Chapter 20: Deception
"Why me!?" Usopp complained as he followed behind the two brothers.
Sabo grinned as they approached the first rebel encampment. "Nami stated you had better skills that could help us."
"Plus she didn't want to leave the pretty princess alone in Sanji's presence." Ace counter before chuckling. "Although I think Princess Vivi could have handled Sanji easily."
"You're telling me." Usopp agreed. "She surprised us with that attack on Luffy. Though I think Luffy let her attack him." The two brothers shared a look. So Usopp noticed.
"He was allowing her vent." Sabo assured the young man. "She's been holding back."
"I do agree with Lu though." Ace spoke as they stopped by an abandoned house. "If she thinks everyone is going to survive this without getting hurt or somebody dying, she delusional."
"Doesn't mean we can't try out damnest to ensure everyone comes out of it safely." Usopp stated as peered at the encampment. "So what's the plan?"
"We walk in. I do the talking." Sabo stated as he tipped his hat forward to protect his eyes from the sun, Ace copying the action.
"Wouldn't have it any other way." Usopp mumbled as he followed quietly behind them.
"Has Ace checked in lately?" Izou's voice echoed as he and his two companions walked through a cavernous tunnel. A week ago this tunnel had appeared outside of the Pop's old hometown on Sphinx Island, the Mayor contacted them immediately.
Marco turned to look behind himself at his brother. "What do you think, yoi?" He stated sounding a bit annoyed.
"I think our youngest brother is off being his freest self." Thatch stated with a crooked grin as he walked passed Marco. "Though, I think Firecracker found his younger brother and is having fun with him." He looked upwards as they came to a huge cavern. "Whoa." His eyes began scanning the ceiling of the cave. "Is it me or does the ceiling look like swiss cheese?"
Both brothers looked up as well. "You've spoken to Ace, haven't you?" Izou inquired as he looked back at his brother.
The grin on the cooks face said it all. "Hey it's not my fault our baby bro likes to check in on me."
Both men narrowed their eyes at him. "You're still playing the poor me card with him?" Marco inquired causing his brother to begin backing away from him.
"Well.." Thatch chuckled. "he's just checking in to make sure the new metal arm is working out." He flexed the metal limb. "Still got to thank him for introducing me to those guys in Water 7." He turned his attention back to the ceiling of the cave. "I think we may have a problem here though."
Izou looked up again. "The holes in the ceiling are they what's worrying you?"
"Yeah." He said looking back at them. "Back on my home island caves began popping up under a town twenty miles from my hometown. Six months later a huge sinkhole appeared where the caves were."
"And the town?" Marco asked having a sinking feeling.
"Destroyed." Thatch stated grimly. "Nobody survived. They were pulled under when the sinkhole appeared. In a single night a hundred and sixty people died." His brothers paled. "The caves looked like this. I remembered how they reminded me of swiss cheese back then."
"What caused this, yoi?" Marco's question caused his brother to shrug.
"I don't know." Thatch answered truthfully. "But we need to move the town, asap." Marco nodded in agreement.
The three brothers turned and left the cave without noticing the slight rumbling sound coming from deeper within the cave. Deeper inside the cave, had they continued, the brothers would have found a river of hot boiling water which was turning the ground into swiss cheese as it surged forward destroying everything it touched. If it continued to move as it was the entire island would soon become destabilized and sink. Only one island out of thousands that would soon share that fate.
Ace's eyes narrowed as he starred at the giant lizard that was standing guard outside the rebel camp. Sabo and Usopp had gone on ahead leaving him outside with instructions "not to do anything obviously pirate-y". His eyebrows twitched as his fingers heated up. The lizard looked good to eat.
"Are you with the revolutionaries too?" Came a voice behind him, Ace quickly doused the flame forming in his palm.
Turning around Ace looked at the young man. He seemed too young to be apart of any type of movement, let alone rebelling against the King of his nation. Just how young are these people anyway? Is this really the fault of the king? Something here just isn't sitting right. "Yeah. I'm keeping watch."
"We have guards doing that." Assured the kid.
"I'm sure you do." Ace stated as he noticed something on the horizon. It looked like a sand twister, but the energy inside told him otherwise. It looked like two individuals, one a woman with multiple hands whipping around her causing a tornado like appearance. "Yet there are things those guards of yours can't see or won't be able to fight quick enough." He nodded towards the whirlwind that was vanishing into the distance. "That wasn't natural. It was created by a devil fruit user. Your camp is being watched."
The boys eyes widened in horror. "I'll go tell our leader." As the kid ran off, Ace wondered if that person was apart of the royal army or Crocodiles invaders.
"I hope we are not too late to stop this." Ace muttered to no one but himself. "Otherwise this is going to be a slaughter."
Luffy glared at the man before him. Crocodile. The slick black hair, scar across the bridge of his nose and cigar hanging on the side of his mouth. Something seemed off about this guy. He couldn't put his finger on it. The fact he was wearing a freaking fur coat in the middle of the desert was really screaming at Luffy that something really was off.
Luffy tipped his head to the side, crossed his arms over his chest and proceeded to watch Vivi yell. Crocodile had snatched her from their new ride through the desert. A freaking giant crab! His eyes turned towards the woman next to Crocodile. He hadn't noticed that she was there until now. Luffy really wanted to fight this guy. He knew that Sabo would be upset if he attacked without knowing more about how this guy fought, but he was going to cause trouble soon. Luffy could see it in the guy, the way he stood just screamed it.
Does this guy have haki? He wondered unable to get a good read on him. I can't feel hardly anything from him. He thought as he pushed his hat up a bit to reveal his eyes. He needed to make his hits count. He also didn't want to reveal too much to this guy. Armament? Coating his fist only in haki might allow him to keep it to himself that he has haki. He needs to find out how strong, or how much of a threat, this guy is. He crew wasn't going to like this. He was going to have to get hurt in order find out.
"Vivi!" he yelled out pathetically. He always made it look like he was weak in order to make his enemies let down their guard. It was something Sabo had taught him during his training.
The man began laughing at him. "You called my name, Strawhat?"
Pulling his punch, Luffy hit the man with a less than effective hit. He needed to see this guy's strength. Sand dispersed where the man's head had been. "Take that Crocodile!" A devil fruit user. He thought. Perfect! This meant he could go full out on this guy, eventually.
Zoro grasped his weapon. "So this is the Warlord Crocodile?" He asked nobody in particular. "Be careful Luffy."
"Now that's not nice." Crocodile chided.
Suddenly fire fell from the sky, hitting the man below and causing sand whip around them furiously when a huge bird swooped down and grasped Princess Vivi. "Vivi, what are you doing here!?" The bird man inquired.
"Pell, it's you!" She yelled excitedly.
Good. She knows that guy. Luffy thought. Just then the woman that had been near Crocodile smiled. This was when hands began coming out and around the bird man Pell causing him to drop Vivi and fall.
The bird turned man cursed. "Damn you!" He charged Crocodile only to be caught by those hands again. "Clutch!" The woman yelled out causing the man to bed over backwards and drop his sword from his hand. "Not even the greatest warrior in the kingdom is anything special."
"Anybody know who that is?" Zoro inquired.
Sanji breathed out from his cigarette. "Nobody we want to mess with." He stated coolly.
"This is all so pointless." Crocodile stated. "Considering the party has already begun." He laughed evilly. "Wouldn't you agree with me, Miss All Sunday?"
As she looked at him, Luffy could tell that she had her own plans being put in place. "I would." she agreed.
Crocodile sneared at Princess Vivi "Using the weapons from the armory ships that I sent into Nanohana, the rebel army has launched an all out attack and the royal army intends to fight back with furious resolve." Princess Vivi looked at Crocodile with horror in her eyes. "It's heartbreaking but almost poetic." he chuckled with evil intent. "The love for the kingdom will be what destroys the kingdom." His laughter grew with intensity.
Luffy and his group could not believe it, this guy truly was evil. But how were they going to stop him? Obviously, he had a devil fruit, one that could protect him from Luffy's gum, gum, fruit and that woman, Miss All Sunday, was somebody they could not fight without knowing how to defeat her first.
"He's evil." Nami gasped.
"He embodies the word fiend like no one else that I've ever met." Sanji groaned.
"Hey where did Luffy go?" Nami asked with panic as she just noticed that their captain was missing.
Then they all looked up as a shadow in the sky appeared and saw Luffy falling from downwards and landing in front of Princess Vivi. Stretching his arm multiple times around her and Pell, Luffy yelled out "Zorro, catch!" and threw both Princess Vivi and the man at his friend.
Zorro gasped as he suddenly had Princess Vivi being projectiled towards him. Having no time to actually catch her, he resigned to his fate as the young princess crashed into him. One day I'm going to kill him. Zorro thought as Pell landed in heap near him.
"You guys go on without me! I can handle this loser by myself!" Luffy yelled causing
"Oh?" Crocodile stated, obviously not believing this young man. This could be interesting. He thought not realizing how right he was. "Is that so?"
"Get going!" Luffy yelled. Trying to protect his friends and keep this guy's attention on him instead of them.
"Chopper tell your friend to step on it and get going!" Sanji yelled at the reindeer.
"Right!" he squeaked panicking, fear rising within his little body.
Crocodile snarled at them. "Do you really think I'll let you go that easily?"
Luffy glared at the man as the giant crab began to run away. "You don't get it do you? I'm your target now, not them." A wide D grin forming on his face as he released one of his secret weapons, something even Sabo had not seen yet. His conqueror haki flashed causing Crocodile to stumble backwards slightly.
Crocodile's cigar fell from his mouth as he stared at the youth before him. He has that?! he thought, astonished that such a child would have that power. Impossible! "You little brat. You're going to regret that."
"They actually escaped." Miss All Sunday was impressed. But I don't think their captain will. She thought grimly.
"Gomu, Gomu, pistol!" Luffy yelled out as he coded his arm with armament haki. Instead of his fist going through crocodiles face, it made actual skin on contact with him. The attack threw Crocodile off his feet towards Miss All Sunday. The unexpected attack and skin on skin contact dazed Crocodile for a moment. It made him remember his rookie days when he would fight the likes of Edward Newgate and Roger. This kid truly knew haki.
A wide grin forming on his own face , it had been years since Crocodile had, had a true fight. He could feel the blood pumping faster in his veins. He was truly excited for what this child could show him. However, he did not have the time to get a true fight out of him. He had other things to attend to. So quickly and swiftly, he surrounded the young man with a whirlwind of heat and sand. Hoping to end this quickly.
Unfortunately, for Crocodile, when the sand and dust settled, Luffy was still standing his armament haki coating his entire body, which protected him from the swirling sands. His arms were outstretched as he readied for another attack from the warlord Crocodile. "Is that all you have?" Luffy taunted.
Crocodile could feel his eyebrow twitch at this taunt. How dare this kid, this child taunt me! Anger surge through him. He would kill this boy!
Miss All Sunday could see potential in the small captain. Perhaps this one would be different. Perhaps he could help me? Thinking quickly just as Crocodile sent another whirlwind at the boy, using her devil fruit, she pulled the boy under the sands as deeply as she humanly could without killing him. If at all possible, she needed to use this boy. Perhaps I will use him as a tool? Perhaps as another way of an escape. She did not know, only knew that she would need him later.
"Congratulations he's gone!" She congratulated crocodile.
"Tch!" An annoyed sound came from his lips. "He escaped." he growled at her. " I want him found!" With those words, he created another twister and left.
Luffy's head popped out of the sand at that moment. "You helped me, why?" He asked has he eyed her suspiciously.
Miss All Sunday smiled softly and looked at him as if in deep thought. "I have my reasons." She assured him before leaving as well.
Luffy blinked in confusion. "You could've pulled me out before you left!" he groused as a frown appeared upon his face and he had to dig himself out of the sand. "Now way did my friends go?" he wondered once he got himself out. "Oh well, I'll just figure it out." he grinned to himself and began walking in the opposite direction that his friends truly went.
M-Angel: I am sincerely sorry for the long wait on this. I know Monday was my last update on the story but a lot has happened since then. Life got hectic this week, so I made the chapter a bit longer than normal. Also, I have decided to extend the chapter count from 25 to 35 as I have a few surprises that I'm going to be bringing into this. I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!
Kharaki Taken - Yes it is. I've seen the new ones of Kaidou and Big Mom, they're funny too. Any way, thanks for reading!