I don't like you!

by BloodyMarryMe

By pure chance and unluckiness Miyako finds herself at the Sabaody auction house as a slave. And of all the people, the one interested just had to be the most smug, egoistical and sadistic pirate she has ever met. So at least she can give him as much trouble as possible, right? LawXOC

68. Chapter 68

'I don't like you' by BoodyMarryMe

Hello everyone! So Dressrosa Arc has come to an end, though ours here is just starting. :P I can't wait to meet all the Heart Pirates in the manga now that they've reached Zo!

Also, whoot! Over 1000 reviews! I feel like I've unlocked an achievement or something. XD It's really amazing, especially since I never thought my story would become this popular. It's been a hell of a ride, these past three years of writing, and I'm glad I stuck to it for all this time. Mostly, I have you guys to thank for it since I wouldn't be so motivated to continue writing if it weren't for my amazing and supportive readers. So a big Doumo Arigatou shout to all of you out there! Thanks for sticking by this story all this time, and being patient with my super slow updating pace. :')

I don't want to bore you with the sappy stuff too much, so I'll just shut up now and start the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rated T for language, violence, blood and suggestive themes.

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CHAPTER 68

The samurai sighed as she stared all the way up at the palace walls, only then realizing how high their fall actually was. „We fell all the way down...now we have to run back to the top to deal with Doflamingo again...such a pain." She clicked her tongue in annoyance, making a soft tsk sound.

Glancing back down at her captain who was being helped by Violet and Luffy back into an upright position and out of the heart throne, the girl suddenly remembered an important factor and frowned. She walked over to him, her expression a mixture of angst and worry. "Are you alright?" Seeing his wounds, that finally stopped bleeding but were still quite serious, she could see he was far from ok. He would survive as it wasn't life threatening, but the injuries were still severe enough to weaken the man. For some reason Doflamingo wanted Law alive, which is why he purposely missed any of the man's vitals when shooting him. It was enough to incapacitate him, yet not kill him.

Trafalgar nodded at her question, clearing his throat as his dry voice made it hard for him to speak. Or perhaps it was the pain from his injuries. "I'll be fine."

The girl sighed in relief, her face a bit calmer. "Good…" Then suddenly her demeanor changed completely, as an angry expression replaced her previous serene one. She smacked his shoulder hard enough for the sound to reach everyone's ears. "What were you thinking?! Didn't we agree not to take on Doflamingo one on one, yet that's exactly what you did! Do you have a death wish!?" Part of her didn't want to hear the answer to her final question, because she feared what it might be. Knowing her captain's engrossment with Doflamingo and his revenge, she already knew how far he was willing to go just to end the older Shichibukai. Just as she feared, Law was blinded by his revenge.

His gaze darkened at her rising tone, not liking how she was speaking to him. Right now they were supposed to be the captain and his subordinate, but she was acting like some angry spouse instead. He pulled his lips into a thin line as he kept quiet, not intending to answer any of her accusations. Instead, he decided to focus on more important matters. "Forget about that. More importantly, Strawhat-ya, don't you have the key to my handcuffs. Quickly, release me!" He glanced behind his crewmate and towards the captain boy who was still watching the fall they just made.

*He's ignoring me!?* Miyako's fists clenched into balls as she seethed with rage. *Oh, just you wait, this is far from over Trafalgar Law! You are not getting out of this conversation so easily!* Before she had time to give her captain a piece of her mind, a scream interrupted them.

Not a second after, the ground started to shake violently as a rumbling sound like thunder filled the air. Already sick of all the sudden occurrences that seemed to throw them from the frying pan and into the fire every time, the samurai threw her hands into the air. "Oh, what now!?" She shouted in frustration as the earthquake refused to calm down and only got worse.

"Whoa, the ground is rising!" Luffy pointed towards the palace and everyone gaped at the unusual sight. The mountain the castle was standing atop, was rising higher into the air and moving along with the rocks, trees, stone and everything else on it. It was rising further away from them, bursting into the clouds.

"It must be Pica again! As long as he's here, we can't get close to Doflamingo!" Violet announced, watching the castle move as if it suddenly came alive. Only one man could do such a thing, using his paramecia devil fruit powers, and he easily moved the massive mountain further from the city.

"It's still changing! The Flower filed it stretching out," King Riku announced, as the new-formed terrain engulfed the town.

"Citizens of Dressrosa and guests..." A new voice echoed throughout the city, carried to every panic-filled corner of the country via den den mushi. The voice talked over the screams of the controlled citizens with a disturbingly calm tone, as if completely ignoring the ignited chaos. It didn't take long before screens appeared all over Dressrosa, showing the sneering face of Doflamingo through the video transponder snails. All eyes were glued to the screens, listening carefully to the King of the country as he addressed his subjects.

~…..~

The office tower was a mess of confusion and battle as all the worker toys suddenly shifted back into their human forms, revealing angered pirates and Dressrosa warriors. The Family henchmen quickly tried to control the situation by attacking the formers slaves while they were still confused, which brought on a struggle between the two groups. Robin, Rebecca, Bartolomeo, Hack, Koala, Sabo and a very injured Usopp found themselves in the middle of that mess, along with some of the Tontatta dwarfs. They were a peculiar group altogether; pirates, revolutionaries and Dressrosa residents, all working together to bring down one enemy; the Donquixote Family.

"They're coming!" Robin crossed her arms in front of her elegantly and called out, "Veinte Fleur – Twist!" As she used her devil fruit powers, more than twenty hands bloomed out of the incoming enemies, two arms grabbing each of the masked soldiers and twisting their backs until a crack was heard from their bones. With a loud and painful yelp, the men fell to the ground, writhing in pain from their dislodged spines.

"G-gwahh…somebody…save me…" The sniper of the Strawhats was barely speaking, only softly crying in terror to himself, as he laid there helplessly while the soldiers ran to attack him. Rebecca stepped protectively in front of the savior who helped the whole SOP operation succeed, even if she didn't know it yet, and prepared her sword for a fight. Before she had a chance to use it, a hot flame engulfed the incoming enemies, burning their bodies to a crisp.

Sabo closed one hand into a fist, letting the fire retreat back to its master. He stumbled from surprise as a wind rose from the fire, enveloping his whole arm before it disappeared again. "Whoa, I need to get used to this," the young revolutionary commented, still getting the hang of his new devil fruit abilities. *You're really something Ace…you managed to control so much power so easily.* The young man smirked at that thought, excited about the awaiting challenge of taming this fire.

"Who…?" He heard an uncertain voice and raised his head to see the pink-haired girl, still in her gladiator armor, staring at him with unease. He felt a bit guilty when he realized he must've surprised her, especially now that he shed all that armor from the coliseum fights and was back in his usual attire.

The blonde gave his best smile and tipped his top-hat in a form of a greeting. "Ah, that's right, we were never really introduced properly. We didn't really have time after we fell through the arena."

"Don't you mean; after you completely blew up the arena?" Koala corrected him with narrow eyes, which made Sabo smile sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head innocently.

After they fell through the coliseum, a result from Sabo's Fire Fist attack, along with the other competition members, the group ended up in the basement of the office tower where they, be it by fate or coincidence, encountered some of the Strawhats along with the Tontatta soldiers. Hack and Koala followed suit, jumping into the dark hole that led into the underground. There, they were met with a strange sight as toys turned into rowdy pirates, fighting the Family soldiers and one of the officers – Trebol.

"My name is Sabo and we are from the revolutionary army! Luffy…or Lucy, as you know him, is my younger brother," he grinned to the young girl, his smile beaming with pride as he spoke about his brother, the future Pirate King.

"That's all nice, but we should move out. The black market is here and we need to find those weapons," Koala reminded the others, though she already explained why the revolutionary army has come to Dressrosa.

"Koala is right. Talk later, we need to fight through these small-fry first," Hack added in his usual serious tone. The man was always so rigid and focused, especially during missions.

Sabo, however, didn't mind it at all. He nodded, a slight smile still lingering on his lips. "Right!" He grabbed his steel pipe and spun it easily in one hand, increasing the strength of its blow when he finally struck one of the henchmen, hitting him on the underside of the chin and sending him flying into the air.

Just as he finished hitting another enemy in the stomach, the den den mushi around the room activated and a large screen appeared before them all. The blonde Shichibukai appeared on it, grinning as he spoke into the transponder snail. "I should have ruled you with terror from the start." The pirates and the Family men stopped the fighting momentarily as they all listened to Doflamingo's next words. "Now that you know the truth, I'm sure many of you want to kill me. So I prepared a game for all of you…a game to kill me!"

Sabo's eyes narrowed suspiciously, his smile leaving his scarred features as he listened to the broadcast. He could tell it would be something twisted as soon as Doflamingo mentioned a "game."

The sneering man continued, "I'm in the Royal Palace. I won't run or hide, and if you manage to kill me, of course the game is over. But there is another way to end the game…If you kill all the people I'm about to name, the game will be over! I'll also prepare a reward for every one of these people!"

Sabo could feel the bad feeling rise in his gut more and more, as the Shichibukai continued to talk. He frowned at the screen in front of him.

"Kill or be killed! All the people of this country are now hunters! If you want to be saved, you have no choice but to take someone's head!"

Rebecca gasped behind him, her eyes still glued to the screen in disbelief as she listened to the horror unfolding before her. As soon as they saw the names and pictures presented through the screen, they knew what Doflamingo's plan was.

"How twisted…," Robin commented in a disapproving tone, which was clear even behind her naturally calm façade.

"That bastard! He's going to use people's fear for his own gain, to try and take us down!" Bartolomeo added, glaring angrily at the screen.

That's when Sabo noticed the atmosphere around them change. He gazed around them and noticed they were suddenly surrounded by the other pirates that were previously toy soldiers. However, the pirates' expressions now lacked the gratitude they felt only minutes before. Instead, a darker, more sinister look graced their features. Suddenly, the pirates were staring at them with different eyes. The blonde revolutionary realized what the men were after in a matter of seconds, knowing they just made even more enemies than they had a second before. Doflamingo's plan was working.

~…..~

"Isshou-san, the communication has been cut off with other towns, but it appears like everywhere is the same!" One of the marine soldiers reported to the admiral.

The said Wano samurai stayed quiet, making the marine unsure if he even heard him, while he dealt with the situation surrounding them. He unsheathed his sword and made a few cuts on the ground, before piercing the cobbler stone and using his powers of gravity. The ravaging pirates and controlled citizens suddenly fell onto the ground, unable to get up as the force of the gravity held them down. Fujitora sheathed his sword back into its wooden covers and turned towards the talking figure on the large screen. He could hear Doflamingo's voice echo through it, certain that the whole country was receiving the same message. The marine admiral could hear the grin in the man's tone as he spoke of his disturbing 'game'.

"No one will come to save you! Nobody can escape the birdcage! It's impossible to call outside, either. You will simply die and no one outside will even notice. Your neighbors will go crazy and continue killing people at random. You can run away and hide, but there is no safe place inside the 'birdcage!' Will you all die first or end this game before that happens?! However…if you punish those 13 fools that opposed the Donquixote family, you may yet live! A hundred million Beri for each star!"

Isshou clenched his katana tighter in his hand as he heard the names being listed over the den den mushi. His expression hardened as the frown deepened on his face, creating new creases of old age. "Doflamingo...even as the Heavenly Yaksha, how dare you use this country as your own playground? Is the power of the Tenryuubito really without consequences?"

"Admiral?" The marine soldier came closer questioningly, hearing Fujitora mumble something.

"Can you hear it soldier..? This country is crying." The admiral answered in a solemn voice, ignoring the puzzled marine beside him. "We need to save these people." Unfortunately, the fastest way to do so was to stop this game, and Doflamingo already gave them the way out. The pirate alliance between Trafalgar Law and Monkey D. Luffy had to fall; only then will Doflamingo cease this insanity. Fujitora felt a bitter taste in his mouth since he knew had to follow this World's logic instead of his own heart that told him to stop Doflamingo at any cost. But his orders as the Navy admiral were different. Since he couldn't go after the Shichibukai, he had to aim for the next best thing that would stop the birdcage; the pirates. A small sliver of guilt appeared in the man's heart as he thought of Miyako, but there was no other choice. This world was forcing his hand to act. So the guilt was buried, deep under his determination to bring forth justice, which was his duty.

~…..~

Miyako gasped when she saw her picture along with the other 12, displayed across the whole screen. She saw two stars next to her face as the letters read "Heart Pirate: Burning-Eyed Miyako." "No way…even me?"

The answer came from Law who was standing behind her, his hands still cuffed behind his back, but the cuffs momentarily forgotten. "Doflamingo knows you are a part of my crew….he would hurt you just to teach me a lesson. He won't let anyone who opposes him get away with it…that's how he's always been." There was a dark hatred masked behind his collected tone, memories of Corazon fresh in his mind once more, as he was reminded of his bloody childhood after seeing the birdcage. Suddenly, it was all coming back to him when Doflamingo revealed his true nature to the world, just like he did when Law was still a child.

The Shichibukai on the screen continued, still not finished announcing his distorted game that showed exactly how corrupt the man truly was. "And finally, the evil man who started all of this. Who is to blame for this whole game…The one who takes his head will get 500,000 000 Beri! 'God' Usopp!" The Strawhats' sniper appeared on the screen in all his glory.

"Wahahahahaha! Usopp!" For some reason Luffy found that hilariously funny as he clutched his sides, laughing at the title along with Usopp's serious picture on the screen.

"Why are you finding this funny!?" Trafalgar yelled back at the captain boy, unable to control his frustration with how happy-go-lucky the boy was. As if Strawhat didn't even understand the situation they were currently in.

Miyako sweat-dropped, unable to say anything as she watched the Strawhat boy laugh his ass off. *Well…it's not like I don't see the irony in it.*

Purupurupuru puru puru puru

The den den mushi in Roronoa's pocket suddenly called out. The girl only now realized Zoro was with them, probably kicked out of the castle by Pica, like the rest of them. The swordsman pulled out the den den mushi from his trousers and answered.

First thing they heard from the other side was a loud explosion and shouts in the background, before Robin's voice broke through. "Zoro? Are you there?"

Before the green-hair could answer, Luffy yelled into the device. "Robin! Did you also see that transmission!? That Mingo, damn him! Though Usopp's part was pretty funny…Anyway, even Rebecca was there! Is she ok?"

The woman waited patiently for her captain's rush of words to end before she responded. "Yes, I'm here with Rebecca, Usopp, Sabo-kun and a few others. Kin'emon-san also joined us."

"Luffy-dono! I am still searching for Kanjuro for unfortunately I have not found the toy house area just yet!" The familiar gruff voice of the samurai yelled into the den den mushi, before it was replaced by another.

"I'm here Lucy!" Rebecca's voice cut Robin and Kin'emon off as she shouted into the den den mushi. She sounded out of breath as if she was running while talking.

Luffy smiled cheerfully, his grin spreading from one ear to the other as he heard her voice. "Nice timing! Soldier is also here!" He looked round in search for him, only to blink in confusion. "He's gone?"

"Lucy…" Rebecca's voice trembled as she spoke in a much softer voice now. Almost as if she was afraid to ask. "Mister soldier also turned into a human, right? What...what kind of person is he?"

The boy kept quiet for a while, his expression serious, yet almost puzzled. "What do you mean?" His voice became stronger as he continued, "That one-legged soldier is your father! He's the same as that bronze statue we looked at!"

The voice on the other side grew silent, before it was replaced by an occasional sob. The den den mushi followed every expression of the person on the other side, its eyes watery as it transmitted the sniffs to Luffy. The Strawhat continued, knowing she was still on the line. "Listen, Rebecca, don't cry yet! I won't let him die, so you must take care too! Sorry I couldn't give you the mera mera fruit you wanted to eat. In exchange, I'll definitely kick Doflamingo's ass, so you stay close to my friends! I'll end this game right away, so stay alive, ok!?"

"U-Un!" The crying voice from the other side only managed that much of an answer, but Rebecca wiped away her tears.

As the chat between Luffy and Robin continued, Miyako was swept away into her own thoughts. She was a bit surprised by the Strawhat captain. He was usually acting so easy-gong, always fooling around, so this side of him was quite new to her. She thought his sole focus was beating Doflamingo because the Shichibukai just angered him, but there was more to it; much like there is more to Monkey D. Luffy than meets the eye. He wasn't just focused on beating Doflamingo, but also saving his friends and helping this wounded country. He was even more invested in this operation than she originally thought. That notion somehow motivated Miyako as well, a new desire igniting in her heart; an aspiration to help this country and its people. Wicca and the rest of Tontatta dwarfs, Kyros, the controlled citizens who cried in pain and terror, Viola and the rest of the royal family that suffered for the past 10 years, the Strawhats, and finally…Law. All of them flashed in Miyako's mind, her determination rising as she wanted to help them all.

She was brought out of her musings when one of the sources of her newfound inspiration spoke up. Trafalgar turned to the other captain, staring him down with his knowing eyes. It seemed, unlike Miyako, he wasn't quite pleased where Luffy's train of thought was leading them. "Strawhat-ya! My strategy was to leave Doflamingo alive to make him clash with Kaido. If you kill him now, then Kaido's rage for destroying the SMILE factory will all fall upon us! We'll have to fight directly against one of the Yonkou!"

However, the younger pirate had no intention of backing down now. He already made up his mind a long time ago; he will end Doflamingo here and today! "We can talk about that later!" The boy was dead serious as he stared back at the other captain, angry about even considering the idea of leaving this country behind. "Look at this country! Do you know what will happen if I stop now!?" The question was obviously rhetorical, since everyone already knew the answer to it. Indeed, Miyako had never seen Monkey D. Luffy so serious before.

The Dark Doctor kept quiet, already realizing there was nothing he could say that would change the boy's mind. He still glared at Strawhat, but kept quiet, only pulling his lips into a displeased frown once again.

"It appears the boy made up his mind already," Miyako broke the silence with a soft statement, giving Law a knowing smile. They both knew the dice had been cast a long time ago, and there was no going back now. Besides, Miyako couldn't go against Luffy's words even if she wanted to. After all, it was this same determination that made Strawhat change their plans and go save Law instead when the other was injured. He could have just continued with Trafalgar's plan, ignoring what happened with her captain, or even break off the alliance all together because it became too troublesome. Yet he did none of it, and Miyako was eternally grateful to him for that. Now the boy showed that same loyalty towards saving Dressrosa, so how could the samurai deny him that?

"Hmpf, "the surgeon huffed, letting go of some of his irritation with the boy as he finally conceded to Luffy's demands. "Then…what is your plan of action?"

"That's fine!" The younger captain put his hands on his hips as he showed Law his most confident look, completely sure of himself as if he had a bullet-proof plan. "I'll just kick Mingo's ass!"

"That's no plan at all!" The dark doctor yelled back in disbelief, his previously appeasing frustration returning tenfold.

"It'll work out somehow!" Strawhat continued, his assured voice never wavering.

"Stop with those generic statements!" The Surgeon of Death bit back, a vein in his forehead starting to pulsate from strain.

Viola and King Riku just kept glancing from one pirate to the other, drops of sweat trailing down their foreheads as they anxiously wondered if these people can really help Dressrosa.

"For now, let's just head over to the palace where Doflamingo is," Zoro suggested, ignoring the banter between the two captains. He was so used to Luffy's frivolous, yet stubborn personality that he was completely unfazed by the simple way his brain worked.

The samurai girl nodded in agreement.

"Before that, Strawhat-ya, release me from there handcuffs," the captain moved his hands, making the kairoseki handcuffs jiggle with every movement.

"Ah, about that…," Violet started, her voice unsettled all of a sudden. "When we fell, it seems I lost the key…I'm sorry," the woman apologized profoundly, feeling guilty about her blunder.

Trafalgar gritted his teeth in annoyance. "Fine. Miss Miyako, you can just cut it, no?"

The girl was about to say something, when Luffy cut her off. "There's no time, we need to move!" Before anyone could protest, Strawhat grabbed Miyako and pulled her on his back like before, then pulled both Zoro and Law under one arm. "They'll just come off eventually!" The boy concluded matter-of-factly before jumping off of the small cliff they were standing on and towards King's Plateau.

"There's no way that's possible!" The Surgeon of Death yelled, his angry voice ripping through the sky as they rose into the air and flew through it, the wind rushing into their faces from the speed.

~…..~

"Kyaa!" A woman screamed in tears, holding her child protectively as a pirate towered over them, sword in hand. The man didn't seem like a cut-throat murderer, nor was he grinning with satisfaction as he threatened the woman and her child. Instead, he looked as terrified and confused as they did while he fruitlessly struggled to take back control over his body. It was of no use and the arm holding the sharp blade wouldn't listen to him at all.

"I-I'm sorry! I don't want to do this!" He shouted out completely in contrast with his actions. "I can't control myself!"

Just as the weapon swung down onto the woman, who still held onto her crying little boy to protect him, two pink hands sprouted from the pirate's arm and held onto his wrist. The sword stopped inches away from the woman's head. Two more arms appeared on the man's legs, grabbing hold of his ankles and pulling him down onto the ground, incapacitating him momentarily.

"Are you alright?!" A tall woman with flowing black hair ran over to the woman and her child, her hands crossed in front of her chest as she still controlled the sprouting arms on the pirate, holding him down.

The boy sniffed while the woman still sobbed uncontrollably, only blankly staring at Robin with puzzled eyes.

From the other side, another girl, younger than the Raven-hair, came and helped the frightened woman up. "Come on, you should run and get somewhere safe," Koala suggested to the woman, though she already knew it was futile. There was no safe place left inside this giant death trap. Suddenly, the whole island seemed small and crowded, providing no place for people to run and hide in.

"The pirates are still after us!" Bartolomeo warned, creating a barrier to ward off incoming bullets.

Meanwhile, Sabo and Hack fought outside the barrier, fending off the attacks easily. Even if the attackers were easy to handle, there were a lot of them and the group had injured people to worry about. Some of the dwarfs were still unconscious, while other helped carry a very hurt sniper of the Strawhats. Usopp was in no condition to even run, let alone fight. The group knew they had to take care of their wounded before they could get on with the rest of their plans.

"Didn't we have more people when coming out of the basement?" Hack asked before using his speed and fishmen karate to dodge a sword before making chop attack right into the back of the neck of his assailant. Another sword came at him, but the fishman was faster. "Ha!" With the side of his palm, he hit the arm holding the weapon and then punched another pirate in the gut, sending him flying back into two more.

"Yes, that tall samurai from Wano. But he said something about finding his friend and then jumped into a deep hole," Sabo responded before unleashing his flames on three attacking pirates. He jumped into the air and used his leg, which turned into fire, to do a flip in the air and kick a large pirate on top of the head with the heel of his burning foot. "He disappeared before I could even ask anything," Sabo sighed and shrugged his shoulders with a frown. The man looked capable enough anyway, so Sabo wasn't worried. They had their own problems to attend to anyway.

He turned towards the loud voice that distracted him, seeing Bartolomeo laughing like crazy. "Hyaahahahaha! You're useless against my barrier powers! I won't let you get close to Robin-senpai!" Sabo sweat-dropped at the grinning weirdo, but decided to ignore him for now.

"We finally got to the outside, but we can't complete our mission when everyone's coming after us," Koala groaned in annoyance as she noticed the scene around them.

The town was in complete disarray. They could hear screams and fearful cries all around them as they were carried by the wind throughout Dressrosa. Citizens, pirates, marines and even animals all rampaged through the town. Neighbor fighting neighbor, a husband attacking his wife, a mother running after her child with a knife; all of them crying in pain and suffering at the horrible deeds they were being forced to commit. The whole picture looked like a scene from a horror movie, completed by occasional fire and smoke that some of the men started. The burning wildfire made the scene appear even more horrific as it casted shadows onto the walls, showing a brutal silhouette movie of people killing each other, while the light of it illuminated their crying faces. The town looked nothing like the perfect, idyllic picture it was only a few hours ago.

"It's horrible…Doflamingo was supposed to be the king of this country, yet he did this to Dressrosa," Koala shook her head as she stared at all the hurting people with sadness.

"Doflamingo was never a true king of Dressrosa! Now he just showed his true colors," Leo, the small Tontatta dwarf, answered as he watched the carnage while taking care of Usopp.

"All of these people were suffering even before that…for ten years, they've been suffering," Rebecca had to hold in a sob as she remembered her own family and everything that happened through time. The face of one particular rugged toy soldier never left her mind.

"And now we also have marines to worry about," Hack sighed. "I hear even a Navy admiral is here; Fujitora. They will surely go after the pirate alliance formed by Monkey D. Luffy and Trafalgar Law."

At this Sabo's ears perked and he turned to his comrade in interest. "Navy admiral?"

The fishman nodded. "Yes, there's no doubt he'll go after Strawhat-"

Before the man could finish his thought, the blonde revolutionary interrupted him. Sabo's expression suddenly became serious as a mysterious glint appeared in his dark eyes. "Sorry, Hack, but there's something I need to do. I'll catch up with you guys later!"

"What!? You can't just leave, what about the mission!?" Koala tried to stop the boy, but he jumped high in the air using his flame powers and was rushing away from the group before she could get a word in. "Sabo!" She called after him angrily, but there was no use. Puffing air out of her lungs angrily, the girl turned to her other comrade and put her hands on her hips. "Honestly, he's always like that! He can't stay still for a second…"

"It can't be helped now, Koala, we need to finish what we came here to do," the man reminded her, his expression not betraying whether he was also annoyed by the actions of the revolutionary general or not.

The girl nodded, still frowning at the thought of Sabo just running off like that. "He does what he pleases, but in the end, we are the ones cleaning up his messes. This time we'll be no different, I'm sure," she muttered, still frustrated. Then, taking a deep breath to calm down, she added, "But I guess it can't be helped…since it involves his brother." In the end, she did understand Sabo's thoughts, even if she didn't always condone his actions. At least he should've consulted with his two nakama and tell them where he was planning to go; even if it was obvious.

Koala's thoughts were interrupted as she heard Robin speak behind her. "What about this mission you mentioned, Koala-chan?"

The girl turned around to face her respected friend. "Oh, that's right! It's about Doflamingo's underground black market. We got information that he's into some nasty weapon trading. He sells weapons to warring countries and makes profit from their wars. We wanted to get more evidence of his acts; that's why we came to Dressrosa. Meeting Sabo's brother and all of you guys was just a luckily coincidence." The girl smiled.

"Koala, you go and finish what we started. I'll help keep the pirates off you so you can sneak away unnoticed," the fishman suggested, kicking another pirate into his side before the other could even use his gun. "I can't do much with this broken hand anyway." He showed his bandaged right hand, courtesy of pirate Bartolomeo.

The girl nodded before turning back to the raven-haired, older woman. Clapping her hands together in front of her, the revolutionary bowed her head in apology. "Sorry for leaving you like this, Robin!"

"Fufufu, it's fine, Koala-chan. It can't be helped," Robin smiled, thinking how cute the younger girl was being. The said girl ran off, leaving the Strawhats and rest of the group to continue on their way. Robin stared after the running girl for a while before turning around to catch up with the rest of them. "Listen, when the palace moved, the coliseum leveled out with the King's plateau. We can get to where Luffy and the others are by going over the Corrida Coliseum."

"Eeeeh!" Before the others could respond, Bartolomeo suddenly jumped forward, rushing over to Robin. "A-are…are you saying we can go see Luffy-senpai!?"

Robin stayed quiet, speechless really, as the man continued to mumble and fawn over the very idea of seeing her captain. She didn't really deem it necessary to respond anyway. The other pirate was too preoccupied having a small stroke from all the excitement. Tears started flowing from his eyes as he knelt on the ground, his strength drained from all the excitement. "I….I'm so habby! I'll sbee Lubby-senbai!" He managed to squeeze out his words in between sobs, though they were barely understandable from his stuffed nose.

"What's….wrong...with this…idiot…?" Usopp managed to grunt out, barely audible as the pain prevented him from raising his voice.

Suddenly in the distance they heard a great ruckus, overpowering the sounds of crying citizens and battling warriors. Dust and smoke rose from further ahead, while rumbling sounds filled the air. Dozens of footsteps could be heard as the whole crowd ran as one, shaking the ground in their hurry. It was the sound of a stampede of former toys rushing out of the basement floor and into the city.

~…..~

The highest executives of the Donquixote Family all stood gathered at the top floor of the palace. There, Doflamingo, the one who summoned them all to regroup, sat in his usual flamboyant coat of pink feathers. Despite all the miscalculations that happened in the past few hours, including Monkey D. Luffy's escape from the Colosseum that was supposed to be his final trap, and the loss of the mera mera fruit, the king of Dressrosa sat there with the usual big sneer on his features. The black sunglasses always hiding his eyes, masked his true thoughts from the world, as he presented his eternally confident self. He didn't appear bothered or even swayed by everything that happened today. Doflamingo was sure of his eventual win and he would prevail over his enemies, just like he always did. He gazed at his "Family" in front of him, here to act on his every back and call, while a whole army of their henchmen surrounded the area, ready to die for their boss. That was all his influence, his power! How could a man who can accomplish all this possibly be defeated? Doflamingo couldn't even imagine it.

"There have been a few setbacks, but nothing we can't handle. The power is still in my hands…the Birdcage is proof of that," he finally spoke up, gesturing at the chaos around the city. Not only this town, but the whole country of Dressrosa was in the palm of his hand now; ready to be crushed at his whim! He was the one behind it all, the one holding all the strings.

"Neee, neee, I'm really sorry about Sugar, Doffy!" Trebol, one of the family members who have been with him the longest, started. "I didn't think that a man completely disabled could make her lose consciousness! Would you imagine that, nee!?"

The next to complain was Diamante, as he spoke with frustration towards himself and his own failure. "Same for the mera mera fruit! How could I know that the number two of the Revolutionary army was taking part in the tournament!?"

"Hn…Even I…had some trouble with that samurai tramp, one of the Heart Pirates," Gladius muttered with clear anger in his voice, remembering how he almost lost his head to a young pirate woman.

Before Doflamingo could respond, Lao G, the oldest member of the Donquixote pirates spoke up. "Stop making excuses! You're just unsightly! UnsiGhtly! There is the G!"

The blonde Shichibukai was silent for a while, before he decided to speak, that grin still present and never faltering. "It's all in the past. Blaming you won't turn back time." For a man as merciless as he was, he showed extreme patience and understanding towards the members of his 'Family.' That is, as long as they all obeyed him and still had their use.

As he said that, everyone was impressed by his understanding nature. Even the small-fry subordinates stared up at him with respect and adoration. Whispers in the background could be heard as the men spoke highly of their boss. After his subordinates were done singing praises to their patient leader, Diamante spoke up again. "But Doffy, with everything happening, the marines are in our way. What will we do about Fujitora?"

The blonde's grin widened, spreading from ear to ear, yet there was certain malice in it. "I already talked to him. The marines won't be a problem. However, when I'm finished using him, I'll just make him vanish. I can't have him alive after everything he's witnessed. It won't be simple, but oh well…Fufufu." Even after saying that, there was no troubled tone in the man's voice. He didn't seem bothered by the marines' presence at all, even if it meant dealing with a marine admiral.

A new voice suddenly broke through the crowd, making everyone turn their heads towards its master. "Pirates and the marines…If you allow me, I'll take care of all of them for you." The voice was high and squeaky, unsuited for any human; no matter the age or gender. Even so, the family executives didn't even flinch or appear surprised by it. They were all already used to hearing such an unusual sound.

"I'll be enough alone," the man continued, stepping forward from the crowd. He was tall and muscular to the point that it looked unnatural. On his shoulders grew bones covered in skin that looked like spikes, probably formed from constantly wearing spiky shoulder guards. His face was hidden by a golden helmet, only showing two steely-looking eyes that were focused on one goal; destruction.

"Pica…" Doflamingo greeted him and grinned even wider if that was even possible.

As Doflamingo started, a chuckle was heard somewhere at the back of the group. One of the men couldn't hold the laughter in any longer, finding Pica's uncharacteristic voice too ridiculous. As soon as those few snickers came out of his mouth, everyone around him froze. The masked men standing beside him had expressions of horror on their faces as they stepped away from their comrade slowly. The man didn't understand what the change in atmosphere meant, but simply couldn't contain his laughter.

The other men tried covering up for him, trying to explain the situation, but it was too late. Every Executive of the Family was glaring at the said man, with a deadly glower in their eyes. However, the one with the deadliest stare was Pica, as he watched the laughing man with silent rage.

"P-please forgive him, Pica-sama, he's a newbie!"

"I'll kill him….I'll burry him alive in the stone!" Pica's high-pitched voice rose a note higher, if that was even possible. With seething anger, the large man clenched his fists, preparing to use his devil fruit powers and merge with the rock like before.

Before the high executive had the chance to create any more damage, Baby 5 transformed her leg into a cannon, and easily blew up the soldiers; both the one laughing and the ones trying to cover up for him. She bit down on her lit cigar and glared back at the giant man. "If you do it, not even the body will remain! It will cause trouble for his family." The reason seemed bizarre in itself, yet Pica simply accepted it as if it made perfect sense. The real reason was that Baby 5 didn't want Pica destroying the whole Plateau; a task he could easily do with his powers mixed with his temper, but saying that might have only gotten Pica more irritated.

Doflamingo didn't even move from his spot on the wall as he saw the whole scene unravel. He silently waited for the soldiers to be taken care of before he spoke again, his voice a shade darker than before. That lighthearted, amused tone from before was completely gone now. "I lost my mother at 8 and killed my father at 10…"

As he spoke, a tense atmosphere fell down onto the King's Plateau. None dared to speak anymore. "The ones with the title "Executive" or above are my "Family" whom I've shared joys and sorrows. They're the only thing I have, so I won't forgive anyone that laughs at my family! Understood!?"

All the soldiers of the Donquixote pirates gulped before they willed their mouths to open, despite the fear they were feeling after just witnessing such a gruesome sight. "Y-yes, sir!"

~….~

Miyako was once again holding onto Luffy for dear life as the four of them descended from his high jump. The wind rustled her hair wildly and she had to shut her eyes tightly from the gusts that made her eyes water and blur. "Did I mention how much I hate thiiiis!" The girl yelled to overpower the strong noise of swishing air, while they continued to fall hundreds of meters down towards the ground.

Ignoring her completely, Luffy called out to the pirates, "Hold on guys, we're going down!"

"No shit!" Miyako yelled back, making it one of the rare times she actually cursed, as she stared at the ground quickly closing in on them. That was how much she hated "flying" with Luffy through the air, suspiciously watching the hastily approaching ground beneath them. She usually liked high places, but that was slowly beginning to change now that she had to experience the 'falling-down' part as well.

The said captain gripped Law and Zoro tighter as he exclaimed the name of his new form, "Gomu gomu no Fusen!" The boy took deep gulps of air, each one widening him to unbelievable proportions, until he barely looked like a human anymore.

The group of pirates crashed down onto the stone floor, the trio bouncing off of Luffy's round stomach that deflated from the sudden pressure on it.

They managed to jump to the ground, Law still being flung over the other captain's shoulder like a sack of potatoes, while Roronoa and Miyako managed to stand up on shaky legs. "Let's never do that again…," the girl muttered, sighing in relief as they survived yet another jump, only to gasp when she realized where they landed. *Luck really isn't on our side today,* she thought with a sweat-drop as she watched dozens of their enemies surrounding them, including some of the high executives the King's daughter, Viola, warned them about.

A tall man dressed ridiculously into an outfit of a giant baby spoke first, the pacifier almost falling from his shocked mouth. "Strawhat Luffy, Trafalgar Law, Burning-eyed Miyako and Pirate Hunter Zoro!?"

The strawhat-wearing captain appeared as shocked as his enemies were, as he stared at them with wide eyes. "I fell in a bad place!"

"You don't have to worry about them, Strawhat-ya, because as soon as I get these handcuffs off, I'll kill you first!" Law was beyond angry now, not even trying to seem collected. He was treated like a piece of luggage, the boy manhandling him as if completely forgetting his serious injuries.

"I have a feeling everywhere is a bad place now," Zoro muttered, staring cautiously at their enemies.

"Exactly. After that 'game' Doflamingo started, I fear all the people of this country are our enemies now," Miyako added in a troubled tone. Just like Zoro, she had her katana out and was wary of the people surrounding them. If they made just one hostile move towards them, the samurai was ready to act in response.

In a flash, Luffy made a decision. "Anyway, let's run for now!"

The other pirates nodded, starting to run from the small square they were standing on. The only problem was that each pirate ran in a different direction when they moved. Strawhat realized Zoro was not following him and yelled first, "Zoro, not there!"

Still fuming, the Surgeon of Death responded, seeing the boy was going into a completely wrong direction as well, "Not here either, Strawhat-ya!"

The only one who had it right was Miyako and she soon turned around when she noticed the absence of other pirates' presences. She gaped in shock when she saw both Luffy and Zoro were going their own way…in completely wrong directions. "What the hell are you guys doing?!" They didn't have time for this, the enemy was right behind them! As soon as the Executives got over their shock from the sudden intrusion, they started chasing after the pirate group.

Miyako watched as a round man in a too-tight unitard with hypnotizing symbols on it jumped high into the air, seemingly weightless for his size, before he crashed back down onto the ground with a weight of ten tons. The rock broke where he fell, creating a small crater, and almost taking Luffy and Law down in the process. Luckily, the nimble pirate boy was able to dodge, still holding the Dark Doctor securely over his shoulder. Even so, the boy had trouble moving as the giant-baby man swam through the ground with haste, grabbing a hold of the pirate's ankles. The last Executive, a young teenager of no more than 16, took that opportunity to try and kick Strawhat right in the face with his high-heels. Luckily, he was interrupted by the Pirate Hunter who casually kicked the okama boy in the behind, pushing him forward and causing for the kid to miss his target. Instead, the okama stumbled and kicked the overweight Executive, bringing them both immeasurable pain.

"Kyaaah! Heavy!"

"It hurts!"

Finally, free the captain boy rushed into action, quickly running away from the tight spot he found himself in.

Meanwhile, the rest of the soldiers along with some Dressrosa citizens used that opportunity of distraction to aim their guns at the pirates. Miyako acted quicker, thought, and stepped forward to protect the group while Luffy and Zoro were dealing with the boy's stuck foot.

"Don't kill them, some among them are regular citizens!" The Strawhat captain warned the girl with a shout, before she could cut through her new enemies.

The samurai didn't need to be told that, as she could clearly see the civilians among the attackers. "I know that," she muttered, using her katana to only slice apart their weapons, and leave the civilians with their lives untouched. She finished off by using the back of her sword to hit the men, only rendering them unconscious from the pain but keeping them alive. They might have a few broken bones and bruises when they wake up, but at least they'll have their lives.

"I'll use my haki!" Luffy decided, preparing for his power, only to stop as a shadow loomed over him. Miyako, Zoro, Luffy and Trafalgar could all feel the same threatening presence approach them and they stayed still, ready for a much harder battle.

The samurai girl's throat dried out in a second as she heard the familiar voice next to her. She would recognize the man even without him saying anything, from the swordsman spirit that created tension all around him. It was an aura only another kenshi could possess. "Lower your lousy guns," he ordered the townsfolk around him and his intense presence alone was enough for them to obey.

"The marine admiral!" Pirate Hunter gritted his teeth, already introduced with this man's strength when facing off at the Coliseum.

"The old gambler," Luffy muttered, remembering the old man from when they helped him before.

However, Miyako only knew him by one name. A name she often called him by, ever since the first time they met, more than ten years ago. "Isshou-san…"

Her captain didn't miss the mixed feelings in her whispering voice, and turned to inspect her pale face in interest as she appeared to know the Navy admiral from before. The way she addressed him was too personal for it to be a simple encounter between a pirate and an admiral. There was more to it and Law could see it in her eyes. Then a fire flickered in that golden color, as the girl's expression suddenly hardened with determination. He could read her expressions like an open book at the moment, and it was obvious she just decided on something…something very important. Trafalgar could sense it was something he wouldn't like and quickly opened his mouth to stop her, "Miya-"

"Strawhat Luffy!" A voice cut them off, as everyone's attention focused on something above them. Something that created a large shadow, the size of a smaller city, as it emerged. Everyone gazed up at the sky, which was hidden behind a mountain…no, not a mountain, but a person. A person made of stone.

"That rock guy," Zoro exclaimed, remembering his foe that managed to previously run away from him.

However, the rest of the group grew silent when they realized the tone of voice that just came out of this enormous creature.

"That giant…didn't he just say something?" Miyako started, thinking it must've been her imagination. Surely that kind of squeaky voice could never come out of something so big and threatening.

Not hearing their mutterings, Pica continued in the same high-pitched voice, "I'll deal with anyone who tries to oppose our Family!"

"….." Miyako was silent for a while, as if her brain just couldn't process what she witnessed. It just didn't line up in her mind; that voice with that stature just couldn't go together. It felt like her brain was going to break. "It's really coming from him!" She couldn't stop her voice from yelling as she exclaimed in shocking realization.

"Bahahahahahaha!" Next to her, Luffy's laughter broke through the air as the boy didn't even try to be subtle about it. Then again, there was nothing subtle about the ridiculous disparity between that man's voice and body, either. "It doesn't suit him at all! Hyahahaha!"

The soldiers of the Donquixote Family suddenly changed in demeanor as they started panicking, fearfully trying to shut the Strawhat boy up. "Shhhhh, stop that!" The men flailed their arms to try and get the pirate's attention, in hopes of stopping his laughter. "Don't get Pica-sama mad!"

By then, it was too late. There was a still momentum in the air, as all fell silent but Luffy's laughter. The rock giant didn't respond nor show his anger openly. He only stared at the dark-haired boy with a murderous glare. He lifted one fist into the air, still silent, and without a word brought it down onto the group of pirates.

"Hyaaa, it's too late!" The soldiers of the family shrieked in horror as they saw the massive fist rushing down towards them. In his anger, Pica spared no one, not caring what happens to the Family's subordinates either.

"Ruuuun!" They weren't sure who started shouting first, but soon everybody followed that wise advice as they started running away from the incoming mass of stone. Momentarily, the battle between the Executives, Strawhats and even Fujitora's arrival was forgotten as everyone just tried to evacuate the premises as soon as possible.

The pirates all met together again to start running quickly, away from the incoming blow.

"Luffy! You should stop teasing them…Bwahaha!" Roronoa couldn't keep a straight face even as he tried reprimanding his captain for laughing.

"See!? You're laughing too, hahaha!" Luffy had tears in his eyes from the laughter that just wouldn't stop.

Trafalgar couldn't believe how unworried those two seemed to be as they acted so childish. "You two should take this more seriously! If Pica hits us-" As he talked, he glanced at his own crewmember with the corner of his eye by accident, only to see Miyako was no better than the rest of them. She had her katana in one hand, while she kept the other on her mouth and tried to keep her laughter from rushing out. Still, it was hardly working as every now and then, a chuckle would escape her. "You two!?" He yelled in disbelief that even a member of his crew was acting so immature.

Zoro dared to glance behind him, only to see the large fist almost upon the city. "He's coming!" He warned just in time before the blow hit.

First an earthquake started. The ground shook strong enough for the earth to crack, destroying not only the ground, but the buildings too. That was the first wave that hit them, making them all stumble and fall on the cracking pavement. Then the next wave came; the blast of power that was able to destroy even the buildings that the fist didn't directly hit. The blast of wind carried them away with a strong impact, making them scatter around the remainder of the streets. The dust blew into the air along with pieces of ruble that rained down onto the survivors. The veil of dust was so thick, it clouded the streets like mist, denying any visibility.

Luffy coughed and hacked, trying to get all the soot out of his lungs. Trafalgar was surprisingly still with him as the boy kept a strong hold on the other captain even when they were blown away by the impact.

"Is everyone ok?" Zoro's voice was even hoarser than usual as he tried to clear his throat from all the specks of dust in his throat.

"Ughn," Law grunted in pain as his injuries from before begun to throb painfully with the harsh fall. His cuffed hands were already starting to feel numb from loss of circulation. "Where are we? We flew quite far away."

"Shiiit. That damned rock-human, he got even bigger!" The swordsman was frustrated with himself for letting that enemy escape him before. "If only we knew how to defeat him…" When he fought Pica the first time, the real man inside the giant kept escaping to different parts of the body, so no matter how many times Roronoa would slice him, the man just reappeared and attacked again. And now he controlled half of the town with those devil fruit powers. Once again, the green-head cursed for not dealing with that paramecia sooner.

As the dust settled a little and the pirates could get some visibility, Trafalgar's eyes narrowed at the realization. There was one more voice he hadn't yet heard. One presence that he wasn't feeling at all. "Where is Miss Miyako?" His tone was grim as he spoke, as if his heart fretted the answer, while his mind still demanded to know.

The pirates all glanced at each other in confusion, realizing they were missing one member of their group; the girl samurai.

~…..~

The breeze blew lightly, sending away the cloud of dust around town. Through the smoke, a silhouette standing perfectly still was visible. It was not particularly big or threatening-looking. As the smog cleared out by the wind, it revealed a young woman. A lone woman, holding a katana in both hands while her long dark hair swayed around in the wind. She stood there, silent and unmoving, focusing all her attention on something in front of her with her fierce golden eyes. There was fiery determination in her eyes, yet also a sense of coldness as the girl kept her emotions at bay. Without a word, she kept staring at a single spot in front of her…or rather, a single person.

Not far, opposite from her, there was another silhouette and the smoke slowly cleared out to show a man. He was taller and bigger than her, but with a similar serious expression the woman wore. What was once a snow-white coat, yet now marred with dirt and blood, danced around on the wind from the man's shoulders. Just like her, he had a katana in his hand.

The old man sighed, though it was hard to tell was it from frustration or sadness. His expression was unreadable, his emotions indecipherable. "Will you truly not move?"

Miyako clutched the blood-red hilt of her katana tighter, but didn't move from her spot. "Law needs to find the key to his handcuffs and go beat Doflamingo along with Luffy-san. If I move now, surely you would go after them and stop them…I can't let you do it. We need to defeat Doflamingo for this madness in Dressrosa to end!"

"Hmm," Isshou hummed in thought, his face still rocklike and unchanging. "So that is why you came here…How did you find me?"

"It wasn't hard with Kenbunshoku Haki…you have quite the presence," the girl retorted with a sour tone in her voice.

"You have improved, Miyako…But so have I," as he said that, the old samurai swiftly slashed through the air, sending a fierce gravity field towards the girl.

Miyako quickly raised her sword and used her haki to slash the field created by his devil fruit power. The two powers crashed into each other mid-air, cancelling each other out. Just as she defended against his one attack, another came and Fujitora suddenly stood right in front of the girl and towered over her. He swung his katana again and she caught his quick attack, stopping his sword with her own. A clashing sound filled their ears as two metals collided. Miyako gritted her teeth and felt her hands trembling from sheer power she needed to put into her block, just to keep his katana at bay. Unlike her struggling form, Isshou didn't even break a sweat, his face collected as before. It was as if he wasn't even trying. The thought discouraged the samurai girl a little, but she instantly remembered why she was here in the first place, and held her ground.

"You must know you cannot defeat me," Isshou started again. He pulled back, giving them some room as if still hopeful that the girl will change her mind. Maybe even change her pirating ways.

Yet Miyako didn't even budge. She willed her hands to stop shaking as he pointed the tip of her katana towards Fujitora's neck. "I know that," she simply answered, her lips in a tight line.

As if realization hit him, Isshou sighed. "Aaah, I see. You are willing to sacrifice yourself here, giving your comrades more time to move to Doflamingo." The woman didn't answer and that silence was enough for the admiral to understand. "Then you have made your choice Suzune Miyako…no, Burning-Eyed Miyako, the pirate." With that, the old samurai once again charged at her, this time using even more power into his attack.

~…~

"Gomu gomu no Gatling!" Luffy yelled out as he started his attack, raining down fists onto the unsuspecting enemies in his way. He charged forward, riding the Fighting Bull from the Coliseum, while Trafalgar hung from the animal's back uncomfortably. While they led the charge, behind them were numerous pirates from the Coliseum, once ex-toy slaves and now all set on showing their gratitude to the Strawhats for releasing them, by fighting alongside them. Even as the captain boy complained and argued that he didn't need their help, the pirate warriors still followed, determined on their goal; Doflamingo's head. "Go, Ucy!" The boy grinned as he beat down the enemies in his way, the soldiers never even standing a chance.

"Keep going, Strawhat! We shall follow suit and take care of anyone in our way!" Cavendish, the Pirate Prince and one of the new Super Rookies, was right behind the Strawhat, riding on his white steed at the front of the 'Colosseum Army' as Doflamingo's men named it. He easily cut down the masked soldiers with his sword, not even stopping in his ride, all with a satisfied smirk on his face. He believed this would surely bring him popularity in the New World; if they are to defeat Doflamingo, he would become famous throughout the entire world! There wouldn't be a place his name would not be known. The prince pirate just couldn't resist such a chance.

Meanwhile, as Luffy and Law kept riding the bull, slowly approaching their destination which was the palace and Doflamingo, the dark doctor just kept quiet while deep in thought. He was still mulling over the previous events, remembering Miyako's expression when she saw the Navy admiral just before she disappeared from their sights. In the end, they couldn't find her and Pica was attacking once again, along with the other Donquixote pirates and the citizens. They had to move fast and had no other choice but to keep going towards the palace, even without the samurai girl. Yet something didn't sit right with him about Miyako's sudden disappearance. He had a good guess what happened, but hoped it was only his pessimistic mind at work instead. He didn't want to believe that Miyako willingly went after the admiral herself, only to give them a free pass towards the palace while the marines are busy with her. Just the thought made the man cringe. He suddenly felt the heaviness of the fuzzy hat on top of his head, since Cavendish returned it to him, and remembered it was the Wano girl who gave him that present. "I can't return the one you lost even though you said it had sentimental value…so I can only give you this one in its stead…somehow, you would look strange without that fuzzy thing on your head," the girl grinned teasingly as she told him that not long after giving that Christmas present to him.

The memory made the man smirk as he closed his eyes for a second, trying to clear out his mind. He could hear the battling sounds all around him as pirates shouted and stomped their feet in a constant run towards the palace. *I don't know if she really went against the admiral or not…but it won't matter much if we all die here in this cage. The only way out for us now is defeating Doflamingo. I tried to do it the roundabout way. I tried to keep my promise to you all…* The entire Heart Pirates crew appeared in his mind's eye, along with Miyako's worried expression while telling him "Don't die." *But now there is only one way left; it's either win or die!* The Surgeon of Death opened his grey eyes again, but they were radiating now, with a newfound fire in them. Those were the eyes of a determined man. *I will defeat Doflamingo and get you out of this cage at least…so don't you dare die,* he thought of the samurai girl before opening his mouth to speak, breaking his long silence.

"Strawhat-ya…"

The dark-haired boy turned back with interest as he noticed Law's somber tone.

The pirate doctor continued, "I know we've got no choice but to push on for survival. I've made up my mind…The plan I suggested to you guys was a detour to crush Doflamingo, but the truth is…I, too, wanted to repay him once and for all. I've lost previously, but not this time!" He took a pause before continuing, as he began speaking of things he didn't say out loud for a very long time. As he spoke, the memories flooded him, making it even more real and not just a distant memory. Even now, 13 years later, the wounds were still this fresh, he realized. "13 years ago I had the most important person taken from me by Doflamingo. His name was Corazon, an ex-member of Donquixote Family and the top leader."

Luffy seemed shocked by the information, "Eh?! He was his comrade?!"

The other captain nodded. "Yes, also he was my benefactor…and Doflamingo's real brother."

*That's right, but this isn't just for Cora-san anymore…it's also for me and my crew! I once had everything taken away by Doflamingo, but I won't let that happen again. That important person he once stole from me…I won't let him do it again!* Miyako's face once again appeared in Law's mind as the two captains' conversation continued.

~…..~

The samurai girl panted, falling to one knee and using her katana to stab it into the ground and prop herself up with it. With the corner of her eye, she noticed more pieces of ruble coming from the side, thrown at her with Isshou's gravity powers. Quickly she dodged, as she has been doing for a while. Just as she landed on her feet in a different spot, a powerful gravity field pulled her down and into the pavement.

She was already black and blue, covered in dirt from the soil, and her clothes were as ragged as the girl felt. Even so, with a loud battle cry she swung her katana and sent a haki slash just before she fell face down into the dirt. The well-aimed attack was sent flying towards Fujitora, making him block with his katana and momentarily release his gravity filed. The girl quickly used that opportunity to stand up and attack again.

'Ittouryu; 8 gates of the Dragon!' Shecharged towards the samurai, putting all her remaining strength into her legs to gain more speed, as she targeted his eight vital areas on the body. Before she could reach the side of his torso, the man's katana easily blocked her own and she was once again pushed back by the gravity force. "Ugh!" She grunted in pain as she fell down, just before she was painfully pulled back in towards the man and his sword. The girl clutched her katana with both hands and blocked his incoming swing, breaking through his powers and landing on the other side of him. She leaped at his back with Yawarakai-Te, only to be blocked without him even turning around. The man simply twisted his torso a little, swinging his katana sideways to cut off her attack. The girl quickly pulled away before he could use his devil fruit powers on her.

Unlike her, Isshou was hardly panting or sweating from this battle. His clothes didn't even get thorn, as Miyako was yet to make a cut on him. He summoned his swordsman's spirit, thickening the atmosphere with tension and killing intent.

Even so, Miyako didn't let herself be intimidated. She strengthened her own kenshi spirit and the two powers clashed together in the air. Her golden eyes stayed determined and ready, never hesitating in this battle that she knew she couldn't win. She knew what she had to do, even if it meant risking her life.

The tension in the air could be cut with a sword, and that was exactly what happened as Miyako swung her katana again. *To have any chance stopping him, I have to go all out!* She collected her haki, channeling it through her sword and released it in eighteen quick slashes towards the admiral. Ittoryu no Haki: 18 strikes! Strength drained out of her, but she still held on even with the blood loss and exhaustion she was feeling.

"Moko!" Fujitora responded by slashing his sword horizontally. As soon as he did, a strong wave of his gravitational powers burst out of his katana and spread all around him. The horizontal attack hit Miyako's haki, nullifying her attacks and continuing on towards the girl. As it flew through the air, everything in its way got easily destroyed; in a matter of seconds, buildings became mere ruble.

By the time it was about to hit the samurai girl, the wave passed by, yet Miyako was nowhere in sight. Fujitora frowned in suspicion before lifting his head up, even as his eyes stayed closed as always. Perhaps he couldn't exactly see the girl, but he could definitely feel her aura approaching from above with great speed. He could feel a swirl of elements through that aura; determination, fighting spirit, a sole focus towards one goal. He could feel how much the woman put all of herself inside this one battle. It was clearly seen in each strike that was powered by her emotions. The admiral could tell that her katana was a heavy one embodying many burdens, emotions and vows, yet the girl pressed on daily, carrying it in her hands.

"Haaa!" The girl let out a battle cry as she swung her sword, landing with it on Fujitora, who blocked with his own katana. Ittouryu: Heavenly strike! The haki around their swords swirled like a snake, filling their weapons and their strikes. Fujitora, whose one hand was enough to block Miyako's attacks until now, gritted his teeth with some strain and was forced to use both hands to keep her attack at bay. The ground beneath his feet crumbled, creating a small cavity around him before the rest of the ground crackled. A crack appeared and started splitting the ground in two in a parallel line with Miyako's sword which was still pressed harshly on top of the admiral's. The sheer power of her attack started destroying the stone Fujitora was standing on.

Furrowing his eyebrows as first beads of sweat appeared on the old samurai's forehead, the man put more force into his block. He summoned his devil fruit powers again and channeled his gravity force along with the haki, thought his katana. The gravity started pushing Miyako away and back into the air.

The girl gritted her teeth, trying to put all her force into her sword, but the gravity push was too strong. He haki nullified some of it, but fighting Fujitora's haki, devil fruit powers and sheer strength all at once was simply too much. She was blown back and into a wall of a nearby destroyed building, where she smashed into stone with a pained yelp before falling onto the ground.

The man opened his mouth to speak, when he felt a stinging sensation on his cheek. He felt the place with his thumb, feeling a small wet cut on his right cheek. Some of the haki from Miyako's attack must've pushed through and nicked him in the process. The samurai stared with closed eyes at his thumb, as if he could see the blood on it. He was impressed that she was able to make a cut on him, even if it was only a small one.

A loud laugh and a shouting voice brought him from his musings and he recognized it immediately. Strawhat and his gang were moving up towards the king's palace, still not that far away. He would have enough time to catch up with them by using his devil fruit abilities. He stepped forward, towards Strawhat's voice, but then heard a sound of footsteps and realized the girl was getting back up.

Miyako could see that Luffy's faraway voice brought Fujitora's attention to the pirates that were climbing the mountain left by Pica, in the background of the pair's battle. She bit her lip and willed her broken body to stand, blocking Fujitora's way to the group behind her. *I need to give them more time…They are still too close for his powers.*

The samurai was silent for a while, simply pointing his head in the girl's direction. "You were injured even before you started fighting me…you must have known you couldn't match me in battle," he finally spoke up after a long time. He could hear her labored pants, yet she was still standing between him and the pirates without any hesitation.

"That...doesn't matter…," the girl responded between deep breaths. She was trying to buy some time to collect some of her used-up energy again. "You already know why I'm fighting you here. But what I don't understand is why…why would you be helping Doflamingo? Even if he is a Shichibukai, how can you still help him after seeing what he's doing to this country? This must be against the World Government's treaty with the Shichibukai, surely!"

The admiral paused in his response, simply staring at the girl with his blind eyes. "You don't know," it was a statement, rather than a question. A realization on his part. The girl gave him a questioning scowl, and he could feel her puzzled eyes even without seeing them. So he explained, "Donquixote Doflamingo…isn't just a Shichibukai. He is also a Heavenly Yaksha…a Tenryuubito."

Golden eyes widened in shock, but suddenly everything made more sense. How Doflamingo could manipulate even the media and Cipher Pol to make his trap, and how even after everything he did, the marines still weren't trying to apprehend him. Suddenly a new emotion started rising in Miyako's chest, one that made her grit her teeth and clutch her sword. Anger. She was suddenly furious. Even so, her voice remained icy cold and she spoke to the old man, "You once told me that the reason you lost your eyesight was while battling evil. However, doesn't that make your sacrifice in vain?! You are fighting on the side of Doflamingo, the most evil bastard out here!"

"It is true I lost these eyes to evil…Because I didn't want to see any more of it in this world, I blinded myself." There was a sorrowful expression on Fujitora's face as he spoke.

The girl's eyes widened again as the blood froze in her veins. *He blinded himself?!* She didn't know whether to call such an action crazy or an act of pure will. It takes a lot of resolve for one to do that to themselves and Isshou-san never did anything unless it was for a good reason. That gesture must've been very meaningful to him.

The man continued, "Yet it was also the beginning of my oath. Sacrificing my eyesight, I vowed to cut down all evil rooted deep within our world…without mercy. Doflamingo might be one, but so are all the other pirates in this country. I will stop them all."

Miyako took a moment to think about what she just heard, but then she shook her head with a willful stare towards the old man. "Isn't what you're saying strange? The world isn't so black and white!" She saw the questioning expression on his face and continued, "I am disappointed Isshou-san. You didn't want to see the evil around you so you just closed your eyes at it, like a coward!" It hurt her to say that as she respected the man all her life, but it was too late to stop now. "And now you are once again closing your eyes to the evil around you…the sorrow and pain that Doflamingo brought to this country! Are you really going to pretend not to see it for the likes of him!? Just because he is some old bloodline that the World Government treats as Gods!? You are focusing on the wrong things here!" She was yelling now, her cold demeanor gone and replaced by a fire in her heart, but she didn't care. She respected this man since she was a child, yet she felt as if he became corrupted and deviated from his pure ideals for the sake of the powers in this world. For the sake of the World Government and Tenryuubito. "All I'm hearing is that you are sacrificing your ideals because of your title as the Navy admiral!"

The man sighed, shaking his head. "And what is your alternative? Letting you pirates go? And what if you do not defeat Doflamingo? Are you telling me all these citizens should just rely on pirates?"

Miyako smiled slightly, but even that action brought pain to her muscles. "Why not? Luffy and Law…they can do it! I believe that with all my heart!" Not wasting any more time on talking, seeing that neither of them would change the other's mind, the girl prepared her sword for one final attack. She knew she didn't have much strength left, so it would all have to come down to one final move. One strike where she would give it her all.

She took a battojutsu stance and sheathed her katana back into its scabbard slowly. Her every move was precise and deliberate, as if each had a significant importance to the whole process. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming her racing heart. Her lungs burned with each breath, but she ignored the pain and steadied her hand instead. Closing her eyes for a second, the girl reminded herself of everything she was fighting for. The voice of her master Kuroda rang inside her mind. A master whose dear friend she was now battling; a fact she would never have believed if someone told her this thirteen years ago. "What do you fight for?" Finally, the girl found the answer to that question. She smiled as she answered her deceased master in her mind. Finally, she had something to protect. Something, or rather someone, she was willing to risk her life for. The girl opened her darkened eyes and focused them on the person in front of her. *I can't let him pass me.* With that final determined thought, Miyako leaped.

The girl suddenly disappeared from her spot, only to reappear in a crouched position right in front of the admiral. She unsheathed her sword and attacked, all in one fluid motion that was too quick for the regular eye to see. Unfortunately, Fujitora didn't need to rely on his eyesight in the first place. He knew the katana was coming, feeling the light ripples in the air as it moved. The wind Miyako's motion created was enough for him to picture the attack perfectly. The man moved not even a second after the girl started her attack.

Ittouryu; Kiritateru!

A loud clang was heard in the area, as everything suddenly stood still. Two samurai were standing there with their backs turned to each other, only meters away from one another. The swordsman spirit they were emitting was gone, along with the killing intent from their attack.

Fujitora was first to move, sheathing his katana into a wooden scabbard with a slow motion. The metal made a scraping sound against the wood and for a while that was the only noise around them. With a click of his sword coming into place, the samurai's somber voice muttered, "Trip To Hell."

As if on cue, Miyako was struck by a sudden gravity force and fell to the ground with a grunt. She couldn't move, her sword falling from her hand, as the gravity field kept pushing her down into the rock and dirt. She was sure she felt a slash over her torso, but there was no wound. Perhaps Fujitora used the back of his katana, or it was a force from the devil fruit power instead of the actually blade. But whatever it was, it hit the girl hard and it still hurt like hell. With barely any consciousness left, Miyako realized she failed. Fujitora was stronger and his move overpowered hers. It was over.

She heard slow footsteps as the admiral reached her, but she was unable to get up or even turn around to gaze towards him. The constant clacking noise of his wooden sandals hitting the pavement drew closer with his each step, filling her with dread. His devil fruit abilities were too strong to resist now that she was this exhausted. No matter how much she struggled, she could barely move a finger.

Navy admiral Fujitora came closer, his katana still in hand. A voice of a young eight-year old girl echoed in his mind while he walked. "One day I'll be as strong as Master!" Even without seeing the girl's face, he could hear the smile in her voice. "Then, I will help Isshou-dono fight evil too!"

He stopped right above the girl's struggling body. Even now, she wasn't about to give up. He would have to truly render her unconscious if he wanted her out of the day. She would come after him and keep getting in his way with her final breath if he didn't stop her here and now. A complicated expression crossed the old man's face, having no desire to kill or even hurt the girl any further, but he was aware that he needed to at least knock her out cold. He lifted his katana which he still used to keep the girl's body under the pressure of gravity. In his mind, the voice of a much older Miyako spoke to him, asking him if he really thought that was the right choice to make. Asking him why was he fighting her while Doflamingo still reigned free? Furrowing his brows and willing his body to move, while stopping all unnecessary thought as he decided that his decision was final, he apologized to his old, deceased friend before making a final move. He apologized again, this time to the groaning girl. "I am sorry…it is the choice you made," he muttered and brought the sword in the air to deliver the final blow.

A gust of odd wind blew around the couple, followed by great heat. A column of fire rose up and then wriggled in the air like a worm, finally coming between Fujitora and his target. The old samurai took a step back to avoid the great fires, lowering his weapon in the process. He could feel the aura of this fire, knowing it was no natural thing. It was a person.

The fire spread around, as if giving one last display of strength, before being extinguished. From the smoke, a young man arose, holding the barely conscious samurai girl in his arms. He had a cryptic faint smile on his scarred face that was hidden in the shadows of his tophat. His dark eyes were glued to the old samurai in front him, but there was an air of cocky confidence surrounding the blonde man. "I thought I'd have to keep you away from Luffy, but it seems somebody already did a great job at it," he finally spoke to the admiral in a calm tone.

"Second in command general of the revolutionary army," Fujitora spoke in a low voice. If his eyes were open and working, he would be narrowing them at the boy now. "Are you going to stand in my way as well?"

Sabo was about to speak when he heard the faint voice of the girl in his arms. "Luffy-dono….Law…they need…to the palace…"

The revolutionary nodded with a smile as he watched her. "Don't worry…You did well. You can rest now. I won't let the admiral catch them." With that last statement, his eyes pierced the admiral once more. There was no hesitation in what he said, no uncertainty in his voice.

As soon as Sabo saw his brother's picture among the wanted on the den den mushi display, and heard that the Navy admiral was after the Strawhats, it was clear to him what he needed to do. The boy rushed over towards where Luffy should be without even thinking it over. He might be a commander in the Revolutionary army and that was important to him, but when it came to Luffy, everything else somehow paled in comparison. All he knew is that he couldn't let what happened to Ace, happen to his younger brother. Never again; it was a vow Sabo promised to himself two years ago.

Even running to the other side of town with all his speed, a part of him was afraid he would be too late. He knew Luffy was not a pushover anymore and the boy could take care of himself, but as his older brother, Sabo still worried immensely. All he knew was that his little brother needed him. He thought, by the time he arrived, Luffy would already be deep in battle with either the marines or Donquixote's Executives, but to his surprise that was not the scene he stumbled upon. It appeared this girl was fighting the admiral, buying the others time to move out and get to Doflamingo. He remembered her from the pictures of the wanted people in Donquixote's game, and realized she was one of the Heart pirates, in the alliance with the Strawhats.

He walked away, turning his back to Fujitora in the process, knowing the old samurai wouldn't attack yet. Sitting Miyako down so she could lean against the wall, he took her katana and placed it near her hand. The girl tried to get up, still mumbling about stopping the admiral while barely conscious, but Sabo put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Don't worry, your sacrifice won't be in vain. I'll take care of the rest." With that, he stood up and turned back to the Navy admiral, ready for a fight. He clenched one gloved hand into a fist and fire started burning around it. Still with a smile, Sabo gave the marine a look with fire in his eyes that reflected his new abilities perfectly. "I won't let you get to my brother!"

~…~

Before Fujitora's katana could slash through the fire, Sabo dodged the attack and turned back to his human form, stumbling a few steps before he stopped. "Whoa, I'm still not used to these powers." He didn't have time to adjust, however, as Isshou appeared next to him, using his powers again. The boy quickly blocked with his metal pipe, both sides burning with that ever-lasting fire. He was pushed a few paces back, but his grip stayed firm and his weapon didn't budge under the samurai's sword.

With a bead of sweat on his brow, Sabo smirked. "Well you're not going easy on me, I see." The ironic tone was clear in each word as he spoke.

Isshou's expression didn't change as he continued to attack. "Of course not, enemy of the World Government… Revolutionary Army," the samurai addressed him.

"Even though you spared that girl," the blonde's smirk didn't falter as he glanced at Miyako for only a second before dodging another attack from the marine admiral. He responded with a kick of fire towards Fujitora's head which the man blocked, only to dodge an incoming metal pipe aimed at his side. The samurai quickly unleashed his powers and used his sword to direct a piece of large rubble on the side towards the revolutionary chief. Sabo clenched his gloved fist and turned it into a blast of fire that melted the incoming boulders and burnt them into ashes in a matter of seconds. He could produce heat as hot as the sun now.

"There was no need to go all out at an already-injured person," the admiral finally answered when Sabo landed a few steps back and the two stopped their fighting for a second to catch their breaths.

"Funny…you look like a person who would definitely go all out on his enemy, no matter what," the blonde taunted, knowing full well that Fujitora was hiding the truth. He did quite a number on the girl, but he could have killed her if he wanted to, yet he didn't. That was proof enough of his mercy, even though Sabo didn't know the reason for it.

"Well…you don't have to tell me." The blonde revolutionary stepped forward, adjusting his top-hat back in place. It was a miracle how throughout all their fighting it didn't fell off yet. "It doesn't change anything, after all." He leaped into the air again and yelled "Fire Fist!" just before shooting out a blast of fire from his closed fist.

Once again it was cut through by Isshou's katana and the fire subsided around the admiral, not even touching him. "We seem to be evenly matched…," the marine commented, not even out of breath by their fight so far. All he had to do was use his devil fruit abilities to create gravity forces that gave Sabo trouble and restricted his movements. Even so, the boy was a force to be reckoned with and withstood every trial Fujitora would throw at him.

Just then, a voice called out from the distance, as a whole platoon of marines came running. "Isshou-saaaan!" Leading them was vice-admiral Bastille, his half-giant form standing out from the rest of the crowd. "We came to help-dara!"

"Oh my…seems like I'll have to double my efforts now," Sabo smirked confidently, still not showing any sigh of worry even as he was heavily outnumbered. The boy didn't believe he could fall in this battle. After all, he had Ace's fire now. He inherited his brother's will.

"Isshou-san, we will take care of him!" One of the lower-ranking marines exclaimed, preparing his rifle and the other men followed his example, aiming their weapons at Sabo.

"Wait-" Isshou called out, about to stop them, but it was already too late.

With one swipe of his hand, the blonde in a tophat blasted fire right into the marines, blowing them away while burning them heavily. Surprised shrieks and painful screams surrounded them as Sabo made quick work of his new opponents. Before the marines had time to regroup, the young revolutionary jumped into the air and created a large wave of fire that he sent towards them. The ones suffering a direct hit from the attack didn't even have time to scream as they were turned to ashes instantly.

"Attack all you want, I'm not letting a single one of you through," the blonde started. His smirk disappeared for a while as a strong memory resurfaced in his mind. He remembered that fateful day when he remembered everything, seeing Ace's obituary in the newspapers. He pulled his tophat down, shielding his saddened eyes. "I don't ever want to feel like that again…You won't have my brother this time!"

"Ahh…so you mentioned before; that you are Monkey D. Luffy's older brother. What a troublesome bunch…But it ends now." The old samurai leaped forward, putting power into his own slash that collided with Sabo's metal pipe. The blast of Fujitora's haki almost put out the blonde's fire, but the young man strengthened his attack and the fire reignited, even stronger.

"Don't forget about me-dara!"

Sabo's eyes narrowed when he noticed a second attack incoming from Bastille. The small giant jumped forward and swung his enormous sword in an aim to decapitate the blonde.

"Dragon's claw!" Sabo yelled out, his three fingers suddenly hardening with Busoshoku Haki, until they really appeared like a fierce claw of the draconic animal. Still holding his pipe and blocking Fujitora's katana with one hand, Sabo used the other to grip Bastille's sword right as it was about to hit him. The sword stopped, surprising the vice-admiral as he could neither push forward nor retreat with it. The blonde's eyes narrowed further as he applied more strength to the grip until the hard metal cracked under his three fingers.

"Impossible!" Bastille called out, his shocked eyes visible from under his mask.

"Don't underestimate the number two of the Revolutionary Army," the young man muttered a warning just before the large sword in his hand broke into pieces.

"Men, shoot him-dara!" Bastille shouted an order as he stumbled backwards. Numerous sounds of guns cocking broke loose as all the marines aimed their weapons at the blonde. He was just about to change back into his logia form to avoid the bullets when a strange gust of wind passed them all by.

Ittouryu: ichijin!

Every marine aiming their weapon at Sabo suddenly collapsed with a grunt, their rifles clattering as they fell to the ground. The remaining people all looked at the newcomer who was standing with their back turned to the group after they passed by with their swift attack.

Sabo and Fujitora widened their eyes as Bastille frowned in confusion. "You…?" The blonde revolutionary started, glancing at the empty spot on the ground where he laid down that person before.

Miyako turned around towards the group, holding Yawarakai-Te in her hand. Her body was still covered in injuries and dirt, but her eyes burned with newfound strength. Once again, she was standing on her feet. She glanced over at the man who claimed to be Luffy's brother and gave him a quick nod, her expression remaining serious. "Thanks for before. I managed to regain some of my strength thanks to you." Luckily, Sabo held the marines off long enough for Miyako to rest for a bit.

Bastille glared at the newcomer and he missed his sword more than ever to finish this woman off quickly. "Burning Eyed-Miyako, one of the Heart Pirates-dara! You were on the screen with the others!"

Sabo ignored the vice-admiral's prattling and focused on the girl instead. "Are you sure you should be moving around? Your injuries can't be healed already."

The girl shook her head. "They're not, but I can't waste time. I can't rest while everyone else is still fighting!"

The blonde could see in the girl's gaze that there was no dissuading her on the matter. She already made up her mind. So he simply nodded and gave her a smirk, "Then I'll leave the others to you." As he said that, the young man focused his attention back to Isshou, having unfinished business with the admiral.

"You younglings are too stubborn for your own good," the marine admiral sighed, glancing from the pirate woman to the revolutionary. However, he had no time to keep his attention on Miyako as Sabo's fire attacks rained down on him suddenly. The man had no intention of holding back.

"Don't forget about me! I might not have my sword anymore, but I'm far from useless without it-dara!" Bastille growled at the blonde for ignoring him, pulling out a couple of metallic glows with spikes on their knuckles. He was about to attack Sabo again, who was still preoccupied with Fujitora, but Miyako stepped between him and his pray, getting in the way.

The vice-admiral glared at her through the holes on his mask. "What can a half-beaten swordsman do against a marine vice admiral-dara? Step aside!"

Miyako returned his death glare with her own, her golden eyes darkening a shade as they turned icy cold. "I am more than enough for you," she muttered.

Bastille looked around him, but noticed all the marine soldiers were down and defeated. Her last attack managed to take all of them down. Even so, the man was confident he could take care of one small girl on his own. She may have a katana, but she appeared to be barely standing as it is. No matter how strong it may be, sheer determination couldn't help her win a battle. Yet the girl didn't hesitate in her step as she prepared her katana for an attack. An intense killing intent surrounded her, and Bastille remembered the swordsman's spirit Fujitora would use while battling. It felt similar as it created a tense, suffocating atmosphere that was aimed right at him. The man grunted in a snort, "I won't be intimidated by a pirate-dara!"

The girl kept quiet, focusing her energy on her move and ignoring the man's useless banter. There was a technique she was preparing for some time now, ever since they left Punk Hazard. Ironically, the idea for it came from none other than her rival swordsman, Roronoa, after seeing him battle with his santoryu for the first time. She spent her journey on the Thousand Sunny preparing it, even though she never used it in a real fight before. Fortunately, now was the perfect time to try it out and end this battle quickly.

The man bashed his spiked gloves together, making a loud noise that was supposed to intimidate his opponents, before he ran forward towards the samurai girl. "My gauntlets can even hold off steel! No matter what your attack might be, I will block it and then you will be done-dara!"

Miyako couldn't help but smirk at the irony of his words. She lifted her katana, not faltering in her step even as she saw the charging small giant coming right at her. "Block this, then," she muttered and leaped forward.

Ittouryu: santoryu no sakkaku!

The movement of Yawarakai-Te was so quick that it created an illusion of three swords, each standing parallel with the other, as they all moved closer to their target.

Bastille's eyes widened and he hesitated, not knowing which one was the real weapon. When he finally made a choice and reached to block one, it was too late. His uncertainty caused him to react too slowly and the sword cut through his mask and suit, before Miyako passed him by after the large vertical slash. The man chocked out in pain, his horned mask splitting in two from the impact before the wound on his chest cut open and splattered blood around him. He stumbled backwards and fell to the ground, his head digging into the rocky ruble.

Miyako sheathed her katana back into its cover and turned to look at the battle between Sabo and Fujitora. They momentarily stopped, both landing on opposite sides of the area, as they saw vice-admiral Bastille fall. The blonde revolutionary gave a small smile while the old samurai hummed in a troubled tone.

"I fear I might have underestimated her," the old admiral shook his head.

"Vice-admiral, sir!" More marines came running from behind the ruble, rushing to the fallen man's side. They glared at the pirate girl with hateful eyes as if asking 'How dare you do this to our boss!?' Miyako gave them her best 'Well, I'm a pirate' stare in return. Luckily, she learned from the best; a gloomy pirate doctor that already perfected that very look, often using it on her as well.

"I am not done yet," the girl put a hand on the hilt of her sword as she watched the incoming marines that came as reinforcements. She gave them a warning glare, just to indicate what awaited them if they attacked her. She didn't have time to complete her threat as a thundering sound above them brought everyone's attention to the quickly incoming destruction.

While the group was distracted, Fujitora was going at his own pace, already preparing his next attack. That's why nobody noticed until it was too late and two large asteroids were already flying from the sky and right towards the small area of rubble where Miyako and the others were standing.

Even Sabo's confident smirk was wiped out, replaced by a shocked expression as he stared up at the approaching doom. "Huh?!" He gaped at the sight, still in disbelief of Fujitora's awesome power.

"No way!" Miyako was just as startled, her brain unable to accept that there were really asteroids falling down onto them. "This is crazy!" *I knew Isshou-san was powerful, but this too much!*

Admiral's voice sounded casual as he spoke, unconcerned about the destruction that could put this whole town ablaze. "The 'Birdcage' or whatever you call it is in the way. Don't you think it looks rather small?"

The marines, pirates, revolutionaries, citizens and all others that were there, still had their eyes glued to the sky, too enveloped in the scene to answer the admiral. They all watched as the asteroids hit the roof of the string cage, stopping for a second, before the large mass started splitting vertically along the strings. It passed through the cage in pieces, but even so, those smaller boulders were still huge and threatening. They were able to easily destroy the whole area they were quickly approaching.

"Incoming!" Marines started yelling, shouting for their comrades to run and save themselves.

Citizens screamed, scattering around like ants, away from the incoming boot that was falling upon them. But was there really a way to run from this big of a peril?

The Wano girl prepared her katana which was back in its scabbard, ready to slice the falling, fiery boulders and minimize the damage. Before she had the chance, something hot grabbed her and carried her away from the massive rocks. It happened so fast, she barely had time to realize what was happening as she was enveloped by flames. The form around her was strange as Sabo's lower body was made of fire, while his upper body remained human. She found herself further away from the impact, dodging the crushing death that came with the asteroid pieces. Her savoir soon changed form again and returned back to his human body, setting the girl down onto the ground.

The two of them gaped at the devastation these flaming boulders brought. Even more of the town was destroyed now and new fires ignited all around.

It seemed as Fujitora only now realized the havoc he caused. A sweat drop trickled down his forehead as he furrowed his brows in a troubled expression. At least he genuinely appeared sorry about what he had done. "Oops…My bad. Looks like the impact area was wider than expected. Are the people safe?"

If Miyako's mouth could open any wider from the shock, they just did. "Are you kidding me!? Be more mindful of your surroundings! You haven't changed at all, you old man!" Despite herself, the pirate girl yelled at her old acquaintance, remembering his easy-going nature that should have never been paired with his extreme power.

She wasn't the only one yelling at the marine admiral either. The rest of the marines looked just as angry as they shouted at their superior who almost killed them all. "Please tell us in advance when you're sending the meteors, Isshou-san!"

"Ah…Sorry, I sent them," the admiral warned, as if that was supposed to correct the situation somehow.

"In advance!" All the marines yelled back, even more frustrated. Well Miyako couldn't blame them.

Sabo sighed, letting out a relieved breath and a whistle of awe while staring at the fallen meteors. "Good thing I dodged that…I 'm still not used to my powers, so it would be hard to defend from something this big."

The pirate girl nodded in understanding. "Yes, thanks for saving me." She looked just as relieved that she didn't have to block those burning boulders and deal with them on her own. However, she didn't let the scene intimidate her, no matter how great Fujitora's powers may be. "We should finish this soon," she commented in a worried mutter. To be honest, she wanted to return to Law's side; find both her captain and Strawhat and help them fight Doflamingo. Not to mention, there will be more of those executives standing in their way and Law was still cuffed with sea stone and weak with injuries. As if giving her a sign, a loud exploding noise came from the mountain and smoke rose from one side. The girl stared at the rising black smoke, hearing a cacophony of shouts and explosions traveling through the air and all the way to the town.

"Go." She was surprised to hear the young man next to her speak. Miyako whipped her head back to look at him with startled eyes. She wanted to, but could she really just leave him to fend off the marines and Isshou-san by himself? It wasn't fair to the man that just saved her and helped her so much. As if reading her mind, Sabo answered her unspoken question. "I'll be alright. I can't lose with Ace's power." He didn't know if she would understand what he meant, so he gave her a reassuring grin as well.

Somehow, Miyako did understand and she gave him a nod, silently saying 'thank you' with her grateful gaze. Unconsciously feeling for her sheathed katana, as if reassuring herself that her trusted sword was still at her side and ready for anything, the girl turned towards the new King's Plateau Pica created. She paused in her step just for a second, turning around to look at the young revolutionary. A dark thought crossed her mind suddenly; an old memory of Luffy right after waking up and realizing his brother had died. "Be careful," she warned, giving Sabo a knowing look. He gave her his most confident smirk and tilted his tophat in a silent answer. With that, the girl ran towards the Plateau, her focused eyes glued to the large landmark. Law was somewhere out there and she was adamant on finding him.

Sabo watched the girl run off, staring at her disappearing back. "It's good to know there are some faithful nakama here," he commented softly with a cryptic smile, before turning back to face Fujitora and his men. His smile turned into a mischievous grin as he knitted his eyebrows together in a threatening expression. "I believe you and I still have a fight to finish, mister Navy admiral."

---

Glossary:

Ichijin – a gust of wind

santoryu no sakkaku - Three-swords illusion

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That's it for this chapter. Even though the Dressrosa Arc lasted for a long time, I have a feeling my plot is moving pretty quickly. :') Well, I'm trying not to make it boring since it's just a rewrite of a cannon plot. I hope I'll make this arc fun for you to read.

This time Miyako lost to Fujitora, but as time goes by, I want to make her even stronger until she can easily stand on par with the Navy admiral.

Also, Miyako got a new technique, inspired by Zoro's santoryu. I would really like to see those two seriously fight it out one time, though it would probably end quite gruesome and bloody, with some body parts missing.

I'm glad that I was able to incorporate Sabo in all this, cause I really love that guy. I can't wait to write about when they are all together again, after defeating Doflamingo. I think that will be so much fun, especially with Luffy and Sabo in the same room. :D

Thank you for all the amazing reviews, and if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them here!

Bioware: It seems everyone's expecting some battle with Miyako and Doflamingo, but we'll just have to wait and see what happens. I actually really wanted Law to give Doffy the finishing blow in the manga.

Red knight 2004: You might have to wait a bit longer for a Law/Miyako moment since everyone's all scattered and fighting still. ^^'

Guest: heh A lot of people made that guess, mostly because of her eyes, but no, Mihawk isn't her father. Her parents really did die, though more of her past will be revealed later. Hopefully, Hearts will go to Wanokuni with the Strawhats, because that would be a perfect opportunity.

Lucy Jacob: They really came a long way from when they first met. ^^ Luckily, we already know Law won't die in the arc, so yay!

sillykar18: Thank you. :) I guess each author has things that are easier and things that are harder to write. For example; to me, battle scenes aren't that difficult to write, but I struggle with romance. Don't worry, I won't give up on the story, it would be a waste of three years if I didn't finish it at least. :D

Bizzy: Thank youuu! :DYeah, I wonder if it'll ever be explained… There's a pretty wide gap from when Law escaped Doffy's crew as a kid and returned as a rookie pirate. I wonder what's he been doing in that time. So there was a bit of comedy, a bit of angst…a bit of everything really. ;)

Chocogirl24: Thank you! I hope you liked it!

Volleys-chan: Thank you very much. ^^ I completely understand; it's life. Sometimes it's hard to find any free time, I know. About Fujitora, I'm glad you like it. I really like to add as much fanfiction elements into the cannon as I can, since I think it makes it more interesting. Hehe As I said before, I think Miyako and Rei would make great friends. :D It sounds like a very fun way to read through a chapter, by the way. XD I'm glad you feel that way about my story. Good luck on Dragon Chronicles too (we're all waiting for it), ganbatte!

Maisaahamdan: Heh, a lot of reades said they are waiting for some Miya/Law time. It really does seem like it's been forever since they had a private moment together. Unfortunately, it might take some more time, after they finish all this nasty business with Doflamingo. Haha Indeed, if it's the anime pace, I would be writing this arc for the next year. XD But thankfully I can cut out a lot of things to make it quicker. No reason to just write out everything that happened in the cannon cause we all saw that already. :P Thank you for reading and reviewing! No matter what, I'll make time for this story even with my studies. ^^

Hitoshirezu Ryu: Indeed, Miyako will have a lot of ups and downs in this arc; both emotional struggles and physical ones. I want to really capture both her and Law's emotions throughout this arc, especially since Law's past will be finally explained, as well as his horrible memories of Doflamingo and losing Corazon. Even so, I'm sure I will get some comedy scenes in there too, since there are so many new great and comical characters among them. Thank you for reading and reviewing! :)

Mey: Thank you very much. I try to follow the cannon, but add some of my own twists, and mix it all up to get a feeling of natural-going story. I hope you will like the next chapters of this arc, as well! :)

Guest: Haha, thank you! He said "I love you." :)

Atiama Amisl: Hoho, don't think I missed that pun just now. ;) I didn't know that, but I think that's a great statement. Actually, I think that will be my answer from now on when someone asks me "When is the next chapter coming out?" ;D Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!

Reflected Darkness: Yes, I feel relieved that the Dressrosa Arc is finished in the manga now, so I can just write my fanfiction without any more surprises. I'm really excited about this Zo arc that's starting since the Heart pirates should be there! Anyway, it's gonna be an emotional roller-coaster with Law fighting Doffy and remembering his past, while Miyako sees what becomes of her captain. Thank you for reviewing!

Animagirl: Thank you for reading! :D