The blizzard outside Sector R raged with an unnatural fury, but inside the ruined control room, the silence was absolute. The scientists and subordinates of Caesar Clown huddled in the corners, staring at the gaping hole in the wall where their master had been forcibly ejected.
Luffy stood amidst the wreckage of the consoles, dusting off his hands. He walked over to the hole, the freezing wind whipping his centaur coat violently. He peered down into the white abyss below.
"Oi! Gas-Clown!" Luffy shouted, his voice cutting through the wind. "Don't pretend to be dead! I didn't hit you that hard!"
A faint moan echoed from the snowdrift below.
Luffy stretched his arm, his rubber limb elongating fifty meters down. He grabbed a handful of gas-infused robes and yanked. With a snap, he retracted his arm, dragging a bruised and unconscious Caesar Clown back into the room. He dumped the scientist on the metal floor like a sack of wet laundry.
"Got him," Luffy said, grinning.
"You defeated Master Caesar?" A hazmat subordinate stammered, dropping his rifle. "Impossible. He is a Logia! He is a genius!"
"He is a punching bag," Luffy corrected. He looked around the room. "Now, where is the exit? I hate this cold."
The blast doors on the far side of the room slid open. Sanji, Franky, and the G-5 Marines burst in, carrying the sedated children. Nami and Chopper followed close behind.
"Luffy!" Nami cheered, spotting her captain. "You got him! Is that Caesar?"
"Yeah," Luffy poked Caesar's cheek. "He is sleeping."
"Excellent work, Captain!" Franky struck a pose. "The Franky Shogun is waiting at the extraction point! We secured a path to the shoreline!"
"Where are Zoro and Robin?" Sanji scanned the room, his brow furrowing. "They were with you."
"They are handling the snow lady," Luffy said. He looked at the corridor he had come from. "They should be done by now."
The Ice Corridor
Monet lay on the ground, gasping for air. Her snow form was destabilized, unable to hold its shape against the overwhelming fear that gripped her heart. She looked up at the swordsman standing over her.
Zoro sheathed Shusui with a sharp click. He didn't look at her. He looked bored.
"You didn't use Haki," Monet whispered, her voice trembling. "Why couldn't I move?"
"You realized it, didn't you?" Zoro said, turning his back to her. "That I am a wild beast. You were afraid I would bite you."
"Zoro," Robin called out softly. She stood near the melted blast door, her arms crossed. "We should go. The Captain has likely secured the target."
"Yeah," Zoro started walking.
Monet gritted her teeth. The humiliation burned hotter than the fire that had melted her wall. She was an officer of the Donquixote Family. She was Doflamingo's loyal servant. She could not let them leave.
"Don't underestimate me!" Monet shrieked.
She forced her trembling body to move. She transformed into a massive snow monster, her fangs made of razor-sharp ice. She lunged at Zoro's exposed back.
"Die, Roronoa!"
Zoro didn't turn around.
"Mil Fleurs: Gigantesco Mano!"
Two massive hands sprouted from the floor on either side of Monet. They slammed together with the force of a hydraulic press, crushing the snow monster instantly.
CRUNCH.
Monet screamed as her form was pulverized. The snow scattered, leaving her human body broken and unconscious on the floor.
Robin dusted off her hands. She walked up to Zoro, a small, terrifying smile on her face.
"You shouldn't leave your back exposed, Swordsman-san," Robin said. "Even scared animals bite."
Zoro looked at the crushed harpy, then at Robin. He smirked.
"I knew you were watching," Zoro said.
"Let us go," Robin adjusted her coat. "Luffy is waiting."
Sector B - The Junction
The battle between the Marines and the Traitor had turned the junction into a wasteland of scrap metal.
Smoker flew through the air, his body a plume of white smoke. He circled Vergo, launching attacks from every angle.
"White Blow! White Vine! White Out!"
Vergo stood in the center of the storm, unimpressed. He swatted the smoke attacks away with his bamboo stick as if they were annoying flies.
"It is useless, Smoker-kun," Vergo stated calmly. "By increasing your surface area, you are only giving me a bigger target to hit."
Vergo vanished. He utilized Soru to appear directly inside Smoker's smoke cloud.
"Oni Take (Demon Bamboo)."
WHAM.
The Haki-infused bamboo stick slammed into Smoker's solidifying shoulder. The impact cracked the pauldron of his marine coat and sent him crashing into the floor. Smoker coughed up blood, the wind knocked out of him.
"You have gotten weaker," Vergo said, walking toward him. "Or perhaps you were never strong enough for the New World."
"Smoker!" Tashigi cried from the sidelines, struggling to crawl toward him.
"Stay back, Tashigi!" Smoker wheezed, pushing himself up.
On the other side of the room, Law was leaning against a wall, clutching his chest. The pain was blinding. Without his heart, every beat was a struggle.
"Law," Vergo turned his attention to the Warlord. "I think I will crush your heart now. It is time to end this farce."
Vergo reached into his coat. He pulled out the pulsating cube.
"No!" Smoker roared.
He exploded into smoke again. This time, he didn't attack Vergo. He engulfed him. The smoke filled the entire room, thick and blinding.
"I told you," Vergo sighed, coating his entire body in Armament Haki. He turned purple-black, a human iron statue. "This does not work."
Vergo swung his bamboo stick in a wide arc. The shockwave blew the smoke away.
But as the smoke cleared, Vergo felt a lightness in his hand.
He looked down. His hand was empty.
Standing ten meters away, panting heavily, was Smoker. And in Smoker's hand was the heart.
"You," Vergo narrowed his eyes. "You used the smoke as a smokescreen to steal the heart? You sacrificed your defense for a pickpocket trick?"
"I am a Marine," Smoker grinned, blood staining his teeth. "I don't like owing pirates favors. But I hate traitors even more."
He threw the heart.
It sailed through the air, landing perfectly in Law's outstretched hand.
Law caught it. He didn't hesitate. He slammed the cube into his chest.
Thump-thump.
The connection was restored. The pain vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of energy and relief. Law stood up, his eyes cold and sharp as a scalpel.
"Thank you, Smoker-ya," Law whispered.
He drew his long sword, Kikoku.
Vergo cracked his neck. He ripped off his shirt, revealing a muscular body fully coated in black Haki.
"It does not matter," Vergo said. "You cannot cut me. My Haki is absolute. I beat you in the past, Law. I will beat you now."
Vergo charged. He was a bullet of black steel. He aimed a killing blow at Law's head.
Law didn't move. He held his sword horizontally. He expanded his Room. It covered the entire facility. It covered the mountain outside. It covered the sky.
"Vergo-san," Law said softly. "You are still living in the past."
Vergo swung.
Law swung.
"Room: Amputate."
SLASH.
There was no sound of metal hitting metal. There was only a clean, quiet hiss.
Vergo froze mid-step. His eyes widened. A thin red line appeared on his waist.
Then, the world slid apart.
Vergo's upper body slowly slid off his lower body. He hit the ground, cut cleanly in half despite his full-body Haki.
But the cut didn't stop there.
The railing behind him split. The wall behind the railing split. The entire laboratory split. And outside, the massive mountain of ice that loomed over the facility split in two.
The top half of the mountain slid off, crashing into the frozen lake with a sound that shook the earth.
Law sheathed his sword. Click.
"The gears have been broken," Law said, looking down at the bisected Vergo. "There is no turning back now."
Vergo, still conscious, stared up at Law. "Joker will kill you."
"Let him come," Law said.
Suddenly, a ringing sound echoed in the silence. It came from Vergo's coat pocket, which was now lying on the floor attached to his lower half.
Law walked over. He picked up the Transponder Snail. It was a custom snail, wearing pink glasses.
"Vergo!" Doflamingo's voice barked from the snail. "What happened? I heard a crash! Did you kill Law?"
Law held the snail. He looked at it with intense hatred.
"Vergo has been cut," Law said into the receiver.
Silence. A heavy, suffocating silence.
"Law," Doflamingo's voice dropped to a terrifying whisper. "You little brat."
"The SAD production room is destroyed," Law listed his victories calmly. "Caesar is captured. Vergo is defeated. Your smile factory is next."
"Listen to me, Law," veins popped on Doflamingo's forehead, visible even through the snail's mimicry. "You think you have won? You have no idea what you have unleashed. I will send my executives. I will come there myself. I will rip you apart."
"I am not alone," Law said.
"Oh? You mean Straw Hat?" Doflamingo laughed darkly. "He is just a rookie. I will kill him too."
"Hey! Mingo!"
A loud voice shouted from the corridor entrance.
Luffy walked in, dragging the unconscious Caesar. He walked up to Law and grabbed the snail.
"Yo, Mingo," Luffy said. "I heard you talking trash."
"Straw Hat," Doflamingo chuckled. "You have courage. But courage doesn't stop strings."
Luffy looked at the snail. His expression hardened. He channeled the memories of Dressrosa. The birdcage. The suffering.
"Listen, Mingo," Luffy said. His voice shifted. It wasn't the voice of a rookie. It was the voice of a King.
"Wake up to reality."
Doflamingo paused. "What?"
"Nothing ever goes as planned in this world," Luffy quoted, his eyes flashing red. "You think you are the puppet master. But you are just a string that needs to be cut."
"You," Doflamingo sounded genuinely unsettled. "What are you talking about?"
"I am coming for you," Luffy said. "Wash your neck and wait."
He hung up.
Click.
Luffy tossed the snail back to Law.
"That felt good," Luffy grinned.
Law stared at him. "What was that speech? 'Wake up to reality'?"
"I read it in a comic book once," Luffy lied smoothly. "It sounded cool."
Law shook his head. "You are impossible."
Smoker limped over, supported by Tashigi. He looked at the defeated Vergo, then at the pirates.
"Go," Smoker said. "Get out of here before I remember I am a Marine."
"Thanks, Smokey!" Luffy waved. "Take credit for this, okay? Tell the HQ you beat Vergo. I don't want my bounty going up yet."
"I don't take credit for pirate work!" Smoker yelled.
"Bye!" Luffy grabbed Law and ran.
The Escape
The group reunited at the extraction point. Franky had the Mini Merry loaded onto a rail cart system that led to the coast where the Thousand Sunny was docked.
"Everyone on board!" Franky shouted. "Super departure!"
The giant children were loaded onto a separate cart, still sleeping peacefully.
"We have to get them to a doctor," Chopper said, checking their vitals. "They need treatment for the addiction."
"We will take them," Tashigi said, stepping forward. She looked at the pirates. "The G-5 will escort them to Dr. Vegapunk. He can cure them."
"You trust us with them?" Nami asked.
"No," Tashigi admitted. "But I trust that you saved them."
"Fair enough," Sanji smiled. "Farewell, beautiful Marine lady!"
Luffy stood on the back of the rail cart as it began to move. He looked at Robin, who was sitting quietly, reading a book she had swiped from the lab.
"Robin," Luffy said.
She looked up. "Yes, Captain?"
"You okay?"
"I am fine," she smiled.
"Good," Luffy sat down next to her. "You did good back there."
Robin blushed slightly. "Thank you."
The cart accelerated, rushing through the tunnel toward the sunlight. They burst out of the mountainside, the fresh sea air hitting their faces.
But the trouble wasn't over.
High in the sky, two figures were approaching rapidly. One was a woman who had turned her arms into spinning blades. The other was a large man spinning like a propeller.
Baby 5 and Buffalo.
"Enemies at 12 o'clock!" Usopp screamed. "They are flying!"
"Doflamingo's reinforcements," Law identified them. "They are here to retrieve Caesar."
"They are late," Luffy stood up. "But watch out. That girl is dangerous."
"Dangerous?" Sanji perked up. He squinted at the approaching figures. His eyes zoomed in on Baby 5, who was wearing a maid outfit and carrying massive weapons.
"A Maid!" Sanji's eyes turned into hearts instantly. "A beautiful, armed maid! She is falling from the sky like an angel of destruction!"
"Ignore the cook!" Law shouted. "They are attacking!"
Buffalo spun faster. "Baby 5! Transform-dasuyan!"
"Okay!" Baby 5 shouted. Her leg transformed into a massive sickle. "Revolver Leg!"
She dove toward the rail cart, aiming to slice the tracks.
"Nami! Usopp! Shoot them down!" Law ordered.
"On it!" Nami spun her Clima-Tact.
"Wait!" Sanji screamed, jumping in front of Nami. "Don't shoot the lady!"
"Sanji!" Nami yelled. "She is trying to kill us!"
Sanji ignored her. He utilized Sky Walk to jump into the air, intercepting Baby 5's dive. He hovered right in front of her, a bouquet of red roses (which he had somehow conjured from thin air) in his hand.
"Mademoiselle!" Sanji shouted, his voice dripping with passion. "Please stop! Your beauty is too radiant for violence! I cannot let you hurt yourself on these cold metal tracks!"
Baby 5 froze mid-air. She blinked. "Huh?"
"You are attacking us," Sanji said, tears streaming down his face. "But I can see the sadness in your eyes! You are looking for something, aren't you? You are looking for love! For someone to need you!"
Baby 5 gasped. Her weaponized leg turned back into human flesh. Her face turned beet red.
"Need me?" Baby 5 whispered. "You... you need me?"
"Yes!" Sanji howled. "I need you! My heart needs you! My soul needs you! Without you, the ocean is just a puddle of tears!"
"He needs me!" Baby 5 clutched her cheeks, hearts floating around her head. "He needs me so much!"
"Baby 5! What are you doing-dasuyan?" Buffalo shouted, circling back. "Kill them!"
Baby 5 turned to Buffalo. Her expression shifted from lovestruck to murderous rage.
"Shut up, Buffalo!" Baby 5 screamed. "Can't you see? This man needs me! I cannot let you hurt him!"
She transformed her arm into a gatling gun.
"Die!"
Ratatatatatata.
Baby 5 unleashed a hail of bullets on her own partner.
"Gah! Why are you shooting me-dasuyan?!" Buffalo screamed, smoke trailing from his spinning body. "You traitor!"
"I am not a traitor!" Baby 5 yelled. "I am useful! I am needed!"
She turned back to Sanji, her eyes sparkling. "What else do you need? Do you need money? Do you need a kidney? Take everything!"
Sanji swooned. "I just need your company, my dear!"
"Accepted!" Baby 5 tackled Sanji in mid-air, hugging him tight.
"Hey! Get off him!" Buffalo roared, preparing to dive bomb them. "I will kill you both!"
"General Cannon!" Franky shouted from the cart below.
BOOM.
A massive beam of air pressure slammed into Buffalo. The spinning man was blasted out of the sky, crashing into the ocean with a spectacular splash.
Sanji landed on the cart, holding Baby 5 in a bridal carry. She was clinging to his neck, looking at him with absolute adoration.
"I have found him," Baby 5 declared to the stunned Straw Hats. "My soulmate! He needs me!"
"Sanji..." Nami rubbed her temples. "What did you do?"
"I saved us with the power of love, Nami-swan!" Sanji grinned.
"She is an enemy!" Law shouted, drawing his sword. "She is an executive of the Donquixote Family! We cannot bring her!"
"Wait," Luffy stepped forward. He looked at Baby 5.
He knew her. In his past life, she had married Sai of the Happo Navy. She was a weapon human who was desperate to be needed because of her childhood trauma. She was loyal to a fault to anyone who showed her affection.
"She is funny," Luffy said.
"Funny?" Law stared at him. "She is a weapon!"
"Yeah," Luffy nodded. "And Sanji needs her. Look at them."
Sanji was currently spinning around with Baby 5, who had transformed her hand into a flamethrower to light his cigarette.
"Thank you, my love!" Sanji puffed.
"Anytime, darling!" Baby 5 giggled.
"She can join," Luffy decided.
"What?!" The entire crew (except Sanji and Robin) screamed.
"We can't just adopt an assassin!" Usopp yelled.
"Why not?" Luffy asked. "We adopted an archaeologist who was an assassin. And a cyborg who beat me up. And a reindeer."
"That is different!" Usopp argued.
"She is strong," Luffy said. "And she hates Doflamingo now because he didn't need her as much as Sanji does. Right?"
Luffy looked at Baby 5.
"Hey, Weapon-girl. Do you want to be a pirate?"
Baby 5 looked at Luffy. Then she looked at Sanji.
"Does the pirate crew need me?" she asked.
"Yeah," Luffy grinned. "We need lots of help. Especially with shooting stuff."
"Then I accept!" Baby 5 saluted. "I will be the most useful pirate ever! Please order me around!"
"Okay," Luffy pointed to Caesar. "Make sure that clown doesn't wake up."
"Yes, Captain!" Baby 5 transformed her hand into a mallet and whacked Caesar on the head.
Bonk.
Caesar moaned in his sleep.
Law watched this unfold with a look of pure disbelief. He massaged his temples.
"Straw Hat-ya," Law sighed. "Your crew is a circus."
"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Welcome to the alliance, Traffy!"
The cart reached the coast. The Thousand Sunny was waiting. They loaded Caesar, Kin'emon, Momonosuke, and their new recruit, Baby 5, onto the ship.
"Set sail!" Nami ordered, giving up on trying to understand the situation. "Next stop: Dressrosa!"
As the ship sailed away from the burning and freezing island of Punk Hazard, Luffy looked back. He saw the smoke rising from the destroyed lab. He saw the end of the beginning.
"Kaido," Luffy whispered to the wind. "I'm coming."
He felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Robin.
"Another lively addition," she smiled, looking at Baby 5 who was currently trying to feed Sanji a grenade thinking it was an apple.
"Yeah," Luffy smiled. "It's going to be fun."
The Thousand Sunny cut through the waves, carrying the Pirate Alliance toward the kingdom of love, passion, and toys. And the Heavenly Demon was waiting, unaware that his own forces were already turning against him.