This is the 12th chapter. I don't own the series of One Piece.
An Inevitable Melee!
Rainbow Mist
After Ventus intervened before Rapanui makes anything worse, Zoro and Usopp restrains the young Dragoon while try to hold him back because of his bad temper and losing his patience. Neither Luffy nor Robin could blame him since Rapanui didn't give Henzo a chance to explain himself of the reason why he worked with Wetton for the past 50 years. But now at the Marine ship prison, Ian was snoring in his legs crossed since he's feeling bored after the kids left him alone because of the noise that was coming from the outside. He then heard the footsteps of Rongo and Pukau running with some items on their hands, but the former tumbled down to the floor and accidentally dropped the items.
"What are you doing?! Hurry up and pick that up!" Pukau exclaims, turned to Rongo.
"Alright, alright." Rongo grunts in annoyance as he picks up the item which Ian wokes up from the noise.
"Shut up, would you! What's with all the noise?" Ian questions curiously, earned Rongo's attention.
"They're coming for us, we're going back to Ruluka now." Rongo told him as he about to leave the prison.
"Wait, what?!" Ian exclaims shockingly. "They? Who's coming here?! Tell me! Let me out of this thing!"
"Hurry up, Rongo!" Pukau called him as Rongo left the prison cell, leaving Ian alone.
"Hey, hold on!" Ian shouts in teary eyes, earned his attention. "Please, let me out! Can't I go with you? Are you planning to leave me here, all alone?!"
Rongo was left flabbergasted and widen his eyes of Ian's pleading, but left the prison cell.
"So, you're just going to let me starve to death here?" Ian cried, then whimpers. "All you have to do is give me the key! Don't abandon me in this place!?"
"Well, yeah, okay." Rongo said when he approached him with a smile.
"Thank you, I owe you." Ian thanked him with smile, but smirks with a chuckle.
At the Going Merry, the confrontation between Rapanui and Ventus continued which the young Dragoon was still being restrained by Zoro and Usopp while Isoka and Akibi were holding their friend back before any of two start the fight. Luffy however, isn't paying any attention of this situation since he decided to have a little fun as he grabs the wooden rails.
"Gum-Gum: Rocket" Luffy stretched himself and launched himself into the air with a big grin, then vanished in the Rainbow Mist with a laugh.
While at the deck, Henzo got in the middle of the two. He was about to stop them, but Rapanui cuts him off.
"Let go of me right now, dammit!" Rapanui shouts with anger.
"Please stop this, Rapanui!" Isoka begs.
"There has to be some mistake here, Rapanui." Akibi adds. "Henzo wouldn't ever become one of Wetton's men!"
"He can't pass this off as a mistake, Akibi." Rapanui points out with a scowl. "Or don't you remember...it was Wetton who burned down Ruluka?!"
Rapanui, Isoka, Akini, and Henzo then remembered the time at Ruluka Island been burned by Wetton and his crew.
"If he's never forgotten the misery of that day, if he had remained true to Ruluka, then he died before doing anything Wetton told him too!" Rapanui shouts, grabs Henzo by the collar. "Things change in 50 years, huh?! Have you already forgotten all the pain that man put us through?! 50 years may have passed for you, old man! But for us, what happened wasn't nearly that long ago!"
Usopp had enough as he quickly approached Rapanui with a glare.
"Hold it! You're only saying that, because you don't know what's been going on all these years!" Usopp points out. "Do you have any idea at all what the Professor has been gone through out there?! What he has to deal with?! Do you?! No! I don't think you do!"
It got Rapanui flabbergasted when Usopp made some valid points about what happened at Ruluka 50 years ago.
"All of the people from Ruluka call him 'Wetton's Dog'! And all this time, they treated him horribly, but put up with all the abuse anyway, so he can keep researching the Rainbow Mist!" Usopp continued when Rapanui, Akibi, and Isoka looked Henzo, who looks down at the deck with a sad look on his face.
"But why?" Isoka asks.
"Isn't it obvious? He kept his promise on finding you and try to get all of you out of the Rainbow Mist." Ventus told calmly while Usopp walk towards the wooden railing.
"No, it's alright. I have no good excuse for what I've done, none at all!" Henzo told the young Dragoon, turns to Rapanui. "Hit me! Go on, it's what I deserve, Rapanui! I swallow my pride in order to live under Wetton's protection! So, hit me! I deserve it!"
Rapanui started clenching his fist, but hesitated to hit his friend after what Henzo has been through.
"Go on and hit me, okay!" Henzo shouts when Rapanui, who's about to punch him, but couldn't.
"Dammit, no! Why did 50 years have to pass with us, stuck here?!" Rapanui shouts in tears when both Akibi and Isoka are in tears. "And no matter how much I want to, I just can't bring myself to hit you?!"
Of course, neither of the three kids have the nerve to either shout or hit Henzo because he's been through hardships for the past 50 years, working under Wetton and researching the Rainbow Mist in order for him to find his friends and bring them back to Ruluka. The Straw Hats, except Usopp, who's in tears, can see that they're happy that Henzo still kept his promise, but shocked that he's older after the past 5 decades.
"Okay, anyone else feeling awkward here?" Zoro questions with a smirk while crossing his arms and leaning against the wooden railing, ruined the moment.
'Way to ruin the moment, idiot.' Ventus mentally thought in annoyance.
"There you see? You are still friends." Usopp said with a smile as he and Henzo approached Rapanui, turns to him. "A lot of time may have passed, but you still understand each other in the end and that's what really matters."
"Henzo!" Rapanui sobs with a sad smile.
"Rapanui!" Henzo adds with a sad smile.
But just as both Rapanui and Henzo were about to shake hands, Luffy appeared out of nowhere from the Rainbow Mist. Luffy accidentally bump into Rapanui, which it got him sent flying next to him and they're heading towards the Rainbow Mist.
"Sorry." Luffy quickly apologize as he and Rapanui vanished.
"Hey! Luffy!" Usopp called out when he and Isoka noticed Luffy and Rapanui vanished.
"Luffy! Dumbass!" Zoro muttered in annoyance.
"It shouldn't be a problem, the inside of the mist loops, remember? They'll be back here any moment now." Robin informed them with a smile, but noticed something is wrong. "Or...maybe not."
They noticed that Luffy and Rapanui aren't coming back because the Rainbow Mist is taking them somewhere else since they're no longer in the loop.
"Yeah, what now?" Ventus, Usopp, and Zoro asks in annoyance.
"Now, we look! There's no telling what could happen in this mist." Henzo informed them as they walk down to the lower deck to begin the search.
"He's more trouble than he's worth." Zoro muttered.
"You can say that again." Ventus agrees.
However, Isoka remained behind as she looks at where Luffy and Rapanui vanished.
"Please be alright." Isoka said with worry.
While at the other side of the Rainbow Mist, both Luffy and Rapanui were knocked out, landed at the gates of the mist where there are no sea and no wrecked ships. Rapanui groans as he and Luffy stand up.
"Where are we?" Luffy asks while placing the straw hat on his head.
Ruluka Island
Meanwhile at the docks, Wetton and his men panicked when they saw the Sea King at the docks. Wetton tumbled down to the ground with a grunt.
"Pick me up! Hurry!" Wetton demands as Flip and Lake helps.
Just as the Sea King opened its mouth, Caius readied his fighting stance.
"Dark Nebula" Caius' arm began to mutate into a dark gauntlet and dark pauldron, surrounded by dark aura as he leaps inside of the Sea King, delivering multiple dark slashes and slashing projectiles as the Sea King roared in pain.
The Straw Hats, Wetton, and his group dropped their jaws in shock when they saw the Reapers power. Caius then slash the head open, lands on the ground while the dead Sea King collapses down to the sea with blood spreading the sea.
"Just how strong is he?" Nami asks in shock.
"Damn, you sure took that Sea King down easily!" Sanji exclaims.
"I've dealt worse than the Sea King." Caius points out, turns to Wetton's relatives. "You."
"Me?!" Flip exclaims, points at himself.
"Tell us about the safety equipment." Caius suggested.
"It's something that Professor Henzo invented. I'll bet he specially designed it for this kind of situation." Flip quickly explains.
"Professor Henzo, I have absolutely no idea who you are, but whatever is inside, it better be worth it." Nami said, opens the crate as she noticed the lifeline. "It's a lifeline?"
Nami was confused, but thought of an idea of how to get inside of the Rainbow Mist to look for the rest of crew and get back to the island as she ties the lifeline with the Clima-Tact. She stood up with the Heat Pole and the Cool Pole together as a cross on top of the Electric Pole.
"Chopper, catch!" Nami called him, using the Cyclone Tempo move.
"But I can't catch that thing!" Chopper protests as he tried to catch it, but the Clima-Tact knocked one of Wetton's soldiers out as he grabs the line. "Wow, I've caught it! Alright!"
"Okay, I'm heading into the mist." Nami told them. "When I give you the signal, I want you to pull the rope back in!"
And with that, Nami starts rowing towards the Rainbow Mist since she's the only one with the lifeline as it extends further.
"You got it, Nami!" Chopper shouts, waving his hand. "Good luck!"
"She's certainly is a brave girl. Not a single person who's ever gone into the Rainbow Mist has come back out of it." Wetton states with a huff when Sanji blows the smoke out of his mouth.
"She'll be back, that's for sure." Sanji states with a smirk. "After all, Nami is definitely the best navigator this world has ever seen. Chopper, we're not gonna get a single person lay a finger on that rope until Nami's back, you got that?"
"Got it, Sanji." Chopper replied with a smirk.
"Alright then, let's just let the girl go for now." Wetton suggested with a smirk. "This should be interesting to see if she comes back out of the Rainbow Mist safely."
It got Caius, Sanji, and Chopper's attention when they heard Wetton snapping his finger.
"What's this?" Sanji asks with a glare.
"The Mayor is changing!" Flip informed them as the soldiers closes the curtains.
"Oh, what now?!" Sanji exclaims with his face pale as the curtains open, revealing Wetton wearing a body suit with a mecha suit called 'Flame Suit'.
"Flame Suit!" Wetton said.
"Commence fueling now!"
"Roger that! Commencing fueling!"
The group of soldiers began pumping the fuel, filling the two tanks from behind.
"Internal tank rising!"
"Safety valves release!"
"I'll burn the flesh right off your bodies!" Wetton shouts as raise one of the mechanical arms, aiming at the two Straw Hats and the Reaper as he shoots his flames at them, causing Sanji, Caius, and Chopper to dodge.
Rainbow Mist
At the gateway to Apes Concert, Luffy and Rapanui runs aimlessly while try to find a way out of the Rainbow Mist.
"Hey, wait a minute! Where are we going?" Rapanui questions with a pant, wondering if Luffy knows where they were going.
"Isn't it obvious? Back to our friends." Luffy told him with a big grin, which apparently, he has no idea where he's going.
"Are you serious? You mean you really know where they are?" Rapanui questions again.
"Nope, sure don't." Luffy answered simply, causing Rapanui to collapse down to his knees with a groan which it got his attention. "What's wrong?"
"So then...we're just blindly running around?" Rapanui inquires, looked up to Luffy.
"No, not exactly. I have a hunch, see." Luffy states with a grin, thrust his thumb at himself.
"That's the same thing as blindly running!" Rapanui points out, points his finger at Luffy with a glare. "I hope you realize that this whole mess was your fault! Why did you have to go and knock me out here with you?!"
"I'm sorry." Luffy apologizes.
"Saying 'sorry' is not going to help! Henzo and I were finally reunited as friends again and I didn't even get the chance to shake his hand." Rapanui said, looked his hand with sad look on his face. "What's more, I'll never get back to Ruluka now...ever...Dammit!"
Rapanui slams his hand against the ground which it got Luffy confused with his raised eyebrow.
"Now, I'm going to die in this mist, just like my Dad did years ago." Rapanui said as Luffy kneeled to his level.
"Your dad?" Luffy asks curiously.
"Yeah, my dad was a Marine." Rapanui explains, pulling the pendant out of his pocket. "He was an officer. When I was a little kid, he went off on a long journey to explore some unknown region of the sea. Years afterward, I was still waiting...waiting for him to come back. My dad was off, having these grand adventures at sea...that's what I believed."
Rapanui even remembered of his father sailing out to sea back at Ruluka Island when he was a child. But years went back after Rapanui and his friends were inside of the Rainbow Mist, he began searching for his father's disappearance and looking for an answer as to why didn't he return home.
"For years...but then..."
Rapanui then remembered of looking for his father, but noticed the Marine ship which it got him panicked while searching the entire ship, searching for his father.
"...I've searched the ship frantically, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find him anywhere." Rapanui continued. "So, I could tell you, we're not going to get out of here alive, we'll be stuck inside this mist forever."
Rapauni then closes the pendant with his eyes shut, gritted his teeth, and clenching his hand. Luffy began to understand why Rapanui wanted to get out of the Rainbow Mist along with his friends as he stood up, about to walk away.
"Hey, where are you going?" Rapanui asks, looking at Luffy.
"I told you, back where our friends are." Luffy told him, turns his shoulder over to him.
"But how do we do that?" Rapanui protests. "We don't even know where we are! You're just going to keep wandering around through the mist anyway?!"
"What should I do? Standing still isn't going to get us back where we need to be." Luffy points out, began to walk away as Rapanui grunts with a scowl.
While at Ape's Concert, Usopp, Zoro, and Ventus began searching for Luffy and Rapanui which they have no luck on finding them. Usopp jumps on the stone while Zoro climbs up on the rope ladder.
"Usopp, you find anything?" Zoro asks, turned to Usopp.
"No! I didn't see a sign of them anywhere." Usopp answered when Ventus lands on the ship.
"Ventus, anything?" Zoro asks.
"I have no luck on finding them here." Ventus replies, shook his head while Zoro jumps up on the ship.
"It's possible that the two of them were flung very far, enough to be beyond the mist." Henzo states with his arms crossed.
"But what's that mean?" Akibi asks desperately. "Rapanui, is he not here anymore?"
"Quite possibly." Henzo answered, leaving Isoka in teary eyes.
Robin however, is surveying the area when she noticed something at the Apes Concert, looking at the different wrecked ships.
'That galleon there is 200 years old.' Robin mentally states, looking at the wrecked galleon and then she noticed another ship. 'I've seen this ship like that before. I wonder...Is it possible that inside Apes Concert, the course of time itself is...'
"Hey! You guys!" The voice of Nami called them, making Robin snapped out of her thoughts when they saw the navigator rowing towards the Going Merry with the treasure on the dingy.
"Oh, Nami, hi." Zoro said with a blank look, turns to her.
"What do you mean, 'oh, Nami'?! Could you sound less excited?! And after I came all the way here to rescue you! How rude!" Nami shouts with a glare, placing her hands on her hips.
'Could've fooled me.' Ventus mentally thought with deadpan expression.
"Oh yeah, you do seem terribly broken up about it." Usopp said sarcastically as Nami climb up on the rope ladder.
"Don't mind me." Nami grunts as she's at the deck of the ship when she noticed the group of kids and Henzo. "Hey, uh, who are all these children anyway? And where did Luffy ran off to this time?"
Apparently, the respond went silent when Isoka and Akibi looked at her with sad look on their faces. Henzo didn't know how to explain to her since she wasn't there in the Rainbow Mist.
"You all look kind of upset." Nami said. "What happened?"
"Well, he...went beyond the mist." Usopp told her sadly, leaving her confused. "Like I said, they're not here anymore and we can't find them, either."
"What's this jibber-jabber?" Nami questioned skeptically, then turns to Zoro.
"Exactly what he said." Zoro points out seriously, turns to Nami. "You weren't there, so there's no real way to explain it to you, but they've gone beyond the mist."
"Okay." Nami replied with a ponder, but thought of an idea. "We'll withdraw."
It got Zoro and Usopp flabbergasted.
"Are you crazy?!" Zoro shouts, turns to Nami.
"Have you forgotten about Luffy?!" Usopp adds.
"She's right." Ventus told them, earned their attention. "Because of Luffy's stupidity and got Rapanui into this in the first place, waiting for them is pointless right now. Besides, Luffy will find his way out of the mist. Then again, this is Luffy we're talking about."
They can tell that the young Dragoon made a valid point about Luffy since he did got himself into the situation, which it's not the first time.
"Anyway, Nami, since you got here in Apes Concert, do you know a way to get out?" Ventus inquires, turns to the navigator.
"Kind of, yeah." Nami replied, showing the lifeline to them.
"It's a rope? Ah, come on!" Usopp complains.
"So, you're the one who came from Ruluka, huh?" The voice of Ian snarled, earned their attention as he revealed himself at the deck with Rongo around his arm, holding him hostage.
"Ian!?" Isoka exclaims in horror.
"And he's who?" Zoro inquires with his arms crossed.
"He's a Wetton crony." Akibi told him.
"One of Wetton's men, huh?" Usopp guessed, turns to Akibi. "So, what's he doing here?"
"If I have to guess, I'd say he was brought along inside of the Rainbow Mist with those kids." Ventus states seriously.
Ian then leaps off of the Marine ship, lands on the Going Merry.
"Why don't you hand that rope over to me, girly?" Ian demands, points at the lifeline.
"But why?" Nami asks, grabs hold of the lifeline. "If you're looking for a way to get yourself out of the Rainbow Mist, then you can just come with us."
"Don't you care what happens to this little boy?" Ian questions, pointed his pistol at Rongo which it got him panicked.
"Why should I?" Nami counters as Usopp dropped his jaws with his face pale.
"Really?!" Ian exclaims shockingly.
"I don't know who he is, anyway!" Nami remarked. "And I'm not really nice enough to help out some little kid who I never have seen before?!"
"But I don't take kindly to anyone who preys on the weak." Ventus growls in a dragonic tone, grabs Ian from behind as he applied to pressure. "Either you let the boy go, or I'll crush your shoulder like a toothpick!?"
Ian began to widen his eyes when he notices the look on the young Dragoon's face. He can tell that Ventus had a killing intent aura and with the dragon background behind him, telling him to let Rongo go, or he'll kill him. With Ian got the message, he slowly puts Rongo down to the deck. Rongo then ran towards Isoka and Akibi while Ventus lets go of him.
"Damn! You really got a mean hand here!" Ian growled, but panicked when he saw Ventus' dragon talon.
"And I can do worse if you don't tell us why you want that lifeline!?" Ventus snarled when his eyes turned into a dragon.
"I only want to get out of the mist! That's all! I just don't want to be stuck out here forever!?" Ian told him in fright. "I've been putting up with those brats, after what I've done for them and this is the thanks I get! They even drag me into prison and I've been there ever since!"
"You still don't get it, do you?!" Isoka retorted with a scowl. "You treated us like we're nothing to you! You even toss Rongo when he's about to get eaten by the Sea King!?"
"Not mention you're always running that mouth of yours and you think about anyone but yourself!" Akibi adds.
"Hm...I guess I've got my work cut out for me, do I?" Ventus asks with a smirk, showing his dragon teeth which Ian began to panic with his face pale.
Ruluka Island
Meanwhile, Sanji, Caius, and Chopper are getting ready to run when Wetton's soldiers continued pumping the fuel on the tanks.
"Now it's time...to burn!" Wetton said, shooting the flames at the three.
Chopper and Sanji were able to dodge while Caius turns himself into dark fog and made Wetton missed. Chopper hid himself against the wall, but not with his ass burned along with his shorts.
'It's no use! I can't get away from him like this!' Chopper mentally exclaims as he pulls out his 'Rumble Ball'. "Rumble Ball"
Chopper then bites the 'Rumble Ball', then charges after Wetton while change his form into a 'Jumping Point'. Wetton shooting flames, but Chopper jumps in the air.
"Lake! Get him!" Wetton shouts, however...
"Infernal Slice" Caius appeared from behind as he slices Lake's mechanical arms.
"What?! Not again!" Lake shouts in panic.
"Guillotine" Caius then delivers a dark slash projectiles in between Lake and Wetton, sent both of the flying.
"Table Manner Kick Course" Sanji then delivers a strong kick right at Wetton's torso, sent him flying into the air.
"And for the final touch: Concasse" Sanji then leaps high into the air and starts flipping rapidly to gain speed, brings his heel down of his foot down on Wetton's head.
With Sanji's sheer kick, Wetton descents rapidly as he crashes down against the ground with his armor broken into pieces and knocked out.
"Damn you! Don't think we'll let you get away with that!?" Flip yelled angrily as he aims his bazooka at them.
"Heavy Gong" Chopper changes into a 'Heavy Point', delivers a punch in the face as Flip was sent flying and crashed against the gates.
Wetton's soldiers were shocked when they saw Wetton, Lake, and Flip were defeated by two Straw Hat pirates and the Reaper of Ul'dah. They were about to get ready for the fight when Chopper's arm is being pulled which it got his attention.
"Guys, the rope!" Chopper called them. "It's pulling!"
"Then that means Nami must've brought our crew and heading back here from the mist." Sanji states seriously. "Alright, pull her back to shore."
"Right!" Chopper replied as he pulls the lifeline.
Soon as Chopper began pulling the lifeline from the Rainbow Mist, both Sanji and Caius readied their fighting stance in case Wetton, Lake, Flip, or the group of soldiers are planning to get in the reindeers way. But just as Chopper continued pulling the rope, they noticed the beaten and battered Ian being tied into a rope along with a cloth tied around his mouth.
"Huh?! Who the hell is that?!" Sanji exclaims in shock. "And where's Nami?!"
Caius however, also notice the message that was sticking on Ian's chest as he grabs it and reading the message.
"It seems Nami was able to find your crew along with Professor Henzo, but she didn't find Luffy." Caius informed them.
"And by the look of this guy, Ventus did a number on him." Sanji states. "Guess he pissed him off the wrong way. Just who is he anyway?"
"His name is Ian, one of Wetton's crew." Caius replies. "Seems he too was the victim who remained inside of the mist for 50 years."
It got Wetton's attention when the Reaper mentioned Ian's name as he stood up.
"So, Ian's his name?" Wetton inquires surprisingly. "Really? The same Ian who served under me?"
"Great, he's still here. What a pain!" Sanji said in annoyance, but Caius grabs Ian as he took the cloth out of his mouth.
"You seem to have a bit of snag in this situation, wouldn't you say?" Caius said with a smirk. "Or yet, you made Prince Ventus angry, you paid the price for getting beaten from him."
Ian was about to speak, but noticed the killing intent aura from the Reaper and noticed the grim reaper from behind him. It got Ian panicked when he saw 'Death' as Caius turns to Wetton.
"Now tell us, how do we get to Rainbow Mist?" Caius suggested.
Rainbow Mist
Meanwhile back at the Apes Concert, Henzo, the kids, and the Straw Hat pirates remained at the Going Merry after the young Dragoon gave Ian a beating and deliver the message to Sanji and Chopper, hoping they got it since the dingy won't be enough to get them out of the Rainbow Mist. Henzo was having no luck on trying to get the Transponder Snail working again since the last time it responded, but only temporarily.
"Well?" Akibi inquires.
"It's no use." Henzo answered. "When we were able to get a signal from outside and make contact, it must've been temporary thing."
"Well, let's hope Sanji and Chopper got the message." Ventus said with a sigh. "But knowing them, they're probably wondering what kept Nami so long."
Both Rongo and Isoka were looking at the treasure, but she noticed a pendant.
"Hey, what is that?" Isoka asks, showing the pendant to them.
"It's a Sea Prism Stone." Robin explains. "It's a sea crystal that a unique power to cancel out anyone with Devil Fruit powers."
"What's the point of having so much beautiful treasure if we can't even take it outside of this stupid mist with us?!" Nami shouts with a glare.
"That boat you're in won't even fit for us to get out of the mist." Ventus points out seriously. "With Luffy and Rapanui are out there somewhere, not only that we don't where they could have gone, we're gonna be stuck here without help or options."
"Besides, you're the navigator, aren't you? Can't you do something about it?" Usopp questions with a shrug, leaned against the main mast.
"Nope! This absurd area of the sea is first for me!" Nami remarked, looking at the jewelry.
"We're out of options." Zoro states with his arms crossed.
"Not really. I guarantee, they'll be coming here." Henzo informed them.
"What for?!" Usopp exclaims which it got their attention as they turned to Henzo.
"Wetton's ultimate goal has always been to get all of the treasure out of Apes Concert for himself, and now that his man, Ian has returned alive, he'll be putting together a large force and charging into the mist very soon." Henzo explains, much to Nami's dismay.
"You've gotta be kidding me!?" Nami shouts. "Then we'll fight! I'm not handing over this treasure to anyone!?"
"I wish...Rapanui was back here with us..." Rongo said sadly.
While at the gateways to Rainbow Mist, both Luffy and Rapanui continued to walk around aimlessly which they're getting exhausted from all that running. Rapanui began to collapse down when Luffy stops walking.
"Hey, come on, you have to get up now, 'kay?" Luffy told him as Rapanui sat up.
Rapanui even remembered that he, Akibi, Pukau, Rongo, and Isoka kept trying to get out of the Rainbow Mist, but no matter how much they tried, they always wounded up back where they started. However, Rapanui came up with the idea that they won't have to go back to Ruluka Island because the Rainbow Mist is their own paradise and to make a land on their own.
"Only now, I really want to go home, back to Ruluka. That's home." Rapanui said sadly.
Suddenly, the image of a Marine ship appeared in front of Rapanui as he looked up and saw his father waving at him.
"Is that...?" Rapanui said. "Dad...Dad!"
Just as Rapanui stands up and raises his arms, the ship disappears as the light flashes in front of him and Luffy.
"What's that light there?!" Rapanui exclaims shockingly when Luffy stood up.
"Wha-It looks like..." Luffy said.
"...an exit!" Rapanui finishes his sentence as he and Luffy ran towards the light.
Ruluka Island
Back in Ruluka Island, Caius, Sanji, and Chopper were hiding somewhere inside one of the buildings when Wetton, Flip, Lake, Ian, and the group of soldiers were chasing after them. They thought that they're heading to the Rainbow Tower, but apparently, Sanji, Chopper, and Caius were hidden inside of one of the buildings as they watch the soldiers running towards the tower.
"Looks like we give them the slip." Sanji said. "Are you sure we're not gonna go in there? I mean, they know where they are."
"Positive." Caius replied, wiping the blood off his scythe. "While it's true we can beat them easily, but sometimes it's best that we save the energy when we get in the Rainbow Tower."
Sanji responded with a nod as he turns to the window, lighting his cigarette.
"But still, these guys aren't even a match against us. Not to mention they're a bunch of idiots, thinking we're after the treasure since we're not." Sanji states with a serious expression, puffing the smoke out of his mouth. "We even made a promise to Nami that we get her out of the mist."
"I'm afraid the plans changed since Ventus gave us the message, well, mostly the both of you. He's only sending Ian as a present to Wetton and a warning for him to leave or be ready for a fight." Caius told him. "But it seems Wetton won't take that warning and decided to head toward the Rainbow Tower."
"Well, if that's what it is, then I guess Wetton and his men are about to be in for a hectic fight." Chopper states. "Because Luffy, Zoro, and Ventus are pretty strong."
"Yes, but Wetton has tricks under his sleeve if things didn't go his way." Caius replied. "Since we're safe for the moment, we should head towards the Rainbow Tower."
And with that, Sanji, Chopper, and Caius ran out of the building as they head towards the Rainbow Tower.
At the Rainbow Tower, Wetton and his group are starting to prepare for the tower since they now know what was inside of the Rainbow Mist.
"Finally, after 50 years of waiting and working, my plan will be completed at last. The Rainbow Mist and this world will be joined together, forever!" Wetton said with a smirk as he laughed.
Soon as the cloak flew away from the tower, the ladders were destroyed as the Rainbow Tower tumbles down into the sea, making the wave heading towards the mist.
"Hey, what's happening!?" Luffy and Rapanui exclaims when they noticed the wave is heading towards them as the two were swept away from the Rainbow Mist and into the sea.
The Rainbow Tower extends the length of the pillar and heading straight towards the Rainbow Mist.
It also got the Straw Hats, Henzo, and the kids attention when the ship was shaking from the waves as they're holding on to something, but the Rainbow Tower stops.
"What the hell is that?!" Zoro demands when they turned to the Rainbow Tower.
"It's the...Rainbow Tower!?" Henzo exclaims in horror.
Both Rapanui and Luffy merged out of the sea, grabbing hold of the plank.
"That was a close one!" Luffy groans as Rapanui extends the straw hat to him.
"Here's your hat." Rapanui said.
"Thank you." Luffy thanked him, placing his straw hat on his head as he and Rapanui looked at the Rainbow Tower. "By the way, what is that thing over?"
"I guess it's what they're planning to use to invade Apes Concert." Rapanui replied.
"What do you mean by they?" Luffy asks again.
"Never mind that now! We have to get going, everyone's in danger." Rapanui told him as they swam towards the Rainbow Tower.
Rainbow Mist
The top of the Rainbow Tower that shaped like a pumpkin began to open the hatch, revealing a tunnel which Henzo knows exactly what Wetton is planning.
"So, Wetton, you finally some." Henzo muttered with a serious glare.
"Get going! Faster now!" Wetton ordered as the group of soldiers are on the boats, sailing out of the tunnel and towards the Apes Concert. "Take every last bit of it, all of Apes Concerts treasure!"
While the group of soldiers were heading down to the sea and sailing into the Apes Concert to search for treasure, Wetton smirks with a sinister laugh. The Straw Hats are about to be in for a fight against Wetton and his men.
That's it for the 12th chapter.