Apoo's head is about to explode from the reports he's been receiving. Not only does Kidd's group wants his head, but it also seems that Strawhats are after him too. It makes him think that allying with Kaido is a mistake. Sure, he gets a lot of benefits more than he could ever get when he's independent, but the risks of people constantly targeting him just because of his affiliation cancels said benefits.
He can understand Kidd's dilemma, but the Strawhats? Aside from the temporary alliance with the Cipher Pol whose targets are the Strawhats, he can't think of any grudge between him and them that is enough to get them motivated in targeting him.
In between his musings, he receives a message from Cipher Pol. The temporary alliance they have ensures Apoo's safety against Kidd's group, and potentially, the Revolutionary Army. The last time Kidd attacked him Blue of the Revolutionary joined hands with him for who knows why.
He didn't think Kidd has connections with the Revolutionary Army, but that possibility worries Apoo. Now that he thinks about it, how many people know Kidd's background? There's almost none. Not even he can dig up what kind of background he has.
The only reason people don't think of him as mysterious as Strawhats is that he never hid his face. He's as opposite as Strawhat's.
With a few grumbles, he told his men to get ready to set out. He just hopes this night will go well. And if Strawhats will die tonight, even better, because the next plan will be him as bait to Strawhats.
Great, just great.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Kidd's getting irritated at the victorious smiles directed at him coming from the Cipher Pol Agents.
"It's good that you accepted our proposal, Eustass Kidd." Stussy's blonde hair and smile remind him of his ex-girlfriend which does not help his mood at all.
"Whatever. I just want Apoo's head, that's all."
"Of course. Everything is within our plans. We will lead him to a trap, and you will have his head, all by yourself, while we deal with Blue."
Kidd nodded. The deal is simple. Blue for Apoo's head. The date and time of this joint operation will happen soon.
"And before I forget..." Stussy was about to leave when she turned back. "Make sure you will bring Blue with you. Otherwise... You don't want Cipher Pol breathing on your neck, right?"
Her threats made Kidd scoff, almost chuckling. The audacity of Cipher Pol into thinking that he will cower because of their threats. True, they are a pain in the neck, but it does not mean that Kidd is a coward.
"Keep the threats to yourself. I know what I must do. I just need to lead him to a trap, correct?"
"Yes. The rest will be all on us."
"Then, I will." Kidd steps forward, towering over Stussy. "You don't have to threaten me and believe it or not, I am not scared of you."
Stussy only smiles at him before walking away. It's a sign that tells him she is not afraid of him either.
With Cipher Pol gone, Killer, who's been quiet the entire time finally speaks.
"Are you sure about this, Kidd? You want to go through this plan?"
"Of course. It's set in stone. We will get Apoo. That's all that matters to me." As if on cue, a devilish smile appears on his lips, a smile to evil on his face.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
An alley in the suburbs is filled with silence. It's alarming to have a very silent street. When it's silent, you know it's a calm before the storm.
Strawhats are one of the most slippery groups out there that have been a thorn to the World Government. And here they are, waiting to ambush Apoo and his group. They received info from their intelligence that Apoo's group will be here to load the goods for Kaido's group.
"I hope it won't be slaves." Chopper shakes his head. He had seen many illegal activities from different groups and the worst was seeing slaves beaten to death, some were sold for their organs. This is something he hated.
"I heard its drugs," Luffia said. "And firearms."
"Should we move now?" Sanji asks. He mumbles a couple of words, something about not being able to smoke now when he wants it because they are still on a mission.
"Yes, let's go."
They plan to raid Kaido's warehouse. They do not know about this warehouse but the info came from a trusted source. Taking this chance to raid and get rid of Apoo is hard to pass by.
With Luffia's signal, they readied themselves to move to the back of the building. Franky, Brook, Sanji, and Robin are with them while the rest are waiting at their vehicle as their backup. They never know when they will be ambushed, so a certain preparation is necessary.
Looking around, Sanji feels that something is not right. It's too quiet. Their informants told them that there's an operation tonight, but they have not seen any securities from Kaido's group.
"Wait." Luffia halts, and so as her members. Looking around, she heightened her trained senses to their utmost capacity. And as if on cue, they heard gunshots fired at them.
"Shit!" Sanji curses while dropping to the ground before finding a place to use as a shield.
With the sudden attack, they find themselves being approached by several people at once. Not just any people, but the Cipher Pol themselves.
"They want us dead, huh? Yohohoho!" Brook even had the guts to laugh at this situation while defending himself. All of them wear bulletproof vests, which add a layer of protection for firearms. With the bullets rendered ineffective, Cipher Pol decided to use knives instead.
Mano a mano.
"Why am I not surprised?" Sanji curses under his breath while dodging the punches and kicks he's receiving.
The Cipher Pol is thinking that if they continue to use firearms, they might accidentally hit the warehouse which is full of bombs at the moment. That would be dangerous because not only will Strawhats be put in danger, so will they.
Unsurprisingly, Luffia is now facing her best friend, Zoro. She internally sighs. Why must Zoro be her opponent? Why did Zoro have to accept this job?
These questions won't have any answers and she wishes they would. She may be able to stomach hurting other people, but not Zoro. Never him.
With close combat, Zoro is using his two sharp swords, swinging to kill. Luffia is doing her best to avoid getting hit by it that she didn't notice that they're now quite separated from the others. The open space of the parking lot gave Zoro a bit of freedom to move around. But Luffia is quick on her feet.
Luffia is about to prepare herself for another attack when Zoro stopped.
"You..." He said, growling. "You're not serious, aren't you?"
Luffia remained silent, looking so intently at the man in front of her. Her eyes are hidden thanks to the hood that she's using. If Zoro were to see her eyes, he might have recognized the person he's killing.
"Get serious, why don't you? I am trying to kill you. Shouldn't you also try to kill me to defend yourself?"
"I cannot." She finally answers with the voice hidden by the voice changer she has.
Her answer must have surprised Zoro but he does not have the time nor the luxury to accommodate his curiosity towards Strawhat. He reminded himself why he came here, to end Strawhat and end this deal once and for all.
Just in time for a few people to surround her. Alert with the sudden people coming from behind her, Luffia readies her gun to defend herself.
"Great! The great Strawhat is here!" Then, she hears a gun clicking sound. Apoo's smile is like an evil incarnate while pointing the gun at her.
Zoro who was fighting Strawhat frowned. He is not aware that Apoo and his men will join him in this fight. But he should have expected this. After all, this is Cipher Pol who's behind this project.
The last few hunts they did were never successful. Cipher Pol must be so desperate to get Strawhat out of the way if they planned this without telling him.
Or was there any other reason? He feels like there's more to this operation than he meets the eye. Still, work is work. His mission is to kill Strawhat.
"I bet you didn't expect this, did you?" Apoo feels like he's cornering Strawhat now. His pent-up stress from the people attacking him from the sidelines, Strawhat included, has turned into a massive thorn in his mind, eating it away. What he wants now is bloodshed to lessen his enemies. After all, there's nothing more rewarding than seeing his enemies die at his hands.
"Apoo. He's mine to kill." Zoro intervenes.
"Oh, shut it." Apoo dismisses him. "Any last words?"
Luffia only holds her head up. Despite her small stature, she never felt intimidated by this group. And her confidence was noticed by Zoro.
From Zoro's perspective, Strawhat is surrounded. They're outnumbered. His men are fighting against the Cipher Pol now, and who knows, they might be dead. But he remains calm. Why?
Even Apoo is sensing that something is not right. Strawhat is standing there, and despite towering over him, Apoo feels as if he's being looked down on. This operation is supposed to drag Strawhats to their graves. His expectation when they corner Strawhat now is that he should see him begging for his life. Or at least an ounce of fear.
But there's nothing.
Instead, Apoo feels the fear slowly creeping into his mind when he felt footsteps coming from behind him.
"Well, well, well. Look, what do we have here?" That voice is very familiar, not just to Apoo, but to Zoro as well.
All eyes are on the newcomers. Four men, armed with guns and knives, looking so deadly. All guns are pointed at Apoo and his men.
"W-What?! Why are you here?"
"Guess?" Kidd must have looked like a devil incarnate in front of Apoo right now, like the grim reaper ready to rip his soul. Apoo is not stupid. He turns his head towards Strawhats who's arms are comfortably crossed in front of his chest, then to Zoro who is just silent despite the curiosity in his mind why Kidd's group is here, then to the direction of where the Cipher Pol members are.
Panic spreads in Apoo's face while trying to piece the ideas together. And it won't be hard to guess what it is.
He's been set up.
The plan the Cipher told him is that they will deal with Strawhat. Little did he know that they are just dragging him to a possible graveyard.
Looking at Apoo's panicked expression, Kidd licks his lips. Finally, he can get his revenge against this traitor. The red-haired man was about to deliver his punishment when two of the Cipher Pol members arrived.
"Eustass! Where is Blue?! We told you to lead him to a specific place!"
"Oh, him? I don't know where he is." His lazy attitude irked the Cipher Pol members who did not even cast a glance at Apoo who finally knew what he was traded for.
It was a trade of his life in exchange for Kidd leading Blue to the Cipher Pol.
"Kidd Eustass!"
"Don't raise your voice against me. Weren't we clear about our transaction? I will lead Blue to the place you mentioned. I told him to go there. But whether he goes or not is out of my scope anymore. You didn't tell me to forcefully bring him there, yeah?"
Cipher Pol members looked at Kidd's smirking face. They've been outsmarted! The plan is to assign Cipher Pol 9 members to a place where Kidd will bring Blue while the other Cipher Pol agents will deal with Strawhat in this warehouse. The place they told Kidd is half an hour away from here. It's past 10 PM and there are still no signs of Eustass' presence with Blue.
The agents dealing with Strawhats received a call and they just found out that Kidd arrived here.
No Blue of the Revolutionary Army at all. So, where is he?
When they were about to ask Kidd again, they heard a bomb going off miles away. It came from the direction where they were supposed to get rid of Blue.
"Eustass!"
Kidd could care less what the Cipher Pol members will do. All he came here is to deal with Apoo.
"Mafia Hunter! Get rid of Eustass first! We will deal with Strawhats later!"
Hearing the command, Zoro raises an eyebrow at them. If there's one thing he hates the most, it's the fact that someone is commanding him to do something he is not supposed to.
"Our cooperation only involves me helping get rid of Strawhats. Not Eustass' group. Deal with him yourself." With that, he sprints to attack Strawhat who is standing comfortably on the side as if he finds the situation so amusing.
Ignoring the curses of the Cipher Pol members, Zoro glances at Kidd who nods at him, appreciating his decision not to dip into the issue of Cipher Pol and Kidd. Besides, he and Kidd go way back. He is not a fool to destroy that mutual respect they have.
With this in mind, he goes after Strawhat who is now running away from the area. Cipher Pol will be busy dealing with Kidd and his group as well as Blue. Now, Zoro's looking forward to fighting Strawhat without the nuisance.
This leaves about 6 Cipher Pol members, some of which are busy dealing with the members of Strawhats along with Kidd and Apoo's group.
It's a battle royale.
"You will regret doing this, Eustass!"
"Is that so? I did my part of the deal. Whether he falls in your trap or not is no longer my problem." Kidd briefly signals his other members to deal with the Cipher Pol members while he deals with Apoo.
To his surprise, the Cipher Pol members backed away. They're pretty smart in doing so. Since the situation escalated already due to the betrayal of Kidd, what they were hoping for is to get rid of him first, then Apoo. Strawhats will most likely escape, but they can regroup and target them again.
It's just that Zoro was clear he didn't have any intention of fighting Kidd. Now, the Cipher Pol is weighing the situation. They can fight their way through but not like this when they do not know whether Kidd still has reinforcements somewhere.
Given he chose to side with Blue, the Cipher Pol may get wiped out tonight. The odds are against them, not the mention Apoo is already looking at them as enemies. The previous transactions are now damaged.
All because of Eustass Kidd.
They should have been careful when dealing with Kidd. They thought that after the threats they issued against him, he would side with them, after all, what will he get from siding with Blue?
For now, they can only back away and regroup.
"Running away now?" A voice rings from the sidelines. All eyes are now directed to the newcomer but the blue-cloaked person turned to Kidd. "I'll handle these two. You can get your prize now."
Blue was talking about Apoo's group.
"Of course." As Kidd attacks Apoo, the other Strawhat members are now rushing to them with the Cipher Pol agents chasing after them. All wounded, but still alive.
"Blue, you're here!" Prince's voice softens as soon as his eyes laid on Blue.
"Good, you're all still alive."
This reunion is cut short when the Cipher Pol agents fire at them. From fists now it turned into a fire of bullets. Cipher Pol turned mad at the situation they never expected.
Lucci, one of the agents, is cursing Eustass as well as Blue. Not to mention Strawhats who were just stalling them earlier. No wonder, they were waiting for Blue to arrive.
"We fall back now." He called the order to the remaining members. He purposely went towards the building behind them where several grenades and explosives are stored. Neither Strawhats nor Blue will fire at them for fear of causing a massacre that will involve their lives. This is the reason that they never fired back earlier.
"Are we going to let them go?" Franky asks.
"We don't have a choice now," Sanji responds. With Cipher Pol retreating, they turned their attention towards Apoo's group who are facing Kidd's wrath.
Sab stands tall beside Sanji while staring at Kidd with a complicated expression hidden underneath her guise while remembering their conversation a few days back.
Sab is shocked when she happens to see one of Kidd's men outside a World Government facility. After that cooperation previously, she steered clear of their path, avoiding it at all cost.
But it seems they are looking for her.
"Blue." Killer calls out.
"What do you want from me?"
"Kidd has something to tell you."
She contemplated on what it was that Kidd wants to say. At first, she thought that this is a bad idea. But at the back of her mind, she is curious. And she may be hesitant to admit it, but she wants to see him as well.
Even if he doesn't know that it's her, she finds joy in seeing him up-close.
At the time she showed up in his headquarters, Kidd didn't beat around the bush.
"Cooperate with me." The same haughty attitude of his that made her snort out loud.
"What cooperation?"
"Apoo. I want Apoo's head."
"And? What will I get from this cooperation?"
"Cipher Pol." That took Sab's attention. Kidd smirks when Blue is silent, so he continues. "It's very simple. You just need to outsmart them. They asked me to lead you to a trap. Well, that's up to you if you will fall in that trap, or if they will."
"That's tempting." She starts. "But why? Why are you selling them out to me? Don't tell me you want to be on their hit list that badly?" This time, it's Kidd's turn to snort in amusement.
"I've always been on their hit list. All Mafia Groups are. We've always been enemies with them. Besides, I'd rather cooperate with you than with them. Who knows what kind of trap they will do for me next?"
Sab nods at his words but is still perplexed.
"You're willing to trust me more than you trust them? What if I don't show up?"
"It's your loss then. Not mine. I could go after Apoo anytime without them helping me, but you cannot go after them anytime because that operative is slippery than you expect them to be. Right? So, let's cooperate again, Blue of the Revolutionary Army."
For all the years Sab knew Kidd, she knows that he's still hiding something. This is too good to be true. In this cooperation, he's losing out a bit. If Sab gets several Cipher Pol members dead, Kidd might have Apoo's head, but at the risk of angering the World Government task force.
"What else do you want for this cooperation?"
Kidd is visibly surprised that Blue was able to read his mind and intention. He was planning to place a second condition to him as soon as he agreed. But seems like he underestimated Blue's intelligence.
"I want you to guard someone."
"Guard?"
"Yes. Guard this person till I find the right time to kill her myself. Cipher Pol will go after her and kill her, but that's not what I want. I want her dead by my hands."
Sab can't help but feel a headache coming through. Even without asking Kidd, she has an idea of who he's referring to. Regardless, she still asked who.
"Atty. Sab Regor. I reckon you recognize this name?"
"If you want her dead, shouldn't you be rejoicing that your enemies will kill her in your stead?"
Kidd's glares are like daggers directed at Blue. Sab can feel these glares penetrating her heart.
"I will kill her myself! I won't allow anyone to kill her!"
That's how it went. Sab doesn't know whether to laugh or cry at the situation. Kidd asked Blue to guard Sab. Just how hilarious is that?
Nevertheless, she agreed. Now, she watches on the sidelines how Kidd is beating the hell out of Apoo in a one-on-one fight. Apoo's members are also in a sorry state. They are outnumbered by the Kidd's group.
"That gotta hurt." Sanji groans beside Sab while pointing at the scene in front. Apoo's mouth is busted up, bleeding from the number of punches that Kidd threw. In a one-on-one fight, it's expected that Apoo won't win, not with Kidd's fame when it comes to a brawl.
"He deserves it."
Kidd grabbed Apoo's collar and sent him flying to the wall. Seems like the red-haired man is finally letting out his frustration and anger from the failed cooperation with Apoo that led to a betrayal.
"Two fucking years! Two fucking years! I spent that time in that prison because of you!" Each word weighs down on Apoo with the Kidd's fists. Even if the former is at the brink of losing consciousness, Kidd made sure he's awake to feel the pain.
"Y-You - " Before Apoo can form a word, the punch came too fast. Kidd's hands are donned with several rings that it added to the impact of the punch. It's torture to be a punching bag when you know you will die anyway.
Apoo's members are shot dead by the members of Kidd's group. No mercy. All of this happened in front of Apoo's eyes. He's surrounded with no escape route but death. He coughed up some blood, staining the hard floor.
"Who has the last laugh now?"
Even in this state, Apoo can still smirk. Kidd badly wants to see him suffer, to see his despair but contrary to what he desires, Apoo's just mocking him.
"Heh~" Apoo smirks, blood dripping from his mouth. "Dying... is natural in this world. H-haha! B-But at least, I didn't get betrayed by my lover." Kidd's body is shaking and he punched Apoo before kicking him on the ground. "W-Who is the i-idiot now? Y-You got fooled by that lover of yours. Haha! W-who knows, she might be spreading her legs to some fuckers and to toy with them just like what she did to y-you."
The Strawhat members all looked at Blue who remained silent. Sab's hands are clenched tightly while listening to Apoo's rants. She badly wants to refute his words, yet she chose to keep her silence.
"You motherfucker!" Kidd threw another punch. His anger is flaring. Was it because Apoo mentioned Sab? Or was it because of the last sentence he said? "Those are your last words? Fine! Remember your words while you're dying."
Kidd turned to his members.
"Make sure he has nothing in his body. Get rid of his clothes if you need to." They are all quick to get Apoo from the ground who is a the brink of losing his consciousness. "Bury him alive."
"Y-You... Does it hurt K-Kidd? Atty. Sab is laughing out loud now. S-She made f-fool out of you. Haha! See? You're angry."
Instead of being furious, Kidd only smirked. He knows what Apoo is trying to do. He's riling up Kidd so the red-haired will kill him. He'd rather die than suffer for who knows how long.
"No matter what you do, you will be buried alive. Say whatever you want." He turned to his men. "Make sure he won't commit suicide. And make sure he is conscious while you bury him."
To prevent Apoo from committing suicide, they tied a rope in his mouth. He might bite his tongue and die. Kidd won't have that. With the strength left in him, Apoo struggled but to no avail.
Kidd turns his attention to Blue and the Strawhat members. Enemies, they may be, but this is not the time to add pain in the ass to his list.
"I'll have to trouble you all to do the cleanup here. I have matters to attend to."
As soon as Kidd's group left, Sanji expresses his distaste for how he handled everything. Not to mention that he will be killing someone in one of the most brutal ways possible.
"We should also leave now. We don't want to be here when the Cipher Pol sends reinforcements." Robin breaks the silence.
"Sure. We can go. But what about Luffia?" Franky spoke. All of them blinked and just remembered that Luffia ran towards who knows where while being chased by the Mafia Hunter, Zoro.