Chapter 20: Moxie
Calling the entire island and telling them that a Buster Call was coming to raze them to the bedrock was a quick and easy way of getting Enies Lobby's defenders to stop fighting us and focus on fleeing instead, but it came with a significant downside. Enies Lobby had only two consistent ways on and off the island: The Sea Train station and the Marine ferry at the Gates of Justice. And with the Buster Call coming from the latter, I had a rather nasty traffic jam to sort out at the front gates.
"Single file, nice and organized, make sure there's enough room!" I called out, waving the stream of Marines and Government agents as they filed into the train car. Torterra's rumbling from his position looming over me did wonders to enforce their discipline and prevent any unpleasantness. Once the train was full, I waved at the man at the engine, and he quickly set the Sea Train in motion, sending it on an express trip to Shift Station with most of Enies Lobby's inhabitants aboard.
Puffing Tom was a marvel of engineering for this world, especially considering the average weather on the Grand Line, but even it had its limits. In this case, limits of capacity: even with every car stuffed to near-bursting, many men and women were still left behind.
The White Hound and Swanda Express were en route—Smoker had made sure to call them when we'd gotten onto Rocketman just in case—but they were still twenty or so minutes out, and with that Aqua Laguna storm coming up, it was likely they'd be stuck near Enies Lobby anyway, and thus potentially vulnerable to collateral damage.
And even if they were nominally my enemies, it wasn't right to just strand all those people here if things went south. I grabbed the Transponder Snail out of my bag, quickly dialing up the Snail that Kokoro had in hand. "Kokoro, it looks like we'll need Rocketman after all. Are you sure you can't slow the train down without our help?"
"Even Tom had limits when it came to groundbreaking engineering, brat!" The old woman's voice was much tenser than when we first arrived. Tashigi's announcement probably hadn't done her composure any favors. "It ain't that Rocketman's brakes aren't strong enough, it's that it doesn't have any! Nothing Tom tried was strong enough, and believe you me, he tried everything short of getting out and pushing!"
I snorted, calling Vaporeon out and whistling to Gardevoir and Torterra. "I think we can do a little more than just pushing."
Vaporeon's water control was enough to stir up a counter-current to slow Rocketman down, and his Surf was good for bleeding off even more of its momentum. Gardevoir could enhance Vaporeon's efforts and add some telekinetic resistance of her own. And, once the train was slow enough, Torterra and Vaporeon could very quickly pop it off the rails, which was apparently the fastest way to bleed off the train's momentum.
Another pillar of flame roared out from the island, and I watched it peter out with a frown as my team got to work. Ace and Sabo should be able to deal with Teach on their own. They were two Elite-level (at minimum) combatants to Teach's one, maybe two depending on how strong his crew was, and they knew to be careful around the guy…
And hopefully, the Straw Hats and Galley-La would get here quickly. Whether or not there was room in the Sea Trains themselves would be rendered pretty irrelevant if the island itself gave out under the clash of elements going on farther inland. Whatever was delaying them had better be important…
-o-
Rob Lucci snarled, darting through the air in a zigzag pattern as he closed in on his opponents, clawed fists reared back. Luffy, skin bright red and steaming with the heat of Gear Second, met him halfway, countering his punches with two of his own. The resulting shockwave blew craters in the buildings around them, and the two combatants locked gazes for only a second before Luffy acted. "Gum-Gum Jet Pistol!" he snapped, pushing off of Lucci's fists and lashing out with an invisibly fast punch.
Lucci bent backward at the knees, dropping his transformation and letting Luffy's fist pass inches above his nose before almost instantly snapping back upright and re-transforming to fire off an attack of his own. "Finger Pistol: Spots!" he roared, arm little more than a blur as he launched several dozen attacks over the span of several seconds.
Luffy, however, merely leaped back into the air, turning to counter with a flurry of kicks. "Gum-Gum Jet Stamp Gatling!" The air shook from the repeated impacts as, once more, pirate and assassin perfectly countered each other.
Luffy dropped to a nearby roof as the attacks wound down, unable to stay in the air for any longer, while Lucci leaped back through the air, using the last of his momentum to kick out a wide, razor-sharp arc of air. "Tempest Kick: Victory Bird!"
A quick use of Shave got Luffy out of the way, and fortunately so, because Lucci's projectile carved through the stone and wood where he'd been standing, slicing part of the building clean off. And it still had enough force to keep going, nearly taking Sanji's head off from several feet away.
Thankfully, Sanji's instincts warned him in time to duck under Lucci's attack, and the Tempest Kick even carved a line up Jyabura's arm when he almost Shaved into it by accident. "Hey, watch it, asshole!" the wolf-man yelled up at Lucci, before Sanji took advantage of his distraction to plant a flaming kick straight into his gut.
"Premier Hachisash!" Sanji yelled as his attack sent Jyabura flying. Whatever durability trick these guys were using, the flames of Diable Jambe were piercing right through it. And based on the wolf bastard's reactions, it wasn't something that'd happened before. Hell, even the cat bastard had tried to take his head off after seeing Sanji do it the first time. Not that Luffy had let him get more than halfway there before yanking him straight back, of course.
Jyabura's flight finally ended when the wolf bastard got his feet under him, kicking off thin air to reorient himself into a bastardized hover that got Sanji's mind spinning with possibilities. "Damn you," he choked out, touching a hand to his bruised and singed chest. "I refuse to lose to a pirate like you!" The wolf Zoan kicked out, firing off four wolf-shaped blasts of air with a defiant howl. "Tempest Kick: Lupus Fall!"
Sanji dodged the flying wolf projectiles without much effort, letting them pass by him, but he was caught off guard when they exploded behind him. The combined shockwaves from the blasts launched him into the air, and he barely got his arms crossed in time to block Jyabura's follow-up dropkick to the chest. "Iron Body Kenpo: Devil Wolf!"
The impact sent Sanji flying, but he regained his senses just in time to catch Luffy punching Rob Lucci through a nearby wall as he sailed past. "Luffy!" Sanji called out, reaching out with one hand, and his captain's hand almost instantly whipped out to grab it.
"Gum-Gum Flaming Scythe!" Luffy yelled out, whipping his arm around and Sanji with it, using the chef's burning foot to deter Lucci from attacking. A quick whirl around his head and another snap of the arm sent the chef flying back towards Jyabura, cutting him off from trying to interfere in Robin-chwan's efforts to turn Blueno into a pincushion.
"You're not getting rid of me that easily," Sanji snarled, using a quick spin to keep his foot lit before leaping back into the fray, all the while doing his best to ignore the pillars of fire and darkness in his peripheral vision. Ace and Sabo would win their fight, so he had to win his.
And if he didn't, that damn Mosshead would never let him hear the end of it.
-o-
Robin bit back a curse as the island shook beneath her feet, sending her slightly off-balance. Blueno didn't give her even a second to recover, leaping up into the air and coming down fist-first on her position. "Iron Body: Smash!"
Nami, thankfully, came to her rescue. "Cyclone Tempo: Wind Tunnel!" A horizontal blast of wind smashed into Blueno's side, knocking him off course just enough for Robin to leap away and set her sword-holding arm whips on him. Nami didn't have too long to appreciate her efforts as Fukurou took the opportunity to dash behind her and try to punch a hole through her stomach.
"Veinte Fleur!" Robin called out, spawning a spinning ring of arms out of her crewmate's back. "Calendula!" Twenty simultaneous impacts were just enough to divert Fukurou's punch off to the side, grazing Nami's shirt as she reacted to the sudden weight on her back by twisting around with a Thunder Ball ready.
"Thunder Charge: Swing Arm!"
Fukurou, unfortunately, had already learned that Nami's attacks could pierce his Iron Body defense and was long gone before the Clima-Tact could hit him. Almost instantly after, Robin's last sword-arm-whip was forced to dispel, as the sword snapped against Blueno's skin and the arms were dispelled under threat of breaking under the assassin's assault.
By now, the fight had pushed the two pairs further away from the Main Gate and closer to the island's edge and the bottomless pit beyond it. Not far enough that they couldn't see, hear, and sometimes even feel the duels between Luffy, Sanji, and the other assassins, but far enough that it would take some effort for either pair of Straw Hats to intervene in the other's fight. Effort that couldn't be spent since Blueno and Fukurou weren't giving her or Nami much room to breathe. The constant explosions and blasts of heat and darkness from farther into the island weren't much help either, serving as potentially fatal distractions neither assassin failed to capitalize on.
And on top of everything, the Buster Call was still on its way, bringing with it—No, she had to have faith in Lucas. In her crew. Even in Smoker and the Marines with him, that they could stop the destruction of everything she loved. And for that to happen, she and Nami needed to deal with these two first. With no blades left, it was time for a different approach.
"Veinte Fleur," Robin muttered, summoning the arms in front of her before executing a move she'd only figured out during their month on Skypiea. The group of arms flexed and waved, pushing together and fusing, until she had one giant hand where twenty of them had just been. "Grande Mano."
All that was left now was to wait, ignoring the yelling and shockwaves from Luffy and Sanji, and the blasts of lightning from Nami's end. Just wait, until her instincts told her… There! "Hold!"
"Solid Beas—Agh!" Fukurou's attack came to an abrupt halt when Robin's large hand snapped out, plucking him out of midair by the leg and yanking him to the ground in an undignified sprawl.
"Ochenta Fleur, Cuatros Manos!" Robin quickly formed another three giant hands around the assassin, each grabbing one of his limbs and lifting him into the air. "Toss!" Before Fukurou could do more than yelp in protest, the arms flexed, hurling the protesting assassin over the side of the island and into the chasm below.
It wouldn't kill him. It wouldn't even inconvenience him for longer than a minute based on the pseudo-flight CP9 had shown so far, but that was just enough time for her to focus on Nami's fight with Blueno. Concentrated as he was on using his agility and his Doors to dodge around her Thunder Balls and illusions, he didn't notice Robin's arms until it was too late.
"Treinta Fleur!"
She'd used only six arms in the Air Door, and his technique had defended against that, but she was confident that multiplying her force by five would be more than he could handle.
"Trying to break my bones again, Nico Robin? Futile."
Yet he seemed to be confident that she would still fail.
"We'll see about that," Robin said. "Clutch!" Right as her arms started pulling, Blueno adopted an expression of concentration, and she could feel the muscles of his body stiffen.
"Iron Body: Strength!"
Robin's eyes narrowed in frustration as Blueno didn't budge, despite her best efforts. If he could use this strong of a defense already, why didn't he use it before? Then she realized the answer.
"This is my strongest defense. Nothing short of a battleship's cannon has a chance of breaking through," Blueno intoned, smirking slightly.
"How nice for you," Robin drawled back. "But regardless of whether or not I can break you here, you seem unable to move while in that state. And that means…"
"That you're wide open for a bigger attack!" Nami shouted, lightning already crackling around her Clima-Tact as she spun its segments around. She thrust the weapon forward, and Robin had the satisfaction of watching Blueno's eyes widen in panic as she launched her attack. "Thunder Lance Tempo!"
In the fraction of a second before the lightning bolt hit, Blueno tried to cancel his technique and run, but Robin's grasp was implacable. Blueno shouted in pain as the electricity coursed through his body, lighting him up like a streetlight, and finally slackening in her grip as he passed out, near-fried into unconsciousness by the attack.
"One down, one to go," Nami muttered, her eyes darting around for any sign of Fukurou. That wariness came to an abrupt halt when she saw her crewmate. "Robin? Your arms, they—"
Because Robin hadn't quite managed to dispel the arms holding Blueno in time, and now her actual arms were shaking and covered in burns.
"It's all right," Robin said, voice unyielding despite the clear pain she was in. "I dealt with far worse from Enel, and I can endure this until we meet up with Chopper or Lucas. Keep your focus, and don't let your guard down."
"Good advice, chapapa." The two whirled around to see Fukurou giving them a considering gaze. No one moved for a long moment, and the zipper-mouthed assassin sighed. "This really is an embarrassment. For Blueno to be taken out by two pirates with Doriki around Kalifa's level, he must really have let himself slip. Then again…"
Quick as a snake, Fukurou lashed out behind him, smacking aside the arm reaching for his throat. "It's good to remember how the Doriki aren't everything. Nico Robin, and you, Miss weather manipulator…" His eyes narrowed. "Your powers can't be accurately measured. So I should treat this like a fight against equals."
Fukurou launched himself forward in a burst of speed, curling up into a ball form for a full-body tackle. "Shave: Iron Ball!" Both pirates dodged, of course, diving to either side and letting the ballistic Fukurou fly between them. But before either of them could react, the assassin bounced off thin air, abruptly changing trajectories straight for Robin. And when she slapped him aside with a large hand, he bounced again, this time aiming for Nami, who barely deflected the attack with her Clima-Tact.
"Chapapapa, There's no escape!" Somehow, Fukurou was able to speak coherently despite all of his spinning. "Take this! Shave: Iron Pinball!"
Nami and Robin were forced onto the backfoot as Fukurou sped up even more, hurtling back and forth like a demented heat-seeking cannonball until all the two of them could do was dodge.
At least, that was until a sizeable gray blur slammed into Fukurou mid-flight, sending both it and him careening off to the side and into a nearby wall, which promptly collapsed on the both of them. The impromptu projectile revealed itself to be a singed, bruised, and unconscious Jyabura, and an equally bruised but much more coherent Sanji touched down next to Nami and Robin.
"Have no fear. Your prince is here," he huffed, though his attention was still focused on where the two assassins had fallen. Robin looked after them as well, sprouting arms to check their eyes and throats.
"They're both out cold," she confirmed, and all three of them relaxed. "And as much as I'd love to say we had that under control, things were getting a bit dangerous. Thank you for the assistance, Sanji."
"My pleasure, sweet Robin~" he sang, spinning with a heart in his eye. "And you as well, my dear Nami~"
"This is great, but what about Luffy?"
Sanji stopped spinning, glancing back in the direction he'd come from. "Rob Lucci is as dangerous as Smoker said he was. Luffy'll win, but it won't be easy, and the rest of us will just get in the way trying to help him."
A grim feeling briefly brushed over the group. Then Nami shook her head.
"We'll leave him to it for now, then. Let's find the rest of the crew."
"There are eight assassins in all," Robin contributed, crossing her arms and sprouting eye-covered arms along the rooftops. "Of the remaining four, Zoro has engaged Kaku in the courtyard. The other three are likely fighting the army you brought with you."
"Let's go, then. With any luck, they'll have already won by the time we get there," Sanji said.
The two women nodded, and they took off running.
-o-
"Prima Ballerina: Swan Bombardier!" Bentham called out, launching a flurry of kicks at his opponent. Nero backpedaled desperately, blurring away with his pistols raised defensively, only to discover that every single kick was a feint. Easily tracking his movements, Bentham darted forwards, spinning under his guard to deliver a punishing rising kick straight to the jaw. The would-be CP9 agent was sent flying straight upwards, turning a complete flip in the air before landing, blank-eyed and unconscious, several feet away.
"And that takes care of that," Bentham muttered before looking at the rest of the fights. As a more optimistic person would say, it was going poorly.
"Lion's Mane Finger Pistol!" Kumadori roared, splitting his long, pink hair into several tendrils and somehow firing them off towards Chopper, who barely dove to the side in time to avoid being perforated.
Franky quickly tried to retaliate with a cry of "Weapons Left!" and a burst of gunfire, but Kumadori's hair had already retracted, creating a curtain in front of him which deflected the bullets. Franky himself quickly had to abandon his attack to dodge a stomp from Kalifa, and then had to dash even further away to avoid the cloud of soap bubbles she'd brought with her. Kalifa's handiwork could be seen strewn about the area in the form of the Franky Family, all in that same helpless, slippery state as Oimo and Kashi, and both Franky and Chopper were sporting several shiny patches on their bodies.
Bentham settled on a plan almost at once. Getting in close would be a mistake; he'd risk falling prey to her powers. So he'd simply have to do what he could from a distance. And fortunately, he'd stolen more from Spandam than just the snail. A quick touch to his face, and he was ready.
"Kalifa! Kumadori!" he barked out with his new, stolen voice. "What do you think you're doing?"
Both assassins stiffened, and Kalifa instantly blurred away from where she was about to rush at Franky to appear right in front of Bentham's face, arm already swinging. "Bending Finger Pistol: Whip!" A quick backbend was the only thing stopping her finger from smacking him across the face, but it left him vulnerable to a follow-up kick that sent him flying across the plaza. It hurt, but at least it gave Franky and Chopper space to regroup.
Bentham slowly got up from where he landed, smirking despite himself. "How long have you wanted to do that?" he asked cheekily, swapping his face back to give Kalifa a wide grin.
"As long as I can remember," she responded fervently, unable to fight a smirk of her own. "It's really too bad I have to kill you; that's the most stress relief I've felt in years."
"Hmm? Haven't you gathered that the less you fight us, the more likely it is that he'll end up in Impel Down?" he persisted, retaking Spandam's face and adopting an expression of utmost terror as he started flailing on the ground.
"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?! LET ME GO THIS INSTANT—WAIT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT PITCHFORK? NO! NO! AAAAHHHH! AAAAHHHH!"
Kalifa brought a hand to her face, fighting a losing battle against her delight as she watched his antics.
"Youuuuuuu…" Kumadori, on the other hand, was almost literally steaming. "How dare you!" he shrieked, rushing forwards and swinging his staff like a teacher wielding a ruler. "It's not enough that you steal the face of my dear comrade Blueno, but now you dare besmirch the noble visage of our commander-in-chief as well!?" Scratch that, Bentham could see actual steam venting off of the assassin's head even as he continued to dodge his attacks.
"Unforgivable! Unforgivable!"
Two of Kumadori's hair strands lashed out, snatching Franky and Chopper, who'd tried to sneak attack him while he was distracted, by the necks and lifting them up into the air. Several more strands shot out towards Bentham, who could only evade the first few strikes before he stepped into one of Kalifa's Golden Bubble Traps on accident. With one leg significantly weaker than the other, Bentham quickly overbalanced and fell, leaving Kumadori to grab him and start choking him out as well.
"You will pay for your disrespect!" Kumadori sneered. "These Iron Hairs will be your end!"
Bentham, Franky, and Chopper all struggled, but Kumadori's hairs were already lashing out, restraining their limbs and preventing them from getting any leverage against his strangulation. Chopper even tried to switch back to his Brain Point form to get loose, but all that did was give Kalifa the chance to completely coat him in her Golden Bubble effect before punting his helpless body away.
Then something splattered against the pink mass, and suddenly its grip loosened, dropping Bentham and Franky to the ground, where they started gasping for air. They looked up to see Kumadori leaping about and yelping, tugging at a sticky, green something-or-other that was clinging to his eyes, with even more of the stuff stuck all over his hair.
"What!" Kumadori shook his hair frantically, but the slime was sticking all of his hair together into one mass and making any coherent motions impossible. "Who dares! Who dares sully my beautiful hair!?"
Even under significant pressure, the assassin was used to keeping his ears open for the sound of guns. But the elastic sound of a stretching slingshot was nothing he had ever been trained to fear. This meant that he was blindsided again when another abnormal projectile soaked into his great pink mane, dyeing it black.
Franky knew the sight and smell of oil anywhere, and he sucked in the biggest breath of air he could manage before shoving his body upright, leaping at the assassin—
"FREEEESH FIRE!"
FWOOSH! "YOYOOOOOOOOOI!"
—and setting his hair ablaze, the rest of his body igniting soon after. Franky collapsed back to the ground, too slippery to stay on his feet, but Bentham leapt to his one functional leg and sped forward, hopping as fast as sprinting as another salvo fired out, hiding Kumadori's body in a cloud of explosive smoke.
"Wait Just A Fouetté!" he declared, somersaulting into the smoke. The next moment, Kumadori went flying with impressive force, landing a stray pile of Kalifa's bubbles. Which, incidentally, extinguished him while still knocking him out.
"USOPP, STAY OUT OF SIGHT!" Chopper yelled. "IF SHE TOUCHES YOU WITH HER SOAP, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO MOVE!"
"Soap? Well, I think I've got the perfect solution!" Usopp's voice proclaimed. "Special Attack: Tunami Star!"
Usopp's location was revealed as a large fish made of water shot off the roof of a nearby building with a gurgling roar, arcing through the air to impact the ground right in front of Kalifa's hastily-raised barrier with a massive splash. A large wave of water erupted from the point of impact, washing over the entire battlefield and thoroughly soaking everyone there.
"Pfthbtagh! What the hell, long-nose?" Franky yelped, vigorously swiping water off of his body. "Do you have any idea how long it takes to get water…out of…" His complaints trailed off as he got another look at his arms while they were waving around. His normal, no longer shiny or slippery arms.
"Usopp!" Chopper exclaimed, starry-eyed as he took in his own soap-free limbs. "You did it! The Golden Bubbles have worn off!"
"Ha! Just as expected!" Usopp boasted with a wide grin, giving them a big thumbs-up from his perch. "Devil Fruit or not, soap is soap, and a little bit of water is all you need to wash it away!"
Kalifa, who barely avoided getting swept up in Usopp's attack by way of using Moonwalk to leap into the air, took in the scene of the three pirates, one okama, one cyborg, and now two giants and assorted thugs that were staring her down. And then she looked at the unconscious and thoroughly defeated forms of Kumadori and Nero lying off to either side, and her head fell resignedly.
"I should have just taken that deal."
Just as quickly, though, she vanished and reappeared by the long-nose who had foiled her.
"But without you, my new powers can handle an army this size alone!" she snapped, lashing out her leg—
And stopping abruptly. The sniper was sweating bullets, but he seemed to have caught her kick with just one hand.
"You s-sure about that?" he said, grinning with obviously false bravado. "You seem pretty weak to me."
It was the final straw. Another rapid kick sent his oversized slingshot to the side of the roof. Then she reached out with both hands and gripped his neck. One of his hands immediately tried grappling it away, but his grip was nothing to hers.
"You're the weak one here. I don't know how you stopped my kick, but you'll be the first to die."
His face turned blue and his tongue lolled as he tried to breathe. His other hand came up and fell on her shoulder, and with the last of the breath in his body, he choked out a single word:
"Impact."
Kalifa reared back with a scream as a massive force blasted her shoulder, feeling like it had taken her arm off. And in the time where she was still gasping for air, the sniper leapt forward despite his obvious pain and touched his hand to her chest.
She barely had time to curse before the second Impact knocked her out.
-o-
"Iron Body: Edgewise!"
Zoro grinned as Kaku's limbs and neck briefly retracted into a stupid-looking cube shape. He quickly moved to capitalize, brandishing his swords in preparation for a technique he was sure could cut through the assassin's Iron Body. "That's not going to stop me! Three Sword Style–"
"Tempest Kick: Giraffe Storm!" Kaku interrupted him, limbs bursting out to their normal length and each firing off several small blades of air. Blades that bounced off of the ground, the few intact buildings around them, and even each other to create an unpredictable mess aimed straight at Zoro.
"That's more like it!" Zoro immediately dropped his technique, turning his swords' rotational energy into kicking up a defensive tornado. "Three Sword Style: Dragon Twister!" Theoretically, he could blitz past this attack without any problems, but the blades were so tiny and moving so unpredictably that he didn't want to take any chances with his vitals. The attack also forced Kaku to abandon his position, as the tornado absolutely shredded a large area around Zoro in addition to dealing with the assassin's attack.
Zoro didn't drop his guard as the winds died down, eyes searching for where his opponent had gone. The very faint sound of displaced air behind him was enough to spur him into action, swinging his swords around and barely parrying an assassination strike.
"Four Sword Style: Imperial Wrath!" Kaku didn't let up, using his suddenly-longer arms and legs to launch strikes from several angles at once, forcing Zoro to devote his energy to defense instead of searching for a counterattack. He could have just taken one of Kaku's attacks and used that to try and finish things, especially if he used the extra limbs of Nine Sword Style: Asura, but honestly, he was having too much fun.
He hadn't fought against a real swordsman since… how long had it been, actually? Gardevoir didn't really count; her psychic powers were too much of a crutch for her inexperience with actual blades. Ohm, from Skypiea, got closer to the mark, but that cloud of his muddied the waters a bit. Mr. 1 was more of an anti-swordsman than anything, Tashigi… no, she hadn't been his equal at that point, though from what he saw at Water 7, that might have changed slightly.
The point was, this was the most even swordfight he'd been in for a long-ass time, and he was going to collect as hard as possible damn it! Even the lingering burning fury over Kaku's part in the events at Water 7 was slowly simmering itself down because the bastard was skilled, tricky as all get out, and actually fought him instead of trying to take cheap shots at the Galley-La guys as they limped away.
Eventually, Kaku had enough of trying to break through his defenses, though, and blurred several feet away to give him an annoyed scowl. "You're not taking this seriously," he accused tersely.
"Because I'm not under any time limits." Robin was safe and under the protection of his crew. Lucas was nearby to deal with things they were still unprepared for, just in case. Because of that whole legal orders nonsense, they wouldn't even face official blowback from the Marines over this. And even if Smoker somehow dropped the ball on the whole Buster Call thing, Zoro could probably still get off of Enies Lobby before the island was destroyed, as long as the island didn't suddenly change its layout on him.
"Besides, you're not as fast as Lucario, and Gardevoir cheats far better than you do." Okay, maybe he hadn't quite let Kaku's actions go, because that was a bit more mean-spirited than he intended. "But you're still the closest thing I've had to an even swordfight in a long time, so I'm savoring this as much as possible."
Now there was definitely a vein throbbing on Kaku's forehead. "I thought I showed you before," he growled, hefting his body onto one arm and starting to spin, "Don't underestimate the destructive power of the giraffe, or you'll pay the price!"
Zoro only grinned as the assassin's move kicked up a small whirlwind. "Prove it."
He didn't stand idle as Kaku charged up his attack, of course. If the assassin was going to give his best shot, it was only right that he responded in kind. Zoro closed his eyes and focused, feeling his extra limbs manifest at his sides. "Nine Sword Style…"
"Tempest Kick: Sky Slicer!" Kaku yelled as he finally released his attack. For a second, Zoro remained motionless as the massive blade of air shrieked toward him. Then his eyes opened, and he blurred into motion, easily tearing apart Kaku's attack and reappearing in front of him, swords already swinging.
"Asura: Nine Lightning Flashes!" Empowered by his Asura and completely unhindered by Kaku's Iron Body, Zoro carved nine deep, weeping gashes into the giraffe-man's torso, finishing the attack with a flourish that sent his opponent sprawling. He held his Asura form for a moment longer, watching Kaku's now-human body cautiously, and only dropped it once he confirmed that the other man was unconscious.
"Next time, find some other crew to kidnap someone from," he said, untying his bandanna and striding off towards the gates, where his crew was waiting for him. "Because if I see you again, those cuts will feel like love taps when I'm done with you."
-o-
"Gum-Gum Jet Bazooka!" Rob Lucci grunted in pain as the enhanced fists slammed into him, breaking through his Iron Body and sending him skidding into a nearby building. "Gum-Gum Jet Rocket!" Pure instinct got him to slam an arm behind him, destroying the already weakened wall at his back and causing him to fall backward just in time to dodge the flying tackle that Straw Hat had followed up with.
Lucci quickly rolled back to his feet, already kicking his leg around for a counterstrike. "Tempest Kick: Leopard Tail!" he snarled. The suction caused by the disc-shaped air blade caught Straw Hat by surprise, making him yell in pain as the razor-sharp winds cut into his skin. However, it didn't stop him from shooting an arm out toward Lucci as the attack dissipated.
"Gum-Gum Lasso!" Before Lucci could react, the arm was already winding around him, binding his limbs to his sides as Straw Hat's other arm reared back for a punch.
Lucci growled under his breath. He was planning to take advantage of this form anyways, but to have to use it to escape a situation like this was inexcusable. He would have to step up his training after killing this pirate. "Life Return: Paper Art Fighting Form!"
With his silhouette significantly reduced, Straw Hat's grip slackened, and Lucci took advantage of that to kick the air hard enough to blast himself free and tackle Straw Hat back into the open street. Without wasting a second, he blurred into action. "Razor!" With his own specialized combination of Shave and Moonwalk, Lucci danced around Straw Hat, aiming Flying Finger Pistols and Tempest Kicks from as many angles as possible. Straw Hat, though, wasn't getting hit nearly as much as he should have. His entire body was bending, contorting in impossible ways, and ensuring that even when he got hit, it was at most a glancing blow.
Eventually, Straw Hat had twisted himself up into something resembling modern art, and Lucci lunged in to finish the job, only for the ball of twisted and contorted limbs to somehow leap into the air. Lucci barely had enough time to skid to a halt and pull up an Iron Body before Straw Hat's body violently unwound itself, pummeling him with a barrage of fists and feet that sent him skidding backward.
"Gum-Gum Jet Fireworks," the pirate explained, a self-satisfied glint in his eyes as he landed on his feet. "You're faster than me, but I'm used to that kind of fighting."
Lucci could only snarl angrily, pushing his body to the limit and rushing Straw Hat in a blur of Shave. Those damnable rubber arms shot out again, stretching out to cut off avenues of approach, so he did the only thing he could. With a roar of effort, Lucci dropped his Life Return form before returning to his human form immediately after. It hurt, oh it hurt, but pain was something he'd long since trained himself to ignore. And being able to slip underneath Straw Hat's grasping arms and get within his guard was completely worth it.
"Six Powers Ultimate Technique," he intoned, jamming his outstretched fists into the pirate's body, "Six King Gun!"
There was a sound like a cannon going off, and even through the recoil, Lucci grinned viciously as Straw Hat was launched away with a yell of pain, blood spewing from his mouth.
Lucci, of course, seized the opportunity, switching back to his Hybrid form and lashing out with his tail to pull Straw Hat back in. His second trump card would be enough to finish this fight, no matter what the pirate had planned!
-o-
Luffy could only gaze in awe at the sheer amount of plant-induced destruction Torterra had shown off.
"Woooooooah," he said, starry-eyed and grinning wildly. "So cool!"
"Pretty awesome, isn't it? But look closer, and…" Lucas inclined his head towards Torterra, who was clearly straining to move with a look of frustration on his face.
Luffy knew that he wasn't the brightest knife in the crayon drawer, but he could put two and two together. The realization must have shown on his face, because Lucas nodded approvingly.
"Exactly. I don't use Hyper Beam and Frenzy Plant more because they use too much energy at once, leaving my team vulnerable for a brief period after the fact. Nine times out of ten whoever I'm fighting isn't fast or durable enough to make that an issue, but there's always that possibility."
Lucas eyed Luffy from head to toe.
"And with your power to bend your body however you want, you should always be in that ten percent. Read the openings. Wait for your opponents to overextend themselves. Then take the opportunity to land a critical hit of your own."
-o-
"This ends now, Straw Hat. ULTIMATE RADIUS: SIX KING GUN!"
Lucci's body was tense for the windup to the technique. He was prepared for the pirate in his grip to try hitting him somehow to stop the attack. But he was not prepared for Straw Hat to fold his body backward at the last moment, leaving his lethal shock wave to fly into the distance. The flexibility of a rubber man had made the energy he expended all for nothing.
"Gum-Gum Jet Whip!"
Still breathless from the blowback of using the move twice in a row, his Iron Body failed him, and he doubled over as the pirate used his angle to pull a handstand and slam his legs against Lucci's own, rubber and sandals slapping hard against unprotected flesh. The leopard-man stumbled back a few steps, his tail loosening around the pirate, who leaped back to his feet and stared him down. For a few seconds, there was silence.
"This is all for my friends."
Lucci angrily raised his head as he felt a monologue coming, but if the pirate was going to give him a chance to catch his breath, he'd take it.
"Lucas's friends are strong. All of them were way stronger than I was back when we first met," Luffy said calmly. "So when I found out that they were wanted now, what was I supposed to do? We're some of the only friends he has in the whole world, and I'm supposed to be strong enough to protect all of my friends, but how am I supposed to protect someone who's stronger and smarter than me? When I went to Sky Island, I was the only one who could fight the so-called 'god' who was hurting everyone, and I still wasn't good enough to stop him from destroying the island."
Lucci's brow rose. Where was he going with this?
"That's why I decided we needed to stop. Up there, no Marines could find us, and everything was harder, even breathing. I told my crew we would stay there and train until we thought we could challenge Lucas and win. It took a whole month before we decided we were ready, but when we met Lucas again, they had gotten stronger, too, so he still wound up training us instead. But I don't regret it."
Luffy grinned with a bit of malice.
"Taking that month off didn't make us strong and smart enough to beat Lucas. But if it weren't for that, all I'd know about you CP9 guys is that we have to beat you. But if you're the strongest of them, then I know that we CAN beat you."
Lucci's pupils shrunk to slits as he fully comprehended that this pirate, the worthiest foe he'd ever faced, was looking down on him. And unlike every other suicidal fool who had done that before, he was showing no indication of dying.
The realization shot a new burst of energy into his limbs, and Lucci shot toward Straw Hat, roaring his fury to the world as he fired off his strongest technique one last time. "Ultimate Radius: Six King—!"
CRRK!
Lucci lost his focus and stumbled out of Shave as he felt his tibias crack. The few seconds it took his legs to recover proved critical as Luffy blurred out of view and reappeared behind him.
"Gum-Guuuuuuuum…" Still caught in the backlash of his attack, Lucci only had time to erect a weak Iron Body as Luffy's fists pummeled into him. "Jeeeeeet…" The barrage of punches only ramped up in speed until it felt like Lucci was being struck by several copies of Straw Hat at once. "Gatliiiiiiiiiiing!"
Finally, the punishment ended, and Lucci stumbled, dazed and completely helpless, as Luffy reared back one final fist… and blew into his hand, inflating the fist to several hundred times its size. "Gear Third! Bone Balloon! Gum-Gum Giant Jet Pistol!"
That one, final, gargantuan fist shot forwards, plowing into Lucci's body at blinding speeds… And kept going, slamming the CP9 assassin through several buildings before finally launching his broken, unconscious form into—and almost completely through—the Tower of Justice.
On Spandam's explicit orders, CP9 had challenged Lucas. Their loss to him would have been unpleasant but not overly surprising. Instead, they lost to a crew of rookie pirates while the Champion and his partners were fully focused on evacuating the officers on the island. While the events to follow would overshadow this fact, those officials who did know of it counted it as one more black mark against the soon-to-be ex-Chief Spandam.
One amongst many, truly, because Spandam's troubles had only just begun.
-o-
Tashigi had underestimated the distance between the island and the Bridge of Hesitation, and while neither of them would ever admit it, Smoker had as well. When they finally touched down, naked relief painted both of their faces, Smoker as he finally regained a solid form and Tashigi as she finally released her grip on the jitte.
Neither voiced their frustrations or relief aloud, however, as ahead of them was a crowd of Government agents and Marines whose loyalty had yet to be determined. With them so close to the exit at the Gates of Justice already, the Buster Call offered little intimidation. The primary problem there was that the gates had by now fully opened, meaning the Buster Call would arrive any second, and the Transponder Snail they needed to try calling it off was at the opposite end of the bridge.
"What now, sir?" Tashigi asked, one hand tracing Shigure's hilt at her waist.
"The bridge is raised," Smoker observed, noting the retractable middle section that completed the bridge. "Spandam's trying to make a run for it. We'll intercept him here, then focus on getting past the bridge."
Tashigi nodded, drawing her sword as Smoker held his jitte at the ready. It wasn't long before they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Lots of them. Grimacing, they steeled themselves for a potential fight.
Then, slowly, they lowered their weapons as the party came into view.
The 3, 4, and 5 pairs of Baroque Works agents had emerged from the tunnel. In front of them was Spandam, bound and gagged with wax restraints. And in Mr. 4's arms were a dachshund-gun and elephant-sword playing with each other.
For a moment, the assassins stared at them in horror. But it quickly faded to discontent and resignation.
"Commodore Smoker. Your traitor is secured," Mr. 3 said sourly, shoving Spandam onto his wax-coated stomach. "I trust that your promise of leniency stands?"
"Don't give me an excuse to revoke it. It took three months and thirty million beris to fix what you did to my bike," Smoker snapped, prompting the wax-man to recoil. Smoker huffed and passed his eyes over the rest of them.
"How much leniency are you offering here?" Mr. 5 asked, his fingers flexing in hostility.
"To be determined. The only thing I'll guarantee is that whatever prison time you get will be somewhere other than Impel Down." To be honest, Smoker would have preferred to just arrest all of them here and now. Unlike Bentham, these six were unrepentant assassins. But it would take time and effort to subdue them, neither of which he could afford to waste with the Buster Call right around the corner.
Fortunately, the veiled threat of the world's highest security prison was enough to put fear in their eyes and drain the hostility out of their bodies.
"Good enough for me," Miss Merry Christmas grumbled.
"I'll take any deal that keeps me away from that," Miss Valentine agreed nervously.
"Oooooooookaaaaaaaaay," Mr. 4 said.
"Fine," Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek conceded.
"Keep him secure," Smoker said, turning his attention back to the bridge. Or, more precisely, the Gates of Justice that were slowly opening behind it. "I've got a Buster Call to stop." He paused briefly and then looked back at Mr. 3. "How secure are his restraints?"
"As solid as steel," Mr. 3 drawled, smirking. "The only way to remove them without my powers is to set him on fire and let them melt. Not that I'd mind doing that."
"MMMMPPHH!" Spandam screamed through his gag, which only grew as Smoker jabbed hard at the wax on his back with sea prism stone. It barely cracked, and the jitte felt more strained than the wax.
"Perfect."
Smoker immediately took flight, taking in the mass of soldiers arrayed before him.
"Soldiers of Enies Lobby, Chief Spandam has been arrested for treason. Clear the bridge, I need to access the comms center," he barked, already surging forward.
His progress halted abruptly as a sea prism stone bullet grazed his left shoulder, and he barely caught himself as his powers hiccuped. He scowled ferociously at the soldiers on the bridge, but all he got in return were glares and one agent yelling back at him.
"By order of Chief Spandam, no one is allowed to cross the Bridge of Hesitation without his approval. Any who trespass are to be considered criminals in the eyes of the World Government and handled as such." The series of guns and blades readying themselves spoke volumes about the men's willingness to carry that order out.
Smoker scowled, ignoring the wound on his arm. That rat bastard must have ordered a communications blackout once it was obvious that his crimes were about to be exposed. There was no way these men would be fighting him if they knew that the Buster Call was coming to kill them all.
"Your boss called down an illegal Buster Call on all of our heads," he snapped angrily. "I am operating under the Fleet Admiral's authority to bring him in. If you don't want to be wiped out by a criminal's effort to cover up his treason, stand down now! That's an order!"
The only response he got was another volley of gunfire, which he only avoided by diving back to the ground at top speed. It meant he actually landed with near-debilitating force, but it was nothing his Logia powers couldn't handle. It did, however, leave him back where he was beforehand, standing across from a firing squad wielding seastone bullets and no easy way of getting them out of the way.
No easy way unless… A possibility occurred to him. One that, under any other circumstances, he would have dismissed out of hand. But he and Tashigi didn't have the time to just carefully pick off these soldiers while avoiding their fire. And technically, this would fall under Sengoku's carte blanche for this operation…
"Baroque Works!" The assassins stiffened under his glare. "You want a lighter sentence? The only way to call off the Buster Call is on the other side of this bridge. Clear the way, and I'll make an official statement that you aided the Marines on this operation when it comes time for your trials." Which, it went unsaid, would do wonders for lessening the punishments they'd undoubtedly still get.
The six (well, five, Mr. 4 was apparently slow on the uptake) of them exchanged glances, until Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek silently stepped past him, wax and paint respectively at the ready. The other assassins were more vocal about their agreement.
"You had me at 'clear the bridge,'" Mr. 5 said, drawing his gun and exhaling into it.
"Kyahahahaha!" Miss Valentine cackled as she leaped into the air. "We get to beat the snot out of some Marines and Government Agents and we'll get less prison time for it? Count me in!"
"Come on, 4, you dolt!" Miss Merry Christmas slapped her partner on the back of the head. "Put those animals down and let's get moving!"
"Oooooookaaaaaaay."
-o-
Sometimes, Smoker grumbled to himself, I wonder if I'd have been better off just leaving Lucas and his nonsense behind in Alabasta. When he and Tashigi had fished the oddly dressed stranger out of the Grand Line way back then, things had made a lot more sense. Pirates, bounty hunters, assassins, they all broke the law, and in turn, Marines captured them and turned them in to face justice.
And then Lucas happened. Him and that far-too-annoying Straw hat, and Crocodile, and that piece of shit Spandam. And now here he was, on the other side of the Bridge of Hesitation, right after having set several of Baroque Works' top agents loose on the Marines and Government Agents of Enies Lobby, and about to call off an illegally summoned Buster Call.
Sometimes he wondered how it all came to this. And then his duty, his morals, and his conscience caught up to him, and he knew that he was doing the right thing.
"This is Commodore Smoker speaking under the authority of Fleet Admiral Sengoku. All Buster Call ships, be advised that your summons was made under false pretenses, illegally triggered by the Chief Spandam using a stolen Golden Transponder Snail! Your orders have not been legally sanctioned, and you were called to remove any evidence of his culpability! Stand down, I repeat, stand down!"
For one long, terrifying moment, there was silence. And then the snail pinged, gaining the face of Vice-Admiral Momonga.
"Buster Call Ship 9 acknowledges, Commodore. Ships 9 and 10 will hold our position until further evidence of this accusation is presented."
"Ships 3 and 4 acknowledge, Commodore. You'd better have a damn good explanation for what's going on."
Smoker could feel the tension seeping out of his bones and those of his second as Vice-Admiral Yamakiji confirmed his willingness to stand down. The presence of the Golden Snail wasn't damning evidence in and of itself, but with the Fleet Admiral willing to prove that it was taken illegitimately, and with Blackbeard himself serving as a link between Laffitte's theft to Spandam's actions, the decidedly ex-chief of CP9 wasn't going to be a free man for much longer.
And then Tashigi spoke up, panic coloring her voice, and all that tension came back near-tenfold.
"Commodore, the other Buster Call ships are still moving! They're heading towards the Bridge of Hesitation now, and they're not answering my hails!"
"Damn it!" Smoker instantly swiped up another snail, quickly dialing Lucas's number. "Lucas, get your team together and meet me at the Bridge of Hesitation. We've got a problem."
-o-
"I'll be right there," I answered, returning the snail to my pocket and glancing around.
Rocketman had long since departed; when Oimo and Kashi arrived with most of the invasion force in tow, they'd helped finish the derailing of the train so that another group of people could board it. Unfortunately, with only one car, that still left a significant number of troops behind. The Franky Family still had their houseboat, but they were as reluctant to let Government agents aboard as they were to go aboard, even if they weren't hostile to each other.
Fortunately, I could pick out the shapes of two familiar ships approaching from Water 7 on the horizon. Between the Hound, Swanda, and the Frankys' boat if necessary, we'd be able to fit everyone else. And of that 'everyone,' Ace and Sabo were the only ones still missing; the Straw Hats had all made it back now (though I'd had to send Crobat to get Zoro personally), all bloodied but none bowed, and everyone working for the Government seemed to be content to just leave them alone as long as they got the same courtesy. Still, best to make sure, just in case.
"All right, people," I said loudly, making a show of returning most of my Pokémon. "Much as I hoped we'd stop the Buster Call before it started, it's not going to be that easy. I'm going to do my best to make sure everyone here gets out alive. I'm an ally to both parties, so don't make things harder than they need to be. Crobat's going to stick around to make sure things go smoothly. Don't start anything and he won't need to intervene."
Nods and other sounds of affirmation came from both sides, and I nodded to Crobat before Gardevoir, Lucario, and I Teleported away.
The next moment, we were standing on a very wide, very long bridge with battleships looming around us. I'm not going to lie, those ships were terrifying: huge, deadly, and all around me. Lucario and Gardevoir were immediately on their guard, and I was quick to grab a few of my grape shots from my bag just in case.
A figure suddenly leaped from one of the ships, landing on one knee before me before straightening up. Two decorated swords hung at his waist, a decorated coat draped across his shoulders, and between the tallest hat and longest beard I'd ever seen, his expression was coldly neutral.
"Warlord Lucas." The Marine inclined his head, sending his very, very tall hat swinging up and down like a crane arm. "I am Vice-Admiral Strawberry. Commodore Smoker had a most unsettling announcement regarding the legality of this Buster Call."
"Considering this Buster Call is completely illegal, I'd say so," I replied. If I could help shut this whole thing down without violence, it would be ideal, and this Strawberry guy seemed at least willing to hear me out. "According to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Spandam of CP9 was never authorized to possess a Golden Transponder Snail. And considering one such snail was recently stolen from Marineford, the Fleet Admiral was able to connect the dots."
"The same bold claim," he stated, his face and voice unchanging. "Why would Chief Spandam take such a risk?"
From what I can tell, he is desperate to revive one of the Ancient Weapons in an attempt at world peace, Gardevoir explained. With Nico Robin under our protection, he resorted to desperate measures to accomplish his goal yet ensure we did not learn it was him, including the use of two separate pirate crews as a smokescreen. We discerned the truth only due to Rob Lucci's involvement.
Strawberry continued to stare for the next half-minute. Then he held up one hand with a fist clenched.
"I'm not sure I believe you, but it makes the most sense for you to be telling the truth. I will personally hunt you down if you are not, but for now, I will order the ships under my command to stand down."
Oh, thank Arceus.
"Be aware, however," he said as I started to sag in relief. "Vice-Admirals Doberman and Onigumo are likely to be far more—"
CRASH!
I jumped and spun around to see two more men in decorated coats, one covered in X-shaped scars and the other with shadowed eyes and gray skin, straining their weapons against Gardevoir's shotels and Lucario's Bone Rush.
"—stubborn," Strawberry finished blandly.
"How kind of you to give us this excuse, 'Champion,'" The one with the scars, who was probably Doberman, snarled, not even acknowledging Strawberry's presence. "After your blasphemy at G-4, you should never have received your title. We will rectify that now."
Gardevoir's focus tightened and Lucario's aura intensified, and as the Vice-Admirals pulled back to strike again they were met with parry after parry. Lucario's reflexes and use of Detect were more than enough to match the twin sabers that the gray-skinned probably-Onigumo was using, and Gardevoir's use of her weapons' sheath along with the swords themselves kept Doberman at a distance.
"I think a quick bath should cool you off nicely," I said, matching Doberman's glare with my own. "Gardevoir, if you would?"
The Vice-Admiral tried to react, but Gardevoir decided to be trickier than normal to get inside his guard, Teleporting literally on top of him and warping the both of them away before he could do anything about it.
A surprised yelp from Lucario tore my attention away from Strawberry, who so far hadn't done anything more than watch impassively, and my faithful companion blurred out of Extremespeed at my side just as Onigumo cratered the ground nearby. The Vice-Admiral had undergone a very unsettling transformation, growing six long, hairy arms, each of which was carrying a blade, while a large, bulging mass poked out underneath the back of his coat. He looked for all the world like a human-Ariados hybrid, and the reason why wasn't a very difficult guess.
"Devil Fruit, huh? I guess we can't just drop you in the water, then. I don't want to kill you."
"Such weakness is unacceptable for any servant of Justice," the Ariados-man snarled, brandishing all eight of his sabers aggressively.
Before he could make another move, though, a pillar of smoke blasted down from elsewhere on the Bridge of Hesitation, and Smoker stormed out of it looking angrier than I'd ever seen him. "What. The hell. Is going on here?" he bit out through his cigars.
"Someone," I bit out tersely, giving Onigumo a meaningful glare, "Seems to have taken my actions at G-4 a little too personally. Even if the current situation is far more important than whatever grudge they've got."
"And we're supposed to believe a heretic like you over the chief of CP9?" Onigumo scoffed angrily. "Chief Spandam operates under the authority of the Five Elder Stars. He executes the World Government's Justice while you are here, abusing your Warlord privileges to assault a Government Island!"
"Then maybe you'll believe me when I say I operate under the authority of Fleet Admiral Sengoku," Smoker snapped, already fraying patience very obviously on its last threads. "I have evidence that Chief Spandam obtained the Golden Transponder Snail illegally, through collaboration with a known Warlord-level criminal known as Blackbeard. This entire Buster Call is illegitimate, and you should be working with us to subdue the rogue agents, not wasting time THREATENING OUR ALLIES!"
"ENOUGH!" Onigumo roared back, veins pulsing on his forehead. "You are out of line, Commodore, and your insubordination will not be tolerated! Stand aside and allow this criminal to face the Justice he deserves! That's an order!"
Smoker stared at the Vice-Admiral for a long moment, as if truly seeing him for the first time. Then his gaze darkened, and he pulled out his jitte and leveled it in his superior's direction. "No."
Onigumo's eyes bulged, and he looked one step away from lunging at Smoker right then. Even Strawberry's expression tightened, and he even started to advance on Smoker. Some grapeshot whizzing past his face cut that short, and turned both Vice-Admirals' attention back towards me.
"I don't know if you remember, Vice-Admiral Onigumo, but I accepted that Warlord position your superior offered. If I'm willing to look past the disgusting, morally repulsive bastards that are nominally at your Government's head for the sake of keeping people safe, what's that say about you?"
"You dare—?"
"Scream and threaten me all you want, I'm not taking it back," I interrupted. "If the rest of your so-called gods are anything like Rhode, none come close to the celestial dragon I've met and fought. I don't think yours would even be able to stay conscious in the presence of something like Giratina."
The second the name left my lips, I could tell something was wrong; the air suddenly felt heavier… darker.
-o-
Doberman sputtered indignantly as he regained his bearings from where he'd been dumped into the sea, glaring murderously at the ethereal woman-thing alighted atop the surface. That she was capable of such a feat barely surprised him at all.
"You'll pay for this—!" he shouted, cutting himself off just in time to avoid a mouthful of salt water.
If anyone will pay, it's you. You were warned about the authority under which we are operating. If you choose to assume we are lying, that is no fault of ours. Now, if I have properly gauged your physical abilities, you should have no issue making your way to one of those ships. Unless you attempt to fight.
Doberman's face reddened in both anger and humiliation as the Lady Devil gave him a look better suited for a misbehaving child. Aquatic combat like this had never been his forte, not to mention he'd lost his grip on his sword. He couldn't fight back effectively in this state, and she knew it.
He opened his mouth to shout something, anything, but then the damned not-woman stiffened, gazing off in the direction of the Bridge of Hesitation.
Lord Giratina… Her voice echoed faintly in his head before she vanished in a flash of light.
Despite the acute annoyance of both losing a target for his ire and having to clamber his way back to his ship from practically open sea, Doberman still felt significantly unnerved as he swam away from where he'd been dropped.
The Lady Devil had dueled to a draw with Vice-Admiral Gion, had even challenged Admiral Aokiji without any hesitation under her master's command. Yet there was only one word to describe the emotion that had flooded her face at this strange pressure in the air.
Terror.
-o-
"This is, without a doubt, the strangest thing that's ever happened to us. And we sail with Luffy, for crying out loud," Sanji scoffed.
"I do not disagree in the slightest," Robin said fervently, her eyes passing over the dozens of law officers who were trying to avoid eye contact with anyone on their side.
"How close are those battleships now?" Luffy asked, getting up from where Chopper was finally finishing with his bandages.
"Not too far out," Nami replied, glancing towards the Bridge of Hesitation nervously. "It looks like a few of them stayed at the Gates, but about half of them are surrounding the bridge right now."
Usopp, who'd climbed on top of Oimo's shoulders to get a better vantage point, suddenly called out to them. "This might be bad, guys! Lucas is surrounded by three Vice-Admirals! One of them seems like he's standing down, but the other two—uh, other one, Gardevoir just teleported one away."
"That is seriously cheating."
Nobody knew who on the Marines' side had said it. But nobody disagreed, either.
"Oh, and there's Smoker—aaaand he's furious. Looks like he's getting in a shouting match with the other guy."
Zoro scowled, shaking his head incredulously. "To think he of all people would be the one covering our asses."
"At this point, that bottomless pit over there is starting to make more sense than this," Paulie scoffed.
"Uh, oh. Smoker just drew his jitte, and the other Vice-Admiral might be getting involved. Nobody's attacking yet…"
Usopp trailed off. It took a full minute of silence before Oimo looked at him, and saw him shaking.
"What is it?" he asked.
"S-s-s-something's there," he said. "Something's coming out of the ground. Pure darkness with red eyes, and…" He gulped. "And Lucas is terrified."
A very vocal screech from Crobat cut through any response, and as fast as blinking, he was up beside Usopp, his own eyes wide in terror. Usopp proffered the binoculars, and Crobat took one look—
BOOM!
—Before the shockwave of him flying off to join his master knocked Usopp off of the giant's shoulders. Almost instinctively, Robin bloomed a bed of arms to catch him, but everyone present was wondering the exact same thing.
Luffy got to his feet. "Sodom, Gomorrah, we need a lift."
-o-
"What's happening?" Onigumo demanded, looking around as he noticed the oppressive feeling hanging in the air. Even Smoker and Strawberry were on edge, their silent argument completely forgotten in the face of this new pressure. "What are you doing?"
"I'm not doing anything," I protested. But I could have sworn I recognized this sensation from—
"What is this pressure I feel…? Something… is enraged?"
I froze as Cyrus's words from so long ago echoed in my mind.
"No… it can't be," I whispered. But as Lucario and I looked around, my eyes found the proof on the ground right behind me: on an island where there was never nighttime, there was a patch of darkness.
A patch that was widening by the second.
"Lucas, what's going—?"
"BISHAAN!"
Gardevoir reappeared as the cry echoed all over the area, and we all froze as a pair of glowing red eyes blinked into view in the dark pool. Unbidden, the memory of our meeting with Sengoku came to the forefront, and I swallowed nervously as I recalled who exactly his Conqueror's Haki reminded me of.
"…Speak of the devil…and he shall appear," I said, backing away slowly as I kept my gaze on the portal. "Strawberry, you'd better get your ships out of here, or else they'll be in the way of what's coming."
"Lucas, that doesn't make me feel any—Look out!"
I whirled back to see Onigumo lunging towards me, blades outstretched, only for a mass of shadow to tear itself free of the portal and slam into his side. I had a split second to register the man's face disfigured by pain and shock before physics reasserted itself, and he was sent flying. The Vice-Admiral's limp body crashed through one of the nearby battleships with a tortured cry of shredded steel and splintered wood, almost punching through the entire boat.
He didn't reemerge.
That didn't matter, though, because my eyes were fixed on the shadowy mass that had taken the man out so easily. On instinct, my hands blurred, releasing Vaporeon, Houndoom, and Torterra from my belt. And seconds later, Crobat appeared beside us with a sonic boom; whether Gardevoir tipped him off or his senses were that good, I'd have to ask later.
Slowly, the shadows grew from the portal, the darkness ascending to more than twice my height, and six red spikes appeared upon its chest. Then the spikes spread apart on wings of darkness, the remaining shadows melting away to reveal the newcomer's form.
A towering gray body with black highlights, red stripes on the torso, and piercing red eyes. A crown of gold around the face, six golden horns lining its neck, and six sturdy legs supporting its lower body. Two wings of shadowy vapor, save for the six red spikes upon them.
The Distortion World's ruler, Giratina, had appeared.
Fight scenes, fight scenes, fight scenes! We'll be checking in on Ace, Sabo, and Blackbeard next chapter, along with the long-awaited (for us, at least a year plus) appearance of the Shadow Wyrm itself. What'd you guys think of the CP9 fights?