Chapter 18: Game Set! Plan for a Counter-Attack!
In the next instant, the all-too deadly scythe blade from Neverlands' second-in-command was attempting to press against Luffy's neck. If it wasn't for his captain's power, surely the Pirate King would have at least lost an arm. The quivering blade seemed to be the icon for the hushed tension throbbing about the room as though the man's voice had been reinforced with Haki. The echoes of his words rang in everyone's ears. Robin had to forcibly sit down at the magnitude of her misunderstanding. Brook and Franky looked relieved. Even Sanji quirked a small smile at the declaration. Many of the Parliament, including Luffy's father, appeared confused at the Strawhats' responses. Obviously the contentions about whether the Pirate King would acknowledge the child was something kept entirely under wraps. A few shifted their gazes from captain to captain trying to piece the puzzle together but without all the facts all they could do was frown in silent confusion.
Then, out of nowhere, the door to the Fleet Admiral's conference room flew open with a bang. Tashigi stumbled through the opening, apparently tripping over the toes of her own shoes, to sprawl at her commanding officer's feet. "Ah! S-Smoker-taishou! There's... he wouldn't... I tried to..."
The source of the chaos, stepping over the fallen woman lightly, his black cloak draping across her face for a moment, as he grinned out at the congregation, bangs spilling over his scarred cheek, and flanked by two of his finest officers, was none other than the last of the Four Emperors, Red-Hair Shanks. He grinned in the way of his King, both past and present.
"So, what I miss?"
The silence around the room ratcheted up a notch or two, with disbelief, but was shattered completely when Kidd, still hanging from Luffy's grasp and holding Killer back with his magnetism, blurted out, "Bellamy's kidnapped Nami so he can take Luffy's son and raise him as his own!"
"But, what will that accomplish?" Conis, as one of the two representatives from Skypiea, was the first to break out of her daze.
Similar sentiments ran through the others, the slight girl's question acting as the catalyst for everyone else's confusion, and it seemed, at least to Shanks' way of thinking, that even though he was late to the party, nobody else had any more of a clue about what was going on than he did. So, he stepped around the bodies clamoring for answers to approach the man he saw as a sort of son. The two met eyes, and Luffy released Kidd, which had the domino effect of making Killer back off, and releasing the tension from Law and Bepo, who, although neither had moved much, were both on the edge of their seats. This drew everyone's attention back to the Pirate King.
"So, why would Bellamy wanna do that?" Shanks repeated, draping his arm around Luffy's shoulders in support.
Kidd swallowed hard as he watched Killer fade back into the shadows behind Law and Bepo. He'd been abnormally tense since Kidd's arm had... ceased to function. The captain's hand dragged through his hair, which was still almost standing on end from the tension he felt. He knew his answer wasn't going to please anyone present and just thinking about the reactions he was going to get, especially from the love of his life, made his stomach clench and his heart leap into his throat, making it husky and hoarse despite Luffy only grabbing his shirt and not his neck.
"You ain't gonna believe it..."
Robin's eyes on him were sharp and penetrating. "Try us."
The younger redhead swallowed a second time, "Yer never gonna think someone could be this stupid."
Brook snorted. Bellamy had already proven more stupid than anyone could have anticipated when he attacked their Nakama.
Zoro's already extra-short patience snapped. "Just fuckin' get on and tell us!"
Kidd swallowed again, this time more of a gulp than anything, and his eyes slid unwillingly to his co-Captain. "...Don started his empire jus' by adoptin' strays an' makin' 'em part o' th' family. Bellamy's tryin'a become th' next Doflamingo... startin' wit' the most promisin' kid he can find."
"Not possible." Luffy growled, his shoulder hard as stone under his mentor's hand. "There's only ever going to be one Don."
If not for the rubber man's violent refusal, the surgeon might have been unable to hold onto his own reaction to his lover's words. As it was he hunched his back just a bit, so that the collar of his trench coat rose to meet the edges of his hat, covering his entire face in shadow. He had been that child for Doflamingo, and though he didn't show it often, he was grateful to the man for taking him in. The big difference though, was that he had been an orphan, living on the streets after an altercation with the Marines had leveled his town. The Pirate King's babe had a family, and he couldn't fathom how someone who undoubtedly knew all of The Rules could possibly justify a move like that. Unless the plaything didn't believe he could truly win against the might of the Pirate Empire. That thought made it almost possible for him to pay attention to the continued rumbling of the council.
The next sentence to break through his train of thought came from Dragon's mouth, low and dangerous, "Then why are we still sitting here while my grandchild is in danger?"
All eyes turned to the Fleet Admiral at the head of the room.
Coby had his head in his hands and his shoulders were shaking as he breathed rapidly. He was hyperventilating. It took him several moments to acclimate to the raised Haki/Killing Intent in the room crushing down on him, his gasps slowly coming to a stop before he braced himself on shaking arms and looking around at the gathered people.
This congregation was made up of the most powerful in the whole of the world. And they were waiting on him. It was almost enough to make him start hyperventilating again, but a subtle nod from his command second, the plume of his most trusted Admiral, and the dedication of the man he called his brother strengthened his backbone.
"Let's go. We'll improvise, maybe just keep him doused with seawater until we can imprison him properly. We'll wing it. We have no time to waste debating." He pulled himself together to become the formidable man he'd been molded to be: The Fleet Admiral.
The master of magnetism snarled as he pulled his lover up. "Ya heard th' man. Let's go!"
Though Kidd had been the loudest, the sentiment was echoed by the rest of the gathered Pirates and Revolutionaries, including the Mugiwaras.