"Zoro, wake up," Sanji murmured, kicking Zoro lightly with his foot.

"What's wrong?" Zoro asked before he'd even had a chance to open his eyes.

It was dark inside. And hot. They must've been caught at an angle because the truck was leaning heavily to the right. Zoro's clothes were sticking to his body with sweat. He fanned himself as he turned his attention to Sanji. "What's going on?"

"Someone's here," Sanji said softly, his cigarette bouncing against his lips as he spoke.

"Wha'd'ya m-"

"Calm down," Sanji interjected. "It's Marco and Ace."

"Marco and Ace," Zoro repeated. Sure, he knew of Marco and Ace, but he didn't know Marco and Ace. And any chance of meeting up with them without Luffy present made him anxious. "Where are they? What do they want?"

"They wanna talk, brother," Franky interjected from his seat. He'd taken his shirt off and his pants were immodestly unbuttoned; and still he was covered in a thick sheen of sweat. "With you."

"Why me?"

It was Nami who answered, "Because they didn't like what Sanji had to say."

"What?" Zoro shook his head in confusion. "How long have I been asleep?"

"What is time?" Usopp asked, his shirt tied around his head to keep the sweat from his eyes. He grinned widely, as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Time is man-made. Does a tortoise worry about time?"

"Okay, I'm up," Zoro barked as he jumped to his feet. "Ya'll are something else right now."

"You've been asleep for four hours," Nami answered, fanning herself with a piece of paper.

"What were they asking you?" Zoro whispered to Sanji, crouching down closely.

"They're asking for terms of our surrender."

"Our surrender?" Zoro looked around the cab, "There isn't much in here. I'd say we're pretty fucked and don't have a hand to play." Zoro wiped his face in confusion, "Why haven't they just killed us yet?"

"Sanji Vinsmoke," Robin answered, picking tufts of Chopper's fur out from the inside of her bra. "He's the only thing keeping us alive."

"And it's only a matter of time before…" Sanji trailed off.

"Time, man," Usopp murmured dreamily. "Time is an illusion. Life is an illusion. We could be in a glass jar on a shelf somewhere in another cosmos…"

"Should I be concerned about that?" Zoro whispered, nodding toward Usopp.

Nami waved her hand dismissively, "It's not in the top ten things you need to worry about right now." Nami realized Zoro expected more of an answer and she sighed, "I gave him some Xanax and Ambien. He was really out of control. Wouldn't stop freaking out about dying…"

"It's better like this," Chopper murmured from his spot in Robin's lap.

"So where are Marco and Ace?" Zoro asked, looking around the cab.

"Go up front," Franky instructed. "Driver side. Don't roll down the window or someone will shoot you."

Zoro scooted through the seats and up into the front of the truck. The truck seemed to sway with his movement. He looked through the windows and realized they were likely surrounded. D Foundation, or perhaps Germa Six Six agents, were standing around, waiting for their orders. Zoro looked back toward the others and growled, "We're so fucked."

"Hello," Ace called out, rasping his knuckles against the thick glass of Zoro's window. "Good morning, sunshine."

"You wanted to talk to me?" Zoro snapped, eyeing the two men impatiently. He realized he felt hopeless. This situation was truly hopeless. And that hopelessness made him fucking furious. "I don't think you'll find me more agreeable than Sanji."

"My name is Ace," Ace continued loudly to be heard through the glass. "I lived in Deadhouse until I was transferred to another unit. Marco here was a Keeper."

"Hey," Marco breathed out, nodding in greeting.

"You could've used the front door, ya know?" Ace teased, patting his hand against the door of the truck.

Zoro looked around the crumbling salon with a scowl, "I wasn't driving."

"They want Sanji. And Chopper," Marco explained. "The rest of you are going to be killed."

"I don't feel like you needed to tell me this in person," Zoro replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Luffy's on his way," Ace said suddenly, his jaw held tight. "He answered a radio call yesterday. I heard it. It was him, no doubt."

"If you're any kind of friend," Zoro snapped angrily, "You'll radio him and warn him. There's not going to be anything for him here. You and I both know that. We're fucked. We're dead."

"You're in a situation," Marco agreed.

"And you're here to make some magical deal to get us out of it? All I have to do is let Sanji and Chopper out? Push them out the door and send them on their merry way? And then you guys can burn us out or alive or whatever the hell you have planned?" Zoro was so angry the veins in his neck were protruding. "You and Germa Six Six can go fuck yourselves."

"We don't work for Germa Six Six."

"Well, I really don't fucking care for D Foundation either," Zoro added.

"I know how you got here," Marco said simply. "That's only because of us. Listen for a minute. You owe us."

Zoro thought it over before answering, "I'm listening."

"Judge Vinsmoke, head of Germa, has made a generous offer," Marco began slowly, "If Sanji, Asset 12-25, and you come out, the others can go free."

Zoro was speechless.

"He said they would be taken outside of the property and released. Even said Ace and I could do it ourselves to assure they were really safe."

Zoro's eyes searched the rearview mirror. He could see how tense everyone was, listening in on the conversation. It seemed like no one in the back was even daring to breathe. Zoro looked down at his hands and sighed, "What about just Sanji and me? Leave Chopper out of it."

"Zoro!" Nami gasped.

Ace clicked his tongue, "No can do. 12-25 is a very important prototype. One of a kind."

"Does that matter?"

"It does to Germa."

Zoro smiled, "Then why do they want Sanji back so badly? Aren't there three more just like him?"

Marco frowned, "Listen, we knew you'd say no but we had to ask."

"It would look highly suspicious if we just stood here all day guarding you," Ace added. "Seeing as you're the bad guys."

"We're the bad guys?" Zoro laughed.

Ace nodded, "To Germa? Hell yeah."

"Why did you ask to talk to me? You know I'm not going to give up Chopper."

"We're just wasting time," Marco admitted, scratching his cheek. "Why? What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Zoro asked, narrowing his eyes.

Ace grinned, but it wasn't a friendly look, "We mean do you have some sort of plan in there or is this where it ends?"

Zoro scowled. Marco nodded in understanding, "You're defeated. I get it."

"No," Zoro meant to argue, but it fell flat. "It's not like that…"

"You've been outrunning every government on Earth for months and now you're here and…" Ace shrugged his shoulders. "Luffy's gonna be damn disappointed."

"Don't."

"Don't what?" Marco asked curiously.

Zoro continued to scowl, "Don't talk about Luffy."

"Why not?" Ace barked. "He'll be here soon. No doubt. And when he gets here you're gonna be dead. And he'll be captured. And for what? To save a bunch of dead guys who acted without thinking first."

"Or at all," Marco interjected.

"I haven't failed yet," Zoro snapped.

Marco and Ace looked at one another. Marco spoke first, "The only one they need alive is Sanji. You and I both know you don't have much longer to make this deal."

Zoro turned around in his seat. He looked Sanji up and down as if searching for something he could deny. But Sanji looked bad. He was worn and tired and sick. Zoro turned back toward the window, "Let the others go first. Then we'll come out."

"What?!"

"No!"

Marco nodded and began gesturing to the guards on standby. His face was expressionless but his eyes were sharp and Zoro wondered what he really thought about the decision he'd just made.

"What are you doing?" Sanji demanded, sinking into the seat beside Zoro. "We can't…"

"Someone needs to be alive to meet up with Luffy," Zoro said simply.

"You can't believe that they're not going to kill us!" Nami argued.

"That's why you're leaving first," Zoro explained, "There's a chance you'll live. If you stay there's no chance."

"You don't get to decide this alone," Sanji breathed.

Zoro stared at Sanji with unusually soft eyes, "Promise me you'll be alive when Luffy gets here."

"What? I…" Sanji shook his head.

"You can't, can you?" Zoro challenged. "Can you promise you'll be alive in an hour?"

"What are you talking about?" Robin questioned, her eyes wide. "They said they wanted him alive."

"It's nothing," Sanji said, smiling at Robin. "Nothing to worry about, sweetheart."

"So you're okay?" Zoro continued. "You're the same ol' Sanji. What you said earlier, you don't think it's true anymore? You feelin' better?"

"Zoro," Sanji growled lowly. "Shut up."

"Why?"

"Because!"

"Because why?"

"Because I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die alone. I don't wanna die in this house!" Sanji snapped. "I'd rather be with all of you here, sweating to death. I don't want to go… Just… just let me stay…" Sanji seemed to crumple, his shoulders slumping forward. "They're not going to let you go. There's no reason for me to… There's no reason to make a deal. Not for my sake."

"There's a chance that Nami and Usopp, Franky, Robin can go free," Zoro explained. "That's not worth it to you?"

"That's not fair," Sanji protested.

"Why not?" Zoro demanded. "Out of the three of us they want, I'm the one who's going to die. They need Chopper. They want you. I'm dead. I'm dead either way." Zoro smacked his hand roughly against the steering wheel. "Shouldn't I get to make the decision?"

"It's funny, ain't it," Sanji murmured. "All of you are here because you wanted to save Luffy. And Luffy isn't even here…" Sanji extinguished his cigarette against the dashboard. "It's ironic."

"There a problem?" Ace asked, knocking against the window.

Zoro shook his head, "No problem on my end. Got an escort for us yet?"

"Workin' on it," Ace replied.

"I've got it!" Usopp shouted, dropping his hands into his lap.

Nami sighed, "What?"

"I thought, If only Luffy were here," Usopp whispered, his eyes wide.

"Yeah, well," Nami said with a shrug. "He's not."

"But then I thought, what would Luffy do?" Usopp explained with a knowing smile. "And suddenly it dawned on me…"

"What are you goin' on about?" Franky wondered, shaking his head.

"He'd let Marco and Ace inside," Usopp said, folding his hands together definitively.

Nami groaned, pushing against Usopp with her foot. "Usopp, take a nap."

"No, ma'am," Usopp refused. He stood up slowly from his crossed-legged station. He seemed to twirl as he unraveled himself into a standing position. "WWLD?"

"What Would Luffy Do?" Robin murmured, her eyes wide.

Usopp clapped his hands together, "Absolutely."

"Usopp…" Franky rasped, holding his head in his hands. "Brother, this just ain't the time to be high as hell, man."

Usopp smiled calmly, "Time is meaningless."

"Zoro," Sanji exhaled, grabbing Zoro's arm. "Please, let's just take a vote on this."

"I'll be with you as long as I can," Zoro replied, grabbing Sanji's arm. "As long as I'm alive, I'll-"

There was a terrible grinding sound as one of the smashed back doors were pushed open. It took effort and Usopp could barely get the doors wide enough for himself to fit through. He stood exposed in the space, a burst of cooler air blasting into the cab. "Oh, sweet, Jesus. Air."

"Usopp, what the hell are you doing?!" Nami panicked, rushing toward him. The cab shook precariously with every step. "You're gonna get killed!"

"What is…?" Usopp murmured looking down. "Wait a minute."

Nami grabbed Usopp around the waist, burying her face into his bare back, "Shut the doors. Shut the doors, Usopp…"

"Oh, shit!" Usopp yelped, sobering up. "We're gonna diiiieeeee!"

"Huh? What?" Nami asked, looking around Usopp in surprise. She noted his change in demeanor and peered through the doors, realizing in horror what he meant. Nami backed up, pulling Usopp along with her, "Holy shit! We're gonna die! We're gonna die! Nobody move!"

"What are you yelling about?!" Zoro demanded.

"There's… it's…. uh…" Usopp shouted. "Uh… a… there's…"

Nami squeaked out a mess of words in a similar fashion, "We're… at… there's… below…"

"In English?!" Zoro demanded, standing up.

"No!" Nami screamed, "Don't move…"

"Why don't ya shut the doors so we don't get shot in the fuckin' heads?" Franky suggested.

"What's going on back there?" Zoro shouted. "Just fucking tell us!"

"There's, uh, no floor beneath us," Usopp whispered.

"What?" Franky narrowed his eyes.

"There's no bottom, no bottom," Nami gasped, holding tightly onto Usopp. "We're just hanging out… just a hole…"

"Someone normal go look," Zoro instructed impatiently.

"I'll go," Sanji murmured, standing up. The cab rocked with his movements and the further back Sanji got the more he realized that the floor gave way. He squished his toes down, feeling the 'give' of the floor before approaching the ajar doors. He grabbed hold of a handle on the roof and leaned out, inspecting what lay beyond the armored truck.

"What is it?" Robin asked.

Sanji licked his lips and laughed a peculiar, bitter laugh. He walked back to his seat and sat down, crossing his legs. He rubbed his temples and sighed, "I realize now that I had a misunderstanding earlier with Marco and Ace."

"Okay…"

"When they said we were running out of time, I assumed they meant, well, something else…" Sanji shook his head and patted his pockets, looking for a cigarette.

"What's going on?"

"The floor has given way beneath us," Sanji explained. He tapped the floor pointedly. "I'd say half the truck is off the edge already."

"Okay," Franky nodded. "So? We're on the first floor. How far can your foundation be? We're in an armored car. Just shut the doors again and we're good. Right?"

"This is the ground floor," Sanji corrected, "Not the first floor."

"So what's the situation?" Zoro asked.

"The good news is, nobody's behind us with guns," Sanji continued. "But the drop is about four stories. At that height, if we fall, we won't make it."

"Even in the armored car?" Chopper asked.

"Yeah, it's not the fall that kills ya, it's the sudden stopping," Franky replied, bouncing his legs.

"This house goes four stories down?" Zoro asked, ignoring Marco and Ace at the window.

"It's the lab," Sanji answered.

"Must be one hell of a lab," Franky murmured.

Sanji nodded, "It is."

"So what do we do?" Robin wondered. "It's already been four hours and we're still here."

"The floor will give out eventually under the weight," Franky answered. "From everything I see, this room is too damaged. The supports are barely hanging on."

"Give me good news, Franky," Robin whispered.

"We're together…?" Franky offered with a smile.

"We're in worse shape than I thought," Zoro realized.

"Hey, Usopp?" Sanji called out. "What Would Luffy Do?"

"Shut up!" Usopp groaned, covering his face.

"Well, hell, none of us can come up with anything," Zoro spat. "So why the fuck not?" Zoro unlocked the driver door and pushed it open. "Care to join us? We're probably about to die and haven't a single clue what to do about it."

"You make it sound so appealing," Ace grinned.

Marco shrugged, "We'll have to pass."

"What are you doing?!" Usopp screeched. "You're gonna get shot!"

"I thought we could add more weight to the front," Zoro replied with a shrug. "It'll balance us forward."

Franky shook his head, "Yeah, no, that's not how it works…"

"Shut the door, stupid!" Usopp snapped.

"I thought we agreed to do what Luffy would do?!" Zoro snapped, turning around to look at the others.

"Well what would he do next? Because inviting them inside isn't gonna work!" Nami shouted, holding as still as possible.

"Hold on. Change of plans," Zoro murmured, reaching forward and pulling the door closed. He swiveled in his chair and made a face. "Come on! What the hell? What are we doing?"

"Hey," Ace called through the glass. "I know what Luffy'd do…"

"Oh, yeah?" Sanji murmured, "And what's that?"

"Huh? Can't hear you," Ace yelled back, cupping his ear.

Sanji's face twitched. Zoro repeated the question, "Alright, what would Luffy do then?"

"He'd climb," Ace answered with a grin.

"Climb?"

Marco rubbed the back of his shaved head absently, "And he'd probably check out the black box located under the middle passenger side seat."

"Well probably not that part," Ace laughed, "But you should totally do it. Right now. Like look… now…"

Franky looked under his seat. He pulled out a large, black utility box and tried to open it. Robin leaned in and assisted rather than watch him struggle. Franky sat back and nodded, "Whoa."

"What's there?" Zoro asked, looking from Ace and Marco to the people in the cab.

"Everything. Flares, flashlights, food, other f words," Franky listed, sorting through the box. "Rope. We've got rope."

"A grappling hook," Robin gasped, locking eyes with Franky. "It's a grappling hook."

"Bucket list, mama," Franky purred, nodding appreciatively.

"Okay," Usopp breathed. "I can work with this."

"You have a plan?" Nami questioned.

"Yes, ma'am," Usopp murmured, sliding across the floor toward the box. "We might actually live another day."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Sanji teased.

"We're gonna climb down," Usopp explained, gathering the supplies.

"But what about what's beneath us?" Nami wondered. "Isn't it dangerous to leave the truck? We'll be exposed."

"The floor's falling through," Franky said. "They'd be idiots if they haven't evacuated already."

"We'll be sitting ducks as we climb down," Nami protested. "And what about you? You've got one arm! How the hell are you gonna-"

"Don't worry, Nami," Usopp cut her off, grabbing her hand and squeezing. "I've got this. I do. I swear." Usopp continued preparing the ropes. "I'll go first with Chopper."

"I should carry Chopper," Zoro argued.

"I'm going down first," Usopp explained. "If there are people down there ready to shoot, they'll probably think twice before killin' Chopper. They want him." Usopp smiled at Chopper quickly, "Sorry, but you're gonna be my safety charm. Like a good luck backpack…"

"That's fine." Chopper agreed.

"Franky is gon' be a problem." Usopp continued, "Let me see if I can create a tether system of some sort…"

"Sanji, think you can make it down?" Robin asked.

Sanji waved his hand dismissively, "Of course, Robin, dear. Don't worry about me. You're too pretty to worry…"

"I don't know if I can repel four stories down," Nami murmured nervously.

"We're not repelling," Usopp mumbled. "It's gonna be a straight climb down. One at a time."

"Oh fuck that," Nami groaned, covering her face.

"Either way we're ending up in that lab," Franky rumbled. "Might as well try not to get smashed."

"It's time to surrender!" Ace called loudly. "Give us Vinsmoke, Roronoa, and asset 12-25 and you can go!"

"We're not surrendering," Zoro said.

"That's not gonna stop us from asking," Marco replied, "So long as we're being watched."

"I get it," Zoro nodded. "In that case, good luck to you. We're going our own way." Zoro stood and walked to the back. "Alright, Usopp. What can I do?"

Usopp looked up at Zoro with wide eyes, "Don't touch a thing."