#cp9: we're coming with. might as well. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

koalas-koalas-everywhere · 6 months

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Honestly? While there's no doubt that Luffy fucked up in Whiskey Peak? Like 80% of the outrage and 100% of the accusations of "ooc"ness come from 1) the misconception of Luffy being this super intuitive guy leading to him being put on an altar, and 2) a refusal to allow him any emotional depth.

To start off – Luffy's not that intuitive. The closest thing to it is what the crew call his "animal instincts" in Water 7, where he predicts that he will have to fight Rob Lucci, like he predicts other fights before and after. Only – is that really what happens? He "just knows"? Because, from what I remember, he very clearly identifies him as the leader and the strongest member of CP9 (#366: "of all the people we'll be fighting in a little while, the strongest is that pigeon guy! I'l definitely be the one to send him flying!"). Of course he assigns himself to fight him. That's his reasoning every other time, as well. At times (certainly not often, but sometimes), he demonstrates actual strategic thinking, like with Moria.

I think a lot of people want to think that Luffy "intuits" the Straw Hats' potential or even their pasts when he asks them to join, but we don't see any evidence of that. What we do see is a lot of instances where Luffy witnesses good things about his friends, both in terms of skill and of character. In Brook's case, he literally just went "talking skeleton cool cool cool cool cool". And that's all. It might be hard to swallow that some of the deepest and strongest bonds we see in the series, the most important ones and the cornerstone of the story, are based on something as flimsy as "hee hee I like you be my nakama", that Luffy didn't somehow know that they needed to be taken in. But that's just the way it is. Hell, if it had been solely up to him, Kureha, Iceberg and a bunch of random zombies without a will of their own who were trying to kill them would be part of the crew.

I think that what happens is that Luffy is very undiscerning and undemanding about who can join the crew or even sail with them (he also let Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 go with them without a fuss, same with the Franky Family, who he only knows from, you know, having beat up Usopp and stolen 200mil berries from them) and we want to think that there's some deeper reason for it. We know that it's nothing rational, because we're not so detached from what's happening on the page, so that leaves some kind of instinct telling him that these are the right people. It's a nice idea – it gives Luffy some unconventional wisdom to make up for his lack of it otherwise and fits well with his upbringing in the jungle.

But there's not really anything special about the people he picks up, except the fact that he picks them up. Not in the sense that they're special because of him, but that they become special to him. That's the real reason why he goes after Nami and Robin and Sanji when they leave. It's not that, oooh, he can sense how tortured and traumatized they are and that deep down they're good people. Nah – he just believes them when they say they are his people, so he refuses to abandon them.

And, okay, this might seem damning in the context of Whiskey Peak, because where was this faith when it came to Zoro, who arguably earned it more than anyone else in the crew? To be honest, that's one of the points where I'll concede that Luffy fucked up the most, but there is another matter at play here: everyone else claimed to be on his side, or at least be a certain kind of person, before apparently turning on him. He chose to believe that original impression out of loyalty.

Not only is Luffy not that discerning, he is known for being a sucker for deception. He can't lie, and he's so honest that most of the time he can't even conceptualize that someone might be lying to him. ("Are you going to betray me?" "No." *grins*) The idea that he could just... take a look at someone and divine either good or evil intent goes directly against canon. He gets taken in by CP9, by Kanjuro, hell, he buys that King Cobra betrayed Alabasta as Vivi is telling him of how Crocodile manipulated them.

And that leads me into Whiskey Peak and point 2.

Before we start, think back to Wano, if you would. (If you haven't reached Wano, don't worry, the spoilers in this paragraph are very light.) Imagine that, after spending the day with Tama, and Tsuru, and Kiku, and the rest of the village who gave up their scarce supplies to feed them, Luffy and Zoro go to sleep. The morning after that, Luffy wakes up to a massacre. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has been cut down. The people who helped them, the people who he was talking and laughing with just a few hours ago, dead or near enough. He recognized Tsuru among the pile of bodies and she still has some breath left, so he asks who did it.

Basically, imagine sympathetic victims to the Whiskey Peak massacre.

When we read Whiskey Peak, we know there's something fishy going on. For starters, it's Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9's town, which makes it suspicious enough. Then, before the attack, we see them writing a letter saying that they wanted the Straw Hats to go there, making it obviously dangerous. This is without even getting into the clear threat evident to us readers because we know this is a story and that there's no way the heroes will have it that easy. We mistrust and refuse to sympathize with the Whiskey Peak inhabitants from the start. Until the reveal that Vivi's undercover, they're enemies and future meatsacks to us. We forget that that's not the case for the Straw Hats. Especially, that's not the case for Luffy, who takes everyone at face value.

I think a lot of people maybe get too caught up in their image of Luffy as a sort of chaos, "do things for the laff" entity who'll liberate you from tyranny in exchange from food, so they don't realize that there might be emotional, non-transactional reasons for his behavior. That he feels thankful to the people who help him, because he's survived on the kindness of others all his life and he would've died without it (and if you think that doesn't apply now that he's a pirate, go back to read the Baratie arc). That he might get attached to the people who are kind to him and others. That, even if he doesn't feel affection for them, he'll still be outraged when their kindness is met with cruelty by others. We joke about his disproportionate responses to being fed (aka overthrowing the government for a bowl of rice), but that's because he's not acting under a perceived debt, but out of a bond he's created with his benefactor/s.

So Luffy, who couldn't understand duplicity if it showed up with a twin, gets to a village full of people who happily welcome him and his crew, who appear to do this for every weary traveler that has just passed through the harrowing ordeal of Reverse Mountain. They offer them food, drinks and shelter for as long as they need it. Not only that, they all spend hours partying together, chatting, having fun. Than, Luffy wakes up to find everyone either slaughtered or nearly – the people he was partying with not long ago, from the elderly to children, and, okay, gross, but let's recognize that One Piece is a piece of media with an antiquated system of gallantry that says that it's also an outrage that the women were also hurt. He walks up to one of them and asks them who did it. He says it was Zoro.

Take a moment to place yourself in his shoes. This was objectively a horrifying experience. You wouldn't be surprised if he went after the culprit if it was a stranger. And while I think he should have given Zoro the benefit of the doubt, there's something actually a lot more horrifying in the fact that it was one of his friends who did it: that means Luffy's responsible. He's the one who brought Zoro there, after all. Most codes of honor would have the leader of a group vouching, at least implicitly, for its members.

And it might have easily felt like a betrayal. Not because Zoro went against Luffy, but because he let him down.

A lot of people bring this fight back to loyalty – hasn't Zoro shown Luffy how loyal he is? (And, you know what, I think we could have an interesting discussion about that? About what's said, what's implied, also what's actually witnessed by the characters, but never mind.) Zoro promised him he'd be the best, and that he'd stick by Luffy in his path to achieve that... but he never promised he'd never cruelly cut down an entire village in the meantime, something which is not beyond what any other pirate would do, loyalty notwithstanding. And a good thing, too, because he did, in fact, do that in WP!

That's the other thing. Imagine waking up to a whole village of people who helped you and your crew cut down by a member of said crew. The children included. The idea of there being a good reason for it is actually more out there than a prideful and powerful man who agreed to become a pirate, specifically to establish himself as the strongest in his field, would lash out at the flimsiest offense to his ego, to be honest.

Basically, it all goes down to how this guy, so honest he can barely conceive of being lied to when he's directly informed of it, should have walked out to find bloodied piles of bodies and gone "this guy with violent tendencies I met like a month ago killed dozens of people, including children, who fed us and sheltered and fed us, who I like because of that, probably did it for a good reason". Forgive me if I bring up the children too much, it's just that, if there's one demographic you don't expect anyone to have enough of a good reason to maim, it's that one. Faced with this kind of scene, it makes sense to doubt your initial judgement of a person.

Of course, what he did see of Zoro before that should have told him enough to at least doubt. At the very least, he should have heard him out before killing him. Zoro did try to explain. (Then again, if someone admitted to slaughtering a whole neighborhood and then claimed to have a good reason for it I wouldn't be jumping to hear them out.)

That said, it's not about Luffy doubting Zoro's loyalty, it's about doubting his character when faced with incredibly damning evidence against it. One the one hand, maybe Luffy's the one who should've been more loyal. On the other, the fact that his loyalty didn't extend to forgiving one of his crew when they apparently go rogue and attack not just an entire village, but of full of people who helped them and continuously did the same for others, just goes to prove that he doesn't have the moral backbone of a wet noodle, in addition to checking out with his tendency to develop an attachment to people who feed him.

#One Piece #Whiskey Peak #Monkey D. Luffy #Roronoa Zoro

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chromatic-lamina · 2 years

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Chapter 1068 — She blinded me with science

Okay, I loved Stussy from the start and she continues to win my heart:

CP0 have invaded Egghead Island, and find themselves at the end (or cold front) of a non-meeting so chilly that Kaku fancies himself a cup of tea (it is also snowing).

We're reminded, from Shaka, I think, that G-14 is near by, so we're bound to see Smoker, Tashigi, (Doll) and Mocha again this arc. Not to mention Akainu's daughter.

CPO are having none of it and infiltrate (or invade, really) and Kaku launches into the sky to check out the upper reaches of the island.

Stussy's got prior knowledge of the system, but doesn't let anyone know until Kaku's

born the brunt of the beam. Rob Lucci's deadpan, "You should really mention this kind of thing beforehand," and a dusty Kaku letting Stussy know he's none too pleased.

"Well, at least you're not chilly anymore, right? <3" She's got a point.

The Atlas Vegapunk comes charging along. I thought the "Dr. Atlas! <3" was Stussy at first. Was it? It might be, as it seems to be speech tic to end her sentences with <3. So I guess she's as Southern Hospitality sweet as a madam running her brothel. Atlas. Shaka warned you.

Rob Lucci in zoan form! Oof. Poor Atlas.

Then look who comes in to witness or breeze past the carnage! Luffy and the Pigeon Guy got history. Gonna add Bonney's current supernova as luggage fate to another post. And are y'all excited about this?

First of all, Sentomau! I've always been interested in him (wish he'd been the her I first thought he was). And they're the seraphim we've seen: Boa Hancock, Mihawk and Jinbei. All of the shichibukai have animal themes, don't they? Crocodile, Gecko, Bear, Flamingo (?) and let's hope for an S-Seal or an S-Snow Leopard!

And did Kuma receive a call from Vegapunk, or is it a connection with S-Bear that has him launching himself to Egghead Arc (unless he's actually on his way to save Law, heh). Bonney obviously hasn't been a drawcard, for whatever reason, but maybe her being out cold triggered something.

King's wings. I'm sure we're gonna get a deeper flashback for both him and Kaidou (and maybe Big Mom), considering how involved, willingly or not, they are in the MADS experiments at Punk Hazard, and that King's DNA (and that of the shichibukai) is being used to create the seraphim (at least, I think so). AND

All of these panels.

1st. Luffy obviously doesn't talk all that much with Robin or Law, or their paths just don't connect when CP0 are lurking around.

2nd. They obviously didn't come across Jinbei's path at Wano.

3rd. RIP Izou. I guess that Nami and Usopp witnessed you saving them from the Beast Pirates, but not the interaction with CP0, right? And apart from Nami and Usopp, did any of the other Straw Hats have much of an interaction with him? They all knew O-Kiku. What a waste of a character's potential. Ah.

4th. Not might, but I guess Luffy didn't catch sight of the guy that interrupted his fight with Kaidou (I can't remember), and even if he did, didn't make the connection with CP0.

Anyway, I'm glad that the betrayed CP9 members are back, but I really did want to see more, feel more, of the menace of the Dressrosa/Wano CPO. Loved their designs. And I guess that Nico Robin is fair game again!

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kilannad · 11 months

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As the Stars Burn On Chapter 29

Masterlist. Ao3. Discord.

Going Merry

"You imbeciles!" Spandam shouted, shaking a soldier. "It's one little ship! Shoot it down!"

Robin looked up, soaked from the ocean, but free. She locked eyes with CP9's chief; in a flurry of flower petals, arms encircled his whole body.

"For Ohara," she breathed. Then, with clutched fists, she broke every bone in his body, his neck last of all.

From there, it was easier than it should've been.

With Kokoro's help, they managed to get everyone on Merry. As they watched, the ropes tightened, the ship slowly, painfully, turned. Nami barked orders and everyone who could move--which wasn't all that many--hurried to follow her commands. The few battleships that were still functional were frozen, the flotsam of the rest quickly being pulled into the growing series of whirlpools that formed as the Gates of Justice closed.

"So it did work," Sanji said. "Good, I was worried I'd left the lovely ladies for nothing."

"Your doing, Sanji?" Lucy asked, painfully struggling to sit up. Chopper had awoken and begun helping, but she still could feel the exhaustion pulling at her bones. She used too many high level summonings too quickly; she'd be paying the price in the coming days.

"Indeed, Lady Lucy," he told her. "I thought we might need the distraction to get away."

"Very helpful," Nami said sweetly, before grabbing his ear and twisting. "Now drop the sails! Tighten the mizzen mast! Chopper, 65 degrees to port and Davy Jones spare you if you get so much as point one degree off because I won't."

"Shishishi," Luffy laughed. "Now we're all back together."

"Yes," Robin breathed. She swallowed her tears, a few escaping to drip down her smile. "Thank you, captain. And everyone!"

"Thank us by never disappearing again," Gajeel grumbled.

In a rush of wind and ocean waves, off they went back to sea, the eleven of them (plus extras) home once more. Lucy rubbed the deck under her, trying to send as much love and relief as she could to Merry. She'd been terrified when Kaku had dumped her into the ocean during Aqua Laguna and was glad that Merry had found a way to be okay. How, she couldn't even fathom, but it meant the world. She was far stronger than any of them thought, her Spirit as much a stubborn, physics bending Straw Hat as the rest of them. The whole ship creaked and groaned, something like joy and relief coming back to Lucy. She basked in the feeling, her own exhaustion easily overshadowing any that Merry might have sent.

"Sail ho!" Gajeel called. The crew hurried to try and stand, going for their weapons. It wasn't necessary though. "It's...Galley-La?"

A huge merchant ship, bearing the crest of Galley-La appeared, quickly closing the distance. Paulie as well as the other foreman were all present, accompanied by a hundred of their shipwrights.

"We thought you might be dead," Paulie called around his cigar. "You dealt with CP9."

"We did," Zoro called. "Kaku says he's sorry he didn't get a recommendation before he left."

Most of the shipwrights cursed, calling various insults and profanities. Only the three foreman of dock 1 remained silent, bending their heads. Paulie quirked a sad smile, something wistful going over his face. "Yeah," he murmured. "Too bad."

"Do you think you can tow us?" Nami asked. "I'm worried about Merry. She shouldn't be sailing like this."

"An understatement. Why don't you board?"

A rowboat was lowered, the crew piling in to be ferried over. Lucy stepped off last, clinging to Laxus's offered arm.

The Merry shuttered, a deep, echoing crack sounding the moment her foot stepped off, as if Merry had been waiting for it. Across her deck, down her sides, through her hull and keel the Going Merry broke in half.

"No!" Lucy lunged, but Laxus caught her, dragging her back.

"Lucy, we knew this could happen," he soothed. "She's done her last will, she deserves her rest."

"She's our nakama!" Lucy spit. Usopp collapsed in the long boat, tears streaming down his face as he bit his lip bloody. Luffy's hat tilted down. "Franky hasn't even had time-"

"I'm sorry," Franky murmured. He looked at the broken shell of their home as she rapidly took on water. "My contacts got back to me before Aqua Laguna but I didn't say anything while Robin was captured. There's nothing they can do."

"No," Lucy breathed, whatever little hope she had shriveling in her heart.

"I'm sorry," Merry murmured, the crumbling of her mast making her words spin and echo along the vast ocean they sailed on. "I wanted to sail with you some more. I wanted to see the end of the world. But I'm not strong enough."

☉

The Going Merry was a beautiful, brightly painted caravel with a sheep figurehead. Nami swept Kaya into a huge hug, finally glad to have a real ship to sail. Luffy was hollering his joy, landing on the figurehead with a bright, infectious laugh as he welcomed her to the crew.

☉

An iron spike came spiraling through the air, then another, and another. Too many for Zoro to cut down all at once. Merry took a hit, then another, Usopp cursing as he tried desperately to patch the holes. Come on, Zoro thought, You've got this Merry.

☉

"It's our fault, Merry!" Luffy cried out. "We were too rough, and Usopp tried to fix you but he's bad at it. We should've taken better care of you."

"That's okay. Because I was happy. Everyday, on every adventure, I was glad to be one of you."

☉

Usopp leaned back, admiring his work. The yellow straw hat looked perfectly at place on the grinning skull. Above his shoulder, Luffy laughed. "It's perfect, Usopp. Now paint it on her sail! Then Merry will be all ready."

In the end, Usopp ended up painting an extra flag and sail each, just in case. The jolly roger was the pride of any pirate crew and no one was more deserving of wearing it then their ship.

☉

"You know," Laxus considered, rubbing at the worn wood of Merry's rail, "This ship reminds me of the guildhall."

"So it's not just me!" Lucy laughed. "I don't know if it's because she's home or if the crew just has the same energy as Fairy Tail, but whenever I see her I feel..."

"At peace," Laxus finished.

"Yes. Exactly that."

☉

"You will always be one of us," Zoro said viciously. "There has been no greater honor than sailing with you."

"I'm glad. I just wish..."

"What Merry?" Lucy asked. "Let us do something for you, the way you've done so much for us."

"Hearing you call me nakama has been enough. I wish I could go with you. I wish we could sail together forever."

Lucy sobbed, Gajeel grabbing her arm to keep her up. It was the one thing they couldn't give her. The one miracle the Straw Hats had failed to deliver. Humans grew stronger from battle and Spirits healed in the Celestial Realm but ships could only be fixed--and mortals had their limits.

For all her power, all the magic in her veins, Lucy could do nothing as a gentle snow began to fall and Luffy lit a torch. She was a Fairy Tail mage and a Straw Hat pirate and her friend, her family, was dying. It was Loke all over again, the Spirit King's words haunting her. There came a time for all things to die, but Lucy wasn't ready. Not yet, not Merry. The first home she'd known since she landed in a world so far from her own, the very stars different.

All her power, all her magic, and she could do nothing. She'd called down the stars themselves today and she could do nothing.

"No," she sobbed again, nothing but a denial in her heart. Luffy took a deep breath, crying as he began to hold out the torch to light Merry's funeral pyre. A last goodbye.

"No!"

And Lucy-

There is nothing we can do, Shé had once told her.

Lucy-

Listen, little star, her mother had whispered. All magic began with one simple thing; love.

Lucky Lucy Heartfilia-

Not 'love comes from the heart' but--

'The heart is full of love.'

The pieces fell into place. Her heart was full with the most powerful thing--the weakest thing, the unattainable, unstoppable thing that all carried--and she understood.

The Gate locked within Lucy Heartfilia, the two-hundredth daughter of her line, ripped open.

And the stars listened.

#as the stars burn on #one piece fanfic #fairy tail fanfic #laxus dreyar #lucy heartfilia #gajeel redfox #laxus x lucy x gajeel

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duckielover151 · 1 year

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THE ONE PIECE DIARIES

Episode Count: 367

Oh man. I literally just made an update post, but I couldn't not talk about this episode.

367 was really, really great. I've been kind of complaining about how the Straw Hats are all strong individually but we rarely get to see real teamwork from them... So seeing them all team up to take down Oars here... starting from the very moment they're all getting back on their feet and trying to remember Oars's name as they walk up to start that battle... This was everything I've been asking for for a while now. Just absolute satisfaction, even if the crew was missing a few members.

And then I might as well mention the little shock I got at the end of the episode. It's around this point that I'm spoiled on a few big things in the story. Like, I know the basics of Marineford and that Ace doesn't make it out of that conflict. And I recognized Kuma as the sort of central figure who kicks off that downward spiral towards the tragedy. (That is not the voice I thought Kuma would have. That's... interesting.) Which means they're all about to be split up, right as they've finally come together as a real team... I just didn't realize it happened this soon.

I was kind of hoping there would be a little mini adventure-- I don't even care if it was filler-- properly cementing in Brook with the crew... The way I feel like Skypiea was an important experience to have with Robin, rather than jumping right into Water 7 and the insanity with CP9 and Enies Lobby... But damn. I guess this means we're gonna keep going at full throttle for a while. Which... I guess I can't complain about.

#one piece #anime update

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kilannad · 11 months

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As the Stars Burn On Chapter 24

Masterlist. Ao3.

CP9

They combed the city. High and low, every inch of streets and canals and buildings. Lucy warned the crew that CP9 were master spies and assassins, making it impossible for them to trust anyone; they could be hiding in plain sight, and they'd never know. She couldn't begin to guess if they'd already been present or if they'd come specifically for Robin. Either was possible, but it meant that they couldn't ask for help from anyone.

For hours, they looked. And they didn't even catch a glimpse of her.

Finally, as day broke, each of them exhausted and disheartened, they regrouped on the Merry. The wind was howling, Merry creaking with every push. They grouped in the galley, hudling around the table.

Sanji pressed the teapot down with a loud clank of porcelain on wood. “Can't you smell her?”

“Sure, if we actually caught it,” Gajeel bit out. “But there's no scent to track. Not with this wind.”

“Then what good are you?!”

“Sanji!” He wilted under Nami's glare, sliding Gajeel's cup—a thick mug made of his own iron so he wouldn't eat it like the silverware—over in silent apology. “Lucy, can you think of any reason why CP9 would want Robin specifically?”

“I can think of half a dozen,” she muttered. Laxus rubbed his hand up and down her back, grounding her. “They've wanted her dead since she was eight; maybe they finally decided it was time they stopped letting her slip through their fingers. Maybe there's something on Water 7 that has to do with Poneglyphs that they don't want her getting her hands on. Maybe there's something else that I haven't even considered.” Fiddeling with the locket, Lucy waved it helplessly. “Maybe it's this.”

“Have you summoned them?” Zoro asked.

“Not yet. I've had Shé out most of the day to coordinate the search. I was trying to conserve magic.”

“And you're sure he can't reach Robin?” Lily pressed. “Seastone shouldn't block your magic.”

“It doesn't. The only thing-” She cleared her throat, pressed her closed fist to her forehead. “The only thing that would stop her from hearing us is if she was unconscious. Or...”

“She's not dead,” Luffy snapped. “She's just lost. So we've gotta find her.”

“But how?” Chopper said. “We've been looking all night, and we haven't even caught her scent. Without knowing who CP9 is, we have no idea where to start searching.”

“We need to take a break.”

“Zoro, you son of a-”

“Shut it, curlybrow. We aren't abandoning her. But we're all useless right now, and if we draw attention searching during the day, we could make things worse for her.”

“Zoro's right,” Nami agreed. “Let's take a few hours, then come together again.”

None of them liked it, but it was the best thing to do right then. Lucy fingered her newest Key once more and decided, since she'd be resting right afterward anyway, she might as well try and see if they had any information.

Gajeel and Laxus followed her to the forecastle, settling against Merry's railing. One had stayed with her at all times today, or they'd left Lily with her, and she could guess that they were paranoid that Robin wasn't the only target. For once, though, she doubted her poor luck with kidnappings would kick in. This whole mess stank of a long game. The timing was too perfect, the situation too well handled. There was a fruit user with the perfect counter to the dragons somewhere on the island, and they had no way of knowing who. She couldn't exactly have Gemini copy every person in Water 7 until she just happened across someone who knew something.

The Monkey Key vibrated in her hand, excited tinged with mourning. If it'd really been carried by Robin since she was eight, then she had no doubt he was attached. Only one way to find out, though. “I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate! Open, Gate of the Monkey!” The drain on her power was instant and profound; Lucy knew immediately this was a Spirit she wouldn't be able to keep open for long periods of time.

Gold light spread through the deck, shimmering as it revealed a short teenage boy, wild brown hair flopping into his black eyes, big round ears, and long tail twitching. He had on loose green pants, the rest of his dark skin bared, the dark blue Ponin runes winding their way over his body. “Princess!” he cheered, bouncing in place. “I'm Hóu; I'm so glad you finally called me.” His cheer wavered, sadness overtaking. “I'm sorry it's like this, though. I'll do what I can to help you find her.”

“Thank you,” Lucy said honestly. She was already low on magic and was running out quickly holding his gate open. “I'm sorry for the rush, Hóu, but is there anything you can tell us about where Robin might be?”

“I'm sorry, Princess,” he said, tail and ears drooping. “All I know is that she gave me away; I can only track my own Key.”

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She expected that, but it still hurt to hear. “Alright.” Another breath, and she opened her eyes. They'd find Robin—they had to. But for now, she had something else she needed to do. “Will you make a contract with me, Gate of the Monkey?”

He grinned, giving a gallant, overdramatic bow. “Princess Lucy, there is nothing in all the worlds that would make me happier than serving a Heartfilia. My use of Arc of Embodiment is yours, my will your own, for as long as the stars burn on.”

She had no idea what magic that was, but was sure she could get the details later off of Hóu or Shé. “I wish you Stone Keys would understand that we're partners in this.”

He laughed, a joyous sound even in the middle of all the tension. “You have to give us time to learn, Princess. Call on me whenever you need to and I'll answer.”

“Thank you,” Lucy offered sincerely. “It means more to me than you can know.”

His gate closed with a shimmer of her magic, leaving her drained and aching all over. Another dead end, and for all that Lucy wanted to hope, she couldn't help but feel like they were running out of time. Robin was captured, they had no clue as to how to save Merry, and their enemies were master spies, identities a complete mystery.

If there was a way out of this mess, she couldn't see it.

☉

A few hours later, near mid-morning, they all awoke to howling wind and heavy waves slamming into Merry. Nami stared grimly at the horizon, as if by pure will she could make whatever storm that was brewing fade away.

“Oi, Straw Hat!”

Lucy leaned over the railing to find a few men she recognized from the Franky Family.

“Can we help you?”

“Have you heard about Aqua Laguna?” At her shaken head, he grinned. “Big Bro figured as much. We have a personal dock on an upper layer of the city you can use for your ship.”

“What's Aqua Laguna?” Nami called down.

“Yearly tsunami. This whole place will be a death zone by sundown.”

Usopp squawked loud enough to wake the dead—or Zoro, as the case may be. With the cold determination of saving a life, the crew got to work moving Merry. They went as slow as they could to limit the damage to her, taking a few precious hours to get her settled in an inclosed dock tucked under one of the bridges of the upper layer of Water 7. All of them knew that Robin would be more furious at them rushing to save her and leaving Merry in danger as a consequence then waiting a few more hours to be saved, even if it killed them to leave her alone so long.

A pity the world didn't stay still for them.

☉

“Extra extra! Special Edition—Mayor Iceburg is dead! Miss Kalifa identifies killer as Nico Robin of the Straw Hat Pirates!”

“No...not Iceburg.”

“Pirates! We should've trusted what the newspapers said about them.”

“Are they still here?!”

“Find them! Don't leave any street unchecked.”

“Their ship was in the backstreets, wasn't it? I'm heading there first.”

“Paulie's put a price on their head. All of Galley-La is looking.”

“Don't worry, we'll find them. And make them pay.”

☉

Lucy pressed back against Gajeel, putting them both deeper into the shadows of the alley. He wrapped his arm around her waist, legs tensing in case he needed to pick them up and run.

“This isn't working,” she hissed. “With this manhunt going, we'll never find Robin.”

The sun was starting to set, the wind picking up into a cold wall, constantly pushing and tearing at their clothes and hair. The Straw Hats had been surprised when they'd split up and started getting targeted by locals; they'd been horrified to realize the kind man that had been so willing to help them had been murdered and Robin framed for it. For the last few hours, they'd done their best to search and stay hidden at once, but it was getting more and more impossible as Galley-La picked up their search, determined to find them before Aqua Laguna hit.

“You're right,” Gajeel breathed. “I want you to go back to Franky's dock and call the others.”

“What about you?”

“I'll find Laxus. We're faster than the rest, and our senses give us the best chance of picking up Robin's trail.”

“And if you get caught?!”

Gajeel grimaced. “Then we do our best to not be lethal.”

Lucy swallowed, but she knew it was a good plan. Franky had been furious when his family had brought news of Iceburg's death, but he had hit it off with Usopp and Gajeel enough to listen when they'd explained Robin had been kidnapped by CP9. He'd sent his men out to look as well, but stayed with Merry; Lucy didn't know why he didn't want to be seen right now, but she was grateful he was at least willing to help them. She got the sense he'd known Iceburg somehow, and that wasn't a wound she wanted to push.

“Okay. I'll send Lily to help you both. At least he doesn't have a wanted poster.”

He nodded, nudging her behind him and to the other side of the alley. “Be careful, Bunny.”

“You too.”

☉

It took about an hour to get everyone on the crew back to the enclosed dock. It was honestly more of a warehouse with a waterway traveling through it, where Merry was docked. Luffy wanted to keep looking and Sanji had to get a direct order from the captain to return, but in the end, short two dragon slayers and Lily, they regathered with Mozu, Kiwi, and Franky. The twins made tea for everyone, a map of the city spread out on the table. Outside, Lucy could hear the storm picking up speed, rain slamming down with all the force of a bullet.

“We've looked everywhere.”

“Clearly not, because if we had, we would have found her by now.”

“Look, curly-bro, I get that you're SUPER worried-”

“Worried? I'm worried that we'll run out of fishing gear; I'm worried our salt storage is too low. I'm not worried about Robin being harmed—I'm murderous about it.”

“Sanji,” Luffy warned.

He chomped down on a new cigarette but quieted down. It was the most wound up she'd ever seen him, the lack of information leaving them all tense but him especially so. It likely didn't help that he'd been present when Robin had escaped long enough to warn them but not been quick enough to save her. For Sanji, who prided himself on protecting women, it hurt more than any battle wound.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Is that the boys?” Franky asked distractedly. “They should have a key.”

The knock came again. “Maybe Zambai forgot it,” Mozu guessed.

“We can get the door,” Kiwi agreed.

A chill creeped down Lucy's spine, old held instincts coming roaring to the front. Zoro and Luffy's heads snapped up, eyes narrowed as they stood in a swift movement. “Wait!”

Too late. Kiwi opened the door, someone on the other side slamming into her and Mozu with all the force of a train, sending them tumbling through the building.

“Chopper, Nami,” Luffy ordered, “Get them out. Usopp, Sanji, go find Gajeel and Laxus.”

“On it!”

The three of them took off, leaving Lucy with Zoro and Luffy. Franky stood, fury etched into his face. “Who thinks they can come into my home-”

“Oh shut it,” one of the intruders said. There were four of them, each wearing black suits—and a pencil dress, in the case of the one woman—and carnival masks. “Our mission has gone off the rails.” He took off the flat, white mask, revealing a tanned, angle faced man Lucy had never met. “And I hate it when things don't go according to plan.”

Franky wavered, eyes wide. “Lucci?” The others, taking the cue from their leader, revealed their faces. “Kaku and Kalifa? And Blueno?!”

“No,” Lucy spat, recognizing the names as the foreman of dock 1. Looks like they'd finally found the spies. “These are CP9. And I bet they're the ones who killed Iceburg.”

“You must be one of the Straw Hats without a bounty,” Kalifa commented lightly. “A pity you're so well informed. We'll have to kill you now.”

“You took Robin,” Luffy snapped. “Where is she?!”

“Nico Robin will be coming with us,” Kaku told them. “Too bad she chose to fight. We offered her a peaceful way out.”

“We're not here for that,” Lucci cut in. He looked at Franky, who was practically vibrating with rage. “We know you have it. Where are Pluton's blueprints?”

Lucy gasped, pieces falling into place. This had to be the real reason CP9 were on Water 7.

Franky didn't answer, throwing himself forward; Blueno intercepted him, taking his haymaker without even flinching. Luffy threw a punch forward, towards Lucci—Zoro caught Kaku's legs on his sword before he could interrupt. Lucci bent out of the way of Luffy's attacks, but Lucy quickly lost track of their exchange; Kalifa had moved towards Franky, whip in hand. Lucy snapped her own out, drawing her attention.

“Fine. Best to deal with the weakest first, anyway.”

Lucy snarled, spinning a Key into her hand even as she dodged. Kalifa's whip was long and spiked, her handling masterful; Lucy's own lit up blue and gold as she activated its magic. She slammed it down, but Kalifa caught it, wrapping it around her hand and yanking. Lucy went flying, barely twisting out of the way as Kalifa kicked down with a blade of wind. Her other leg came up, sending Cancer's Key flying out of hand. Lucy released her whip, getting her feet under her and dodging back. Too slow—Kalifa moved faster than the eye could track, a single finger piercing forward. Pain errupted from her stomach, blood gushing as she collapsed. The comforting weight of her Keys on her hip disappeared, Kalifa eyeing them in contemplation.

“I do wonder what your Devil Fruit is. Ah well.” She tossed them into one of the rooms, dismissing her completely. Lucy couldn't even judge her; she could barely breath, and just the thought of moving made her dizzy.

She could barely make out the others through the pain. Luffy and Zoro were nowhere to be seen, Sanji collpased on the ground. Franky struggled in Blueno's grip, bleeding heavily. The wall had collapsed at some point, and on the other side the rest of the foreman from dock 1 stood, soaked to the bone.

“What is this?” one of them whispered. “What is this?!”

“Oh, Paulie,” Lucci said. He tilted his head, smiling a little. “You wouldn't stop your good friends from doing their jobs, would you?”

“Lucci?!” the big, broad shouldered one shouted. His volume seemed to be perminently set at max. “We were meant to capture the pirates!”

“Oh that. Yes, I'm afraid we have other business.”

“So do you,” Kalifa added. “In about three seconds, Galley-La HQ and all the docks are going to...heat up.”

Almost by cue, seven huge explosions rocked the city.

☉

Gajeel stumbled to a stop, skidding across the slick rooftops. His hair was blastered to his head, Lily holding on to his shoulders through the piercing wind. All around, reaching across the island, fire exploded into existence.

“No,” he breathed, spinning around to map out the space.

“Didn't we hear the announcement calling all civilians to the docks?!”

Cursing in all the languages he knew, Gajeel took off for the closest one. Dock 5 was a mess, flames billowing into the air, pushed on more by the wind than dampened by the rain. There was a stream of people stumbling out, led on by Galley-La shipwrights but not nearly enough. He could hear children screaming inside.

“Lily,” he snapped and Pantherlily was gone, growing into his larger form and storming into the fire right alongside Gajeel.

Gajeel had fought fire mages before—he'd fought Natsu—and been in a few burning spaces before. Nothing he'd ever seen had prepared him for the sheer chaos he was facing. They'd turned a huge warehouse into an emergency shelter, families scattered across the space with blankets and picnic bags; now, everyone was screaming, parents picking up their children and running as fast as they could. He pulled up one collapsed woman and pushed her into the arms of someone running by; he caught a beam as it went screaching down, ordering the three kids huddled down to run. Somewhere in the mess Lily and others were all desperately trying to help. Gajeel was grateful, suddenly, for being soaked to the bone. He presssed a piece of his shirt over his mouth to filter the smoke as best he could, the wet of his clothes buying him a few precious seconds as the fire near flash dried them, heat licking at his skin.

For every mother he saved, there was a screaming husband trapped. For every crying child there was a sibling, too scared to run. On and on it went as all around him, the city fell to ruin.

☉

Nami slid to a stop at the edge of the massive central bridge. Below her, the ocean receeded for miles out, preparing for the most massive tsunami she had ever seen. She'd seen Zoro and Luffy go flying—Usopp was worrying about Zoro, and Sanji had gone to the train to try and stop it from leaving, as the only possible escape for CP9. She had her own job.

“Luffy! Luffy we have to go! They're taking Robin and you're stuck between two buildings.” She panted, watching him try to wriggle his way out. “They're taking her to Enies Lobby. Do you know what that means?! It means she's going to die, just for being born an Oharan!”

☉

“Chopper, my Keys.”

“You need to stay still, Lucy. She nearly hit your lungs-”

“Fuck my lungs! Get me my Keys!”

Cursing, he pushed her down after rapidly stitching her closed and pressing gauze over the injury. He fished her key ring out of the other room, hurrying it back to her. The foreman had run after the explosions, more concerned with saving the city then dealing with Lucci's confession of killing Iceburg; CP9 had taken Franky and walked straight out. Kaku had dropped Merry back into the roiling sea below as Lucy screamed.

“Damnit,” she sobbed, pressing her hands into her eyes hard enough to see white. “Damnit, I'm still so weak.”

Chopper sniffled, helping her sit up slowly. “We couldn't do anything.”

“You saved my life,” she comforted. She flipped through her Keys, several of them near burning in their own fury. With a shouted incantation, Shé appeared. Without her needing to ask, he opened the telepathic line to the rest of the crew.

“Does anyone copy?”

~Lucy?~ Laxus asked. Across the connection, he gave a hacking cough, echoed by Gajeel.

~Tell us you're okay, Bunny,~ Gajeel demanded.

“I'm fine.” She glared at Chopper, daring him to contradict her. “What's everyone's situation?”

~Luffy is freed,~ Nami reported.

~So is Zoro,~ Usopp echoed.

~I'm currently on the Sea Train,~ Sanji said. ~We're heading towards Enies Lobby through Aqua Laguna. Robin...Robin was unscounscious when they brought her on.~

Lucy swallowed her rage and worry, but nodded. “Okay, we need to follow somehow.”

“I think I can help with that.” Kokoro walked in, looking at the distruction of the warehouse. She'd obviously been crying, and for the first time, she didn't have a bottle in her hands. “Tell your people to meet on the west side, in the alley above the train station.”

“Why?”

“Because Puffing Tom wasn't the first train we made.”

#as the stars burn on #one piece fanfic #fairy tail fanfic #laxus dreyar #lucy heartfilia #gajeel redfox #laxus x lucy x gajeel

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