Chapter 9:

"Aokigi won?" Chopper asked and then the water continued to fall and they were assured of the victory. Standing on an ice platform that stuck out of one spray of water, the tall former Marine looked down at the lake and scratched his chin.

"How did that happen?" someone else asked.

The loudspeaker turned on and called out, "It looks like it's finally time for us to break out one of our inventions here in Sparta." A large four sided television dropped out of a panel on the ceiling below the platform the announcer had dropped from earlier. On the screens, a slow motion image of the two fighters falling was shown. Then, at the last second, Kuzan sprang out of a broken piece of ice and kicked down at his opponent, sending him crashing into the water. "Instant Replay!" The man shouted and a few people finally started to cheer as they saw how the fight ended.

Kuzan wasn't watching his replay, he just kept looking down at the water below him. "Um," he looked over at one of the staff members who wasn't looking at the screen and pointed down at the lake. The guard understood the motion and Aokigi jumped back into the shadows of the ceiling, moving back to his seat without anyone seeing him. While he did that, the guard ran down and dove into the water.

Robin looked up at the ceiling where she last saw Aokigi and smiled. He has changed.

The televisions ascended back into the ceiling and the mystery announcer's voice spoke again. "That was an intense matchup! Now, who's ready for the next fight?!" Over the cheers of approval, the announcer called out the names of the next opponents. "Viola versus Rex!"

"Oh, I guess it's my turn," Viola stood up from behind her sleeping niece and smiled down at the pink haired girl. "Don't worry Rebecca, I'll win!"

"Viola-chan," Sanji said as the woman started to walk past him. She froze and her cheeks went red. The tear-filled goodbye they had only weeks before came back to her and seeing him again so soon made her heart jump. "Be careful, my darling," she turned to him with wide eyes and was short of breath.

The Straw Hat chef puffed his cigarette and slowly turned his head to the woman. His eyes were in the shapes of hearts and his mouth was droopy at the sides. "I'll kick his ass off the island if he lays a finger on you!"

"Thank you, Sanji-san." He swooned in his chair from her words and sat back in a daze.

While the woman walked down the steps, a loud parade started playing music on the other side of the room. "Not those guys again," Nami sighed with a hint of concern in her voice. The last time a member from Scratchman Apoo's On Air Pirates fought, he blasted his opponent's head to smithereens.

Sanji's hearts disappeared and he was worried about the same thing. He sat on the edge of his seat and whispered into his captain's ear in front of him. "If she's in danger, I'm stepping in."

"Sure!" Luffy grinned. He wasn't going to get in Sanji's way.

Nami wasn't as thrilled about that statement and turned to her chef, "Sanji-kun, could you refrain..." She didn't want them to be disqualified or anything because of his need to step in.

"I'm sorry Nami-san," Sanji apologized. "If Viola-chan is in danger, I will protect her." He stayed firm which stunned her since he normally accepted anything she said.

"Don't worry," Kyros said to them and they turned to the gladiator. "If she is in danger, I will protect her." His wife's sister was strong, but so were all the fighters in the tournament. He wouldn't let any harm come to her. The man felt King Riku's hand on his shoulder in thanks and he just nodded as they watched.

The match down below started, and Viola's opponent was losing from the second she started her attacks. Everyone felt relieved as this seemed to be a weaker member of Apoo's gang who used Drum mallets to try and hit his opponent.

Viola easily dodged and used long-range attacks to keep her enemy on the defensive, but the On Air Pirate was fast and dove into the water. Most of the lake was still covered in ice, and the sand section was coated in it as well. Rex found a spot of water though, and now the Devil Fruit eater's attacks weren't reaching him.

"Is he just going to hide there the whole time?" Zoro asked angrily, flicking out one of his swords. It's so close, only a few more fights.

Robin and Luffy both turned their heads towards the green haired man between them. They could almost see the bloodlust radiating off of him and his demon smirk wasn't making it any better. The red glow grew and pointed at the tips, making it look even more menacing to the few people who were looking his way.

"Viola has this one in the bag right Robin?" Chopper asked the woman behind him. When he turned his head back to see the woman though, his eyes went wide and his tongue shot out of his head. Zoro was sliding his sword out farther and glaring down at the man jumping around on the arena, now dodging the tear whales shooting out of Viola's eyes. He tried throwing one of the drum mallets at the girl, but she saw this coming with her ability and easily moved out of the way to counter.

"Stop dodging already and fight!" Zoro growled down in a loud voice that carried to the arena. The man dodged another one of Viola's attacks and as he was landing he heard the swordsman and stumbled on his feet. This was the opportunity she needed and the woman in the dress took out her enemy with one final attack that slammed him into the back wall.

"Winner: Viola!"

Cheers rippled through the stadium but they weren't nearly as loud as during the previous fights. This wasn't nearly as interesting in comparison, but it was hard to match an Emperor and an Admiral's match.

"Oh no," Riku muttered and put his head in his hands.

"What is it?" Luffy asked the old man a few rows behind him.

He looked up at the boy in the straw hat. "She went after Kuzan, that means she has to fight him next round."

Sanji had a panicked look on his face and a few other members of the crew and Dressrosa's group were worried, but Robin held up a hand. "I've been keeping track of the fights," she said calmly, "Aokigi will not be fighting your daughter. She will fight the winner of the next match."

"But if Kuzan isn't fighting Viola, that means..." Usopp froze. Each of the crew members realized it one by one until only the few oblivious members didn't notice what this meant.

"He has to fight the winner of the fight before his," Nami said with shaky hands. "Which means that Big Mom and Admiral Aokigi are fighting in the second round."

"What?!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Th-that's a semifinal match or something, they can't fight in the second round!" Usopp stammered out.

Sanji puffed out a cloud of smoke, "It's the luck of the draw," he said. "Where's the fun in a boring tournament?" He was thrilled that Robin was keeping track and now he didn't have to worry about Viola as much.

"Next match: Kalifa versus Roz the Usurper!" The announcer's voice subsided and Sanji felt his heart skip. He was worried about Viola before, but Kuzan wasn't a bad man. He was honorable. CP9 was another issue entirely. From what Robin had told them, they were here to kill every contestant they fought.

Still, Sanji couldn't help but twirl on his feet when he saw the blonde CP9 agent strutting down from her seat. Her opponent walked down from Buggy's section and most of the pirates up there moved out of the way to let him pass.

"Roz the Usurper," Kalifa started and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. The man had piercings all over his face and his massive muscular arms were covered in tattoos. Two of his teeth were golden, but they were all pointed and looked like they'd recently been sharpened. He growled as he dropped down to the sand section of the arena and sand scattered around where he landed. "Former prisoner of Level 5 in Impel Down. Crimes against the government include murder, rape, dethroning of an associated country's government, and," she paused and snapped her head up at the man, "mass genocide. I will bring you to justice," the woman fell into a fighting stance.

"RAARRRRR!" Roz screamed and half the room found themselves pressed up against the backs of their seats. Even Kalifa seemed a little unnerved by the man whose orange spiky hair started waving around. The sand at his feet started spiraling around creating a small circle around them.

Franky looked over to the other CP9 members and dropped his jaw as he saw them leaning forward in their seats. A few of them looked nervous and only Rob Lucci looked entirely calm.

The timer hit zero and Kalifa shouted, "Soru," she disappeared to the eyes of many while many others were able to follow her movements. One of those who could follow her movements was definitely Roz who charged to the left and sprinted straight at the woman who flipped backwards and kicked off the air to lift herself higher. "Geppou," she called out and her eyes widened as the man below her bent his knees and sprang up in the air with one jump. He pulled back an arm and veins popped all over his muscles, "TEKKAI!" She screamed right before the fist hit her and she stopped it.

It was a weird sight, seeing the two of them floating there in midair without either one moving. All of a sudden Kalifa coughed and everyone saw a splash of blood leave her mouth. She extended an arm and let it rest on her opponent's shoulder who started laughing and didn't notice that bubbles were appearing at the end of her arm.

"You should give up your next match," the Straw Hats all turned around to see Mr. 3 crouched down in the aisle next to the Dressrosa group's seats. Viola looked to the weird man with hair in the shape of the number three, but he looked scared.

"Don't be so sure your man is going to win," Nami taunted and looked back, "I hate to admit it, but she's a really powerful enemy. I could take her a second time, but..."

"She won't win," Galdino repeated and stared down at the arena where Kalifa was coating the man in soap and making his skin smooth. She told him he was trapped and could no longer move and she pulled back a finger to use a Shigan machine gun in his chest to finish him. "No one can beat Roz when he gets angry."

"I think he just got angry," Usopp said with a shaky voice as the muscular man in the black cloak tried to stand up but his feet were too soapy and he slipped. The sand below him started blowing around in the wind that was forming near him and moving fast in a circular motion around him.

"Ack pew!" The man spit a huge glob of spit on his hands and started wiping them together. Nami's eyes went wide as it took her the entire fight with Kalifa to figure out that water would wash off the soap. Kalifa also seemed surprised he'd figured out her weakness, but she was still following through with the Finger Guns.

The blonde woman shot a finger forward and was about to hit her mark when her opponent's hand shot up faster. He moved so fast it was hard for the majority of them to see and all they heard was the cracking of Kalifa's finger as the man snapped it. Others winced, but Kalifa didn't even scream, she just jumped away. However, Roz wasn't in a good mood. He roared and chased after her moving faster than she could with Shave and he got beneath where she was going to land.

The former CP9 agent used Geppou in midair to shoot herself to the side and she landed on the dirt section. Roz the Usurper was running across the stone section when he noticed a crack on the ground and got a devious smirk on his face. "I'm telling you," Mr. 3 said to Viola again, "don't fight him." The man in the ring put both hands in the crack and started lifting, causing the cracks to extend out in either direction and form a huge chunk that the man was lifting up.

All the ice in the area shattered and started to melt in smaller pieces as the man spun around and chucked the huge piece of stone in his hands. Kalifa could barely jump over the rock it was so big but when she got over it, she was met by her enemy. "Paper Body," she yelled as her Tekkai wasn't strong enough to stop his attacks. The man started punching rapidly but he seemed to miss every single one of his attacks and was getting more furious by the second.

"Yeah Roz that's our man, if he can't do it, only Captain Buggy can!" Mohji and Cabaji were leading the rest of Buggy's crew in a cheer for their comrade. The captain himself was laughing his ass off at the praise in their cheers and yelled for Roz to finish her already.

The man was getting tired of her games as she landed on the ice mountain and stared down at him. He ran up to the mountain and started punching it with his fists, smashing it into tiny pieces until it wasn't stable enough to hold her any longer. Most of Roz's body was still smooth, but his hands and feet were fine now and he kept smashing until Kalifa had no choice but to drop down and try attacking again.

"Niobaru," the man yelled out and drew an orange sword with a black outline out of a sheath hidden under his shirt. "Cut this bitch to pieces," the man flew up faster than even before when Kalifa couldn't see him, and he appeared above the woman.

"Move!" Kaku shouted down to the former secretary/spy who spun her head but a second too late. Roz sliced down her shocked face and right down her body from head to toe, going down her left leg and right through the foot.

The man had a crazed expression on his face and was about to keep slicing but the loudspeaker turned on. "Winner: Roz the Usurper. Please don't slice anymore," the announcer added as the man's sword arm was twitching furiously and he looked like he wanted to keep cutting her body, even if that one slash might have been enough to kill her.

"Yo Roz," an annoyingly high-pitched voice shouted out and the man stopped twitching to look over at his captain. The clown with the red nose glared at his crewmate and said, "You won. Come back over here." The man started sweating and smiled at his captain before landing on the ground and bouncing back up in the stands. The audience was stunned that such a weakling could command such a powerful man.

Galdino looked at Viola one more time but the girl shook her head, saying that she was still going to fight him. Sanji was even more nervous about her going up against Roz than he was about her and Kalifa. He didn't want any harm to come to her, and was about to rush down to the arena to help Kalifa, but a door appeared in the middle of the room. A man with hair that looked like horns opened a door that came out of nowhere and stepped out, picking up the collapsed woman.

Blueno stepped back in the door and it closed behind him before reopening in the infirmary where he laid his comrade out on a bed. He looked around at the few doctors in the room with the other patients on the beds, "Are any doctors here willing to look at this patient?"

The Whitebeard doctor who brought Izo in to rest looked over and sighed upon seeing the CP9 member in the torn up suit with a long scar going from head to toe. The woman's beauty might never be restored, but he was a doctor; any injured person was his patient, whether or not they were his own comrades. The man rushed over with his first-aid kid and started working on the girl, "Hand me the sutures," he said and no one responded. He looked up and the man with bull horns had vanished as quickly as he appeared. The doctor started mumbling as he grabbed them himself, "Ungrateful little..."

Back in the arena, the next match was about to start. "Coribou v Falco!"

"Cool," Luffy said with a wide smile. "I don't know either of those guys," he was excited to see who else was in the tournament. Two people made their way down to the arena. One had a shovel strapped over his back, and a tommy-gun in his hands. The other was a thin looking man wearing an old navy officer coat. The Marine symbol on the back was crossed out in black and above it was the word, "XFALCO" written in all caps. He had black glasses and a short brown mohawk that matched the brown gloves he had on.

The match started and the Falco guy was fast, really fast. He shot forward and punched the fat man with the funky green hair in the face. Coribou took the hit like a pro and tumbled backwards into the giant hole ripped up by Roz the Usurper in the previous match. There was a crack all the way to the lake which was now mostly unfrozen and water had seeped into the hole.

The fat man in the white shirt got drenched and sat in the small pool for a few seconds before snapping up and looking around. "I'm sorry brother," the man apologized and bowed to the left.

His brother was in the crowd to the right and shouted down at him, "Baka! Look at the other guy!" Coribou turned with his gun raised and started firing straight at Falco who spun to the left to dodge all the bullets. He ran the small distance between them and punched, but the fatter man lifted his gun and blocked the attack.

"I guess he didn't get a hundred and ninety million bounty for nothing," Robin commented and the others were shocked this man was apparently that strong. "Blood-Splattered Coribou, known for burying Marines... alive."

He spun the shovel off of his back with his free hand and swiped at the thin enemy in front of him who stuck his back out to avoid the attack. The spade brushed his shirt and it completely sliced through, That's a sharp blade. Falco jumped backwards and growled, he didn't want to reveal his ability in the first round, but there was no choice. One wrong move and I'm dead. He may be an idiot, but he's a killer.

The man started to change right in front of their eyes and the cheers from the crowd got louder as everyone was raring to see this new power. The man's head stayed almost exactly the same, except a small blue beak extended where his nose was. His ears shrank back into his head and he grew two large blue wings out of his back, speckled with gray dots. His hands turned into claws with long sharp nails and his feet grew into yellow three-pronged claws with talons at the ends.

"I'm sorry," Coribou apologized again before raising his weapon and firing at the man in front of him. "Bird Bird Fruit: Model Pterodactyl," he pulled his left wing in front of him and every bullet slammed into him harmlessly. The enemy seemed to run out of bullets fast and Falco soared through the air at him fast.

"He's blue," Robin commented and a few of the others sweatdropped.

"If he's a pterodactyl, why is he blue?" Chopper asked Sanji who just shrugged and mentioned again that the man was blue.

Falco stopped charging ahead and snapped his head towards the Straw Hats angrily glaring up at them. "I think you guys should stop mentioning the fact that it's really weird that he's blue," Usopp warned them and they all stared at him.

"You're the only one who said it was weird," Nami pointed out and Usopp froze before looking down at the arena where Falco was glaring straight at him with sharpened eyes.

Coribou charged at him with the shovel raised over his head, but Falco shot out one of his claws and clenched around the fat man's neck. Everyone in the room could hear the loud crunching sound as he squeezed the life out of his opponent, all the while staring straight at a shaking Usopp.

The man finally dropped his opponent when the man had passed out from lack of oxygen. He turned around and walked away as the announcer's voice shouted, "Winner: Falco!"

"He's in the Drake Pirates," Robin told them and once again they were happy to know they had such a knowledgeable crew member with them. She seemed to know who everyone in the room was, "He has a decent sized bounty, but I believe most of it is for betraying the Marines, not his actual strength. His power might have come after his betrayal."

"You're so amazing Robin," Sanji said with a swoon. The others watched as someone in purple ran on the floor and checked Coribou's pulse. The man shook his head and then picked up the body of the man and tossed it over his shoulder.

Luffy knew what it was like to lose a brother, so he looked across the room sympathetically as he remembered that there was another guy, the Swampy guy. When his eyes locked onto Wet-Haired Caribou though, he felt intense rage surge through him as the man was laughing. Laughing! He got so mad, he was clenching the armrest of his seat to the point of it denting in with his fingers and then breaking off.

"We're on a role here people, we might even get halfway done before dinner; that would be great!" The announcer called out and at the mention of food, Luffy started to drool and think of different things- mainly meat.

Someone else next to him was feeling just as impatient, tapping his foot on the floor and sheathing and unsheathing just a small bit of each of his swords. Zoro was waiting patiently for his match after getting a scolding from Nami for being, 'too scary.' He could feel his match approaching, it was almost there and he couldn't hold in his excitement.

"Are you ready?!" The announcer shouted and the room exploded in applause and screams of happy, excited pirates. There weren't many people in the room who were not enjoying this. Most were pirates, and those who weren't still came to fight or to watch fights. Nami found herself cheering with Usopp, Chopper, Brook, and Franky as they awaited the next match. "Then will these two fighters make their way to the floor. Trafalgar Law! And Killer!"

A/N Three more fights down! This is the point I'm up to right now and was about to start writing the next fight. Sorry this one took a little longer to update, I've been working on a Dbz crossover with OP and it's called Z fighters in War of the Best. It's exactly what it sounds like and is a lot of fun to write. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed these fights and trust me, we are getting close to Zoro's. He wants to fight more than anyone, and if you can guess his opponent, then a shout out at the beginning of that chapter is in store for YOU! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and I'll update again soon!

Lightningblade49

Epic fight that one.

I try, I try ;P. Aokigi just got the worst of luck. First mate of Kaido Pirates first round, Big Mom second round, when's the guy gonna get a break?!

lany-chan

Great chapter!

Thank you, I'll try to keep it interesting!

Son of Whitebeard

Kuzan is so powerful

Gotta be to become an Admiral... and then fight on par with the current fleet admiral for ten days! Love the guy, he's a great character and we'll be seeing a lot of him in and out of the tournament bouts. Thanks again everyone, 'till next time!