LW: So, it's been almost a year since I started this story, and we're already 26 chapters in. I think we're making good time, now to see how many more years it takes to get to the end.
Rubber King and Mirror Master - New World Chaos: Storming the Laboratory.
A little earlier
"In just a few more minutes Straw Hat, Law, and the G5 will be eliminated, and my poison Gas will be seen as the greatest weapon in the world, as it should be. Shurororo Shurororo!" Caesar cackles as the Shinokuni spreads across the island.
BWAAAAA! BWAAAAA! BWAAAAAAA!
"What the… an alarm?" the gas man frowns.
"Sounds like the Blast doors are being raised" Monet coos, panicking the scientist who has the Den Den Mushi switch feeds to one inside Building A of the Laboratory.
"And there's Mirror Demon, and something else," Vergo adds in a dry monotone.
There on the screen was Kaos activating the mechanism to raise the blast doors, which would in a matter of moments let the test subjects in rather than expose them to the gas like he'd planned. And alongside the lanky pirate was a petite woman who was almost more silhouette than human, her skin, hair and clothing were all black as tar, with the only exception they could see is her eyes, which had a vibrant purple iris, and the kanji of her veiled hat, though even those were different to the original, now reading [闇陰] or Yamikage in a similar almost neon purple.
"Damn it! Someone stop them before they can let everyone inside!" Caesar cries, summoning one of his minions to go deal with the intruder. Turning back to the duo, too far from the snail for audio, they finish up their conversation at which point the smaller one turns to the snail, grins, and flips them the bird, before sinking into her shadow and vanishing as if she was never there.
At the door
"Valentina, what do you know of the Sage of 6 paths?" Kaos asks, leafing through a journal he found while searching the lab.
The clone blinks, confused then answers "He's a legendary figure in my people's history, the origin of Ninjutsu who lived over a thousand years ago. The oldest known record of the Rinnegan, and by that same note a Conqueror due to the prerequisites"
"And he could split himself into 6 people? With the 6 path's technique?"
Val laughs "No, actually it's more like the opposite, linking 6 people as if they were one, with a telepathic link and shared sight. Why?"
"Vegapunk's notes, rambling about wanting to find a way to be in 6 places at once, and reference to the Sage and his 6 paths technique Orochimaru mentioned to him some time prior to when the entry was written" Kaos explains, sliding the book into his cloak as the gears finally start to turn, the blast doors creaking open to let the others in.
Val clicks her tongue "I mean if it's inspired by it I could understand, the other aspect of the technique is separating the aforementioned 6 paths of the Rinnegan's abilities into each of the recipients, allowing them full access to 1 path, at any and all times. Doing that with his brain or even personality, he could 6 paths himself into multiple bodies. If he did pull this off, the man's a Mad Genius after all" she giggles.
Present. Main entrance to the remaining Lab
"It's like the aftermath of a volcanic eruption out there" Kaos muses to himself, tapping into the feed from Caesar's array of Bubble-protected Den Den Mushi.
"So, now that the entire island is a deadly wasteland where even a moment outside would kill us stone dead in moments, what next?" Brook asks curiously.
"I know what I want, MY BODY BACK!" Nami cries "Oy Traffy, I got Sanji back, so put me in my original body before I use Sanji's body to give you a Bishōnen facelift!" she threatens, eyes ablaze with blue flames.
Law sighs, but can tell this girl will at least try to make good on her threat, or at least keep bugging him until he does "Fine. Room" he grunts, performing the 'Heartswap Shuffle' with a flick of his wrist.
"God I feel like I got run over by a sea train, what happened while I was looking for the Samurai's torso?" Sanji groans, already regretting being back in his original body.
"We got attacked by Caesar, he had explosive Castanets. It was weird" Ussop summarises, Sanji giving him a weird look until he sees Artemis nod in confirmation.
"Oh baby, Mommy missed you so much" Nami purrs, running her hands across her ample curves, eyes forming hearts for something that isn't money for once in her life, then she pauses "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO ME?"
"I swapped you bac.." Law begins
"Not that you dumbass! What did you do to my body? My tits were big before but they've gone up at least a cup and a half, and I'm not even sure how to measure what you did to my hips!" the navigator screams.
Law just stares silently at her, unsure what the fuck she's talking about.
"That is technically Sanji's fault" Zoro states, throwing the cook under the bus.
"What cyclops means, is your cores resonated extremely well, and his fire core causes an expansion in your chest, whereas I believe him overclocking your body's Lightning core with that new high-speed technique he created for you, improved your legs, and in doing so amplified your hips and arse" Alvida explains as best she could.
"Shut up, we can discuss this petty bullshit at a later stage!" Law shouts down at the assembled marines and pirates "As I'm sure you've all noticed the island is covered in a dense fog of toxic gas, but there is one safe area, an enclosed passageway which leads to the sea" he explains, everyone listening tentatively, as this will probably be the only way they'll get out "This lab is massive, made of several connected structures. We're currently in building A, if you pass through this and building B, you'll reach building R. In there you'll come across a door labelled R-66, which is the entrance to the passage, that will lead you to the sea. I'd rather not kill everyone in this room, so you have 2 hours to find your way out of here, after which I'll be unable to guarantee your safety, or even survival" he states before turning on his heels to begin his main objective.
"G5!" Smoker bellows, getting their attention "There are prisoners here, young children kidnapped 2 years ago and experimented on. Our priority is rescuing them so they can be brought home safely. I know that means working alongside, or even just being in the same room as the Straw Hat pirates, but rescuing these kids is more important than taking in some pirates who agree just as strongly that what Caesar has done to these kids is sick and demented. Your mission is to locate the children, and get them out of here through Door R-66, nothing else matters!"
"You guys have fun, I'm gonna go kick Caesar's ass, should take the heat off the rest of you" Luffy states in his usual energetic tones, before leaping away in what he hopes was the direction of the Gasbag.
"Tashigi, until I get back you're in charge of G5" Smoker states bluntly, causing the bluenette to tilt her head in confusion.
"Get back, where would you even be going?" she asks, then her eyes widen "You're going after Vergo aren't you, after you just told the men our priority is the kids?" she scolds.
"Yes, and I told the men that, because otherwise, they'd do something stupid like attack the Straw Hats or try to apprehend Caesar, getting themselves killed. Meanwhile, I have to deal with him, the law won't have that traitor punished the way he deserves, but I will" the Vice Admiral growls "I have to do this myself, nobody screws around with my marines!" he announces, then walks off in the same direction as Law.
Near Caesar's location
"We're lost aren't we?" Kaya sighs tiredly, as she follows Chopper down yet another corridor.
"I…. yeah we're lost" the reindeer admits "We have everything we need to save those kids, we know our friends are safe, but we have no idea how to get from here to there. Sorry Kaya"
"It's ok, I wasn't really logging my path either, we were a little preoccupied with getting the information, and then panicking over our friends nearly being turned into lawn ornaments" the syrup girl assures him.
Building A
"Damn Luffy's running through them like they're nothing, at least it gives some of us time to catch our breath" Sanji pants shallowly.
"Is that a spider centaur? I think we fought one of those before?" Vivi hums as Luffy slaps 'Run the Machete' off the platform.
"Tararan yes, he was a spider monkey zombie back on Thriller Bark" Brook nods "Now, should we follow Luffy and hunt down the clown, or stay with the marines, which honestly kind of sounds more dangerous than fighting the Gasman?"
"It's fine we have a temporary truce with the marines, isn't that right Captain Tashigi?" Robin asks, still holding Medusa to her chest like a teddy bear, the toddler's bat wing horns brushing against her chin.
"Right. G5, just as Smoker said already, our priority is the kids, the Straw Hats are our temporary allies, so don't do anything stupid, understood?!"
"Yes Captain Tashigi!" the men shout with a quick salute.
"This is gonna be weird" Ussop mutters, getting a nod from Nami, who was still, though more subtly feeling herself up, getting used to her 'new and improved' body.
BWA BWA BWA BWA
"Did you open the blast doors again, Special K?" Valentina asks, only to realise the researcher was gone "Shit"
"Alvida's gone too, though I don't think it was to help Luffy or Law fighting" Zoro hums.
"Her stomach has been growling since we ran into that dragon, maybe there will be sustenance within this facility?" Kinemon guesses.
"Can we go back to what the alarm is?" Shirahoshi asks, trying to return the focus to the main issue.
"Blast doors, and since our ones haven't budged…. Oh crap there must be similar mechanisms between buildings" Tashigi realises with a panic.
"Understandable, they would want to contain any accidents or toxic spills to only a small section of the lab" Robin nods in agreement "Only now Caesar is using it to attempt, rather poorly to contain US to Building A. Shame he didn't take Zoro, Kaos or Kinemon into account"
"He didn't need to take Kaos into account, he's already gone" Nami argues.
"Yes, in the same direction as Smoker and Law" Robin responds with a small grin.
Divide of A and B
"Going to be one of those days isn't it?" Kaos grins as he slinks behind Law and Smoker only the click of his talons echoing in the facility.
"Only if he makes things difficult. By the way, what's your affiliation with the Demon Eye? I overheard the desert and mermaid princesses mention you working with them?" Law asks, partially out of his own curiosity.
"I worked for them for 2 years, they were my haki and magic teachers, plus recovery from seal backlash" Kaos answers, a muttered 'figures' from the logia expected.
"Magic isn't real, just creative use of Devil fruit abilities and haki" Law dismisses, getting a scoff from the Vice Admiral.
"Coming from the guy with a Devil fruit built for that kind of fake magic, I'm not surprised. On the other hand, I'm going to guess you at least got a crash course before entering the New World?" Kaos asks with a sparkle in his eyes.
"After Shiki, and Marineford, I couldn't just ignore that side of how the world works. Vice Admiral Nylock was a trove of information despite being medically incapable of anything beyond the most basic of casting herself" Smoker admits "Also, what did you mean backlash?"
"I had a Trinidad Seal implanted against my will, and it was removed during the War of the Best, because no matter how strong the ritual art is, the material it's etched into can't stand up to magma" Kaos explains, the curses from the grey haired marine actually telling him just how much information Robin gave him.
"The hell? What kind of sick fuck would do that to someone? I know it's not universal, but from what Nylock told me, seals that can alter the mind and personality that radically are heavily restricted and carry a death sentence if caught being used outside of those very specific mandates!" Smoker growls, a flash of sympathy in his eyes under all the anger.
"What about when it's done to a child?" Kaos asks, causing even Law to wince.
"You mean?"
"I was 10. Gramps decided that Hebi was a bad influence on me, might corrupt me into something more like her old master, and given how his 'marine training' was more accurately described as beat 4 small boys black and blue, then leave them with the mountain bandits, he went overboard and decided to use a seal that has done untold damage to my mind, soul and is most likely the root cause of my MPD" the researcher explains "Well that or resonance cascade, my paramecia awakened and it's messing with my Zoan, which is being troublesome"
Smoker snorts "Only you would call a Devil fruit with the power of an elder God troublesome"
"Yes!" Kaos grins, then taps on the blast doors between buildings A and B "This, will barely slow Zoro and the newbie down, Caesar's an idiot"
"They might even make it here before the doors close, provided my men don't cause a scene and get in the way" Smoker hums.
"Eh, they'll just cut through them on the way to the door" the researcher chirps.
The vice Admiral grunts "I think I liked you better when you were talking about being lobotomized as a child" he mutters, Law's eyes widen significantly.
"Is that what happened? That seal he was talking about?"
"Not exactly, but it's the equivalent in terms of how seriously those communities, especially places like Plegia and Mysthaven, take it being used on someone" the logia explains.
"So, should we break the gate, or let the others do it?" Kaos wonders aloud.
"You said Roronoa can cut it easily, let him. Might even give Tashigi a chance to show off to her boytoy" Smoker muses, then shoots forward in a plume of smoke, a sighing Law and cackling Kaos hot on his heels.
Middle of Building A
"Experiment Cannons on Standby"
"That, can't be good" Victor grimaces as the eclectic mix of pirates and marines rush through the laboratory, the sirens only adding to the ominous feel of the place.
KABOOM
"The wall's been breached!" One of the G5 shouts, as snow from the blizzard outside, and an ever-growing plume of Shinokuni begin to leak into the facility.
"You've got to be kidding me, we just managed to escape this stuff, and now it's on our asses again!" another whines, but it does motivate him to run faster, so there's that. Unfortunately the gas was faster than most of them, and the marines of G5 started to drop like flies, consumed by the smog and petrified.
Luckily, most likely due to everyone not wasting time fighting each other, most of the marines and all of the Straw Hats were able to slip through the Blast doors before they could close, the best case scenario all things considered, as otherwise, the Shinokuni would continue to expand, filling the rest of the facility as it went.
"YEET" was heard from the edge of the smoke, before a high-pitched scream, Zoro looking up just in time to catch Tashigi out of the air, though neither were able to enjoy the moment as she scrambled out of his hold.
"You idiots, you were supposed to run, and get through the door!" she screams.
"Sorry Boss, we couldn't let our captain throw her life away for screw-ups like us. You and Smokie, you're meant for better things" one of the G5 shouts back, with a sad smile, the Blast Door closing just before they could witness him being engulfed in the toxic cloud.
"NOO!" the Yuki cries, dropping to her knees as the door seals shut, tears crystallising as they slide down her cheeks "This isn't what was supposed to happen, Smoker told me to keep them safe. I failed, like I always fail." she sniffles, tensing when she feels someone behind her, though relaxes slightly as strong arms encircle her slim frame.
"You didn't fail, those men back there were just as determined to ensure you survived this as you were them. That's inspiration and leadership for sure. If you were as big a screw up as you think, they'd have just let you die out there, save their own skins, especially with how, thuggish and rough the G5 have always been portrayed as being" Zoro attempts to comfort her, feeling her lean against his chest as her whimpering slows and ceases.
"Thank you Zoro, I think I needed that" Tashigi sighs, blushing lightly as he kisses the crown of her head, frosty hair be damned.
"Whenever I can" he chuckles into her scalp "No let's get moving, those kids need their marine escort to safety" he teases as he lets go, Tashigi lightly elbowing him in the ribs, but doesn't try to hide her smile.
"He's right. We need to make our comrade's sacrifices mean something. Let's save those kids!" she cries, getting enthusiastic shouts from the rest of the G5 marines.
"Smooth mosshead, you pick that up over the 2 years too?" Sanji teases with a smirk as the swordsman gets up on Brownbeard's back again.
"Hey, I got 2 girls to keep happy, of course I'm a better smooth talker than you Eros" Zoro fires back, smirking as the blond's angry eyebrow twitches.
"Shigan"
"Shit. Everybody run!" the pirates turn at Tashigi's scream, as Vergo cuts down several of the G5 without even a twitch in his facial expression, blank as if carved from Seastone.
"Crap, I was hoping he'd go after Law or Smoker, not the small fry" Valentina winces before flashing through hand signs "Bakudan: Centipede seeker" she shouts, the dog sized clay centipede wrapping around the traitorous Vice Admiral before detonating, but against his armament haki, it did practically nothing.
"Consorting with pirates are we? Tsk, tsk, that's a capital offence these days" Vergo monotones, raising his arm to block Tashigi's sword, no visible reaction to the frost slowly creeping across his arm where his haki blocked the swing.
"Get out of here, he's working with Caesar, and Doflamingo!" the Yuki shouts, her 2nd blade blocked by a haki infused bamboo pole
"That was supposed to be a secret, Captain. Now I really DO need to kill everyone here" Vergo sighs, pushing the bluenette away and slamming her into the wall "I'll just start with you, Criatura" he states, before getting knocked aside by a flaming kick to the shoulder.
"Damn swordsman showing me up, I won't stand for it, nor will I allow the cries of a lady to go Unavenged!" Sanji bellows, both legs aflame.
"Wait, he's helping us?"
"But I thought we just agreed not to fight each other"
"Only shit, did neither of you notice he's on fire!?"
"I'll always come at the sound of a lady in danger, I'm trying to stop but it's entirely a reflex at this point. Eh, therapy isn't an instant fix and Stephaine always told me" Sanji admits as he lights a smoke.
Further down the line
"Are you really ok with leaving Tashigi behind like that?" Ussop asks in concern.
"She's a big girl, plus she hasn't even brought out the big guns yet" Zoro shrugs "But if Sanji wants to help I sure won't complain"
"Seems fair, but that guy is a Vice Admiral" Victor argues.
"I hope they both make it out ok" Shirahoshi frets.
"Um, guys, we have a BIG problem!" Carue screams just before a gout of flame shoots past them, barely missing Brownbeard's head.
"Oh crap the sedatives wore off!" Brownbeard curses, the pirates looking back to see the Green Dragon from earlier, now flying after them with a pissed off look in its eyes.
"Sedatives?" Vivi parrots.
"Yeah, Dragons are naturally fierce and vicious creatures, so in order to work with them in any capacity you need to pump them full of sedatives. Especially the smaller ones, they're the relatively newer creations, stronger and faster than the older ones, as the process has been refined since the Red Dragon" the alligator man explains.
"And we had our hands full with the Red one" Ussop whines, causing all eyes to turn to 3 of the 4 that came here via the Burning Lands, given that's the only place they could have run into one and the rest of them not know about it.
"I'll try keep him from harming us, please move faster, Crocodile man!" Kinemon orders, drawing his sword in preparation for another flaming barrage from the Green Dragon.
"I'm an alligator damn it! And you better know what you're doing" Brownbeard grumbles, but complies.
Further into Building B
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Luffy screams as he charges up the stairs, heading in what he hopes was the direction of Caesar Clown.
"Well, we're not losing him anytime soon" Smoker sighs, floating alongside Law and Kaos, using his smoke like a ghost tail "He is going the right way, is he?"
"Yes, I think. Logias are a pain to sense as their prescience spreads out, much like the gas he can become. Also I don't know where Vergo is, didn't run into him earlier and he has no Devil fruit for my Observation to ping off of" Kaos answers.
"Well for now all we can do is head for Caesar and hope Vergo's there too" Smoker grunts as he shoots upwards.
Somewhere else in the lab
"Is it really a good idea to head towards the loud banging?" Kaya asks as she follows Chopper up the stairs, neither really sure where they are in this maze of a lab.
"It means someone else is here, hopefully someone who knows their way around the lab" Chopper argues, just as he reaches the top "Oh God, it's one of the kids!"
"WHAT!?" Kaya screams, running to catch up and like he said, it was one of the giant kids, banging against the wall, cornered by 3 of the hazmat saytrs "Bastards, let's take them out"
"My thoughts exactly. Heavy Point" Chopper cries going into his largest normal form, Kaya a little too distracted to comment on the odd tattoo just above his left hip, filing it away for later though as she melts into a form best described as a sticky tentacle monster.
"Come along kid, back to the Biscuit room"
"Stupid brat, get moving or I'll shoot you"
"Fucking bit….AHHHH!" the 2 turn as their comrade was grabbed by a syrup tendril and tossed off the platform, clueing them in that they weren't alone, a fist to the face from a Yeti/Reindeer boy being the second clue.
"Damn it, how'd the intruders get here so fast?" the final one mutters aloud, shooting at Kaya but all it does was splash the syrup, basically nothing as she ensnares and tightly squeezes the minion "AHHH!" he cries in pain.
"Are you ok Moka?" Chopper calls up, but the kid takes one look at him and panics, going back to pounding at the door with even more urgency "Right, she's going through withdrawals from the NHC10, this is why we're here. I have sedatives which should help deal with some of the issue" the doctor mutters rifling through his bag to find one of the needles he'd prepared earlier, then jumps onto the giant girl's back "Easy does it, this will help you feel better" he whispers soothingly, the drug kicking in quickly enough as her pounding stops and she visibly appears to calm down.
"Oh, hello, what was I doing just now?" she asks, tired and confused.
"You were pounding on that wall something fierce" Chopper explains.
"Oh yeah" Moka nods "i was trying to escape, I think"
"Hey Moka, where are the others?" Kaya asks, having returned to her normal form, besides 2 large syrup tendrils wrapped around the satyr "and how did you end up back here?"
"The Master found us, he hurt your friends and then took all of us on his flying machine back to the lab. They're probably all back in the Biscuit Room getting more of the Candy"
"Oh no, we can't let them eat that candy!" Chopper cries "We need to get there quickly, do you know where the Biscuit room is from here?"
Moka nods "Of course, I even know a shortcut to get there fast, follow me!" she says before running off, Chopper on her heels and Kaya not far behind, after slamming the sheep face first into the platform to ensure he didn't follow them.
Caesar's room
"That bastard Vergo, he knows G5 were meant to be my test subjects, he wasn't supposed to kill them, the Shinokuni was. Fuck it, Monet, seal the hatch linking the passage to Building B, then open Building A's hatch to let the gas in" Caesar orders.
"Are you sure? Vergo is still in there" Monet points out, given the man in question was right there on the screen alongside Sanji, Tashigi, and the remainder of G5 minus Smoker.
"Of course I am, this is what he gets for defying my orders and going rogue like that" the gas man snarls.
Somewhere in Building B, near the Biscuit Room
"Almost there, just a little further" Moka assures them.
"Good, as long as we get there before the kids we should be fine. We destroy the candy and then we can start treating them for withdrawal" Chopper says, focusing on the task ahead. Not helped was the loud thuds of lumbering giants.
"Not good, that's the other kids for sure" Kaya grimaces.
"If only you guys had the Bat Girl with you" Moka sighs, getting confused looks from the Straw Hats "When the Master came to get us, he had Candy, or said he did, but when he opened the bag, a little girl with bat wings on her head popped out and bit him" she explains.
"A little girl?" Chopper repeats, surprised given Caesar's clear obsession with gigantification.
"Yep, with white hair and snake eyes" the giant girl adds, the sedatives actually clearing her mind a number of ways.
Chopper and Kaya both freeze at the description 'Medusa…. Oh shit'
"Ok, crisis for later, right now we need to stop those kids getting to the tainted candy. Lets bar the door and work from there" the reindeer announces, the trio quickly slamming the door shut then securing it with a steel pipe through the handles as they hold it closed "This is a stop gap solution at best. We need to do something to ensure they can't eat the candy" Chopper grimaces.
"Um, Mr. Chopper, you said the Candy is bad right?" the 2 pirates nod "What makes it bad?"
"There's bad things put in it, making it sickness in a sweet shell" Kaya summarises, neither wanting to overcomplicate things or explain to the girl that she'd been drugged for 2 years by Caesar through the Candy"
Caesar's room
"There you are, I'm not letting you get away this time!" Luffy bellows as he crashes into the room, starting this brawl like the last one, by sucker-punching the mad scientist in the gut.
TBC
LW: Round 2? Eh, that should be an interesting way to start the next set.
