LW: So… I forgot Vivi was with Zoro and Kinemon at the end of the last chapter… ignore that, she has returned!
Rubber King & Mirror Master - New World Chaos: Tipping Over the Table
Dressrosa - Underground Port town
"This place is HUGE! How did nobody warn us about this?" Ussop whines, the scale of the operation hitting him like a Sea King in heat.
"Probably because Tontatta have no sense of scale, it's just big, Big, and even more BIG. The size difference between them and us also means we don't give those kinds of statements much weight, as big for a squirt like them, might not actually mean much," Alvida argues with a shrug.
"I'd wager this place is about the size of Greenbit at most. So yeah quite a massive operation Doflamingo's got running down here," Victor guesses, getting a low, impressed whistle from Valentina.
"The size isn't the only problem; the other crews might be too, especially that one," Robin frowns, spotting a transaction in progress just below them.
"30 crates of SMILEs, your prices are exorbitant, but if that is what the boss agreed to with yours, then who am I to argue?" the buyer states softly, more out of disinterest and apathy than gentleness or kindness. He was tall and pale, with silver and gold colored hair, topaz colored eyes, dressed in a kimono, mostly of gold and purple with chaotic, wispy black patterns mostly running along his long sleeves.
"Not like he has a choice, these Smiles are Joker's exclusive product, I even heard he's thinking of upping the prices again since it's not like anyone can do a thing about it" One of the workers laugh as he fills in the documents, others bringing over the stock "Hey, fondle the merch on your own time" he snaps as the man picks up one of the Smiles, an apple with spots rather than the typical devil fruit swirls, as well as all of them seeming to be identical in appearance.
"Joker won't do that if he knows what's good for him, it would be a trivial matter of kidnapping Caesar Clown or simply stealing his recipes, the convenience of purchasing these Artificial Zoans outweighs the cost, for now" the man muses "You really have no idea who you're dealing with, do you?" he almost smiles, before directing the dock workers which ship to load the crates onto, and the cocky one nearly has a heart attack.
The Roger on the man's ship was instantly recognizable to the pirates of the New World. A narrower than standard skull, overlaying 4 intersecting crossbones, horns jutting from the temples, and flanked by 2 bending rectangular pillars. The Roger of the Beast Pirates, Commanded by the Yonko Kaido of the Beasts.
"Speed, direct these men on where to store the goods, don't want them 'misplacing' a crate and blaming us for it"
Clip clop
Clip clop
"Of course, Mr. Ludo"
Ludo - Doctor of the Beast Pirates.
Speed - Horse SMILE eater.
"Well, if we ever needed proof Doflamingo is selling to Kaido like Law said, that was it," Kaya noted, shivering as something about the man unsettled her.
"They have a centaur! Awesome!" Artemis grins with stars in her eyes, her enthusiasm reaching Luffy levels.
"I'm surprised you noticed she has a horses' ass, given where you're looking" Valentina coos.
"I can hear the hooves while ogling the tits, it's two different things Auntie Val" Artemis huffs, rolling her eyes.
"So, with the soilder fucking off, how do we start this operation?" Alvida asks curiously, while also trying to keep on topic.
"The plan remains the same, Soldier has just gone on ahead to prepare for the next stage. Once Sugar has been dealt with, Doflamingo will be vulnerable to a surprise attack!" Leo states confidently, which all the straw hats collectively think 'no he won't' "So he's gone on to the palace with a team of Tontatta to assassinate Doflamingo and end his reign of tyranny once and for all!"
"You make it sound so simple, kill the string man with an army of little people while he's on the toilet or something," Victor deadpans, though the tontatta misses the sarcasm.
"The plan works like this…" Leo continues as he has a map unrolled. "All the bridges in this area move, but the most important thing is the structure in the centre of this place that looks like a sea anemone. That's the Executive suite, and it's where Sugar is currently located."
"And how exactly do we get in there?" Ussop wonders aloud.
"Well, Kaya is sludge, and I can probably fly over if I'm stealthy enough…. Everyone else I dunno," Valentina suggests.
"We could sneak in, we just need a costume change," Artemis grins.
Turns out Bullfight Red was more useful than the straw hats and Tontattas expected, drawing in minion after minion, who are promptly knocked out and stripped by the pirates and their allies.
"Ussoland sure knows how to find them. A brilliant tactician at such a young age, she's learned from the master," a Tontatta gushes, the others cheering about how awesome their hero is.
'It's like a million Choppers, I just can't burst their bubble,' Kaya winces.
"Everyone get in the lift, there's an intruder at the toy house!" someone is heard yelling, which seems like the best time for them to make their way towards their target… when everyone else's attention is in the other direction.
Dressrosa - Above ground
Wham!
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"What was that?" Kin'emon yelps in shock.
"Kaos," all 3 Straw Hats respond.
"My Observation haki's shit and even I could feel the energy he put into that attack, what's he playing at?" Zoro grumbles.
Vivi hums. "Best guess would be a distraction; he did say someone strong was on our tail," she suggests.
"Ah, so he's being loud and obnoxious on purpose!" Kinemon declares with a chuckle.
"More or less. Only reason I can think he'd throw around an energy attack big enough to send a dozen marines flying, well unless he got jumped but his observation is probably the best of the lot of us, so I'm not actually sure he can be, at least by low rank marines like those guys" Luffy muses, shrugging his shoulder "Anyway, let's go save Traffy, he looked beat to shit when Mingo kidnapped him, and I don't he'll be any better when we do find him" he adds, expression hardening as they needed to focus.
Colosseum
"WHAT? What the FUCK just happened? This is chaos!" the announcer bellows, the entire crowd just as confused as he was.
"Such speed," Sabo hums, grinning despite herself.
I know, I think I blinked and missed it," Bartolomeo admits.
"I really can't believe what I'm seeing folks, one minute it's all to play for and then everyone's falling like dominos! No one, I repeat NO ONE is left standing! This has never happened in all my time commentating in this arena. The match has ended in an instant, yet there's no winner" he cries, then gasps, "Wait, do you see that, in the smoke someone's still moving. We might have a winner after all," he cheers. "Could this be the source of this blitzkrieg knockout? Or someone who managed to somehow evade the deadly onslaught?" Then as the smoke clears, the shock sets in "WHAT!? The lone warrior, the winner of the Block D battle royale… is Rebecca!" he screams, the crowd erupting into jeers and boos, Barto looking concerned as he could see Sabo's eyebrows twitch, praying she wasn't as trigger happy as Saria was.
'What is he?' Rebecca thinks as she looks down at Cavendish's snoring form, her mind unable to comprehend what he did, how he was able to become a vortex of death in less than a blink of an eye, simply by falling asleep. It was only her helmet and keen reflexes that prevented Cavendish from murdering her in his sleep, as well as luck that the blond flopped bonelessly to the ground almost the moment he passed her, actually unconscious this time.
"Sir, should we interfere? Check her for contraband?" One of the girls alongside the announcer asks, mostly due to the crowd crying foul and demanding they disqualify Rebecca for cheating.
"There's no point. Rebecca is already checked far and beyond the standard regulations required, her gear is probably the lowest quality of the people we've seen today, with the exception of the actual beasts we threw in for shits and giggles, and yet there she stands. In the Corrida Colosseum we do not twist facts or rob someone of a hard earned victory because we don't much care for them, the Winner is the winner, simple as" he rebukes them "Therefore, regardless of what the citizens think, Rebecca has earned this victory by the rules of this battlefield, and nothing they say can change that"
"Luck and skill, hand in hand," Sabo muses with a half smile. "She was able to survive his barrage, but she was also the only one able to perceive and avoid Hakuba's attack."
"Wait, you could see what happened down there? That's awesome, but I probably should have expected that given how great you are yourself," Bartolomeo laughs.
"Either way, it'll soon be my time to shine. The Nagi Nagi no mi will soon be within my grasp," she hums, before heading toward the lower levels and the sections connecting to the arena platform.
Toy House
"God damn slippery bastard" Franky grumbles as Senor Pink slips through the pavement like it was water, even bouncing through it like a dolphin most likely to taunt him "Stand still and take your beatings like a man!"
"I'm not sure I will" Senor hums as he rises once more "After all, while I respect you as a man, and the cyborg design and enhancements do impress me, as your enemy I must take you down. See if you can handle this!" he shoots forward with a slam, Franky blocking with crossed arms, but he is still pushed back, Senor being stronger than he'd expected.
"Yeah I figured that, and I too respect your level of confidence to walk around in public with a binky, bib and diaper on, but I have a job to do, and that involves kicking your ass and getting into the Toy House!"
Royal Palace
"I bet you're real proud of that Grand Daughter of yours" Doflamingo mocks, Riku scowling as he is chained up on the floor, both watching the fights via Visual Den Den Mushi "Who would have guessed this tournament would become a family affair? I guess it's just as lucky for her as you, that you were both assigned different blocks, or things could have gotten messy" the String man muses aloud "Your whole family is getting a little overzealous today, even little Violet is being all rebellious. I'm not one to believe in coincidences, so care to explain yourself?"
"I shouldn't have to spell it out for someone like you, especially when it was your own actions that led to this. That small spark of hope this morning lit a fire in my heart, a desire to once more fight for the people of this country, to strike back at the monster parading himself as its savior. As for Rebecca and Viola, I don't know what they're thinking or planning. you of all people know I've not spoken to either of them in almost a decade."
"Fair." Doflamingo shrugs. "You and your youngest are quite emotional and stubborn, it's Violet who's the outlier. She's a cunning little harlot, clearly, she has some kind of plan, and as we speak, is weighing her options, especially after how poorly things went after she bet it all on those rookies. Trafalgar Law's not looking too hot right now, honestly it's already over, the Straw Hats just need to recognise it too" he laughs, walking over to the former Warlord, chained to the ornate Heart Seat chair in the centre of the room alongside the other suits "Maybe they already have, the only one we've detected actually doing anything is Cyborg Franky, and he'll be handled simply enough by the family's Executive members. Straw Hat and Mirror Demon are in the Colosseum, so they're as good as dealt with, and the others, they don't stand a chance of getting to the factory. My victory is already in the bag, fufufufufu!"
Outside the Palace
"So, we kick out the lift operator and use it ourselves. Sounds simple enough," Luffy grins, ignoring Vivi's facepalm, as Wicka bounces from Zoro to the rubber boy.
"NO! We can't just cause a commotion, it'll bring all the attention to us and jeopardise the mission!" the tontatta whines.
"Except if we draw the attention, there will be less guards in the underground port, which combined with Franky and Kaos' distractions should clear out most of the goons in that area making it easier for your people to sneak inside" Vivi argues, causing the little one to pout as they aren't listening to her arguments and agreeing like she'd planned "Plus it's not like it matters, we have help on hand" she says, pointing to the toy horse that just pulled up in front of them, or more importantly the person riding it.
"Straw Hat Luffy, I presume? And friends. I'm here to guide you into the palace," Viola states in place of an actual greeting.
"That was easy," Zoro chuckles.
Colosseum
"And here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for, the Final Round, and the battle for the Nagi Nagi no mi reached its climax! Though before we get to that we have some startling information to relay to you. The 4 executives scheduled to compete in this match have withdrawn for unspecified reasons, an unprecedented twist, but one we'll just have to work around. Unfortunately the same has to be said for Edward D. Saria, who has withdrawn due to an injury she sustained during the Block B match, leaving to my annoyance, Bartlomeo to represent that Block in the finals. On a more positive note, the Executives have been subbed in for a man who needs no introduction, but I'm gonna give it to him anyway: the Hero of the Colosseum, Mr. Diamante! He will be showing up in the finals and fighting in their stead."
Fighter zones
"Laki!" Rebecca cheers, seeing the helmet and rushing over to her. "I made it into the finals… you're not her" she gasps, Bartolomeo about to run interference but Sabo waves him off.
"You're right, I'm not, but Luffy had to run off and deal with something else, so I'm subbing in. I mean you no harm, and are familiar with your backstory and situation," Sabo says in a reassuring tone.
"You know about my family?" Rebecca asks quietly.
"Yes, and that you all got royally screwed from high above. I'm gonna be causing a bit of a commotion soon, and knowing my brothers so will they, but we mean you no harm, I promise you that much" Sabo assures her, squeezing the princesses shoulder before walking away, resting the pipe against her own shoulder 'It's all about keeping up appearances. This place makes me think of Grey Terminal and High Town in all the worst ways,' she thinks, trying to keep a grimace off her face.
King's Plateau
"You're going to need to find another way into the palace, as while it is the most direct, if they realise who any of you are, then everything falls apart in seconds," Viola argues.
"So, plan A again?" Luffy asks.
"Not quite. I presume you have another option because for now at least, just punching our way in is the only viable option given you've just told us the lift isn't viable?" Vivi enquiries.
"Also, weren't you the reason the idiot ran off earlier? Don't worry; we know he's on the Sunny" Zoro muses, then shrugs.
"There is another way, though it's only known to the royal family, and takes a moment to locate," Viola explains. "Follow me."
"Wait, if this secret is only known to the royal family, that implies you are part of it" Kinemon states more than asks.
"Princess Viola, daughter of King Rikku," Vivi confirmed.
"So you must be the King's daughter, and Rebecca's his granddaughter, you're not her mom are you? Cause if you are, you're kind of an asshole" Luffy states bluntly.
"No, Rebecca is my niece, the daughter of my late sister, Scarlet. She looks so much like Big Sis, it gives me another reason not to watch the gladiatorial fights," Viola admits as she runs her hands along the wall of the palace before her fingers find the depression and press the button to open the passageway.
"Oh, you and Rebecca are like me and Medusa, only you and Scarlet were siblings by blood" Luffy claps.
"Secret Tunnel, are you a Ninja? A princess and a ninja- that's quite the achievement," Kinemon laughs.
"Not a ninja, just someone who's spent her life exploring the palace and so knows the ins and outs as well as all its secrets," Vivi retorts, bursting the samurai's bubble.
"Come now, you won't be spotted if you take this entrance into the palace. This is the secret escape passage of the Riku family, not even Doflamingo knows of its existence. I wish you all the best."
"What is this comically oversized basket for?" Kin'emon asks curiously.
"For moving cargo, discreetly of course; anything else could be brought through the main gates after all," Viola answers.
"So, what crazy idea have you got cooking now, Luffy?" Vivi asks, knowing that look in her husband's eye
"Is it using the basket to speed up the infiltration, because I'm game?" Zoro asks.
"Indeed, shooting yourself to the top and pulling the chain as you descend should get the rest of us up there without having to take all these stairs." The samurai nodded in agreement.
"You people are insane," Viola gasps.
"Not wrong, though," Luffy grins, before shooting his arm up to grab the top of the pulley system, wrapping his other arm around a large stone and running up the wall toward the ceiling, while his companions all climb into the basket.
'What have I gotten myself into?' Viola grimaces as she's waved into the basket.
Toy House
"They sure sent a lot of goons for little ol' me. Have a taste of my Strong Right!" Franky shouts as he sends minions flying everywhere, before something flies out of the dust clouds his attacks were causing.
"Tonne Tonne" Machvise bellows before belly flopping onto the Cyborg with a heavy slam, Franky just barely managing to dodge the rotund man, then having to unload a shoulderful of missiles on a group of minions who tried to jump him from the smoke.
"Franky Rocket Launcher!"
KABOOM!
"Senor Pink, dodge the attack!"
"Use your Swim Swim fruit power."
"Clean your teeth with a shoe shine brush later, this is an emergency!"
KABOOM!
"Well damn, didn't actually think I'd hit him, wasn't even aiming for the pervert" Franky mutters as Senor Pink takes a rocket right to the face, sending him flying backwards.
"Señor, why didn't you dodge the attack!"
"I use my powers on my own terms," Senor scoffs, wiping his binky in his bib before clasping it between his teeth once more. "While I can use my Devil fruit powers to swim through walls and floors, I'll never use it to run from a fight. In other words, I go for a swim when I feel like it." he grins, and would have probably given a cheeky wink if not for his mirrored shades.
"He's so hard-boiled!" the bikini girls, who are for some reason still here, swoon
"Hey Vice, can you get up?" Señor asks, pouring brandy over himself to clean his wounds.
"I'll be fine-ayyyy" the bearded man cheers, before leaping into the air in Franky's direction "Tonne Tonne" he shouts, once more dropping like a stone, missing Franky but cracking the floor from the impact "Ow, my tummy hurts. I missed agaEEN, quit moving around like some verMean" he complains as he stands up.
"Crap, he's got a Devil fruit like Val's, and a fighting style based around it by the look of things" Franky grimaces.
"Stop right there!" another voice bellows from behind him. "Cyborg Franky of the Straw Hat pirates!"
"What now?" the cyborg in question asks, trying his best not to whine, especially when he sees it's the marines 'Well, shit. Just what I needed: more enemies.
"We'll be taking the Toy House now" the marines continue.
"Get on with it, men, Open Fire!" Bastille orders.
"So that's how it is? I'll take all you bastards then!" Franky bellows, pumping himself up.
Elsewhere, in the city
KABOOM!
"Have to say, Borsolino's Devil fruit really is perfect for this kind of situation," Kaos chuckles as more dark purple laser beams are shot from his fingertips, while another swing from Hebi's current form sends about a half dozen marines flying from the pressure wave. It continues to impress him how strong a slender blade like this could be, though it also explained why the real thing was locked behind a barrier seal Grima had plugged directly into Garreg Mach's ley lines, to keep it from being stolen, nor it's 'big brother' who Kaos decided not to use as it drank haki from him at a rate on par with the Abyssal Blade. Stahlrecht.
His haki is probably the only reason he was able to block the attack, as Lucina's appearance and swing was a lot faster than the last time they'd fought "There you are you little fucker. This time you die!"
"Can we take a raincheck on that one?" Kaos asks, charging up a small quake bubble, and slapping the air, which was at least enough to slam the bluenette into a wall, enabling Kaos to turn and catch a kick with his thigh, which while still pushing him back, didn't break anything and allowed the pirate to be facing his other opponent "Kuja Kenpo, that is interesting… I don't think we've ever met actually" he clicks his tongue as he looks at the other woman.
"Vice Admiral Doll. You're making quite the name for yourself, dragging my mentor's name through the mud in the process, though" Doll greets with a frown.
"A Vice admiral, now I'm impressed," Kaos coos, before shooting forward, Doll steps back, but the building behind her leaves very little room, and the blade presses against her throat, just above her spiked collar. His grin widens as he sees her pupils shrink to pinpricks; she knows what is pressed against her throat, and as he adjusts the position of his arm her mind starts to draw conclusions which just lead to more questions. She wants to know how he's so calm, so steady, when it's clear he's infected with Frenzy… or at least appears to be 'Benefits of your body tearing itself apart' the younger pirate thinks as his face twists into a more melancholic smile "Though you are using a weaker version of mother's style, or do you think those heavy steel boots make up for it?" he asks curiously.
"I've just never been comfortable fighting barefoot. What are you planning here?" Doll asks, assuming there was a reason she was only pinned, rather than having her throat slit.
"Me? I wanted to get your attention, maybe even take you off the board for a few hours while we deal with Doflamingo. I didn't know you were a Vice Admiral, or that Luci was here for Round 3, as she's packing something extra special that wasn't there 2 years ago. I just knew you were strong, and that it would make things difficult for us to deal with."
"You don't really think you can take out 2 Vice Admirals all by yourself?" Lucina snarls, her Levin sword sparking as she returns to the fight, Kaos turning his head as a wicked-looking knife slides out of his palm.
"Well, I suppose I'm about to find out, aren't we?" His grins splits his face as he jams the dagger into the crook of his elbow, sliding back to dodge the lightning-infused swing, freeing Doll in the process, he channels all his proficiency with the Chi Chi no mi into his blood as he tears the blade out, the arterial spray practically aerosolised, filling the area with a green tinged black smoke "Now, how about we go somewhere quiet to have this fight, shall we?" as both marines lunge for him, Kaos flashes through 3 handsigns, a substitute for the runes he'd have needed to draw otherwise, and all the blood in the air turns silver for just a moment, before going off like a strobe light, which when it fades, reveals all 3 combatants were gone.
"§Blood Seal: Infinite Reflection Prison§"
The Palace
"Sounds like the Navy is finally getting in on the action. I'm glad you saw reason Fujitora. Smart man." Doflamingo preens as the blind man enters the Suit Chamber.
"Well, I'm not quite ready to declare where I stand in a matter as complex as this one, I also can't just sit back and observe, not with Straw Hat and his people on the island, as well as reports of other factions present in the city, I considered it a precautionary measure" the Admiral retorts calmly "Our 'choice' was made for us given the number of outside factors at play. The Navy's priority is to minimise the suffering of the small folk, the civilians caught in the middle of these conflicts. If Straw Hat's goal truly is to take you down, I see no reason for him to care about who or what stands in his path. With that in mind, these humble folks will need my assistance, but once our issue with Straw Hat has been dealt with, I will deal with you personally, Doflamingo." The last part was uttered with as close to a growl as the man could muster
"Excuse me?" Doflamingo sneered, crossing his arms and scowling, even if Fujitora couldn't see it.
"I may be a newcomer to this game, recruited through Akainu's draft last year, but since taking the position of Admiral, I have 1 simple goal in mind: The complete abolition and dissolution of this accursed 'Shichibukai' system" he declares, sightless eyes locked with Doflamingo's own "A time ago, there was a pirate who came in like a ball of fire, and attempted to impose his will upon some kingdom. I reckon if he had his way, that land would be in a similar state to this one," Fujitora monologues, as well as essentially summarising Doflamingo's capture of the island.
"The Marines, the Shichibukai, the Yonko. What do you think will happen to the balance of power if you remove one of the pillars?" Doflamingo asks gruffly.
"No clue. We won't know what happens until it's already been demolished," Fujitora admits with almost casual disinterest. "However…"
"Continue"
"If you continue this foolish Reign of Terror…." Fujitora pauses his threat to block Doflamingo's kick with his sword "...the price on your head will only increase, Heavenly Demon," he finishes.
Doflamingo chuckles, "Did I mishear you? I believe you just said 'off me now while you have the chance'?" His grin widens.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves so quickly, for now we can stick to a gentleman's agreement; we do have a common enemy in Straw Hat after all. My only objective is to protect this kingdom, so any rough edges I may accidentally come across, I promise to turn a blind eye to." Fujitora placates, both men standing down, before turning away. "Don't forget we have the Reverie World Summit this year. This world will be changing whether you like it or not" he finishes ominously as he leaves the room, Doflamingo frowning for once as he stares daggers into the Admiral's back.
Colosseum
"Oh thank Goda I made it," Koala pants as she rushes to the viewing platform. "Come on Sabo, you can do this!" She crosses her fingers and bites her lip, watching the platform below rearrange itself in preparation for the finals.
"Everyone is watching, as we lock the Special Ring into place now. For those needing a refresher, the Winner of today's final fight wins the Nagi Nagi no mi, a paramecia-type Devil fruit previously owned by our dear King's younger brother before his tragic death many years ago. Who will take home this coveted prize? We'll find out soon enough as our Final Five approach to duke it out for your amusement! And if I'm not mistaken, our 1st contestant is making their way into the arena, and it's the mysterious and enigmatic Laki!"
"And there you are" the young Nephalim grins, a jagged maw flashing for a moment "Take home the gold you sexy bitch"
TBC
LW: And with that we end this chapter, and prepare for some big moments next time.