So I've finally finished high school! Finished all the exams in the past few weeks, and handed up all my work. I'm free now. And here is a 12,000 word chapter for your guys to celebrate with me. Enjoy.
"Hey cook!" Zoro snapped suddenly.
"Yeah, I saw it," he confirmed, and I let out a grunt in agreement. I'd also seen the wall around the top of the Courthouse crack, and I caught a quick glimpse of one of the CP9. "Luffy's already battling with the CP9!"
"EH!" the others gasped.
"Seriously? Dammit, he's already started!" gasped the Franky leader, before glancing around at the enemies surrounding us. "But how do we get through? We're completely surrounded! And because of someone, Gomorrah can't move anymore!"
"SHOOT! SHOOT ALL THE PIRATES OFF OF THAT MONSTER!"
"There's only one way left!" Zoro declared, as he got ready to jump off.
"We just gotta cut through to the Courthouse!" Sanji agreed.
"Let's go, you guys!" the Franky's cheered.
'I-' I started to growl, getting ready to get off.
'HOLD ON TIGHTLY!' Gomorrah's voice called out, causing me to freeze.
"WAIT!" Chopper yelled. "DON'T GET OFF!"
"Chopper?"
""HOLD ON TIGHTLY!" That's what Gomorrah said!" Chopper translated as the large bull started to struggle back up.
"GOMORRAH!?" the Frankys exclaimed. "You can still…"
"The monster's still alive!"
"Shoot it dead with trench mortar!"
"Shoot the monster!"
'GOMORRAH! YOU'RE IN DANGER!' I yelled at him as the government workers and marines got ready to attack to him.
"Fight back! Help Gomorrah!" The Frankys pulled out their weapons, firing guns and cannons at them.
'I HAVE TO KEEP GOING!' Gomorrah argued back at me, blood dripping out of one of his nostrils. He started to move forward, only to run straight into a wall.
"Waa! Hey, Gomorrah! Why are you running into walls! What's wrong? Are you really at your limit?" the Franky leader yelled.
"No!" Chopper gasped. "He can't see! They got his retinas! So he's lost his eye sight!"
'I HAVE TO KEEP GOING!' he repeated, charging straight into another wall.
"WHAT! YOU CAN'T SEE! GOMORRAH…" the Franky leader cried as the bull charged on carelessly.
"AHH! IT'S RUNNING OUT OF CONTROL!"
"WHAT'RE YOU STARING AT! SHOOT!"
"YOU GOTTA STOP, GOMORRAH!" one twin yelled.
"YOU CAN'T RUN WITH YOUR BODY LIKE THAT!" the other finished.
'THEY'RE RIGHT!' I whined in worry.
'I PROMISED, WITH SODOM!' he replied. 'I told him, "Leave the rest to me. I'll run your part with everybody too!"'
""I promised!" he said!" Chopper translated. ""With Sodom! I told him, "Leave the rest to me. I'll run your part with everybody too!"""
"Gomorrah…"
The king bull kept charging blindly, calling out his challenge to the marines. Because he was now blind, he couldn't see the large wall that he was charging directly at, and had no chance of being able to smash through it.
"GOMORRAH! STOP! DON'T RUN RANDOMLY! IT'S A DEAD END! YOU'LL DIE IF YOU CRASH!"
I clenched my jaw together tightly, not wanting his brave effort to go to waste. 'Gomorrah, what ever you do, don't stop. Okay? Just keep going straight!'
"A dead end?" Zoro questioned. "Do you see one?"
"Nah, I don't see one anywhere," Sanji replied.
Rage was burning through my veins but a took a deep, calming breath before I charged forward, jumping off in front of Gomorrah. Zoro and Sanji did the same, aiming directly for the wall with varied attacks. I curled into a ball, spinning as I picked up speed and power, slamming my paws straight into the wall with as much power as I could manage. Sanji landed one solid kick on the wall, and Zoro cut through it at the same time. The bricks and rubble went flying around us as the marines and government workers behind the wall yelled out and ran away from the flying debris and the charging king bull. Gomorrah charged through the clearing that we had made, collapsing straight to the ground. Sanji, Zoro and I landed neatly on the ground in front of him, my attention on our enemies who were gaping at us.
"We're here! We're at the courthouse, Gomorrah! You did it!" The Franky's cheered as they all started to scramble off. "Well done. We won't waste you and your brother's run! We've gotten in, you bastards! We're gonna rescue big bro Franky!"
"You see him?" Zoro asked, glancing up at the top of the Courthouse. Nami and Chopper made their way quickly over to us.
"Luffy? Nope," Sanji replied. "If he's on that roof, there's no way to climb up there. Unless you're made of rubber."
"How many CP9 members did you see?" Nami questioned.
"Just the huge horned guy. It's only one guy, but…" Zoro grunted.
"It's unlikely they'd be out in the open up there," Sanji pointed out. "Especially when they have Robin and Franky."
"At any rate, we've got to catch up to Luffy!" Chopper said. "We've got to hurry and save Robin!"
"Hurry! To the front of the courthouse! They haven't lowered the bridge yet! Corner them!" our enemies yelled as something came flying towards us out of the corner of my eyes, and I got ready to dodge but the frog appeared before us, catching the flying object with ease.
"Woah! That frog's amazing!"
"It's the same steel ball that beat Gomorrah! Who the heck is that!"
We looked over to where the ball came from only to see three large figures trying to run away behind the building.
"Those three are trying to escape!"
"Why are they running!" Chopper gasped. "They're the ones who attacked us…"
"Idiot!" Zoro snapped, but Sanji was already gone from sight. "Chasing fleeing enemies one by one is a waste of time!"
A loud crash echoed as a body came flying back into the square, followed by Sanji. "Shut up already! It's confirmation. We should know what kind of enemies we're up against, right?"
"What is this guy?" the Frankys questioned as they stared at the fallen warrior. "He's super strong! Is this another special unit, like the Hōbantai*?"
"I bet there are a bunch of them out there," Sanji replied as he strolled back over to us. "Be careful."
"Let's hurry!" The leader declared as charging enemies started to appear. "The guards are on their way! Oh yeah… How are we gonna open that huge door?"
'That's the least of our worries,' I grunted, following at Zoro's heels as he walked towards the huge door of the courthouse. With one swing on his sword, the bottom of the door crumbled, creating an entrance for us.
"Stop wasting time, guys!" Zoro ordered. "We're going ahead!"
"WOOA! HE CUT THROUGH THAT THICK STONE!"
"Zanbai," the twins addressed their leader. "The two of us will split up to the left and right and pull down the levers for the drawbridges!"
"Got it!" he replied. "I'm counting on you!"
The rest of what he was going to say was drowned as I sauntered into the Courthouse with Zoro. My eyes flickered over the marines that were sprawled around the Courthouse, all getting ready to attack Zoro and I. In one swift movement, Zoro let an attack fly that took out all of them in a whirlwind, sending them flying all over the place. The others quickly strolled in after Zoro and I with a handful of the Franky's following them.
"It seems like there aren't that many people here," Zoro casually remarked. "I guess we can proceed at once, but… What the heck is that?" Zoro asked and my eyes flickered to where he was looking only to see a three-headed man standing on a platform that looked like a judges desk.
"Whoa! A three-headed man! I've heard of a three-headed watchdog, but… what is that thing!"
'… Ugly is what that thing is,' I snorted, flicking my tail in a dismissive manner.
"Silence! This is the holy building of judgment!" one of the three heads yelled. "We will now announce a verdict that will seal your fates!"
"Right! Guys, just run towards the roof where Straw Hat is!" the Franky leader yelled. "Yokozuna and a few others will stop any pursuers at the door! We've got your backs so you guys just charge on though!"
"Gotcha," Zoro replied.
I glanced back at the frog and a few Frankys that were stopping anyone from coming through the gap in the door that Zoro had made. 'Oi! Froggy! Kick some ass, yeah?'
'YO!' he croaked back, slamming his front foot into the face of a marine.
"Hey, look at that! It seems like a trial's begun!" Nami pointed out, gesturing towards the three-headed judge.
"Ignore it. Too much trouble," Zoro ordered. "Which way is it?"
"Your crimes are as follows: First: stepping into Enies Lobby, a property of the World Government, is–" he ranted as we ignored him.
"Look up towards the front… there's a staircase on each side! We can go upstairs using those."
"How rude! They ignored the holy trial!" a government worker from a group gathered at the front of the room gasped.
"Unforgivable! They're making a mockery of the judicial island!" a marine joined in.
'Out the road, suckers!' I ordered as I sprung forward, charging towards the front row of them.
"Don't be fooled by the dog! It's as dangerous as the rest of them! Fire at it!" one of them yelled as they leveled their guns at me.
'Get me if you can,' I snickered, feinting to the left as a hail of bullets hit the ground where I was seconds ago. I then feinted to the right as the next wave came, appearing right before them. I pounced on them before they managed to fire another volley, dancing on light paws between the front row of them, biting, nipping, jumping and kicking as I deemed necessary. The first group went down, collapsing on the ground as I skidded to a stop, eyeing the ones left. I pulled back my bloodied lips to show of my teeth teasingly.
"Mamori, move! You're taking too long!" Zoro ordered and I looked back over at him as he charged forward, readying his attack.
'Wait! What the hell! That ain't fair, I tell ya!' I yipped as I jumped out of the road.
"Enbima Yonezu," Zoro hissed as the air around his began to shift, creating the illusion of a figure behind him.
"What! His swords seem to be bending!"
"Oni Giri*!" In one swipe Zoro cleared out the rest of them, sending them flying across the room again.
"I guess he must've cut the door open earlier," one of the three heads remarked.
"Let's move, the path's clear now!" Zoro ordered, charging forward.
"Okay!" Nami chirped as her, Chopper and I followed him.
'Take away my fun, why don't ya?' I snorted, sending him a glare sideways.
"And why isn't he the captain?" one of the Frankys sweat-dropped.
"WAIT! WAIT! WAAAAIT!" Sanji yelled, coming out of the nowhere as he caught up to us. "GET OUTTA THE WAY, REINDEER AND IDIOT SWORDSMAN! THIS IS DANGEROUS ENEMY TERRITORY! I WILL CLEAR THE PATH THAT NAMI AND MAMORI TAKE! GET OUTTA THE WAY!" With that said he jumped forward, kicking at Chopper first, who blocked it easily because he was in his human form, and then Zoro he blocked with his sword.
"WHY ARE YOU STARTING A FIGHT!" Zanbai bellowed in the background.
'Don't you start this bullshit again, because I will be the one ending it. You hear me?' I hissed.
Zoro stumbled back before snapping, "YOU WANNA FIGHT!"
"Shut up!" Sanji snapped before turning to Nami and I. "Nami, Mamori, this way, please! Just follow me, and only me!" With that said Sanji started to run up the steps, Nami and Chopper following him without complaint. "Oh! Yeah, Robin is waiting for my rescue! I wonder if she's now crying from the loneliness." And with that he took off at top speed, leaving the rest of us behind.
'What a strange place his head must be,' I remarked, glancing to my side to see if Zoro was ready to go yet. I blinked. Then stared. Then I swore, loudly, stamping my paw against the ground. 'WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, ZORO!'
Hearing my cry, Chopper skidded to a stop, staring at Zoro who was running completely the wrong way. "AHH! ZORO WANDERED OFF SOMEWHERE WHILST WE WEREN'T LOOKING! WAIT, ZORO, THAT'S NOT THE WAY!"
"I SAID THE STAIRCASE! HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY GO THE WRONG WAY!" Nami screamed. "ARE YOU AND IDIOT!"
"SHUT UP!" Zoro snapped as he ran back towards us and started up the stairway. I shook my head and quickly followed him. "Your explanation was bad!"
"How could it be bad!" she argued.
"Zoro, I'll try and make a medicine for it next time! A good medicine for a hopeless idiot!" Chopper remarked causing me to snort loudly.
"Don't call me a hopeless idiot!"
"DON'T IGNORE ME, THE PRESIDING JUDGE!" the three-headed man yelled as we reached the top of the first flight of stairs, jumping towards us. His massive sword smashed into the rock between us, sending rubble flying as we all got out of the way. The judge went to fall back to the earth, but at the last second he grabbed onto the side of the platform, holding himself there.
"Chopper, Nami, Mamori! Go an ahead!" Zoro ordered, standing in front of us. "I'll follow after I finish this up."
"What and impertinent pirate! I'll show you how frightening I can be–" he started to say, only to be cut off as he was pulled down to the ground bellow the stairs.
"Franky family!" Nami yelled as we glanced over the side to see them standing around him.
"We'll be our opponents, Cerberus!" the declared.
"Let's go!" Zoro ordered, continuing with running. I was quick to follow his example.
"Ah… Okay," the other two hesitated before following.
In the chaos of making our way up to the top of the Courthouse, I'd been separated from the others. It didn't worry me all that much because we were all heading to the same place in the end, so I knew we would all meet up again.
'How many of you bastards are there!' I snarled as I fought my way through hoard after hoard of enemies. No matter how many I took out, more kept popping up to take their place. 'OUT OF MY WAY.' I nailed the last one of that group in the crotch, dropping him.
I snorted and trotted off, my ears twitching as I tired to figure out which way the next group would come from. Might as well be ready for them. My ears twitched as a faint yell reached my ears, followed by a cracking sound, causing me to pause. 'What is that…' I mumbled as the ground started to shake under my paws. Before I had the chance to do anything, the ground under me exploded with exponential force, sending me flying upwards with enough strength to make my senses swirl.
"AHHH!" two voices yelled as the blast forced its way up through the floor above me, picking up others as we flew through the roof and up into sky. The force suddenly evaporated, letting us fall back down towards the ground, I flipped over, landing neatly on my paws, my head still spinning.
"Landed," a voice sighed in relief and I glanced next to me, spotting Nami. Chopper crashed on the ground next to her, looking as dizzy as I felt.
'The hell was that?' I demanded, looking back at the hole we had come through.
"I should have done this from the start to climb up to the top," Zoro grunted as he pulled himself out of the hole.
"I KNEW IT WAS YOU!" Nami screamed as Chopper got back onto his feet, rubbing him head. "WE'RE STILL ALIVE ONLY BECAUSE WE TOOK AN INDIRECT HIT! IF WE'D BEEN HIT DIRECTLY, WE'D BE DEAD BY NOW!"
"Ah? What's going on?" Zoro questioned, confused.
'Oh, nothing much,' I growled, bearing my teeth at him. 'IT'S NOT LIKE YOU'RE TRYING TO KILL US OR ANYTHING! WHAT SORT OF IDIOT WOULD JUST BUST THEIR WAY THROUGH INSTEAD OF USING A DAMN DOOR!'
As if in answer to my question, the roof exploded in a different spot as Sanji came flying through, flipping over and neatly landing on the ground. "I'm definitely the first one to get here," he mumbled to himself. "Now, Robin, you've been waiting! I've come to rescue–" He finally looked in our direction. "Moss-head! How'd you get here before me!"
"Ah, you're late. Did you get lost?" Zoro asked.
'NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR THAT FROM YOU!' I snapped.
A faint screaming drew our attention as we looked to the side only to see Sogeking flying towards us.
"AH! SOGEKING!" Chopper yelled.
"He's flying!" Nami gasped.
"What's he been doing all this time?" Sanji questioned.
"I wonder if he can land safely?" Zoro asked.
'Probably not,' I sighed. And sure enough, he crashed into the ground, leaving small crater.
"SOGEKING!"
'He'll live… We have bigger problems right now, though.' I glanced toward Enies Lobby. The main building stood before us, and on the balcony was Robin. But it wasn't just Robin. It was also the CP9 we'd met, and a few other people we hadn't met yet. Standing on the Courthouse roof with us on a pillar that made the wall, was Luffy.
"I beg of you, Robin!" Luffy yelled towards her. "I don't care what you want, whether you choose to live or to die! But whatever you decide, say it while you're with us!"
"That's right, Robin!" Sanji joined in the yelling.
"Robin, come baaack!" Chopper cried.
"Hey, Sogeking, are you okay?" Zoro questioned.
"Of course," he replied, dragging himself back up to his feet. "Such a small fall won't stop Sogeking."
Now that everyone was back we walked towards the wall Luffy was standing on, neatly jumping up onto it as we stared defiantly at our enemies. The order went: Nami, me, Zoro, Luffy, Usopp, Sanji, and Chopper. We all lifted out heads high, refusing to back down.
"Now, leave everything to us!" Luffy yelled.
"When the draw bridge is lowered, we'll be able to get across," Zoro commented.
"Drawbridge?" Luffy questioned.
"Yeah. The Franky Family is working on lowering it now. You rushed ahead too quickly and went to the roof, so we had to get up here in order to regroup."
"Robin…" Nami mumbled as she looked emotionlessly back at us.
"CP9!" a scrawny member of the group that was standing next to Robin yelled. "Listen, guys. I give you permission to wipe them out, but take them down at the Tower of Justice! It's not like they could up here to begin with!" The way he was ordering them around probably meant that he was the leader. "Wahahaha! You stupid pirates! Do you realize that no matter how brave you are, nothing would ever change? We have the full strength of an assassin group, CP9! We have the heavy Gates of Justice that human power cannot open! Moreover, I now have the authority to use this golden den den mushi to trigger the Buster Call!" The name caused Robin to looked shocked as the weirdo turned on her. "That's right! Exactly 20 years ago, it's the power that obliterated your hometown, Robin Nico! The word "Ohara" disappeared from the following year's map, didn't it?"
"Robin's home town?" Chopper questioned.
"Shitty mask. I wanna kick him down into the waterfall right now!" Sanji hissed.
"STOP IT! DON'T DO THAT!" Robin begged the weirdo.
"Oh, I like that response! It's very thrilling. Does that mean I should press the Buster Call's trigger?"
"DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT'LL HAPPEN IF YOU PRESS IT!" Robin screamed at him.
'To get that sort of reaction from Robin…'
"Of course I know it very well!" the masked weirdo laughed. "The chances of you pirates getting off this island will become zero. By just a push of the button on this golden den den mushi… What? Did you have something else in mind. Wahaha!"
"IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE! STOP IT!"
"Eh? Don't get cheeky with me now!" he hissed.
"You said Ohara disappeared from the map, didn't you? Can you see any humans on that map? You could only be so cruel because you look at the world like that!" she yelled, dropping to her knees. "Ask for the Buster Call now, you'll be blown up too, along with Enies Lobby."
"Don't be stupid! How could we be blown up by our own allies attack! What're you talking about!" weirdo snapped.
"20 years ago, just one attack took everything from me. As well as ruining the lives of many people." Robin stood back up slowly. "That is the Buster Call. That attack is now aimed at the dear nakama that I've finally found. The more I wish to be with you, the more my fate will bare its fangs at you! No matter where I go to, I have this great foe that I can't shake! Because my enemy is the world and its darkness! First, the incident with Aokiji. And now, this! I've gotten you involved twice already! If this goes on forever, even good-natured people like you will eventually consider me a burden! In time you'll betray and jilt me! That's what I'm afraid of! That's why I didn't want you to come save me! If it's a life that I'll eventually lose, I want to just die right here, right now!"
"Robin…" Chopper and Sanji mumbled.
"So that's how it is," Zoro grunted.
'I'm finally starting to see it all,' I sighed sadly. 'She's just as much of an idiot as the rest of the crew. And I thought she was the smartest of all of us.'
"Wahaha! I see… That's so true!" weirdo laughed. "Of course no one could think you're not a burden with all your problems! Wahaha! Look at that symbol, pirates!" He pointed to the flag above him. "That mark represents the unity of over 170 nations in the four seas and the Grand Line! This is the world! Do you understand how insignificant you are to stand up against us? Do you understand how big of an organization was after her?"
"I understand Robin's enemy very well," Luffy replied. "Sogeking."
"Hmm?"
"Shoot that flag," Luffy ordered.
"Roger!" Usopp replied, loading a bullet into his slingshot on a stick. "New weapon: the great pachinko called "Kabuto"! Carefully observe its power. Hissatsu Firebird Star*!" As he shot the bullet, it exploded into a fire ball that took the form of a bird, heading straight for the flag. With one hit the flag exploded into a ball of fire, lightning up the sky.
"ARE YOU BASTARDS INSANE!" weirdo screamed at us. "DON'T YOU DARE TO EVEN DREAM THAT YOU'D SURVIVE HAVING THE WORLD AS YOUR ENEMY!"
"I'D BE HAPPY TO LIVE WITH THAT!" Luffy screamed at the top of his voice. "ROBIN! I HAVEN'T HEARD IT FROM YOU YET! SAY YOU WANNA LIVE!"
Tears dribbled out of Robin's eyes as she stared silently at us in shock. She opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again, pausing for a second. She then opened it again, tears streaming now as she yelled, "I WANT TO LIVE! TAKE ME WITH YOU TO THE SEA!"
"Waaah! I love you guys, damn it!" A man from the other side, who I'm guessing is Franky, cried, wiping his eyes.
"The draw bridge is lowering," Chopper pointed out.
"I guess they've done their job well," Sanji smirked.
"I… I'm trembling from the excitement," Usopp mumbled in a shaky voice.
"Hurry up and lower it," Zoro crackled, smirking maliciously.
"What an evil face…" Nami remarked.
'I'm SO ready to kick some ass!' I barked.
"HERE WE GO!" Luffy declared. "WE'LL MOST DEFINITELY SAVE YOU!"
The drawbridge only managed to get halfway down before an explosion at its base caused it to seize up.
"CHIEF SPANDAM!" someone yelled. "FLEE FROM THE JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION TOWER!"
"DON'T GET IN THE WAY!" Luffy cried. "DAMMIT, WHO IS THAT?"
"Al-alright! Good work!" Spandam panted. "Let's get to the gate of Justice before they can make it over!" he grabbed Robin roughly, planning to drag her with him. "Come, Nico Robin! Someone else take Cutty Flam!"
"ROBIN!" Chopper called out in worry.
"Heh, you pirates don't have a chance! We've got the assassination team, CP9 here!" weirdo bragged. "The girl who lived on the island which sought to revive the ancient weapons, Nico Robin, and the man who has the blueprints for that weapon, Clutty Flam… We must take this glorious chance before it runs away right before our very eyes!" Franky pulled something and held it up in front of him with a smirk. "Is that… It can't be! The blueprints for the ancient weapon, Pluto!"
"It's the real deal," Franky confirmed. "Can ya believe it? Lucci, Kaku, you both should know too, right?"
"I can't believe it… You bastard, you were keeping it inside your body this whole time," Kaku said.
"The… the real thing! It's the real thing? Hand it over! Hand it over to me! Hand over the blueprints I've always wanted!" Spandam demanded.
"Nico Robin," Franky said. "There are rumors all around the world that you wished to abuse the power of the weapons. But I know you're not a demon. Nothing that the shipwrights of Water 7 inherited over generations was the skills to "create weapons". Hey, Spanda. Master Tom and Iceberg staked their lives on protecting these sheets of paper. But! If the ancient weapon fell into the hands of an utter moron like you and things started getting violent, another weapon would be born. One that would stop your running around unchecked, as was the wishes of the first weapon's designer! Should Nico Robin use it, then surely you'd be able to awaken the weapon! She's a dangerous woman! But those are the true friends that are defending her. So, I'd like to take a gamble here. I bet there's only one way for me to fulfill the wishes of the designer right now.
"I'm getting tired of your yammering! Hand it over! They're mine!" weirdo snapped, but Franky simply held the papers to the side and breathed fire on the paper, destroying them in his hands. "AHHH! BASTARD, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! DAMMIT, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"
"The blueprints I carried for the purpose of creating the power to fight back… That your government tried to take… Originally, I was just supposed to keep it unknown from the rest of the world… But, should the time come that it sees the light of day, it must be destroyed! But now, the power that opposes the weapons had been lost! And if Nico Robin were to slip through your fingers, you'd be hopeless! So, if the Straw Hats win, you'll have nothing left. I'm betting everything on their victory!"
"Make a fool of me, and I will end you here and now!" Spandam hissed.
"BROOO!" a group of voice called below up, and I leant forward, looking down at the Franky family.
"Brother, we came to save you!"
"We came with Mr. Straw Hat's group!"
"Sodom and Gomorrah also worked hard!"
"Come back to us, brother!"
"Are you hurt at all?"
"You… You guys…" Franky mumbled, tearing up slightly before bawling loudly. "YOU GUYS CAME ALL THIS WAY TO SAVE ME! YOU CAME! AH GNEW AH COULD COUND ON YOUB!"
"BROTHER!"
"IDIOTS! FOR ME…. I'M NOT CRYING!"
'No, you're bawling like a baby.' I quirked a brow in his direction.
"SHUT IT, ALL OF YOU!" Luffy screamed down at them.
"ARE YOU A DEMON!" Nami and Zoro demanded.
"ROBIN'S WAITING! HURRY IT UP WITH THE BRIDGE!"
"STARW HAT!" Franky called. "You looked after my precious subordinates… Now let me show you the super battle power of their leader, the great Franky!"
"DO AS YOU PLEASE! I STILL HAVEN'T FORGIVEN YOU OVER USOPP, THOUGH!" Luffy snapped and I smirked in agreement.
"CUTTY FLAM…. GIVE BACK MY BLUEPRINTS!" Spandam yelled, shoving Franky off the balcony.
"WAAH! BROTHER!"
"BROTHER IS FALING INTO THE WATERFALL!"
"WHOA, FRANKY!" Usopp gapped.
"Hey, pirates!" Kokoro's voice game through the den den mushi as Nami pulled it out of her pocket.
"Eh? Miss Kokoro?" Nami questioned.
"Listen to everything I have to say! Enough with your hesitation!" she snapped.
"Hesitation? But the bridge is only half down!" Nami argued.
"Halfway down is good enough! I'll get there in 4 seconds! I'm gonna fly my way through the waterfall," she declared.
"Was that the old hag? What's she talking about?" Luffy demanded.
"I'm not quite sure…" Nami replied.
A heard something that made my ears twitch and my head lift up. 'That sounded like…'
"The sea train's whistle," Luffy said before an eerie smile broke over his face. "Heh."
"What's with that "Heh" while smiling?" Usopp questioned nervously.
'Luffy…' I cautioned, my spidey senses going over time. They were screaming at me to run. Fast. 'What are you planning?'
Luffy flung both his arms out behind us, stretching out as they wrapped around Nami and Chopper who were at the ends of the lines. Looks of shock crossed everyone's faces as we all opened our mouths to protest, only to have Luffy jump off, taking us with him.
"LET'S GO!"
Zoro latched onto Luffy's arm with one of his own, his spare hand grabbing the back of my scruff as he pulled me down with him.
'LUFFFFFFFY!' I howled as everyone around me screamed in shock, falling towards the half down drawbridge. 'I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!'
"ROCKET MAN!" Franky, who was also falling called as the sea train came flying through the bottom of the Courthouse, using the drawbridge as a ramp. I felt a sense of helplessness wash over me as we smacked into the iron train, getting plastered there from the force as it went flying off the ramp and into the air. The only thing that stopped me from flying off with my crappy paws was Zoro's grip, leaving me with enough energy to scream mentally with the rest of them. Franky was also a victim of it; it slammed into him too, taking him with us.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!"
"WE'LL CRASH!" Luffy yelled as he went flying into the bottom of the opposite tower.
'EVEN LUFFY IS PANICKING! THAT IS NOT GOOD!' I cried as we slammed into the building, throwing everyone off in a shower of rubble and stone. I felt myself get thrown into the air, slamming into the ground as a rain of rubble landed on top of me, burying me. I laid still, as the sound around me died out. 'I'm… I'm alive?'
"ALRIGHT! WE'VE MADE IT!" Luffy's loud voice yelled and I felt some of the rubble shift. "Thanks for the help, monster Granma! Hey, guys! Get up already! That was nothing!"
Twitch.
"W-We're not made of rubber like you…" Sanji panted as everyone shuffled around and got ready to throw the rubble off. "There's n-no way… for h-humans… made of flesh and blood… to take a plunge like that… and stay…. UNINJURED!" At the same time everyone sprung up, weapons and fists ready to kill Luffy.
"They're all fine," Luffy said.
'Fine? FINE! DO WE LOOK FINE TO YOU!' I snarled, shaking off the dust from my bruised and battered body. That was going to hurt like hell tomorrow.
"You guys are all weird," Franky pointed out. "Just so you know."
"There's a staircase over there! Let's hurry and get to Robin!" Luffy ordered, not messing around.
"Wait," an alien voice said.
"What's that?" Luffy asked and we looked to the corner of the room, where a weird man in a suit was clinging to a wall, watching us.
'It's… It's the real Humty-Dumpty,' I gaped in amazement.
"You won't find Nico Robin," Humpty-Dumpty declared. "Even if you go to the room you saw earlier. Lucci took her to the Gate of Justice. And the Chief too. He's heading there now, but I won't tell you how to get there. And us CP9 won't allow you to follow because we've received an order to obliterate you! Chapapa. There's no way for you to free Nico Robin, unless you defeat us. Look at this." He held up a key.
"A key?" Luffy asked.
"A key to what?" Nami mumbled.
"It's a key to the seastone handcuffs that Nico Robin is restrained with!" he declared.
"Seastone?" Chopper questioned.
"It's a stone that nullifies devil fruit power," Nami answered. "I heard it has the same effect as when you guys fall into the sea."
"Is that why Robin's being obedient even though she's strong?" Chopper demanded to know. "I bet she's mortified!"
"Should you managed to rescue Robin Nico somehow, seastone is as hard as diamond, so her handcuffs will never come off. If you don't mind that, then go rescue her now. Chapapa," Humpty-Dumpty laughed.
"THEN GIVE IT TO ME!" Luffy was having none of his bullshit, and threw his fist as Humpty-Dumpty who disappeared before it could make contact, leaving Luffy to punch the wall. "Looks like he can use that technique too…"
"Don't rush," his voice called from the other side of the room. "I never said this was the real key."
"WHAT!"
"Maybe it's the key to a different pair of handcuffs. Chapapa," he laughed as he kicked the air so that he was floating above us. "There are six CP9 members in this tower, each of us holding a key and waiting for you."
"Then we won't know if it's real or not until we take the keys from you and try them on Robin's handcuffs?" Zoro guessed.
"What a crappy way to play for time!" Sanji hissed. "While we're wasting our time here, you're probably planning to take Robin to the Gate of Justice, aren't you?"
"But we should take care of Robin first," Nami argued. "We should make sure to get Robin back, and take care of the keys afterwards! Forget about him, and let's hurry!"
"Chapapa," Humpty-Dumpty laughed. "You're smart. But if you do that, I'll just toss this key into the sea! We're just giving you a chance. See ya." And with that, he was gone.
'Bastards!' I spat, growling under my breath.
"YOU! WAIT!" Luffy yelled, charging after him.
"HEY, WAIT!" Zoro snapped, reaching out and grabbing Luffy's cheek, dragging him back. Usopp and I quickly jumped forward, trying to help subdue a struggling Luffy. I bit down on the back of his shirt, pulling him back with Zoro.
"LEGGO OF ME, DAMMIT!"
"HOLD IT FOR A BIT! WAIT UNTIL WE FIGURE OUT WHAT WE'RE ALL GOING TO DO!"
"Is Lucci that pigeon guy?" Sanji asked as the rest of them ignored us.
"Yeah, he is," Franky confirmed.
"If he's with Robin, we can just let Luffy go ahead," Sanji declared. "Luffy, just go and beat up that pigeon guy! Excluding Luffy, there is seven of us. We'll find the six CP9 that are here, get all six keys for Robin's handcuffs, and then meet with Luffy. If Robin enters the gates, it's all over. Time is very important here."
"It's a waste of time to lose, so win, even if you die!" Zoro order, letting go of Luffy. Usopp and I followed his lead, setting Luffy free.
"YEAH!"
My paws lightly touched the cool stones under them, my body slinking silently through the corridor as I tried to make as little noise as possible. Having decided to get the keys, we all split up and went separate ways. It was really a lucky-dip to see who we'd get to face. I just hoped everyone came out of this all right. As I wandered down the dimly light hallway and passed rows of doors, I made sure to sniff the air around each one, making sure there were no recent scents. Time was of the essence.
I reached the end of the corridor that split off to the left and to the right. I paused and glanced down each, sweat-dropping when I saw a large door to the left with a big sign saying, "TRAINING ROOM".
'I wonder…' I hummed, before making up my mind to check that door. As I reached it, the scent of someone inside hit me like a freight train, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to prickle. 'Found you.'
I stepped towards the door and it swung open without me needing to touch it, causing me to hesitate cautiously as I peered through into the room. Laid before me was a room that looked like it was used for the purpose of training – as the name suggested. It was a wide-open space, and lining the walls was a myriad of different weapons. My eyes scanned over the wide range, noting the quality of them with a slight hint of approval. The people who used these weapons knew what they were doing.
"You came," a soft voice sighed and my eyes landed on a woman who was sitting directly in the center of the room, her legs crossed and her arms held in a meditating position. She didn't open her eyes as she sat there, giving me a moment to assess her. She had short blue hair, and a dark black kimono that was patterned with little white bird shapes and only reached up to her thighs, leaving her legs exposed. The air around her was calm and tranquil, yet it had a dangerous feeling, like a predator that waits for its meal to stumble over it. "I'll admit, you're not what I expected. Trust them to send a dog to deal with me just because I'm one of the weakest members…"
'I never am what expect,' I admitted, calmly strolling into the room, my nails clicking against the stone.
Her eyes slowly flickered open, showing off their brown coloring. "They sent you to fetch the key from me?"
'I'm taking this too lightly, so she's not taking me seriously,' I noted, closing my eyes. I took a soft breath of air in, calming my mind to match the mood of the room. Once my mind was calm, I focused my thoughts on my reason for being here: to save Robin. I strengthened my resolve, relaxing the muscles of my body into a battle ready position, before opening my eyes again.
She must have felt the shift in the air because she rose neatly off the ground, standing up straight. "Not just a dog, it would seem. It makes sense, I suppose. I am Syndria, a member of CP9. You are part of the Straw Hats. Your objective: to obtain the key. My objective: the project the key and eliminate the Straw Hat pirates. Our paths clash, and a fight is imminent."
'It is,' I agreed, keeping my temper as level as I could. My opponent was an interesting one for sure. Calm and collect. That's what she was.
Two objects slipped out of her long sleeves, landing in her hands. She spread the two fans out, lifting one up to cover the bottom half of her face. I watched on silently, making a note of her odd weapon choice.
"Ready yourself," she said moments before she spun in a neat circle, sweeping her fan out in an arc, creating a wave that came flying towards me.
'Fast,' I gasped, ducking under the attack as it hit the wall, leaving a large slice.
"You dodged it. I see. Not many humans, let alone dogs, would have been able to follow the speed of that attack. I am going to have to take you seriously. No point wasting my time. I'm going to go at full power from this point onwards."
'Exactly what I want. Let's do this,' I purred mentally, my blood pounding through my body at the thought of a proper fight. I hadn't had to chance to fight properly for a while.
"Soru*." She disappeared from my sight and I couldn't track her. I froze, listening carefully for any sign of her. At last I heard a fluttered of clothes directly behind me, but as I went to turn around, I felt a sharp blade of wind slap into me, lifting my paws off the ground.
'Dammit! I can't keep track of her!' I swore as I tried to flip around in the air.
"Saikuron.*" She readied both of her fans before spinning into a twirl like before, but this time she used both fans and didn't stop, sending one wave after the other. Because I was in mid air, I couldn't move fast enough to dodge the attack, so I braced myself. One after the other the slices hit my body, cutting neatly away at the flesh, opening it so that my blood ran. I gritted my teeth together, making sure none of the attacks connected with any vital spots until.
"I'll finish it with this attack!" she declared, shifting her fans so that they were both held in one hand, overlapping each other. This time when she flicked them, an attack thrice the size of the others shot out, slamming into my shoulder with enough force to send me flying across the room and into the walls. My back connected with the wall, knocking a few training polls off of their racks as I clattered to the ground with them. "It's done."
'Done?' I snickered mentally as I lifted my battered body back to my paws. I made note of the cuts that now littered my body, and the one large slice on my shoulder. They tingled, but they were nothing. I'd had worse. 'That's your full power, and you think it's enough to keep me down? You're crazy, miss. You'll have to kill me to stop me. And guess what? It's my turn now!'
"…You shouldn't be able to get up after that attack as my full strength!" she gasped, anger flashing across her face. "An ordinary dog you are not, for sure."
'My turn,' I purr mentally, letting a smirk break over my face. I saw Syndria's eyes widen as I lunged forward, kicking my speed almost up to top gear without hesitation.
"Geppo*," she cried, jumping up into the air, presuming I couldn't get her when she was air born.
'Ha, gotcha. You and the rest of CP9 used such repetitive attacks that you're so easy to read!' I'd planned it all out and lined it up, relying on the hope that she'd do exactly what she did. Behind her was the wall, and I didn't slow down the slightest, aiming for the wall. I jumped up, my paws slapping against it, making sure not to knock any of the displays off. I twisted my body in midair, curling into a spinning ball of fur, using the speed to build up the power of my attack. She didn't have time to use Geppo again before I slammed into her back, causing her to emit a sound of pain. The force of the blow sent her flying across the room this time as I landed neatly back on my paws, my head held proudly.
Syndria hit the wall and bounced off, landing on her hands and knees, coughing roughly, blood dribbling down her chin. "Wh… What are you?" she panted.
'I wish I knew.' I waited patiently as she stood back up, slowly, showing signs that my last attack did a number on her. She had speed, but she didn't have stamina or strength, that was for sure. Her body was weak and easy to wound. No wonder she was one of the weaker CP9. She was built for stealthy assassinations, where speed and silence mattered more than force or strength.
"If long range won't work, I'll have to fight you short range…" she grumbled, lifting her fans into a defensive position. "The edges of these fans are as sharp as any blade. They'll cut you like a scalpel if they touch you. Soru."
'Follow her!' I snapped at myself, putting all my attention into following her fast movements. 'I see her! There!' I ducked under a swipe of a fan as she appeared next to me, and I jumped forward, nailing the top of my head into her stomach before she had a chance to attack with the other one. She skidded back, coughing as one of her arms wrapped around her stomach.
"I WON'T LET A DOG GET THE BETTER OF ME!" she screamed all of a sudden, loosing her cool and calm attitude. With cry, she came at me again, swiping each of her fans in succession as I was forced to duck, dodge and weave to avoid them. I flinched when sliced past my muzzle, opening up a deep cut in the flesh. "DIE!"
'Losing your cool will only make you lose,' I hissed, slipping under another attack before slamming my head into her stomach again.
"Tekkai.*" she said, right before my head made contact with her. If I didn't have such a tough head, it probably would have split open on her hardened body. "Shigan Tessen!*" I didn't have time to dodge as her two fans snapped closed and came flying towards either side of my body. They acted like blades, driving deep into the flesh of my side, causing pain to flood my body. I let out a loud yelp as she used the fans embedded in my side to lift me off the ground and fling me across the room and into the wall again.
I hit the hard surface, bouncing off and hitting the ground roughly. I laid there for a few seconds, panting roughly as I tried to get my lungs working properly again. The two holes in my sides weren't helping. I looked across the room at Syndria, who was also breathing heavily, blood dripping off of her fans.
Our fight was interrupted by the loud voice that yelled through a den den mushi, and Syndria hesitated before pulling it out of the sleeve of her kimono.
"HEY! HEY! DAMMIT! I SCREWED UP!" Weirdo's voice screamed over the den den mushi. "This is the baby den den mushi! What have I done? I was so careless! How could I have pressed the golden den den mushi? Worst of all, I triggered the Buster Call!"
'…NO WAY,' I gasped in horror.
"Idiot," she hissed, clenching her fist. "He's broadcasting this across all the whole island."
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! CANCEL IT IMMEDIATELY!" Robin's voice came over the den den mushi. "It'll have serious consequence!"
"What? Cancel it?" he responded. "Hey, look who you're talking to! Bring on the Buster Call. What's wrong with it? That's right. It's okay. I'm the chief of Cipher Pol Number 9. In order to deliver you to the government without fail, I triggered the Buster Call. Haha… That's a good cause, isn't it? So in case anything does happen here, at least we will certainly slaughter all the pirates!"
"How foolish!" Robin snapped. "I've told you! It won't end just there! That attack doesn't involve human emotion. It'll burn everything on Enies Lobby! Buildings and humans! Even the island itself! It'll sacrifice everything to carry out the goal: a diabolical focus-fire! That is the Buster Call! You're like that because you don't know what happened 20 years ago in Ohara!"
"That's fine!" Spandam replied. "That just means this is such and important case for the government! Now that, that idiot Cutty Flam has burned Pluton's Blueprints, your existence is the only for us to get the ancient weapon. Military strength that will overrun an era dependent upon it… Even if several thousands of soldiers die in the process of burying the idiots who are trying to take you away, we can simply say that it's an unavoidable sacrifice for the glorious future! Most of all, my promotion depends on this too!"
"WHAT DO YOU THINK HUMAN LIVES ARE!" Robin screamed.
"Don't forget CP9 is the governments secret intelligence organization. If we need 100 deaths in order to save 1000 lives, then we'll kill those 100 people on the spot without hesitation. For true justice, some sacrifice is needed. Either way, those useless soldiers are better off dead! They couldn't even stop the intruding pirates! Idiot bastards!"
"That baby den den much is off hook," Robin pointed out all of a sudden.
"EH! SHIT! EVERYONE HEARD THE CONVERSATION JUST NOW!" he panicked. "B-B-By the way, this is Straw Hat Luffy!"
'HE'S A TERRIBLE LIAR!'
"Everyone please leave the island!" Robin begged. "Buster Call is aimed at Enies Lobby! If you stay on the island, you won't survive!"
"Don't say unnecessary things!" The sound from the den den mushi cut off, leaving the room in a state of silence of Syndria and I processed the information.
"That idiot… I don't plan to die for him. I'd better hurry up and beat you so I can get to a safe spot," she mumbled under her breathe.
'Come on Mamori! Robin is waiting for you! Finish it already! Stop wasting time! Everyone is in trouble with the Buster call on its way!' I spat at myself in self-disgust, heaving myself back up yet again. I coughed roughly, my sides burning. 'Dammit. Think about Robin. She's waiting for you. Think about your friends. They're all in trouble! FINISH THIS.'
The sensation of pins and needles overtook my body again, my hair standing on end as I took a step towards the CP9 member. My blood felt like it was burning, the pins and needles feeling moving to my feet and head again, just like last time. I breathed heavily, feeling slightly dizzy from the foreign feeling.
'I will win this,' I spat, jumping forward and dashing across the room at speeds that would normally have been impossible for me.
Syndria's eyes widen and she opened her mouth, starting to say, "Tekk-", but I cut her off before she could finish it, concentrating the odd sensation into the top of my head as I jumped forward, slamming the top of my head into her chest. Cracks echoed in my ears, and she was sent flying back across the room. This time, when she hit the wall, she kept going straight through it and into the next room, rubble flying in the air.
I landed on my paws, panting heavily as I stared through to the other room, silence burning my ears. My elation fell when I heard the sound or faint movement from the other room, and I slipped into a defensive position as a battered Syndria stumbled back into the room. She had blood dropping from her chin, her breathing heavy and labored. She paused at the hole made in the wall, putting her hand out against it to hold herself up. With her other hand she reached into her kimono, pulling out a key and holding it up.
'There it is!' I tensed up, my eyes narrowing into slits.
"It's yours. I'll admit defeat. I'm not risking my life for an idiot like that," she started to laugh, but ended up coughing. "Who'd have ever thought I'd be beaten by none other than a dog. It's all yours." She threw the key across the room, and I caught it between my teeth, watching as she swayed before dropping to the ground in a faint.
I didn't waste any time in spinning around and sprinting out of the room. I'd gotten the key! Now I needed to meet up with the others and track down Robin before the Buster Call took down this island. It didn't pass unnoticed by me that I'd been getting stronger. That odd power that I'd gotten… I have basically no control over it, but it was strong as hell. What was it?
"MAMORI!" Nami screamed and I skidded to a stop, glancing down a hallway at Nami and Franky.
'There you are!' I barked, trotting straight up to her. She looked a little roughed up, but not too bad. Franky looked to be about the same, but I shot him a glare before turning my attention back to Nami.
"Have you got a key?" she panted, bending over and putting her hands on her knees.
'Here,' I reached forward, offering the key that was in my mouth. She held out one of her hands I dropped it straight in.
"That dog got a key?" Franky asked, skeptical.
'Shove it.'
"Of course. Number six, huh? Good work." She slipped it into her pocket. "But we have bigger issues to worry about right now–"
'Yeah, that damn Buster Call is going to be a pain in our a–'
"Chopper is in trouble!"
'What!' I tensed up, staring at her as I waited for her to answer.
"I don't know how, but he's turned into a monster! He attacked me, and didn't recognize me! We need to help him! We have a plan, but we need your help."
'CHOPPER!' I cried out when I laid eyes on him. The term "monster" was correct. He was a huge shaggy beast, but there was no mistaking that it was Chopper. He was in a large open room with Zoro, Usopp, Kaku, who for some reason was a giraffe, and a big wolf guy.
"Are you ready?" Franky asked, and I nodded my head, charging into the room without a second thought. I dash straight past Zoro and Usopp who looked confused at my sudden appearance.
"MAMORI? WATCH OUT, CHOPPER IS –"
I launched myself at Chopper, putting as much force into my back legs as I could so that I went flying high when I pushed off the ground. I landed on Chopper's hairy shoulder, and he let out an eerie cry, slowly lifting up his hand, obviously about to swipe me off.
"GET OUTTA THE WAY, GUYS!" Franky yelled, slipping into position to fire from his hand.
"FRANKY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! HE'S OUR–" Zoro started to yell.
"I KNOW! JUST SHUT UP!" Franky snapped back.
"Buoooooh!" Chopper called.
'Chopper,' I whimpered in worry, my ears dropping back against my head.
"I don't see any other way to take care of this. Devil fruit users have one weakness. I'll push him down to the ocean! I'll adjust the power, so bear with it! Dog, hold on!" I barked in reply. "Coup de Vent!*"
A blast of air shot out of Franky's hand, slamming into Chopper's chest. The force of the blast pushed Chopper's large form back through the wall and into the air. I snagged a long piece of his fur in my mouth, hanging on as I sent flying with Chopper.
"Buoooooh!" The wind whipped around us as we fell towards the water, and I saw Franky diving after us before we impacted with the water, knocking the wind out of me. I refused to let go of Chopper's fur as he shrank back to his normal size in the water, my teeth clamp around his shoulder. As soon as he was back to normal size, I noticed how strong the current of the water was, and how I was being pulled towards the waterfall. I tried to swim, dragging Chopper with me, but the current was too strong for me to swim whilst I was trying to save Chopper. We'd planned for that though. My job was only to keep Chopper from sinking.
Franky's hand clamped over the back of my scruff as he swum back up to the surface, dragging both Chopper and I with him. I kicked my legs, helping him as we broke from the water, our heads above the surface.
"Don't let go of the deer!" Franky yelled over the sound of the water as he swum over to the closest land in sight.
'Like hell I ever would, you bastard!' I snarled.
After a short struggle with the water, Franky threw Chopper and I onto the stone platform at the edge of the water, and I flopped against the ground like a wet rag. I quickly stumbled back up to my paws, laying Chopper out as I checked him over, flittering around in worry. Franky climbed back onto land as well.
"He's back to normal. Doesn't look as if he is dead," Franky commented. "And even you guys didn't know how to deal with him…" He turned his attention to Chopper. "Whatever, you did take out one of the CP9. Even if you did hurt me, I'll forgive you for the sake of your nakama who protected you even if you were on a rampage in that form."
'He's taken in too much water,' I mumbled, ignoring Franky. I pressed my front paws against his stomach, applying pressure so that he was forced to spit out the water he'd swallowed.
"We should hurry… But… Wait… Even if we want to hurry, how do we get to the Gate of Justice?" Franky questioned.
'Like I know,' I snapped, bearing my teeth in Franky's direction. 'We have to hurry and get these keys to Robin though.'
"What's your issue, dog?" Franky demanded.
'I don't care if you're helping us now, or if you helped us save Chopper, you hurt Usopp. I won't forgive you for that just yet, bastard.' I turned my attention back to Chopper, making sure he was breathing.
"HEEEEY! FRANKY!" a childish voice called out, and I looked over to a stack of crates to see Chimney and the rabbit sitting on them, waving to us.
'YEAH, YEAH!'
"Brats!" Franky said, surprised as he wandered over to them. I stayed with Chopper.
"We know how to get to the Gate of Justice! Granny is here too!"
"What! You know how?" Franky gaped.
"Eh hee hee, we know!" she laughed. "We're here to guide you."
"Tell me, quick! And I'll tell you and Granny Kokoro what you need to do."
"Will we make it?" Franky panted as we ran full speed through the tunnel under the sea that Chimney had lead us too. We'd left Chopper with the kid, the rabbit, and the drunkard. We had to get to the Gate of Justice and give the keys to Robin before it was too late.
'We have to!' I barked back, running ahead of him with my tail streaming behind me.
"I just hope we can release Robin with either the number 3, 4, or 6 key!" he said. "Either way, we have to stop them at any cost!"
'No shit, Sherlock! Stop running you mouth so much, and move your legs faster! Time is of the essence!'
I was probably lucky that he couldn't hear what I said to him.
"I see something ahead!" Franky declared as a light appeared at the end of the tunnel we were running through.
'I see it too,' I agreed. 'It looks like…'
"Is it an exit?"
The second we exited the tunnel, something impact in the wall next us, exploding in a shower of rubble. Franky and I were forced to stop and shield ourselves, as the dust settled. None other than my idiot captain, Luffy, popped out, crouching in a defensive position.
"Straw Hat!"
'LUFFY!'
"Franky! What did you come here for, bastard!" Luffy snapped, ignoring me.
"Quit hating me already! I'm on you side now! Give it up!" Franky yelled back before glancing at the man standing at the other end of the room we'd entered. "Lucci, huh? Are you having a hard time beating him? Where is Robin? We brought three keys! Do you need a hand or two?"
"No! Rather, please, go stop Robin!" Luffy replied. "You can go to the Gate of Justice from the door behind the pigeon guy! They took Robin already! I'll take care of him. You two need to help Robin."
"Just leave it to me and this dog, bastard!" Franky replied.
'Don't lose, Luffy,' I growled, narrowing my eyes at Lucci. Luffy pulled back his fist, charging at Lucci as he threw it forward.
"Shigan 'Oren'*," Lucci called, dodging the attack as he thrust his finger into Luffy over and over again, so fast that it was almost a blur. When he stopped, Luffy when flying across the room and into the wall again.
"STRAW HAT!"
'LUFFY!'
"No, no, my mission is to go through that door! You too, dog!" Franky yelled, running towards the exit. I started to run after him, only to stumble to a stop.
"It's no use," Lucci said, appearing before him.
"Strong Hammer!" Franky threw a powerful punch straight into Lucci's chest.
"Tekkai*." Lucci didn't even flinch as it made contact.
"What the… He didn't budge an inch! I'm sure I could blow that "Chapapa" away all right…" Franky grumbled.
"I see, you came here after defeating Fukurou. But sorry, my Doriki* is five times his." Lucci's fist shot out, landing a soil blow on Franky's stomach, causing him to hunch over, blood dribbling out of his mouth. "Excellent job on defeating Fukurou. You are indeed of superhuman level. However… Die."
'Watch out!' I was about to jump forward and push Franky out of the way when a voice caused me to stop.
"GOMU NO GOMU JET PISTOL!" Luffy yelled, throwing his fist at Lucci who was sent flying across the room from the hit. He crashed into some crates, shattering them.
"WHAT DID YOU!" Franky gaped, shock written all over his face. I was shocked as well. Smoke was rising off of Luffy's body for no reason, and his skin had a light glow to it. "What is this smoke?"
'Luffy?' I gasped in confusion.
"Gear Second! It won't last long, but I'll stop him, so go first, Franky, Mamori! Robin's waiting."
"Alright Straw Hat! I don't know what's going on, but finish him up with that!" Franky called, as we both made another run for the door.
"Didn't I say… I won't let you do that," and eerie voice said, as Lucci stood back up in his leopard form. In response to seeing his feline form, I growled loudly, my eyes narrowing his direction.
"GWAAH! YOU'RE A DEVIL FRUIT USER TOO!" Franky called.
"Let me finish you off first Franky. Then that dog." Lucci jumped towards us at incredible speed, but Luffy appeared in front of us, just as fast, smoke still rising from his body.
"Jet Whip*!" He kicked Lucci straight across the face, sending him flying back again. He quickly landed and stared Luffy down.
"Straw Hat Luffy. Don't tell me you forgot the fact that I beat you in one attack in this form last time?" Lucci asked.
"Ah… That? I healed after I ate meat," Luffy answered.
"Soru. Shigan." Lucci zapped over to Luffy, thrusting his clawed finger at my captain. Luffy quickly jumped out of the way, readying his next attack.
"Gomu Gomu no…"
"Tekkai."
"Jet Bazooka*!" The blow with both of Luffy's fists sent Lucci flying once again.
I jumped forward, snapping my jaws at Franky's heels to get him to hurry up. While Lucci was down, we needed to go. He quickly caught on and ran ahead of me, slamming the doors open as we ran out.
"FRANKY! MAMORI! I'LL LEAVE ROBIN TO YOU!" Luffy yelled.
"SUPER! LEAVE IT TO ME!"
'I'LL BRING ROBIN BACK FOR SURE, CAPTAIN! JUST… DON'T DIE!'
"DON'T FALL BEHIND, DOG!" Franky yelled, jumping two steps at a time. He had longer legs, so he found it easier to get up the stairs than me.
'SHOVE IT UP YO–'
A step under Franky's foot made an odd clicking sound and looks of shock crossed both of faces at the area around us exploded in a ball of fire, sending Franky flying through the wall and into the water below. The flames seared my fur, but I jumped back in time, tumbling down the stairs to escape most of the blast.
'FRANKY!' I snarled, quickly thrusting my feet under me so I could jump back to my feet. 'No time! Dammit!' I ran up the stairs again, jumping over the rubble from the blast and continued up the steps, running as fast I physically able.
It wasn't long before I found the exit, and I burst out into the sunlight, the brightness clouding my vision for a few moments, but I didn't stop running. As soon as my vision cleared, I saw figures on the other side of the bridge. There was a bunch of marines lining steps down to a boat. At the top of the stairs was Spandam, dragging Robin along behind him by a rope that was tied around her.
'ROBIN! I SEE YOU!' I lifted up my head and howled as I ran across the bridge straight for them.
"Dog!" Robin gasped, tears streaming down her face as she lifted up her head to stare at me.
"DAMMIT! SOMEONE SHOT THE DOG! NOW!" Spandam ordered.
"YES SIR!" Several responded, running up the stairs. They stood at the top of the steps, aiming their guns at me as I ran. Like hell I was going to get taken down by a bunch of guns when I was so close to Robin. She was ours – they couldn't have her!
"FIR–" Spandam's order was cut off as a bullet of fire hit him, exploding and sending him flying back down the stairs. Robin sat up, as the marines started yelling.
'Usopp.' I grinned, glancing at the Tower of Justice behind me.
"What! WHO IS IT!"
"NO ONE ELSE IS ON THE BRIDGE, JUST THE DOG!"
"THERE'S NO WAY ANYONE COULD BE HERE. HE MUST BE HIDING SOMEWHERE!"
"SEARCH FOR HIM!"
While they were panicking I kept running, dashing straight past a shocked Robin as I launched myself into the firing squad. Shit hit the roof as they tried to me shoot me while I was jumping around between their legs, taking them down one by one. Friendly fire kept hitting the marines as they tried to stop me. I landed kicks, headbutts, and bites all around as they yelled and panicked.
"HOLD FIRE! HOLD FIRE, DAMMIT! KILL THE DAMN DOG!" a marine yelled from below the stairs, only for a bullet to explode in his face too. One after another, bullets whistled through the air, taking down marine after marine.
I took the last marine down on my level with a swift kick in his kidney, causing him to keel over and I paused, looking at Robin. Our eyes met and I smiled tartly, dipping my head in greeting before spinning on my paws and bounding down the stairs where the rest of the marines were getting taken out.
"HEEEY! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS DOING!" Spandam yelled, getting back to his feet.
"BUT CHIEF, SIR, WE CANNOT IDENTIFY THE ENEMY AND THIS DOG IS NOT NORMAL! WE CAN'T KILL IT!"
A let out a booming growl, jumping down the last few meters of stairs and landing directly on top of a marine, slamming his face into the ground.
"AH… THERE! CHIEF, SIR, OVER THERE!"
"WHAT! WHERE?"
"ON THE TOP OF THE JUDICIAL TOWER! HE MUST BE WITH THE DOG!"
"YOU SAID JUDICIAL TOWER! WHAT CAN SOMEONE DO FROM THET PLACE."
"HOW IS HE STILL HITTING US SO ACCURATELY! WHO IS THAT! DAMN YOU!"
I got a piece of flesh between my jaws, dragging a marine down and slamming the top of my head into his chin before bouncing off for the next one while ducking under the swing of a sword. I caught the wrist of the sword user in my jaws, spinning around and landing a kick on his forehead.
"GET AWAY FROM THE DOG!"
"STAY OUT OF ITS ROAD AND TRY SHOOTING IT!"
"KILL IT ALREADY!"
With some room to finally breathe, I zipped past several marines, popping up right before Spandam. A wicked look crossed my face, and I saw his eye widen in shock and horror at how close I was to him. He didn't even have a chance to escape me, and he knew it. He was the mouse and I was the cat.
'This is for Robin!' I yelled, and jumped forward with jaws open. I snapped them closed in an awkward place, but it hardly crossed my mind with the sudden rage that washed through me. I wanted him to suffer and hurt. For all he had done, I wanted him to feel the worst pain he could possibly. I wanted to have him bawling like a baby, and begging me to stop.
"AHHHH!" he screamed a high pitch scream, the sound echoing through the air as my teeth dug into his crotch, drawing blood.
"CHIEF!"
"THE DOG IS…"
"IT HURTS JUST WATCHING!"
I clenched down harder and the pitch of the scream kicked up another notch, tears pouring out of his eyes. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"THE DOG IS RABID! STAY AWAY FROM IT!"
"IT'S GOING TO CASTRATE THE CHIEF!"
'I'LL SHOW YOU RABID, YOU BASTARDS! YOU'RE ALL NEXT!' I crackled mentally, a sense of sadistic pleasure washing over me as Spandam dropped to his knees, with me still holding on.
"AHHH! STOP! I'M BEGGIN–" I bit down harder and heard something crunch. "AHHHHH!"
"LET HIM GO!" on of the marines yelled, swinging a sword at me, only to shot down by Usopp before he could so much as touch me.
"NICO ROBIN IS RUNNING AWAY!" a marine yelled all of a sudden.
"DON'T LET HER GET AWAY, IDIOTS! YOU CAN SHOOT HER! SHOOT HER TO DEATH, BUT DON'T KILL HER!" a bunch of marines ran up the stairs after her, aiming their guns at her.
"WAH?"
'Shit, Robin!' I dropped my hold on Spandam, spinning around and kicking out with both of my feet, nailing him in the crotch. He let out a squeak and then curled up in a convulsing ball.
"FIRE!"
'ROBIN!'
The bullets that were fired by the marines made an odd sound as they hit Franky, bouncing straight off of his body. He'd managed to get out the water, it would seem. Good.
"You…" Robin panted, pausing.
"I'm tough as steel," Franky said. "There are no more mines, right Spanda?" The shivering weirdo managed to get on his hands and knees, one of his hands clutching at his crotch. He was as pale as a ghost, agony written across his face. "What the hell… What happened to you?"
"THAT DOG TRIED TO CASTRATE HIM! IT'S RABID!" one of the marines yelled, stepping right away from me as I trotted straight past them and over to Franky and Robin.
"It…" Franky sent me a shocked look. "What the hell is wrong with that thing! I knew there was something wrong with it, but… I'm watching you! Stay away from me!"
He took a step away from me as I paraded right past him, head held high and my tail swaying happily. I trotted straight up to Robin, rubbing the top of my head against her leg, a soft whining sound coming out of my chest. I felt a teardrop hit the top of my head, and I just smiled softly, leaning against her.
"Franky, Franky, this is Sogeking."
"Hmm?" Franky mumbled, pulling a den den mushi out of his shirt. "This den den mushi's supposed to belong to…"
"I got it from Nami!" Usopp replied. "Anyway, you should see a red cloth bundle around there."
"Oh, yeah, here," he confirmed, noticing it not far from where he was standing.
"There are two keys in it. With the ones you have, it should complete the whole set."
"ALL OF THE KEYS?" Spandam squealed in shock, and I sniggered at how high pitch his voice still was.
Hōbantai - The Watchdog Unit of the Law
Enbima Yonezu Oni Giri - Literally "Charm Demon Sleepless Night Demon Slash". (That's a mouthful...) Glad that got translated into "Charming Demon Sleepless Night Oni Giri" in the Viz Manga. The pun here is that since "onigiri" means "rice ball" and when "Ebi Mayonēzu" gets added, it means "shrimp mayonnaise rice ball".
Hissatsu Firebird Star - "Certain Kill Firebird Star". Also called "Hi no Tori Boshi" which directly translates into "Firebird Star".
Soru - Literally meaning "Shave" and is also translated as "Shave". I went over this in Chapter 52. Look there for some fun information.
Saikuron - Cyclone
Geppo - Literally meaning "Moon Step" and translated as "Moon Walk". See Chapter 52 for more information.
Shigan - Literally "Finger Gun" but translated as "Finger Pistol". See Chapter 52 for more information.
Tessen - War fan
Coup de Vent - In French it literally means "Wind Blow". However, the Kanji means "Wind Cannon". Bilingual bonus at it's finest.
Shigan "Oren" - Literally "Finger Gun: 'Yellow Lotus'". In the anime this was used to kill the captain of a crew who raided a kingdom 15 years ago although it was not named "Oren" at the time. In One Piece: Unlimited Adventure (dubbed by FUNimation) this is called "Shigan: Yellow Lotus". In the FUNimation dub and Viz Manga it's called "Finger Pistol Yellow Lotus".
Strong Hammer - Uh... Not much to translate here...
Tekkai - Literally meaning "Iron Mass" and translated as "Iron Body". See Chapter 52 for more information.
Doriki - In the Viz Manga and FUNimation dub, this is translated as... "Power Level". Basically this is the physical power of someone in proportion to the Rokushiki skills. Fukuro can measure this using his "te-awase" or "Match". Apparently a Common Armed Soldier has an average of 10 Doriki and according to Spandam, a Doriki of 500 or more is superhuman. Lucci has a Doriki of 4000, Kaku has 2200, Jabra has 2180, Blueno has 820, Kumadori has 810, Fukuro has 800, Kalifa has 630, and Spandam has a measly 9. Not even the level of the average Marine soldier...
Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol - Literally "Rubber Rubber Jet Pistol". It looks like Luffy truly shoots his opponent, but the result is more akin to a small hand-held cannon that's strong enough to propel the target several meters away. Called "Gum-Gum Jet Pistol" in the FUNimation dub and the Viz Manga.
Gomu Gomu no Jet Whip - Literally "Rubber Rubber Jet Whip". Called "Gum-Gum Jet Whip" in the FUNimation dub and Viz Manga.
Gomu Gomu no Jet Bazooka - Literally "Rubber Rubber Jet Bazooka". Strong enough to break Blueno's strongest Tekkai. Called "Gum-Gum Jet Bazooka" in the FUNimation dub and Viz manga.
Beta read by praeses