Hello, all! Welcome to a long-awaited chapter of Coby's Choice! Something very important happens in this chapter and I am going to create a poll so you fine folks can affect how that important thing turns out! You'll see what I mean after you read. That poll will remain open for two weeks to give everyone enough time to consider their answer while I work on the rest of the next chapter unaffected since we have five different groups for the most part.
Anyway, thank you to all of you: Andrew Bohl, Animephilosopher1, Ankhseram123, anony, Ant Franklin, Cam Bliss, Claude Walker, Cordell Sanders, Cory Johnston, Darko129, David, Daemon Targaryen, David Bowling, David Reynolds, Emi Stafford, Eugene Malone Jr., EvilJelly, Fenrir ragnarok, Garvin Lee Nelson-Mathlin, GODA98, Immagenius, Inucbus, JEP1010, Jkat, John Mekjian, Jonathan Moh, Joseph Baty, Joseph Cheung, Joseph Morrison, Joseph Vargas, Joshua Groves, Quinton Huffstletier, Karen Carrillo, Kcx1, kevin Calderon, Korakas, Lamont Hale, MAEGHT Maxime, Marielle Orff, Matt Walther, Matthew Burley, McBanjo, Mcgin28, Michael Enqvist, Milagros Peres Davila, Milla, Neridian, Powerful Loki, Quinton Huffstetler, Rafael Cardenas, ReactedLyric, Richard Barkley, Riley Bolerjack, Ryuu, Sasha, Siddiq Morris, TheWolfThatExist, Thomas Sanders, Tom Peissig, and ViewtifulSoul!
Chapter 66:
Friends, Foes, and Fruits
"Okay, so—" Usopp began as Doflamingo's announcement faded only for the long-nosed sniper to nearly be knocked off his feet by the blast of Conqueror's Haki. He wasn't alone, Kin'emon falling to a knee and Chopper seemingly forgetting how to breathe. Ahead of them, the blockade of marines surrounding the Colosseum had taken the full brunt of the pirate captain's Spirit, over half of them slumped over foaming at the mouth.
"Well, that makes things both easier and harder," Sanji commented around his cigarette, apparently unaffected. "On one hand, we could take those marines pretty easily now. On the other, I think they know Luffy's in there."
"Probably not for long," Kaku theorized. "If I know Straw Hat as well as I like to think I do, he'll shoot out of that place like a cat on fire."
"How does…" Kin'emon blinked, considering the phrase. "I suppose I understand what you mean. How odd. Cats on fire do move quickly."
"You say that like you've super seen literal cats on literal fire before," Franky commented.
"Well, you see, one of the Red Scabbards—"
Something crashed within the Colosseum, throwing up a small cloud of brown dust.
"What was that‽" one of the marine higher-ups cried.
"Wait, what happened to the bird lady and her sister?" Chopper realized. The announcement had caused them to pause too long, losing sight of the green-haired and winged woman.
"I think Luffy happened to her," Sanji breathed with a twitch of his eye. "I want to blame him, but I don't think I can."
"What about the one that summons toys?" Kin'emon questioned. "What of her?"
"She's moving downward," the cook reported. "It seems she was dropped off at a side entrance around the left side of the Colosseum. Luffy's Haki caught her by surprise, but she resisted pretty well. Maybe she's used to Doflamingo's."
"You think Doflamingo has Conqueror's?" Usopp asked.
"As a Warlord in the New World, I'd be surprised if he doesn't."
"Then it sounds like we super need to split up," Franky nodded. "We don't have much time to decide if we want to move before they recover from Luffy's Haki."
"Kaku and I will go," Sanji said. "We can use Sky Walk—"
"It's actually Moonwalk," Kaku interrupted.
"Sky Walk," the chef reiterated, "to fly up and over the marines outside. The rest of you can follow the girl underground and find out what she's up to. It can't be good."
"She's just a little girl," Usopp said. "We'll take care of it in no time flat."
"Yeah!" Chopper agreed. "No problem!"
"I pray we find Kanjuro there," Kin'emon nodded.
"Then we have our plan," Sanji breathed, lighting a fresh cigarette. "You ready, Kaku?"
"Ready as a camel come Wednesday," the former agent replied. The pair took to the air, kicking their ways up and over the walls of the Colosseum.
"…What does that even mean?" Usopp questioned. "A camel come Wednesday? Those things aren't connected."
"Maybe we can ask Eyelash at some point," Chopper suggested. "It'd be great to see Vivi, too."
"Uh, what?" Franky blinked. "I'm super confused."
"Let us make haste to our destination!" Kin'emon urged. He forged ahead, curving left around the recovering marines. Unfortunately, they had the entire structure surrounded. "Sanji-dono said she utilized a side entrance, but not which one nor how to access it."
"I doubt she used one of the normal ones," Usopp commented, rubbing his chin. "He said she was going down, right?"
"Yeah?" Franky replied. "Why?"
"Well, I just might have something that can help." Usopp dug through his pack, looking for something specific. He grinned, pulling out a seed. "I haven't had an excuse to use this one yet. I call it the Opening Flower." He loaded it into Kabuto's pouch, pulling it back as he calculated his desired trajectory. "Special Attack: Opening Flower Portal."
The seed arced over the marines' heads, the soldiers ignorant of the projectile as it bounced against one of the Colosseum walls and came to rest in a crack between two floor tiles. The seed sprouted instantly, carving away stone in a circle until its flora became a ring six feet in diameter, the center empty. The plant also burrowed downward until the stone gave way to open air in a passageway below, revealing the underground network. Usopp grinned.
"When you don't know how to find the door," he said, "make your own."
"That was so cool, Usopp!" Chopper praised, stars in his eyes. The sniper preened, rubbing his long nose.
"Time to go!" Franky decided, rolling forward on his tank treads. His metal body mowed through the confused marines, Kin'emon, Usopp, and Chopper following in his wake until the four of them dove into the hole. Marines yelled behind them, but they were too focused on their destination the worry about that.
The underground passageways were metal, the walls, ceiling, and floor all the same sterile grey. Guessing their end goal was probably under the Colosseum based on the entrance, Franky charged ahead, following the downward-sloping floor.
Surprisingly, they did not catch up to Sugar, much as Usopp, Chopper, and Kin'emon expected to. They did, however, come upon an opening that showed an even larger area below. The room was cluttered, broken and immobile toys scattered across its flooring barely visible in the dim light. What surprised them, however, were the humans that had been dumped there, most of them seemingly accepting that there was nothing they could do in the moment.
As they watched, however, a beautiful blond man and his injured white horse approached an aged fighter sitting upon a mound of scrap. The helmeted man turned slightly, just enough that se could see the approaching pirate.
"Pardon, old man," Cavendish of the White Horse said. "This may not be my place to say, but I feel something is different about you. They call me the Pirate Prince, and I like the think I can sense other royalty. Tell me, do you come from such a bloodline?"
"What a foolish question," the man replied in a sad voice. "This country recognizes none but Doflamingo as king."
"Could…?" one of the countless bruised gladiators questioned, a twinge of hope coming to his voice. "Could it be?"
"Could what be?" Boo asked, looking around at his fellow confused foreigners. "I don't understand. What's the big deal here?"
"Are you…?" another swallowed. "Are you our king?"
"King Riku?" another whispered, tears building in his eyes. "Please, say it's true."
"…I suppose there is no reason to hide it now," the helmeted fighter sighed. His hands rose, lifting the helmet from his head. He was old, white hair pronouncing his age. "I am Riko Doldo III, but there is no reason to call me king anymore. I am but an old failure, unable to even protect my granddaughter."
"We've waited so long," the first gladiator cried as the foreigners processed this. He stepped forward, bowing to the man. "I served in your army, My Lord. We'd hoped and prayed you were still alive."
The rest of the locals mirrored the action, professing their own loyalty. Around them, toys still together enough to function rose out of the refuse, bowing with the humans to their king.
"What the hell?" Kelly Funk questioned. "Well, you don't see that every day."
"Wait a second," Suleiman 'the Beheader' blinked. "I thought King Riku went mad and started killing people right before he was dethroned."
"We could never believe such a thing," a gladiator denied. "Doflamingo's appearance aligned too well for such an event to be natural."
"Well then," Jean Ango muttered. "I feel we've just learned something Doflamingo wants to keep hidden."
"Not like we can do anything with it down here," Suleiman grumbled. He turned to a tall, sulking blond near the edge of the room. "Hey, Hyena. You've got a jumping power, right? Why don't you get us out of here?"
"What's the point?" the man sighed, dejected. "We're nothing to Doflamingo anyway."
"This seems to be a prison of some sort," Usopp whispered. "Do you think Kanjuro's down there?"
"Kanjuro!" Kin'emon called, completely forgetting the advantages, or even the meaning, of the word 'stealth', every eye in and out of the pit turning to his voice. "Kanjuro, my friend! Are you down there‽"
"Shut up!" Usopp and Chopper yelled, equally as loud. "You'll give us away!"
"Who goes there?" Cavendish demanded, grabbing the hilt of his sword. "Show yourself!"
"Kanjuro, answer me! Are you there‽"
Several seconds of confused silence passed before a low snoring made itself known, the sound having been only ambiance lost in the sad room. Said snoring came to an abrupt halt, whomever it belonged to yawning. A section of wall shifted, revealing a colorful man with bright red hair and a white-make-up-painted face in a horrid kimono. He stretched, picking up a sheathed sword with the bristles of a large paintbrush at the end.
"There was someone there‽" nearly every person in the room gaped.
"Kanjuro!" Kin'emon cried, faulting into the hole before any of the pirates could stop him. He landed on the floor with a surprisingly-little amount of sound, rushing to the colorful figure where he pulled the man into a hug. "Kanjuro, how I have missed you!"
"Kin?" the man blinked, returning the hug with a pat on the man's back. "Kin'emon, how goes it? Is Momonosuke safe?"
"As safe as can be, my friend," Kin'emon confirmed, wiping tears from his eyes. "Let us retreat from this place. There is much to be done this day."
"I'm so confused," Suleiman muttered. "Who are you freaks? How are we supposed to get out of here?"
"My companions!" Kin'emon declared. "They shall find a method by which we may escape."
"We should leave him," Usopp grumbled.
"Yeah, yeah," Chopper agreed, nodding.
"You know we super can't do that," Franky admonished. "Usopp, find a plant to help get those guys out. Maybe they can help us beat—"
Before Usopp could do so, a dart connected to a chain shot downward from another hole, spearing Kin'emon through the shoulder. He cried out in pain before the chain pulled taught, dragging him upward. He screamed. Within moments, he vanished into another hole.
"Kin'emon!" Kanjuro gasped, reaching for his sword.
"Where did he—?" Riku gasped.
"We—!" Usopp blinked. "…So that's the guy Momonosuke wanted us to find? Alright, let's get him out. And the king too, I suppose."
"Betrayal!" someone yelled from the ship. "They take our money then destroyed the Fruits!"
Chaos erupted just as Zoro and Robin had hoped, the members of the Beast Pirates living up to their names as they swarmed the dock, breaking boxes, toys, and other patrons without care. The Doflamingo pirates on duty turned the other cannons on them, not knowing what was going on but needing to protect their employer's interests.
"Looks like you've got a mess to clean up," Robin said.
"Oh, I will," the supervisor hissed, opening her mouth wide to reveal sharp, implanted, mismatched teeth. "Right after I've make a mess of you two!"
"Run!" Robin advised, wrapping her arms around Zoro's neck. The plush gorilla took off the other way, the pink monstrosity that was the underground supervisor screeching as she gave chase.
"I think you made it mad!" Zoro yelled, sliding under the barrel of a cannon. He chanced a look back —how he'd forgotten what it was like to have two working eyes!— to see the Supervisor bodily throw the Doflamingo pirate manning the cannon into a wall when he didn't get out of the way fast enough.
"Take a right turn ahead!" Robin ordered.
"Got it," Zoro nodded, turning the direction that felt right and going left. The Supervisor, having heard the doll's shout, found herself trying to skid to a stop as her preemptive turn turned out the be the wrong direction. Robin didn't say anything about it, either too stunned at the green gorilla toy's lack of direction or amazed that her bluff actually paid off. At it stood, they were barreling toward a load of crates waiting to be moved to the lower floor. Whatever was in them, Robin hadn't a clue.
"Get back here!" the Supervisor cried, her body twisting in bendy ways only Luffy could mimic as she turned herself around, misaligned teeth bared. "You wretched toys!"
"Apologies!" Robin called. "We are pirates! We answer to only one man, and he is certainly not you!"
"I'll be sure King Doflamingo sends him to Hell just to meet you again!"
"He's gonna try," Zoro grunted as they reached the crates. Zoro ran inside without a moment's hesitation, their surroundings suddenly naught but brown. Securing her legs around her crewmate's torso, Robin grabbed Zoro's head with her arms and yanked left. The gorilla turned, the pirates losing sight of the Supervisor and her, in turn, losing sight of them. "Uh, Robin? We're heading toward a cliff!"
"I'm aware."
Wood cracked behind them, the Supervisor snarling as the crate she'd just used to stop her momentum crashed to the floor, its side split in two. She reached in with one of her noodle-y arms, drawing out a rifle. She raised it and fired, the bullet whizzing by the running pair.
"What the hell?" Zoro yelped. "Who packs a gun that's loaded?"
"One who expected it to be used instantly, I suspect," Robin replied. She yanked Zoro's head right.
"Dammit, woman!" the gorilla barked, turning. "I'm not a horse!"
"We do not have time for such a debate," the doll rebuffed. She jerked his head, turning them around in the many rows of boxes. "If we can confuse her in this maze, we may be able to buy enough time to devise a strategy to defeat her. First, we must take stock of what tools we have on hand. Unfortunately, I cannot access my Devil Fruit powers."
"I don't have my swords, either," Zoro grunted as they slowed, the Supervisor's voice far away. He studied their surroundings, his eyes landing on a box. He would have squinted if he still had eyelids. "Fra-gi-lay… Sounds foreign."
"I think that says 'fragile', Zoro."
"Oh. So breakable. Not useful."
"Have you the strength to break into this cargo?" the doll suggested, gesturing to another crate. "If you can interpose your fingers—"
"Let's find out." Zoro spun, swinging his proportionally-long arms at the closest wood. It let out a loud SNAP as the packaging lumbar gave way under the man-toy's fists.
"You just revealed our position!" Robin warned, the Supervisor's maniacal laughter echoing over the tops of the crates. The doll suspected she was climbing over them in a straight shot toward her prey now that she knew where they were. "I meant for you to open the cargo silently!"
"Hm?" He didn't acknowledge her concerns beyond a hum, the man-turned-toy drawing a studded kanabo from within the darkness of the now-cracked box. The weapon itself was taller than he was currently by almost half, the fact that he could lift it with his stuffed arms a miracle in and of itself. He frowned. "This shouldn't be so heavy."
"You. Are. A. Toy," the doll on his back reminded him with a not-so-subtle twinge of annoyance, her soft fist bopping him on the head ineffectually with each word. "Search for a small sword, dagger, or other small-bladed weapon."
"Yeah, you're right. Blunt weapons aren't my style."
"That is not the issue!"
Zoro pushed the kanabo away and reached into the darkness again. His attempts drew out a set of armor too large for either of the pair to wear (even in their human forms), a buckler shield with some kingdom's crest, a bo staff, and a red helmet. Still, he seemed to be digging for something, the movements shaking Robin from his shoulders.
"I've found you~" a voice hissed. Robin turned slowly, staring up at the Supervisor perched on the top of a crate behind them. She turned her head upside down slowly, her grin twisted. "Now to deal with the first problem of many. You've made my day so very busy."
"Zoro, please!" Robin begged, closing her eyes as the pink toy lunged. Something clanged, Robin slowly opening her eyes to see the back of her companion. He held a dagger in a reverse grip so the flat of the blade had caught the Supervisor's mismatched teeth, his other hand on the other side to reinforce his hold so his arms crossed. Its blade was about eight inches long but thinner than average with a layered, swirled pattern of blue and purple seemingly interwoven into the metal, its handle wrapped in red cloth. The pommel had an emerald inset at its end, seeming to glimmer in the scant light of the underground dock. Even Robin, one who would admit her knowledge of bladed weaponry was limited, could easily say it was a beautiful weapon.
"I shouldn't be surprised to find one of the Skillful Grade blades here," the gorilla commented as his and Robin's opponent pulled back, now more wary with her prey armed. Zoro followed her with his front, keeping the blade between them.
"Skillful Grade?" Robin queried. "Are you to say that dagger is one you recognize?"
"I don't need to," he said, running his hand over the flat. "It sings in my Observation. Kochou, meaning Butterfly. Made in Wano, it is part of a set and has been wielded by several masters through the years. Until recently, however, it has only been a decoration. The blade is too dull for maintenance by a competent user."
"You can determine all of that just by holding it?"
"The forging is similar to Shusui, the sword from Wano I possess. The rest of it, it told to me."
Robin wasn't sure what to think. Certainly, she was aware that high-level Haki was capable of many things and that she had no innate talent for it —Koala and Sabo had tried to teach her multiple times— but she had never heard of one communicating with weaponry not infused with a Zoan Fruit. Of course, in a world where ships had the ability to manifest their own sentient spirits, semi-intelligent weapons weren't too far a stretch. Zoro must be an exceptional swordsman and, perhaps, this strange skill wouldn't be so strange if she could have remembered the man.
"You don't really think that tiny blade gives you any chance, right?" the Supervisor questioned.
"My normal swords would be too much," Zoro replied, a small smirk coming to his mouth. "I shouldn't hunt rabbits with cannons, after all."
"So you see me as a rabbit, you disgusting gorilla," the Supervisor growled. "Let this rabbit show you her fangs!"
She lunged, Zoro swinging the dagger like a shortsword. The Supervisor bent out of the way, the blade barely missing her face as her hands came around on either side. Rather than block, Zoro stepped into her guard and went for her neck. The Supervisor backpeddled. She did not know who the toy against her had been before —even if she'd heard the name, she knew she would have no memory— but the way he handled the blade reminded her of swordsmen on par with Sir Diamante. Even a dull blade like the Kochou could be deadly in such hands. For all her bluster, she needed to be cautious.
"Zoro!" the doll called. "A confrontation in an enclosed space such as this is disadvantageous against an opponent who can maneuver in three dimensions! We should—"
"Dumb it down, woman!" Zoro shot back. "We don't have time for your fancy words!"
Anger flashed across the doll's face as well as such could express it, though her body language did most of the communicating on that front.
"We need to move somewhere where she cannot climb," Robin advised. "We'd have better chances then!"
"As if I'd allow that," the Supervisor snarled. She reached over and, with a strength completely unbecoming of her thin, bendy arms, lifted one of the crates. She grunted, flinging the box.
"360-Caliber Phoenix!"
A slash of air shot from the dagger, colliding with the airborne projectile. Rather than cutting the item and its contents in half as Zoro had intended, the dull blade and his stuffing-filled arms caused the blunted slash to crash through with force alone, blowing splinters of wood and the shattered pieces of the once-priceless pottery inside in all directions. Robin crossed her arms on instinct, hoping for a chance to save such a relic, but the lack of bloomed arms only served to remind her of her own powerlessness. Zoro threw two more slashes at the Supervisor before Robin grabbed him by the elbow and started dragging him away.
"We must go!" she said, hoping to limit the destruction to what had already happened. Zoro grumbled, keeping his eyes on the pink monstrosity as it eyed them with a new light. Projected cuts were not that common, even in the New World, so this toy must have a sizable bounty and reputation.
The Supervisor let them go, considering her options. Robin chose not to look the gift horse in its mouth, leading Zoro out of the maze and toward a more open area. Now that they were armed —insomuch as one of them having a dull dagger counted— she felt much better about their chances in the open.
The battle between the pirates, merchants, and toys had taken a turn, most of the latter portion by now unfortunately destroyed or otherwise put out of commission. Human bodies also littered the dock, the whole scene backlit by the burning Beast Pirates ship from the cannonball Robin had shot into it. It appeared said pirates had commandeered another vessel, a feeder class that had belonged to the Goa Kingdom by Robin's estimation, and were loading on everything they could grab other than bodies and toys. Other merchants and pirates were doing the same with their own ships, oftentimes fighting over cargo that looked valuable, while the Goa Kingdom soldiers and the Doflamingo pirates that remained tried to reclaim their ship and cargo respectively.
"We mustn't stop, Zoro!" Robin warned, scanning the chaos for something they could take advantage of. Near the other end of the docks, hanging near the water, sat a crane loaded with a large crate. Positioning their ship to retrieve it would have been such a hassle that no raider had chosen to take the time to attempt it, leaving the crane and its hanging cargo alone. "This way!"
"A chase it is, then," the hissing voice of the Supervisor growled, the large toy scurrying out of the maze of crates. A Long-Arm charged her, the woman-turned-toy almost idly backhanding him away. Robin clambered onto Zoro's back once more, trusting his form was faster than her stubby doll legs would allow.
"Run, Zoro!"
And Zoro ran, Kochou trailing behind him. Its blade sparked against the stone of the docks' flooring, threatening to start a fire if a spark landed on the wrong crate. The Supervisor followed, charging forward on all fours, throwing merchants and pirates aside with heedless abandon.
Zoro and Robin, in their current states, did not have the size nor strength to do the same, the one being ridden by the other have to dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge his way through the screaming, bleeding mass of carnage. He jumped, barely avoiding a cannonball that blew a Beast pirate into chunklets, and threw another blunt 360-Caliber Phoenix at their pursuer. This one was a little sharper, as evidenced by what it did to the Black Drum soldier she used as a human shield. Zoro hummed and flipped the blade over, sharpening the other side as best he could.
"Head for the crane!" Robin told him. "I believe I have devised an effective plan!"
"You better be one of the smart ones!" Zoro scanned the area ahead while keeping one eye on the battle around them, the gorilla locating the destination Robin had in mind. He ducked, sliding between the legs of a Whiteland merchant, and vaulted over a broken-open crate to parry the reactionary ax swing of a Shishanoan soldier that cut said crate in half.
The Beast Pirates seemed to decide they had enough, their faction starting to pile onto their stolen ship and cast off. The remaining manned cannons and the Goa soldiers turned their full attentions on said ship, the pirates laughing as they turned the onboard cannons on their former owners without concern for anyone else caught in the periphery.
That "anyone" included a certain pair of toys, another slash of Kochou causing a cannonball to explode before it could obliterate them. Behind them, the Supervisor ducked another only for it to crash through a crate that had been labeled as shipment for Deul and broke the side of the one beside it. The sight of the broken remains of the armor that had been inside the first and the escaping snow tiger from the second drew a snarl from the large toy, the Supervisor grabbing a sword —and the man wielding it— and chucking them at the ship. The pair of man and weapon plowed into one of the pirates, but if it was the one that fired the cannon in question was anyone's guess.
Just as Zoro and Robin started to make out the shadow of the crane's cargo, a flailing figure slammed into them. Robin lost her grip on the forgotten swordsman, the pair tumbling in opposite directions. Zoro grunted, losing his hold on the Kochou as he hit the ground.
"I have had enough!" the Supervisor declared, flinging the man he'd used as a weapon into the drink. Her hand snaked down, grabbing Zoro by the scruff of his neck to lift him off the ground. In the shadow of the cargo, she looked a little worse for wear, her larger body having prevented her from avoiding as much damage as Zoro and Robin had with their smaller, more agile frames. "Oh, how I would like to rip you limb from limb slowly, but I don't have time for that. I'll have to settle for biting you in half now."
"I'd like to see you try," Zoro growled, his hands trying to pry her fingers off.
"The only thing you'll see will be the back of my throat, gorilla." She opened wide, ready to bite the toy's head off and end his existence.
"Hey!" The Supervisor paused, her head swiveling around instinctively at the call that was clearly directed at her. Robin stood by the crane's crank, Kochou's blade wedged into the mechanics. "You should endeavor to maintain better awareness of your surroundings."
"What—?"
Robin pushed, leveraging the Skilled Grade blade as a fulcrum. The crank cracked and broke, releasing the safety that held its rope in place. Said rope whipped as its tension released, gravity taking hold of the cargo.
The Supervisor screamed, unable to do more before the massive box landed, crushing her under its bulk before it fractured. Robin turned her eyes back to the scene from where she'd turned away, finding naught but a pile of cracked boards, a mass of Sea Prism Stone, and a single, bendy arm sticking out from underneath with a green gorilla in its grip.
"That was your plan?" Zoro demanded. "You almost crushed me, too!"
"If you are Captain Luffy's First Mate as you claimed, then I reasoned that you would have survived by luck is nothing else," Robin explained, tottering over as she dragged Kochou with her fingerless hands. "I concluded it was no less risk than we are used to."
"I hate that you're right," the gorilla grumbled, finally breaking the plastic fingers that held him down. Considering the weight of the Seastone that had landed on her, Zoro highly doubted the Supervisor would ever get back up. He blinked, fully comprehending. "You killed her."
"And I ask for your discretion on the matter," Robin replied. "Captain Luffy need not know about the specifics."
"Fair enough." Zoro took Kochou from her —seeing as she could not carry it effectively— and scanned the dock. "I think our job here is done. Let's find that brat and force her to change us back."
"An excellent idea, Zoro. I concur."
Merry had not expected the insides of the Colosseum to be so confusing. She thought it was basically a giant circle, so how was it she had passed the guy who had taking the mantle of Lucy three times already? It was getting to the point where—
"Merry?" Ace asked, looking up at her from her arms. "You're lost, aren't you?"
"I'm not lost!" the Klabautermann denied. "I'm mapping the hallways in my head!"
"You're bad at lying like Uncle Uso, Merry."
"I'm not—!"
"So this is the youngest Monkey brat?" Merry kicked the air before her with Moonwalk, flipping backward as the area where she would have been caved under a massive fist. A mountain of a man stood over them, his body nearly filling the entire hallway. He had a short, white beard and his head had a peculiar dent right in the middle of his skull. "So young. So fragile. Tell me, boy, have you met your great-grandfather Garp?"
"You know Old Man Garp?" the toddler blinked. "Are you friends?"
"No, we are not friends," the man answered. His hands clenched, Armament Haki covering them. "We fought a long time ago and he took something very precious from me, so I swore I would take something precious from him in return. And what would be more precious than his great-grandson?"
"You want to murder a child because of a fight you had years ago?" Merry demanded, pulling out one of her corundum hammers with her free hand. "Talk about sad."
"I will not be lectured by a little girl! You don't know what he took from me!" The man scowled, his beard seeming to come alive as it rose, taking on a shape like fire. Armament covered the top of his head, man swinging forward to drive said body part toward the pirates. "Drill-less Dragon's Drill-less Bit!"
Merry jumped backward, but the action proved unnecessary. A body interposed itself between the Straw Hats and the man, twin swords catching the headbutt with a scattering of rose petals.
"Come now," the new player said, his voice suave and with an audible grin. "It's inelegant to attack women and children, don't you think?"
"Why are you defending them?"
"Because we're allies, of course! Haha!" the man laughed. He glanced backward, giving Merry and Ace a look at his well-maintained handlebar mustache and wavy black hair. "'Flower Sword' Vista of the New Whitebeard Pirates' Fifth Division at your service! Wonderful to finally make your acquaintance, 'Ghost Ship' Merry and 'Heir of Chaos' Ace! Please leave Don Chinjao to me! I shall deal with him most elegantly! Haha!"
"Good to meet you too, Fancy Flower Guy!" Ace replied, waving. "Thanks!"
With the hallway blocked by the fighters, Merry turned to run through another corridor, one that didn't seem familiar, so she'd probably not been through it already. A set of stairs at its end led downward, Merry hopping along them with the agility of a mountain goat and not slowing as she hit the bottom.
She did, however, come to a sliding stop as she ran into the room that followed, a number of eyes turning to her and Ace upon their entrance. Several of the fighters had what appeared to be green collars around their necks, said fighters —including one Alabastian Dugong and a large lion— were trying to remove them without luck only for Merry to be the distraction. She and the various gladiators —both locals and foreigners, collared or not— blinked before weapons came out.
"That Devil Fruit's mine!" one of the men yelled. He had a slimy smile, a black mustache/goatee combo, and rather flamboyant ringleader clothing completed with a tophat and monocle. He cracked the whip he carried. "Bring me the boy! And the girl, too!"
Instantly, the fighters with the collars started toward Merry and Ace, shambling like zombies. Based on the strain in their faces, they were trying to fight against whatever control the man had over them.
"He's got Fruit powers!" Ace realized, voicing his observation as if to make sure no one remained unaware. "And he's controlling those people! That's not nice!"
"This isn't a nice world, brat!" the man laughed. "At least I won't kill your little babysitter. Non-humans are worth a whole lot more on the slave market."
"You will suffer for this," one of the man's reluctant underlings, a huge man wearing only a dark kilt, boots, and a left arm guard with a massive flail, hissed. "Doflamingo will see to that."
"Not if no report ever reaches him, Commander. Now capture them!"
"We don't have time for this," Merry whined.
B-B-B-Bang! Gunfire cracked, four of the collars shattering to leave their former wearers unharmed. The dugong, the tall man, and two others whirled around to stare at the person that had just freed them, said individual running out to block Merry's visage behind their pink kimono.
"None shall touch these pirates," the person declared with a spin of their pistols, reloading them in the same motion with well-practiced ease. Merry's eyebrows shot up, an unwanted dark blush coming to her cheeks as she recognized 'Killer Crossdresser' Izou of the New Whitebeard Pirates. And not by choice, either.
Having been formed of a mostly-male crew, Merry knew she was primarily attracted to women, but with closeted perverts like Nami, Grace, and Robin (not that the latter really hid it all that much) on the crew, she still had a healthy interest in the male sex, too. Izou, as a very pretty man with a strength to back up his bounty, checked far too many boxes she would rather he didn't.
"Do not go full Sanji," Merry whispered to herself, turning away from the New Whitebeard's Sixteenth Division Commander and using one hand to plug her nose. "Don't you dare go full Sanji. Don't you dare, Merry. Get it together."
"Merry?" Ace asked. "You're all red. Did you run too hard? Do I smell? Am I too heavy? Mommy says I'm getting heavy."
"N-No, Ace," the Klabautermann insisted. "I'm fine. Everything's fine."
"Wha—?" the ringleader guy gasped. "Who do you think you are, getting in my way?"
"Like my fellow Division Commanders, I too am an ally of the Straw Hat Pirates," the man who may-or-may-not be an okama answered. "My name is Izou. And you?"
"…I'm Breed," the man growled. "Remember that name so you can tell the Sea Devil who sent you to Hell. Get—!"
The man didn't finish, the now-freed dugong smacking him in the face with its tail. It barked, Merry understanding that it was something about revenge but no more due to the land-sea language barrier. She'd only learned animal-speak from Chopper, after all.
"You stupid animal!" Breed hissed. "Fine! Pets, beat them all within an inch of their lives!"
The room devolved into bedlam as the collared fighters attacked the non-collared. Breed charged in, throwing collars from a green-goo-covered hand to claim control over more individuals. Izou glanced back at the Klabautermann and her charge, offering a lip-gloss-shiny smile that threatened to reignite Merry's blush. "You may leave this to me."
"…Thanks," the girl muttered. "Try not to kill anyone. Except maybe that guy. They don't deserve it."
"As you wish."
"Alright, Ace," Merry said, using Moonwalk to jump over the crowd (and throwing a Tempest Kick at Breed just to ruin his ugly red bowtie). She took off into the closest hallway. She felt Members of her crew enter her Mantra's range, Sanji much closer than the others. He had Observation and would find them, she was sure. Amy and Gin were also in the area, running around doing… something. She guessed they were probably trying to help without blowing their own cover. "So far my direction hasn't been too good looking for those cool Devil Fruits. You give it a try."
"Ok!" Ace closed his eyes, trusting his family's first Wood Fairy to keep him safe from all the meanies that tried to stop them. "Left," he decided. Merry turned left. "Right. Straight. Straight again. Up two times. Turn around."
Merry didn't know if Ace was just making it up or if he'd picked up some of Luffy's ability for Haki, but within minutes, she found herself before a tall door. It was made of hewn stone with a carving of a shirtless man wrestling a lion. Merry glanced around, checking for others, and was disappointed to find one of the nameless gladiators at the other end of the curved hallway.
"They're over here!" the fighter yelled, Merry sending a Tempest Kick his way before shoving the door open with her shoulder and pushing through.
It appeared to be an office, a large desk sitting in the back-middle with a shelf of scrolls to the side and a bookcase to the other. Most of the floor was covered in the pelt of a massive snow tiger, its teeth bared toward the door but immobile. The rest of the room was the same tan stonework of the rest of the Colosseum save a high window away from the water-vulnerable documents.
"I think they're here," Ace said. "This room looks super-duper important."
"That it does," Merry agreed. Something pounded on the door, a chorus of voices yelling on the other side. Merry set Ace, quickly but carefully, on the floor and turned, trying to find a way to lock the door. When nothing presented itself —explaining why the door had been unlocked in the first place— Merry opted to shove herself against the stone to keep it closed. "Ace, can you find them while I keep the door shut?"
"Sure!" The toddler ran to the desk first, checking under it before jumping into the chair to rifle over the stuff on top. Other than a list of the fighters, a den-den mushi with pink skin and pointed, red glasses, and an ink pot with a feather quill, there was nothing of interest. He pulled the drawers open next only to find papers, both blank and not, a wad of cash he pocketed for his Mommy (about half-a-million based on the estimation lessons he'd had), and a book he was pretty sure Uncle Pervy Cook also owned but Ace wasn't allowed to read (the one with the pretty lady having her clothes dissolved on the cover). Not interesting.
With the desk a bust and the pounding on the door getting louder —the men on the other side starting to coordinate their timing— Ace moved to the bookcase. Bookcases always had secrets in them, right? The ones on Sunny did, after all. Without regard for the books and ignoring the weird voice in his head telling him not to, Ace threw book after book to the floor, looking for the one he was sure had to exist.
Sure enough, one book didn't pull out of the shelf, rotating with a click instead. A section of the wall beside the bookcase opened, revealing a pair of treasure chests inside. A beaming smile came to the boy's face.
This was it, his first real pirate score! Not all those game treasure hunts Mommy had put together to teach him how to find valuable, shiny stuff, but real treasure! He reached in, taking the chests. They were small, only big enough to be cumbersome in his hands.
"Merry, I found them!" he announced.
"Great," the girl said. "Now let's—"
The doors practically exploded, a single, massive, sudden force blowing them off their hinges and sending Merry flying. She hit the wall on the other side of the room with a pained grunt, coughing up red essence before falling in a crumpled heap. She moaned, trying to get her bearings.
"There you are," a voice boomed, a bearded, literal-Giant face looking into the room sideways. It —he— pulled back slightly so he had room to reach in with a giant hand. "Now give me those Devil Fruits."
Ace didn't think. He didn't have time to think. He needed to protect Merry.
And so, he dropped one box, opened the other, and stuffed the prize in his mouth.
End of Chapter 66
So, yeah! Major chapter! Kin'emon's become a toy, Zoro and Robin killed a woman, and Little Ace ate a Fruit! Those on my P atreon voted in a poll on which Devil Fruit Ace got, so it's already been decided! Leave your hopes below but know it's already set in stone!
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-SwordOfTheGods