Fortunately, whether intentional or not, Kizaru returned to the battle with Aizen, standing menacingly behind the spirit. Though he didn't know what the item taken from Aizen was, he understood that now, with it gone, they had a chance. And despite the way he spoke, Kizaru never let a chance slip past him.

Despite the Marine behind him, Aizen held a hand forward to launch a silent Kido at Law, knowing the pirate was weakened currently. He might have lost his regeneration source, but he could survive an attack from Kizaru as long as he killed the one who took the Hogyoku from him. Perhaps that might return it to him, and then he could take down Kizaru as well.

Something flew past, smashing into Aizen's hand and knocking the Kido off course into the snow. With a slight growl, Aizen turned to this newcomer, shaking his hand to relive the sting from whatever had hit him.

"Hey, that's kind of fun." Shanks himself stood by with a smug look, holding his hand out next to him. In a flash of light, the Kingdom Key returned to his hand. He had thrown it. The weapon's magic allowed it to make itself a fairly accurate projectile, so a nice hard throw was all it took to keep Aizen from attacking.

"There's more Keyblade Wielders?" Aizen scowled. He had seen Coby with one; how many others had Toshiro managed to give the magic weapon to? And this human was no joke. Like the Admiral, Shanks had an aura far past that of an ordinary human, but there was no aura of a Devil Fruit. This man had surpassed human limitations with nothing but his own will… not unlike Kurosaki Ichigo had done. There was instant wariness in Aizen's expression.

"I'm not so good at the key bit, but you can be sure of a good challenge with me." Letting the Keyblade vanish into wherever it went, Shanks drew his actual sword, his crew behind him ready to fight. They had arrived right as Kingdom Hearts had appeared, seeing Toshiro up on the mountain with a strange figure that clearly held the boy hostage. They may have only known the Nobody for a day, but they couldn't let this stand, and more importantly they couldn't let these people bring so much danger to their world. Pirates might be law breakers, but they lived here too, and would not have that taken from them.

"To think there were worlds such as this one…" Now a little uncertain with Kizaru and the Red-Hair Pirates staring him down, Aizen thought of how to get himself out of this situation. Best case scenario was to get the Hogyoku back and crush them all immediately.

Said item was currently still held in the shaky hands of Coby, the young Marine doing his best just to hold back the intense will flooding his mind so as not to be sucked into it. It's never-ending screams for freedom and an underlying lust for more souls was slowly degrading his spirit, and before too much longer he might lose the fight.

Garp was about to just knock the hellish item from his student's hand when a creature suddenly approached, a flurry of feathers and wisps of light, a startling sight. The only reason Garp didn't immediately attack it to defend Coby was the fact it did not approach with hostile intention. An odd sense of calm came over the Vice-Admiral instead, a strange influence telling him it was okay, she was one their side. She?

"T-Tebliel?" Coby managed to focus briefly on the odd angel creature. He had been told her Angel fruit was a Zoan type, similar to the Buddha fruit that the previous Fleet Admiral possessed and therefore having a full "animal" form. This must have been that form, a mass of wings and gentle light obscuring most of the actual body. A gentle hand reached out, taking the Hogyoku from Coby, recognizing it as a threat to those she had accepted as allies. As soon as she did, the will weighing so heavily around them suddenly ceased, focusing on the heavenly being carrying it. Coby, the kind existence that he was, had earned the angel's favor in saving her from the pirates and giving her a place to go when Maleficent betrayed her, and in return her true form had risen to protect him. Perhaps she had also sensed the cries and tortured pleas of those inside the Hogyoku, and as an angel does… she sought to redeem them.

The true nature of the Hogyoku was not its immense power granting immortality to the one who controlled it, as most of the Soul Society thought, nor to blur the lines between Hollow and Soul Reaper as it had been regularly used for. A tiny few knew its true nature, a nature that allowed for it to have such powers at all.

It granted wishes. The deepest desires of those around it with a strong enough Spirit Energy to convince it to grant such a wish. Soul Reapers like Aizen, Ichigo and others had been able to draw out this power, most of them unknowingly.

As a regular human, Tebliel would not have the power necessary for any kind of influence over the Hogyoku. But she possessed a unique ability that bypassed the need for such requirements. The holy status of an "angel" alone was enough to give it a demand. A simple demand of one who just wanted to free the tortured souls and protect her friend, and needed her full use of angelic influence to do so.

Release your pain and suffering and exist in this Hell no longer.

Inside the cube, the Hogyoku cracked.

"What did you just do!?" Noticing this, Aizen turned his rage on the strange angel. The Hogyoku was something he had poured everything into, a project spanning decades, with plans over plans to ensure he would be the most powerful in existence, and it was cracking. Law watched from where he had escaped to a safe distance with a surprised expression. They could destroy an item said to be completely unstoppable? An item so many had suffered and died trying to get rid of?

The cursed item began to flicker, sensing Aizen's desire to keep it, to continue to use its power. It sensed his wish to remain a god.

Tebliel closed her hands around the cube holding the Hogyoku. When she opened them again, the box had dispersed, and only dust remained in her hands until the bitter cold wind carried it away. Her wish had been granted, the souls were free and the Hogyoku had power no longer, fading from existence.

"NO!"

The air became unbearably heavy, even to those of power, allowing Aizen to Flash Step over to Tebliel. One hit and even she would be killed. Just as he always chided others for their blindness to others in their rage, Aizen did not see Garp and Coby strike until they hit him. Even if it was not nearly as harmful as it would have been to a human, it made him miss his target. Tebliel reacted to the danger, a few of her wings spreading. The wisps of light spun rapidly, forming a barrier, one that began to spread out. It engulfed Garp and Coby, embracing them into its protection, but when Aizen tried to get close he might as well have run into an impenetrable wall. The pure defensive will of the angel stood up to even the fury of a man who had reached the realm of gods with his power. She could not move or change form while the barrier was up, and she would eventually run out of energy, but until then those inside her protection were unreachable, and a similar glow as before enveloped the area inside, putting out a healing aura over those inside, stronger than that in her base form.

Law was apparently allowed inside as well, slipping in before Aizen noticed him and giving a sigh of relief at the healing aura, just glad the angel thought him enough of an ally to allow him in. Only Aizen and the creatures of darkness were banned from the sphere. Kizaru didn't step in, choosing to engage Aizen once more, Shanks not far behind with his crew spreading to help deal with the constant swarm of Heartless and Nobodies.

"So we got rid of that orb, now what?" Coby turned and asked of Law since the pirate knew more about the situation.

"The hope is he can at least be killed now, but he proved he's not just powerful because of that item." Law replied with a grunt. "The plan now, for me at least, is to find a way to Hitsugaya. I need a way to get that black dragon of his close enough I can use a new technique I found to return those two souls back to one, and that should help him snap out of the influence that collar has on him."

"That'll stop that bizarre heart and all these monsters?" Garp questioned.

"If Hitsugaya gets free will back, yes, it should stop. He's basically being used like a conduit right now for Xehanort, the man up there next to him. If Hitsugaya returns to normal and breaks out of the collar, the darkness can no longer get through him, and then we can stamp it out for good."

"Malicious witch though she was, that Maleficent wasn't kidding about his power..."

Law frowned a bit, wondering what lies Maleficent had told to make the World Government want Toshiro so bad. Unfortunately, it was likely truth for most of it, considering what he was, and Xehanort was only proving how dangerous it was for Toshiro to belong to anyone but himself.

"No, she probably wasn't, which means the sooner we can free him and get him off this planet the better off we'll all be." The surgeon spoke, hoping these two Marines, who had always proven to be for the people and not for "justice", would agree with him.

"Well, Fujitora liked him, and if your Devil Fruit is what gets him away from that evil bastard up there then let's get to it." Garp didn't seem to have any objections with saving the Nobody. "Even the Fleet Admiral can't do anything if that boy goes flying off to another world."

"This might sound odd coming from me, but Hitsugaya has a much larger role to play outside this world, and if the World Government chains him here it could mean the end of all worlds. We have to make sure he gets away."

"You're right, that hero crap does sound weird coming from a pirate, especially the man who brought in a hundred hearts to our doorstep demanding to become a Shichibukai." Garp huffed with a slight chuckle. "Let's just get you up there and get that kid free."

"Your grandson will be helpful in that effort, and some of his crew, the issue will be gathering everyone together with the constant swarm."

"Tebliel, how big can you make this barrier before it puts too much strain?" Coby asked the angel at the center of their current hideout.

There was no response, but there was a slight ruffle of feathers and the barrier grew a bit larger. It could hold a decent sized group inside, however it was clear she couldn't cover enough ground to bring in those further inland near the mountain. They needed a way to call them in so they had a safe place to plan things out. The other problem would be avoiding suspicion. Aizen might have snapped, but Xehanort still looked calm as ever, it was unlikely he would miss his enemies converging into a giant glowing sphere to whisper amongst themselves.

"Anyone who is injured should come inside this barrier, we'll figure things out as we go." Law spoke up. Improvising wasn't his strong suit, but that's why his first plan was to get to Luffy. If there was one reliable thing about the Straw Hat pirate, it was that he could find a miracle in any situation.

"In that case, I'll get back to teaching that Reaper guy a lesson." Garp turned towards where Kizaru and Shanks had Aizen on the defensive. Despite going up against two of the biggest powers on the planet, he still managed to hold his ground and cause some damage, but it was clear he was pissed and had no more plans.

Letting him do just that, Law left the barrier and ran back into the fray, the healing aura giving back his stamina quickly since he hadn't been physically injured. He saved his powers for now, not yet sure how much he might need to bring Toshiro back to normal. The rest of this fight depended on the success of his new technique, something he hadn't even gotten to test fully yet. And Xehanort would no doubt be on guard now after seeing Aizen lose the Hogyoku.

"Xehanort!" Luffy's furious shout let all on the island know that the youngest Captain was having no more of this, even using his enemy's proper name to properly emphasize his anger. The old man only smirked in response… until he saw a huge portion of the Heartless swarm crushed under the sudden, immense will that Luffy poured out. Conqueror's Haki, a power Xehanort didn't know yet, and so quite startling to witness.

"Continue to struggle if you wish, but it will be in vain. I will have Kingdom Hearts." He didn't speak loud enough to be heard, just a judgement passed through the wind as he looked up to Kingdom Hearts. Soon it would be within his grasp, the darkness devouring it and then everything else. He would have his eternal power.

Looking back down he spotted the one who had dared attack him before, the pirate adorned with spots. That one's power was dangerous, and he knew it was this man that Toshiro had hoped could cure him. Xehanort couldn't allow this specific pirate to get too close.

"Take him down." The Master ordered of his two subordinates below the mountain, Isa and Braig.

With the harpy distracting the dragon, Braig had taken to picking a fight with Franky and Usopp, unable to pull away easily from the strange plant ammo from the sniper and heavy fire-power from the cyborg. His only saving grace fighting these two expert marksmen was his ability over Gravity, confusing them with shots from portals and moving around above them, but the pirates were not easily dealt with. It didn't help when a huge thundercloud came through the sky, forcing him back on the ground in range of nasty plants.

"Either get zapped or strangled… I think I'll take my chances with Spot." Braig said with a grumble, escaping the now three pestering him through a portal and finding his way towards Law.

Isa was locked in battle with Zoro, the odd moon that was Kingdom Hearts powering up the blue haired figure like a berserker and so giving the swordsman some trouble. Focused as they were on each other, Isa chose to let his comrade deal with the order and continue this test of strength.

Law came to a halt as the air ripped open, Braig stepping out with his odd guns in hand, blocking the other's way to Luffy. If he used the Room, deflecting the bullets wouldn't be that difficult… but he needed to conserve as much stamina as possible.

"Yo, your powers are going to be a problem if I let you by." The crystal sniper spoke with a sneer.

"That's the plan, now get lost before I have your heart removed for good."

"I came back from it once, I can do it again."

Law smirked.

"Not the way I do it."

Braig's own smirk faltered, wondering how literal Law was about removing a heart. So far he'd only seen the man remove the Hogyoku.

"I'm the Surgeon of Death for a reason." Law put as much threat into his tone as he could, hoping to avoid using his powers and scaring off the one-eyed fighter.

"Yeah, we'll see about that." Braig was worried about Law's spatial control abilities in the dome he made, but orders were orders, they couldn't let him get to Toshiro.

The guns came up and Law quickly dodged to the side to avoid the piercing purple crystals. Problem was, as it was with all these strangers, the bullets were magic. They froze in place and changed trajectory before firing again at max velocity once more. What's more, another set of shots were coming at him. Scowling, Law was about to set up a Room to send them back at their owner.

A huge thud of metal and something else took the hits, the crystals bouncing harmlessly off a giant metal robot. The mech stood taller than a building, with strong resemblances to the human Franky just with a bulky metal body proudly bearing the straw Hat symbol on its belly, a giant sword at its back and a drill horn as a sort of hairdo.

"SUPER SAVE!" Franky's voice echoed from the giant as it struck into his trademark pose, a show of power. The size alone was enough to make Braig back up nervously; his bullets weren't meant for metal opponents.

"Can't get away from us that easy!" Usopp popped his head out of a mount near the head with a triumphant grin. Apparently when Braig had run off, Franky had signaled his robot, General Franky, to head out from the Sunny to their position, using it to jump back in. The enemy sniper running off had given them the perfect timing to do so, as before they were too busy fighting.

"What is with you crazy people?" Braig scowled, trying to figure out where to shoot. Usopp would have been the only "weak spot" but he was quickly covered by metal as he returned inside the mech. Maybe the joints? A vent somewhere? Either way, he couldn't be dealing with this right now, he needed to take out the surgeon. "Hey! Where'd he go!?"

In the confusion and flurry of snow that General Franky had stirred up on his arrival, Law wasted no time skirting around the side and escaping. Braig tried to follow, but an enormous blue hand came crashing down next to him, threatening to crush him if he hadn't warped up into the air to avoid it.

"For crying out loud, you-" He didn't get to finish as a bolt of lightning knocked him back to the snow. "Oh come on!"

Zeus just laughed menacingly, returned to the battle as well. Braig might as well have not escaped them, only making his situation worse letting them get the mech.

"I suppose if you want something done, don't depend on fools." Xehanort sighed from his perch above, bringing his hand up, shrouded in a dark mist. With a swift movement back down, huge shadows appeared on the cliff face he stood above, a huge Heartless stepping its way out with a snarl. Groundshaker, a giant beast of a Heartless on four legs, a massive skull head with two enormous tusks on its jaw. Its back was covered in a thick moss, a small tree growing on its back where another Heartless rode the monster, an ape-like creature with two faces and an aura of magic. Though familiar to no one on the battlefield, it was one Toshiro would have recognized, even as this one held a different color pattern to the dull gray legs and head, this new one proudly bearing a blood red and electric yellow spikes.

"Whoa, that's huge!" Luffy gaped, as this beast was larger than even the Darksides he and his crew had been dealing with.

"Straw Hat!" Law's shout drew the Captain's attention to his ally as the other came to stand beside him. "I need to get up to Hitsugaya while conserving my stamina, and that thing might actually make a good stepping stone up top."

"No problem!" No questions asked, Luffy faced the giant, prepared to shoot an arm out to rocket them both onto its back, meanwhile the creature stomped its way forward with no regards for any below it.

Up above, Xehanort frowned and looked away from the upcoming struggle with Groundshaker, turning his gaze skyward. Something was coming… a streak crossed the sky, getting closer and closer… a ship.

"Interesting indeed." Xehanort sighed. At this point things were continually stacking against him, so he contemplated abandoning the Nobody and trying another time or continuing to fight. In a way he had trapped himself here by having Toshiro summon Kingdom Hearts, since if he stopped the boy now the heart would recover, and he'd be at risk of losing his influence over Toshiro. For now… he would observe. He was already losing time for his presence here; these pirates and Marines had fought back harder than he was expecting.

The ship came in range, a loud noise echoing across the skies moments before multiple laser shots slammed into the side of Groundshaker. With a cry of pain and surprise, the massive beast fell over onto its side, beginning to fade away into the darkness. Shots from a ship were too much even for it.

"Is that a space ship!?" Chopper's baffled question caught most everyone's attention if the shots hadn't already.

Turning to the sky, everyone saw a brightly colored ship soaring into the atmosphere, heading for the island with guns bared, though not firing anymore with the swarm too close and too small to avoid friendly fire.

Inside, the determined Keybearer Sora and his companions were ready to jump into what looked like an all-out war, furious when they saw Toshiro trapped in darkness at Xehanort's side.

"We found you, Toshiro!"

Survived through finals, now I get a month long break with only Christmas to worry about.