Nana woke up to see the calm, slightly amused face of Nico Robin. The historian's smile made the mechanic wince just by looking at her. Nana's head was throbbing and she felt slightly queasy. Did Robin not feel any of that? Was it just her? Nana blinked and tried to move but then heard the rattling of chains. She looked around her and realized they were all trapped in a metal cell with their hands bound behind their backs. She turned her head and was met with the glowering glare of Trafalgar Law.
"Law? What are you doing here?" Nana asked and then winced at how the slightest sound made her head ache.
"I should ask you the same," Law replied coldly and then he let out a little grunt, "Take deep breaths, Mizu-ya. You're just lacking a little oxygen right now."
"Thanks," Nana muttered and sucked in a long breath. She let it out slowly and it did soften the aching a bit. She let herself breathe like that for a few moments. Then she turned her head to face the more preferable side, "How are you feeling, Robin?"
"I'm fine," Robin said and then nodded towards her lap where a sleeping Franky was practically drooling on, "Franky is taking some time to wake up though."
His face was just where Nana's feet were and she gave his metal chin a hard kick. "Wake up, idiot. This isn't your first nap of the day."
"OW!" he cried just as Luffy woke up from the other side of Law.
"Oh! We're in a cell...How did that happen?" Luffy asked brightly and then turned to the people closest to him, "Smokey! I didn't realize you were here."
Nana watched as Tashigi-Smoker struggled against her chains but it was no use. "Sea Prism Stone?" Nana asked and then gasped when her bare skin grazed the metal mesh of the cell wall behind her. My glove is gone!
She turned to Law, "They took my-"
"Ah. They took my sword too," he said, cutting her off from finishing the sentence. He then gestured with his eyes towards the front of the cell.
Nana followed his direction and realized they were in the middle of Caesar's lab. Ah...the less details I give away about my weapons the better...
Suddenly, a pale, green-haired woman with large white wings and stork-like legs came walking into the room. "You're all awake, huh?" she asked sweetly.
Behind her followed a burly man with lightning-shaped mutton chops and a half eaten hamburger patty stuck on his right cheek. He wore sunglasses and no smile. "You all look better than I thought," he said.
Both Tashigi-Smoker and Smoker-Tashigi gasped at the entrant. "You're the head of the G-5! Why the hell are you here?! Vergo?" Smoker-Tashigi demanded.
Automatically, Nana turned to Robin and frowned.
"The G-5 is a marine base stationed in the New World," Robin explained patiently.
Nana formed an O with her mouth and said nothing else. She turned to Law and was taken aback by how intensely he was looking at Vergo. She returned her gaze to Vergo and she studied him closely.
Pururupurupuru. Purupurupurupuru.
A small transponder snail rang out from the other end of the room.
"Hey, could one of you two get that?" Nana called out, "My hands are a little tied at the moment."
Both Robin and Franky stifled a laugh but the marine named Vergo did not take too kindly to that. He took out a long bamboo stick and coated it with his Armament Haki. He poked it through a hole in the metal mesh and thrust it hard into her stomach.
"Gah!" Nana gasped. The force was as sharp and strong as an arm cannon shot at close distance. It was also not lost on Nana that his Armament Haki was harder than metal.
"Nana!" the Straw Hats gasped.
"You will be quiet," Vergo stated sullenly as he nodded to the birdwoman to proceed. He walked away from the cell and sat down on a couch in the center of the room.
Pururupurupuru. Catcha.
Nana flashed a grin at Luffy to let him know she was fine but internally, she was grimacing. If it wasn't for my iron lining in my corset, my ribs would be broken by that, she thought to herself, But at least I know what kind of guy I'm dealing with.
"Hello, is this Monet-san?" someone asked from the snail.
"Yes, it's me," the bird woman said, "What is the status?"
"The Smileys are almost about done gathering and we've closed all the shutters. The marines are trapped out there."
"Okay," she said with a smile tugging on her lips and then hung up.
Catcha.
"You bastards..." Smoker-Tashigi growled from his corner of the cell.
Monet turned to Vergo. "Sounds like they're moving ahead with the preparations. Poor Navy soldiers," she laughed breezily.
"What is Caesar up to?" Vergo asked.
"Well, I don't know exactly but he woke up his pet Smiley so I think he's planning on a big experiment. A dangerous one," she said, not losing her smile. She then pointed to her cheek and nodded at Vergo.
His hand went up to his own to find the hamburger patty. He popped in his mouth indicating to Nana that it was a common occurrence. "Ah, I would like to see the experiment before I go. Everyone outside will die?"
"Probably but you will be safe in here."
"Oy! Vergo!" Smoker-Tashigi demanded from the cell, "Those are Navy soldiers of the G-5 outside! Those are your subordinates! Are you really going to leave them to die?!"
"Ah. I think so," Vergo replied without hesitation. The lack of care in his voice showed Nana just how merciless he was. He got up from his seat and walked back to the cell. He clasped his hands behind his back and looked at his prisoners as if they were part of a zoo exhibit, "I like this view. I can't believe there are such big names in this cell."
"It brings back memories. To see you two together in a cell again," Robin mused to her captain and Smoker-Tashigi.
"Oh, yeah!" Luffy laughed and caught the annoyed look of Law, "Smokey and I got caught by Robin and the others at Alabasta. Don't feel left out, Law."
"That's not why I'm annoyed at you, Straw Hat-ya," Law growled.
"Seriously? Shut up, you fools! You people can never read the atmosphere," Smoker-Tashigi growled.
"Smoker-san...I don't know how to feel right now," Tashigi-Smoker said in a pained voice as she stared at Vergo.
"Ah," her superior replied back, "This is the worst case scenario. Caesar abducted those kids and Vergo covered it up as accidents at sea. Above all things, the head of our base was a double agent. What a dishonor to the Navy."
The Navy knew about the kids?! Nana's eyes flashed with anger but she felt Robin's foot give hers a little nudge. She looked towards Robin, who shook her head, indicating for the mechanic to keep quiet. Nana gritted her teeth. They knew. The Navy knew about these children. 3 years and they said nothing?!
"How dare you?!" Tashigi-Smoker demanded at Vergo, which did little to appease the rage that Nana was feeling.
"It's no wonder you never noticed it," Law said, "It's not like Vergo was selling the Navy out. After all, he was a pirate originally."
"A pirate?!" everyone else in the cell gasped.
Law nodded. "Before he made his name, he joined the Navy by Joker's order and spent fifteen years climbing up in the ranks to get to where he is now. There is no Navy soldier who is more reliable and convenient for Joker than him. Vergo has been working for Joker from the very start."
"Joker?" Smoker-Tashigi repeated with a small bead of sweat running down the side of his face, "That's the name of the big underworld broker, correct? I feel so pathetic. I can't believe I didn't smell a rat so close to me."
Vergo turned his back on them. "Don't be so negative. Why don't you just praise the rat for eluding the eyes of the great 'White Chase' Smoker-kun? Anyway, you blabbed so much, Law. Didn't I punish you enough?"
He held out something in front of him but his back was turned so Nana couldn't see what it was. Based on the shadow he was casting, she could only surmise that it was something moving in a box. Whatever it was, it made Law tense up even more. I wonder what he has on Law...
Vergo returned it to his jacket and walked towards Monet. "I doubt even if any of the G-5 saw me now, they would suspect me. Vice Admiral Smoker, Captain Tashigi, you two will die here so you can keep your mouths shut forever. I'll let Caesar handle the soldiers outside. This is Joker's territory after all. I can't just let those who learn about his identity walk away."
"Oy, Tra-guy, who's Joker?" Luffy asked.
Law took in a deep breath. "I was working for him once too. That's why I know Vergo. Joker is just an alias he uses. His true identity is a man that you know very well, Straw Hat-ya. He's one of the Seven Warlords. Joker is Donquixote Doflamingo."
Nana's eyes widened and she could feel Robin stiffen next to her. I remember him. He was at the War...
Purupurupurpuru. Purupurupurupuru.
Another call rang out and Vergo looked back at Nana. "Good. It seems you've learned your lesson."
Catcha. Monet picked up the receiver.
"Hello, this is Caesar. Are you there, Monet?" came the creepy, singsong voice.
"Yes, it's me."
"I've retrieved the children."
Nana struggled against her chains but again felt Robin's foot giving hers a little shove.
"Everything you've told me to do, I've prepared, Master. The Navy soldiers are in front of the closed shutters and we can transfer the Straw Hats at anytime. The video transponder snails are at the ready too," Monet reported.
"Good. So when Smiley gets here we can start the broadcasting the fun experiment?"
"Yes."
"Shururururu! Connect me to the receivers."
Monet pulled out several large snails, the size of end tables, from some bottom shelves and then went back to the original one. "All set."
Nana could hear Caesar take in a pompous first breath. "To all unlawful 'brokers', wherever you are, I'm sorry to contact you at such short notice but you are all very lucky to see this. What you're about to witness is the deployment of a poison gas weapon. I added a new feature to the one from four years ago. It's something those scum from the Government can only dream of creating. Today we have uninvited guests here on our island. That's why I've decided to do the demonstration today."
"Who is he talking to?" Luffy whispered.
"You see those snails?" Nana asked.
"Ah."
"Those are the largest snails available with a psychic wavelength of around 200,000 meters," Nana said, "He's broadcasting this to other islands..."
"He's talking to people who are interested in buying powerful weapons," Robin added in a whisper.
"Invasion, war, domination...It has various uses. If it appeals to you, let's talk business," Caesar finished and then hung up.
"Law," Nana muttered under her breath.
"Ah?"
"I know Luffy already asked you to drop our original deal..."
"Yeah?"
"But if you want me to kick any of these people's asses, I'm down."
"Don't worry, Mizu-ya. I already fit you into my plan."
Nana grimaced. "That just makes me worried even more."
They watched in silence as Monet served coffee to Vergo and made him comfortable. Soon, Caesar Clown came floating through the door.
"Shurururu. Sorry for making you wait, Vergo," he laughed.
"Not a problem. When does the experiment start?," Vergo replied with a teaspoon stuck to his cheek.
"Soon. Monet, turn on the monitors," Caesar commanded and Monet leapt into action. Caesar floated over to the opposite couch and he sat down to chat with Vergo, "You need to better control of your men. When I saw Smoker here, I broke into a cold sweat."
"Well, he is a wild dog and hard to control to begin with," Vergo said.
"But that'll change after today," Caesar said and came over to the cage, "Look at all of you. Shurururu. Law, I bet you were quite helpless against Vergo. The deal I had with you ended up working in my favor. I knew I shouldn't trust you. It's your own fault you ended up here. I bet you learned it the hard way already but Vergo has your heart."
Nana's eyes widened as Vergo held up a clear box with a still beating heart. He squeezed it and Law immediately started to writhe in pain. His chains slammed hard against the ground and Nana instinctively tilted her head to hear a bit better.
"Tra-guy! Are you okay?!" Luffy demanded.
"What a shame Law, I thought we could be good friends," Caesar taunted, "Good thing I had Monet spy on your every movement just to be safe."
Law let out a smirk despite being covered in cold sweat, "So you got saved by your secretary, huh? I should've been more careful. Seeing as how the 'Master' was so dumb, I didn't care much."
Caesar scowled and punched Law's heart. Law flopped to the ground and howled with pain. The sounds of his handcuffs rattling returned and Nana's eyes narrowed.
"I can't believe it. He took your heart and you're still alive?!" Luffy asked.
"Tch. How stupid can you be, letting him take advantage of your ability like that," Tashigi-Smoker said, "Where is mine anyways?"
"It's right here!" Caesar sang and held up another heart, "Shururu-"
"Master," Monet interrupted before he could do anything, "It's ready."
"Oooh!" Caesar cried out and hurriedly put the heart back under his gassy robe.
A large projection screen came lowering from the ceiling. The video feed turned on and the room was bathed in a bluish green light. The screen showed a huge wrapped candy the size of a small battleship just lying in the middle of the Ice Lands.
Monet handed Caesar a transponder snail and he began to speak. "Thank you for waiting, brokers. It's going to start soon. The Smileys that made their way from the Burning Lands separately will all arrive at this central part of the Ice Land's very soon. Whey they merge together and become one big 'Smiley' again, the experiment will begin. You see, Smiley is a highly volatile H2S gas bomb. The same one that killed everything on the island four years ago. Last time, despite the fact they were growing weaker by the minute, those afflicted with the gas were able to take cover. That was a problem...So what I'm going to do is give Smiley, the weapon from four years ago, a big 'boost'. It will add a new effect to the poison gas and the weapon of mass destruction will be complete. This new weapon will be called Shinokuni!"
Nana watched in horror as Caesar's own men were trapped outside. They tried to call for help but when Caesar picked up, he assured them everything would be okay and just to head back to the lab, knowing full well that the doors were already shut.
He then moved in front of another transponder snail to lure Smiley to eat the candy. For some inexplicable reason, the Smiley seemed to somewhat listen to him. It gobbled up the treat, wrapping and all, and then began to ingest it.
Very faintly, she heard a small gasp from the other side of the room. She looked over to see Chopper hidden in the shadows of the doorway. Although, he had his body on the wrong side of hiding. They locked eyes and she shook her head at him. Don't move. Don't do anything.
He nodded in understanding and cowered into the shadows a bit more.
"That's it, Smiley! Be reborn!" Caesar laughed as Smiley began to bubble all over. It started to sprout jelly like legs and a long tail.
"What is that?!" Franky asked.
"It's the perfect weapon of mass destruction!" Caesar cried.
"It's a science project for the insane," Nana scoffed, "That cannot be counted as a weapon."
"What did you say?!" Caesar demanded, turning around to glare at Nana.
"I said-"
A piercing shriek from the screen caught everyone's attention again. Smiley's salamander like form was melting and from his sheer mass, clouds of poisonous gas began to billow out. Men were running frantically away from it and those that it touched became instantly petrified.
"Shurururu!" Caesar laughed and turned back to Nana, "You still don't think that's a weapon?"
"No," Nana said bluntly, "I do not."
"Why you..." Caesar snarled, "You're just a narrow minded metal freak who thinks that a weapon is anything that fires."
"Thank you but no," Nana replied, "I just don't think poisoning people counts as a weapon. It's a tactic for cowards and idiots who can't fight like a real man."
"I'm going to-" Caesar shouted but was quickly held back by Vergo's hand.
"I believe you're still in the middle of a demonstration," he said.
Caesar coughed and quickly regained his composure. He snatched the transponder snail receiver back in his hand. He focused his attention on the dozens of men that were being petrified. "See? Nobody can get away. The problem with the last experiment was that there were survivors. This gas becomes ash on contact and then the gas will seep into their bodies to paralyze them. Shururururu! This is the perfect weapon of mass destruction!"
"I can't believe people are solidifying..." Luffy gasped.
"Master!" the men cried, "Help! Somebody!"
The video switched feeds and suddenly they could see Zoro, Nami-Sanji, Brook, and a now full-bodied samurai running full speed ahead.
"Ooh! Wow, who knew Nami could physically run that fast," Nana whistled, "I wonder if that means Sanji could run faster if he was back in his own body."
"The samurai looks healthy. Good to see that he's back to normal," Robin added with a smile.
"Oh yeah! He's not going to let me have those legs then," Luffy said dejectedly, "Oh wait! Robin! Nana! That's not the point. Hey! Guys! Run away! The smoke is deadly...It's..."
His voice trailed off and he fell forward. "Ugh...these Sea Prism Stone chains makes me so weak."
"Not like they could hear you anyways," Nana said, "But judging from how they're running, I think they got the message."
"Shurururu. Are those your friends?" Caesar taunted, "They're as tough as I thought they'd be but soon they're going to be running out of breath and poisoned by the gas. Eventually, there'll be only an uninhabitable Land of Death. No one outside of this laboratory will survive and neither will any of you!"
He reached out and pulled a lever. The back wall of the room lifted open and a cold blast of snowy air hit Nana through the back of the cell. They started to move up and out of the room.
"Shururu!" Caesar laughed, "Now I shall prove it to the world. This perfect weapon against a pirate with a 400 million bounty, a Navy vice admiral, and even a Warlord. Oh! And once you're all dead, I'll take great pleasure in taking the beam from the cyborg's body and advancing the crude magnetic technology to whatever the metal freak had banged together! Shurururururu!"
"Oy!" Nana called out just before they moved out of sight, "If you know what's good for you, you better not do anything!"
"Ow..." Franky said as the cell was left dangling in the open air outside of the laboratory. "Not going to lie, Nana-brat. That super wasn't one of your best retorts."
"Idiot," Nana scoffed, "That was for Chopper to hear. More importantly, did you see the makings of that lab?"
"Ah, there's some good stuff there," Franky replied.
"Yes, and with this crane, you can easily carry big equipment," Robin added with a smile.
"Maybe we should add something like this for the Sunny?" Nana asked with a contemplative frown.
"Oy! How can you three be so relaxed?" Tashigi-Smoker demanded.
"Hmmm," Luffy grumbled, "Okay what should we do?"
"Even though it was unexpected to see Vergo, we still can't miss a beat," Law said, "We need to go forward with the plan. The plan is still on. Don't mess up this time."
"It was a small hiccup," Nana shrugged, "Don't make it sound like we dropped the ball or anything. Besides, I think it was a mistake worth making."
"Yes," Robin said with a nod, "Now we know what this gas does."
"Let's get it over with," Law said, focusing on the task at hand, "Can anyone burn things?"
"Franky can set fires. He can even shoot a laser beam!" Luffy said excitedly.
"Can you set fire to the Navy ship down there on the right?" Law asked, pointing down below.
"That's as easy as pie, young man! You can count on me!" Franky said and he inhaled a deep breath. HIs chest turned red and it started to expand. He puffed up his cheeks and threw his head back, "Franky Fireball!"
A big ball of fire came shooting out of his mouth. Smoker-Tashigi had to duck down to avoid getting caught in its blast. It burned a hole in the cell and when it hit the ship, it caused a massive explosion. Thick smoke began to rise up from it and it covered the cell completely.
"Great. Now hurry up already, Law. Enough with the charade," Nana coughed.
Clank. Clank.
Law's chains fell off of him and he sat up.
"Ehhh?!" Franky and Luffy exclaimed.
"How did you get out of Sea Prism Stone chain?!" Luffy demanded.
"Room," Law said coolly and suddenly his nodachi fell into his hands. Nana's backpack, hammer, and glove fell hard on her lap.
"Oof," Nana grunted, "Thanks, Law."
"I've been here for months, Straw Hat-ya. I spent some time swapping out their Sea Prism Stone Chains for regular chains in case one day they decided to use it against me," he said.
"How did you know, brat?" Franky asked.
"I can hear the difference," Nana said, "Sea Prism Stone hits with a hollow but heavy sound while a-"
"Okay, okay...Sorry I asked," Franky quickly said.
Shing! Shing! Shing! Shing!
The chains around the four Straw Hats fell to the side and Nana quickly put her gear back on. She frowned down on the now opened handcuffs. "I gotta learn how to pick a lock backwards..."
"Save your magic tricks for later, Nana-brat," Franky said with a grin, "We gotta super get out of here before the smoke clears out and that Master guy sees that we've escaped."
Law loomed over the two marines. "What should I do about you?" he asked coldly, "You've learned a little too much. I have your destiny in your hands."
He raised his hand and twitched his fingers.
"Whatever you wanna do, just do it already!" Smoker demanded.
"Ah! He switched us back!" Tashigi said with surprised relief. Then she looked down at her unbuttoned shirt and screamed. She fell onto the floor to cover herself and curled up into a fetal position.
"Speaking of seeing, I can't see anything past this smoke," Luffy grumbled. He grabbed onto the chain link wall and tore a big hole in it.
"Woohoo! I'm free!" he cried and jumped out of the cage, "Come on, Nana!"
"Wait, just a minute!" Law called out.
"Here," Nana said and ripped a bigger hole with a swing of her hammer, "Now it's Franky friendly."
"Thanks, brat!" Franky shouted as he watched Nana leap out, tuck her knees in, and cannonball down. The cyborg grinned at Law's annoyed stare, "It's not like this would actually contain Luffy...Even if it were made out of Sea Prism Stone."
"Our captain does that sort of thing as soon as your back is turned," Robin added, like a knowing mother.
Nana expanded her wings and grabbed her captain from under the arms when she caught up to him. "Woohoo! I'm flying!" Luffy cheered as Nana flew into an area where the smoke was a lot thinner.
"Ow! Luffy, brat! I'm going to go take care of the Sunny," Franky yelled and blasted off into the distance with his high powered fart, "Coup de Boo!"
"I'm counting on you, Franky!" Luffy said as Nana pinched her nose. Her captain waved happily at Law, "Oy! Tra-guy! What are we waiting for? How do we get in?"
Law stifled the urge to curse and he lifted his hand. "Room."
With a pop, the whole group was transported to the inside of laboratory. They all stood along a high metal catwalk, facing the front door that had been sealed shut. Law pointed at a lever on the side of the room, "Mizu-ya, that over there-"
"Yeah yeah, opens the door. I can tell,," Nana said as she folded her wings back into her bag and casually walked over to it, "I'll leave the sick to you. Leave the mechanics to me."
Nana pulled the lever and the gears around the wall started whirring. Sirens began to blast around them.
"Mizu-ya!" Law said sternly, "We don't want to attract too much-"
"I got it. I got it!" Nana interrupted and pulled out a pocket wrench. She jammed it into a blue button and suddenly the sound was gone, "Stop acting like you're my fucking captain."
"Shishishishi, I'm getting excited," Nana's actual captain laughed as the door opened up enough for them to see outside.
The G5 men rushed into safety and they cheered when they spotted Smoker and Tashigi.
"Alright, you can close it now," Law said to Nana.
"Oy!" Nana yelled and pointed her hammer at him, "Don't order me around. I'll close it when I feel like closing it."
"But the poison gas is coming this way!" one of the G5 men called out.
"Yeah, well, so are the others," Nana shot back.
"Others?" Robin asked.
Nana tapped a finger to her ear and then pointed out in the distance. She smiled warmly at what she could hear but could not see just yet.
After about five seconds, she spotted the signs of large amounts of snow being kicked up into the air. The yells of Zoro, Sanji, Pygmy, Usopp, and the others rang out as clear as day with the ominous purple gas on their tails.
The Navy men screamed out at Nana, horrified at how close the gas was getting. "Close it! Close it now!"
"No," Nana said stubbornly and turned the dial on her wrist. She kept her hand lowered as she waited for her nakama to get through with the poisonous gas hot on their heels. She ignored the angered and desperate cries of the marine.
Finally, the running Straw Hats sailed through the door and Nana lifted her hand up.
"AHHH IT'S TOO LATE! EVEN IF WE WERE TO CLOSE THE DOOR NOW, IT'LL TAKE LONGER THAN 5 SECONDS TO CLOSE!," the Navy men cried, "We're all going to-"
Slam!
They gaped at the shutter, that had fallen with such force that it shook the ground. They slowly turned to the mechanic, who was kneeling on the catwalk with her glove palm down on the floor. "You were saying?" she asked dryly.