Episode 7: Protect the Devil Child, Part 2
Heh heh, revival go brrrrrrr!
We're back, baby! Time to keep trucking on. Since it's been so long, I recommend rereading the previous episode before you come back to this one as a refresher for what's been going on.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
We open up on the high seas of the New World. A large ship with the figurehead of a lion, (or to some, a sunflower), was making headway to Halovanx.
On the figurehead of the ship sat a young man. He wore a red, long sleeved coat exposing his bare chest, blue shorts, sandals, and a straw hat.
"Shishishishi! I smell adventure!" He said excitedly. "Hey! Are we almost there yet?!"
"Shouldn't be too much longer." An orange haired woman said as she looked at the map.
A familiar blonde haired man in a nice suit comes out from the kitchen.
"I swear to God, if those damn Marines lay so much as a finger on Robin, I'm going to filet every single one of them!"
"What about her friends, dartboard brow?" A green haired man who rested nearby said. "They're in danger too."
"Say that to my face, mosshead!"
"Oh, I will!"
The woman punches the both of them to stop their arguing.
"Knock it off, you two! This is serious! You'd all better be ready for what's ahead. There's no telling how big of a threat we're up against."
The ship passes by Pete, who was still out on the water a fair bit away from the mainland, still fishing.
"Geez, all this waiting and still no bite." Pete grumbled. "Feels like I've been sitting here for months. Maybe I should head back."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
In his quarters, Don was talking with his interns, hoping that those that could fight would go and help the contestants fend off the Marines.
"Listen up, we got a code red right here." Don said worriedly. "I'm hoping that those of you that are capable can help them!"
"That's gonna be a negative, ghost rider." Blitzo said.
"WHAT?!"
"The guy leading them is fucking strong. Way more than what me and my crew are capable of. Sorry chief, I'm just laying it out, clear as day."
"Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with him." Monoma adds. "We are not strong enough to deal with them."
"Well, there aren't a lot of options." Don complained. "They definitely need our help!"
"Have some faith in them, dude." Mordecai said.
"What?"
"Yeah, I gotta agree with the bird guy here." Ramsey said. "These contestants of yours were strong enough to deal with Magneto and his band of mutants. They don't need to be coddled. They can handle themselves. Have faith in them. I promise I wouldn't steer you wrong."
Don thought it over for a moment. Unlike Chris, he at least cared about his contestants's wellbeing, and wanted to ensure their safety. But Ramsey did speak some truth. Many of them are strong in their own right, and even face danger in their worlds on a regular basis. Perhaps maybe he should put more trust in them.
"I guess you have a point. As long as they can get out of there alive, that's all that matters."
"Well, isn't that just lovely to hear." A voice gushed.
They see Shermie strut into the room.
"Shermie!" Don said. "What are you doing here?"
"I didn't leave the ship." She answered. "I figured I could use the peace and quiet with everyone off having fun. But it looks like it's taken a turn for the worse. But there's another problem."
"Which is?"
"I noticed a fleet of ships surrounding the island, slowly closing their way in. Even if everyone can make it back here, we'd have to get through that fleet…"
(Cider Beach)
"You scum of the sea are all getting a one way ticket to hell!" Sakazuki roared.
"I will not let you win!" Erza declared. "I swear as a mage of Fairy Tail!"
"You just ain't gonna win, big guy!" Yami taunts.
Sakazuki growls, and lunges at them.
"Hell Hound!"
Luckily, both team captains blocked it it with their swords.
"You bastards sure have some moxie." Sakazuki growled. "Too bad I'm gonna burn that cockiness away!"
As the both of them continue to fight the Fleet Admiral, Crocodile could be seen easily taking out several Marine grunts with his sand powers.
"How are the rest of you holding up?!"
"I'm having a bit of trouble here!" Percy said, her sword still clashing with Fujitora. "I could really use some backup!"
"We got your back, Perce!" A voice said.
The sound of gunfire could be heard, and Fujitora stops everything to block a bullet, and an arrow. This gave the cop the perfect opportunity to land a slash at the admiral's chest.
"Hey, you better be grateful for that distraction, lady," Panty said as she blew smoke off her gun.
"Hmm. Some more of your friends, I see." Fujitora calmly said. "I sense something interesting about them."
"That's because we're angels, pal!" Pit said, aiming his bow at him yet again.
"And we don't take shit from anyone!" Panty adds.
Bunnie tries to lunge at him from behind, but the cyborg is suddenly pinned to the ground by some unknown force.
"Dagnabbit!" Bunnie exclaimed. "What the heck is going on?!"
"It's my Devil Fruit." Fujitora explained. "I ate the Press Press Fruit, giving me control over gravity."
"Aw man!" Pit groaned. "How do we stand a chance against that kind of power?!"
He then proceeds to use his power to pin them all to the ground.
"He's surely got the advantage." Percy grunts as she tries and fails to get up.
"As I said before, I don't sense evil intent from you." Fujitora said. "Other than having Nico Robin with you, you all appear to be not against us."
"That's because we're on this show, you see!" Pit quickly explained. "Perhaps you've heard of it?! It's called Total Drama! It's just a coincidence that Robin is a part of it!"
"He's obviously blind, kid." Panty told him. "How could he have watched it?"
"That does sound plausible." Fujitora said, thinking it over. "I won't outright kill you all, but I'm going to keep you all under my metaphorical watch until the job is done. Robin is our top priority."
Hidden nearby, Zach could be seen writing the events of all this down.
"So this is the World Government, huh?" He says to Coff. "Not surprised that like most governments, they're corrupt."
Bunnie tries her hardest to escape Fujitora's power of gravity, yet the best she could do was crawl across the sand quietly.
Coff notices, and chucks a nearby rock at Fujitora to distract him, and he uses his sword to slice it.
While he was distracted, the cyborg managed to book it out of there. Luckily, he wasn't using his Observation Haki, and by the time he'd realize it, she'd be out of there. Her goal: to go help any of the others.
Unfortunately, Zach and Coff we're found out, and pinned to the ground as well.
"Why me?!" Zach cried.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, deep in the jungle, Ryu, Robin, Bernadetta, Futaba, and Kronk were trekking through the vibrant setting. Kronk, however, couldn't help but marvel at all the creatures.
"This is so fascinating!" The big guy said as he was writing something down. "I'm almost close to completing exotic bird bingo."
"Stuff like this isn't a surprise to me." Robin said. "But I'm glad you're having fun."
Ryu looks over at Futaba and Bernadetta. "How are you ladies doing right now? Enjoying yourselves?"
"Eh…….not really." Futaba admits. "I'd much rather be inside, enjoying a video game right about now."
"I second that!" Bernadetta quickly adds. "I don't know what a video game is, but I agree on the staying inside part!"
"That's a shame." Ryu said. "I invited you because I wanted you to have fun."
"I'm sorry!" Bernadetta panicked. "I disappointed you! You're probably gonna punish me or hurt me for this!"
"What?!" Ryu said in disbelief. "I would never put my hands on someone like you. What makes you think I'd do that?"
"'Someone like you?!'" Bernadetta exclaimed. "What do you mean by that?! Ggggrrahhh! Useless! Worthless! Unmarriageable!"
She squats down, and starts to hyperventilate. She could feel her heart pounding, she couldn't stop shaking, and her vision disfigured, as if she was looking through a fish eye lens. Everyone stopped what they were doing.
The shaman tries his best to help Bernadetta calm down, as she was clearly having a panic attack. But it was easier said than done.
"Are you alright, miss?!" He asks her calmly. "Do you need something? Food? Water? A hug? Whatever is wrong, I'm sorry. I'll help you as best as I can."
Bernadetta tries her best to slow down her fast paced breaths, and respond.
"Do you……mean it?! I'm……so sorry for inconveniencing… you all!"
"Hey, you didn't do anything wrong." Kronk said. "We're just having a nice nature walk."
"It's okay, miss." Ryu calmly tells her. "I'm here for you."
"R-really?"
"I swear on life."
That did seem to help, as she started breathing regularly, yet her face still looked a bit red. She takes a deep breath.
"Okay….." She said slowly. "I think….. I'm a bit okay now."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Poor girl." Ryu said. "As much as I really want to befriend her more, I'm curious about one thing. Why is she this way? I hope that doesn't come out sounding awful, I just want to learn more about her."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Alright, now that that's all taken care of, let's get back to our walk." Kronk said. "There's still so many rare creatures left to find.
A loud SHIING was heard, and everyone instinctively ducked for cover.
"What the hell?!" Futaba exclaimed.
"Well, well, well." A familiar voice said smugly. "After so long, we finally have you, Devil Child."
"That voice…!" Robin gasped.
Two people walk upon the scene. One of them was the man that had welcomed them when they got here, (now ditching his disguise from earlier) and the other was a dark haired man in a white suit, matching top hat, and a pigeon on his shoulder.
"Lucci!" Robin spat. "And Spandam!"
"Hahahahaha! Surprised?!" Spandam taunts. "You all walked right into our trap!"
"Trap?!" Ryu asked. "What are you going on about?!"
"This whole island resort was little more than a trick to catch you, Nico Robin." Lucci coldly explained.
"And now, we've got you right where we want you!" Spandam adds. "And revenge is gonna be sweet for what you and your crew put me through at Enies Lobby! We even got a Buster Call on its way right now!"
The look on Robin's face could be described as nothing but pure fear, and everyone could see it.
"No…….you didn't!"
"Oh, but we did!" Spandam continues. "Your precious Straw Hat Pirates aren't here to save you! I'm going to have fun making you suffer, and make you wish you were dead! The same goes for your friends here!"
Spandam takes out a small blaster and fires it at Robin, as a projectile gets stuck in her arm.
"Just so you won't pull any funny business, here's a Sea Prism Stone nail!"
As long as the nail was in her arm, she couldn't use her Devil Fruit powers.
"I ain't letting anything happen to Miss Robin or anyone else!" Ryu said as he took his sword out. "Let's go, Tokageroh!"
Lucci steps forward, and begins to transform in front of them. He increased in size, and takes on the form of a man/leopard hybrid.
"You want to mess with Cipher Pol?" Lucci warns. "Be my guest."
Both he and Ryu lunge at each other, Lucci's claws clashing with Ryu's wooden sword. His sword glowed green and purple, and several tendrils came out to grab the agent's arm. Nearby, Kronk and Futaba cheered him on, while Bernadetta sat and shivered, hoping this would all end quickly.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Back at the training field, we return to Barry and Draco, still caught in the clutches of Smoker. Both were still suspended in the air thanks to Smoker's smoke powers.
"We got to find a way to get out of here!" Draco said.
" We?!" Barry said in disbelief. "No way! After what you did, there's no way we are working together on this, not after everything you've done!"
"Look, I don't like you, and you don't like me!" Draco explained. "I'm not a fan of it either, but if we want to get out of this, we'll have to put our heads together!"
The trainer hated to admit it, but he was right.
"Fine. But only this one time. I've got an idea."
He reaches for one of his Poke Balls, and throws it out.
"Heracross, I choose you!"
Out pops a large, bluish horned rhinoceros beetle.
"What is that thing?!" Tashigi exclaimed.
"Heracross, use Megahorn!"
"Hera!" The creature cried. Heracross tackles Tashigi with its massive horn before she had time to draw her sword. The impact sent her flying several feet away.
This worked as planned, as it caught Smoker's attention.
"Tashigi!" He exclaimed.
This made him let go of them, and Draco used his Wingardium Leviosa spell to land them safely on the ground.
Smoker turns his attention back at the boys, and looked pissed.
"You punks got lucky, but it won't work again! I'll have you both in my grasps soon enough! White Out!"
He fires a blast of smoke from his arm, but Draco counters with a spell of his own.
" Incendio!"
An equally strong stream of fire shoots from his wand, and clashes with the smoke, bringing their attacks to a stalemate.
"Do something, Barry!" Draco orders. "While we have this window of opportunity!"
"Oh, right!"
Barry raises his arm, as a small stone on his wrist band begins to glow.
"I learned this on a small trip to the Kalos Region! Heracross! Mega Evolve!
Heracross's body is engulfed in a bright light as he undergoes a powerful transformation of his own. He appeared to be bulkier than his previous form, it's horns grew into one giant horn with spikes on the front, and his forearms have thickened and lost their spines.
"Finish him off with Pin Missile!"
Heracross gives off a mighty roar and fires off green needle like missiles from his body, and bombards the vice admiral with deadly force. The attack was enough to take him out, and Smoker gags some blood as he falls to the ground, seemingly unconscious.
And just like in current One Piece, Smoker was a disappointment. What a shame.
Heracross turns back to normal, and Barry recalls him.
"Great job, buddy. You deserve a good rest."
"Hmph. Not bad." Draco tells him. "I'll have to give you props on that one."
"Same to you." Barry said. "Thanks for giving me an opening."
The two stand there in an awkward silence, remembering they both don't really like each other.
"We should probably go find the others." Barry said. "See what's going on."
"Agreed."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Sure I'll give him credit for defeating that man." Draco coldly said. "And nothing else."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Back at the beach, Kizaru was locked in deadly combat with Raven, Lobo, Peni, and Alucard, who were able to keep up with him. He blocks some shadows and magic with a sword made out of light. (No, it's not a lightsaber.) He even avoids Lobo's hook, which came close to hitting his face.
Despite them keeping him on the ropes, Kizaru kept a calm demeanor.
"My, oh my." He said nonchalantly. "Your powers are quite something."
Peni fires missiles from her mech, but Kizaru dodges those too.
Alucard grins. "Heh, I've been aching for a really challenging fight since I joined this show!"
Dark shadows emerge from his coat, yet Kizaru turns into Light and zips through the attack.
"Tch. You're a tricky little shit, aren't you?" Alucard spat. "Nothing like the scum I exterminate back in my world."
Kizaru materialized behind him, but Raven makes a magic barrier to protect them from his light sword.
"That attack wouldn't of done much to me, but I appreciate the help, nonetheless." Alucard tells her.
Raven simply nods, focusing her attention on blocking his attack, which he was starting to break. She couldn't keep it up for much longer.
"Hey, big guy!" Yang said from behind Kizaru. "Get a taste of us!"
Yang, Bunnie, and Tifa rush at Kizaru from behind to catch him by surprise.
The three leap into the air to rain fists at him. But suddenly, things seemed to move slowly, at least for Kizaru.
As he could move at light speed, he turns around, and sees all three ladies lunging at him.
"Hmm. More pesky brats. Better I just kill them here and now before they become more of a problem."
He creates three extremely large beams of light, and blasts one at each of them. The attack was devastating, blasting holes through their abdomens.
All three of them fall to the ground, appearing to be in critical condition.
Raven makes a protective bubble around them, as Kizaru focuses his attention back to Alucard.
"Oh shit." Lobo said in disbelief. "That ain't good."
"This is bad." Raven said in her usual monotone voice, yet with a hint of concern. "They took a really bad hit."
"Then try keeping them safe for me while I fight this man." Alucard tells her.
Elsewhere, Light and Bender remained hidden behind some trees, and watched as Kizaru made donuts out of all three ladies.
"Holy crap!" Bender gasped. "Did you see that?!"
Light couldn't help but show worry as well, even if he wouldn't miss them if they died.
"He's dangerous, that's for sure!"
"Yarr! These links aren't gonna stop us!"
Out on the beach, Tiff could be seen with the Buggy Pirates, completely decked out with a pirate's hat and saber. The little know it all stood on top of a large artillery cannon.
"We can't let those Marines capture us!" Buggy said. "I'm not going back to Impel Down! Kid, light the Buggy Ball!"
"Aye!" Tiff said. She takes out a match and lights the fuse, the cannon aimed at several of the warships out at sea.
"Buggy Ball…….ATTAAAAAAAACK!"
Out fires a red cannonball with the crew's logo on it, and it hits a battleship, completely obliterating it.
"What a flashy move!" Buggy said. "Great job, new fan!"
"Glad I could help!" Tiff said proudly. "Even if I don't like fighting, I'll make sure to protect my friends. Now let's try and take out another!"
The rest of Buggy's crew cheer in agreement as they load another one.
"Seems she got real chummy with them that quickly." Light muttered.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile, we move back to the jungle, where Ryu was fighting a losing battle against Lucci. His strength was way greater than Ryu's, and had more experience as a trained killer.
Futaba and Bernadetta are trying to get the nail out of Robin's arm, but Spandam walks over to them and draws his sword at them.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He sneers. "Do as I say or….."
He grabs Bernadetta and points his sword close to her neck. The recluse whimpered and shakes as she was in his clutched.
"...or your friend here is getting her head lopped off!"
"No!" Bernadetta cried. "Please! I need my head!"
Spandam backs away from them, weapon still close to her neck.
Futaba knew in a one on one fight that wasn't in the Metaverse, there wasn't anything she could do. She looks over at Kronk.
"Can't you use one of those fancy elixirs to stop them?!" She asked.
"I can't!" Kronk tells her. "Yzma didn't give me any mo-I mean, I'm all out!"
"Let her go!" Ryu said, quickly taking notice of the situation.
This left him distracted, as Lucci landed a strong punch to his chest, knocking him into a tree.
"I'm sorry…" Robin said weakly. The Sea Prism Stone not only nullified her powers, but also made her feel weak. "This is all my fault."
"Don't say that!" Futaba exclaimed. "There's nothing you did wrong! Who cares if they're after you?! it's not a crime to exist!"
Lucci turns back to his human form and rejoins Spandam.
"That's one of them taken down." He said. "I'll go ahead and exterminate the rest of them here and take Robin with us."
"Excellent!" Spandam said excitedly. "Just let me kill this little gremlin right here!"
Bernadetta panicks again as Spandam is about to slice her up.
"LET ME GO! LET ME GO! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
"Nobody can help you now, girl!" Spandam taunts. "And it's a shame, too. I wanted to torture you before I give you the sweet embrace of death."
"Let her go……..you monsters." Ryu grunted.
"I said……LET ME GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
They're engulfed in a huge explosion. Shards of ice exploded everywhere, and both Cipher Pol agents were suddenly frozen solid, inside and out. Only Bernadetta remained unfrozen. She opened her eyes and saw the two of them before her frozen solid.
"Whoa…..did I do that?" She asked in disbelief.
"What was that?!" Ryu asked with equal shock as he got back up.
"I don't know." She answered. "That's never happened to me before."
"There's no way it could've been former admiral Kuzan." Robin said as Kronk finally managed to get the nail out of her arm. "He quit the Marines two years ago. But still…..thank you, everyone. I'm really grateful for your all's help."
"Hey, we look out for each other." Futaba said. "You're no different."
"Still though……that was incredible, Miss Bernadetta!" Ryu exclaimed. "You really kicked their asses!"
"You really think so?" She said sheepishly. "I guess I did. Now they'll learn not to mess with Bernadetta the Mighty."
She laughs, and when Ryu sees the smile she has….it triggered something in his brain. It was almost mesmerizing. He loved seeing her smile. He loved seeing her look happy. He loved……oh god.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"I know I've said this about many women before," Ryu said. He clutches his chest "But I think I'm honest to God in love! Seeing her smile awoke something in me. I want to keep seeing that smile! I want to make her smile! I want to make her happy! Agghh, it's too much for my heart to handle!"
It's even emphasized when his pompadour takes a nearly like shape.
"Geez, I've never seen you this crazy over a girl before." Tokageroh remarks.
"Even I'm shocked about that, too!" Ryu tells him. "How do I go about this?! How do I tell her how I feel?! Does she like me back that way too?! I don't wanna ruin what we already have! So many factors!"
"Just calm down. You're starting to sound like her when she's freaking out."
"You're right, you're right. Sorry. She's just all I can think of right now."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"We need to meet up with the others." Robin explained. "Spandam said they enacted a Buster Call. This island will be wiped off the face of the earth. Once it's activated, there's no way to stop it."
This news worried all of them.
"No kidding! Then we need to rendezvous with everyone else ASAP, and leave as quickly as possible!" Futaba said.
"That last part will be easier said than done. There's no telling how many ships are nearing this island."
"I just hope Captain Yami is alright." Ryu said.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
We move back to the beach, where it's currently Yami vs Sakazuki. With every step, the Fleet Admiral's power proceeds to affect the ground beneath them, turning it more and more into a molten hellscape.
"You're making this a lot harder on yourselves!" Sakazuki warns. "Surrender yourselves and her to us, and I'll make your deaths slightly less painful!"
"Piss off, hothead!" Yami retorts. ",If you think I'm giving up, then you're honestly dumber than you sound! Dark Cloaked Dimension Slash!"
Sakazuki blocks and completely shatters the attack with his arm.
It was then that Barry, Draco, Bernadetta, Futaba, Kronk, and Robin showed up to the scene.
"Captain, we need to stop everything and get out of here!" Ryu said.
Everyone stops fighting, and things go silent for a moment. Even Fujitora releases his gravitic hold on the other contestants. Sakazuki sees Robin, and the group she's with, and is filled with rage on a volcanic level.
"You……." He growled. "There is no salvation for you or any of your friends! GREAT ERUPTION!"
He fires a magma fist at them, but Erza steps in and tanks the hit, now requipped into her Adamantine Armor.
"Thanks for the save!" Barry said.
"Just get to the ship!" Erza orders. "Now, everyone!"
They all drop everything and book it back to the port, carrying those that had been severely injured along with them. Even Zach and Coff follow them.
Crocodile now steps in and fights Sakazuki.
"Get the hell outta here! I'll cover for you!"
"Thanks!" Zach said.
"Don't make it a bigger deal than it has to be! Just go!"
"If I ever see any of those bastards again…"
They make it to the port, with the gangplank already lowered. They all rush on, and Don was already working on getting the ship out of there.
"Thank goodness you guys are back!" He said with relief.
"Some of them are hurt real bad!" Pit said as he laid Tifa, Yang, and Bunnie on the ground. "They need serious medical attention, quick!"
"We're already on it!"
Lissa and Milan quickly come out and put the three on stretchers.
"Let's cheese this thing the fuck outta here!" Panty said.
"There's a problem." Don said worriedly.
"I assume you're referring to the enemy ships that have the island surrounded?" Percy asks.
"You'd be right on that one."
"How are we gonna get through it?" Bender wondered. "It's not like ships can fire big ass laser beams to clear the way."
"GAON CANNON FIRE!"
From the windows, everyone can see a massive beam of energy that completely obliterates the ships in their way. Everyone watched in relief and shock.
"So cool!" Peni and Put exclaimed with stars in their eyes.
"It's not like a billion dollars will fall into my hands." Bender said.
"Full speed ahead!" Barry exclaimed.
The Jolly Rancher uickly sails through the path that the blast had opened up. It appeared that they were home free.
"Booyah! We did it!" Ryu yelled.
They all cheer for their successful escape.
It was then that Pete entered the room.
"Phew, what a day I be had. What'd I miss?"
"Are you serious?!" Draco asked in disbelief. "Did you seriously not realize what we've been through today?!"
"Well, I've been out fishing all day, kid. All I saw were several other ships, but I paid them no mind."
"Well lucky you."
"I still have one question." Tiff asked. "Where did that beam come from? Who did that?"
For the first time that day, Robin smiles. "I think I have a good idea who that was…"
"Heeeeeeeey!" A voice called.
Everyone runs outside and sees a ship sail up right next to them. Standing on the side of the ship, a young man in a straw hat waved to him.
"Hey, Robin!" He yelled. "Hope we weren't late!"
"You weren't, Luffy." Robin said. "You guys were a big help."
Behind Luffy, the rest of his crew waved to them: Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Franky, Brook, and Jinbe.
"Wait…" Lobo said, putting two and two together. "Are they that crew of yours?"
"That's correct."
"If you're asking about the beam, that's the mine and the Sunny's handiwork." Franky said proudly.
"So you guys were responsible for helping us get out of here?" Don asked. "Thanks for the help. We're in your debt."
"Then let's party!" Luffy said.
"Huh?"
"You heard the man." Zoro said. "Normally after a victory, we party like it's no tomorrow. Hope you got some good booze.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
And so, both the cast and the Straw Hat crew have a big celebratory feast. There was plenty of food, drinks, music, and entertainment.
"Damn, it's like 2999 up in this place!" Bender said.
"And I finally got my turducken!" Pit said as he was scarfing down the food he craved all day.
Hope you guys are still hungry!" Sanji said as he, Kronk, and Ryu come out of the kitchen with more food.
"Alright, I give!" Yami groans as he slumps over the table. "You win."
Zoro laughs as he keeps on drinking, having beaten the Squad Captain in a drinking contest.
"Heh, you kinda sound familiar!"
As all of this was going on, we see Robin talking privately with Don. They both nod and Don attempts to get everyone's attention.
"Can I have everyone's attention, please? I have a couple of announcements."
Judging by the host's tone, everyone can tell that it wasn't good news.
"Is it bad news?" Futaba asked.
Don nodded somberly. "Yeah. It is. I have two things to tell you all."
"How are Tifa and Yang doing?!" Erza asks.
"Same for Bunnie." Bernadetta asked. "Is she okay, too?"
"That's the first thing." Don explained. "Their injuries were rather severe. Way more than anything our medical team can do. We even had Chopper take a look at them."
The little reindeer walks up next to him, and nods.
"They had massive holes blasted through them." Chopper explained. "It's a miracle they're not dead. We've done the best we can, but it's gonna take weeks before the the three of them can recover."
"That's why…..we had to pull them out of the game so they can recover." Don said grimly. "Their health and safety comes first."
The news hit everyone hard. The Jolly and boisterous mood that is in the room before disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"That's……that's awful!" Erza cried.
"They risked themselves trying to help us." Peni said as she began tearing up. Raven put a comforting arm around the young hero.
"I understand." Yami said glumly. "I just hope they know we'll miss them.
"I'm gonna get started on a get well card for them!" Ryu said, already bawling his eyes out.
"We won," Panty muttered. "But at what cost?"
"So……what's the other bit of news?" Light asked.
"I've agreed to let Robin explain." Don said."
Robin now had the floor.
"Everyone, I want to thank you all for today." She said. "You all risked your lives for my sake, and I'm eternally grateful. I'm sorry again that my reputation brought you trouble. I've had a fun time with you all here on this show."
She chokes back a sob.
"That is why, with a heavy heart, I'm leaving to return to the crew."
A chorus of "WHAAAT?!" exploded throughout the room.
"You're leaving?!" Futaba cried.
"Say it isn't so!" Percy adds.
"I'm with them on this one, Robin!" Nami said. "You're giving up the chance for a million dollars?! Do you know what the exchange rate of that to berries is?!"
"I'm fully aware." Robin answered. "But as long as I'm still around, the government will always be chasing me. And I know my crew is better prepared for that kind of situation. I'm sorry it caused so much chaos today for all of you, so this is my way of paying you all back."
"If that's what you desire, then I will not object." Alucard said.
"Me neither." Yami adds. "You do as you wish."
"We're really gonna miss you." Pit said.
"I'll miss you all as well." Robin said, still doing her best not to cry.
Her whole team came up to her and gave her a group hug, and that's when she couldn't hold it back any more. Tears of happiness streamed down her face.
"It's so beautiful!" Zach said as he blows his nose.
"The friends she made on this show have so much heart." Brook said. "Unfortunately, I don't have a heart of my own. Yohohohoho!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
After that, Robin rejoined her crew, and both parties parted ways. The gravely injured contestants were transferred to a proper hospital so they could recuperate. Zach and Coff had called for a friend to pick them up. Everyone was already asleep, completely fatigued from the party and the prior events of the day.
Don sat in his private quarters, still feeling depressed about the events of the day. Four people had to leave that day, and in a way he never wanted. No doubt that Chris would take a break from hosting Infinite 2 to call him and heckle him. He'd have made sure he wouldn't hear the end of it.
Suddenly, his phone rings.
"That's probably him right now."
He checked the caller ID, and to his surprise, it was the boss of the network.
"Hello?" He answered.
"Donny boy, how's it going?!" The boss said with glee. "It's been a while since we last spoke!"
"Yes, it has. Last we talked was when we were getting the show started. Look, I'm sorry about everything that happened today."
"Don't be! It's not your fault you all got tricked. It is said about what happened to miss Lockhart, Rabbot, and Xiao Long. Mark my words, I'm making sure they have the best care I can provide. And the viewers loved it all!"
"What?!"
"The high stakes action! The comraderie! And I even saw hints of romance between some of those guys! The audience loved that! We haven had ratings that big since the crew from Infinite 2 went to the SCP Foundation. And that was recently!"
"I'm surprised to hear that." Don said. "But more than that, today really took it's toll on everyone. Both physically and mentally. It's probably gonna take a while for all of them to get past it. I thought you were gonna cancel the show, and I wouldn't have blamed you."
"Cancel the show?!" The boss scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous! But I agree to give everyone some time before the next challenge. And whenever you do that, give them one that's rather tame and simple. In fact, to further incentivize them, I'm gonna do something that'll really motivate them."
"Which is?"
"I'm increasing the prize money to five million…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Welcome back, everyone. The story comes back, and it comes back swinging. I'm sure to some of you, four eliminations is a bit of overkill. Bit it's to actually show off the different direction the story is taking despite what I had said before. Even if I didn't have much of anything planned for them beyond this point, they will be missed.
On top of the action, there were other cool moments to remember. Despite hating each other's guts, Draco and Barry may have a small ounce of respect for each other. And even Ryu has been bitten by the love bug for little ol' Bernie. (I knew it's explained in Infinite 3 they got together and live together, but now I get to finally show how it happens)
Speaking of which, Infinite 3 will be put on hold for right now. Until this story is completed. I want to focus on finishing this story first before I continue with 3. I had a hard time balancing two stories originally, so this was my way to compromise. Finishing this fic is my top priority, so I hope you'll all bear with me.
Well, that's about it for now. Next time, I do have a smaller scale challenge for everyone. And it's a series classic. Let me know your thoughts in the reviews, and until next time, it's good to be back.
This is MemeKing, signing off.