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

69. Chapter 69

'I don't like you!' by BloodyMarryMe

Hello everyone, are you excited for the winter breaks!? Sorry that I haven't posted for a while, but there is a reason. As you know, each year around Christmas, I upload a Christmas special and this year will be no different. And this year's special will be extra special (take a deep breath for the bad pun…aaand continue) as I'm doing a collaboration with the co-writer of 'The Dragon Chronicles,' Volleys-chan! The special will feature both of our OCs and some very loveable pirate crews! Hopefully, it will be posted sometime between Christmas and New Year, so stay tuned! (I know I'm super excited by it!) :D

Disclaimer: I do not own one Piece or any of its characters, but I do own the OC Suzune Miyako. This story is rated T.

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CHAPTER 69

"Whaaaat?! Luffy-senpai ain't hereee!" Bartolomeo's voice carried across the Plateau as the pirate ruffled his hair in despair. Anger and disappointment were mixed in his expression when he stared back at Violet accusingly, the one who promised to reunite them with the Strawhat captain.

On the other hand, neither Robin nor Usopp were overly surprised by that development. They already knew their captain well enough to not expect that boy would just wait patiently for them. He was probably half-way towards the palace already, ready to pick another fight with Doflamingo.

Robin simply shrugged at Bartolomeo's complaints, "Well of course."

The man was so upset, for a second, he completely forgot who he was taking to, losing his manners towards the woman as he yelled back, "Whaddaya mean 'Of course'!?"

The pirate sniper was still lying on the ground where the Tontatta warriors laid him. "There's no way Luffy can stay in one place for more than five minutes anyway…" There was still strain in his voice as he tried to mask his pain.

Bartolomeo switched staring from Usopp to Robin before he took a deep breath, grinning widely from ear to ear. "Aaah, that's right~ We're talking about Luffy-senpai after all! Freeedom! Nothing less expected from the King of pirates!" In an instant, his tune changed completely from an angry to excited one.

His laughter was cut off by one of Tontatta soldiers, Leo, as he pointed at the large stone statue of Pica. "Excuse me, King Riku, but what about the stone monster?!" Behind him, the other dwarfs nodded in agreement and whispered among themselves about it while they commented on the current dire situation. "Why is the palace in a place like that," the dwarfs wondered.

King Riku stayed silent, deep in thought as he remembered what happened in the palace with Doflamingo. That man won't be struck down from the throne that easily. He turned his head to look at his daughter and granddaughter, who were helping the pirates take care of their pursuers. Nico Robin easily called on her powers, releasing the ladder made from her limbs that they climbed up. Screams echoed down below, disappearing gradually as their enemies fell from the Plateau and crashed to the ground with sickening sounds of splattered meat.

"I found it! I found the key to Trafalgar Law's handcuffs!" Viola exclaimed, holding a piece of metal high in the sky, making it glisten on the sunlight. The Tontatta warriors also cheered, not all of them sure what she was talking about, but happy that things were going their way for a change.

The King wasn't as pleased as he frowned at his daughter who quickly started making plans on how to deliver the key to the pirate captain. "Viola!" She flinched when his gruff voice called out to her. "He is a pirate, they can't be trusted!"

His daughter clenched the key in her hand, her brown eyes gleaming with a hint of desperation and defiance. He knew that look well. She would give him that look since she was a child whenever she was displeased with something he'd said or done. She gave him that same look when she stood by her sister's side, supporting her marriage with Kyros even after Riku displayed his reluctance on the matter. The King felt a painful pang in his chest as he remembered his deceased daughter, Scarlet. Luckily, Viola kept talking, steering his thoughts away from the painful memories that started to flood him.

"I know they are pirates…," the woman continued. "But they are also the intruders that will break this country's feigned peace. Father I….I want to believe in them!" She stared at him with pleading eyes now, hoping he would support her in this. "Ever since the World government gave Doflamingo his title, he has reigned over this country and gave us nothing but scars to bear. It's too late to get help from the army or the Government under the pretense of 'Justice' after all this time!" She turned around towards the city, watching the chaos that unfolded below them. "Those people can't hear it…The voices of those that have sacrificed themselves. The "Anger" of this country! The ears of the powerful are just attuned to their convenience!" She could feel the anger rising inside her as she spoke. She was still clutching the key in her hand painfully tight until red marks were left on her skin. "At least there's blood flowing in Strawhat's words! They've poured their hearts into their actions!" She turned back towards her father as she finished, staring him down with a determined look.

Riku wasn't sure how to respond; should he have faith in his daughter, which also meant having faith in pirates? Pirates brought this country to this state…could pirates also save it? He closed his eyes in thought, a deep crease appearing between his furrowed eyebrows.

"King!" Leo's voice brought the old man from his musings. "King Riku, please take a look at him!"

The old king turned his head to follow where the small Tontatta dwarf was pointing; at one of the Straw Hat pirates, the Sniper.

"God Usopp was Usoland! This man selflessly put himself in danger to break the 'Toy curse' that has been plaguing this country for ten years! He's our hero! His actions have brought tears to our eyes!" King Riku could see Leo and the other Tontatta warriors shedding tears for this pirate, their hearts moved by Usopp's previous actions. "And Luffyland is this superhero's captain," Leo continued when he saw he got Riku's attention. "King Riku, the Straw Hat pirateslanders are Dressrosa's beam of hope! So we'll trust them with all we have, even if they're pirates!"

The previous king of Dressrosa stayed quiet, but he could see the emotions behind the Tontatta dwarf's words and couldn't stay detached after hearing them. The strong beliefs that the Tontattas shared, along with his daughter and granddaughter, for these pirates, reached his heart and swayed his attitude. He could see how desperately everyone wanted to believe in them; both the Strawhats and the Heart Pirates. With a sigh, the king closed his eyes, silently reaching his own resolution.

At that moment, he heard the high voice of his granddaughter behind him. He turned to see the girl talking to her aunt, Viola. "Let me pass the key to Lucy!"

"Rebecca?!" Viola's surprise was obvious in her voice.

However, the young girl was determined. "I wouldn't be able to wait here patiently, anyway!"

Now even one of the pirates intervened. The King remembered him as one of the participants in the Coliseum battles; Bartolomeo the Cannibal. Such a nickname hardly gave Riku the reassurance he needed. "Alriiiight!" The said pirate jumped over to the two women, grinning in excitement and showing rows of sharp teeth. "Let's do this! Lemme come along if you're going to where Luffy-senpai is! Leave it to me!" He couldn't have been happier with the prospect of rushing off to wherever Strawhat was.

However, Rebecca's aunt wasn't as convinced. Concern was clearly written on her face as she answered, "But if you go on the streets, the people won't leave you alone. You're one of the 'prizes' of Doflamingo's game."

Luckily, the dwarfs stepped in. "Then let's use the rooftops!"

They group watched the little warriors with puzzled interest.

"Kabu-san and I will go too," Leo started. "Leave the factory to us!"

Inhel, a Tontatta dwarf with a big tophat nodded at Leo's suggestion. "Alright! We can use the help anyway. We'll rescue princess Mansherry and the rest of our friends there, with Fraland!"

The dwarfs cheered. Even though most of them were still hurt from their previous fight with Lao G and some of Doflamingo's men, none were willing to back down from this battle. They were all determined to give their all and help save this country, no matter the cost. They were small people with exceptionally big hearts, a trait everyone could be envious of. The courage of the Tontatta tribe resonated in their cheering voices.

"Let's move out! We don't have time to waste!"

~….~

„There she is! It's Trafalgar Law's nakama! Get her!" A masked man, one of Donquixote Family henchmen, shouted as he pointed at Miyako. She was running on the cobblestone road with her katana in her hand, climbing higher above towards the peak of the King's Plateau where the Palace now stood.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance when she saw a crowd of armed men running behind her, while a few of them flowed from the sides, trying to close off her path.

The all jumped at her at the same time, a heap of armed men aiming for her throat. The girl responded by spinning with her katana in both hands, delivering strong cuts through the air.

"Ghyaaaah!" Painful screams ripped through the air when each of her strikes hit its mark, cutting through the enemies who leaped at her. The men fell back and rolled on the floor, while Miyako didn't even miss a step, still running towards the palace.

She could hear the sounds of battle from up above, and moved just in time as a body came flying down. "Whoa!" She jumped to the side as one masked man grunted in pain on the road. Soon, the stone path became littered with Doflamingo's henchmen, their bodies lying in their own blood everywhere. Miyako gazed before her to see several large figures, fighting with some of Doflamingo's top executives. She recognized the men as some of the Corrida Coliseum participants that were released after Usopp's daring win against Sugar.

An especially tall man with bright blue hair jumped in front of her and then kicked the air, just in time to block another person's kick. A leaner and younger boy in a hat appeared in the air, striking Gilly's shin with his own high-heeled shoe. Both of them landed back on the ground, right in front of the tense samurai.

"Hyahahaha!" The smaller boy laughed, covering his mouth with his hand. "There's no way you can get passed me!"

True enough, Blue Gilly, although much more muscular and bigger, was severely injured while the boy hardy had a scratch on him. His head was bleeding, blinding one of his eyes and every now and then he would spit out blood along with a tooth or two.

In the distance, Miyako heard an angry roar and saw yet another Coliseum warrior, fighting with an executive. Don Chinjao, who Miyako recognized from the time she watched his fight with Luffy, punched the ground with all his might, making it crumble. He was aiming for the other geezer, Lao G, but the other was quicker and jumped into the air to avoid the powerful hit.

Only a few paces from them, Chinjao's son Sai was charging towards Baby 5 while she aimed her arm at him that was now a machine gun. She shot rapid fire at the man, but he expertly twirled his polearm and repelled all the bullets, before jumping into the air and piercing at her with his Hasshoken power.

"Kya!" Baby 5 jumped back at the last second, but was still hit by the blast from his piercing attack that broke the ground she was standing on.

Miyako didn't know where to look anymore as the whole area around her turned into a battleground. It was a war zone. *This is chaos…but I don't see Law nor Luffy-san anywhere!* She searched with her gaze, avoiding flying stones and bodies from Doflamingo's henchmen and several men of the Corrida Army. It was hard to see through all the smoke and dust, so she tried using her haki to feel their presence, but didn't feel neither Strawhat's nor the captain's aura anywhere near her. Just then, she heard a small sigh of pain from her right. Glancing to the ground, Miyako saw a man lying there, clutching his stomach as blood slowly trickled down his abdomen wound.

She ran up to the man in burgundy coat and knelt on the ground beside him. Gently she lifted his head as he slowly opened his eyes. His long blond hair was sticky and marred with blood, and the same color covered his lips. He coughed up some more red liquid before speaking in a hoarse voice. His eyes glistened and focused on the girl, signifying there was recognition in them. "You…are….one of the…wanted for…the game…two stars…Burning-Eyed…Miyako," he murmured.

The girl nodded. Even though she knew he was one of the ex-warriors of the Coliseum, she wasn't sure what he was called. *What was it…? Sulay-something?* She knew it was best for him not to speak so he wouldn't irritate his wound and to preserve energy, but he was the only chance to ask about Strawhat and her captain. Everyone else were busy fighting Doflamingo's men. "Law or Luffy-san! Do you know where they are?!"

The man nodded, but had too much trouble talking. He could barely use his voice anymore. "We told them to…go ahead…deal with Doflamingo. That damned Dellinger…and others…got in our way…," he finally answered.

The girl gritted her teeth in silent anger. *So I was too late! I just can't catch up to them.* She stared back at the severely injured man in her arms. "How long ago was that?"

The man shook his head, indicating he's not sure. "But they're…on Cavendish's hoarse…so it'll be hard to catch up..." He wasn't able to finish the sentence as another coughing fit attacked him, making him spew more droplets of his blood.

Miyako realized she won't be able to get any more information out of this man as he was barely holding onto his consciousness. She looked around, searching for a safe place when she suddenly spotted a wall not far away, surrounded by some ruble. *If I put him there, it should protect him from the blasts around him. And it will be hard to spot him so he'll be safe from Doflamingo's men.* Making her decision, the girl stood up and grabbed the man under his shoulders. With a strained grunt, she started dragging him to the side and into the makeshift hole that should be enough cover for him. "You should be safe here so try to stay quiet," she warned, standing up to leave.

The man narrowed his eyes at her with suspicion. "Why? Why…did you help…me?"

The girl found herself wondering the same thing. After all, he was just another pirate like her and she had no obligation to help him. They weren't companions or even in an alliance like with the Strawhats. Truthfully, the girl did it somewhat reflexively. Perhaps it was just a habit; helping someone in distress who was lying injured right in front of her. It was always hard for her to ignore someone in peril. The girl shrugged. "Who knows….even if we're not exactly allies, right now we're fighting the same enemy. Perhaps it is as they say; the enemy of my enemy is my friend." She tilted her head a little as she added, "Or you can just considering it as a 'thank you' for the information. Either way, I don't mind."

The girl turned to leave when she heard a whispered "Thank you" from behind her. Glancing at the man, Miyako have him a curt nod before running off into the battle once again.

However, the chaotic atmosphere continued the further up the path she ran. A shrilling voice stopped her as she looked up, seeing the dark-haired woman dressed in a maid's uniform argue with the Happo Navy commander.

"I understand now! You need me! I will be of use to you!" The woman was blushing, the hostile demeanor from before completely gone from her.

"What are you saying woman?!" Sai yelled back as confused as Miyako in this change of situation.

"Sai! You are already engaged, you can't get married!" Don Chinjao shouted from below, warning his son of his duties.

"Haaa?!" Lao G leaned even further forward, trying to hear the other man's words.

*What the hell is going on here?!* Miyako's jaw fell open from the baffling scene before her. All she could do was stand there and stare in shock and confusion for a while. The conversation was all over the place and nothing made sense anymore. *I just turned for a second and the situation already changed completely!* After a few seconds of staring to the strange development, the samurai shook her head harshly. *No, no, no, I can't get sucked into this, whatever it may be, I have my own goal to achieve. I need to move on!*

"Kyahaha!"

Just as Miyako was about to run forward, a body fell before her feet. From the blue hair and the flowery-pattern shirt, she could tell it was Blue Gilly.

"You bastard!" Another warrior of the coliseum shouted as he glared at the okama boy from before, Dellinger. This one was even taller than Gilly, and obviously a member of the Longarm tribe by the looks of it. His dark eyes had black circles painted around them and his bushy hair was contained with string, but still defied gravity as it didn't fall naturally at all. The man was standing in a fighting stance with his gloved hands shielding his face. There was a trickle of blood in the corner of his mouth, but he still appeared in a much better condition than his fallen companion Gilly.

Miyako's eyes narrowed as she watched the young fishman laugh at his struggling enemies. *This one seems problematic, he even defeated Longlegs-san who has such powerful kicks,* she thought, trying to remember Gilly's true name. Her hand instinctively went for her katana that she sheathed back while in her run a while ago. *He's one of the top executives of the Donquixote Family, hence he must be very dangerous. I should deal with him now…* The samurai stepped forward, her murderous kenshi spirit suddenly intensifying.

Only now did Dellinger and Ideo truly notice her and the fishman hummed in question. His lips formed a tight line as he stared at her, following her every move intently. He was conscious of her, which meant he felt the killing intent the samurai was producing. "I recognize you…you're that traitor's nakama," the boy spoke in a dark tone. His cheerful self from before was completely gone now.

Miyako narrowed her eyes at his words. "And you're that bastard's lackey," she retorted in a taunt. She rested her hand on the hilt of her sword. "If I kill you here and now, it will be one less officer of the Donquixote Family to deal with later."

A wide grin spread across Dellinger's face, showing rows of sharp teeth. He bowed his head, aiming his fighting-fish horns at the girl and tapped the point of his shoe a few times on the cobblestone. He looked like a bull ready to charge at her. "You're way too confident, bitch! I'll skewer you just like the rest of them!"

Miyako hurried to slide her sword out of its sheath, when the Longarm tribesman stopped her with a booming voice. "Wait!"

Both Dellinger and the girl glanced at him in curiosity, postponing their fight to hear him out.

Ideo clenched his gloved hands forming tight fits as he glared at the hybrid fishman. "This is my fight…a fight between him and me, so don't get involved," he spoke to the samurai.

Miyako scowled at his words. "But-"

"I know it would be easier to attack him together! But I have a debt to repay to this brat…along with avenging Suleiman and Blue Gilly. Besides…you have your own goal to achieve, don't you, Heart Pirate?" Idea gave her a knowing gaze, reminding her that she had her own business to attend to.

The girl tightened her lips together as she thought about the man's words. True, she wanted to move on and catch up to Law before they went even further away, but she was unsure whether to leave this dangerous executive in Ideo's hands. *Will he be able to handle it?* She was silent for a while, staring right at the man who returned her evaluating gaze with determined eyes. He was silently telling her that this is his fight and that she should leave it to him. Finally, the girl nodded in agreement. "Very well…I will leave it to you. I understand that you started this fight and you want to finish it," she concluded.

Ideo smirked at her choice of words. "Exactly."

"Kyaah! You are both so annoying! Whatever makes you think that I'd just let you get passed me anyway? I'll kill you both," the okama boy grinned, jumping in the air and aiming with his horns for Miyako.

The girl focused on his attack and prepared to unsheathe her katana, when suddenly the Longarm appeared before her. He stopped the attack with an uppercut that hit Dellinger right into the chin and sent him flying backwards. The boy yelped in surprise, but managed to land back on his feet after doing a backflip in the air.

"I'm your opponent!" The older man growled, giving Miyako a nod, silently noting that it's safe to pass and go forth.

The girl gave him a thankful nod in return and ran passed the couple, climbing up the road.

"You wait just a minute!" Dellinger yelled and tried again, this time aiming a kick at the girl. However, just like last time he was stopped with a punch sent by Ideo.

The Longarm tribesman had trouble keeping up with the boy's speed and force of his attacks. He gritted his teeth as he felt the ferocity of the kick digging in his forearm, which sent him sliding backwards from the force. Ignoring the pain, Ideo refused to back down, standing between Dellinger and his prey. "I won't let you…pass," the man growled through gritted teeth, ignoring the pain from Dellinger's kick. The boy truly had the strength of a full-fledged fighting fish, despite his lanky constitution.

"You're so annoying, annoying, annoying! Fine! I'll kill you first!" The boy screamed in frustration, watching the samurai girl disappear from his sight as she ran passed them and further down the road.

~…~

Miyako gazed up while running as a large shadow towered over the whole Plateau. Above, she could see the enormous stone monster Pica, unmoving as a statue yet still equally threatening. His eyes looked dead now as if he was out of his stone shell, but the girl felt wary anyway, expecting him to start moving and attacking again at any moment. She felt like those eyes would suddenly move and glare right at her, becoming aware of her presence. The thought made her shudder; especially after imagining how easy it would be for that stone giant to squash her with only two of his thick fingers. Her fears didn't appear to realize themselves and the giant stayed motionless, continuing to only cast his shadow on the small people below.

Suddenly, the fist of the monster clenched and the arm started moving slowly.

*No way, it's really happening! Is it after me?!* The girl yelped in surprise, thinking all was lost and preparing to use her katana to save herself.

Luckily, Pica didn't even seem to notice her there. Instead, the giant shouted in that high-pitched tone of his, aiming at something flying through the air that she couldn't quite decipher. Miyako stopped to stare at it with more focus, squinting her eyes and putting a hand above her eyes to block the sunlight from interfering. *What is that?* Whatever was traveling through the sky, Pica was adamant on bringing it down with his giant fist and it looked like he was going to succeed in it. A bad feeling washed over her and the samurai shuddered again. The forms in the sky looked like three people, but the girl couldn't understand how was it that they were flying. It was too far away to see anything clearly, even their identities, but the girl's instincts warned her that Pica shouldn't get to them. Unfortunately, it was impossible to stop that traveling arm which ripped through the air. "Oh no," Miyako winced at the sight.

In the next second, the samurai was gaping, breath completely lost from her lungs. She watched wide-eyed as a large gash speared vertically from Pica's head down to his torso, stopping the giant from moving any further. The large cut ran deep into the stone and the girl new only a few people currently in this country could make that happen. She recognized the sword attack immediately, still watching the incredible sight in awe. "Roronoa-san," her voice was nothing but a whisper of amazement. At that moment she knew the problem of Pica was left in good hands; Zoro was planning to finish his battle with the paramecia that got interrupted when they were at the Palace previously. And this time, Miyako was sure the Pirate Hunter will put an end to things.

She smiled at the screaming Pica who seemed as startled as she was by the sudden intrusion that undermined his plans. The flying figures, momentarily forgotten, disappeared somewhere on the upper levels while the samurai stared at the struggling giant with glee. As much as she felt some rivalry with the green-haired swordsman, Miyako could help but be glad that he was there to fight against the Donquixote Family. She was happy they made that alliance with the Strawhats, even if Trafalgar never had all this in mind when he did so. With one last smirk and glance at the fight between Zoro and the Executive, Miyako turned and headed up the road again.

Although panting already, she didn't slow down even for a heartbeat, her vision solely focused on the goal up at the last level; the palace. That's why it came as a surprise when a large wooden body suddenly appeared from the smoke with its mouth gaping open. Miyako's eyes widened when she saw a large toy on her right which was about to eat her with its strong jaws and stone-crushing teeth. With a gasp the samurai jumped backwards as the toy leaned forward, unsheathed her katana and sliced at the toy in one swift motion. The wooden body split into two and collapsed onto the ground with a clattering sound of broken wood. Miyako gazed up ahead only to see more of the same large skull-looking toy soldiers in front. They reminded her of carved nutcracker toys. However, their biting jaws were even stronger, easily chewing even the cobblestone as they tried to take a bite out of Miyako but missed each time.

"What are these," she asked into the air, though no one was with her to answer. Instead, the girl jumped over one of the toys' head just as it lunged at her and used it as a stepping stone to fly in the air and cut at another right behind it. It split vertically and fell onto the ground. As Miyako landed in a crouch, she found herself right in front another towering skull toy that snapped its teeth and clattered its hard limbs as it attacked.

'Ittouryu Technique; 8 gates of the Dragon!'

Instead of dodging, the samurai leaped forward at the same time, using Yawarakai-Te to cut at each of the toy's limbs and finally separate even its head. The wooden soldier fell to the ground in pieces, making her relax a bit as no new enemies seemed to appear. Just as she thought it was over, Miyako heard clacking of wood against wood behind her. She slowly turned around only to stare in surprise when she saw the limbs and the head reattached themselves to the torso of the giant nutcracker. The soldier towered over her and leaped again as if it wasn't cut just seconds before. Even the ones from before, despite deep cuts on their bodies, stood back up again and stumbled towards the samurai.

~…~

"Cinco Mano: Spank!" Robin crossed her arms, creating five arms on the large toy soldier that was about to snatch Bartolomeo, who was still recuperating from making all those barriers for Luffy and the others. The sprouted hands grabbed the large soldier and kept it in place, before five of them slammed into the soldier and pushed it to the ground. The head of the wooden nutcracker rolled onto the ground, while the body stumbled, trying to get back up on its feet and find its missing head.

"R-Robin-sembaiii" Bartolomeo cried tears of joy and gratitude, feeling it was more honor to be saved by his idol than he deserves. His heart was fluttering and he felt excited beyond belief, even if his body did nothing but lay there on the ground with no strength left.

"These tasteless dolls…I will avenge what they did to Farul!" A blonde pirate prince leaped forward, using his rapier to cut off two of the dolls' heads. Cavendish then turned to gaze back at the lying pirate of the same generation as himself. "Oy, Bartolomeo the Cannibal, how much longer do you plan on lying around carelessly!?" All his previous grace was gone as he yelled at the other pirate in frustration.

"Shud up! I'mb still resting!" Bartolomeo yelled back, his face still wet with tears and snot from so much crying. His nose was stuffed, giving his voice a nasally tone.

Robin chuckled at the two arguing pirates, as she still stood in front of Bartolomeo to protect him from any incoming attacks. "I understand how you feel, Birdy-kun." She smiled and glanced back at him. "It's worth entrusting our captain with our lives. Luffy has always been our winning trump card!"

"Nico Robin…," Cavendish trailed off in a whisper, impressed how much trust the woman had in her captain. Even if he only seemed like a foolish young boy to the pirate prince.

The Donquixote Family Executive that was standing in front of them, in the midst of all the battle and smoke, stared at the woman angrily. His eye twitched and two more veins popped up on his forehead. He didn't appreciate the woman's words, and just the mention of Strawhat's name made Gladius' blood boil.

However, Nico Robin didn't even flinch at the menacing aura swirling around their enemy. Instead, she kept her smile along with her confidence, not worried at all. She summoned six large hands that surrounded Gladius. "Gigantesco mano! I won't let you hurt Luffy!"

"What she said!" Bartolomeo suddenly jumped up as if completely healed by the woman's inspiring words. Instead of tears, the man now had a large grin on his expression, showing rows of sharp long teeth like a shark's.

The three glared at Gladius, as they faced the enemy through the smoke, debris and shuffling skull dolls.

"Enough! This is where you will meet your end! You think Strawhat can win? How dare you disrespect our Young Lord!" Gladius signaled for the toys to move and the soldiers ran with heavy steps towards the trio.

"Spank!" Robin used her six giant hands to slam the charging toys into the ground.

"Biken: Swan Lake!" Cavendish jumped over one of the dolls, turning in the air and slicing at its back where the giant toy couldn't reach him.

Suddenly, the trio noticed parts of the ground started to inflate like mole heaps. The parts got bigger and bigger beneath their feet.

"It's Gladius!" Nico Robin warned and the trio jumped to the side, away from the heaps. Even so, the explosions would still be dangerous in their proximity.

Thankfully, Bartolomeo was faster. He crossed his fingers and his arms to create a barrier just as the ground started to explode. All three pirates stayed safe long after the explosions stopped and the smoke cleared up. "My barrier's back! Wahahaha!" The Cannibal laughed, sticking out his tongue at Gladius as a taunt.

"Burdy-kun! I'm going to go to the fourth level and help Rebecca. Can you and Cabbage-kun deal with things here?" Robin summoned her devil fruit powers again, creating stairs of her legs that led up on the outside of the cliff wall.

"Hyaa, you don't even have to ask, Robin-senpai! I'll gladly die for you!" Bartolomeo smiled sweetly at the woman, returning to his fan mode.

"Nobody's asking that of you," Cavendish muttered to the other pirate in irritation. He really couldn't handle a crude and weird guy like Bartolomeo. The man's feelings were all over the place, just like a bipolar fan girl. After a sigh, he turned to the Strawhat woman with his serious expression returning. "Nico Robin, you go ahead! We can handle this guy on our own!"

Robin nodded with a smirk before hopping onto one of her legs, as she started to climb upwards.

"Like I'd let you!" Gladius shouted back, aiming his handgun at the woman.

At the same time, the toy soldiers attacked them again, but once again the prince pirate found himself in their way. He used his rapier to create a strong piercing attack that blasted the toys backwards.

"Barrier!" Before the bullets shot out of Gladius' hand could hit Robin, a see-through wall appeared between the weapon and its goal and stopped the bullets. They inflated and exploded on the colorless barrier, creating a smoke screen but leaving no real damage.

However, by using his power to protect his idol, Bartolomeo left himself open and defenseless. One of the skull soldiers jumped from behind at Bartolomeo, ready to bite his head with its powerful jaws and crack his head open. "Wha!" The pirate yelped, realizing it was too late to act. He was still protecting the Strawhats' archeologist and Cavendish was too busy fighting the other toy soldiers to help.

He prepared himself for the impact, only to blink in surprise when the toy suddenly stopped moving and started rattling its wooden limbs. Unexpectedly, a katana pierced through its mouth, before it slid sideways and cut the entire upper part of the soldier's head. As it fell to the ground with a loud crash, a samurai from Wano was standing behind it with their katana in hand.

Robin smiled as she glanced at the development, sighing in relief when she saw Bartolomeo was safe. "Miyako," she called out, giving the girl a grateful smile.

The golden-eyed girl had a ferocious expression as she glared at the battlefield before her. Even as the current threat was gone, she was still tense and ready for any enemy that might jump at them. "Sorry…I was a bit delayed," the girl finally spoke up. Not far behind her on the road were three large wooden toy soldiers completely cut up in pieces beyond any recognition. They were too demolished to even put themselves back together, with nothing but pieces of wood and sawdust left from them.

"You're…the Heart Pirate," Bartolomeo recognized the girl from the large screen Doflamingo set up for the stars of his game. He also remembered she was with Zoro-senpai in front of the Coliseum and also talked to Luffy-senpai later. It wasn't that strange, considering he read in the papers that the Heart Pirates formed an alliance with the Strawhats. However, that didn't mean they were trustworthy. Bartolomeo loved the Strawhat pirates, but he didn't know much about the Hearts and was wary of them.

The girl returned his gaze when she heard him speak, making the man tense in expectation. "And you are that man from the Coliseum….Barto-san?" There was no hostility in her gaze as she looked at him, even though she was exuding killing intent just moments before.

Bartolomeo sweat dropped at the nickname. He was getting a lot of them lately; Birdy, Rooster-head, Barto…Was it really that hard to remember his full name? "Well that's close enough," he sighed in resignation.

Her attention turned elsewhere and Miyako gazed upwards where Robin stopped climbing the cliff and watched the girl's unexpected arrival. "Robin-dono, Law and Luffy-san…?" She didn't even have to finish before the quick-witted archeologist understood her question and started explaining.

"They went up to the fourth level. They should be at the palace already. Rebecca ran off to the flower field to give Torao the key to his handcuffs, but I'm worried about her so I was headed up there myself," the woman finished.

Miyako's body stiffened as she heard her. *So they already reached Doflamingo's place. I wasn't quick enough to catch up…should I go after them anyway to help Law?* She bit her lip and stared down at her feet in thought.

"Miyako," Robin called back the samurai's attention, making the girl's head jerk up in question. "I believe Torao and Luffy will take care of Doflamingo…they will beat him." The woman smiled reassuringly at the girl. "After all, it is two captains of the Worst Generation working together in an alliance."

"Thaaat's right!" Miyako flinched at the loud voice and glanced before her at the colorfully dressed pirate with a strange hairdo that reminded her of a rooster's head. It was indeed the same one who spoke with them while crying in the Coliseum. "I dunno 'bout this Trafalgar guy, but Luffy-senpai will never lose! He beat Crocodile, saved Robin-senpai, fought at Marineford and…," the man continued to list all of the Strawhat's achievements in an adoring voice, babbling on about how great Monkey D. Luffy was.

However, the girl wasn't paying attention to the pirate anymore as she sensed a danger approaching them. She saw one of the Executives standing there in a long coat and masked face, with his white spiky hair standing up. She recognized the man immediately, remembering their short battle at the Royal Palace. The girl's eyes narrowed warningly as the man stepped forward. "Suzune…this time I will make sure to rip you apart with my power. You won't escape me again," he glowered at her, a vein straining on his forehead from anger.

The girl smirked mockingly at him. "Escape? If I remember correctly you are the one who barely escaped with his life…thanks to that stone monster Pica," she answered in an equally deadly tone. Her smirk was cold and didn't reach her eyes that only continued to glare daggers at him.

Another vein appeared on the man's forehead, stretching from his furrowed eyebrows all the way to the top. Now he had three deep creases in his forehead, pulsating along with his raging heart. "You bitch! I won't let any of you live!" He silently ordered the large toy soldiers to move again as they started charging at the trio on the ground. Meanwhile, Gladius decided to bring Robin down before she managed to escape him.

Cavendish, Bartolomeo and Miyako huddled together, watching each other's back as they were surrounded by the approaching soldier nutcrackers.

"I will protect Robin-senpai," Bartolomeo yelled, using his barrier to keep Nico Robin safe from any of Gladius' attacks. Meanwhile, the two pirate swordsmen prepared themselves for the incoming enemy.

Just as they were about to block any incoming attacks, the wooden toys transformed in front of their eyes. All the toys crumbled down to the ground, changing their form and separating. Their limbs, torsos and heads changed shape until they became a form of humans. Eight humans fell to the floor, turned back from each of the soldier toys.

"They turned back into humans!" Miyako exclaimed in surprise, seeing the moaning and groaning men stumbling back to their feet.

"He turned his own soldiers into toys! What the hell does he think people are?!" Cavendish was the one most infuriated by the sight even if they were enemies, but rightfully so, since he was once turned into a toy just like them and suffered physical and mental abuse at the time. It might not have been for as long as some of the people trapped in this country, but it was enough to feel the terror of being completely forgotten and nothing but a slave.

"There were eight people in that thing. No wonder it was such a large toy," Robin commented from above as she stopped to gaze at the scene below. She was worried for the trio who were so suddenly attacked, but also believed that they could deal with this one Executive and his men. Especially now when the immortal toys turned back into humans of flesh and blood.

"No way, again!? Sugar…" Gladius couldn't believe his eyes as once again all the toys turned back into humans, meaning Sugar must've lost consciousness again. He wondered what the hell was happening out there to the small woman if she managed to get beaten twice today.

"Why did this suddenly happen?" Miyako frowned in confusion, looking at the armed men that were sitting on the floor in a daze.

"It must be that girl…the one who has the power to turn people into toys. Something must've happened to her again," Cavendish reasoned, clutching his sword again. "More importantly, our enemies aren't defeated yet."

"Who cares what happened! It's gonna be much easier to beat them now!" The other super rookie exclaimed with a grin.

One of the masked men stumbled to his feet, still swaying from side to side in lack of balance. He sighed in relief, wiping the sweat off his brow. "That was close…I thought we were going to stay toys forever." The other men nodded in agreement, equally terrified at the thought.

Gladius cleared his throat to calm down before he decided to lie through his teeth. "Of course not! We would turn you back as soon as the war ended," he explained. The truth was he completely forgot about these guys, forgetting there were actually humans in those large toys. To him, they were only tools to be used against the enemy, no matter what shape or form they had. If he could defeat the ones going against the Young Lord by hurling these men right at the enemy, he would gladly use them as fodder. Whatever it took. *These small fry are expendable anyway,* he thought.

Yet the masked men easily swallowed all his lies, giving their master a smile of relief. "O-oh, that's right! I thought so too," one of the men agreed.

"I-I didn't have a doubt in my mind," another answered.

"They are totally eating up his lies," the prince pirate clicked his tongue in annoyance at what he was hearing.

Miyako scowled and nodded in agreement. "The fools are just being manipulated and they don't even see it."

"Whatever we say, it won't help anyway. They won't believe us over him," Robin concluded, still staring at the sight below.

Gladius' eyebrow twitched as he heard the archeologist voice, remembering he still had to stop her from leaving. "No matter…this changes nothing. I wonder if your barrier can keep up with this!" He glared up, shooting bullets through the air that then inflated like balloons. "Punc Bala!" He jumped into the air and landed on one of the inflated bullets, before jumping on the other one further above and so on.

"He's going after Robin-senpai!" Bartolomeo screamed, trying to invoke his barrier again.

Robin was just as surprised as the rest of them when she saw Gladius quickly approaching. He reached for her, aiming his hand so that he could shower her with deadly projectiles. Before he could, a glint of silver cut towards his throat and the man had to jump back, almost falling onto his backside. He landed back on the ground, growling in frustration as he was interrupted.

Miyako used the cliff's stones to jump up, high into the air, and intercept Gladius' attack with her sword. She almost cut his throat, but the man was swift and managed to dodge by leaning backwards with his weight.

"Suzuneeee!" Bartolomeo yelled her name with gratitude, tears in his eyes as he realized she protected his precious idol.

The Executive narrowed his eyes behind his steampunk goggles. "Too bad that will cost you your own life," he spoke up, using his devil fruit powers to activate the bullets filled with explosive air.

"Miyako!" Robin shouted, realizing what Gladius was planning while the samurai was surrounded by the bombs. The area burst into explosions from Gladius' bomb bullets, making fumes and debris fly everywhere. Everyone coughed, their vision blurred and foggy from all the smoke.

"Biken: Zan t-Exupéry!" Cavendish created a force with his meito to knock away some of Donquixote's men who wanted to use the opportunity to attack the other two pirates. His slash created a gust of wind, not only pushing down the enemy, but also clearing away some of the smoke.

Through the rising fog, they could see a silhouette using their sword to slowly prop themselves back to their feet. Once the gust of wind Cavendish created cleared the smoke, they saw it was the samurai girl. Miyako's hair slowly swayed to the side while her golden eyes now burned with new fire in them as she stared right at Gladius. She had a gash at the side of her head which was bleeding quite a lot, and there were black marks of soot dirtying her clothes and skin. Even so, there was nothing but newfound determination gleaming in her focused eyes. The tree other pirates sighed in relief when they saw the girl was alright and standing.

"Robin-dono…," Miyako started, getting the other woman's attention. "I've been thinking…and I agree with you. If it's Law and Luffy-san, they can definitely defeat Doflamingo together! I will believe in them! Right now, I think I am more needed here…I can handle this fight, so you go on ahead and help Rebecca-chan! I will deal with this guy."

The raven-haired woman stared back at the Wano girl, but she found no insecurities in her expression or her tone. The pirate woman smiled, knowing Miyako was strong enough to defeat Gladius. Besides, she had Cavendish and Bartolomeo with her. She nodded at the girl, "Thank you, Miyako-chan. I will go on ahead then!" She turned and started running up the cliff again by using her devil fruit powers.

Gladius stretched his arm towards Robin again, but before he could move, Miyako got in his way. She stood between him and his prey stoically while she glared at him. There was a powerful kenshi spirit forming all around her, creating a heavy atmosphere in the air. Even the masked men around the samurai girl shuddered.

"Don't even think about going after her. Your fight is here with me," the girl warned.

"That's right!" Bartolomeo yelled at the Executive with a glare of his own. Nobody touches his precious Robin-senpai!"

"Burning-eyed Miyako, Bartolomeo," the captain of the Beautiful Pirates called. "We'll cover Nico Robin from down here. Bartolomeo, make use of your barrier so that he can't aim for her," he added.

"Tch. Don't order me around, stupid blondie," the other captain grumbled in annoyance.

Even the girl appeared displeased by Cavendish suddenly taking the lead. "Right, don't get too full of yourself," she clicked her tongue and turned her head to the side to avoid his gaze. He wasn't her captain, after all, and she only took orders from Law.

The blonde almost chocked on air when he saw their reactions. "Weren't we working together, what's with those annoying attitudes!?"

The girl ignored him, charging at the Executive on her own. "Cabbage-dono, you take care of these pesky Donquixote men. Barto-san can keep protecting Robin-dono with his barrier," the girl shouted back before she leaped in front of Gladius.

"Yeees, I'll gladly protect Robin-senpai," the rooster-head sang with sweetness seeping out of his voice as he mentioned the Strawhat woman.

"Why am I stuck with the small-fry!?" Cavendish didn't sound as pleased with his duty, but even as he spoke, he repelled their attacks easily. He took a defensive stance, waiting for his opponents to come close and surround him, before using his sword, Durandal, to pass through his enemies and counterattack each sword aimed at him. "Precious Metal Axe," he called out his attack name.

Meanwhile, Miyako cut through the spikes of Gladius' hair which was laced with poison, jumping in one swift motion and slashing at the man. Ittoryu : 9 strikes! She aimed for the nine vital points of the human body, swiftly delivering each strike towards the Executive.

Before she could come close, her opponent used his firing mechanism in his wrist and shot several inflated bullets at her. "Catapult Punk!"

She had no choice but to stray from her path and dodge the incoming projectiles, quickly appearing and the man's side and trying again, only to find his wrist right in front of her face, swollen and ready to explode. Miyako's eyes widened in surprise, but she managed to avoid the blast and jump into the air. Ittouryu: Heavenly strike! She brought her katana down towards the top of Gladius' head, but his mane has already reappeared and he used it again to shoot hair needles at her. She managed to block the cutting weapons with her katana, but felt one of them scratch her on the left shoulder. The girl landed further away from her enemy, panting hard. Her arm was bleeding but it was far from anything serious. *Damn it, I can't find an opening and get close to him at all! His ready for my every move, and as long as he can fight long range, I'm at a disadvantage,* she cursed.

Gladius was also out of breath as the girl made him use his devil fruit powers so frequently, one attack after the other, just to keep up with her. It was exhausting even for him, but he knew he still had enough energy to end this fight. His mood improved further and he smirked under his mask after he saw the small wound on her shoulder.

"You having some trouble there," Bartolomeo teased the samurai when he saw her struggle with the Executive.

The girl narrowed her eyes as she shot him a murderous glance, "Shut it, I can do this!" She turned back to concentrate on Gladius and was just about to grab her katana with both hands for one more move when she realized she couldn't move her left hand. "Huh?" Gazing down, she saw her left arm falling limp at her side.

"It's my Punk Hair! My hair is coated in a paralyzing agent and only a small cut is enough to render a limb or two useless…like your arm right now," he explained with a smirk, which was obvious in his tone even if his face was all covered up.

"Suzune," Cavendish exclaimed in worry before piercing another of Doflamingo's men. He stared back at the girl who was gripping her sword with only one hand now.

"I'm fine," the girl called back, indicating that she didn't need his help. "So what if I can only use one hand…" She stepped forward, closer to her opponent. "One hand is more than enough for the likes of you," she continued.

Gladius stared at the girl from top to bottom in silence. She had injuries from previous battles; both when they first faced each other and some other cuts and bruises from an unknown enemy she must have faced. She had several deeper wounds and a gash at the side of her head that must be making her dizzy by now. And now she couldn't even use one of her arms. Nevertheless, the girl continued to get up and fight stubbornly. "What's wrong with you? Why won't you fall already, are you some kind of demon!?" The man just couldn't understand her conviction; what was driving her this much that she would go so far to beat him? For the first time in their fight, Gladius felt a new and anxious sensation; he felt just a small pang of fear, but it was enough to raise doubt in his mind. Concern whether he can really win against this strong-willed woman.

On his surprise, Miyako chuckled at his perplexed words. "Heh, a demon? I'm fine with that, actually." She stepped forward, sheathing back her katana with her right hand. A fire appeared in those eyes again. They scorched the very soul of her enemy who she was focusing on so intently. "Even if I become a demon, I don't care! As long as I protect what's important to me…a demon, or even a devil himself...I don't care what I am!" She lowered herself in a battojutsu stance, gripping the hilt with her right hand.

Ittouryu; Kiritateru!

"Catapult Punc!"

Miyako ignored the explosion that set off before her, diving into it with her technique that cut through the air and fire itself. She proceeded on with a shout, feeling the heat all around her but her sword kept her safe as it sliced trough the explosion. The slash created a strong gust of wind which was enveloped with additional power of Miyako's haki, keeping the heat and the blast of the explosion away from the samurai. She broke though the explosion, appearing right before a very startled Gladius who only had time to step back before the katana fell on him. It made a slice across the right side of his upper chest before the girl passed by, almost tumbling to the ground from exhaustion, after she just ran through such a massive attack.

"Gyaah!" Gladius screamed in pain as a deep gash appeared on the wounded spot, spurting blood onto his coat and ground. He fell to his knees, shuddering from pain as he clutched his chest with a blood-stained hand, trying to stop the bleeding by applying pressure.

"You did it!" Bartolomeo cheered from behind his barrier while Cavendish smiled at the sight in enthusiasm.

"Not yet…," Miyako struggled to get back up and finish her attack. She knew the slice wasn't strong enough since she needed to cut through his explosion first, not to mention she only used one hand in a battojutsu move, which slowed her unsheathing speed quite a bit and with that also weakened the power of her strike. So she knew the wound wasn't deadly enough since it was far too shallow. She needed to finish him off before he stood back up.

Alas, she wasn't fast enough. "That's right…not yet. This fight is far from over so don't think you've won!" Gladius' voice trembled from pain, but he still managed to use his devil fruit power. The ground around him started to inflate more and more, until the terrain completely changed shape and looked like it was full of hills.

Everyone stumbled, losing their balance on the moving terrain that started to inflate to massive proportions.

"O-oh no! Gladius-sama wait, we're here too!" The masked men screamed in panic, frantically trying to run way from the large explosion that was to come. They knew what was to come and how deadly it was. Everyone standing on this terrain area will be blown to smithereens once it explodes.

"Suzune, we have to move! The whole ground is inflating!" Cavendish ran over to the girl and helped her up, shuffling away from Gladius. Not that it mattered much since they were all still standing on the ground that was filling with explosive air.

"There's no escape anymore!" Gladius shouted, keeping both hands on the floor as he kept adding more and more explosive power to it.

"Ruuun!" Doflamingo's men yelled in panic, running anywhere that wasn't here.

"He's even going to blow up his own men," Miyako clenched her teeth at how ruthless the Executives were.

The captain and the Heart pirate managed to get to Bartolomeo, only to find him cozily standing behind his barrier where it was safe. Unfortunately, they were on the wrong side of it.

"Oy, Bartolomeo, everything's gonna explode, let us in!" Cavendish's usually eloquent speech was becoming sloppier now that he was frantically shouting for his life.

The other captain gazed up to see Robin was still climbing the cliff, in need of his protection. He stared back at the blonde with a bored expression, "No way…if I let down the barrier then Robin-senpai and I will also be in danger." He picked his nose with a troubled expression that was pissing Cavendish off even more. Even Miyako stared at Bartolomeo in disbelief.

"Oh come on and open up, aren't we on your side too!?" Cavendish lost it completely, banging onto the barrier with his fist.

"But the enemy'll get in," Bartolomeo continued with the same troubled expression that clearly stated; 'I don't wanna.'

Miyako couldn't believe her ears, but she took a deep breath and tried another approach. She leaned with her good arm on the barrier, sheathing back her katana. With a forced smile, she got the ex-gangster's attention. "Listen, Barto-san. You know how I'm in the alliance with the Strawhats, right?" As soon as she mentioned his favorite pirate crew, Bartolomeo turned all ears. Knowing she got him hooked, Miyako swiftly continued, "Well I'm friends with Luffy-san and the others…which means I can easily get all their autographs for you. All nine of them!"

Bartolomeo's expression completely changed with his eyes glistening from excitement. He clasped both hands and puffed his chest with his mouth agape, "Y-You can?!"

The girl still held that nervous smile, nodding vigorously. "I can and I will, so please, let us in before it's too late!"

"Alright!" The pirate captain let down his barrier and put it back up, allowing the two to enter.

"I can't believe that actually worked!" Cavendish was still beside himself from the experience, giving Bartolomeo a good smack on the side of his head. "Don't mess with me like that, you bastard!"

In the next second, the whole area blew up with a thundering roar that made the earth shake. "Punk Rock Fest!" Gladius' voice was all that could be heard before everything exploded. Debris and parts of people flew all around, as cracks appeared on the ground. Smoke arose from those cracks and into the sky, while the stones continued to crumble even after the explosion ended. As the smoke settled down, the pirate trio stared at the chaos outside from within the safety of Bartolomeo's barrier.

The rooster-head stood there with his fingers crossed while he used his devil fruit powers, grimly staring at the devastation around them. "Hmm…Being outside like that'll definitely kill you on the spot," he finally concluded with a serious tone.

"No shit!" Both Miyako and Cavendish lost their temper, the blonde hitting Bartolomeo's face from one side with his foot while Miyako hit the other side with the hilt of her katana.

"Next time make it snappy if you're gonna let us in!" Cavendish yelled at the other captain.

"What the hell's with that tone!?" Is that how you ask for someone's help!?" The other captain retorted with a raised voice of his own.

A fight begun between the two as they yelled at each other, but Miyako ignored them as she still tried to calm her quickly-beating heart and rest a little. She was just glad they made it in time before they were blown to pieces.

"Oy, Ribbon-girl, don't forget what you promised! All nine autographs!" Bartolomeo turned to her, reminding her of her deal.

"Right, right," she nodded back with a sigh. *Like he would let me forget about it,* she sweat-dropped at his intensity.

"Come on, let us out already! We have a fight to finish!" The blonde interrupted them angrily.

"What?! You begged me to let you in and now you want out already?!"

"Offense after defense, that's logical! Just do it already!"

The captain opened his barrier again, letting both Miyako and Cavendish out to deal with the only enemy left standing at the moment; Gladius. The two glanced at each other, charging forward at the executive. They used the opportunity right after he finished trying to attack Nico Robin, who was still being protected by Bartolomeo's powers, to form their counterattack.

"Cavendish! Suzune!" Gladius exclaimed in surprise when the two pirates appeared on each side of him, unexpectedly very much alive, and using their swords to attack right as he inflated both of his wrists to counter.

None had the chance to act, thought, as they heard a loud rumble behind them. The two pirates glanced backwards, only to gape at the sight of a wide, see-through wall approaching them with speed. Behind it was Bartolomeo who was raising his arms in the air while shouting excitedly. What was left of the debris and bodies on the ground was now being scooped and pushed forward, right towards the battling trio.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Cavendish yelled at the other captain, with both bewilderment and frustration written across his face.

"I can't stop!" Bartolomeo shouted a deafening call of excitement again.

"Has he completely lost his mind?!" The blonde glanced from Bartolomeo to Miyako, hoping for any answer to what was going on all of a sudden.

"Robin-senpai….Robin-senpai winked at me for protecting her! I'm too excited to stop!" He continued to run, demolishing everything in his path with his powers.

"Yep…He lost it," the samurai nodded, eerily calm, as she was already resigned with the fact that she was dealing with lunatics here. "We should probably run," she added.

"And why are you so calm?!" The blond glared back at the samurai girl before agreeing that all they could really do was run before Bartolomeo flattens them with his barrier wall.

The two pirates along with Gladius started to run before the giant wall, while the other captain kept running forward, seemingly without an aim. "Sorry, but there's a reason why I can't stop now!"

"Why!? We're here too, you know!"

"I'm feeling like a million Berries!"

"Like we care!" Both Miyako and Cavendish shouted at the same time, glaring back at the crazy ex-gangster.

Gladius turned around to stare at the man chasing after them, when he noticed a familiar figure on the other side of the ravine from the ground that got separated after Pica's devastating attacks. Down below, on the second level, he saw Dellinger standing and watching the peculiar scene with puzzled eyes. "Dellinger," he shouted, getting the boy's attention. "If you're done with the second level, come up here and give me a hand!"

The fishman hybrid put a hand above his eyes and focused on his companion that was running from something that looked like a clear wall. "What are you doing there, Gladius!?" He chuckled at the sight of the older man running around frantically.

"Nico Robin's on her way up, you need to stop her! I'm quite busy dealing with these three idiots here!" Gladius answered in a yell, beckoning the boy to come over and help.

"Who are you calling 'idiots'?! Miyako and Cavendish heard the man and shouted back at him in anger, but they could hardly do anything but run from Bartolomeo with him.

"Kyaa! It sounds like fun!" Dellinger snickered, putting a hand over his mouth in a lady-like fashion. He hid the sharp teeth that were still dripping with his last victim's blood.

That's when Miyako noticed the boy too. *Longarm-san was supposed to stop that kid…what happened?! Did he die?!* She gulped in worry as she saw the fishman jump from stone to stone, proceeding his way over to their side. In her deep thoughts, Miyako barely realized when the fingers of her left arm twitched. She looked below at her paralyzed arm, seeing that it was slowly coming back to life. *The drug is wearing off! I'll be able to use both arms again soon.* She smirked, suddenly glad that Bartolomeo unwittingly bought her some time with his crazy antics until her body recovered. Even so, she wouldn't be much of use if that idiot won't stop chasing after them with that dangerous wall of his! She scowled at the man in question over her shoulder, just in time to yelp when she realized he caught up to them. "He'll collide with us!" The girl warned, right before her back hit the wall and it pushed her face-down into the ground.

In one last attempt to save himself, Gladius turned around and fired his explosive bullets into the barrier, hoping to stop it, but it only caused greater chaos. A loud crash ensued, toppling all the people over as the barrier blasted them to the ground. Cavendish hit the back of his head as he fell down to the ground, and stayed lying there unmoving and with eyes closed, surely unconscious.

When the devastation settled, everything stayed eerily quiet. Miyako groaned in pain as she slowly started to get up on her hands and knees, feeling pain in her body from the fall. "I'll kill that damned rooster head," she winced while looking around to see where the others were. The smoke from Gladius' last attack was still in the air, clouding her vision and making her eyes sting. She wiped the sweat and dried blood from her head that were sticking to her skin and bangs.

She noticed a form rising on their feet in front of her and squinted her eyes to see who it was. The first thing she saw was the white spikey hair and she recognized the other man immediately. Getting up on her feet and grabbing a hold of her katana, Miyako glared at the Executive who returned the deadly gaze.

"I'll finish you off first," Gladius spoke, ready to use his powers again.

"Gyaaah!" Both of them stopped when they heard a dying scream nearby. Miyako didn't recognize the voice, relieved that it was neither Cavendish nor Bartolomeo.

Just as she thought so, another voice yelled in pain and a blunt sound was heard as a body hit the floor. The girl recognized sounds of cutting the air as if someone was swishing something sharp around.

Both the Heart Pirate and the Executive stood there motionlessly, trying to understand what was happening around them. They couldn't see anything from the smoke screen, but a heavy grim atmosphere fell down on the area.

The samurai felt a threatening aura with her haki and it was dangerously close by. The screams and movement around her intensified, making her realize that someone was slaughtering what was left of Donquixote's men. However, the presence felt neither like Bartolomeo's nor the blonde's. *A new person came? If he's killing Gladius' henchmen, does that mean he's on our side?* Even as she asked herself that, Miyako had a strange feeling about it. She felt uncertain that this new person was truly here to help them.

Suddenly, her senses awoke in alert and she quickly pulled out her sword and turned, just in time to block an incoming piercing attack. She didn't even see who it was that attacked her before the person disappeared again into the smoke and reappeared behind her. She turned around with a gasp and stood stock still, every muscle in her body tensing with the grave atmosphere. Gladius and Miyako stared at the new arrival with confusion. The person had a white coat and a frilly white dress shirt, his wavy locks of blonde hair dancing around his shoulders. The large hat was gone, but there was a long rapier in his hands that Miyako easily recognized as one of the meito. The person in front of them was undeniably Cavendish of the White Horse, yet the samurai still felt unsure about his identity. Something just seemed off about him.

"You are….Cabbage-dono…right," Miyako asked with doubt in her voice, while her instincts kept warning her that something was wrong about him.

The man had an expression she never saw on his face before as he kept grinning widely. His eyes were narrowed and she could only see the whites in them. He kept exuding a suffocating killing intent and it wasn't only aimed at the Executive, but at her as well.

The man gave her no response, only grinned widely and disappeared again. Miyako gasped at the speed she was witnessing. Cavendish was fast before, but not as swift as this. She, who worked on her body and sword speed, knew he wasn't normally as fast as her, yet now her tired body and eyes could barely keep up with him. She turned and blocked yet another slash that came her way and shuddered when she found herself face to face with the apparition that looked like Cavendish.

She was never more relieved that her paralyzed arm started moving again, because she knew she wouldn't be able to keep up with this man with only one working arm. The blonde prince was strong, but she knew their skills were still far apart and usually she wouldn't have such a problem beating him, but this new side of his was completely different. His skills, along with her sore, injured body were a dangerous combination and she felt a pang of worry that he might overcome her. Could she even fight him seriously? If that was really Cavendish, she didn't want to kill the man.

On the other hand, he didn't seem to have such qualms about her safety as he aimed for her neck in another piercing attack that was so swift Miyako barely had time to sidestep an avoid his sword.

With the corner of her eyes she saw Gladius shooting his bullets towards them and she quickly jumped backwards to avoid the rapid fire. Cavendish, however, moved swiftly through the rain of bullets without even gaining a scratch, and proceeded with great haste towards the source; Gladius. His smile widened even more when he suddenly appeared before the executive, the other man gaining his unwanted attention with his attack. Gladius quickly used 'Bracchium,' causing his wrist devices to swell and making them explode before Cavendish could stick his rapier into the man's heart. However, by the time his wrists exploded, Cavendish was already far away and out of the blast's reach.

Miyako used this chance to run over to the other pirate captain, seeing his barrier through the smoke. "Barto-san, something's wrong!"

"Eh? What's going on out there?" He opened his barrier to let the samurai in, before closing it again.

"Something's wrong with Cabbage-dono," she responded with strain in her voice that made even the other pirate tense.

"Gladius! I'm here! What's going on!"

They heard a young voice of the fishman hybrid as he finally reached their level.

"Dellinger, I'm still here, but it's dangerous now! We're up against a messy one!" Gladius shouted back through the smoke curtain, unable to see where the boy was.

Bartolomeo and Miyako turned toward the voices and saw a lanky figure of the okama boy walking towards them through the fog.

"Kyaa! This isn't like you at all, Gladius! There's no one we can't take out togeth-," the boy started with a laugh, unworried about any of the older executive's warnings. He never managed to finish the sentence as the quick apparition passed him by, slicing him diagonally along the torso before Dellinger could even recognize his assailant.

"Dellinger!" Gladius' voice shouted in worry, seeing the young fishman fall to the ground unconscious. One slash was enough to completely incapacitate him.

"What's going on!? There's someone really scary on the other side of the barrier!" Bartolomeo's mouth fell open when he saw the scene. He saw the one standing there, his blonde hair dancing in the wind, as he gave them a sickly grin of pleasure right after slicing the fishman.

"I told you, Cabbage-dono fell unconscious when he hit his head, but then suddenly he became like this. His presence is completely different from before, like he's another person," she explained, shuddering involuntary at the intense feeling that person gave off. His expression when he focused on someone was enough to make that person's blood run cold.

"He beat that shitty brat with horns and all the soldiers!" Bartolomeo exclaimed, his expression twisted with worry and bewilderment. "This is exactly like the D block fight in the Coliseum…everyone suddenly got beaten," he remembered out loud.

"Eep! He noticed us! Don't come over here, you're creepy!" Miyako yelped right before the blonde appeared before them and started attacking the barrier with his blade.

Bartolomeo flinched in surprise as he didn't even see the man coming. "I didn't even see him arrive! So scary!"

The fake Cavendish continued to circle around the barrier, trying to find a place to enter. He searched for any weakness that could break Bartolomeo's powers and get him inside. His killing intent could be felt clearly through the wall and no trace of Cavendish's previous presence could be found.

"Damn, this guy's insistent! Oy, Suzune, you can keep up with him, right? Go knock him out or something," the pirate captain suggested, keeping his wall up so they could stay safe from the incoming attacks.

"Are you joking with me?! Can't you see I'm already injured? I can barely keep up with him in this state! Besides, this is all your fault!" The girl yelled back in annoyance, glaring at the pirate.

"Why is it my fault!?"

"Because of your stupid excitement, you hit us all with your barrier powers! You knocked him out and made his strange."

"It can't be helped, Robin-senpai winked at me!"

"Like I care!"

The two continued to argue, momentarily forgetting the danger that was right outside the colorless wall. Only when the banging of the blonde's sword suddenly stopped, did the two look in his direction curiously. That's when they realized the man was staring at the opening high above the circle of walls. He jumped upwards and was about to dive inside. Both pirates screamed in fright at the scene, right before Bartolomeo managed to quickly close off the top of the barrier walls. If he was only a second slower, Cavendish would have gotten inside.

"Hahaha! Tough luck!" The ex-gangster laughed mockingly at the blonde, before he started making taunting faces at him. "You're never getting inside and you can't cut through my barrier either," he stuck his tongue out.

"Don't provoke him!" Miyako angrily slapped Bartolomeo on the back of his head before turning back to the stubborn killer outside. "And why are you going only after us!? If you want to attack someone, go be useful and kill that bomb guy!" She pointed back at Gladius who was still standing there, trying to treat Dellinger's wounds.

However, the fake Cavendish stared upwards instead, another living being getting his intention. Gladius was hard to attack because of his ranged bomb powers so even the blonde pirate had a problem with it. However, he easily found himself another target, that sick smile crossing his face once again. Both Miyako and Bartolomeo tensed when they saw what the man was gazing at; Nico Robin. The woman was still carefully climbing up the high cliff to the next level.

"No, no, no, no!" Bartolomeo started banging against his barrier to try and pull Cavendish's attention from the woman and back towards them. Unfortunately, it was no use. In the next moment, the blonde was already running up towards the archeologist, quicker than she was climbing up with her powers.

"When I said to go attack someone else, I meant Doflamingo's men, not Robin-dono," Miyako screamed in frustration, realizing the weird Cavendish already made up his mind.

Bartolomeo was panicking by now, knowing he could never make it in time even if he tried to stop Cavendish from attacking the Strawhat woman. Tears streamed from his eyes again as he felt his heart ache in fear for the woman, scenes of her demise already flashing before his eyes. "Stooop! Don't hurt Robin-senpai!"

The samurai wasn't as panicked, only narrowing her eyes as she stared at the man approaching the ravenhead. She knew how strong the archeologist was and had faith that she would be able to defend herself. At least Miyako hoped so, because her body was still too injured to do that same move as before and use her leg power to jump all the way up and block the incoming attack. Cavendish was too fast for her to act now when he was already half-way up the cliff.

As expected, the Strawhat pirate woman was no pushover. Robin quickly used her powers, still standing on the sprouting legs of her previous used devil fruit power, and summoned six hands that sprouted from Cavendish's body. He stopped in place while struggling, as Robin's hands kept his arms locked behind his back. One large arm was sprouting from the cliff and holding the man in the air. "Give it up, your speed is no match for my powers. That's a very evil look you have there…so how may I help you, Cabbage-kun?" Nico Robin smiled with a mirthful glint in her eye. "I'm worried about Rebecca, so I'm in quite a hurry," she added.

"Whoa, she frickin' stopped him," Bartolomeo exclaimed in amazement. "I-it was so impertinent of me to think you'd need my protection at all…Robin-senapaaiii!" Tears flowed even harder from his eyes as he stared at the woman he idolizes.

Miyako had to pluck her ears with her fingers just to stifle the loud crying noises and shouts of Bartolomeo. She scowled at the deafening sound of his cries inside such a narrow space where the sound bounced off the walls and boomed even louder. She was more interested in the scene above when she noticed a shift in the air. Once again, the atmosphere around Cavendish was changing as if he was switching from one person to the other. She focused her eyes on him when she heard him shout.

"Wait, Hakuba!"

Everyone gazed at the blonde in interest when they heard him speak after a long time of nothing but grinning eerie silence.

"I never said you have my permission to appear now," he continued. His eyes finally returned to normal, showing those blue irises again. He was panting hard, as if exhausted from an internal struggle that only he knew about. When he calmed down some more, he gazed back at the ravenhaired woman. "That was close…My apologies Nico Robin, I almost cut you in half."

Bartolomeo and Miyako glanced at each other in wonder when they saw Cavendish talking casually with Robin all of a sudden. He was back to his eloquent speech and former self. It didn't last long however, as the samurai suddenly felt that other, killer, presence resurfacing. She wanted to yell and warn Robin about it, but realized the older woman was also very much aware of it. That is why she hadn't yet released Cavendish from her power's restraints.

"You're hands, legs, neck…I'll chop off everything Nico Robin! I'll kill you!" The man Cavendish addressed as Hakuba returned, struggling once again as he stared with deadly eyes at the archeologist.

"What's wrong with this guy?! He's so creepy," the other captain commented, grimacing in disgust.

"Cavendish called him Hakuba…I wonder if he's suffering from a split personality disorder. I read a little about it in Law's medical books," Miyako noted in response. She remembered taking interest in one of Trafalgar's psychology books that he left open on his desk and reading about this mental condition. Later, Law even explained to her that the different personalities inside one human all had their own characters, and sometimes even different skills. That could explain why Hakuba was a different fighter than Cavendish and so much faster. He used up all of Cavendish's hidden potential that the original man didn't have access to yet.

While Miyako was pondering, a fight ensued between Cavendish and Hakuba, only making the whole scene more disturbing. The man yelled, alternating between the two personalities as he argued with himself. Every time, his expression and even his voice would change, depending who was the one speaking. It was both perplexing and frightening to watch, especially considering one of the personalities was a ruthless killer with great strength.

"I will!"

"No, me!"

"I will!"

"Me!"

The two switched between themselves quickly as they continued to argue.

"Me, will!" Until their two voices merged, together with their faces, in one mix of strangeness. Half of Cavendish's face stayed his usual self, while the other half showed a darkening expression with the right corner of his lips pulled up in that wide grin.

"Holy crap, he became half and half!" Bartolomeo shouted in bafflement, while the samurai just gawked at the sight.

"Aaaargh, silence Hakuba!" Finally, Cavendish lost his temper and screamed in anger, keeping the other personality at bay and returning himself back to normal. His face returned to his previous, beautiful self, and the voice wasn't a raspy one like before. "Cavendish is only one person and that is me!" He panted in tiredness, leaning back on Robin's devil fruit arms for support. "It's alright, I'm ok now, Nico Robin…release me, please," he spoke through heavy breaths.

However, the woman wasn't so convinced. She sweatdropped, staring at him skeptically. "Are you telling me I should trust you after seeing all that?" She had a prefect point there and none could argue with it.

Cavendish had no time to, either, as they noticed movement around them. The two blinked in confusion as the cliff's terrain started moving, bloating slowly.

Miyako and Bartolomeo noticed the same thing as they realized the stony surface was swelling up like a balloon. They instantly knew who could be the only one responsible for such an occurrence. "Gladius. He's on the move again," Miyako glared back at where they left the executive standing before. He had his one hand on the cliff, using his powers to pump explosive air into the rocky surface and inflate it.

There were veins pulsating on his forehead, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed behind the hazy goggles. He was furious that he was left completely ignored, as if his enemies were mocking him. He had been struggling in this match for too long, and decided it was high time to finish things. "I'll take care of you lot while I still have the chance….Disappear along with this wall! This isn't something that'll just send you flying! Don't think you'll survive with all your limbs intact!"

"He's planning to blow up the entire wall!" Miyako gasped at the sight, seeing the wall swelling more and more while Robin and Cavendish were still standing on it. Miyako and Bartolomeo might be safe in his barrier, but the other two were in danger up there with no way of protecting themselves.

"That bastard!" Bartolomeo shouted, snarling at the executive.

"Barto-san, let me out," the samurai girl quickly turned to her companion. "I'll stop him, so release the barrier!"

Without any hesitation, Bartolomeo released his powers and let the hardened walls around them disappear. "I'll help!"

They both ran at the man in front. "I won't let you get into Robin-senpai's way!"

Gladius, suspiciously enough, didn't seem worried by his two attackers. It only made Miyako more skeptical when she heard his calm voice. "Good decision, come at me then. If you defeat me, you'll be able to stop the wall from exploding."

The girl bit her lip, her instincts suddenly warning her of danger. "Barto-san, wait!" She wasn't quick enough to push him out of the way, as Gladius suddenly attacked.

The man's head swelled before he shot out spikes of his hair towards them, just like he did before. The samurai now knew the dangers of that attack, knowing the hair strands were laced with a paralyzing agent. Miyako used her sword to block the attacks, quickly jumping to the side when she got the chance to avoid further damage, but the ex-gangster wasn't as fast. One of the spikes stuck into his leg, making it go numb almost instantly.

"Barto-san!" Miyako called out, watching over the man with worry as he knelt to the ground, unable to keep standing.

That moment of distraction was enough for Gladius to use his powers and swell his whole body, making himself into a giant bomb. "My whole body is explosive, and irritated enough, I will explode! And when I do, I'll be sure to send needles a million times more potent to the two of them up there!" With his wide head, he turned to look up at the couple on the cliff.

The girl gaped, realizing there was nothing she could do at the moment. *If I try to cut him, he'll only explode! And Barto-san is barely moving with that leg…How do we stop him?!*

"But if you don't defeat me, you won't be able to stop the wall from exploding," Gladius continued with a gloating tone.

Miyako and Bartolomeo grit their teeth in thought, trying to brainstorm a solution.

"What will you do!? Needless to say, you won't survive my attacks in my current state," he spoke before turning towards Bartolomeo. "Either way, you won't be able to save your beloved Robin-senpai from my attacks!"

Everything was silent for a while, as the pirates found themselves in a dead-end position against their enemy. It was as Gladius said; whatever they did now, someone was bound to get hurt.

Miyako clutched her katana as her lips formed a thigh line, indicating she came to a decision. "Barto-san, you can't move much, so leave that man to me," she started. "Robin-dono and Cabbage-dono aren't weak, so I'm sure they can protect themselves from Gladius' needles…that's why, I think our biggest concern should be making sure this wall doesn't explode. If it does, it's game over for us and Robin-dono won't be able to get to Rebecca-chan," she explained.

"Tch, I know that! But don't expect me to just sit there quietly while you do all the work! I will protect Robin-senpai too, even if it's with my life...didn't I already say that before?!" He gazed back at the archeologist, focusing on the blonde that was still held tightly in a giant hand with Robin's powers. "Oy, Cabbage! You be sure to protect Robin-senpai, even with your own body!"

"Shut up, you bird!" Suddenly Hakuba appeared, turning towards the rooster-head with a killer expression.

"Oh shit, the bad one came out again!" Bartolomeo yelled back, startled.

"Dammit, why now of all times," the samurai cursed at their bad luck. Dealing with Hakuba was one more problem to add to their already-full bag of worries. Biting her lip hard, Miyako shook her head. "Even if it's like this, we have no choice. Robin-dono, please protect yourself by all means!" She stepped forward, about to leap at Gladius with her sword, ignoring Robin's shouts telling her to stop. At that moment, Miyako felt a strong push from the back, making her topple down onto the ground. Her eyes widened when she stare up, seeing Bartolomeo's back as he ran passed her. "What are you doing!?"

"You're already injured and if you take on this guy's explosion head-on, you'll die!" Bartolomeo continued to run without turning to look at her. "I told you, the one to protect Robin-senpai will be me!" With that ridiculous statement, Bartolomeo jumped and encircled both himself and Gladius into his barrier.

"Go on, explode now! You're inside a barrier!" Something glistened in Bartolomeo's hand as he took out a large knife. "I'll slit your throat!"

"You! You're prepared to go down with me!?" Gladius couldn't believe the pirate's actions. However, he had no way of avoiding the incoming knife, and groaned in pain as it ripped through his clothes and skin.

"Birdy-kun, no!" Robin yelled from far above, watching the scene in horror.

Miyako could hardly believe this development either. She stared with her mouth agape, shaking her head slightly. "That fool…he'll die!"

Yet no one could do a thing, even as the large explosion ripped through the air inside the invisible walls. "Fashion Punk!" Gladius' voice echoed before he exploded, along with the pirate captain's pained scream.

Bartolomeo's body fell back to the ground and stayed there unmoving. He was still breathing, his chest moving up and down, indicating that he was at least alive, but he was badly scorched from the explosion and hurt all over. Blood stuck to his hair and face, pooling down beneath his body from the ripped skin and dampening what was left of his torn clothes.

Yet through all that, one person was still left standing. "Too bad, you fool…," Gladius started. He was breathing hard, holding his shoulder that was now ripped through just like the other wound from Miyako's previous attack. However, the man was still conscious and alive, moving about, unlike the pirate captain. "You missed by a few inches. What you stabbed wasn't my throat, but my shoulder!"

"No way...I…missed…his vitals…," Bartolomeo winced in pain, his voice raspy and breaking. He glanced at the cliff, seeing that it was still swollen and ready to explode. *What a stupid mistake! I'm sorry, Robin senpai!*

"As long as I'm conscious, this wall will explode," Gladius continued.

The ex-gangster stared up, hearing Cavendish's voice while he argued about something with Robin. He still looked strange with half of his face in a completely different expression, but the man finally got a hold of himself and had control over his body again.

"Nico Robin, we have to move," Cavendish started explaining. "I have control now, but there is still half of Hakuba left!"

"Let go of me, I'll kill you!" As if on cue, the blonde's voice changed as he started growling words of malice again.

Cavendish ignored his other half as he continued, "I can get us all the way up to the flower field before the wall explodes!" He saw Robin's doubt as she was unable to decide whether to trust him or not, but his tone was desperate. "You have to trust me and let go of me! Hurry!"

"Robin-senpai!" Bartolomeo yelled with the last of his strength, his voice breaking from anguish.

"Explode!" Gladius yelled, ready to set the cliff off and make everyone perish in his explosion.

Slash

Instead of the thundering boom of an explosion, everything stayed deadly quiet, as a sound of wind passing replaced it. For a moment Gladius kept standing, but his body trembled slightly while his eyes stayed wide open in shock. Suddenly, he coughed up blood, staining his mask with a crimson red colored that spread on the cloth. Everyone gasped when he finally fell to his knees, before his body toppled over face-first. Behind him, the girl samurai was kneeling with her sword out that dripped with fresh blood. She was panting hard, but kept a darkening gaze ahead, her body tense with anticipation before she heard the familiar thud of a limp body behind her. Only then did her sore muscles relax. "And this time, stay down," she murmured before standing back up on heavy feet.

Bartolomeo gasped, tears streaming down his face once again. Only this time they were the tears of relief instead of anguish. "Samurai Girl," he exclaimed with surprise, but also glee.

Miyako turned to stare at the fallen executive, sighing in relief when he stayed down for good this time.

"You…you saved Robin-senpai," Bartolomeo continued.

Miyako gazed up at the cliff that was now returning back to its original size. "Well…I don't know about that. Seems like things were under control up there too." She smiled, staring at the spot where Robin and Cavendish were, only now there was no one there. Instead, the couple was jumping from stone to stone towards the top, almost appearing as if they were flying thanks to Hakuba's speed.

"Ghh…" Bartolomeo's voice brought the girl's attention back down and she gazed at the crying pirate lying on the ground. "Luffy-senpai…," he started, talking to an invisible target as he stared up at the sky. "I'm still lacking power, but…but I'll become way stronger and one day…be a man you can rely on!" He clutched his fists, gritting his teeth in pain that didn't come from his injuries, but from somewhere deep within. "I'll definitely become one!"

The girl felt all the strength leave her body as exhaustion washed over her. She slid back to the ground, sitting there with her bloodied sword still clutched in her hands. Even so, she smiled, closing her tired eyes while she listened to the man's crying voice. She had no doubt in her mind that Bartolomeo's words will come true one day. She saw it today, in this battle, seeing how the man risked his life for what he believed in without any hesitation. Even now, he was much stronger than he believed, but she knew he had a long way to go. Both of them had. She could sympathize with his words, as that sentiment was very familiar to her as well. She pledged to become stronger a long time ago and was still working towards that goal. She wanted to become someone Law could rely on more. That thought brought her back to ponder about her captain and Miyako imagined him facing Doflamingo; a moment Law was waiting for thirteen years. Her heart ached at the thought she couldn't be with him at that moment. She wished she could wipe all his worries and pain, that he must be feeling, away with her sword. That she was strong enough to do so. She opened her eyes slowly. There was no more burning anger or cold fighting intent left in them, only a moist golden color. *I also wish I could become someone who he can rely on, yet right now I can't even get up and go to him. Law…please be safe.*

~…~

"U-ugh…urgh…*pant pant* Ghuh…"

The palace floor was in complete disarray with chunks of stone lying around where they were cut off in the fight. The Royal Palace roof seemed more like a ruin than a home, with signs of battle scattered everywhere. One area was particularly wrecked, with stains of blood all over the stony terrain. A person lay there, barely moving as they struggled to get up despite all the blood gushing from their body. Only their pained groans could be heard.

Law couldn't stop his body from trembling in suffering as he felt his energy slowly seeping away from him, along with his blood and warmth. His usually tanned skin was now white as a sheet from so much blood loss. He knew he had to move, stop the bleeding and treat his wounds before that man came here, but he could barely budge a finger. He heard steps slowly coming closer as the large man strolled over to his body without a care in the world.

The pirate captain tried to inch away from Doflamingo, but it was no use. He could feel his body going into shock, but at least it reduced the pain from his severed arm that was still pulsating and burning hot at the wound. He coughed some more blood that trickled down his mouth and goatee.

"What's wrong, Law? Finished already?" Doflamingo sneered as he drawled his words, mocking the man lying before him.

---

The Arc is slowly coming to an end, but don't worry, I have lots more planned before they come to Zou. As you can see the timeline isn't completely the same as in cannon and I also changed some minor details plot-wise, but hey, it's fanfiction so it's allowed. :P

Thank you everyone for the dear and kind comments, I'll answer each and every one of you! Also, in case I don't post anything on Christmas, I wish you all warm and lovely holidays, Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Have fun, eat a lot of delicious food, and if you have a white Christmas I can just say…"You lucky bastards!" Enjoy~ ;)

Orion's Left Arm: No problemo! You're reading is still faster than my uploading, hah! :') Yep, she's somewhere around Zoro's strength now (maaaybe a tad weaker, but she will be once they reach Zou.) So beating Fujitora already would be a bit unrealistic at this point. I have some ideas before Zou, so the Dressrosa will still be here for a few more chapters. (But honestly, I miss my Heart Pirates already~) Thank you for reading and commenting!

CoffeChocolate: Hello! :D I know what you mean; I dread that final chapter and then needing to wait for uploads. I'm really glad you like the story, hopefully you won't get tired of my slow posts. :') And don't worry, your English is way better than my German. :P Wow, I'm very honored! If you do decide to do it, please let me know and I'll help any way I can. I hope you enjoy the future chapters too!

Werebear47: Sorry for the wait. But at least this month you get a chapter and a Christmas special!

Duaba: Thank you very much for reading! :D

Guest: March 15th :)

Volleys-chan: I'll be waiting anxiously to see what Rei's experience will be like in Dressrosa. As for Fujitora, I like him very much as a character, but I found it hard to stomach that part when he's off battling pirates instead of stopping Doflamingo and even helping him at one point (well at least later he gives them a chance, even if he can't directly go after Doffy. In my story, that's also partly Miyako's influence because of her words to him). The Dressrosa Arc isn't quite over yet so there will be more to come; both fighting-wise and important-dialogue-wise. You'll see soon enough. :P I can't believe I didn't connect the dots until they showed the elephant. Then I was like "Oh, Zooou." XD I wish Oda would show us a little bit of Bepo's past (though I'm already having trouble constantly adding new info to his profile, so I understand your feelings). Thanks for reading! :D

sillykar18: I think if you're going to make a mushy lovey dovey story, it has to be very good plot wise and the characters have to have that kind of personalities…I just don't see it when Law is involved (or a One Piece story in general.) One Piece is shounen manga, while I think the mushy stories would be more for shoujo manga. I will keep going with the Zo arc and all the way until the two crews separate, but a lot of things still depend on how the cannon will go, so it's all still very uncertain.

Guest: Sorry, I didn't have time to make a Halloween one, but in the near future I am planning a little filler that might be a bit halloweeny. :D

Merry: Thank you! And thanks for commenting!

Trainer Azurite: Thank you for reading! I'm looking forward to posting the next one~

RandomFandomAuthor: Thank you very much for reading, I hope the next chapters will be interesting too!

Chocogirl24: Thanks for the review! :D

CrimsonHeart77: First of all, thank you very much for such a wonderful review and the fact that you read my story. I was always mainly interested in adventure and I'm really glad there are others like that too. I agree, that a lot of today's romances are rushed, which I don't find very realistic. So even though I kept it slow-paced, making a lot of my readers rage in impatience I'm sure, I'm glad I stuck with my own pace of writing. So I encourage you to write without fear, because as long as you're happy with your stories, that should be enough. :)

Bioware: Yeah, I guess that would be an interesting moment if Miyako and Doflamingo face each other, but I'm still actually thinking whether to put that in or not. Well, we'll see. :) I'm glad that Sabo and Miyako had a scene together, I really like him, so I wanted to include him somehow~

Lucy Jacob: I can't either! And more than that, it's almost been four years already! No worries, I decided how to get some more time in a pretty fun way. You'll see. :D haha Sabo is great, you just gotta love him. They'll become friends in the future too~ Thank you for reading!

Hitoshirezu Ryu: I imagine Miyako as someone who has a hard time turning her back on good people that are in trouble, so even if it's not necessarily her problem, she wouldn't be able to ignore Dressrosa and its citizens in that dire state. I was really looking forward to that Pica scene ever since I heard his voice in the anime! I'm glad I could include Miyako in it. I feel like I made a lot of important relationship scenes between characters in that chapter; Miyako meeting Sabo, or Miyako confronting Fujitora… Thank you very much for reading and reviewing! I hope you'll enjoy the new chapter too! :)

Bizzy: haha 'slapped him across the face' XD Well in the anime, it seems like they don't actually feel pain after being cut, although when he used 'mes' to take Smoker's heart, that seemed to hurt him. But even if we're talking just about that small part of his powers where he cuts; the advantage is that with just one swing he can cut through anything from far away (like a whole horde of marines, or even a mountain, or a building!) So it's more effective than one sword that has to be close range, and can only cut one person at the time. You should just show your friend a few clips of Law using his powers and that should be enough for him to understand; I mean he's hurling ships around, teleporting, and easily dodges opponents cause he just exchanges himself with something/someone else. :P In my story, though, when he cuts people by using his powers, it does hurt them. It also hurts them when he sticks other objects or different parts of the body to their bodies. (I just find it more realistic that way). Even though a part of me wants to hurl Miyako into the fight with Doflamingo, I think some other parts of the cannon would suit her better at the moment. :) I have some fillers in mind and such, and I'll try to prolong it so I don't catch up to the manga (it's hard with these frequent breaks the manga is having, though). I won't go on hiatus unless it's absolutely necessary.

ReflectedDarkens: haha I'm glad I made your day. :D Yep, she's going to keep getting stronger, and I'm pretty excited how her training will proceed. I miss the Hearts too. Luckily, I get to revisit them in this Christmas special I'm working on. :D Thank for reviewing!

Atiama Amisl: Yes, I'll be adding a filler arc. As you say, we still have no idea what's going on with Sanji and half of the story in Zou, and it's progressing very slowly. I was thinking of adding only one filler arc, though, so hopefully that will be enough. (I better make it a long one :')) lol that 'baby' was so inconspicuously added to the list. ;P

Guest: :O Really? Uh-oh, then I can only imagine what with all of Law's scenes of his past and fight with Doffy.

Dokuroskull: I feel like Miyako would do more good in some other areas of the Arc right now, rather than battling Doflamingo. I agree, I feel that conversation was quite important, but I felt a bit disappointed that it was so short. o.o Thank you for reading!

Zecrea: Since Miyako knows about Ace's death and what Luffy went thought, she knows a little bit how devastated Sabo must have been too. So she can't help but feel for him. Thank you very much for reading and reviewing!

Guest: Hi! I'm happy you think so, as I find that the hardest part of writing about the cannon plot; how to fit in my fanfiction aspects without it seeming odd. I've been getting a lot of these question and for now I can just say that there will be a few more chapters of the Dressrosa arc (which will buy me some times) and I'm planning on one filler arc after it. After that, we'll just have to wait and see… Thanks for reading!

Apple Bloom: thanks! Thank you for continuously reading and reviewing! :D

Animagirl: haha Oh, but this time I think Miyako will be the one who'll be mad since he risked everything and was prepared to sacrifice his life to beat Doffy. I think he'll be the one in the dog house this time. ;)

wingedsilverfang222: Thank you! I just had put a bit of Sabo in the story~ Thanks for reading!