Disclaimer: I Do Not Own One Piece. I apologize in advance if I kill Smoker's attacks…

Chapter 27: Smoker VS Oni

Aro kicked off the cover as Smoker punched through it. She landed on the roof behind her. Smoker looked at her from the ground. "Oni… What are you doing here? Word was that you were killed trying to get to One Piece on your own…"

Aro hesitated. 'Sarcasm, no sarcasm, sarcasm, no sarcasm, sarcasm, no sarcasm, sarcasm!' She gave a grin, "Not even the sea can stop a demon from being stubborn…" She gave a short laugh before bolting towards the docks. She got to the edge of the building and jumped, clearing to the next one easily. She didn't glance back to see if he was following. He was. She just knew it. She jumped down after a second, and ran into the crowded streets. "I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead—" She suddenly found the streets open and clear of anyone or thing. "BAD SIGN! BAD SIGN!" She went to turn down the next street. Her turn was sharp enough that her hands were place on the ground to keep from falling.

"HOWAITOHĒBI!" A large white smoke snake suddenly passed over her head. She noticed Smoker just a few feet away. He couldn't see her because of his own attack. She grinned, planting her hands firmly on the ground. She swung her legs in a wide arch at Smoker as he came into range.

She brought her knees up and at the last possible minute, she extended them as fast and as strongly as she could. One leg went over his knee and the other went below it. She was attempting to break his leg. The kick hit and Smoker stumbled forward. "KUSO!" She shouted, landing in a crouching position. He attempted to grab her. She turned to face him and suddenly gave him a strong head-butt to the stomach. With grunt, he fell backwards. She turned and ran down the road gain.

"WAH!" She started to skid to a stop in front of a store. She stared at the window. She didn't look like herself and she had mistaken her reflection as someone else. She gave a small laugh at her own foolishness in a serious situation. Something made her stop though. Someone was approaching from behind her. Two short figures in the ally across the street. She turned quickly, ready to attack.

"Calm down, miss cat." Immi said, stepping into the light. "You know Immi's creation?"

"Creation?" Aro looked at the other figure. "Robrion… but he has no heart! How can he be alive if he has no heart!"

"Just because he's cold hearted and cruel doesn't mean he has to die."

"I took out his heart with my own hand… literally!"

"You…" Robrion's voice was different. "You killed me?"

"Ye—"

"HOWAITOHĒBI!" Aro looked at Smoker, or rather the giant smoke snake he shot at her. She jumped back, watching the smoke cover Immi and Robrion. She pushed her back against the shop window, waiting for the snake to leave. Once it was gone, she looked where Immi and Robrion once stood just to find them gone.

"Perfect…" She muttered, looking annoyed. She turned and started to run off again. Of course, Smoker followed. She looked around for an escape route. A whistle suddenly filled the air. She smiled, and ran into an ally. The ally wasn't more than three feet wide. "Perfect!" She jumped up, and kicked off the wall. She then turned, still air born, and kicked off the other wall. She repeated this pattern until she made it to the top of the three-story building. She grabbed the ledge and looked down. Smoker was looking up at her. She smirked and pulled herself up. She sat on the edge and let out a sigh. "Finally… a break…"

"Howaito Bain!"

Aro jumped and looked behind her. Half of Smoker was a giant smoke spiral while the other half, the upper half, was still human. He had his fist pulled back, ready to strike.

"Kaze…"Aro turned back as something flew past her face. Something cracked and a suddenly burst of air sent her skidding on the roof of the building on her hands and the balls of her feet. She skidded to a stop at the far side and looked back. Smoker was pushed back a few buildings from the blast. "Hurry up, Aro." She looked back and saw Guzen standing on the wall now, hand out, "Cap is already getting ready to set sail!"

She frowned, taking his hand, "That stupid Kaze Blast of yours could have KILLED ME!"

"Would you rather have tobacco-brains still following you?"

"Point taken, but what about Veldoro?" She pulled herself up to her feet, Guzen helping slightly.

"We'll have to get him later."

"Hell no, we're getting him now. Robrion's alive again."

"How so?"

"Hell, I don't know! I just--" She was cut off by a voice behind her.

"Howaito—"

"Run." She turned Guzen around and jumped to the next building. He followed behind, both running as fast as they could.

---

"But Jishin, Veldoro's still out there!"

"Then he'll have to fight Smoker."

"You don't understand what he can do, we have to stop him before we leave!" Ezerial shouted, hands balled up into fists.

"So… Am I coming?" Kise interrupted Cap and Ezerial's fight, pointing at himself with Jane as he sat on the railing of the boat.

"Yes you're coming, Kise!" Cap sounded annoyed as he continued loading last minutes supplies that he gathered before coming to Iryoku.

"Jane too?"

"Jane too."

"You hear that, Jane? We're part of an elite force of undercover agents!"

"Um… Pirates, Kise… we're just pirates…"

"Oh… We're part of an elite force of undercover pirates!"

"Go sit in the crow's nest, Kise, keep an eye out for Aro…"

"Okay-dohkay!" Kise saluted and then ran to the mast, where he started to climb up a rope latter to the crow's nest. Jane was in her sheath on his waist.

"… Did he just call me a donkey?"

"I don't think he did…' Ezerial sighed, annoyed with the subject change. He looked out at Iryoku. "Do you think Smoker will really chase them out?"

"… To be honest…" Cap turned back to the things to be loaded, "nope."

"… I hate you…" Ezerial muttered, shaking with anger."

---

"Which way?" Aro asked, panting.

"Down." Guzen still sounded emotionless.

"DOWN?! That's three stories!"

"You're a cat, you'll be fine."

"He's walking second-hand-smoke, he'll be fine as well!"

"Fine, forward."

"There's a 6 story building there!"

"… You are very annoying to save…"

"Sorry for having the sense to worry for our SAFETY!"

"Like that's mattered before, Miss. Fight-some-one-to-the-point-of-near-death."

"That was my safety, not yours."

"And like my safety matters to me."

"It should!"

"Then you should care about your safety if I have to care about mine."

"…" Aro fell silent, watching the approaching building as they ran towards it. "Down…" They got to the edge and both jumped down. She grabbed his hand once they were airborne, "You die on me while we're--"

"The dying joke has been over used here already. It would be lame to use it again."

"… true." Aro grabbed a windowsill and winced as Guzen's weight stretched her arm. She let him drop for the last few feet and then dropped after him. She landed and rubbed her shoulder, "Loose some weight, will ya? That trick was easy when we were kids but now--"

"Shut up and run, Aro." Guzen grabbed her hand and pulled her to be standing, "We still got Puff chasing us." He pulled her out of the ally, and they started running to the docks.

"Guzen."

"What?"

"How come when we're in danger, and it's just us two, we make a lot of jokes?"

"Because it's better to laugh about it than fear it."

"Or is it because we're cocky?"

Guzen was silent as he pulled her around a corner. Aro picked up her pace to be running beside him now. He let go of her hand and put them behind his head, "Cocky."

---

"Smoker's here?"

"Yes…" Serisha kept to the wall, not daring to go near Veldoro while he was angry. "We can't fight him… we need to leave…"

"You want to run away?"

"I want to live another day." She suddenly recoiled for no reason and whimpered. Veldoro turned to her slowly. "I-I mean, I j-just don't w-want to risk y-you having to s-start over again, V-Veldoro." He started to approach her. Serisha pushed against the wall as much as she could, "H-Honest! That's what I meant!" He stopped, just short of arms reach, watching her. She looked to the side, wincing and shaking lightly. "P-please… d-don't…" He stepped forward, raising his hand quickly. She closed her eyes tightly and held her breath.

A feather light touch made her slowly whimper. "Serisha… you know what happens if you argue with me…" He said in a soft, kind voice. She knew this voice. He was always kindest when he was mad. Not just any mad, but PI-double S-ED.

"V-Veldoro… P-please… I won't…"

"Do it again?"

"Never again.." She slowly slid down the wall, she now looked at him. He had no emotions around him of any kind or in any form. He was just cold, empty, and distant. She felt her heart race, her breath, though still silent, quicken. Veldoro had this effect on her whenever he looked cold and distant, but add in the emptiness and the lust turned into fear in an instant.

"Prepare a ship for departure." He turned, going over to the far side of the empty store. Serisha let out her held breath slowly.

"So hot, yet so scary…" She got up and brushed herself off. "Why, oh Demon Lord, do I follow thee to thy flaming home where thy life knows not of anything besides chaos?" She frowned, watching Veldoro incase he heard. Once satisfied that he didn't, she left to the docks.