called out, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Give me a minute," Franky murmured, leaning against a display.

"I got an idea," Zoro realized.

"Yeah? What?" Sanji asked, skeptical.

Zoro pointed up, smiling as everyone's gaze slowly lifted. The ceiling of the cellphone shop was 'incomplete'. Instead of tiles it was metal rafters that travelled the length of the strip center, "We go high."

"Yeah," Franky mused. "That's probably going to be impossible for me…"

"Wake him up," Robin breathed, climbing on top of one of the counters. She stood on her tiptoes, her impressively long fingers reaching for the rafter. She hooked her hand around it and smiled. "Come on, baby. You can climb."

"Alright," Usopp decided, clapping his hands together. "I'm not that tall, but I can probably manage that…"

Nami laughed, walking around to grab a chair. She lifted it to the counter and smiled. "Better?"

"That hurts," Usopp mumbled, holding the chair steady as Nami climbed onto it.

"What's going on?" Chopper murmured, blinking his eyes sleepily.

"You need to climb," Franky instructed, hoisting him to Robin, "Got 'im, Robbie?"

Robin reached for Chopper, helping him onto the rafters, "Yes. Got him."

"Zoro, your turn," Sanji insisted, "I went first last round." Zoro tried to protest. Sanji shook his head, "They need one of us in there…"

Zoro climbed the rafters like monkey bars, moving in front of Robin and Chopper. "Alright, let's move."

Usopp climbed onto the chair, pulling himself up with ease. He scrambled behind Nami, gradually disappearing into the next shop.

"It's gonna take me a while," Franky explained. "I'll just slow you down. Let me go last."

"You next," Sanji asserted.

Franky wasn't graceful. He lumbered across the rafters awkwardly. There was such little space between the roof and rafters that he thought he might even get stuck. He decided to scoot, his exposed chest scraping painfully across the metal.

"Alright, Luffy," Sanji murmured, climbing onto the counter beside Luffy. "Up you go."

Luffy nodded and was up on the rafters before Franky had moved another inch. Luffy patted him on the butt encouragingly, "Keep going… You can do it…"

"That doesn't help!" Franky snapped. "That's super weird, brother!"

"You're super weird," Luffy shot back, pouting.

"Stop fighting," Sanji groaned, pulling himself onto the beam behind Luffy. "We need to be quiet."

"My throat hurts," Luffy realized, his eyes watering.

Sanji nodded, licking his lips, "It's the gas. We need to hurry. Breathe calmly."

The metal rafter dropped suddenly, sliding down the wall a few inches. Sanji sighed in relief, "Holy shit, I thought we were gonna f-"

The rafter collapsed to the floor. They slammed violently against the counter. Sanji screamed as his fingers were smashed between the steel beam, with their combined weight on top of it, and the counter. The counter shattered from the force, sharp pieces of broken wood flying everywhere.

They rolled across the carpet, chunks of ceiling falling around them. They coughed and sputtered, struggling to get back to their feet. Sanji cried, his broken hands twisted and bloody. He knocked his head against the floor, cursing unintelligibly.

"It's fine," Franky groaned, blood dripping from his head and nose. He lifted a bit of the metal rafter and thrust it through the wall.

Luffy vomited. He rolled onto his stomach so he wouldn't choke. He shook his head. The gas had filled the room. "Just… the door…"

"We can't," Sanji rasped, shaking his head.

"You'll… die…" Luffy croaked, crawling toward the glass door.

"No, Luffy!" Sanji shouted. "It's okay…" Sanji started to shake. "Hide…"

Franky dropped the metal rafter. He sat down, his back pressed against the damaged wall. "I can't breathe…" he began to choke.

Luffy kicked the locked door. It shook but didn't budge.

"No! Luffy, stop!"

Luffy sat up shoving his full weight against the glass. The glass cracked. He kicked it violently, over and over and over until it shattered to the floor. Poisonous gas escaped through the hole.

"Luffy," Sanji groaned, blood leaking from his nose and mouth. "No…"

Luffy pulled himself to his feet, using the doorframe. He stood tall, his head held high. He lifted his arms, wide and challenging. There was gunfire, lots and lots of gunfire. The entire storefront was destroyed, glass crashing everywhere.

Luffy's body shook back and forth from the force of the gunfire. And then it stopped. He fell backward to the ground, blood leaking out from around him. It was thick and red, and looked more like paint than anything biological. Luffy gasped for air once and then went still.

"God damn it, Luffy!" Sanji shouted, his throat tearing. He coughed convulsively, blood spraying the carpet. And then everything went black.

Franky reached out nervously, feeling his pocket. He sighed in relief and swallowed. The air was finally clearing of the poisonous gas. The dust still hadn't settled. Another moment more and men with guns would be storming into the shop to kill him. Franky's voice was strained, "Sanji? Luffy?"

"I need visual confirmation," a voice squawked loudly over a radio.

Boots crunched over glass, "Yes, Sir."

A man in black armor kneeled over Luffy, "I believe it's him, Sir. The Deadhouse patient, L.U.F." Another man knelt beside Sanji, "And Mr. Vinsmoke."

"Are you sure?" the voice called over the radio.

The man ran his hand over Luffy's face and nodded, "I'm sure."

"I'm coming in," the man insisted, "Before we call Mr. Donquixote."

"Am I authorized to use the T serum, Sir?" the man asked.

"Yes."

"Wait," Franky breathed out, reaching for Luffy. "Leave 'im the hell alone…"

"There's a third here," the man spoke into his radio.

"Mr. Roronoa. Kill him."

"Sorry," one of the men said simply. "Orders are orders."

"Fucking hell," Franky murmured, sinking against the wall. "Why don't you cocksuckers go and fuck y-"

Luffy's eyes opened at the sound of the gunshot. He smacked roughly into the man standing over him. He let out a pained whimper as something was injected into his neck. The serum burned through his veins. Luffy screamed in agony, rolling around on the floor and writhing.

"What about Mr. Vinsmoke?"

The voice on the radio answered as the man himself stepped inside the small store, "Nothing permanent."

"Is it them, Sir?"

Vergo nodded, "It's them." He turned and looked at Franky, his brows furrowed, "But that's not Roronoa."

Luffy let out an unholy screech. He began to flop across the floor, thudding and pounding noisily. He flailed involuntarily, his body seizing and thrashing. Vergo looked down on him with disgust, "Shut him up."

"Yes, Sir."

"Sir, should we call Mr. Donquixote?"

Vergo shook his head, "I'll do it." Vergo looked around the destroyed shop, "But first, find Roronoa."

"Sir?"

"He's here somewhere," Vergo assured them. "And Germa Six Six wants everyone from Deadhouse taken care of." Vergo gestured with his hand, "Search the other shops. From the looks of it, they were moving that way."

"Sir."

"What?" Vergo asked, turning to face the smaller man.

"The phone's for you."

"I'm busy," Vergo snapped, lifting Sanji's unconscious body from the floor.

"But, Sir…"

"Who is it?"

The man held out the phone as if it might explode, "It's L.A.W, Sir."

"Restrain, LUF, and get him in the truck." Vergo instructed, leaning down to press his ear against the phone the other man held out. "Hello, beautiful. What's troubling you? How can Vergo help?"

"Was he there?"

"You're so unfriendly," Vergo complained, passing Sanji to another soldier, instructing, "Be careful with him…" Vergo took the phone in his hand, turning around in a circle. "It wouldn't kill you to say hello first."

"Was he there?"

"Nothing's been confirmed," Vergo lied. "I'll have someone call as soon as I know anything." He hung up the phone and tossed it back to the waiting man. "Seriously, field his calls. I'm not letting him fuck up the extraction again."

There was gunfire outside. Vergo walked quickly, snapping his fingers impatiently, "What's going on?"

"Infected, Sir."

Vergo nodded, "There's not many. Finish them off."

"Yes, Sir."

"Take photos," Vergo instructed. "I want photos of L.U.F. and Vinsmoke. Send them to my phone. I want them before I call Doflamingo…"

There was even more gunfire. Vergo turned around, "What the hell is going on? How hard is it to take care of a dozen infected?"

There were nearly a hundred zombies approaching. The soldiers grew nervous, "Where are they coming from?"

"I told you to make him shut the hell up!" Vergo snapped, gesturing to Luffy who shrieked nonstop as they tied him to a gurney. "Make him shut the fuck up!" Luffy was proving impossible to restrain and no one dared put anything near his mouth. Vergo snarled, shooting Luffy in the head, "If he won't shut the fuck up, kill him! He's attracting the other infected. Do you want to die?!"

"Sir," one of the medics called out, ripping open Sanji's shirt. "We have signs of poisoning. Severe breaks in his hands and possibly-"

"Fix it," Vergo said calmly. "I have other things to deal with right now." Vergo smoothed his hands over his hair, "Remember he's a Vinsmoke. Don't hurt him." Vergo grabbed a rifle from one of the vehicles' racks. "If you want something done right, you just gotta do it yourself…"