Author's Note: Well, now that summer break has started for me, I can post more. Which means, before I go back to school in August, this fanfic could hit its 75th chapter. Yep, seventy-five chapters.
By the way, this is the end of the Airship Island Saga. The Water Seven Saga will begin in the next chapter with the Erin Island Arc. I'm kinda excited to begin the arc, since we get to explore one of the Capricorn's backstories. Which Capricorn? You'll see.
Disclaimer: In Soviet Russia, One Piece doesn't own me.
Ch. 64: "I Won't Let You Interfere!"
A man with long, silver hair tied into a ponytail, black eyes, and glasses stepped into the room. He wore a long, lab coat with khaki pants and black shoes.
"I am Professor Doppelganger, an explorer who wants to fly Castellia Island to Raftel! I won't let you interfere with my plans, because you are just below me!" Professor Doppelganger announced.
"What about the safety of everyone else on this island? They've done nothing, but –" Shinji asked before the professor cut him off.
"THOSE people? They should've thought twice before they got themselves hurt in my booby traps!" Professor Doppelganger explained.
"They didn't know that those booby traps were there! My crew could've died, and it's all because of your selfish gains!" Yuki-Rin explained.
"Shigen!"
The ground shook for a moment and a cloud of dust was kicked up. When the dust cleared, Z.G. was standing in front of the group from the holding cell with his fingers in the shape of a pistol.
"If you deploy anymore booby traps, I, Z.G., ex-member of Cipher Pol 5, will have your ass," Z.G. explained calmly. Professor Doppelganger trembled.
"F-Fine. But, if you go, I go with you," Professor Doppelganger said before he pulled out a DenDen Mushi. Z.G. turned pale.
"Is that… A buster call?" Z.G. cried.
"It is not a buster call. If I press this button, the island will blow up, explosion by explosion, until nothing is left," Profressor Doppelganger explained. Yuki-Rin balled her fists up in anger.
"Why… Why are you doing this? If you want to go to Raftel so badly, then why do you result to needless violence and mass casualities? We're all looking for the same treasure, and I know some of us pirates don't get along. So, please, have a change of heart. Don't result to violence and terror to put you on the path to One Piece," Yuki-Rin pleaded. Unfortunately, that didn't sway the professor's opinion.
"Why should I listen to a little, weak girl? You're below me, anyway. You're not from around here. You're just an intruder and weak," Professor Doppelganger explained.
"Well, hear me out," Yuki-Rin explained. "Before you blow the island up to high heaven, I need to do one more thing."
"And that is?" Professor Doppelganger asked Yuki-Rin, who ignored him and whispered something to Shinji and Eri.
"Right," Shinji said with a nod of his head. Eri turned to the pirates who were held prisoner.
"Everyone, follow us! We're getting you to safety!" Eri explained.
"Yuki-Rin, you should go first. Get our nakama out of here," Hana explained.
"Right!" Yuki-Rin said. "Hana, Soren, if I manage to lose my life in the process… Tell Kazuma that I love him."
"We have to get out of here?" Wolfgang asked Yuki-Rin when she came back up.
"You heard me, get Kazuma now! We're going to be blown to smithereens if we don't hurry!" Yuki-Rin pleaded before the ground shook from an explosion. "Oh, no! They're starting! Wolfgang, Gareth, get Kazuma and get him to safety! I'll get the rest of our nakama!" Yuki-Rin cried before she ran out of the store.
"We're going to be blown up? What the hell is going on here?" Showtarou cried before another blast rocked the store.
"You heard our captain! Let's get out of here!" Gareth cried. Across town, Yuki-Rin was back at the makeshift hospital.
"Odair, Odile, do you have anything to get us off of this island?" Yuki-Rin asked the siblings.
"We have this raft we can use to evacuate everyone," Odile answered as she pulled out a large, orange raft.
"Good. Go throw it into the water, because Professor Doppelganger is going to blow up the island!" Yuki-Rin explained.
"Uhh… Is it possible that we can… Save all the residents of the island?" Odile asked nervously.
"You can do it. Just sound the alarm to everyone who hasn't died in the explosions yet," Yuki-Rin explained. Odile gave Yuki-Rin a simple nod before she ran off. "Now, Odair, how are we going to evacuate the hospital?"
"I think I know how," Odair said before he pressed a button on the wall behind him. An alarm then went off.
"Are we –"
"We're all going to die!"
"We're sinking! We're sinking!"
Odair facepalmed.
"This is not going so smoothly," Odair commented.
Within time, the Capricorns, Stockholm Syndromes, and Okudas were about to evacuate the island. Although Odair and Odile evacuated most of the island, almost all of Castellia Island was blown to smithereens.
"Well, Yuki-Rin, thanks a fucking lot. You dragged my crew into this mess," Yuriko said.
"I did? No, you and your crew brought this on yourselves. Next time, if you feel pissed off at me for dragging you into a dangerous situation, you and your crew are free walk out on it all," Yuki-Rin explained bitterly. Yuriko sighed.
"I would do that, but where's the fun of getting new members of my crew?" Yuriko asked before she turned to her crew. "Come on, guys, we're getting out of here. Looks like our ex-member won't play nice."
"Excuse me?" Yuki-Rin cried.
"It's sad, but true. Next time we meet, you are guaranteed a spot on my crew, no questions asked, no strings attached," Yuriko explained before the Stockholm Syndromes jumped down to the awaiting raft.
"Fat chance, bitch," Yuki-Rin commented under her breath with a sigh. Hito tugged at Yuki-Rin's shoulder.
"Is that the girl we're going with?" Hito asked as he pointed to Julietta. Without a word, Yuki-Rin ushered Apple, Hito, and Inaba over to Julietta.
"Julietta, meet Apple, Cho Inaba, and Cho Hito. The three of them are looking for work, and I believe that you were looking for some new members," Yuki-Rin explained.
"Pleased to meet you three. Welcome to the Okuda Pirates!" Julietta announced before another explosion shook the island. Julietta hugged Yuki-Rin.
"I'll see you around. I promise that the next time we meet, we'll meet in a less dangerous situation," Julietta explained.
"Goodbye, Yuki-Rin! We'll see you soon!" Apple, Inaba, and Hito said before they jumped down to the raft with the rest of the Okuda Pirates, leaving only the Capricorns.
"Guess it's time for us to leave," Hatori commented.
"Well, tell me, nerd boy, how are we going to get off of here?" Yulia asked Hatori. Showtarou opened his pack and dug around in it.
"I've been meaning to use this for a while, but the time never came. I guess it's time to use it," Showtarou explained as he pulled a grappling hook from his pack.
"Are you crazy? That will pop the raft!" Hana cried.
"No, it won't. Ajax will fly down and insert the hook into one of those plastic loops that hold the oars," Showtarou explained as he gave one end of the grappling hook to Ajax. As Ajax flew down to the raft, Showtarou dug the grappling hook into the ground.
"We should hurry. Our part of the island could be next to blow up," Hana explained. Right at that moment, Ajax flew back up to the Capricorns.
"Alright, is there anybody who wants to go first?" Showtarou asked the Capricorns.
"I'll go last. I need to make sure my nakama get out of here safely," Yuki-Rin explained. The Capricorns nodded.
"Right. We'll see you at the raft," Holden said before he climbed down the grappling hook.
"That is, if you don't get blown up," Gareth added before he followed Holden down. One by one, the Capricorns scaled down the hook, until Yuki-Rin and Kazuma were the only ones remaining on the ruins of Castellia Island.
"Kazuma, how are you going to get down in your injured state?" Yuki-Rin asked Kazuma.
"You go first. That way, you can spot me if something happens," Kazuma explained. Yuki-Rin bit her lip.
"Are… Are you sure?" Yuki-Rin asked, holding back tears. Kazuma patted Yuki-Rin on the back and kissed her.
"I'm sure. We're all going to make it down alive," Kazuma re-assured Yuki-Rin.
"O-Okay," Yuki-Rin said nervously before she began to climb down the grappling hook. A few seconds into Yuki-Rin's descent, the portion of the island the pirates stood on blew up. The force of the explosion caused Kazuma to fall off of the island.
"Kazuma!" Yuki-Rin cried.
"Grab my hand!" Kazuma yelled. Yuki-Rin reached out for Kazuma's hand, but her grip slipped and Kazuma fell, again.
"KAZUMA!" Yuki-Rin yelled before she hopped off of the grappling hook to follow Kazuma down.
"Yuki-Rin!" Kazuma cried. Yuki-Rin reached out her hand to Kazuma.
"Take my hand! If we both die, we'll die together in death!" Yuki-Rin yelled as tears fell from her eyes. With no hesitation, Kazuma grabbed Yuki-Rin's hand.
"Yuki-Rin, before we die, I want to tell you something. I… I love you!" Kazuma yelled.
"I love you, Kazuma!" Yuki-Rin sobbed before the two crashed into the sea.
Ending Note: Well, looks like we're at a cliffhanger so dramatic, you'll have to wait until the next saga until it's solved.
On a happier - but important - side note, the new Image Manager will let us have covers for our fanfics. Any suggestions for what the cover for this fanfic should be?
If you review, Kazuma and Yuki-Rin are saved. If you don't review, the Sea Kings save them.