They heard the rafter break; and the resulting crash. Their section of the rafter shook, vibrating through their bones. And they heard the glass break; and the gunfire too. They heard their friends and loved ones dying and they could do nothing.

"He's okay," Nami breathed out, patting Robin reassuringly. "He's okay…"

Robin shook her head, her jaw setting tightly, "He's dead. They've killed him."

Nami licked her lips and looked to Usopp for assistance. Usopp looked down, "It was fast."

Nami's eyes widened threateningly. She could've screamed at him if Robin weren't between them. She shook her head and closed her eyes, sighing heavily, "We don't know anything yet."

Zoro zipped open his pack. He sorted through his supplies, grabbing only the weapons. "One of you take this. There's food and water."

"Where are you going?!" Usopp demanded.

"I've gotta go get Luffy," Zoro said simply.

Usopp shook his head, "No. No." Usopp's entire body seemed to shake 'no'. "There's no way you can take down a fucking militia with your machete!"

"I die in here hiding or I die out there fighting," Zoro replied. "It's an easy choice for me."

"Sit your ass down for five seconds and let's come up with a plan!" Chopper suddenly erupted, bouncing on his heels.

"A plan?" Robin murmured, looking toward Chopper with interest.

"I don't plan on waiting around here to get tested on," Chopper said, "Or worse."

"We're outnumbered and outgunned," Usopp pointed out.

"Black Agnes defended her castle for months while her husband and his army were away…" Chopper began to address. "They'd sneak into underground passageways to get more food… It was brilliant."

"I don't think we're in quite the same situation," Usopp murmured.

"Can you hear them?" Chopper asked.

"The soldiers?" Nami questioned, listening hard.

"No," Chopper shook his head, "The others… the infected…"

"The zombies?" Usopp murmured, listening too.

Everyone was very still and quiet. There was the obvious noise of the men outside, and on the roof, but underneath it all was a dull, unceasing moan. The sound was subtle, talk and you'd miss it. It was like the wailing of the wind on a cold night, in an old house.

"Jesus…" Usopp whispered, "Please don't let me die in an eyebrow threading salon…"

Zoro sat down, "So? So what do we do now? What does it mean?"

"I don't know what we should do," Robin admitted, "But we're gonna kill the fuck outta those assholes."

"Too bad we just lost the chemical engineer," Nami murmured.

"I'm not smart enough to build bombs and shit like that," Zoro confessed, irritated, "But I know how to win a fight." Zoro slapped his hand against his thigh. "Higher ground usually wins."

"But we don't have the higher ground," Usopp pointed out.

Zoro shook his head, "Not yet." He stood up, and grabbed his machete. He looked at Usopp, "If I can get you a spot on the roof, will you go up?"

Usopp nodded, "Yeah, but how?"

Zoro leapt at the wall, kicking it hard as he climbed through the open ceiling panel. He disappeared from view. He called down to them, "If I don't come back, I died."

"That's comforting," Usopp breathed, looking over his rifle.

"If you're on the roof," Nami wondered, "What are we gonna do?"

"I'm heading down to the Mexican restaurant," Robin explained. "A little tampering with the gas pipes and the whole thing will be a blot on the map…" Robin shook her head. "It can't be too hard to figure out, right?"

"Yeah, I don't think that's how that works…" Usopp began to explain.

Glass broke in the store next door. "Crap," Chopper squeaked. "They're coming."

"Up you go," Robin grunted, lifting Chopper above her head. "Climb." She looked around quickly. "Come on, Nami," Robin encouraged, bending her knee slightly. She helped Nami up and then gestured for Usopp.

"Oh, no, ma'am," Usopp refused. "I couldn't…"

"You wanna die being a sexist piece of shit or do you wanna climb your ass up there and be a hero?" Robin asked, her voice low.

Usopp stepped up on Robin's knee and pulled himself up. He turned in the tight space, hauling Robin up after him. She replaced the tile, casting them in darkness. "I'll stay here and wait for Zoro," Usopp whispered. "You three head down to the restaurant."

Usopp was hunched in the darkness for several long, uncomfortable minutes. The salon beneath him was completely ransacked. Bullets were fired without reason, spraying the floor, walls, and ceiling. By divine intervention itself, Usopp wasn't hit.

"Psst…" Usopp nearly screamed. He looked over and made Zoro out in the stuffy darkness. "It's clear. Come on."

"The others went down to the Mexican restaurant," Usopp mouthed. "They're in danger."

Zoro nodded, "I've heard… I'm going…"

"Be careful," Usopp breathed.

Zoro nodded, "Yeah. You too."

Meanwhile, outside, Vergo was in an increasingly worse situation.

"God damn it," Vergo sighed, wiping his face. "They won't stop coming."

"Should I call it in, Sir?"

Vergo shook his head, "This is nothing. The situation in other places is worse. Let's handle this completely and then call in with good news." He turned back toward the armored truck Luffy was held in, "Shoot him again if you can't shut him up!"

The armored truck swayed and rocked, screeching and screaming erupting from inside. The screeching was unbearably loud and inhuman. And no matter what they did they couldn't seem to get him under control.

"They've broken through the east barricade."

Vergo turned and groaned, "Use some explosives for crowd control, and then set the barricade back again."

"Sir!"

"What?!" Vergo exclaimed, overwhelmed.

"It's Vinsmoke, Sir," the man rattled nervously. "He's awake and isn't responding to the sedatives…"

"He was half dead an hour ago," Vergo muttered, walking toward the armored vehicle. He opened the door and two of the medics slid right out, falling to the ground.

Sanji was on the gurney, one arm and both legs free of his restraints. He thrashed like a wild animal, blood and sweat drenching his hair. He had the IV tubes wrapped around one man's neck, pulling it tight with his teeth and free hand.

"Don't be such fucking pussies," Vergo admonished, slapping his palm roughly against Sanji's cheek. He slammed Sanji back to the bed, yanking the tubing from his mouth. He slapped him again, leaving a pink handprint on his pale skin. He squeezed Sanji's face painfully tight, squishing his lips between his fingers. "He's just a pretty little thing…"

"Fuck you!" Sanji spat, his lip bursting open. "Get your hands off of me, you freak!"

Vergo frowned. He reached down and crushed Sanji's hands, leaning his weight on them as he leaned over the younger man. He sighed heavily, "I don't have to be mean. It's up to you, Mr. Vinsmoke." Vergo pressed down harder, "But I warn you… I can make it fucking hurt…"

"Where's Luffy?" Sanji demanded, tears leaking involuntarily from his eyes.

"He's gone," Vergo breathed out. "He's gonna go get chopped up. And you're gonna go home to daddy," Vergo brushed his thumb over Sanji's lip, "Unless you wanna go home with me?"

"Kill me." Sanji spat in disgust.

Vergo dropped his hand lower, squeezing Sanji's neck tightly. Vergo smiled, "Oh, baby. It won't be that easy for you. We're gonna make sure you live a very long time…" Vergo looked around at the other men, barking, "What the fuck are you standing there like fucking idiots for? Tie him up!"

"Let go!" Sanji shouted, struggling. "No! Get off of me! Let me go!"

"Now let Vergo go and take care of some things," Vergo cooed. "I'll be right back."

"Sir," one of the men breathed anxiously, "We need evac. We have to call it in."

Vergo hesitated. Finally, he realized he didn't have another choice. He nodded his head, snapping his fingers, "Phone."

"Yes, Sir."

There was a sudden change in pressure; an atmospheric blip. The entire block seemed to turn off at once. The streetlights, lamps, lights, air conditioners… Everything seemed to power down.

Vergo stared at the blank phone screen in disbelief. He pressed the power button repeatedly before demanding, "Another phone!"

The next phone didn't work. And neither did the radios. The armored trucks couldn't restart. The radios wouldn't even play. Vergo checked his watch, staring in utter astonishment at the blank face. "Someone tell me something!"

"Sir, we don't know. Comms are down…"

"We're working on it…"

"The west barricade, Sir…"

"I need to know what the fuck just happened," Vergo demanded. "And I need to know now!"

"I'll tell ya what happened, brother," Franky grunted, leaning against the damaged doorframe of the cell phone shop. He was in remarkable shape for having been thought dead earlier. He stood tall in his bloodstained clothes, limping slightly. "With a disposal camera, some wire and a lot of ingenuity, I just bent you over and fucked you."

"I thought you were dead," Vergo called out, turning around to face Franky.

"Aren't you gonna ask me how I did it?" Franky mused, sliding down to the ground. He tossed something toward Vergo. They bounced and clinked across the cement, rolling to his feet. Vergo leaned down and picked up one of the small silver, metal objects.

"How'd you do it?" Vergo asked, clasping the bloody bullet between his fingers.

"EMP," Franky explained, hacking blood onto the ground.

Vergo nodded, "Smart. An electromagnetic pulse. Smart. I'm surprised you got it to work."

"It was only a block," Franky shrugged. "But big enough to get the job done."

"That's what she said," Vergo teased, smiling tightly. He turned to another soldier, "Kill him. For real this time. And for god's sake, someone get the west barricade back up," Vergo turned around, his body jolting oddly. He stood completely still for a second and then the front of his head and the rest of his body went opposite directions.

Usopp had taken down four soldiers before someone finally realized, "Sniper!"

"Shit," Usopp groaned. "Now everybody's lookin' at me!" Usopp closed his eyes and fired another shot, "I hope ya'll have a plan down there…"

The double doors of the armored truck burst open and Sanji stepped out. Blood splashed across the concrete, dripping down from the bumper of the vehicle. He shrugged into a plain, black windbreaker and zipped it up, covering his bare chest. He pulled a rifle from the rack and immediately switched the safety off.

He'd lost a shoe somewhere along the way. He walked cockeyed over to the next armored vehicle. He opened the door and immediately sprayed the inside with gunfire. He fired sloppily, his broken hands not granting him much control.

The screeching ceased for a moment. And then it started right back up again. Sanji was thrown backward as something collided with him. He was knocked to the ground, the rifle discharging accidentally into the air.

"Luffy, buddy," Sanji groaned, his bleeding hands pressed against Luffy's head. "Get off…" Sanji grimaced, Luffy's weight pressed down on his chest. Drool dripped down Luffy's bloody chin and onto Sanji's face. Sanji cursed, "Seriously, get the fuck off, Luffy!" Luffy shrieked angrily. He was too pissed off. Too scared. Too in pain. "Okay, bud," Sanji breathed out in realization, "I'm sorry…" Sanji suddenly let go of Luffy, risking an attack. But Luffy didn't attack. Instead he leapt to his feet and ran.

"L.U.F.," one of the soldiers screamed. "He's escaping!"

"Priority one, stop him!"

"Immobilize him!"

"Run, Luffy! Run!" Sanji shouted, sitting up weakly. "Run!"

There was a huge explosion of fire behind him. Sanji turned, the heat scorching even from his safe distance. The restaurant at the end of the strip center was ablaze. He looked around, wondering what had happened to everyone else.

"Retreat…"

"The barricades…"

Sanji sat on the ground, watching as the D Foundation men dropped everything and ran for their lives. The barricades were breached on all sides. Zombies were everywhere. There was a raging fire behind them further blocking their escape. Vergo was dead. The chain of command had fallen. And the priority objective was halfway to a mile by that point.

"That'll do," Sanji murmured, grabbing a cigarette from the pack in his pocket. He flicked his lighter over and over again, but his hands were too useless to function. He closed his eyes and exhaled heavily. The zombies closed in and he laughed bitterly, "What a way to go…"

"Your legs broken too, dipshit?" Franky groaned, snatching Sanji up by the arm. He yanked the slender man to his feet and dragged him along behind him. Franky moved fast; exceptionally well for a man who'd been seriously wounded. "Up ya go…" Franky instructed, holding a ladder against the side of the building.

"A ladder?" Sanji shook his head, feeling beyond confused.

"Hurry up, pretty boy," Franky encouraged. "I don't wanna die today."

"Zombies…" Usopp warned, reaching out from above. "Hurry up… zombies… everywhere…"

"Knees to chest," Franky barked, climbing up directly after Sanji.

"I lost Luffy," Sanji realized as he climbed onto the rooftop. He peered over the edge, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "I've lost Luffy…"

"As long as those bastards don't have him," Franky murmured, catching his breath, "It's a win for the home team."

"Where are the others?" Sanji asked, handing his lighter Usopp for assistance. He leaned into the flame, nodding in appreciation.

"Don't know," Usopp admitted, not looking in Franky's direction. "They, uh, were, um, headed to, uh, hide… I came up here…"

"I don't know how to tell you this," Sanji sighed, "But this building is on fire. This was a terrible place to run to."

"We can see up here," Franky insisted. "And we'll just place the ladder on the other side and voila! The zombies are pretty fucking stupid. They won't know to check the back."

"Even if that's true," Sanji argued. "This building is on fucking fire…" Sanji puffed on his cigarette for a long moment before continuing, "The cars won't work. There're D Foundation goons everywhere. Luffy ran away. He's super drugged up. He won't be able to take care of himself. We don't know where the others are…"

"One problem at a time," Franky grunted. "I just fucking saved the day, like BAM! And Usopp blew that motherfucker's head off, clean sweep, bitch! Considering I was dead earlier today, I think we've made some progress…"

"I'm proud of us," Usopp said, nodding his head. "I think we kicked ass."

"And Robbie's okay," Franky added. "That woman is fucking crazy hot. I know she fucking blew that shit up. It's on her bucket list…"

Usopp nodded in agreement, "The hotter they are, the crazier they are. It's like a law or something…"

Franky nodded too, "Amen, brother. The shit we gotta put up with…"

"You're both terrible," Sanji accused, narrowing his eyes. He exhaled a puff of smoke out his nose, "You're not wrong, but you're terrible."

"I'm still not sure which team you play for, but glad you agree," Franky replied.

"Wh-wh-what team? Wh-what?!"

"We're your friends," Usopp murmured kindly. "We don't judge…"

"The fuck does that mean?!"

"It's getting kinda hot up here," Franky realized, sweating profusely.

"Yeah," Usopp agreed. "We better move before we're cooked."

"I hope Zoro's dead," Sanji suddenly groaned.

"That's fucking horrible!" Usopp gasped.

Sanji shook his head, "He's going to kill me… kill me… when he finds out Luffy ran away…"

"It wasn't your fault." Franky insisted, dropping the ladder on the other side of the building. "Come on, let's focus on now."

"I should just stay up here," Sanji mumbled dejectedly. "I'll die smoking… the closest to happiness I can feel…"

Franky and Usopp exchanged looks. Franky and Usopp began to move their hands rhythmically. "Ha!" Franky shouted, his fist knocking Usopp's 'scissors', "Loser!"

Usopp groaned loudly before grabbing Sanji by the collar. He twisted it commandingly, putting his face inches from Sanji's, "Move your fancy, way too attractive to be natural ass before I kick it!"

"I'm tired," Sanji refused. "Leave me here…"

"If ya don't get your ass up right now, I'm going to shoot your favorite bits off and feed it to them zombies…" Usopp declared. "Ya'll might think I'm too squeamish to do such a thing, but don't underestimate my desire to survive!"

Sanji nodded, "Yeah. Sure. Let's go."

There was a loud, obnoxious honk and they all turned to see Robin, Nami, Chopper, Zoro waiting below in Franky's loud, obnoxious truck. Robin waved, her face split wide in an absolutely thrilled expression.

Franky wolf whistled, climbing down the ladder, "Ow! Look what we have here!"

"Sorry," Robin breathed, sliding out from behind the wheel. "I have a boyfriend."

"Yeah, but," Franky rattled, flexing his good arm, "Does he have guns like these?"

Robin tossed her long, black hair over her shoulder, "Last I checked he had two."

Franky deflated, a loud groan rumbling from his chest, "Robbbiiiiinnnnn…"

"I got to blow something up," Robin said excitedly. "Did you see it?"

"See it? Mama, I can still feel it on my face…" Franky replied, kissing her on the side of the head as he climbed into his truck.

"Where's Luffy?"

Sanji contemplated throwing himself the rest of the way off the ladder. He finally dropped to the ground and turned, facing Zoro like a man, "He ran off."

"What?"

Sanji nodded slowly, "They drugged him with T serum. He's not himself. I had hold of him and I… I…"

Zoro nodded, "As long as those fucking assholes don't have him."

"He can't be far," Chopper insisted.

"Jesus, you're really hurt," Nami gasped as Sanji climbed into the truck.

Sanji shook his head in refusal, "I'm fine."

"I got shot," Franky murmured, looking at Robin for sympathy.

Robin clicked her tongue, "You like fine. You're going to school…"

"But, Maaaaaaaa…"

"It's fucking hot and more shit is going to explode," Zoro barked. "Drive."

"How'd ya'll get out?" Usopp asked, bouncing as the truck shifted into drive.

Nami shuddered, "Don't ask."

"Why're you wet?" Usopp asked.

Nami groaned, covering her face, "Don't ask… please… don't ask…"

"In separate news," Robin said, turning to Zoro, "You owe me twenty bucks."

Zoro groaned, shaking his head, "I cannot believe that worked."

"Twenty bucks, mister," Robin pressed, smiling gently. "And the acknowledgment that I'm worth my weight in salt…"

"I'll give you that," Zoro replied. "You're smart. And you got us out. But to be honest, I don't even have twenty bucks…"

"Which way did Luffy run?" Nami asked, pulling out a road map.

"West."

"Would he run far? Would he find someplace to hide?" Franky questioned.

Chopper tapped against the window, "I think we should just follow them…"

"Them?" But Franky answered his own question the moment he turned his head.

While the zombies simply appeared to be flocking away from the fire, they huddled together, moving slowly west. They ignored the remaining D Foundation men, stranded on the tops of their vehicles. They moved purposefully.

"Holy shit," Usopp breathed out. "Why?"

"I can't explain it," Chopper began slowly. "But he feels different."

"Different?" Zoro asked, his brows furrowed.

"Like the biggest, greenest field of grass next to a desert," Chopper replied. "Or candy. I love candy."

Zoro nodded, "Yeah, I don't get it."

"Before I found you guys, I could sense him," Chopper tried again, "It was just natural to look for him. Like sniffing out water or something…"

"Ah, I see," Robin murmured, "Zombies are social creatures. Herd animals…"

"Yeah, but cows don't recruit," Franky groaned. "Ain't nothing natural 'bout it."

"Come on," Zoro snapped impatiently. "Let's find him before anyone else does. If we know the zombies follow him, everyone else probably knows too."