Just so you guys know. I changed the order of events for this chapter. Also some events will seem completely gone but it's because Robin's still in shock and depressed over the previous events. Just so things make a little more sense for those who have the storyline of One Piece memorized.
^(:*$,=[/%[
"Eh!?!" A male voice shouted shocking Robin out of her thoughts. "What happened to her eye!?!" Realizing where she stood it seemed she hadn't even noticed that they had entered a building and had gone up stairs. She now stood before a man wearing a weird face mask made of metal and covering close to three quarters of his head. "Your orders were to bring her in unharmed!" The man shouted, he must be the man in charge of Cp9. She noticed Kaku, Blueno, and Kalifa were now sitting on a couch. Scattered around the room were three other agents. A round looking One sat on the couch across from Kaku and Kalifa. The second one, he had purplish hair that resembled D's even though it was extremely long and practically surrounded him, sat crossed legged against the wall. The last one laid on his side, a shadow of a wolf around him, most likely his devil fruit powers. Her Mark still revealed the essence of someone's devil fruit to her. Only Lucci stood beside her and Franky still.
"That is the Devil's Mark upon her eye." Lucci answered calmly.
"Right!" The man paused for a moment. "The undeniable proof of her selling her soul for her ungodly power. I knew that."
"Of course sir." Lucci nodded as the man turned around to his desk. The moment the man faced the other way Lucci's eyes filled with contempt so much it surprised even Robin.
"This is the greatest moment in my career!" The man grinned as he sat down. "Cp9 has captured the long sought after criminal, Nico Robin. As well as killing off that Demon that has been the thorn in the side of the Government. And as a sign of the importance of me, Spandam, and this mission!" He opened a drawer and pulled out a small gold snail. "I have been given the authority and power by Admiral Aokiji to enact a Buster Call!" Robin's eyes widened as memories of the past bubbled up. Her head fell slightly as the sound of fires burning and people screaming threatened to overwhelm her.
"Kaku. Kalifa." Spandam began when Kalifa interrupted him.
"That's sexual harassment." She stated calmly.
"I only said your name!" Spandam cried out in shock before recovering, his outcry also let Robin begin to calm down and remember where she was. "Anyways. Headquarters has sent two devil fruits to be gifted to you as a reward for your hard work, and to increase the strength of Cp9." Robin looked up surprised as he pulled two fruit out on plates. A red banana with cloud symbols swirling across it, the sound of a savannah seemed to echo from it. And the other, a purplish melon with similar symbols on it. The sound coming from it was a woman's content sigh. "Do you want to accept this gift? Kaku? Kalifa?"
"That's sexual harassment."
"Do you want it or not!?" Spandam shouted as he placed the fruit before them.
"Don't do it! " The agent with the wolf powers suggested earnestly. "You'll lose the ability to swim!"
"What powers are they?" Kaku wondered allowed. "Can your nose tell?" He lifted the fruit up to the wolf agent's nose.
"Keep that away from me!" The agent jumped back suddenly.
"What's the matter Jabra?" Kaku asked slightly surprised and slightly amused.
"Don't you know the devil fruits house demons inside them?! And if two fruit come together the demons will fight for dominance!?" He shouted as he backed further away. Robin couldn't help but chuckle at that since D had informed her of the truth of that matter. "What are you laughing at witch!?"
"Stop it, Jabra." Lucci smiled. "I can barely contain my laugh as well. As a power user you should know that you have to eat from two fruits before the powers threaten to destroy you."
"Is that so?" Jabra calmed down. "I still think you should not eat it, Kaku."
"That depends wholly upon what the power is." Kaku responded, glancing towards Spandam for further information.
"There is no known knowledge on what the powers are." Spandam shrugged. "But I can assure you that no matter what it is, you will be stronger. A single bite is all it takes."
"In that case." Both Kaku and Kalifa took a bite of their fruit. And almost instantly curled in surprise and pain.
"Are you guys ok?!" Jabra asked earnestly. "What powers did you get?!"
"I-its!" Kaku stuttered as everyone leaned in expectantly.
"D-disgusting!" Kalifa finished his sentence causing everyone to sigh.
"I do feel much stronger." Kaku admitted.
"Good." Spandam smiled greedily. "Both of you return to your quarters and get used to your new powers."
"That's sexual harassment." Kalifa said as she stood to leave.
"I only told you to go to your room! And alone!" Spandam shouted. But the two were already leaving. It seemed he had very little real power over them. By choice, he was allowed to sit in the seat of power. Robin could easily see that, but she doubted Spandam could.
"Sir." Lucci spoke up causing all eyes present to look to him. "Your Snail Phone is going off."
"It is?" Spandam looked at the snail which was making the standard sound for incoming calls. "It is." He picked the phone piece up. "Spandam here."
"Sir!" A male marine's voice called through the snail as the snail's appearance began to mirror his mood, which was distraught. "Pirates have attacked the first gate!"
"What!?!?!!?" Spandam shouted. "Who are they?!?"
"It seems to be the Strawhat pirates!" Robin's gasped as she felt like someone had yanked the ground from under her. "It must be a joint effort because more people than is reported to be in their crew are here!"
"Then call the marines reinforcements in!" Spandam ordered. "Don't let them get past the first gate!"
"Well." The Snail Phone took on an apologetic look. "Strawhat Luffy has already gotten past the first gate and is making his way through the inner city."
"What!?!?!?!?!?!?!" Spandam looked like he was going to have a heart attack. "He defeated Kashi and Oimo?!"
"Ah no." The Snail Phone shook it's head. "They seem to be sleeping."
"Then wake them up!"
"Yes sir!" With that said Spandam put the headset back.
"Lucci. Put those two by the wall while we prepare to take them to the Gates of Justice." Spandam ordered as the Snail Phone began ringing again. "Spandam here. Report."
"This is the inner city." The marine on the other side notified his location. "Strawhat Luffy has been fighting against our forces here!" He seemed very nervous.
"Report the situation marine." Spandam instructed.
"We are currently trying to suppress Strawhat Luffy with some difficulty." The marine informed. "The current casualty count is five-" Suddenly the voice stopped and the Snail Phone calmed down to its original state.
"Five?" Spandam scoffed. "Why are they bothering to report that? And here I thought I might need to use the power of the Buster Call."
"M-may I ask why Aokiji gave you the B-buster C-call?" Robin asked. She could barely say the words from how much fear was running through her.
"What?!" Spandam growled as he quickly walked to her and slammed her back against the wall. "A witch like you dares question an Admiral's actions?! Who do you think told us you'd be at Water Seven? Just sit here quietly! It's only a matter of time before Strawhat Luffy is caught so he can join you on the walk to the Gates!" He pushed her down before walking off.
"You promised to leave them alone!" Robin stood up again.
"Lucci." Spandam smiled evilly. "Remind our guest the exact lines of our agreement."
Lucci closed his eyes as he recited the promise that had been made with her. "All members of the Strawhat crew, excluding Nico Robin, will be allowed to leave Water Seven safely."
"Which is what was done." Spandam grinned. "The Strawhats were allowed to leave Water Seven safely. It's not our fault they chose to come to Enis Lobby!" He laughed maniacally. "But since they're here anyways we might as well do our duty as members of the Government!"
Robin's eyes widened as she realized that most likely this would have happened no matter where the Strawhats had chosen to go. They had simply chosen to follow after her rushing towards their doom. Would her curse refuse to let go of anyone she touched?! Slowly she sunk to the floor. And in her mind, despair.
"Hey." Franky whispered. "At least your friends were brave enough to try to come after you. You got some pretty decent fellows there."
"It would be better if they didn't." Robin shook her head. "They would live longer if they chose to leave me behind."
"Guess that's true." Franky looked up as he shifted against the chains holding him. "That's probably what my gang decided when they heard I was captured. Can't say I blame them. Never thought anyone would be crazy enough to come here willingly."
Robin chose to ignore him as she let her despair swallow her. Time seemed to merge as the occupants in the room moved around. Some leaving. Some changing locations. She didn't care enough to pay attention. And most likely they preferred her to be silent. But despite her silence she wanted to scream. It felt like the action was bubbling just below the surface, waiting for something to push her over the edge.
That was when a voice she knew rang out piercing the darkness that was threatening to engulf her. "ROBIN!!!!!"
^^^^^
Luffy was becoming pretty frustrated with the marines and their insistent attacking. Despite the obvious difference in strength between him and them they refused to let him pass. And while it was true that numbers could win a battle, was it ever worth the loss?
"Die pirate scum!" Another voice in the already countless fools who tried to get between him and Robin. He didn't even bother to speak as he dodged the sword strike that seemed so slow compared to Zoro's before countering with a punch, knocking the marine out cold. He was leaving a wake of bodies behind him that could be followed since he passed the first gates. But not one of them was dead.
^flashback^
"Your afraid of your own power because you almost killed Arlong?" D asked surprised after the battle. Luffy half expected him to laugh at him for being silly. "That's pretty sensible of you."
"Y-You don't think I'm being silly?!" Luffy asked in disbelief.
"Course not." D waved the idea away. "Your a powerhouse. If you didn't realise the potential destruction you can cause you'd be just as bad as pirates like Kreig." D pulled him into an awkward hug. "It's because your compassionate that you caused such mayhem. A friend was in trouble and you fight with all your might to save them. In that situation it's ok to not think so hard about pulling your punches."
Luffy thought about what he said and realized he was right. Normally he didn't go all out because despite him not using weapons to fight he could still kill. But when he was fighting for Nami's freedom it felt different. Like it was ok to go all out.
"That doesn't mean you can forget the difference in strength." D continued. "It was ok since the bad guys here were all fishmen and more durable. Regular people will seriously die if you forget the difference. Only go all out against 'boss' level people."
^end of flashback^
Even if D hadn't told him that he would have done that here. When he had tried to fight against the Pigeon Guy in Water Seven he had lost completely, though it was because he hadn't seen him as a 'boss'. Now was different. And he even had some new moves he had to try out.
"Fire!" A shout alerted him to the presence of marines all around on the top of the surrounding buildings. As they fired bazooka at him he stretched out and grabbed a nearby roof, rocketing his way to safety.
Now he was completely lost. But luckily he could just head to the quietest part of the island and that was most likely where Robin was. He could also hear the sounds of fighting at the first gate. It seemed his crew and the others had made it on the island.
Deciding it would be faster to run across the tops of the buildings Luffy jumped up and began making his way to the next gate. And he was right. It was much faster that way. There was also little trouble when he got there. It seemed the others had drawn most of the marines their way. He'd have to thank them later when they caught up. With that in mind he rocketed his way to the top of the gate tower.
Now that he made it to the top of the next tower just before the falls into nothing, he just had to figure out how to get to the other side. He wasn't one hundred percent certain he could rocket over there. And if he didn't make it it was a long fall to no where.
He could see a drawbridge attached to this tower but couldn't see any levers or switches to bring it down. Maybe he should go check inside. As he was thinking all of this he suddenly felt an intent to kill out of no where. Going with his instinct, he jumped to the side in time to dodge whatever attack was aimed his way. Instead the stone walling was crushed under a black blur.
"You have good movement, Strawhat Luffy." A man with bull horns rumbled. "It is a pity you became a pirate. You would have made a powerful ally to justice."
"I don't care what Gramps says!" Luffy instinctively took a defensive stance prepared to fight for his life. This kind of subject always had that affect on him. "I'll do what I want!"
Bull Man looked at him for a moment, confused, before speaking again. "I must stop you here, Strawhat."
"Out of the way!" Luffy shouted, remembering his mission again. "I'm taking Robin back with me!"
"You seem unaware of what exactly you are doing. This island is the Judiciary island of the World Government. By attacking here you are committing a crime towards the World. If you turn away now I can turn a blind eye." Bull Man took his own defensive stance.
"I won't leave without Robin!" He shouted as he stretched his arm out. "Gum Gum Bullet!" He could feel this guy was around 'boss' level.
Bull Man raised his arms to defend. "Tekkai." But other than that he made no other moves.
Luffy grunted when his fist connected and he felt a more than normal resistance. Gritting his teeth and taking a step forward, he put a little more push into his punch. Bull Man's eyes widened in surprise as his arms buckled under the force of his attack and his defense broke, sending him sliding back.
Shaking his arms while wincing, Bull Man couldn't help but acknowledge his strength. "It seems you have rightly earned your bounty, Strawhat Luffy. It is a pity your adventure shall end here. I am sure you could have gotten much stronger."
Luffy's eyes widened as Bull Man disappeared before his eyes. But then they relaxed as he glanced around judging where the next attack would come from. "Rankyaku!" Luffy dodged and countered with a Gum Gum Whip striking Bull Man without that weird defensive move he had used earlier.
"You can keep up with my speed?!" Bull Man coughed out some blood.
"I thought about it since the first time I saw you guys use it." Luffy stood up straight. "You guys stomp on the ground three times really fast in order to get that explosive speed."
"You could even see that!?" Bull Man's eyes widened in shock. "Impossible!"
"Not really." Luffy shifted his head around from side to side to get his neck to pop. "Ever since I had a hard time against that Croc D's been working my reaction time to the bone."
^flashback(again. Hurray!^
"Don't focus on the object! Focus on the movement!" D shouted as a golden ball hit the back of Luffy's head again.
"If I do that I can't keep up!" Luffy rubbed the back of his head. "Your balls hit as hard as Gramps fists!"
"Your trying to hard to follow the object when it's moving fast." D smacked his head causing him to cry out. "Focus on the moment it moves and which way the movement is flowing." Luffy noticed a blur coming from the opposite side and dodged. "And you'll be able to predict where the strike will be." D grinned.
"I did it!" Luffy cheered. A sudden blur came at him so he dodged to the left only to be hit on the right side.
"Now you just have to do that with multiple targets." D grinned even more as more blurs than Luffy could count came at him.
After several hours of that left Luffy exhausted and bruised lying on the ground breathing hard. Even though he had suffered for so long it was worth it. Towards the end he had managed to dodge D's balls completely. It was a satisfying feeling not being hit by his balls.
"You did good kid." D grinned as he leaned against the wall of the 'pocket' they were in. "You got lots of potential. Especially because you are the Gum Gum fruit."
"What makes the Gum Gum so special?" Luffy wheezed. "Your always going on about how lucky I am to have gotten that one."
"Because it's the most amazing power ever." D chuckled.
"I think Ace's is pretty awesome." Luffy countered.
"Eh. He's fire. Such hot stuff!" D waved his hands in the air, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "The Gum Gum is the most versatile power in existence. Once the power is mastered you can stretch every part of your body, down to the smallest cell, how you want." D explained. "Not only that, but you can absorb others techniques and use them yourself."
"Really?!" Luffy sat up suddenly. "But wouldn't I have to take a hit first if that's the case?"
"Not really." D shook his head. "Think about how you ricochet bullets off your body. Your body absorbs the strength of the attack before returning it with at least the same amount of strength."
"So I do have to take a hit." Luffy sighed. Only to cry out when D smacked him.
"Use your head kid!" D shouted. "You don't have to take a technic physically to be able to understand it and make it your own! Think about the devil fruit users you've faced. What moves did they use that you could implement into your attacks? What styles can you make your own? These are questions you should keep in mind whenever facing another devil fruit user. Sure you won't be able to make use of them all. But most can be tweaked to fit your abilities and fighting style."
^end of flashback. (Seriously though. There's so many flashbacks!)^
Luffy began to breath deeply as he prepared the special move he had been thinking on ever since after Sky Island. "Ever since then I've studied each devil fruit user I've come across and have tried to create a technique based off them." He crouched down and placed one hand on his knee and the other on the ground in a fist. "After I use this particular technique you won't be able to keep up with my moves."
Bull Man's eyes widened slightly in confusion as Luffy's leg compressed like an accordion several times. And they widened even more when his body began to turn pink and steam seemed to come off his body. "Gear Second!"
Almost instantly Luffy felt the toll on his body this technique caused. Standing up, he let out a breath. Steam came off his body and with each breath steam came from his mouth as well. And if he wasn't fighting against a strong opponent right now he probably would have been super excited since he felt like a dragon, steam coming out of his mouth with each breath. He's have to get excited later.
"From now on you will not see my fist because it will be as fast as a jet." Luffy took a striking stance, one palm stretched out before his eyes as a guiding point while the other was pulled back in a fist. "Jet Pistol!"
As he said the words a small boom could be heard followed by a puff of smoke in front of his hand. It was the effect of his fist breaking the sound barrier as it stretched back and then forward faster than could be seen. The affect was instant as his fist connected with Bull Man's face knocking him back and probably breaking his nose.
Surprised, Bull Man kicked the ground to give himself a burst of speed. But with his body speed up the way it was, it seemed slow to Luffy. He could see exactly where Bull Man would appear next. And so he moved to stand behind him. "Jet Pistol."
The fight carried on like that for several minutes, each time, Luffy was a step ahead. But it was taxing on Luffy as well. He's vision was starting to blur and Bull Man had already noticed the diverse effect it was having on him. And had even pointed the weakness out. They also both knew they only had enough strength left for one more attack each. Bull Man decided to take a defensive maneuver, if he managed to take Luffy's next attack and was still standing he could take Luffy out.
"Gum Gum!" Luffy rushed forward, both hands pulled behind him for a Bazooka attack, and covered the distance in less than a second. "Jet Bazooka!"
This time there was a louder boom as the area his hands but just in front of Bull Man thumped from the air pressure. Bull Man slid back several feet from the attack but he still stood, smiling. Luffy was exhausted, Gear Second wearing off, but he couldn't stop now. Not when he was so close to getting Robin back.
"I didn't want to use this move on someone who wasn't at the top. But your strong so I'll need it." He put his thumb into his mouth and breathed in deep. "Gear-!" But before he could finish Bull Man grunted and fell over. It seemed his body had been standing, but his mind had fallen already. Luffy let out a sigh of relief. He still hasn't perfected this other technique and didn't want to use it unless he had too.
"Woah!" Luffy gasped as he suddenly began to fall to the side, his body trying to give out. "Not done yet!" He groaned as he caught himself. "Oh right!" He remembered the thing he had prepared for this situation. Rummaging through his pockets he pulled out two drums of meat Sanji had given him earlier upon request. Eating them, he was able to recover some of his strength. But he was still starving. He should have prepared more.
His ear perked up as he heard the sound of fighting below. Before he had even realized it the others had made it to his location. It was a good thing he had finished the fight before they could have gotten hurt. This guy had really been strong. Now all that was left was to get Robin's attention, and those guys who had taken her.
Taking a deep breath he called out to his missing crewmember. "ROBIN!!!!!!!"
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Hey guys! Here's another chapter! And it's a long one! So, yah. Lots of flashback lately. And there's gonna be more! (Seems like this particular arc was just filled with flashbacks) also wanted to give a shout out to Naffy4eva(I think that's right. Sorry if it's not) she's been an awesome reader commenting pretty often. And thanks to those who commented on the last chapter. It feels awesome as a writer when you get feedback. Did you write the descriptions well? Was the emotions the characters were feeling felt by the readers? Did it make you laugh? Cry? Blush? These are all things that an author's wonders whether or not they were able to convey to the readers. And it's always awesome when it does happen and the readers let you know. So thank you so much to all those who comment. Your the bread and butter of this story.
Oh right! And wanted to let everyone know! Devil's Grin is now in the top 15 of stories when you search One Piece! Thanks so much guys! I could never do it without you!