"Holy crap, they can do that!?" Usopp shouted in shock, eyes wide, as they watched their new friend vanish under the water.

"Doesn't bother us, now look sharp, we have our own problems." Law snapped before turning sharply and hurrying back into his own ship with his crew, shutting the door tight. In the next few moments the submarine started to submerge as well, the muffled sound of a torpedo being set free heard from above a few seconds before one of the three Heartless ships gave a startled shriek, part of its side lighting ablaze from the hit.

"Yeah, quit standing around, let's hit back!" Luffy cheered like this was a big game, latching his arms onto the side of the Sunny to launch over to a ship.

"Whoa, hey, if it decides to dive with you on it you'll drown!" Nami smacked the Captain to stop him from leaving.

"But Snowy did it."

"He's not a Devil Fruit user! He's fine!"

As if on cue, a burst of ice emerged from the sea, bringing with it familiar blue particles of a Heartless defeated by a spirit, Toshiro's head rising from the water before pulling himself up onto the new ice floe he'd made. That was one ship down, nine to go, he looked for which one was closest as his next target. He was about to jump over to one when something came crashing down from the sky, following a pattern of purple rings. A comet. The flaming boulder had little trouble demolishing the entire ship and its mock crew, bringing the number down to eight. The warships continued to vainly shoot at the remaining enemy vessels, ignoring the pirates altogether in fear of another of these sea-worthy monsters chomping down on them.

"Oh my, Fujitora is on those ships." Robin looked a bit pale, none of them having realized an admiral was here until they saw the familiar power. With the ability to move gravity itself, Fujitora could pull from above the atmosphere itself and rain down destruction, and could even create instant sinkholes.

The others didn't seem as concerned as she, however, as they focused on a ship heading straight for them, no doubt going to try and sink them as the first one had, with another just behind it, the third moving to their side. Zoro and Sanji eagerly awaited it to get closer, both ready to take it down. They had taken down entire ships before, just because it was made of bones and shadows didn't make it any harder to do the same to. The first got within range, but Sanji used Sky Walk to leap through the air and head over it, going for the second instead. Despite their argument, Sanji could tell what Zoro was about to do, and so was going after his own target.

"Ittoryu Daishinkan!" Utilizing just one sword, Zoro created a powerful slice through the air. It hit the first ship dead on and for a moment it seemed to come to a full halt. The smaller Heartless on board looked surprised, before panicking as their ship split in two and began to vanish, sinking into the sea as the shadows dispersed. The Straw Hats ignored the lesser shadows to be lost to the ocean.

"Diable Jambe - Bien Cuit: Grill Shot!" After a spin in the sky that lit his right leg on fire, Sanji launched down at the ship and delivered a sharp kick right to the center of the deck. Flames spread across the dark surface and there was a horrible breaking sound heard throughout the body. Shadows began to lift off the ship from both the mock crew burning in the flames and the ship itself, a grill-like pattern seen on the deck before all of it disappeared. Sanji jumped back over to his own ship quickly.

"Strong as always you two!" Usopp praised them with a cheer, jumping up happily with Chopper. "Only took one hit each!"

Nami gave a shriek and they turned to see the third had come up beside them and was beginning to lift itself up.

Bad choice on its part, three torpedoes shot straight up from below and into the vulnerable opening of the ship, causing it to tip over sideways from the force with an eerie shriek. The Heartless crew spilled over into the ocean as their ship began to disappear. Jimbei, who had been about to stop it himself, stopped short as their allies saved them the trouble. Once the Heartless was out of their view, they noticed a clump of yellow moving below the waves towards the Marine ships. The Heart Pirates were off to help destroy the other Heartless ships.

"Whoo, go Torao!" Luffy cheered before turning to his crew. "Come on, let's go help!"

"But there's an Admiral with them!" Chopper argued, not eager to get near the gravity user. "They'll hit us too!"

"Nah, Snowy was talking to them fine, let's go!"

Though wary, his crew followed along, the Thousand Sunny turning to head towards the last remaining ships.

While the pirates had been taking care of their three, Toshiro had downed one more and the Marines two with Fujitora's powerful help, leaving only two ships left that learned from the fight and stayed back, taking shots at the Marines instead. Two warships were badly damaged, another three with a few dents and broken boards, but fortunately no one sinking.

"Get the men off the worst ships, those two won't make it to the next island, I'll hold these two off." Fujitora ordered, sensing for the last two targets while the healthier ships focused on rescuing their fellow soldiers from the flaming vessels nearby that would soon be lost to sea once the fire hit the ammo reserves.

Jumping up from the water, Toshiro returned to the ship Fujitora was on.

"You might want to wait on that one." He warned.

Before the Admiral could demand an answer, there was a churning in the water that made him tense. The other soldiers watched with shock as the ocean began to swirl around one of the Heartless ships, almost like creating a target on it. The Heartless aboard looked frightened, scrambling to get off or find cover. It would not help them.

In the next moment, a huge form shot up from the water, taking with it the ship high into the air. Hyorinmaru had made himself enormous with the ocean around him, his icy black body menacing in the harsh light of morning, giant yellow eyes fixated on the ship in his huge jaws. With a growl that rumbled through every ship, Hyorinmaru began to close his jaws over his catch, the sounds of bones cracking and shrieks from the ship giving most shudders, until finally with a loud snap the ship was crushed in two. Like the other ships, a large heart began to float away, but unlike the others, this one was snapped up quickly by the huge dragon.

"W-what is that thing!?"

"Did these monsters turn a Sea King into a Heartless?"

"It crushed that thing like nothing!"

Hyorinmaru took little notice of their cries, ignoring the Marine ships altogether in favor of staring down the last remaining Heartless ship, jaws opening menacingly with a loud hiss.

"Is this the dragon we're to avoid shooting?" Fujitora asked of the Nobody.

Toshiro hesitated in his answer, noticing the suspicion and hostility in the man's tone. Naturally one would be concerned about a giant shadow dragon rising from the ocean devouring ships.

"He's… my Heartless." Toshiro answered honestly. "But he listens to me. It's why I'm traveling with Trafalgar, his power might be able to return me and Hyorinmaru to the way we're supposed to be. I hate seeing him this way more than anyone."

They paused in their conversation as Hyorinmaru continued his attack, lunging down atop the shadow vessel, not too far off from how the ships had tried to crush the others. The dragon vanished under the water along with his prey, the black body slightly visible beneath the waves before it moved deeper down. With that, the enemy fleet was demolished, and the two badly damaged Marine ships were evacuated and allowed to fall to the ocean floor. Other than those ships, there were little to no casualties, as none of the Heartless had managed to get close enough to board.

A few moments later, there was another large splash and Hyorinmaru returned from the ocean, already shrinking, but still big enough that when he flared his wings and came towards them many soldiers panicked. Fujitora partially drew his sword.

"It's fine, he's just returning to me!" Toshiro spoke quickly, wanting to avoid that crushing power directed at his partner. Hyorinmaru, at a more human size now, landed with a huff by his side to prove his master's point.

"You have a dangerous creature with you there… are you not here to eradicate them?" The Admiral spoke gruffly.

"I can't very well kill my other half."

A single brow was lifted in question at that.

"A Heartless is only half of the original, Hyorinmaru is mine, as I said before."

"A truly unfortunate predicament." Fujitora was keeping a careful ear out for any of the dragon's movements. Uncomfortable under the scrutiny and aware he was not allowed to kill the living – at least not these ones – the dragon vanished into his master's shadow, surprising them. That's where it had been hiding? It could have come out at any time and attacked? It also gave them a new insight on Heartless and why normal weapons might not hit them.

"It is… one that was my own fault, but I am trying to fix it."

Toshiro held his ground while the Admiral went into thought once more, thinking everything over again after the attack. So far he could tell that this odd stranger was being fairly honest with him, going so far as to admit he had his own darkness despite his goal to eliminate it. It was a trustworthy trait, and the boy had aided in destroying the fleet targeting his ships when this dragon of his could have caused serious damage along with the enemy. Fujitora could respect that, and after helping them out the least he could do was hear the other out. To show this to Toshiro, Fujitora removed his hand from his blade and stood out of a fighting position.

"Thank you for listening." Toshiro gave a bow of respect to such a gesture, getting the feeling that the tall warrior could see it just fine. "I would also like to offer something that might help against the Heartless… but I would need to return to Trafalgar's ship for it."

"What might this item be?" The Admiral questioned. He might be willing to listen, but he wasn't quite sure about letting him return to the pirate's ship.

"That island with the disease? Trafalgar Law and Chopper of the Straw Hats found a way to cure it."

"And why would they do such a thing?"

"Their own crew had become afflicted."

Fujitora nodded to that, understanding now why pirates would bother curing an illness.

"Because it was a plague caused by Heartless themselves, this cure also hurts them. If there was a way to add it to bullets or swords, then even those without Devil Fruits or special weapons could fight back against the Heartless. I feel the Marines would be able to utilize that the best in their soldiers."

"Indeed… but I doubt Trafalgar would give up such a prize without payment."

Toshiro grimaced. Right, pirates wouldn't just willingly help the people trying to kill them.

"Perhaps allowing us to leave this area unharmed?" The Nobody asked instead, hoping that would be enough.

Fujitora chuckled, seeming to understand Toshiro's concern.

"If you can convince that man of such an offer, I may be willing to overlook your presence here in favor of targeting that Heartless fleet."

"Sir!" Several Marines shouted in surprise.

"So far this young man has shown the spirit of a guardian, not a pirate." Fujitora stated, not noticing the flinch in Toshiro's expression at the term he used. "The more important threat now is these shadowed beasts, an offering of something capable of defeating them would be of more use to us than capturing them. That said," here Fujitora's voice went lower in warning and Toshiro tensed, "from now on, you will be regarded a pirate, and treated as such. I accept your information and warning, but if you continue to travel with Trafalgar, you are a threat."

"…Fair enough." Toshiro responded with a grumble, knowing he had no other choice. He needed Law's powers, and he had done what he needed to in order to ensure the safety of this world and its people, or at least he hoped he had. He had, in part, expected this. The Heartless fleet had been a surprise, helpful to his case, but did not change the fact that he was aiding pirates and had a Heartless of his own. If anything he was glad Fujitora acted as such, as it meant he was not foolish enough to befriend anyone of the dark. Maleficent would have a ton of trouble trying to get any help from Marines if their elite were like him.

As if on cue, the yellow submarine rose up from the waters, the thick metal door opening a moment later with Law stepping outside, Bepo and Jean Bart on either side of him. They were all tense, Law especially, and Toshiro wondered if they'd encountered each other before.

"A crew member of mine heard your conversation with her Haki and told me." Law spoke loud enough for the Marines to hear, holding up a vial of a familiar liquid. "This for a safe escape?"

"Ah, your little bird told you, did she?" Fujitora spoke with a much harsher tone than before, though Toshiro was surprised; he knew Dextra? So they had dealt with each other before. "That makes this easier then."

"I was going to demand a much higher price, but considering the circumstances, safe passage is probably as good as I'm going to get?" The surgeon responded with a smirk.

"You're lucky to get even that!" One of the ship captains shouted back venomously.

The Thousand Sunny came to a slow stop next to the submarine as she dropped anchor, the Straw Hats curious about what was going on.

"You okay Toshiro!?" Usopp called out to the small figure on the Marine ship. "You look kind of soaked!"

"I'm fine, water doesn't bother me." The Nobody called back. The only thing that WAS bothering him was his wet clothes, but he was glad for once that he couldn't get sick the way he was now, as even an ice user like him would not do well with freezing wet clothes in the ocean breeze.

"Oh right, he was able to swim just fine." A Marine pointed out. "So you really have magic?"

Toshiro nodded in response, catching the looks passed between soldiers. They were uncomfortable with someone having powers and not being able to drown, a foreign concept to them.

"So Kairoseki probably wouldn't have worked." This the soldier said to Fujitora, whose only response was a thoughtful hum. The Admiral was concerned about it, but his goal right now was the vial that Law was nonchalantly tossing up and down. Currently, if that broke, only the Dark Doctor and the Straw Hats' reindeer knew how to make it again, which would put them at a disadvantage. Fujitora was waiting to see if Law tried for such a tactic, ready to intervene if necessary.

At the foreign term, Toshiro tilted his head slightly in confusion.

"Eh, do you not know what Kairoseki is?" A Marine noticed his confused expression with confusion of his own.

"This isn't my world." The Nobody said in his defense, shrugging. "I can only guess it has an effect on Devil Fruit users?"

"Same effect as falling in the ocean." Law explained as bluntly as possible. "Now then, I know you had orders for our heads, Admiral-ya, but will you really let us go if I hand this over?"

"It will either be that or you surrender yourself." Fujitora responded stiffly. "The safety of the people come first, and a plague spreads faster than two pirate ships."

"Well surrendering myself doesn't sound too pleasing, so I'll pass." The surgeon smirked, earning a growl from the Admiral and some of his men. "I can't be sure you'll just let us go either, however, once this leaves my hands."

"I can remain here until you're out of range and Flash Step back." Toshiro offered. When he got worried looks from the Straw Hats and a suspicious one from Law, the Nobody added more. "I have one more thing to say. Maleficent is still somewhere around."

At that Law's expression changed to one of understanding and he seemed alright with the idea, glancing at Fujitora to see what he thought of this slight change. The Admiral didn't move, his silent stance as good as any answer, so with a somewhat annoyed click of his tongue, Law tossed the vial over to the ship. Toshiro caught it easily and turned to hand it over to the Marines, the pirates behind him moving away. No cannons fired.

"You seem confident we would not fire with you here." Fujitora spoke up, refusing to take the offered vial for a moment.

"If you're assuming I would attack when you did, that's not the case, I simply have a little more information and hoped that would be enough you would keep your word and let them sail." Toshiro answered.

"This… Maleficent?"

"Yes. She's a powerful manipulator of the darkness, and can control most of the Heartless. She followed after me seeking to capture me and Hyorinmaru, but she'll go after anyone she thinks would be a powerful Heartless. She's an impressive manipulator as well, be careful what she learns, for she will use it against you. If she were to turn powerful Devil Fruit users into her Heartless, there's no telling what she would do, and she's always seeking a powerful kingdom to rule."

"A Heartless queen?"

"That's one way to see it, regardless she is a powerful witch likely to worm her way into anything. The Heartless are one thing, she makes them far more dangerous."

"I see…" Fujitora filed away the name for later, curious to see if she would come after him or his fellow Admirals. She would be in for a rude awakening if she tried, especially now that they had ample warning. "Is she perhaps the one who put you in your current predicament?"

"Unfortunately no, but the one who did is defeated, she only hopes to benefit by taking control of me and Hyorinmaru, mostly my dragon."

'You know it's YOU who is her main target.' Hyorinmaru grumbled.

'I don't have time to explain the Heavenly Guardian, getting them to be on guard against her and the Heartless is enough for now.'

Unaware of their internal conversation, Fujitora wondered about the possibility of this Maleficent gaining control of the ice dragon. It was capable of changing its size, which made it a hazard in the ocean, and could disappear into shadows. A monster like that could be dangerous.

But it was docile for now, and he was a man of his word, so while he would make sure to deal with this information later, he kept to the current negotiations and held his hand out peacefully for the cure. Toshiro obliged, passing off the vial.

"Thank you for allowing me to speak, I only hope it helps." With another slight bow of his head, Toshiro turned and vanished from their view. They could see him appear briefly as he darted across the water before he was out of sight with the ships.

"We're going back to Marine HQ." Fujitora ordered, pocketing the tiny vial. "There is a lot to discuss."

Back with the two pirate ships, Toshiro jumped back up onto the Sunny with relative ease, if a tiny bit out of breath from fighting in the water and having to make ice while he ran. He even shuddered slightly, reminding him that he was still in soaking wet clothes.

"Impressive negotiating skills, that could have ended a lot worse with an Admiral chasing us." Law had boarded the Sunny as well, along with the two who had backed him up before and Dextra. Some of his other crewmates were standing on the deck of his own ship to watch the horizon and listen in.

"I know how to keep myself out of trouble with higher ups." Toshiro responded with a shrug, though his thoughts were more concerned with how to dry himself.

"Come on, let's get you warmed up, friend." Jimbei ushered the tiny figure up to the bathroom area.

While the Nobody accepted the offer for a relaxing bath and change of clothes, the others took to sitting around or watches, the latter making sure no Marines tried to sneak up behind them. It was quite the hectic morning, and they wanted some rest before their next island adventure.