Ch. 14- Pirate Alliance

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Aika, Kumi, and Jupiter © Me

Nami and Blizzard stared in shock at what Law had just said while Aika and Kumi just blinked in confusion.

"What's an alliance?" Aika asked.

"Beats me," Kumi answered.

"An alliance with you?!" Nami questioned. "And you're saying that if we join forces with you, we can beat one of the Four Emperors?!"

"Man, I thought you were crazy, but now this proves it!" Blizzard shouted. "I don't know what the hell you've been smoking, buddy, but NO WAY are we doing this! Right, Luffy?!"

No answered.

"Uh…Luffy?"

Luffy just stared up at Law, remaining silent, yet focused.

'Oh, no…!' Nami thought with a look of dread. 'I know that look!'

"Law didn't say anything about just strolling up to one of the Four Emperors and winning!" Jupiter said.

"Thank you, Jupiter," Law said. "I'm saying that if we follow the plan in the right order…we'll have a good chance of pulling it off! So…are you in or out, Straw Hat-ya?"

"…When you say 'One of the Four Emperors'," Luffy began, "which one did you mean."

"Luffy, no!" Nami shouted.

"Stop getting intrigued!" Blizzard added. "You don't really trust this shady guy, do you?!"

"Who are you calling shady?!" Jupiter questioned.

"Relax, Jupiter," Law said. "I don't blame them for being suspicious. All right, Straw Hat-ya…the name of the Emperor we're planning to take down is…"

When Law began to explain who the specific Emperor they were planning to take down was, Nami and Blizzard gasped while Aika and Kumi just blinked, not understanding the situation due to their naiveté. Luffy, on the other hand, just grinned at the Warlord.

"I see," he said. "Count me in!"

"…WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Nami and Blizzard questioned.

"…I still don't get it," Aika said.

XXX

Back at the Straw Hats' shelter…

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Usopp and Chopper questioned. "WE'RE FORMING AN ALLIANCE WITH THE HEART PIRATES?!"

Robin just remained quiet with her usual calmness while Usopp grabbed Luffy and began to shake him.

"How can you leave to get Nami back and then return with something so OUTLANDISH?!" Usopp questioned.

"But listen, I-" Luffy began.

"THE DAY WE TEAM UP WITH SUCH AN UNPREDICTALY, UNFATHOMABLE GUY LIKE TRAFALGAR LAW IS THE DAY I CAN'T SLEEP AT NIGHT WITHOUT WATCHING MY BACK! DON'T YOU GET IT?! YOU JUST PUT US ALL IN MORE DANGER THAN USUAL!"

"You see, Luffy?!" Nami questioned. "Everybody's against!"

"Yeah! Let's just back out of this while we have the chance!" Blizzard agreed. "Remember, we like to travel at our own pace!"

"Yeah, Luffy!" Chopper added, holding Franky, who is still unconscious in his body. "Besides, it's way too early to start thinking about the Emperors! We can't handle them!"

'Plus, we have ONE to worry about enough, already!' he thought.

"Z…zuper…!" Franky groaned.

"Law…with all due respect," Jupiter said, "I was thinking that maybe you should've chosen someone else to form an alliance with…like Kidd or Hawkins or even Capone! Straw Hat…he just doesn't look like the type to follow a plan."

"You have nothing to worry about it," Law reassured. "Straw Hat-ya seemed to be the only appropriate choice for the alliance."

"Can someone please tell me what an alliance is?" a now human Aika asked, confused.

"It's a union or connection between parties, Aika dear," Robin explained. "Now then, Luffy, I will follow your decision…but betrayal is often a part of pirate alliances. This might not be a good idea for someone as trusting as you."

"Hey…you're not gonna betray me, are you Traffy?" Luffy asked.

"No, I won't," Law answered.

"Okay!" Luffy grinned.

"OH, COME ON, LUFFY!" Usopp snapped.

"YEAH! JUST BE A LITTLE BIT SUSPICIOUS!" Blizzard added.

"Shishishishi! A pirate alliance sounds like fun to me!" Luffy said. "I think Traffy's a good guy, but even if I'm wrong, there's nothing to worry about! I have you guys and two years of training with me!"

The Straw Hats (except Robin) gasped.

"Luffy…you…!" Nami said…before she blushed. "You adorable sweet talker! No wonder I'm dating you!"

"Ah, c'mon, Luffy! You're making us blush, over here!" Franky added.

"Praising me like that doesn't make me happy, you bastard!" Chopper exclaimed, doing his happy dance (which came out rather odd, due to being in Sanji's body).

"Ah, jeez, Luffy," Blizzard said, wagging his tail. "What do you gotta go buttering us up like that for?!"

"Okay, I admit," Usopp said, "we're good at what we do! Y-you're on, Luffy! And if Zoro or Sanji get cold feet, then I'll be there to convince 'em!"

Law just stared at them, taken aback by their reaction. Even Jupiter was a bit surprised.

"Um…Law?" Jupiter asked. "Maybe it's time we put them back in their original bodies."

"Right," Law said before he held up his hand. "SHAMBLES!"

BA-BUMP! Nami, Franky, and Chopper's bulged out of their chests in a cartoon-like manner before switching around.

"OW!" Franky exclaimed, now back in his original body as he struck his signature pose. "I'm BACK, baby! My good old ULTIMATE body! I'm the best form of me there is! Mmmm…SUPER~!"

"Good for you, Franky," Robin said. "Just don't even use Chopper's body again…EVER."

'Amen,' Blizzard though as he sat next to Chopper, who had also gone back to his own body. However…he is now covered in bandages.

"I'm back, too," Chopper began…before he got comically angry, "BUT WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY BODY?! WHAT DID YOU TWO DO?!"

"Sorry," Luffy and Franky said before they pointed at each other. "It's all his fault. HUH?! ME?! YES, YOU! STOP THAT!"

"You were the one who went all berserk on me in Chopper's body, Franky!" Luffy barked. "I had no choice but to stop you!"

"Yeah, but you didn't have to use your ultimate attack on me!" Franky shouted.

"They actually both have excellent points, as surprising as that is," Blizzard said.

"IT'S BOTH YOUR FAULTS!" Chopper shouted.

"Uh…sorry," Luffy and Franky apologized again.

"Well, at least you two got your bodies back," Nami said…now in Sanji's body. "The situation just got worse for me…first Franky, and now Sanji!"

A pause…but then, the Childish Trio burst into laughter!

"I'm sorry, Nami…but…IT'S JUST SO HILARIOUS!" Luffy laughed.

"Oh, really?" Blizzard asked. "Says the guy who nearly kissed Sanji."

Luffy gagged…before he vomited again.

"Oh, god, why'd you have to bring THAT up again?!" Luffy questioned.

"Sorry, Nami," Usopp said, "but for right now, there's really no other solution! Remember? Sanji took your body out to find that samurai!"

"You!" Nami barked at Law. "Fix this! NOW!"

"I can't if your body's not here," Law said as he looked at the snoozing children. "So are these the kids you were talking about on the way here?"

"Yep!" Luffy answered. "We wanna save 'em!"

"Just leave them," Law said. "Most of them have been drugged, so I hear."

"I know that!" Chopper rebuked. "I examined them myself, and that's exactly why we wanna send them home…but it takes time to wean them off those drugs…plus, look how big they are!"

"This forced gigantism in humans," Law explained, "is a piece of World Government research that's been in the works for centuries."

"The Government did this?" Robin asked. "But why?"

"Probably for soldiers," Law replied. "When you can manufacture an army of giant warriors, whenever you want, it tends to discourage enemies. Caesar probably thinks that if he can pull this off, he can and in the Government's and Vegapunk's nose…but I doubt it'll work."

He turned to the rest of the Straw Hats.

"Are you sure you really wanna help these brats?" Law asked. "You don't even know them."

"That's true," Nami said…as she remember Mocha crying to her for help. "We don't know them at all…but they were crying to us for help. This 'Master' might've tricked them into coming here…but they've caught on that this place isn't what it seems."

She looked down at Aika, who blinked up at her. The Navigator smiled and gently pet her mop of long, black hair.

"I simply cannot leave this island…until I know these children are safe," Nami said.

"So you're going to stay here, all alone?" Law asked.

"I'm not leaving anyone behind," Luffy said. "If Nami and Chopper wanna stay, then I'm staying, too."

Law gasped silently at this.

"Plus, Sanji wants to see that samurai stuck back together," Luffy added. "If you're a part of the alliance, then that means you gotta help us, right?"

Law just stared at Luffy in surprised confusion.

"You see, Law?" Jupiter asked. "This probably wasn't a good idea from the start. It's like you said, he's not the type to take orders from anybody."

"Yeah," Usopp said, as if he heard what Jupiter said. "Just so you know, Luffy's idea of an alliance is probably from yours. So if you thought you'd be holding the reins, here, you're wrong."

"It's like we're friends, right?" Luffy asked, picking his nose.

"And once Luffy gets an idea in his," Usopp continued, "good luck trying to change his mind. When it comes to stubborn and willfulness, he's at least Emperor-class already."

"Yeah, so good luck, pal," Blizzard smirked.

"But…your crew members' demands," Law began, "have nothing to do with our plan! …You know, what? Fine. We don't have a moment to waster! I'll let you guys handle that samurai. I'll go find out more about the drugs the kids have been given. Which one of you is the doctor in this crew? I need you to come with me. We'll need to distract Caesar."

"That's me," Chopper answered.

A few minutes later…Usopp is seen tying Chopper to a mortified Law's hat.

"There you go," Usopp said. "All set."

"Sorry about this," Chopper said. "I can't really walk, right now. Are you ready? Let's get going!"

Luffy, Nami, Robin, Franky, and Blizzard just broke into laughter. Even Aika and Kumi had to laugh.

"That's funny!" Luffy exclaimed.

"SUPER cute!" Franky exclaimed.

"I'm sorry!" Nami said, giggling.

When Law looked over, he saw Jupiter trying to stifle his snickering.

"What are you laughing at?!" Law questioned.

"N-nothing!" Jupiter said.

After that, Law decided to tie Chopper to the hilt of his sword by one of his antlers.

"I feel like a keychain," Chopper said, embarrassed.

"Hey, c'mon, Chopper," Blizzard said. "You have no choice! You can't even walk, right now!"

"Anyway," Law said, "as you can tell from those 2 assassins, Caesar wants to get rid of you and White Chase so he can take the kids back. He'll stop at nothing until he gets what he wants. Caesar is a former Government scientist-turned-criminal. If the truth gets out that someone is living on this off-limits island, then he will lose his perfect hideout. That's why he's so desperate to kill you all. He has a bounty of 300 million on his head. He creates weapons of mass-destruction and is a user of the Gas-Gas Logia Devil Fruit."

"300 million?!" Nami repeated, worriedly. "Just like Luffy, two years ago."

"If you can't use Haki, then stay away," Law said. "He's not your average lab coat scientist, you know."

"Hmm…who can use Haki?" Luffy asked. "Uh…well, there's me…and Blizzard, and Zoro and Sanji…oh! And Nami can use it, too, although hers is not as strong as mine. And then there's you and Juppy, right?"

"That'll be enough," Law said. "I'll head back to the lab, for now. Jupiter, you and White Wolf-ya are going to find an escape route for us if things happen to go south. Understand?"

"Yes, Law," Jupiter answered.

"What?!" Blizzard questioned. "I'm stuck with Birdbrain?!"

"So the plan is we're gonna find this Master guy and kidnap him, right?" Luffy asked.

"That's the idea," Law answered.

"Kidnap him?" Nami repeated. "For ransom money?"

"It's not money we want," Law replied. "It's confusion."

"Eh?" Luffy muttered, tilting his head.

"There's no use discussing the rest before we've successfully pulled it off," Law said. "For now, just focus on capturing Caesar, but remember, it won't be a walk in the park. Once we do, I'll take the time to explain phase 2 of the plan. However…when Caesar's been caught, things will start moving very fast. Once that happens…there's no turning back."

"This is your only chance to reconsider, Straw Hat," Jupiter said.

"No need!" Luffy replied. "I'm with you, 100%!"

"In that case, I will accept your wishes," Law said. "Make sure the rest of your crew is on board with the plan."

"All right! I will!" Luffy exclaimed.

"I'm going, too!" Aika said.

"Oh, no, not you," Luffy said, suddenly very stern. "You're staying here with Kumi, this time."

"Thank you," Kumi said.

"But…but I wanna go with you, Luffy," Aika said.

"Aika, it's too dangerous," Luffy said. "You almost got killed earlier! You're gonna stay here, where it's safe! Understand?"

"Plus, she'll just get in the way," Law said.

"Law!" Nami exclaimed.

"What?" Law asked. "It's the truth."

"…Luffy?" Aika asked…before she reached into her pocket and held out…a Cherry Blossom. "Take this with you, okay?"

"What's that?" Luffy asked.

"It's my Lucky Cherry Blossom," Aika answered. "My Mommy gave it to me. You don't have to believe it it's lucky if you don't want to…but I want you to have it so you can be safe. Just promise you'll bring it back, okay?"

"Sure!" Luffy said. "I promise! Shishishishi!"

"Shishishi!" Aika giggled before she gave Luffy the flower. "Be careful, okay?"

"You got it," Luffy said. "All right, guys! Let's move out!"

"Yeah!" the Straw Hats agreed.

XXX

Meanwhile, at Caesar's laboratory, the G-5 Marines had managed to find a ship to take back to HQ. Unfortunately…they had also been spotted.

"RAAAARGH!" a soldier roared. "You bastards!"

CLANG! His blade was stopped by a muscular Centaur with long dreadlocks and tricorne hat. Another soldier was hit by a Satyr with long, spiky black hair in a ponytail and wearing a gourd on his back, and one more was hit by a Centaur wielding an exploding whip!

"Rebar Smoothy…Fen Bock the Gourd…Rope-Master Chappe!" Tashigi said, looking at a list. "I knew it, Smoker! These are all former prisoners!"

"What the hell is going on here?!" Smoker questioned, holding a prisoner by the neck. "Why was it reported that there were ZERO prisoners surviving after the accident four years ago?!"

"What's with these guys, Smokey?!" asked one of the G-5 soldiers.

"No idea!" Smoker shouted. "Just keep them occupied on land! We need to get that ship moving to send in our report!"

XXX

Inside the laboratory, Caesar heard the Transponder Snail ringing nearby…but for some reason, he didn't answer it.

"It's the Transponder Snail, Master," Monet said.

"Don't answer it," Caesar said. "It's just a message saying, 'We opened he door', followed by 'Something came out'! Then they're going to say something like, 'We're going down left and right, save us,' and so on. What a wretched pain to listen to. We don't often have so many visitors at once…I'll have to forget about procuring my new test subjects. It's time to introduce them to my little…pet. Shulolololo! No one's getting off this island alive…!"

XXX

On the burning side of Punk Hazard, two voices are heard, screaming like the end of the world was coming.

"Master?! Are you there?! HELLO?!"

"Please pick up, Master!"

It is revealed that there are two Centaurs…running away from something.

"It's not working! Why won't he pick up?!"

"It's coming! What it was behind the door is coming out after us!"

"It got the rest of us! Just run for it!"

Behind them…some kind of magenta-colored ooze is chasing after them…and it was getting closer!

"AAAAH! What is that enormous mountain-like thing?!"

"It's coming this way! Dear god, SOMEBODY SAVE US!"

"MASTER~!"

However, when the ooze got closer…the two started to gag and grab at their throats, gasping for breath…like they were suffocating! Before long, they both fell to the ground…dead.

The ooze is revealed to be a giant, magenta monster, shaped like an axolotl with purple smoke puffing out of its huge mouth and glowing yellow eyes.

It is an inhabitant of Punk Hazard…the Slime.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Tsk, tsk tsk. Poor Law has no idea what he's gotten himself into.

Review, please!