Chapter 5

The third level was a very different story than the second. Here, there were vibrant sunflowers and still air. The atmosphere was uneasy, but it wasn't loud and chaotic where everyone ran around and fought one another.

As Kat made her way across the platform, she tiptoed around the spiked steel balls and directed herself towards the few figures ahead. She kept her eyes moving across the field, for she knew the executive Diamante was stationed here. Feeling as if someone was watching her, Kat peeked over her shoulder. Hands shot out of the ground and took hold of Kat's arms and legs. "Who are you?" a woman called. The others followed her gaze.

"I'm Yukimura Hanako. I don't mean you any harm," Kat called back.

With loud, vibrating wings, a large beetle flew up to her. He landed on her shoulder and crawled across her body. He paused at her swords and then scoffed at their unnecessary length. He flew back to the group and conversed with the dark-haired woman hidden behind the tall sunflowers. The arms that were restraining her retracted from wherever they came from. "Approach slowly," the woman ordered. "No sudden movements, or I break your neck." Kat held her hands in the air and began to make her way over to the group.

Kat eyed up the group. She didn't recognize any of them being from the Donquixote family, and their battered conditions made her write them off as any sort of threat. She bowed her head. "Thank you for not killing me."

The only man of the humans hopped forward. His eyes were wide, and his mouth hung agape. "Hanako? Is that you?" he asked.

Kat blinked. She idolized the indestructible gladiator of the Dressrosa colosseum, so she was shocked to see him in such a pitiful state. His skin turned leathery and was ripped across his back and shoulders. His breaths were shallow, and he was clinging to every last bit of air he could get as he hobbled on one leg. "Kyros?" she responded.

He threw his arms around her and squeezed tight. "It's been forever since I've seen you," he remarked. "Is your mother here as well?"

Kat shook her head. While she looked up to him, every gladiator looked up to her mother. Despite lacking emperor's haki, Kat's mother could instantly make everyone fear her by just entering a room. "My mother has important things to attend to with my father," she explained. Her eyes averted to the ground. "He hasn't been doing too well these past few months."

Kyros nodded. "I understand. I'm glad to at least have you here. Will you be fighting Doflamingo?"

"I'll be holding him off until my friend can join me," she stated. "Hopefully I can at least dispel the birdcage or find a way to get the people out of it." She looked back over her shoulder. "Is he at the top of the palace?" she asked.

He nodded. "There's no easy way through the castle anymore, though," he told her. "Most of the staircases just end, and the halls go in endless circles now."

"I could help you to the top." The woman in the black dress smiled. "You could scale the outside wall."

Kat narrowed her gaze at the woman. She couldn't pull her attention from those baby blue eyes and sheer black hair. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"I'm Nico Robin." She bowed her head in greeting.

Kat felt relieved. Her father had told her many times about the Devil Child, but she had always expected some crude and mutilated beast instead of a gorgeous woman. She knew the crew Robin associated with quite well, too. "I'm going to guess that your captain is right in the thick of all this, too," she mused.

"Where else would he be?" The two sauntered towards the palace. When they were a fair distance away from the others, Robin leaned over and asked, "Would you like me to refer to you as Hanako or Kat?"

"Kat, please," she responded. She loved her birth name, but she preferred it only for identification purposes. It was too dangerous of a name to throw around casually, anyways. "So what of those wounds on your back?" she inquired. "Are they real or am I imagining things?"

"They're real, all right." A shiver ran through Robin. "But they're nothing. They don't hurt that much."

Kat removed her suit jacket from her arm and sifted through its pockets. She grabbed a small vial and handed it to Robin. "I use this for emergencies, but I think you should use it," she informed. "It'll stop the bleeding and speed up the production of new blood cells until you're at a stable amount."

Robin took the vial and sipped from it. She handed it back. "Thank you," she breathed. "So why are you here?"

"I came here because I owe a person my life," she explained. "They came here because a seemingly never-ending feud needs to be settled." She worked at the tension in her neck. "How's that pirate alliance going?"

Robin giggled. "According to Traffy-kun, it ended, but Luffy-san said it isn't over until he says it is." The two of them stood at the base of the castle wall. "Will you be all right up there?"

Kat nodded. "I can at least help your captain or hold Doflamingo off until my friend comes." She shrugged and looked to the ground. "By the way, if my friend finds you before she comes here, have her completely heal those wounds of yours," she added.

Forearms started to pop out of the wall and create a staircase up the side. "What does your friend look like?"

Kat gestured to the left side of her face and shoulder. "She has a scar... here. It's long and looks painful."

The female pirate nodded. "That shouldn't be too hard to recognize," she mused.

Kat started up the arm staircase. "Thanks for helping," she called down. "I'll make sure to repay you at a later date." She copied Robin's smile and headed for the top.