"Leave me alone, Smokey!" Luffy shouted as he dodged yet another jab from the logia user's jutte. He was immediately forced to keep moving as Crocodile's hand reached out to grab him. Well this is annoying. If either of these guys land a hit, I'm crippled. He was broken out of his thoughts as Tashigi jumped over his other two opponents and swiped at him with her sword. He quickly caught her sword with his bare hand, a simple haki coating ensuring that he didn't get cut, and pulled, using the weapon to block Smoker's jutte. He then kicked Smoker out of the way, sending him flying across the sand. Seeing Crocodile homing in again, he then deliberately pushed Tashigi toward the sand man. She yelped in surprise as her sword blackened in her hands, and Crocodile's eyes widened as he swayed back to avoid the armaments hardened blade.
Meanwhile, Robin was watching the fight play out curiously. She could tell that the Strawhat captain was playing with them, which surprised her. She never thought she'd see the day when she saw a rookie pirate treat a fight with a royal warlord like a joke. But that wasn't bothering her as much as what he had said earlier. You plan to steal a force you can't hope to control.
He was talking about Pluton.
But how? How could he possibly know that the weapon was hidden in this country, let alone that Crocodile was searching for it? The warlord himself was too angry at the moment to stop and think about the implications of what he had heard. But if there was one thing Robin was good at, it was keeping a clear head. She thought back to her first encounter with Monkey D. Luffy, back in Whiskey Peak. He had known who she was right off the bat, but what he said back then hadn't been a threat so much as a warning. A warning not to underestimate him. It wasn't even hostility, really. It was only natural given how she had been antagonizing his new crewmate.
Yes, she had been playing games with the princess, allowing her to discover Mr. 0's identity only to inform him later on. She had taken the warning for what it meant: if she was going to play games, she would lose. If she hadn't thought much of it at first, seeing him taking on Crocodile and the White Hunter at the same time, along with the revelation that he knew about Pluton, may have changed her perspective a bit.
"What's wrong, Robin? Not going to join in?" came the man's voice. Robin just stared at him. He wasn't mocking her, so much as...joking around. Why was he acting this way around his enemy? She supposed he might just not view her as a threat, but his tone was almost playful, as if it was completely natural for him to act friendly towards her, of all the ridiculous things in the world.
She suddenly wanted to test something out. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she threw caution to the wind and crossed her arms, copies of which suddenly sprouted all over the Strawhat captain's body. Smoker and Tashigi suddenly stopped attacking. Smoker looked over to her, as if considering her presence for the first time. Crocodile also stopped, and shot an annoyed glare at her.
"Insufferable woman! He's mine to kill!" the sand man shouted. But Robin made no other move against the pirate, who simply stood there, seemingly trapped in her grip.
And then he smiled at her. "Well? Are you going to do it or not?" he asked. "To be honest, I'd prefer if you didn't." Robin's eyes widened.
What is he playing at? There's no way I really have him beat. Why doesn't he retaliate?
Suddenly, Crocodile lost his patience and lunged at Luffy. While the two marines didn't want to attack him while he was seemingly immobilized, the warlord was less hesitant as his arm morphed into a crescent of sand.
Later Robin would tell herself that the reason she let go was simply because she was startled. But she had never been too good at fooling herself. The hands dematerialized and Luffy jumped out of the way of the attack that could have sucked every drop of water from his body.
Crocodile suddenly started laughing. "If you think you can save this country by dodging all day, by all means try," he said. Smoker looked over at Crocodile, curiosity piqued.
"Save this country? What are you talking about, pirate?" Crocodile shot him an annoyed glare.
"Stay out of it, marine scum." Smoker's eyes narrowed.
"He was planning to overthrow this country during the chaos of the rebellion," Luffy stated. "He's the leader of an underground organization called Baroque Works. He goes by the name Mr. 0."
Smoker's eyes widened in realization at the sound of the code name. It took him a moment to think things through. "So that's what's going on here," he said quietly.
Crocodile growled in agitation. Suddenly, he removed the golden casing on his hooked hand and revealed the poisoned metal underneath. "You escort the princess here. You take down my agents time and again. You take out the rebel army, foiling my plans one after another, and now you've gotten the marines involved. It's time I treat you like the nuisance you really are, Strawhat Luffy." A crazed grin manifested on the man's face. "But for all of your efforts, you will not succeed. This country will not be saved! And do you know why?"
"Is it because you hid a bomb in the clock tower?" Luffy asked.
Robin watched as for the first time since she had met him, Sir Crocodile's eyes widened in shock.
"What...? When...? How...?"
"Your agent told me," Luffy said, grinning.
Crocodile stared dumbly before he realized what Luffy was implying, and his face morphed into a menacing scowl. He stood there for a moment, shaking with rage, as he tried to regain his composure. Meanwhile, Smoker turned back to Luffy.
"What bomb? What are you talking about, Strawhat?"
"There's a bomb set to go off at 4 pm in the clock tower. If we don't stop it, Alubarna will be engulfed in a blast big enough to level the city."
Smoker's eyes widened slightly, while Tashigi gasped. Luffy thought for a moment. "Actually, this is perfect. Would you guys mind stopping the bombing while I beat this guy up?" he asked pointing at the warlord.
Tashigi looked at Smoker uncertainly. Strictly speaking, protocol demanded that they stay out of the affairs of the warlords unless ordered otherwise. But if they waited for proof in this situation, there was no telling what could happen. If Strawhat was telling the truth, a lot of people would pay the price for their negligence.
"We're leaving Tashigi," Smoker said, seemingly coming to the same conclusion. Tashigi nodded quickly and followed the marine captain, but they were quickly cut off by Crocodile in his logia form.
"Did you think I'd just let you go?" he asked in a low tone as he aimed his poisonous hook at Tashigi. Knowing that Smoker would be intangible, he was hoping this would throw the smoke man off. His plan was foiled, however, when Smoker blocked the hook with his seastone jutte. Crocodile responded by grabbing the jutte by its shaft, which was made of normal stone. The weapon suddenly dissolved into sand, causing Smoker to grunt in shock. Crocodile swiped at him this time, but he dissolved into smoke. As Crocodile raised his hook again, the smoke homed in on him, but he too fell back into his logia form. Tashigi had her sword up at the ready to block the hook, but she was unable to anticipate the path of the disembodied arm.
"Gomu gomu no...Desert Eagle!" Luffy's blackened hand impacted with Crocodile's face, sending him skidding across the ground until he finally righted himself, looking disheveled and livid but no worse for the wear. "Your opponent is me!" Luffy shouted as he appeared right in front of the sand man again. His fist, which was pointed at his opponent, was still blackened, but now they could see it had a red tinge to it, and it appeared to be...steaming?
Crocodile raised a hand to the ugly red bruise on his face. When he brought it down and saw the blood, his face darkened. "I've had enough," he said quietly, as all the sand in the area started to rise and swirl. Luffy turned to Smoker and Tashigi and nodded at them. Smoker stared at him for a few seconds before returning the nod. He signalled to Tashigi, and they both left the scene.
"Are you sure?" Luffy asked, addressing the warlord. "Because I'm just getting started."
"Why are these guys so weird!?" Usopp complained as he pushed himself off the ground, attempting to recover from the near miss of the last explosion. "They talk weird, they fight weird, and their cannon is a frickin' dog! They're weirder than you are Chopper!"
"Take that back you asshole!" Chopper yelled indignantly.
"Why are you getting offended!? Fine, you're weirder! Are you happy!?"
"No!"
Seal let out a low whine, telling them to stop arguing.
"Seal's right. We have to focus on beating these guys. Usopp, give us some cover!"
"Ok. The poison should at least slow them down enough for our plan to work." To be honest, every fiber of his being was telling him to run away from this forsaken fight. But he knew he could never look Vivi or any of his other crewmates in the eye if he did that. He was a Strawhat too, and he needed pull his weight. Soon after they had arrived, the Mr. 4 pair had altered the field to their advantage, and now there were mole holes all over the battlefield. The mole lady was digging around in them, which was part of their plan.
When the dog shot another explosive ball at them, Usopp matched it with an explosive star, causing it to explode before it reached them. Next he pulled out a wide scale smoke bomb.
"Certain death! Smoke star!" he yelled as he shot it at the dog. The area became shrouded in a thick veil, and the dog looked around on confusion, not knowing where to aim as Chopper, Usopp, and Seal ran around under their cover.
Their plan was impeded, however, as Miss Merry Christmas grabbed Usopp's foot from below. "That won' work on me, bastard! I can smell ya!" Usopp gasped as the mole woman pulled him towards a brick building. He gritted his teeth, preparing for impact, and coughed up blood as he impacted face first into the brick wall. He fell over backwards, but Chopper quickly caught him in walk point.
"Are you ok Usopp!?" he shouted in concern.
Usopp wheezed. "I'm...fine..." he insisted. "Stick to the plan!"
"Right!" Usopp handed the human reindeer a tabasco star, and Chopper used his nose to track down the dog. Miss Merry Christmas continued to pester him as he ran, but seeing as he could smell her too, he was able to avoid her in walk point. He quickly shoved the tabasco star into the dog's mouth. The canine gun hybrid's eyes started to water, and right as he was about to sneeze, Chopper went into heavy point and shoved his face down into one of the holes.
A series of explosions could be heard beneath the ground, along with the comparatively faint screams of a certain mole woman. When she climbed out of the hole, smoking and burnt, but still conscious, Seal leapt at her and punched her across the face, letting out what was probably his equivalent of a battle cry. Miss Merry Christmas swiped at him with her claws, but the damage from the explosions and the effects of the drug were stacking up and taking a major toll on her, and Seal easily dodged. He then launched into a furious combo that completely betrayed his appearance. He ended with an uppercut that finally rendered the mole woman unconscious.
"Way to go Seal!" Usopp shouted, regaining his bearings. Finally, the smoke started to clear, and Mr. 4 was shocked to see his partner defeated.
"Rumble!" Chopper ate a rumble ball, determined not to let up. The dog, now over its fit of sneezing, shot another ball at the reindeer, who went into jump point and leapt over it. As he switched in between jump point and walk point, homing in on Mr. 4 all the while, the dog continually missed him. Finally, the dog waited and took aim while he was in the air.
"Certain death! Explosive star!" The explosive projectile was shot directly into the dog's mouth, courtesy of Usopp, and its eyes widened as both bombs went off in its jaw. It didn't get up after that. Mr. 4 was still processing the fact that he was alone now when he was hit across the face by Seal. He recoiled, but brushed off the hit, and swung his bat, which narrowly missed the kung fu dugong. He was then hit in the head by another explosive star, leaving an opening for Chopper.
"Kokutei, Roseo!" Chopper implanted his hoof into the same spot, causing Mr. 4 to groan in pain. Nevertheless, he swung his bat in one last act of defiance. As he was in the air, Chopper had no choice but to use guard point.
The hit was still devastating. If the monster of a man hadn't been disoriented and weakened, Chopper was convinced he wouldn't be getting up for a long time. Mr. 4 recovered momentarily and raised his bat again, but his hand was hit with yet another explosive star, and he dropped the bat. Seal took the chance to land another hit on his head, and the force of the blow was finally enough to cause him to reel back. He caught himself on his back foot, but couldn't recover in time to defend against Chopper, who had recovered himself.
"Kokutei, Cross!" The finishing blow impacted with Mr. 4's skull, and the man's eyes finally rolled back into his head as he toppled over onto the sand with a loud thud, leaving the strawhat trio to collapse and pant in victory.
Sanji leapt to the side to avoid another swipe of Mr. 1's bladed arms and quickly swept his legs out from under him. Ignoring the pain of his legs impacting with the steel, he took the opportunity to slam his heel against the man's skull before leaping back. He took a few seconds to catch his breath as Bentham swapped in and aimed a drop kick down on Mr. 1's torso, but the only slightly disoriented man rolled out of the way and crossed his arms as he got up before attempting to slash across the okama's chest. Bentham ducked under the man's bladed arms and landed an uppercut to his chin, sending him reeling back, but Mr. 1 righted himself and headbutted him, which had a much greater effect given his steel body and larger mass.
As Bentham was sent careening backwards, Sanji ran in and sidestepped a bladed kick from before launching into a flurry of kicks aimed at any body part other than the blade man's arms and legs. He finished with a mutton shot, kicking his opponent through a house onto the other side of the block.
"I hope you don't think that'll be enough to keep him down," came the voice of Miss Doublefinger. The woman looked positively annoyed. Her hair was standing up on end, as if she had received some sort of electric shock, but Sanji wasn't sure how that could have happened.
So this is Nami-san's new fighting style. I think I'm falling in love all over again. I'm not sure how, but it looks like she can turn invisible, so I don't have to worry about her for the time being. I better focus on the steel guy for now. I can't kick that spikey woman anyway.
Thus, Sanji was forced to dodge numerous attempts to maim him through the use of the woman's bodily spikes. Bentham evidently realized he wasn't attacking.
"Hey, what are playing at spiral cook? She just left a few openings for you, in case you didn't notice!"
"Shut it you shitty ballerina! I won't kick a woman! I'd rather die!" he shouted in response as he continued dodging. Miss Doublefinger raised an amused eyebrow at his bold statement.
"Then you shall!" she claimed as she turned both her hands as well as her head into spiked balls. She started swinging at him rapidly, throwing in kicks of her own with her spiked heels, but Sanji simply kept dodging her, playing a purely evasive game. She was started to grow annoyed as it became more and more apparent that she couldn't land a hit.
It was then that she felt a sense of deja vu as the air around her grew warmer, and then colder moments afterwards. She looked up and noticed a cloud, much like the one that had shocked her earlier. She gritted her teeth as she looked around for her assailant again, with limited success. She did however, find where the source of the atmospheric disturbances were coming from, seeing as they were visible and quite conspicuous.
Seeing this, she ran towards the location where the red and blue orbs were originating from. "You won't fool me so easily a second time!" she shouted in contempt.
"Nami-san!" Sanji shouted in worry, but soon found himself preoccupied as Mr. 1 joined the fray again. Miss Doublefinger froze mid stride, however, as Nami suddenly materialized off to the side, smirking.
What? She's over there? So it was a diversion? She immediately altered her course off to the side just as Nami brought her staff up. Blue lightning sparked in the cloud overhead, ready to strike. Sanji and Bentham watched in horror as Miss Doublefinger's spiked fist impaled Nami's skull.
Only for her skull to fade into a haze around the limb. "What!?" Miss Doublefinger exclaimed as she turned back to the spot she had previously been running to.
"Fooled you," Nami said, sticking her tongue out, as the lightning struck her opponent, who screamed in pain. She struggled to keep herself upright after being struck by lightning for the second time that day. But Nami wasn't done yet. "Beware of twisters!" she shouted as she ran towards her opponent, staff at the ready. "Tornado tempo!"
Miss Doublefinger watched wearily as fake birds popped out of the staff, which didn't seem to shake Nami's confidence in the slightest. "Is that it!?" Miss Doublefinger yelled, getting ready to spear her through. But she was unable to move her arms as the wired birds wrapped around her arms and legs. The end section of the staffs started spinning, lifted her off of her feet. She lost all orientation as she spun faster and faster, until suddenly she was launched through a building and came out the other side, much the same way Mr. 1 had been sent hurtling earlier. Only she lacked the defense that came with his devil fruit and was already on her last ropes. Landed on the other side of the partly demolished house, she didn't rise again.
Mr. 1 watched in anger as his partner was defeated. "You bitch," he hissed as he broke away from Sanji, who was panting from his constant hit and run tactics with the blade man. Nami's eyes widened as Mr. 1 ran towards him.
Not good. My time limit for mirage tempo is up, thunderbolt tempo needs time to charge, and tornado tempo is a one time deal! She could do nothing but raise her clima tact in a poor attempt to ward off his bladed limbs as Sanji struggled to get there in time. She suddenly felt herself being pushed out of the way, however, and she landed roughly on the ground. She looked up to the horrifying sight of Bentham bleeding heavily, having been impaled by Mr. 1's arm. She covered her mouth in shock.
"I told you didn't I?" Mr. 1 said in a low tone. "This was bound to happen, one way or another, Mr. 2." He tossed Mr. 2 off of his arm like a rag doll, and the okama landed in a heap on the side of the road. "Or whatever you call yourself now." He moved in to land the finishing blow, but his arm was stopped abruptly before it could meet its target.
Sanji's leg, raised in a block, bled profusely as he held Mr.1 at bay. The officer agent gritted his teeth as he attempted to force Sanji out of the way, but despite the pain he must have been in, Sanji wouldn't budge. He simply glared at his opponent before redirecting his blow to the side and roundhouse kicking him across the street. Nami took the time to look over Bentham. He had managed to avoid a fatal injury, but he was still bleeding heavily. They needed to get him help, and fast.
Sanji quickly jumped into the air above Mr. 1 as the man fell, ignoring the blood seeping from his leg with every movement, and spun in a vertical circle before finally bringing his good heel crashing down on the agent's face. "Concasse."
He leapt back again as Mr. 1 got up, slightly unsteadily. The blade man raised one hand to the bridge of his nose and brought it down. Blood. Realizing his nose was broken, he did what no one would expect. He grinned at Sanji.
"It's been awhile since an enemy has drawn blood from me. I suppose I should thank you for the thrill of a decent fight," he said. Sanji said nothing in response.
I have to finish this. The okama needs medical treatment, and this guy is insanely strong. I wouldn't have even made it this far if not the training I've been putting myself through. He braced himself as his opponent's arms morphed into what looked like buzzsaws. He really didn't want to get hit by those.
The two charged at each other, and Sanji leapt over him, kicking his head towards the pavement. He landed behind him, and kicked him in the side before he could get up, sending him hurtling down the street before he righted himself, grunting. Sanji followed up, delivering a hail of kicks to the agent's head, neck, and torso. Anywhere that he wouldn't injure himself by kicking once his opponent turned into a blade. He had noticed early on in the fight that his entire body couldn't turn into a blade edge. Blades had two edges and two blunt sides, after all.
"Mutton shot!" he shouted as he thrust his leg forward. Mr. 1 was prepared and took the hit, groaning as he slid back on his feet. Suddenly, they heard another crackle of thunder overhead, causing them both to look up. Another cloud had formed above Mr. 1's head, causing Sanji's eyes to widen.
"Nami-san, don't!" he shouted. It was too late though.
"Thunderbolt tempo!" The lightning came crashing down on Mr. 1 as Sanji shielded his eyes. When it cleared, Mr. 1 was still standing. Sparks of electricity emanated from his body. He looked downright pissed, but otherwise unaffected. Nami's eyes widened in realization. He's a conductor!
Mr. 1 launched himself towards Nami. Sanji tried to follow after him, but his leg chose that moment to fail him, and he dropped to one knee. Shit! Not now! he thought frantically.
Nami's staff was knocked out of her hand a bladed arm. She ducked to avoid another jab, but fell over onto the ground in the process. She barely had time to move her head to avoid the next attack, but her shoulder was pierced instead, pinning her to the ground and eliciting a high pitched scream.
"This is what happens when you play with toys on the battlefield," Mr. 1 said emotionlessly. He was about to pierce her skull when he was sent crashing into a house for what felt like the tenth time that day. Only each time it was gradually getting more painful. As he picked himself up out of the rubble, he could see why. The blond haired man had seemed to gain an extra surge of adrenaline, and was now walking on towards him effortlessly despite the injury to his leg. The glare Mr. 1 was faced with threatened to burn a hole through him.
"You have spirit, I'll give you that," Mr. 1 said. "But your kicks aren't enough to stop me. Anyone can see that you're wearing down." Sanji's stopped in front of him before responding.
"You're right. I haven't been good enough. But..." he bit his cigarette in half. "I'm a bit heated up now."
To Mr. 1's bewilderment, he started rapidly spinning in a circle with his leg raised, fast enough that he was a complete blur. When he stopped, his previously black leg was glowing orange, as if it had just been dipped into a furnace, except the leg itself didn't seem to be burning.
"Cooking is a gift from the gods. Spices are a gift from the devil." He lunged towards Mr. 1. "Have a taste."
The officer agent tried to block the blow by crossing his arms, but Sanji anticipated the move, and his foot connected with his stomach anyway, the pressure from the kick driving a searing heat throughout his conductive body. He moaned in pain and stumbled backwards, clutching his abdomen, which gave Sanji an opening to land another kick across his face. He felt like his skull was aflame.
Sanji thought back to his conversation with Zoro prior to their arrival in Alabasta. This technique will help you penetrate some of the toughest defenses, but it will also damage your body greatly until you master it. Try not to use it too much until you toughen up some more. The stress on your legs could cost you the fight if you don't end it quickly.
Wasting no time, Sanji ducked under Mr. 1's defense and got ready to finish it.
"Flamber: Anti Manner Kick Course!" Mr. 1 was launched up into the air by Sanji's leg and howled in pain, but Sanji wasn't done yet. He jumped up into the air above Mr. 1. Working passed the pain, the blade man took the chance to launch one last counterattack.
"Atomic Dicer!" Two large gashes appeared across Sanji's chest as he raised his leg, but he roared with determination and brought it down.
"Flamber: Reception!" His leg jutted straight down into Mr 1's already damaged torso, and the blade man's defense shattered along with his ribs as he was sent crashing back down to the pavement below.
Sanji landed in front of him, panting heavily. His leg shifted back to its normal shade of black as he lit another cigarette. "Guess it was a little too spicy for you," he muttered, before promptly collapsing onto the ground.
"Sanji-kun!" came Nami's worried voice as she ran towards him.
"Nami-saaaan," Sanji crowed weakly. "Did you fall in love with me even more?"
Nami sighed. "Sure, why not. Good job out there." She helped him to his feet, which instantly caused his eyes to be replaced by hearts. "But we have to get Bentham out of here, and I'm not sure if I can carry you both," she said. "Do you think you can walk?"
Sanji's face was slightly downcast as he trudged over to the okama. "Right...I'll carry him," he said, causing Nami to look after him worriedly.
"Are you sure? You're injuries are worse than mine..." But this only caused Sanji to go off on a hopeless rant about how he could never stand by and watch a lady do the heavy lifting as he hoisted Bentham onto his shoulder, careful not to aggravate the wound further. Eventually Nami just sighed and relented, following beside him.
A/N: Get it? Heating up?
...
Yea! It's a pun! Ahahahahaha!
...No? Fine, whatever. *Throws hands up in the air* Lost out.