Hi, everyone. Happy New Year! As per usual, I do not own any original characters, settings, or plot. It all belongs to Eiichiro Oda. Hope you enjoy!

Magina sat on the shoulder of the giant. Thick, black hair whipped into her face. She brushed it away. She gripped the giant's suspender straps tighter. His footfalls landed heavily, rattling her teeth with each thud.

"I just can't believe it! The gatekeepers that caused us so much trouble before are now on our side. What did you do to convince them?" Paulie asked.

Usopp laughed. "It's all thanks to the bond between warriors."

He turned and shouted to the two giants, "The courthouse is very close now, my brothers! Keep moving forward!"

It wasn't long until they were standing in front of the courthouse. Bodies of Marines were strewn around the courthouse. Magina's eyes widened when she recognized Tetsu and the frog. What happened? She slid off the giant's back at the same time Usopp did.

A Franky Family member gaped while Oimo rampaged, sending more Marines flying. "Giants? Why are they here?"

"They're our allies now," she replied, rushing to Tetsu's side.

"Oh, Roronoa's woman! You made it!"

Her smile was stiff. She heard Usopp asking what was going on. Magina found some cloth and started wrapping the worst of Tetsu's wounds. She helped sit him up. He flashed her a grateful grin.

"Thanks, Magina. What are you doing here?"

"Catching up to the captain while keeping an eye on that one," Magina jerked her thumb in Usopp's direction. "Where are the others?"

"They're already up on the roof. You should join them as quickly as you can. Roronoa was worried, you know."

Magina concentrated. He wasn't far away; she could hear his song clearly. There was a beating urgency underneath the normal calm—like a racing heartbeat. She smiled knowingly. He was still worried, not that he would ever admit it. Usopp and the other Franky Family members sounded like they were done talking.

"I guess it's time to go. Be careful, Tetsu," Magina said, standing up.

"Wait. Here take this, Magina. I've got a funny feeling that you're going to need it," Tetsu handed her a coil of rope. "Take care of those freaks. We'll take care of things here!"

"The roof? How are we supposed to get up there?" Usopp asked as she came to stand beside him.

"Don't worry, King of snipers. We'll get you up there!"

Before Magina could blink, she was sailing in the air beside a screaming Usopp. His red cloak fluttered in the air. Landing was going to hurt unless she controlled the situation. She was suddenly very glad for Tetsu's 'funny feeling'. It might just save her from a world of hurt. Too bad it probably wouldn't help Usopp much.

"Sorry, Sogeking!" she shouted.

Seconds later, using the rope, Usopp was tied up. His cloak billowed now like a mini sail. Their descent eased slightly but gravity mercilessly pulled them down. Magina tried to glide as best as she could but she still heard him wail.

"Ma-a-a-gina-a-a-a-k-u-u-u-u-n!"

They skidded on the rooftop. Magina winced. The impact wasn't bad for her but Sogeking was buried in debris.

"Sogeking!" Chopper yelled.

Magina stepped off Sogeking's back. She worked with Chopper to pull the marksman out of the pile of rubble. Zoro approached them, his glare scary enough to make her palms sweat. Worried anger rolled off him like waves. Magina held up her hand in apology. She hadn't meant to worry him. He sighed before turning to Usopp.

"Can you stand, Sogeking!"

Usopp gathered his strength; she could hear his determination loud and clear.

"Wounds like these are nothing to me."

She offered her hand to help him up to his feet, but he brushed her hand aside. Instead, he stood up and patted her shoulder.

"My thanks, Magina-kun, Chopper-kun, but I'm fine. Were you injured, Magina-kun?"

"No, I landed safely, thanks to you," she answered.

He nodded. "Good. Now, we can rescue Robin-kun."

With one breath and purpose, they all turned to the tower. Robin and CP9 stared back at them. The despair in Robin's song warred against the united determination of the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates. They stood next to their captain, using the palisades on the roof to space themselves so that they could all face Robin.

"If you're going to say that you want to die, fine. But say that only when you're by our sides," Luffy called.

Both Sanji and Chopper shouted out their agreement. Magina pursed her lips grimly. No one was thinking of abandoning of Robin. They would rescue her. Now, if only there was a way to convince her of that fact.

The man in charge wore a brace on his head and his grating voice got on her nerves. It was obvious that her nakama felt the same. The man was like every other weak fool that tried to antagonize the pirates. Maybe he believed that his posturing and vain strutting would scare them off. He even believed that if he threw down the ultimate challenge that they would just walk away and leave Robin.

"Don't you understand what that symbol means? That flag signifies all 170 countries in the four Blues and on the Grand Line. Do you understand what you'd be doing if you try to rescue this woman? You'd be making the whole world your enemy!"

Magina heard the rage in her captain's voice. His quiet reply couldn't hide the seething tones in his heart.

"I know very well what it means and the enemies that we will face."

There was a tense moment of silence. Magina could feel the nervousness of the ugly man. CP9 was calm, even eager to fight. The blood lust from the assassin that turned into a large cat at Water 7 nearly choked her but that still wouldn't be enough to deter any of them. Finally, Luffy spoke.

"Sogeking."

"Hmm?"

"Shoot that flag down."

"Understood."

Magina wondered about his new weapon. It was the largest slingshot she ever saw! She couldn't help but be excited when Sogeking demonstrated its new power and reach. The streak of flame resembled a phoenix as the shot hit the World Government flag square in the center. It wasn't long before the cloth burned to ashes.

Luffy faced Robin again. "Robin! We still haven't heard you say it! Say that you want to live!"

The silence that followed was deafening. Even the waterfalls seemed muffled in comparison. But Magina could hear it. Robin's song was soaked in pain, in longing. Still, there was a growing theme in Robin's song. The dragging despair melted into pounding anxiety. In Water 7, the emotion that drove Robin was fear. There was a new feeling that burgeoned in Robin's song. For the first time, Magina could hear hope. When Robin finally answered Luffy, Magina was not surprised by her response.

"I want to live! Take me to the sea with you!"

At last, they were all on the same page! Magina glanced down the parapet. A large gaping hole stared back. There was too much distance between the tower they were on and the next tower to be able to jump it easily. How were they going to cross that chasm? Zoro shifted beside her. He unsheathed and sheathed his katana impatiently. They were all itching to get across.

"It looks like the gate is finally coming down," Chopper exclaimed just as a rumbling below them began.

"Good timing. They came through after all," Sanji stated.

"Tetsu was all fired up. I'm sure the rest of the Franky Brothers were the same. The Galley La foremen are there too," Magina pointed out.

The weak ugly man panicked when the bridge lowered.

"Someone, stop it, even if it means destroying the bridge!" he screamed.

Moments later, an explosion below them brought the bridge from descending further. Magina groaned.

"The bridge stopped halfway. What do we do now?" she asked Nami.

The Baby Den-Den Mushi rang. Nami picked it up.

"What are you guys doing? You aren't across the bridge yet!"

"Cocoro-san! We can't go across; the bridge was only lowered halfway!" Nami explained.

"Na-ha-ha! Got it! Jump towards the falls! I'll be there in four seconds!"

She and Nami exchanged glances.

"Jump?"

Magina only had half a second's warning before her Captain giggled. She shared one panicked look with Zoro before she felt Luffy's outstretched arm push against her back. Magina was lifted in the air and then they all fell towards the waterfalls. Screams tore the silence in two. At the same time, Franky was pushed off the opposite tower. A familiar whistle sounded behind them.

"Rocketman? What are you doing here?" Franky yelled.

Magina landed safely on Rocketman, as did the rest of the crew. Even Franky grabbed a side and held on tight, but the danger wasn't over yet.

"It's good that everyone's on the train but…" she began saying before everyone joined in.

"It looks like we're going to crash!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Magina sighed. How had it turned out like this? She watched Usopp glance through each door opening for a fraction of a second before declaring each door safe. Maybe she was upset that Zoro took off to look for the enemy without her. She listened. He wasn't far away; he must be on the floor above them. He even found one of the assassins. It wasn't just any assassin. Zoro was facing the enemy that injured her twice at Water 7, the square one. Magina could tell that the swordsman was eager to fight but it didn't sound like he was angry yet. He probably didn't know. Usopp opened the last door.

"Ah-ha! It looks like the enemy…urk!" and his voice dropped to a whisper, "is right over there!"

"Don't panic, Sogeking. I think he's sleeping," Magina answered glancing at their surroundings.

The room was set up like a peaceful garden. A river flowed into a pond. Trees and rocks were placed strategically for the most tranquil atmosphere. The enemy lounged, eyes closed, an air bubble lifting and falling gently with each breath. Right in front of him, laying on the grass, was a key.

"Magina-kun! That could be the key to Robin-kun's handcuffs! We should grab it quick before he wakes up!" hissed Sogeking.

"Do you have a plan? Maybe one of us should distract him while the other grabs the key?" she whispered back.

"Magina-kun. We don't have to distract him if he's asleep. It should be an easy matter to sneak up to him and take the key. Watch and learn, Magina-kun!"

Before she could make another suggestion, Usopp was trying to sneak up on the assassin. The air bubble popped, and the enemy turned to his other side. Sweat poured down the sides of the marksman's face. His first attempt his heart stopped when he approached close enough. By the time Usopp calmed himself down, he was back at the entrance with her. He shrugged sheepishly and tried again. On Usopp's second attempt, he was stung on his nose. She wouldn't be able to watch a third attempt.

Magina sneaked off to the side of the assassin, just in case they would be able to flank him. It was purely by chance that she looked down at his scarred face. He looked straight at her, smiling like a shark at their next victim. He winked at her and put a long finger up to his lips to shush her. There was a sudden cheeping noise and Usopp yelled at the chicken. She was already rushing forward.

"Sogeking! Watch—"

The assassin punched Usopp in the face and hoisted her in the air by the throat. He kicked her away. Magina landed, the wall breaking with the impact. The taste of iron was in her mouth. She struggled to stand. Usopp staggered towards her. The enemy yawned dramatically.

"Oh, so you guys were here. Sorry, I took a nap."

Usopp helped steady her. "We might be in trouble if he can punch like that after just waking up."

Magina coughed. "No, he wasn't sleeping. He was awake. He tricked us into thinking it was safe."

"Oi, oi, Nee-chan. Don't be giving away my secrets like that. I might get angry," the assassin grinned wickedly as he transformed.

The beast that now stood in front of them was a large wolf, teeth bared and ready to rip them to shreds. Magina thought desperately. She didn't have any powered-up weapons. She had no special moves that would help in a fight against these monsters. She wasn't even sure if her song could affect them! What could she do to help Robin and keep Usopp safe? There was no answer, only a portion of the roof crumbling away. Zoro and a giraffe fell from the sky.

"Oh, it's you guys. And there's a wolf too. Is this place a zoo?" Zoro asked.

Magina didn't think that was really the answer she was looking for, but it would have to be good enough.

It's crazy. It's a new year, a new decade, and a new chapter! I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday with your family and friends and that the Christmas season wasn't too hectic! (Mine was so crazy and busy that I forgot my little paragraphs for this chapter!) To be fair, I probably don't even need them but I like to cover my legal bases, plus chit-chat a little! Anyway, here's to hoping 2020 treats us all better. Happy writing!