Chapter 11

The fight was one sided; anyone could see it. Both fighters sustained injuries from each other, but there was a hint in the way both of them moved. The gash on Kat's shoulder reopened, and she favored her left foot. Doflamingo had hit her, but only because she let him. The fight would have been over long before then if she didn't.

Doflamingo was not much worse off than Kat, but he continued to strain to keep up with her movements. A long cut found its way to his taut cheek, and the strings that held his organs together were close to disappearing. He was hunched over, almost gasping for air. "All that," he panted, "for one little comment about your chest?"

Kat sheathed her sword and checked the sky. The birdcage hadn't closed in on them yet, but it was close. Its estimated time of closure had long passed, and now everyone was waiting on Luffy to fully recover. "I don't care about that comment anymore," she replied. Her gaze returned to him. "I don't like people calling me out on it, but after I broke your ribs, I was just stalling for time." She limped forward. Small shots of pain shot up from her ankle each time she put weight on it. "But tell me: Are you starting to feel that gnawing at the back of your head? Is Uzuru trying to get out yet?"

Hands clasped over his ears, Doflamingo shook his head violently. "No, stop it," he hollered. "I'm not going to let you in my head." His wrist flicked forward, and strings rushed around the street in an unorganized pattern. A cluster headed towards Kat, aiming for her head.

Instead of evading or countering the attack, Kat kept forward at her pace. The strings closed in on her but halted mere inches from her face. She was briefly shaded from the sun as Luffy flew over her in Fourth Gear. He followed the punch he threw at Doflamingo, and the two went at it just as they had before.

A long breath of air escaped from Kat. A quick, floating feeling came over her, and then she found herself standing before Trafalgar Law. He was leaned up against a deteriorating chimney, and Viola and Rebecca flanked his side.

Her stomach tumbled. "Shouldn't you be keeping an eye on Luffy?" she scolded.

The corner of his mouth tipped up into a smirk. "I was going to treat your wounds, but I can put you right back down there," he retaliated.

Kat ignored him and scanned what was left of Dressrosa. "Do you know where Claire is?" she asked.

Law nodded. "I think I can place you next to her," he answered.

Kat shook her head. She placed her back to the chimney and slid down to sit next to him. She propped her injured foot up on a loose brick. "No, thanks. Is she close to here, though?" She pulled off her jacket and wrapped it around her shoulder wound again.

"She's a couple blocks over and north a bit," he answered. He pressed his back flat against the chimney to sit up straighter and turned to her. "You should let me take care of your injuries," he suggested.

Law's hand moved to pull back the jacket, but Kat swatted him away. "It's not to be rude, but I don't like people touching me," she told him.

"But-"

"I'll be fine. I just need to rest." She was pale, drained of energy, and her eyes were bloodshot.

Law's hand retracted to rest at his side. A silence set in between them as they watched Luffy and Doflamingo. Kat rubbed at a knot in her upper thigh, Viola frequently checked her bandaged hands, and Rebecca tipped forward several times as if she was going to faint.

"How long have you known Claire?" Law piped up.

Kat shifted towards him. "About four years," she stated.

"So you wouldn't know anything about her, say… Thirteen years ago?"

Her eyes slid over to him. "This wouldn't have anything to do with her faking her death, would it?"

"Thirteen years ago, I saw her and a man named Rocinante die. Now that I know she's alive, I have a lot of questions that need answers," he explained. A tone of dissatisfaction hung at the end of his sentence.

"Then ask her yourself. It's not my right to tell you anything about what I know," she sneered.

Law bit his lip and turned back to watching Luffy. Luffy prepared for a strike while Doflamingo put up a web of defensive strings. Law picked up a stray stone and gripped it tightly. Luffy's attack was much larger this time. His arm was at least three times his size, and his body strained to hold him together. Even Doflamingo seemed to doubt how well his defenses would hold up against this. The Straw Hat captain let his punch fly, and it shattered through the strings like glass. His fist slammed into Doffy's head. With the sheer force of the punch, Doflamingo was hurled deep into the island.

A calm fell over the island as Luffy's eyes closed. He fell through the air until Law switched him with the rock he held. The birdcage fell from the sky, and the island erupted into cheers.

Kat rose and hobbled to the edge. Her eyes scanned the streets. "You're going to want to get to the edge of the island," she told the group.

They stared at her. Law wouldn't be able to move Luffy much because of his injuries, and Rebecca and Viola were already exhausted. "What's going on?" Rebecca asked in a shaky voice.

"The devil inside of Doflamingo will take over his body and scour this entire place for Claire." She turned back to them and frowned. "You won't want to get caught in their crossfire unless you wish to be completely obliterated."

Viola jumped to her feet and rushed to Kat's side. "What are you talking about?"

"Each fruit contains a devil," she started. Though Viola swooped down into her line of vision, Kat's eyes refused to move from the streets. "Some devils are strong enough to take control of the user's body and do whatever they want to do. It just so happens that Doflamingo's and Claire's devils despise each other."