Episode 9

With another mighty downward thrust of the tomb's giant arm, yet another of Sky's ships is destroyed, sending chunks of the vessel flying through the air and into the waves. The crew that manages to escape swim vigorously through the water, climbing onto the docks, clinging to the sides and catching their breath.

Soon after, Tydal, Tiff, Bara and Chong land on the docks, fleeing from the battle for a moment to help their crew mates, pulling them from the choppy waves and urging others to help.

Bara runs over to Tydal, panting and soaked from the treacherous ocean. "What are we going to do?! We'll never survive this if this keeps up!"

Tydal glances around him, watching the chaos unfold. "None of us were expecting this. We need to think fast."

Just then, Tiff arrives beside them. "Only two of our ships remain!"

"Just two?!"

Tiff nods. "Chong's ship is still drifting on the boarders, but the crew is abandoning it. And Lunya's has been captured."

"And the crew?"

"We've pulled as many as we can from sea, but there are still many more floating in the wreckage far out!" She points to the horizon.

Tydal stands with fierce determination. "Right. We need to split up-divide our forces and assist as many as we can."

Over their heads, the ferocious energy of Sky and Fukitsu's power blasts through the air. The top of Tomb Aqueous is set aglow with vibrant, unwavering light.

"What about them?" Bara inquires, gazing up at the sight.

Tydal grabs Bara's shoulder. "Don't worry about them! We have enough to deal with right here!"

"What's the plan?"

Tydal thinks for a moment, then strides forward toward the edge of the dock. "Bara-you and Chong head out to the wreckage and pull as many from the sea as you possibly can. Stay away from the arm at all costs!"

Bara nods and turns to Chong, who is still pulling his crewmates from the water. "Right-Chong! Follow me, let's go!"

Chong pulls a few more men from the waves, then runs down the docks after Bara.

Tiff turns to Tydal. "And what about us?"

Tydal spins around and looks up at the compound, examining the prisoner chamber as yet another level plunges into the sea, moving Aiku and Lunya ever closer to the water. He catches sight of them, still trapped in the aura bubble, struggling with all their strength to free themselves. "...We're going after Aiku and Lunya. And then we're going to destroy that arm!"

Tiff's eyes widen. "The whole arm?! Just the two of us?"

"Of course not! With Aiku and Lunya free we'll be able to dismantle that thing in no time."

Tiff pumps her fist, readying herself for the next assault. "Good to go!"

Tydal mirrors her energy. "Then let's do it!"

Both run forward toward the compound, utilizing their powers to leap into the air, flying toward their captured friends.

On the docks in front of the compound, Ga floats silently in front of Zoro, still tangled and trapped by her paper vines. Beside him, Sanji remains folded into his origami swan form, unable to move as he tries to yell through the muffled paper.

Ga giggles at the sight, pleased with herself. "I have to admit, I was expecting much more from two of the most wanted men in the Straw Hat crew. "

Zoro growls beneath his breath. He flexes and struggles to move, but can't seem to overpower the paper vines. With two of his swords now transformed to paper sticks, all hope of his famous three sword style appears to be lost. Yet with his other hand, he can realizes he can feel the hilt of his last sword. With all the dexterity remaining in his hand, Zoro's fingers inch forward, slowly grasping the frame.

Ga then floats in front of Sanji. She leans down and smiles at him, fixing the head of her new piece of art, making adjustment to the folds in the paper with delight. Sanji curses at her through the paper. She places a hand to her ear playfully. "...What was that? Sorry, I couldn't hear you. You seem to have some paper over your mouth. Or should I say your beak?" She laughs.

Sanji uses his weight to hop from side to side, desperately attempting to free himself, but to no avail.

Ga backs away from him with a beaming grin. She holds her hands in front of her-making the shape of a triangle with her fingers-and closes one eye, as if sizing Sanji up once more. "Now...hold still. I have another idea in mind for you. One more adjustment and-"

"One sword style..." Zoro whispers sharply. Ga swings herself around to face him, hearing the warm up of his attack. Her eyes grow wide as she abruptly realizes he is gripping the sword hilt on his waist. "36 CALIBER PHEONIX!" He exclaims with all his might.

With an arc of bright blue energy, the paper vines trapping him are blown apart violently as his sword slashes upward through the air. Ga stands in amazement, carefully backing away from him. Zoro retains his powerful pose, kneeling impassively with his sword held high overhead, his gaze locked on the ground.

"Impossible!" Ga protests.

Zoro raises his eye to meet her face and smirks. "Heh. Nothing impossible about it. That's true power, not your ridiculous games."

Ga angers, her rage accentuated by her white robes flaring and fluttering. "I'll show you games, swordsmen!" She quickly raises herself high into the air, then flies down toward him with great speed. "PAPER METEOR!"

But just seconds before she can strike, Zoro grabs both of his paper swords, swinging them evenly together at the center of her body. He finally makes contact, and with stark shock, Ga realizes she has been hit. She is flung backwards and rolls onto the docks, the air knocked out of her tiny frame.

Zoro examines her for a moment. "As I thought. Just like most devil fruit users, your own powers can hurt you. Making my swords paper was actually a big advantage."

Ga coughs and sputters, writhing in pain, attempting to regain her composure. Zoro smiles, taking in the moment of pleasure.

"Hey, dumbass! How about some help!" Sanji's voice calls out. Zoro turns toward him and realizes Sanji is rapidly unfolding out of his origami form.

Zoro comes in front of him. "What happened?"

Sanji shakes his arm free, unfolding the creases until it's back to normal. "I don't know! That hit you gave her must have shook the powers loose."

"I guess so."

"Well don't just stand there, do something! Help me out!" Sanji demands.

Zoro grabs hold of his head and begins to judder his entire body, much to Sanji's detest. Eventually, after a good deal of abuse, he fully pops out of his paper folds and returns to his human form. "What the hell was that!?" Sanji holds his head.

"You told me to help you!"

"You call that helping!? You almost shook my brains out!"

"Well, it worked, didn't it!?"

"That's not the point!"

"Look, just shut up! This isn't the time to be arguing about this!" Zoro shifts his gaze to Ga and studies her silently for a long moment. "...I figured something out with that last hit."

Sanji lights another cigarette, breathing in deep and blowing the smoke out with ecstasy. "Mmm...best smoke I ever had right there."

Zoro angers. "Are you listening to me?!"

Sanji faces him. "Yeah, yeah-what is it?"

Zoro pauses and thinks. "When she turned my swords to paper, I thought they were unusable. But it turns out, I could hit her with them."

Sanji ponders the notion. "So...what your saying is her own powers can be used against her?"

"Likely, but I actually didn't hit her that hard."

"Huh? I don't get it."

Zoro looks to the pile of broken paper vines beside him. "While I was trapped, I remembered something Hawkeye said during our first fight: 'You wouldn't kill a fly with a canon.' At the time I didn't understand what he meant, but while he was training me, he made me understand that sometimes attacks with less initial strength behind them can be the most powerful."

Sanji shakes his head. "But that doesn't make any sense. How can you generate power without the initial strength?"

"Because sometimes power doesn't come from simply your muscles, or the wind up you use to generate the force. It comes from pure coordination. Muscles don't dictate coordination, your timing does. Every bodily movement has an apex of force. If you learn to amplify that apex, you can use even the smallest movements to generate unbelievable strength."

"I see now, you're talking about the concept of the one inch punch."

"Right. Hawkeye used a similar trick on me in our first fight by using only his dagger. And while we were training, instead of swinging at me, he would sometimes just get close to my body and slash, producing the same amount of energy, but without any warning of the attack. Because there was no wind up, I wasn't able to sense the movement to prepare a defense."

"So that's it. Because Ga is made of paper, our powerful attacks wouldn't work because we're generating too much force and pushing her away from us before the blows can land."

"Exactly. We need be gentle instead of strong."

Sanji takes a long drag from his cigarette. "Well, sounds just crazy enough to work. I haven't had the same training, but I guess now is the best time to learn."

Zoro faces him. "Just remember, don't unleash your full force until your close to her. Be as gentle as you can be."

Sanji smiles to himself. "Gentle. Just like my sweet, gentlemanly advancements toward Nami."

Zoro's anger spikes. "That's not what I said at all!"

"YOU FOOLS!" Ga's voice cries out.

Zoro and Sanji turn toward her, shifting into their fighting stances.

"Look at you! Bickering over nothing!" Her eyes grow red.

Sanji grins at her. "Actually, we were just discussing you."

"And how we're about to unleash the beating of your life." Zoro adds.

Ga grits her teeth and seethes. "I'll make you eat those words!"

"So angry!" Sanji mocks, readying himself. "Well let's go, little girl."

Zoro looks to him. "You're not going to have any weird chivalry issues with this, right?"

"That's not a girl-that's a monster." Sanji scoffs.

Ga floats upward again, her white sashes fluttering behind her like raging wings. "Don't be so confident! You haven't felt my full vexation yet!"

Zoro smiles, preparing his two paper swords. "Well then, bring it on!"

Ga flies toward him, thrusting her hands forward. "PAPER SERPENTS!"

Just as Zoro is preparing his paper swords to strike, both blades suddenly shift form, rapidly folding into two paper snakes. He throws them to the ground and begins to dance around their sharp bites. "Damn! I don't believe it!"

Sanji turns to him angrily. "You moron-get it together!" He turns back toward Ga and lifts his leg in the air. "Ok...gentle...just like-"

"CONFETTI DAGGERS!" Ga shouts aggressively, stopping his attack immediately.

With a strong gust of wind, thousands of small multicolored dagger-shaped pieces of paper burst from her frame. They strike Sanji like a wild swarm of bees, ripping countless small cuts across is skin. He falls backward, frantically attempting to swat them away.

Ga laughs, amused. "Look at you! All that talk and you can't even manage to get one hit off!"

She continues to laugh until she feels a strange sensation. Something has sliced straight through her. Her joyful voice silences as the breath is taken from her body. Her eyes grow wide with fear and she begins to tremble. She looks down at her body and sees a glowing slit running from her head to her toes. As a light breeze blows over her, the two halves of her body fall away in separate directions, revealing Zoro standing behind her.

The paper daggers surrounding Sanji freeze and fall to the dock before blowing away. Sanji jumps to his feet again to examine the sight, brushing the last of the daggers away from his jacket. "...Well look at that. You were right, for once."

Zoro smirks and places his sword on his shoulder. "Told you, it's all in the movement. We just had to-"

His voice is suddenly interrupted by two paper swords impaling the side of his body. Zoro sputters blood and falls to his knees, holding his wounds. Sanji steps back in shock, as he realizes Ga is still standing behind him. And not just one Ga, but two. The attack hadn't ended her, it had only split her into two separate beings.

Sanji's cigarette falls from his mouth. "No way!"

"Slicing paper doesn't destroy it, you fools!" The Gas exclaim, their dual voice echoing. They lift their hands in front of them again, swiftly preparing their next attack. "PAPER MOTHS!"

Once again, The Gas razor sharp paper moths spring from their hands and surge toward Sanji. But this time, Sanji is ready.

Sanji smirks. "Not this time..." Moments before they strike his skin, he removes himself from their path in the blink of an eye.

The Gas gasp at his sudden disappearance, giving Sanji just enough time to thrust himself forward and position himself directly beside his opponent.

Sanji moves his face close to hers and whispers in her ear. "Contact Doux." His leg carefully swings closer to her frames, then only inches from their bodies, thrusts forward with tremendous force. The two Gas are hurled sideways across air, tumbling onto the docks once again and landing in a heap.

As the Gas gasps for breath, Sanji runs to Zoro's side and grabs his shoulders, keeping him upright. "Are you alright? Can you still fight?"

Zoro spits a wad of blood onto the ground. "Since when have you started caring about my well being?"

"Don't get the wrong idea!"

With Sanji's help, Zoro rises to his feet and steadies himself, holding his open wounds. "I know you can't do this without me, so what choice to I have."

"That's not what mean!" Sanji grumbles.

Zoro glances down at his two paper swords, which are now in the form of crumpled snakes. Then he grabs his one good sword and looks it over. "Guess it's just you then, huh? That will have to do."

"What are you going to do with just one sword?" Sanji wonders.

Zoro turns to him angrily. "Do you know who you're talking to?! Just get ready!"

As Zoro and Sanji prepare for the next attack, the Gas roll to their side and jump to their feet in unison. "That's it! I've had enough of you! It's time to finish this-NOW!"

Zoro grins and points his sword at them. "Funny, I was just thinking the same thing."

Sanji comes next to Zoro. "Not that I'm excited about working together, but I think we're going to need some kind of plan if we're going to win this."

Zoro glances at Sanji. "I agree. You still got enough energy to fire that leg of yours up?"

Sanji smirks confidently. "You know it."

"Good. Follow my lead."

"Just this once."

The Gas laugh maniacally together, their voices echoing across the waves. "Such confidence! But for nothing! Your weak attacks have done nothing to prove your strength. And now you will DIE!" The Gas fly forward in a storm of swirling energy, first together as one force, and then splitting apart, leaving a gap in between their frames. As the Gas scream out with a burst of rage, they raise their hands into the air, ready to strike.

Zoro flips his sword around in his hands and places the blade inside it's sheath, keeping his focus locked on the two white forms surging toward him. Just as the Gas are about to unleash their attack, Zoro grips his sword tighter. "...One sword style-SWORD DRAW!" With a powerful slice, Zoro pulls his sword from it's sheath. The force of his energy cuts through the air, racing forward toward the Gas. But to Sanji's disappointment and the Gas surprise, the energy wave flies between her two forms.

Sanji turns toward him aggressively in disbelief. "What the hell was that?!"

The Gas laugh hysterically. "After all of that you missed?! You're even more pathetic then I thought!"

Zoror flips his sword again, standing confidently as he returns the blade to it's sheath for the last time. "Not quite."

Just then, the Gas suddenly realize their two frames are being pulled together by some unseen force. As they struggle to free themselves from the pull, they cannot escape from being pushed together. "What's happening!? What did you do?!"

Zoro remains still, watching with growing delight. "I used the force of the air passing through your frames to change the pressure, and push you together. Sometimes being light as paper is a big disadvantage."

"No! No!" The Gas protest as they finally smash together.

Zoro turns to Sanji. "That's your cue, cook."

Sanji smiles and jumps into the air. "Right!" He twirls himself around until his leg burns with vibrant orange fire, moving himself as close to the Gas as he can. "Time for a little-DOUX DIABLE JAMBE!" With an initial gentle touch, he places his burning foot inches from their frames, then thrusts forward with all of his strength. As the Gas are flung upward through the air, they burst into flames, lighting the blue sky with yellow blazes. When she finally falls back down to the docks, now one form again, she lands in a pile of dying embers, burnt and blackened.

Zoro and Sanji slowly approach her, looking down at her pile of limbs and ash with pity. "And that as they say, is that." Sanji remarks.

Ga struggles to form words, coughing smoke as she twitches and shakes. Her eyes now dead and as white as her robes.

Zoro looks to Sanji. "Not bad, cook."

Sanji lights a cigarette. "Couldn't have done it without our your ideas."

"Heh. I guess we can make a good team sometimes." He abruptly realizes he is praising him and immediately stifles his emotions. "Er-not that I'd ever team up with you again."

Sanji acts the same, awkwardly crossing his arms and looking away. "Right-I don't think so. Just for the sake of winning this fight."

"Right." Zoro agrees. He then shifts his gaze to the huge battle still raging on the outskirts of the docks. The sound of explosions and cries for help can be heard in the distance. "Come on, let's go help them out." He runs forwards. Sanji nods and follows.

As both begin to dash away, Ga reaches her hand out and grabs Zoro's leg. Zoro stops himself and looks down in amazement, fearing another engagement may be approaching. He grips his sword hilt and prepares himself. But to his surprise, Ga simply looks up at him and with her last breath says, "Stop him." With those final words, her mouth turns to ash, as the rest of her face quickly follows, scattering her remaining pieces into the wind. Just before the last fragments of her hand disintegrate, they move over Zoro's two paper swords. Zoro watches as they shed their white skin, and return to their original form.

He leans down and picks them up, placing each inside it's sheath carefully. After giving one final looks to Ga's ashes, he runs forward once more and into the battle.

Meanwhile, inside the first floor of the compound, Robin and Nami stand ready in front of Io. After fully healing himself with ease after the last attacks, their resolve and strength have wavered. Their minds race with possibilities, but after Io's sheer display of fortitude, imminent downfall seems more likely with each passing moment.

"This is impossible!" Nami exclaims, gripping her clima-tact tightly. "How are we suppose to win against something like that! Even if we do find an advantage, he's just going to heal himself."

Robin wipes sweat from her brow. "I have to admit, this is indeed a troubling situation. But every enemy has their weakness-him included. We just haven't found it yet."

"Got any great ideas?"

"Working on it."

"Well we're going to need a few fast, or we're done for."

Io cackles. "Babble, babble, babble. Discuss your fickle plans all you want. But deep down you know you're already beaten."

Robin's face hardens. "This is far from over, fiend!"

Nami agrees and tries to smile confidently. "That's right! You may have faced a lot of opponents, but you haven't faced the Straw Hats yet!"

Io grins evilly. "No matter. You pirates are all the same. And you'll drown in my blood like the rest of them!" He lifts his hands into the air, preparing another attack.

Robin instinctively jumps toward Nami. "Watch out!"

"BLOOD CLAWS!" Io calls out. From his ghostly hands, giant sharp red claws spring forth, flying forward straight toward Robin and Nami.

Nami spins her clima-tact. "I've got this! MIRAGE TEMPO!" With a burst of energy, a thin misty wall cascades around them, instantly creating several shapes and outlines of Robin and Nami's figures. Io's blood claws impact two of the figures, but pass through them and vanish in the mist.

Io's expression shifts to surprise. "What?! What is this?!"

Nami laughs from beyond the mist. "What's the matter? Having trouble finding us? Better not take too long."

Io huffs. "More ridiculous tricks? Ha! You really think that's going to stop me?"

"By the time you finally find us, you might just be in trouble. Or dead."

Io laughs. "Bold. But you're forgetting one little detail, my sweet. There's no where for you to run!" He raises his hands over his head, then vigorously thrusts them downward. "BLOOD FLOOD!"

In the blink of an eye, Io sends huge waves of blood crashing down into the room. They impact on the surface and immediately fill the chamber wall to wall with red liquid. Nami's mirage gives way, finally revealing she and Robin being swept away by the strong currents, bashed into the iron walls, shouting as they attempt to cling to anything they can find.

Io cackles with delight. "Having fun yet, ladies?" He places one hand in front of him and clenches his fist. "And now-COAGULATE!"

The rushing red waters come to a stand still, as the blood around them abruptly solidifies, turning into a thick, gelatinous form. Robin and Nami struggle to free themselves, but soon find it impossible, remaining buried in the hard gel up to their chests.

"Oh, no!" Nami cries out, using all her strength to try and free her legs.

"It's almost solid! I can't move!" Robin adds desperately.

"This is not good! We really need to think fast now!"

Io continues to laugh to himself, pleased with his performance. He stands atop his newly solidified ground, walking over it with ease. "Such fierce words and strong constitutions. But all for not, I'm afraid. Seems my little tricks are far better than yours, eh?"

Nami continues to try and pull herself from the blood. "Ugh! It's too solid!"

Robin keeps her eyes locked on Io, who is slowly stepping toward them. "Well, if we can't free ourselves yet, we'll have to figure out how to fight like this for now."

"Can we?!"

Robin looks to Nami. "You still have your clima-tact, right? It wasn't buried?"

Nami grabs the pole and holds it close. "Yeah, it's right here. I made sure it didn't go under."

Robin nods and turns to face Io again. "Good. Then let's keep fighting."

Nami puffs. "I don't know where you get your confidence from, but you need to teach me."

Robin allows a grin to form. "Heh. When the clouds appear, you have to learn fight in the rain."

"Or in this case, a flood."

"Exactly."

Nami faces Robin hopefully. "You got a good plan?"

Robin smiles and crosses her arms in front of her. "Only one way to find out."

Nami nods confidently and readies herself. "Right!"

"Give me some strong wind!" Robin commands.

"Coming right up!" Nami grabs the end of her pole, quickly removing the top section and flipping it between her fingers to create an X. She then returns it to the end of the staff and begins to twirl the clima-tact with great speed over her head. "CYCLONE TEMPO!" She shouts as she swings the pole outward like a bat, detaching the spinning X and sending it straight toward Io with a powerful gust of wind.

Io suddenly realizes what's happening and stops himself, preparing for whatever may come his way. Yet Nami's attack is perfectly timed, barely giving him enough time to react. All he can do is cover his face as he is immediately blown backward, bouncing across the gelatin surface.

Robin takes a deep breath and splays her fingers wide. "FLEURS SANGLANTES!" She calls out.

Directly behind Io, two giant hands erupt from the surface of the hardened blood. But unlike Robin's normal fleshy hands, these are red, with muscle tissue and veins spread along the surface. Io continues to clumsily bounce backward with the gust, until finally reaching Robin's hands, where he comes to a rest sticking firmly to her palms. Robin then closes her hands around him like massive venus fly trap.

Nami gasps and turns to Robin. "What the..?! What did you do?!"

Robin grins and narrows her gaze. "Just another little trick I've been saving."

"They look like they're inside out!"

"Indeed they are." Robin confirms.

Nami covers her mouth and turns pale. "I think I'm going to be sick..."

Robin stifles a laugh. "It may be a bit disgusting, but it's effective non the less."

"How did you even think of something like that?"

"To be honest, I can't remember. I've experimented a great deal with my powers. Didn't think I'd be able to find a use for this one, but I figured since he was made of blood, it must be the only thing that could stop him. Sure is handy, wouldn't you say?"

"Was that suppose to be a pun?!" Nami snarls.

"I suppose so."

"Hardly the time!"

"Sorry."

Nami studies Robin's hands, seeing no sign of Io. "Well, anyway, it looks like you were right. I sure am thankful for your imagination."

Robin smiles brightly. "Any time."

Inside Robin's bloody hands, Io struggles to free himself, being trapped by his form slowly absorbing into her own blood and flesh, sticking to it like glue. Slowly but surely, the coagulated blood around Nami and Robin begins to dissipate and melt away, emptying into the floor drain through a small whirlpool, until most of the liquid is gone.

"Now what are we going to do?" Nami wonders, as both brush the remaining hardened blood from their skin.

Robin glances around the room. "Well, I guess we'll just-"

Suddenly without warning, Io bursts forth from Robin's giant hands, blasting pieces of her flesh away from him. Nami and Robin jump back in fear, watching as Io crawls out of the bloody mess, shaking blood away from his black clothes, and pulling splattered muscle and tissue from his face.

"Oh, great!" Nami exclaims in agony.

Robin's breath leaves her. "It can't be! I was certain this would work!"

Io lifts himself out of the thick liquid and stands tall once again, a red fire burning in his dark eyes. "Simpletons! Infants! After all I have proven you still think you can overpower me!?" The flames in his eyes glow brighter.

Nami spins toward Robin. "Okay, that just happened. Anymore plans in that imagination of yours?!"

Robin looks to her but remains silent and hesitant.

Just then, they notice that Io is pulling all of Robin's carnage into his body, absorbing the remaining blood and flesh around him into his frame. With each passing moment, his body grows larger and larger. He grumbles and growls, the tone of his voice becoming deeper with each exhalation. Nami and Robin begin to step backward cautiously, watching as his form towers over them, morphing it's shape into something familiar, yet terrifying.

With one final deep groan, Io's form shifts itself into a gigantic face; a face made of blood and fleshy muscle, vibrating and squirming appallingly, as if a mass of red worms molded together. Two huge white eyes stare down at Nami and Robin, as his fangs spread across his lips, until his maw resembles a vicious snake, with a thin tongue slithering between them. His once shrieking cackle now a deep, resonate tone, vibrating the walls.

"What is with this guy?!" Nami cries.

"Seems like we're only now seeing his true face." Robin remarks dryly.

Nami turns to Robin aggressively. "Stop with the puns!"

Robin examines his new form, backing away as he continues to grow. "As if it wasn't bad enough before, now his powers have expanded beyond containment!"

"There's no way we can battle something so large, especially with his abilities!"

Robin thinks for a moment, keeping her eyes on Io. "...There's always a way. There must be."

Io laughs, his heavy voice echoing through the chamber. "No, I'm afraid your friend is correct. This battle is over!"

Robin points at Io confidently. "We'll decide when it's over! We haven't fallen just yet!"

Io's anger boils. His eyes begin to bleed. "Ignorant, mindless fools! Do you not witness the power that stands before you? I am Io! The mighty draken of the Black Sail Brigade! Gift of the great warlord Gecko Moria himself!" The blood tears that fall onto the ground suddenly spring upward, transforming into small imps with vicious teeth. They begin to march slowly toward Nami and Robin, their sharp appendages ready to maul. "And my might will not be stopped!"

"Crap!" Nami screams, watching as the little monsters creep closer, their jaws snapping wildly.

Robin jumps in front of her and crosses her arms. "VIGNES de FLEURS!"

Moments before the imps latch onto their feet, Robin grows her hands from the ceiling. They reach down and quickly grab them both under their arms, lifting them into the air and away from the creature's bite.

Now eye to eye with them, Io inches his face closer to Nami and Robin and smiles, his thin tongue flickering. "How long do you plan to keep playing with these pitiful antics? It's clear your tricks can only get you so far. You're children!" He arches his head back and laughs hardily into the air.

As Robin is struggling to decipher this desperate situation, she notices something odd. As she studies Io's face, she soon realizes that every piece of his form is red, except for one. The center of his eyes. Every inch of him is covered in tissue, veins, and blood. Even the whites of his eyes retain pulsing blood vessels. But the center of both of his eyes-the cornea-are a ghostly clear color, seemingly empty of any blood flow. Robin's eyes widen as she begins to realize a vital piece of information.

Nami notices her expression and turns to her. "Robin-what is it? Are you alright?" She raises her voice to speak over Io's constant, babbling laughter.

Robin remains focused on his eyes. "His eyes! The corneas!"

Nami looks to Io, then back to Robin. "Yeah, what about them?"

Robin faces Nami. "They're clear! I don't see any blood flow."

"So what?"

"Remember when you had that eye problem? Remember what Chopper told you?"

Nami quickly recalls her recent appointment with Chopper, which was for a common eye infection. During the appointment, which Robin happened to be present at, Chopper had mentioned in passing that the cornea is the only part of the human body that does not have blood vessels. At the time it was a seemingly irrelevant comment, yet now it was the key to their success.

Nami's expression shifts to joyful surprise. "Of course! The cornea has no blood vessels!"

Robin nods confidently. "Right! It's the only place on the body without them! Which means-"

"It's his one vulnerable area!"

"You can still cast another lightning spell with that thing, right?"

Nami furrows her brows and grins. "You bet!"

Robin faces Io again and crosses her arms. "Good. I'll do the rest."

Io's halts his laughter and returns his face level to them again. "...What are you blathering about now? Don't bother scheming! You've already proven you're worthless. There's nothing left to do now but end the suffering."

Robin smiles. "I couldn't agree more. Ready, Nami?"

Nami holds her staff in front of her. "Ready!"

Io seethes, realizing his words are being ignored. "I've had enough of you! Enjoy your time rotting in my stomach!" He opens his mouth wide and prepares to swallow them, grabbing onto Robin's hand vines with two bloody tendrils and positioning them in front of his mouth.

Robin splays her fingers and focuses her eyes, concentrating on one of Io's corneas. "DEUX FLEURS!"

Two hands suddenly appear on the outline of his cornea, gripping the edges and pulling it apart to widen the opening.

Io screams out in pain. "EHHYEEA! What are you doing?!"

"Now, Nami!" Robin orders.

"Got it!" Nami spins her clima-tact overhead until sparks fizzle at the tip. "THUNDERBOLT-TEMPO!"

With a crack of violent energy, a thick bolt of yellow lightning explodes from her staff, sending the bolt straight into the center of his eye and through his cornea. The lightning enters his head, electrifying every inch of his bloody tissue, as smoke and flames erupt from every opening in his face.

Instantaneously, the imps on the floor explode into pools of blood, and the red tendrils release their grip on Robin's hand vines, dropping them back onto the floor. Io's giant face collapses onto the surface, shaking the complex under it's weight, and spewing blackened flesh and gray smoke into the air. His horrid form finally shrinks away, leaving only a badly burned outline of his body curled on the cold floor. Io was no more.

Nami and Robin stand confidently before the site of Io's charred body, staring down pridefully at the once powerful fiend, now reduced to nothing more than pitiful mess.

Nami slams the end of her clima-tact into the floor. "Was that trick good enough for you?"

"It's called intelligence." Robin adds with a wry smirk.

Nami giggles. "We told you. I bet you've faced a lot of opponents-but you've never faced us!"

Robin turns to Nami and smiles. "One more for the Straw Hats."

Nami places a hand on her hip. "And many more to come, especially if we keep working together!"

They high five and share in a moment of levity.

But then, both hear the sounds of battle looming just outside the compound. They turn toward the entryway and listen to the desperate situation.

"Come on-our fight isn't over just yet!" Nami runs forward and ushers Robin to follow her.

"Of course. Let's go!" She runs after Nami and both disappear into the sunlight.

As the battle rages on outside, Tydal and Tiff continue to fly upward through the air, coming closer to the open wall of the complex where the prisoners are on display.

When they reach the middle section, Tiff spots Aiku and Lunya among the hanging men. She points to them. "...There! There they are!"

Tydal follows her finger and locates them. "Right! Let's go, we have to hurry!"

Both dash down through the air, stopping themselves just before they reach the area holding their friends. They land swiftly atop the mechanical device locking Aiku and Lunya's arms in place.

Aiku looks up at them, clearly in pain from the grip of the machine and the weight of her dangling body. "...Tiff! Tydal!"

Lunya catches sight of them, her eyes expressing her desperation. "You're here!"

Tiff kneels down and grabs onto Lunya's arms. "We're here! I've got you now, don't struggle!"

Tydal grabs Aiku's arms. "Just relax now, okay? Let us take your weight."

Tiff turns to Tydal, realizing something odd. "Didn't Fukitsu put aura bubbles on them? I thought we wouldn't be able to touch them?"

Tydal examines them. "Yeah, that is strange. I guess he doesn't have enough energy to hold them forever. Not that I'm complaining, obviously."

"They disappeared only moments ago!" Lunya confirms, her voice weak.

"Well, I'm definitely thankful for that! It will sure make things a lot easier."

Tiff looks up to the roof of the compound. "It must have something to do with his energy level. He certainly is using an incredible amount to combat Sky."

Aiku gazes up at the roof as another massive wave of energy bursts into the sky, rumbling the complex. "...What?! Sky is up there all alone?"

Tydal nods. "He is. Doing the dirty work while we focus on the details."

"As usual." Tiff adds.

Aiku struggles to free herself, suddenly filled with new energy. "But I should be there with him! Ugh! Get me out of here so I can go!"

Tydal grips her arm tighter. "Aiku, calm down! Anger won't help anything! Right now we have to figure out how to get you free before-"

His voice is abruptly cut off by the machine whirring to life once again. Before they have time to react, the entire row of hanging prisoners is released from the gears of the machine, plunging every single cell downward. Screams from the prisoners match the cries of the crew as they descend rapidly into the sea, and below the waves.

Now underwater, Tydal and Tiff know they must act fast to save the lives of their friends. But still gripped tightly by the restraints of the arms holds, time is quickly running out for everyone.

Aiku and Lunya pull and squirm with every bit of strength they have left, struggling to pull their arms free. Yet the power of the sea immediately dismisses any life left in them. They go limp and begin to fall into a daze. Still on top of the arm holds, Tydal and Tiff punch and kick the devices with all their might, but soon find themselves hindered by the weight of the ocean.

Unable to speak, Tiff pulls Tydal away from the holds and gestures to him. He realizes she is trying to tell him to use his water powers to their advantage. After all all, Tydal is a master of water haki. This is his time to act.

Tydal nods to her and swims further away from the machine, gesturing at Tiff to move out of the way. He gently closes his eyes and draws his sword from his back, bringing it to the front of his body and pressing his other hand against it. For a long moment, he floats gracefully with the current of the sea, as if praying.

Just before Tiff's air runs out, Tydal reopens his eyes and thrusts his sword forward. The water around him blasts outward from his frame, sending a powerful wave of energy surging straight at the machine. As it impacts, the entire prisoner hold splits apart, sending pieces of the machine flying out of the ocean, erupting the waves at the base of the complex.

Tiff immediately swims down toward Aiku and Lunya, grabbing both of them and swimming upward. Tydal dashes toward her and grabs Lunya, helping both resurface safely. As they break the surface, all gasp for air and choke on the water, sputtering and coughing until Tydal locates a large piece of ship. He helps Aiku and Lunya onto the wreckage, then he and Tiff jump beside them to make sure they are safe.

Tiff kneels beside Aiku. "Are you alright, Aiku!?"

Aiku coughs and sits herself upright. "Y-yes...I'm fine now. Thank you."

Tydal grabs Lunya by the shoulders and lifts her into a siting position. "Lunya! Are you okay?"

Lunya groans and holds her head, but manages a smile. "Do I look okay?"

Tydal returns her smile warmly. "Well, you're certainly not as beautiful as you normally are at the moment."

Lunya stifles a laugh. "Thanks...I'll work on that as soon as I can manage. I think your water haki hurt me the most actually. I was not expecting that."

Tydal stands and crosses his arms. "Sorry about that! Didn't have a choice."

Tiff kneels next to Lunya. "It was the only thing we could do. We had to act fast!"

Lunya nods. "I know. And I'm thankful, believe me. Any longer and I wouldn't be talking to you right now. You came just in time."

Tydal beams brightly. "You know you can count on us! We'd never let you get hurt."

Lunya looks to Tydal. "Just captured, right?"

"Er...well..." Tydal scratches his head nervously.

Lunya giggles. "Don't worry, I'm only joking. I know how much you care. Especially now. And that means the world to me. It really does." Her eyes begin to tear.

Tiff places a firm but gentle hand on her shoulder. "Of course. We're family." She smiles. Tydal nods happily.

Lunya returns a smile as her tears flow freely. "We are." Then, her eyes shift to Aiku. But with great shock, she abruptly realizes Aiku is no longer there. "Wha-where's Aiku?!" She looks around desperately.

Tydal and Tiff turn around and notice she is not where they left her. Their eyes frantically search the surrounding area, until Tiff spots her running toward the compound. "...AIKU! Come back now!"

Tydal jumps forward. "Aiku, stop!"

But their words seem to fall on deaf ears, as Aiku continues to run with all her might. Her fierce determination driving her ever closer to her brother. Nothing could stop her from joining him in his fight. With her eyes aglow with new resolve, she races forward toward the bright lights of the compound's summit, where Fukitsu and Sky's battles rages on.

End of Episode 9