Evening, everyone! (Idk what time it is wherever you guys are :C).

I HAVE BEEN THROUGH A LOT. I hate to take so long with chapter updates, cause I know if I take too long my readers may get bored and move on to some other story. Also, these characters are very important to me even if I don't own half of them. So I want to finish their story.

I don't want to get into just everything I've been to here. It would make a VERY LONG AUTHORS NOTE, and I've had people complain about the length of the Authors Notes before, so if anyone is concerned, pm me and we can discuss it. Or I can post it on my tumblr (assuming doesn't censor out the word).

Also thx to everyone who reviewed. It keeps me going. Seriously.

Enjoy the chapter!

A World of Difference

Chapter 28: All the Players

Doflamingo's stilletoed heels hit the deserted pavement of Loguetown's port storage houses. Identical stone building with blue roofs lined up in front of him, possibly full of rare, imported food and drink. Under usual conditions, the pirate part of him would have ordered his crew to raid the buildings.

But his crew were currently incapacitated.

Aggravated, he yanked one of his strings forward, and his crewmates landed in a heap at his side.

Soaking wet and gasping for air, their devil fruit users were crying as snot ran down their faces. The time Doflamingo had spent chasing Dragon had caused them to inhale too much water. They each bore burn marks and flesh wounds, but the unfathomable rage they felt towards Dragon had everyone standing and glowering at each other.

"Traitor! I will grind him into raw meat with my stone-stone powers!" Pica shrieked, and the ground rippled around his feet as his legs turned to stone. Stone spikes drilled out from Pica's earthen legs, making them look like bludgeons.

"Oi, Oi!" Diamante shouted, his body flat and rippling like a flag hanging from a pole. "Knock it off!"

"He's right." Pink said, pulling his crumpled and ruined tie from his collar and chucking it on the ground. "We can't make a commotion."

"Dragon will hide!" Lao G explained, now standing in one of his signature fighting poses. "He's quick! And clever! He knows he can't fight us all without endangering people. He's going to hide and move quietly, until he finds that woman and makes his escape."

"What should we do, Dof~fy?" Trebol asked, leaning around Doflamingo, his snot strings hanging so low they touched the ground.

"Forgive us." Vergo begged, taking a knee at Doflamingo's side. "The ship is completely destroyed. We'll need to commandeer another to leave the island."

Doflamingo's lip curled back; the ship—his ship—destroyed by someone he'd admired and looked up to since he was a child. Dragon, of all people!

To think he'd been trying to recruit him. If he'd known Dragon's only true destination was some random, ugly, weak little girl who'd been beaten and banished to East Blue, Doflamingo would've left them both to rot.

But to be betrayed by him so close to Logue Town! And for their ship to not only be destroyed, but the entire crew dumped in the sea. If not for Vergo and Lao G, they might have suffered casualties.

Just the hazy, rage-induced-black-out memories of Doflamingo destroying the marine ship and slaughtering all it's crew in spite only served to make him angrier.

No.

Almost all of them.

Doflamingo shoved past Trebol and Vergo, and marched over to the sodden, mangled, bloodied marine he'd ripped from the ship moments before it's boiler exploded. The lone survivor was currently using his fists to try and drag himself across the ground, away to safety.

Doflamingo kicked him in the stomach, and the marine rolled over with a grunt. He lay there, his arms stretched out on either side of him. He looked up at Doflamingo with pure terror, as if he were the devil himself.

Which was exactly what Doflamingo enjoyed. These little foot soldiers, and all the little people they couldn't protect, were all weak. They wouldn't survive the great pirate era, or where it was leading to. They should die, frightened and broken like trampled earthworms.

But the marine found his courage then, eyes and mouth snapping back into place, fear pushed back to where Doflamingo could barely see it.

"Die… You filthy pirates!" He ordered. "You'll all die today…! Just wait! Wait until tonight… When he comes!"

Insolent, errant little earthworm. Doflamingo raised his foot, preparing to shove the sharp heel deep into the survivor's eyeball.

But stopped.

And thought.

Because the survivor had said something rather interesting.

"Who?" He asked with a chuckle and lowered his foot. He knelt beside the survivor, and fisted his fingers in the earthworm's hair, yanking his head up. "Who's coming?"

The marine was silent. His eyes looked flat and gray, like the street stones, and they were shaking uncontrollably. Doflamingo grew impatient—prepared to make the marine's last moments pure hell if he didn't answer quickly.

But his concerns were for not.

"Everyone…!" The marine spat out, pride and satisfaction giving his gray, bloodied, pale face light. "Everyone is coming! And you're all going to die!"

"Yes, but who? Specifically?" Doflamingo demanded and shook the marine's head.

"Doffy." Pink said, gentle but straightforward.

"I know." Doflamingo said, annoyed, and released his grip on the marine's hair.

He wasn't going to get any more information out of the survivor.

The light had left his eyes. His grinning mouth had turned slack, and lifeless.

He was dead.

00000

"Couldn't you have been a little more specific?" Beckman nagged before a small chicken bone bounced off his cheek.

Ruka didn't answer him. She currently had her face buried in some sort of food, scraping every crumb into her mouth with a spoon. She hadn't stopped to breathe since they were served, and she felt stronger with each gulp.

"C'mon, Benny." Shanks teased, feet propped up on the table as he leaned back in his chair. "A little tour of Logue Town won't kill us. Besides, the last time I was here, I didn't really see much."

Ruka lifted her head and licked her lips.

"Ohhhh." She said, understanding, and pointed her fork at Shanks. "Was that when you—"

She sensed eyes zero-in on her, and immediately shut up. Beckman was giving her a look that pushed Dragon's "I'll-end-you" stare to second place. Shanks was pretending to admire the scene outside the closest window: which was really just a bunch of people walking around with pets, or babies, or shopping bags.

Ruka shoved another forkful of food in her mouth, blushing from shame as she gulped, then choked, wrenched her drink up in one hand and poured it down her throat.

She sank back in relief, then noticed something that made her eyebrows shoot up.

Everyone was staring at her.

Her first thought was that her hood had fallen down, so her free hand immediately started to feel for it. But everything was fine; her face was hidden.

"Hey!" She whispered, leaning across the table. "They're staring at us."

Shanks chuckled, leaning back and forth in his chair.

"Probably because of you." He said good-naturedly and passed her a bowl of fresh-baked rolls.

She shoved six of them in her mouth, gulped, and belched so loud the table shook.

"What do you mean?" She asked, wiping grease from the corner of her mouth with her thumb.

"Disgusting." Beckman uttered, and Shanks gave him a questioning, humorous look. "He means you've inhaled half the restaurant, you've got the table manners of a pig, and you may as well speak normally if you're going to whisper that loud in a quiet restaurant!"

"Excuse me."

Ruka and her two new companions turned their eyes on the server, who'd returned with the bill. Ruka immediately took it and passed it to Shanks. Shanks passed it to Beckman.

Beckman looked from the bill, to Ruka, who was devouring the last of their meal. His face was a mask of calm, but Ruka got the feeling he was mad about something.

Shanks took her wrist beneath the table, and she stopped chewing to shoot him a warning glare. Before she could swallow, and order him to take his hand off her, he stood abruptly, pulling them both to their feet.

Beckman pushed his chair back and reached for his pockets.

"RUN!" Shanks screamed and pulled Ruka toward the door.

Ruka ran, bug-eyed and puffy-cheeked, and considered what her rebel companions would say if they found out she'd done a dine and dash.

But it was too late to regret. She'd eaten everything! And Beckman was right behind them, having laid nothing on the table. Some men from the kitchen emerged but were too slow as the three of them rushed outside, and sprinted up the street, putting a dense crowd between themselves and the restaurant.

They came to a stop in a small courtyard with picnic chairs and a tiny fountain with lillypads. Weeds grew in between the street stones and vines were tangled and brown against gray walls.

They took seats around one of the picnic tables, huffing and puffing, or in Ruka's case, sweating. She sat slumped over the table, arms crossed under her chin, trembling slightly from head-to-toe.

She pulled her arms under her, as her face twisted up in fear and frustration.

Shanks lifted his head up and frowned apologetically.

"Sorry." Shanks said, shrugging somewhat helplessly. "We don't have enough money for food and a ship. And it's easier to steal food. Was it too soon for you to run?"

Ruka unfolded her arms and stretched them across the table. She turned her hands, flexed her fingers. The tremors were annoying, but not as bad as before. Still, it was proof she didn't have all her strength back.

"It's not that bad." She said, trying to stay positive. "When I first came to East Blue, I couldn't speak, and I could barely move. And thanks to all that food, I can at least walk. That'll make looking for Dragon easier."

"That's what I was trying to ask you before." Beckman said, earning her attention. "How are we supposed to find him without a specific meeting place? You don't even know if he's here or not."

"He's here." She assured them, point-blank and confident.

"You can't know that for sure." Beckman argued, waving his hand in a gesture of pointlessness. "You've got no way of contacting him."

"No. But he is here." Ruka promised.

She leaned back in her chair and tilted her head back to look at the sky.

There were more clouds now than when they first arrived, and some were even gray or dark gray on the bottom. The wind had picked up, making the nearest windmeter spin like crazy, and the water in the fountain ripple. She smelled rain, or perhaps a storm.

Dragon couldn't control his connection to Uranus. This was why the weather was always so weird around him, like it was tuned to his emotions. When things were okay, so was the sky. But if something happened, something to make Dragon distressed, everything turned to nuts. Like that storm that had attacked them on Eel Island Pass. Or when they were on Sabaody…

Ruka lowered her head, distracted by the swirling, paranoid thoughts in her head. If there was a storm coming, then something must have happened.

"He's here, so we've got to look for him." Ruka said, standing and pushing her chair back. "Let's split up."

"We will be able to cover more ground that way," Beckman said reluctantly, "But are you sure? What if you get attacked?"

"I'll go with her." Shanks decided, standing and adjusting the sword tied to his hip. "Someone has to. We can check the North side of town, so you check the South."

Beckman was quiet for a moment, looking like he wanted to argue. The face he made was kind of similar to the one Bonnie used to give Ruka when they were children, and Ruka would say she needed to go get more food.

Beckman didn't want Shanks on this island. But it wasn't his call.

Ruka almost regretted bringing them here. She remembered that feeling. Not wanting your captain to do something that might end in him getting hurt.

"We can meet up at the Execution Platform." Shanks decided, surprising both Ruka and Beckman. "It's the most obvious tourist spot. No one will notice a couple more pirates lurking around it."

"I'm not a pirate." Ruka said automatically. "But okay. Wherever works so long as we can find Dragon."

"What's the time limit?" Beckman asked as he stood up.

"Let's keep searching until dusk." Shanks decided. "Then we can meet up, make sure everyone's alright, pool our info, and search again if we have to."

"It's going to be hard to gather any info when we can't say who we're looking for." Beckman argued.

"Yeah, and Dragon's really good at staying hidden, even when he's out where people can see him." Ruka explained, recalling with admiration how Dragon could breeze through a crowd without anyone looking at him. "It's like he walks in between everybody's range of vision."

"His haki is rumoured to be one of the most formidable in the entire world," Shanks said, "So that really doesn't surprise me."

"Take this." Beckman said, offering a loaded sidearm to Ruka. "I bought it in a weapons shop, when we first arrived. Figured you'd need it."

Ruka took the weapon, raised, and cocked it. She checked the ammo, then switched the safety on.

"I guess you know how to use it?" Shanks asked.

"I can use pretty much any weapon." She told them, tucking the gun into her waist-band. "Now, listen. Dragon and I have been on the run for a while now, and even before that he wasn't exactly a people person."

"Your point?" Beckman questioned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Even if you tell him you're a friend, and you don't mean any harm, he's not going to believe you."

"What am I supposed to do then?" Beckman asked. "Is he just going to attack me on sight? I can't take something like that lying down."

"Nobody's asking you to." Shanks reassured him and grabbed his shoulder. "How about this? If you find Dragon before we do, just tell him the truth. I get the feeling he'll believe you."

Beckman shrugged. "Fine."

"It's too bad we can't use transponder snails." Shanks said regretfully. "But it's no good. If someone taps into the signal, we'll all be in danger."

Ruka smiled, more for their sake than for her's. She liked this island, for some reason. Maybe because she would see Dragon again soon. Or maybe because Roger used to live here. Or maybe because she hadn't seen a single homeless person since she arrived.

Her body shuddered, and she crossed her arms behind her back to suppress it. Shanks and Beckman were busy discussing Dragon, while Ruka was lost in her thoughts.

She'd gotten too used to this whole "thinking" business ever since she came to East Blue. But the truth was, when that paw-pads woman sent her flying, she'd had a weird dream. A dream that brought back some really old memories, ones she'd forgotten.

She'd lied to herself and to everyone else, until she had just… Forgotten. Her mind believed the lie rather than the truth.

Now, it was all back, and she didn't know what to do with these memories. There was nothing to do, except ignore them for now.

But when the time came, she needed to talk with Dragon.

He wouldn't be angry. She knew that.

But it didn't make her any less angry with herself.

"Let's go, we're losing time." Shanks told them, holding a hand over his eyes and looking up at the sun.

"Alright." Beckman replied, and turned to leave. "Be careful."

He spun on his heel and marched off. Ruka blinked, and he'd closed the distance of the alley in a heartbeat. Then he disappeared into the crowded street, leaving them behind.

She stared at the spot where he disappeared, fists shaking and heart lurching.

Shanks saw her struggling, and smirked.

"Don't worry about him." He said, and she jerked her head to give him a blank, expectant look.

He looked so devil-may-care, it was refreshing. Was it weird that he reminded her of herself? And Flint?

Flint…

Her eyes darkened, and her face twisted up. She could remember the way Flint looked when he died, and Gradma's corpse lying the dirt, and—

She slapped her cheeks, three times. Hard. And shook her head fiercely, her hair flying back and forth with the movement. She could feel Shanks' eyes on her, and they lacked understanding. But they didn't pry as she directed her gaze forward.

This fight of yours won't allow for weakness.

He was right. No matter what happened to her, she had to stay strong, and keep forging ahead. Worrying and regretting things never helped anyone. She had to keep going. She was strong, and she could do this.

"Something wrong?"

She looked at Shanks and furrowed her brow in determination. Whatever happened next, she would get everyone out alive this time. Dragon, herself, and her two new friends.

"Nope." She answered, bowing her head and pulling her cloak around her. "Nothing."

00000

They passed through the busier parts of town in no time, and soon found themselves alone.

Shanks had not been to this town since Captain Roger's execution, but he was surprised. For a tourist spot that should've been crawling with pirates, he hadn't seen one since they landed.

Ten minutes into their search, Ruka, who had been painstakingly searching every nook and cranny of Logue Town for Dragon, got chatty.

"Hey!" She said, skidding in an arc to stop in front of Shanks. "I've got a question for you."

"Oh, yeah?" Shanks prompted, reaching for her wrist.

She yanked it away, and took three long, backwards strides away from him.

"Dragon told me my haki is crazy powerful," She said, and began walking backwards while she turned her head this way and that, searching as she went, "And that's why it's so difficult to control. Do you have any tips?"

Her question hit him out of nowhere. He knew she was hiding something, but he couldn't bring himself to ask what, and just sort of chuckled. Ruka kept moving, looking everywhere but at Shanks, and he followed casually behind.

"Like, when I was on that last island," She said, crouching, rising, then leaning back, then forth, each time peering into a different direction, "I was attacked by a big group of pirates. They were trying to raid the village I was in, or maybe they wanted something else—"

Shanks' mouth thinned at that last comment. What else?

"—And I fought them, because there were people in that village I wanted to save." She came to a slow halt, shoulders drooping. "But like I thought, I couldn't protect them all, and I couldn't stop the enemy without killing them."

Shanks's face brightened with recognition, and lowered his arms in seriousness.

"I heard from my old pirate captain that everyone on Roger's crew was a monster at haki control," She said, and greeted him with a beaming smile, "So I thought maybe you could give me some tips?"

Shanks scratched the back of his head. "I'm not much of a teacher. But, I guess I'll give it a go."

"Great!" She shrieked, and jumped in front of him, her fists clenched in excitement. "So? What do I have to do?"

"What do you want to do?" He asked, and circled around her to lead them through town.

"Well…" Ruka said, folding her arms together and bowing her head, "At first, I thought I could just fight my hardest and I'd win. I'd believe I could win, put everything I had on the line, and somehow come out on top. But… Dragon doesn't do that. He has things he doesn't want to put on the line, so he doesn't, and he's strong enough to wipe the floor with people that give me so much trouble. I can't ever be as strong as him or those other monsters, but… I want to be strong enough to at least take on people stronger than me, you know?"

Shanks nodded, smirking as he picked up the pace.

"Why do you think you can't be as strong as him?"

"Because! You know… We're… Built different.

Shanks stopped, a sour look on his face, and Ruka skidded to a stop in front of him.

"Well that's not fair. To yourself, I mean." He couldn't help it—he hated hearing the helplessness in her voice.

"But we are though!" Ruka exclaimed, raising her forearms and dipping into a crouch, looking as frustrated as she sounded. "Dragon's big, and strong, and muscular! And he can use haki, and he's so smart and fast and amazing! I mean, don't get me wrong, he's not perfect, not even close. But if it's a fight, he can win! He can always win! And me, I'm… scrawny, and tiny, and skinny. When I fight, I use all of my weight, throw my whole body into it, go as fast as I can. Just attack, attack, attack! You know? And I use my head, too, but not the way he does. It's like he can see the future."

"It's not that you're weak, or have poor haki control." Shanks told her adamantly. "Everybody has things they can and cannot do. Besides, when we were cleaning you up back at the ship—"

He hesitated, watching her face closely. It was impossibly blank, and hard to read, even though most women might have taken a swipe at him for that.

"—We saw you. You look scrawny, but you've actually built up a decent amount of muscle." He said, and tilted his hat back to look at her in awe. "You're covered scars. Your hands, arms, and back—you have a lot of battle experience, right? And even when we first met, back in Goa, the way you were able to move so quickly, that's thanks to your size, isn't it?"

Ruka's face showed the most microscopic signs of interest, and even bashfulness.

"Well, my speed is about the best thing I have going for me." She said, knitting her brow thoughtfully. "Back when Dragon was trying to teach me to use my haki, it only happened twice, and not for very long… But there were two different times where I was able to move faster than him or Kuma."

Shanks gasped, then chuckled. This woman… She didn't even realize it.

How exciting.

"Ruka, that's it." He said. "All you have to do is train your body to maintain that same unbelievable speed, and you'll be as strong as you want."

"Maintain that same speed for an entire battle?" She asked, pouted, then glanced up at him in doubt. "I mean that would be awesome, but how?"

"How did you make it happen before?"

"Well, first I ate a ton." She explained.

"How much is a ton?"

"About three times what I ate back at that restaurant." Ruka explained, and Shanks had to turn around and laugh into his hand.

"Then I… Well I just kind of noticed how Dragon doesn't use a lot of energy for movement." She remembered, and stretched out both her hands, looking past them at Shanks. As if he were standing where Dragon once stood. "When he fights, Dragon uses more energy for the actual attack than for motion. So, I thought, if I loosened up, and put less weight on my feet, and more weight into my attacks, then I wouldn't use as much energy and I could move faster and longer. And then I did."

She paused, her eyes filling with a warm, loving, golden light as she lowered her hands. Her eyes were resting on Shanks, but peering through him, as if Dragon would walk right out of the nearest building.

He stepped out of the way, scratching the back of his head and trying to look more conspicuous.

"So… Speed." He said, awkwardly.

"Speed." She echoed and offered him an agreeing smile.

"You know, Ruka, it's strange, but you kind of remind me of Captain Roger." Shanks admitted, crossing his arms behind his head.

Ruka blushed, then laughed her head off. "I was just thinking about how much you remind me of my old pirate captain, Flint!"

They chuckled together for a moment.

"But what does speed have to do with my haki training?" Ruka asked.

"You said Dragon was training you." Shanks said and continued their walk. "Come on, we shouldn't stand around."

"Yeah, we need to find him."

"What did you learn?"

"Some stuff. Dragon said its kinda similar to seeing or feeling, just from really far away. And you can use it to fight logia devil fruit users, which is super important 'cause otherwise they'll cream ya. Then there's the really special kind, which you have to be born with—Dragon's is crazy powerful."

"I bet it is." Shanks agreed. Someone whose haki was potentially stronger than captain roger's or whitebeards. He'd like to see that.

"But Dragon said that once I get mine under control, it'll be even stronger than his."

Shanks stopped in his tracks. "Really?"

"Yeah…" Ruka looked at the sky, squinted, and tried to remember. "I don't actually remember that well, but… In Mariejois, when I saw Dragon get shot, and I'd thought I lost him… I was so mad, my mind went blank, and I summoned this crazy power. It knocked out a lot of strong guys, but my head was so fuzzy. And hot. I didn't know how to stop. I was so angry—I couldn't control myself. I just wanted them all to feel as bad as they'd made Dragon feel. Then Dragon was in front of me, asking me to stop, saying I would die if I didn't. Somehow, I did, and then… I can't remember the rest."

Shanks understood so well it was hard to breathe. Her haki was so powerful that if she used it at its full strength, it would force her brain to shut down. That was… Insane. And dangerous.

"Look Ruka, Dragon's probably already told you this," Shanks said, "But haki can only be used so much. If you try to push past that limit, then you could seriously hurt yourself. Even die. Do you know how long you can go, and how much haki you can use?"

Ruka shook her head. "Dragon and I were training to figure that out. But he's worried about my special haki damaging my brain, or my memories."

Shanks opened his mouth to tell her that needed to be her top-priority—determining that limit—when he felt something. An exhilarating, familiar sensation that made every hair on the back of his neck stand up, and his back straighten out. On instinct, he grabbed Ruka's hand—earning a outraged look in response—and pulled her into the nearest alleyway.

"What are you—?" She said, then froze.

Too late. Whatever he felt was already with them. He turned, pressing his back to Ruka—that earned him a couple of dirty looks from her, but she was still hurt. He couldn't let her fight if they could avoid it.

The source of his premonition stood maybe ten feet away from them. Having appeared out of nowhere, she had her head tilted back, looking down at Ruka the way a mother did when she found her kid's hand in the cookie jar.

Dressed head to foot in black, with long, blood-red ivory hair that trailed all the way to her ankles. That wasn't very smart for a fighter—but she held her head high, as if she knew what he was thinking and was saying she could handle it.

Ruka sidestepped around him and met her, whoever she was, eye for eye.

"Who are you?" She demanded, jutting her chin out. "Why are you after Dragon?"

"I am Ada Wilde, of the Florentrian Resistance." Their enemy answered, blinking slowly her cold, callous eyes. "And I already told you—Dragon killed a friend of mine. I was hoping you would stay out of it."

"Not gonna happen!" Ruka promised, and Shanks checked the spot at her lower back where she'd stashed Beckman's gun.

She wasn't pulling it out. Did that mean a sidearm was useless against Ada?

He felt her power—haki which matched his own. Her long hair and heavy clothing, and the hatred and determination in her eyes. This woman was a fighting veteran.

"Florentria…" He said, earning both of their attention. "Florentria Kingdom, the old West Blue utopia… The resistance led by Oliver D. Levi. That's who and what you mean, right?"

He cocked a slight smile at Ada, who sighed airily at him.

"You're from the West, too." Ada stated, cold and without any love.

"That's right." Shanks said with a nod. "Most people don't speak of that place. It's considered bad luck."

"Don't kid yourself." Ada hissed, taking a step forward. "My country, and what happened to it, is not a joke. If you understand, then step aside and let me do what I must."

Shanks stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ruka. "Afraid I can't do that. I promised Ruka I would help her reunite with Dragon."

Ada's eyes turned cold as ice. "Don't make me kill you. You're no enemy of mine."

"I'm a pirate." Shanks countered, smirking. "I decide who my enemies are."

But he could tell just from looking at her: she had no intention of attacking them. She only wanted Dragon.

Ada turned her eyes on Ruka. "It doesn't matter if you do keep me from my mission."

"You wanna bet?!" Ruka asked, whipping the gun out and aiming it at Ada's head.

Shanks interceded. "Why? How come?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ada snapped, raising her hand and waving to the desserted streets. "A famous tourist spot, empty except for the port and outer areas? You're both pirates. Use your heads."

Shanks froze. He should've realized it sooner.

This was main street. Most businesses here were open twenty-four-seven, or late into the night. No matter what time of day it was, every inch of this path should've been crowded with tourists and civilians.

Not just this street, either—how many ships had he seen docked at port? Ten? Twenty? More, there should've been more.

A trap. Ruka had sent a message through the newspaper, and someone found it out.

There was only one group of people that had the power to take down the dozens or so pirate ships which would've been headed here today, and evacuate the city without causing a revolt.

"The marines…!" He realized, earning a look of dread from Ruka.

"Marines?" She asked, skeptical opposition weak from desperation. "What? No! There's no way! They couldn't have figured out that message! I know, I was the one who—"

"Told them." Ada interceded, and when she said it, Shanks could almost detect sympathy in her words. "You were the one who told them Ruka. Days in advance. They've watched this island for days, looking for him, all so they could set this trap."

Shanks understood. Ruka's secret message, which she sent through the newspaper, couldn't have gotten there from the outside. Whomever she'd spoken to, she'd believed he was on her side. But that person was…

"Garp…!" She hissed through gritted teeth, her face turning a boiling red. "That son of a …!"

Ada raised her hand, gesturing to the empty city. "We've been watching this town for days. Wire-tapping, stealth missions, gathering information. We already know all about the trap. But it doesn't matter. If it's a trap, then all the better. The town is being evacuated and the marines are closing in on this island—soon they'll surround it. There will be no escape."

"I won't let you kill him!" Ruka declared, and fired at Ada's feet. She skipped back, and cast Ruka a cold, apathetic stare. "Dragon's already here! All I have to do is track him down before you do and get the hell off this crazy island!"

"It's too late for him." Ada shook her head, half-sympathetic, half-determined. "Neither the marines nor I will give up. Take Shanks and get off the island."

"I'M NOT LEAVING!" Ruka declared.

Quicker than they could blink, Ada had their backs to them. Her legs twitched, and suddenly, she was halfway down the street.

She was running. At an unbelievable speed.

But Shanks and Ruka were fast, too, and they chased her.

Ruka was already putting what they'd discussed into practice. She outpaced him, going forward in great, flashy leaps, overtaking him and tearing down the street towards Ada.

He couldn't keep up. Under better circumstances, that would've made him smile.

But Ada sensed she was about to lose and attempted to get out of sight. She took a hard left into a wide alleyway, and Ruka launched herself in after her. Shanks was hot on her heels, and he arrived in time to see Ruka tackle Ada to the ground, landing on Ada's back and pinning the other woman down with her arms and legs.

"YOU—LOUSY—BIT—!" Ruka shrieked, raising and slamming Ada into the ground with each word.

Shanks felt something then: an overwhelming pressure coming at them from above. Exhilarated, every hair on the back of his neck stood straight up, as if tugging his head back, and when he looked, he saw it. A metal cage, just wide enough to fit smoothly between the walls of the alleyway, a square peg into a corresponding hole.

He was about to jump when he felt Ruka's hand bop against his chest. With no time, he let himself be shoved back, out of harms way, and came up kneeling. He plugged his ears just in time.

The cage crashed down over Ruka and Ada. Shanks felt the force of it rumble through his bones, making his teeth chatter together. He held himself together, protected by his haki and his strength. This cage felt unreasonably weighty, and when he looked, he realized why.

Seastone.

This cage was made of seastone.

The closest buildings were half-crumbled from the impact. Dust hung thick in the air, but he could see. He knew Ruka was frantic even before she scrambled to the bars, clasping them in her hands.

She grunted and groaned, leaning back, feet scraping the ground.

"SHANKS!" She screamed, throwing herself against the bars. "HELP!"

"Hold on!" He said, keeping his eyes on the sky. Someone, or something, had dropped this trap on them, and if it was someone, then…

He jumped to the roof of the seastone cage, a slab of the toughest metal in the world. No matter what he did, he could never break it.

Thick cables were attached to the four corners of the cage's roof, and all of the cables were brought together overhead, looped through a pulley trap that was attached to some kind of mechanism. He couldn't see what mechanism though, because it had fallen through the roof of the left building.

He jumped to the crumbling roof, quickly shifting his weight when some stone wore away beneath his feet. Quickly, but cautiously, he jumped down into the crumbled building, using the larger chunks of stone as footholds.

He could see the mechanism. Outrageously large, buried under ten feet of splintered wood and crumbled stone. But that wasn't the problem.

He could see the gear shift for activating the mechanism. But it was badly bent and twisted by the fall and made of a different material. The only part of the device which wasn't seastone, and it was broken.

Should he try and fix it? No, he wouldn't know what he was doing. He'd just waste precious time.

Whoever set this trap… They wanted this to happen. Ada didn't know it was here, so that only left…

He hopped back up through the broken building, to the roof and down onto the cage. When he swung down to the ground, Ruka was still clutching the bars.

"What happened?" She asked, frantic.

"It's a trap. The marines must've set it up." He told her, then immediately began looking around the cage for a gate.

There wasn't one. Ancage this dense, with no gate, and made of seastone? How did they plan to get the prisoners out?

Shanks's eyes darkened with disgust and understanding. Maybe they were planning on tunneling underneath to retrieve the prisoners, but he doubted it. Most likely, whoever got caught by this trap was supposed to starve to death. In the middle of town.

"Hold on." He told Ruka, and spat into his palms. He rubbed his fingers together and knelt. "I'm going to try and lift it."

"No, don't!" She ordered, thrusting her open hand through the bars. "Look, I already tried. I can already tell, its way too heavy. Even if the three of us worked together, we could never move it!"

"We have to try. We don't have another option." Shanks reasoned, looking the cage over.

"No! We do!" Ruka said, the hint of a smile on her face. "Find Dragon. He's here somewhere, with my sword. I know it! He'd keep it on him, especially if he was headed to meet me."

"A sword can't cut this—"

"Mine can! My sword can cut the seastone."

"What? But—"

"There's no time to explain! Just go find him!"

Shanks hesitated. A sword that could cut the seastone? Sounded too convenient, but Ruka wouldn't lie with her life on the line… Would she? He might not find Dragon in time, and even if he did, how could he earn his trust and lead him back here? What if Dragon didn't have the sword on him?

"Shanks!" Ruka called out, and she was smiling.

But she was scared. Truly, properly scared. And her eyes were welling up, her whole face was shaking. But she was reaching out to him, her whole arm stretched out, through the bars, fingers splayed, telling him to go.

"I'll be fine. Go!" She said, waving him off.

Shanks took a step back, not taking his eyes off Ruka. He'd lost his captain in this town, and Captain Roger was a pirate. A criminal. But Dragon and Ruka were traitors.

He'd never seen what happened to traitors.

But he had no choice.

"Don't move! I'll be back!" He told her and raced off.

00000

"'Don't move,' haha, funny." Ada said, in a way that didn't hide her lack of humor.

Ruka clutched the bars as she fell to her knees.

"I can't believe I'm trapped here with you." Ruka cursed, face twisting with rage. "Of all people."

"That's my line." Ada said, folding her arms behind her head. "Thanks to you, my plans have all gone askew."

Ruka started shaking. Rage, stress, and agitation all built up within her with no way out, like magma in a volcano.

"What do you mean?" Ruka demanded, tightening her grip on the bars.

"… Why do you care?" Ada asked. She used that same low, apathetic tone she had back on Ohara—just like Dragon, she made a habit of talking like some emotionless third-party.

"Usually, I don't care what people plan." Ruka admitted, arching her back and pressing her forehead against the bars. "Doesn't change what I gotta do. You want to kill Dragon, and I've got to stop you."

"Right."

"But it's so frustrating!" Ruka screamed, banging her head against the bars. "Because… It's so messed up… But I… For some reason, I seriously can't think of you as my enemy. I don't know why, but I just can't. I don't even want to fight you. It's not like with the navy, or the gorosei, or the tenryuubito. I want to knock them into next year, and I would if I could. But with you, I just… I don't get it, I feel like I should know you."

Ada was quiet for a solid minute. They sat in silence in their respective corners, listening to the quiet emptiness in the wind that howled through the deserted town. Ruka tried to use her haki to feel for Dragon or Shanks or Beckman, but they were all outside her range.

"We don't have to fight." Ada proposed, earning a sigh from Ruka.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, pulling at the bars. Pointless, but she couldn't stand eing trapped. Rather than a cage, she wished it was a person trapping her here. She would fight a person, even if it meant getting shot again.

"That's why I sent you here." Ada admitted. "I hoped you would find some peaceful place to live and allow Dragon to accept his fate—"

Ruka slammed her foot into the bars next to Ada's face. Ada looked unfazed, but Ruka hoped that was just an act to cover up any ear ringing she was experiencing.

"You don't decide anyone's fate, get it?!" Ruka snapped, dropping her foot. "You fake! And Dragon's fate isn't to die just so you can make yourself feel better."

"Oh? And how's that?" Ada asked.

"He promised me." Ruka confessed, recalling how Dragon had held her at Vegapunk's after she lost her crew. "Dragon promised me he would fight the world government, that he wouldn't throw his life away, and I promised to help him. Dragon said… He said it wasn't possible to bring back anybody who'd died. Not the people he killed, or my crew. So, we decided we would make it to where someday, someone else would be able to grow up without experiencing that—"

"Idiots."

Ruka jerked back. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting… but it wasn't that.

Ada was… Crying.

Ada wouldn't look at Ruka, she was just staring off into the distance as she let the tears trail down her cheeks. Like they weren't really there. Like she wasn't in pain.

Dammit… She was so similar to him. Crazy similar.

"You say 'someday', as if it's preordained." Ada directed her bold, heartless gaze at Ruka, as if Ruka had said something unforgivable. "You don't know what will happen in the future. People aren't so base as to be predictable. You believe what I'm trying to do is wrong, but from my perspective, you're the one who's defending a murderer. Your mother's killer."

Ruka felt the blood rush to her head.

"Why don't you get it?" She hissed through gritted teeth. "You have the wrong enemy!"

Ada curled herself into a ball, the way people did when somebody else ripped into them with words to cruel, too unforgivable, to ever forget.

"Ruka… Is Dragon that important to you?" Ada asked, so quietly Ruka barely heard her.

"Yes! More than…" She said with passion, the sighed as all the fight went out of her. "More than anything…"

"Tell me, Ruka, if somebody murdered Dragon," Ada asked, an undertone of hope making Ruka grit her teeth. "If somebody killed him by accident, and not on purpose, would you be able to forgive them?"

Ruka's face twisted in pain.

"No." She sighed.

"What if they were blackmailed into it?" Ada asked, blinking small, direct, tearful eyes at her. "What if they were forced to do it, by somebody else?"

"Then I'd go after the people who made them kill Dragon!" Ruka declared, putting her fist in the air.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really!"

"I see…" Ruka said, curling herself into a tighter ball. "I guess we're just built different, after all. You see, to me, there is no difference from the one who did the deed and they who wrote it out."

"But there is a difference!" Ruka stated, getting to her feet. "I don't know what happened to you… I get the just of it, though. You said Dragon murdered a friend of yours. But that's not true. If it was really Dragon that killed your friend, then I wouldn't be helping him right now. Your true enemy are the people who forced Dragon to go after your friend, the tenryuubito!"

"You don't get it." Ada croaked, and raised her head. She placed her hand over her heart, and gripped her shirt, like she was trying to hold herself together. "Everything… Everything I ever did, I did for them. For my country… For Lee. Now all of that is gone. Forever. I can't get any of it back, no matter where I go or how strong I get. So, what is left for me?"

"Please think!" Ruka said, kneeling and placing a hand on Ada's shoulder, just how Flint used to do for her when she worried. "What do you really want to do? There's gotta be something! Something that would make you really happy. C'mon, think!"

Ruka met Ruka's gaze, and she felt it then. Ruka could feel a connection between them, an underlying connection buried so deep it may have been there all along. Sleeping deep within her, apart of her. A familiarity, a sense of nostalgia. As if they really had met somewhere before.

"I want…" Ada began, faultered, averted her gaze and turned her eyes back on Ruka. "I need to get out of this cage."

Ruka hesitated as she recalled her words to Shanks as she sent him away. But if what Ada needed right now was to get out of this cage, then…

"You got it!" She said, offering a big smile.

She got to her feet and pulled her elbows in, clenching her fists at her sides. She took a deep breath and tried to gather her haki around her like a shield, the way Kuma and Dragon had shown her so many times.

"What are you doing?" Ada asked, but Ruka shushed her.

"Quiet! I'm trying to concentrate." She ordered, and Ada fell silent.

She searched for it—the power she used to make everyone in Mariejois fall. Back then, she'd been just like Ada. Her crew was dead. She'd thought she lost Dragon too. She just wanted to see them all die. She wanted them all to feel the pain she felt—she didn't care what it did to her.

Kuma had told her during training that there were walls in peoples minds. People were born with them, and they prevented people from going too far and damaging themselves. Walls told people things like: "If I do this, everyone I love will die." Or "If I do that, I'll get hurt." Most people tended to follow what the walls told them.

But you're different, Kuma had said, You're capable of finding the courage to risk your own life and share that courage with others. You went into Mariejois, knowing your crew might die, and you took Dragon to safety.

She didn't kill her crewmates. They were pirates, and they fought and died for who they believed in. They had no regrets, and neither did Flint.

When she found Bonnie, she would tell her that. But for now…

She was able to concentrate her haki in a way nobody else imagined because she didn't follow the rules. Which meant she should be able to build up a wall, just like she did in Mariejois…

"And move this cage!" She shouted with determination.

Ada was petrified. She could feel the air buzz with energy, Ruka's energy. Her spirit. It gathered around her, pressing together. Far from easy—she really had to concentrate, to the point her face was so hot, her skin should've melted away. But she held on—kept strong, allowed her energy to build into something solid, rooting in the ground and stretching up to the cage's ceiling. Solidified haki stretched out, like tree limbs, and lifted the unreasonably heavy cage, tilting it back just enough.

"A… Dah…!" She begged, eyes squeezed shut, face beet red and dripping with sweat. She cracked her eyes open to see Ada, staring in amazement at the cage, lifting before her eyes.

Ruka could barely speak, but she managed to mouth what she needed Ada to do.

At first, Ada looked like she didn't understand. But to Ruka's intense relief, Ada got to her feet and slammed her shoulder into the tipped cage. It shuddered, then started to fall. Before it hit the ground, Ada and Ruka clapped their hands around each other's ears.

Their cage hit the ground with a crash, and what remained of the buildings on either side collapsed.

"You're crazy!" Ada said, breathless as she lowered her hands. "You're absolutely crazy! Just because something is possible doesn't mean you should attempt it!"

Ruka shuddered as spots danced in her vision. She swayed in and out of consciousness, only barely managing to hold on through sheer will.

"I moved… The cage…" She said, smile rippling under her eyes.

Ada looked downright furious.

"That isn't the point!" Ada shouted, grabbing Ruka by the shoulders. "Busoshoku haki is armor created from spirit, but that only makes the physical toll from channeling it that much more intense. To use it in such an unconventional way to move something that's literally too heavy for you—Your brain could've shut down! Your heart could've burst!"

"That doesn't matter." Ruka said, shuddering as she fell to her knees and hands. "I… I have to protect them. Everything and everybody important to me. This is my power… And I'll use it against anyone who threatens my people. I won't let anyone else die, not without a fight…"

She looked Ada in the eye and willed her to understand. If this was seriously a trap set by the marines, there was no more time for fighting. Ruka needed to escape with Dragon before it was too late, and if she had to fight Ada and her friends, they'd never make it out on time.

"Ada, we—" Ruka began, then broke off with a shudder.

Blood dripped from her nose, and she cupped her hand over nose to stem the bleeding. Ada watched, conflicted, and held Ruka up by gripping her shoulders.

"Well that was something."

Ruka and Ada flinched in unison, realizing with dread that three huge men were standing over them. They had snuck up on the two of them, without either woman realizing it, and now leaned over them with interest.

Ruka scowled up at them. She didn't know who they were, but she instantly hated them.

One was a blonde man, dressed in pink. The next was some gross fatso with extra long strings of mucus hanging from his nose, laughing at Ruka as she glared at him. The third was some wiggly dude, his body waving where he stood like a curtain over an open window.

Marines? No, they didn't look like marines. Maybe pirates?

"Donquixote Doflamingo." Ada gasped, breathless from horror. "Ruka, they're pirates."

"I'm surprised, Doffy!" Curtain-guy said to Pinky. "I've never seen anyone use busoshoku haki like that before, uhahaha!"

"Hey! Hey! Maybe this is why Dragon wanted to come here so badly!" Mucus guy said.

At Dragon's name, Ruka stifled a yell and tried to get to her feet. She collapsed and stretched over the ground, glowering up at the pirates.

"I'm impressed, little girl." Pinky, or Doffy, said and knelt so he could press his sneering face closer to hers. "Dragon tricked me into bringing him here so he could find you."

"Thanks to him, our ship was destroyed!" Curtain guy explained, and laughed. "We thought he was crazy, doing something like that to find some ugly weakling like you! Makes sense now, though—if you can do something like that."

The three pirates guffawed as Ruka shook with anger. Ada kept one hand on her shoulder, and one on her back. All protective-like.

Suddenly, Doffy's mouth snapped shut, and he put his hand up to silence his companions. Before Ruka could react, he reached down and snapped her wrist up in his grasp, pulling her half-off the ground by her arm. His eyes focused on her ring finger, where her tattoo was.

Her tattoo which looked exactly like Dragon's.

Ruka grit her teeth, holding her breath.

Doffy's veins bulged in his head, as his mouth warped into an infuriated grin.

"So… He was lying after all." Doffy said, then snarled. "Aniki—"

With what little strength she had left, Ruka ripped Dragon's dagger out and took a slice at Doffy's face. She missed by a mile—he was on his feet and out of her reach before she could blink. Ada had yanked Ruka to her feet at the same time she'd taken a swipe at him, and before Ruka could object, Ada had picked her up and held her to her chest like a little girl.

Ada took off, jumping over the iron cage that blocked their path and taking off down the street.

"What are you doing?!" Ruka asked, thumping against Ada's shoulder each time Ada's feet hit the ground. "We're enemies—leave me behind!"

She had to fight those guys. They were after Dragon. If they followed Ruka, and found him—

"What are you saying?" Ada screamed, leaping to the left as a bullet fired by the pirates passed her by. "I can't leave you to die! You just saved my life!"

Ruka felt the earth spin like a top beneath her feet.

"W-What did you just say…?" Ruka asked, barely able to find her voice.

Ada heard her anyway. "I CAN'T LEAVE YOU BEHIND! You may be the enemy, but you spared me! If I can't get you away from these pirates, then I won't be able to face my comrades! We, the former Florentrian Resistance, never leave those we are indebted to behind!"

Ruka reeled back, feeling like she had just taken a major blow to the head.

"But that's just like—" She began.

Without warning, she was yanked from Ada's grasp. Ada skidded to a stop and tried to catch her by her ankle, but Ruka was beyond her reach. Ruka hit the pavement, shoulder first, and was dragged across the ground, pulled by some invisible force towards the pirates, who stood shoulder-to-shoulder.

Ruka kept her head low as she curled into a ball and jumped to her feet. She tried to fight against the pull, digging her ankles into the ground and leaning back, but when she did, the skin around her wrist started to tear.

Instinctively she stopped, and stumbled forward to keep up with the invisible force. She saw Pinky sneer at her as he crooked his finger, the subtle movement in sync with the lurching pulls that dragged Ruka towards him.

"Ruka!" Ada called, defensively, as if she were preparing to fight.

"NO!" Ruka yelled, only able to recall Ada's face as she had cried in the cage. "Get moving! There's no point in us both being caught!"

"But—!"

"DON'T ARGUE!" Ruka shrieked, pressing her soles against the ground. "There's no time! YOU STILL OWE ME! So get out of here! Go find your friends, and call off the attack! Get my people to safety! All of them!"

Shanks' and Beckman's faces flashed through her mind. Shanks was a former member of the Roger pirates, and if what Kuma said was true, and Roger had been a D just like Dragon, then there was no way Ruka could let Shanks be caught. Or Beckman. They'd both be in for hell because Shanks helped a D.

"I…!" Ada replied, hesitated, then shouted: "I can save you! I can save you and call off the attack!"

"I don't trust you!" Ruka retorted, and tried to sound mean. "Get out of here!"

Ruka knew she couldn't fight these pirates. Her wrist was bleeding profusely from when she pressed her heels to fight against the force. But she had to try and make Ada listen to her, even if it meant losing a hand or two. If this was the only way, the one and only option to quell the anger of those who believed Dragon was their enemy, then she'd pay that price.

She had to make them see. Their true enemy was one and the same.

Pinky yanked her forward, as if he had her wrapped up in some invisible string.

Ada was running now. Ruka could hear Ada's footsteps getting further away, and she was now standing directly in front of Pinky.

"You didn't have to scream at her." He chuckled, kneeling so they were at eye level. "We're not interested in her."

Ruka kept her mouth shut for once. She'd gotten out of tough situations before. She knew what she had to do—wait until there was an opportunity for escape and take it. Even if she didn't care if she lost a hand, Dragon would. He'd never forgive himself.

"Are you thinking you'll be able to get away from us somehow?" Pinky asked, his smile warping until his face was red from rage. "We're going to put you somewhere he won't ever be able to find you."

00000

Logue Town is empty, Dragon thought, eyes shifting from one empty dwelling to the next, where did everyone go?

He wandered into the execution plaza, his hood down and his head high. Whoever set this up would be looking for him, and probably possessed reasonable haki. Even as he feigned ignorance, he could tell.

"Akainu." He stated, and cast his gaze at the execution platform.

He could almost see them, the way they used to be. Two kids, boys, who ran together. He'd believed in Sazu the way little brothers believe in their big ones. He'd believed they were the same, and Sazu had probably felt the same way.

But they couldn't have been more unlike.

Dragon shut his eyes. He recalled them, as they were, over fifteen years ago.

Young Dragon, his hands still clean, sat on the edge of the red line with Sazu. Sazu's face was free of bruises for once, his father kept busy by marine work. Their worst days were still ahead of them. They were hopeful, almost happy, as they watch the sun sink beneath the cloud-filtered horizon.

Hey. Young Dragon said to Young Akainu. If I'm the 'white dragon,' you could be the red dog!

You mean that old story? Young Akainu scoffed. Don't those two betray each other? Why do you wanna copy them?

Well, you're not stupid like the monkey, Young Dragon said, swinging his legs, Or lazy like the bird. Besides, 'red dog' sounds cool.

Dragon smiled as his eyes cracked open. Back then, those little moments with Sazu were the only reprieve he had from the horrific life in Mariejois. That strange, honest kid he thought he knew… Grew into a monster that made his father look like a harmless rabbit.

"DRAGON!"

He sighed as he turned around. Between the storm gray sky and the empty town, he'd been expecting an enemy. But this one…

Her wild red hair blew around her black-clad body, with her feet planted apart as if to take off in a run. Her eyes were stormier than the skies and she was pointing a gun directly at him. It was cut from a metal he didn't recognize, but most importantly…

She was shaking.

He cocked his head to the side.

"Why did you call out?" He asked, sweeping his eyes over the area for more enemies.

She didn't speak at first, and he wasn't sure why until her head dropped, followed by her hand.

One arm came up to brush her hair out of her face, but Dragon was certain he saw her dry her eyes in that same movement.

She raised her head and tucked the gun inside her long jacket.

"Do you know who I am?" She asked, and for someone who appeared calm, she seemed beside herself with impatience and rage.

Dragon recalled the man who attacked him on Ohara. He was insane with murderous rage, and Dragon had deduced only later that he was the family or acquaintance of someone Dragon had killed when he was working under the pseudonym 'Shiroryuu.'

"You're a survivor." He stated, certain of it now. "A colleague or comrade of one of my victims."

From the way her face warped from grief and fury, he knew he'd hit the nail on the head.

"You murdered my childhood friend, the leader of the Florentrian Resistance, over fifteen years ago." She informed him. "And so many others."

"Oliver D. Levi." Dragon remembered.

That boy… Was his first ever kill. The memory was fuzzy, possibly because he'd been a boy himself. He hadn't wanted to remember it. It took several kills for him to realize he needed to remember them… Because the Gorosei, the tenryuubito, and everyone else responsible for their deaths wouldn't.

At that time, Dragon had been sloppy. He didn't want to hurt that brave, young rebel. Oliver… He'd known who he was. Dragon remembered that much. During their fight, Dragon's hood fell down, and Oliver had seen his face.

You're just a kid, Oliver had said, looking distraught, Wait! You don't have to do this! Join us! We'll take care of you.

He'd been so brave and so kind. Dragon hated to harm him… But he knew the power of the World Government better than anyone. Oliver and his little band of rebels were children, with no haki training or special abilities. They'd become a nuisance simply by thinking ahead of the marines who occupied their land and freeing the slaves. They were no match against an armed fleet, which was what the Gorosei had scheduled in advance, in case Dragon failed in his mission.

"I remember him." He said, knowing nothing he said or did would ever be able to make up for what he'd done. But still…

"Why did you hesitate?" He asked, eyeing the pocket where she'd stowed the gun. "You know a gun won't work on me."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that." She said, shaking her head in… remorse. "I… Need to know. Who is it that decided Lee was to be killed? Was it you…?"

Dragon hesitated. He'd always accepted the blame, but…

"You're…" He started, knowing he needed to tell the truth this time. No more self-pity… "You're enemy is—"

Bang…!

Dragon flinched. He heard the bullet too late, and watched as it shot towards her. She noticed it too, with instincts that nearly rivalled his own, and ducked, tilting her head back just in time. The bullet grazed her forehead, leaving a long graze across the surface, then vanished into the distance. A window shattered, and something inside a nearby building exploded.

Dragon ran to her. Whoever she was, she'd shown him mercy, and was the ally of someone the World Government has sent to death. He couldn't consider her his enemy.

He knelt by his side, holding his hands in the over her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, urgently.

She spat blood from her mouth, wiped more of it from her eyes, hissed in a voice that was animal than human: "Don't touch me…"

"DRAGON!"

Hundreds of footsteps came out of the woodwork, filling and surrounding the execution plaza. Dragon saw they had perched themselves in the balconies, on the rooftops, down the paths and alleyways.

Marines.

And in front of him, standing in front of some of the most heavily armed marine captains, were two very familiar faces. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, stone faced and silent.

One was Sazu, whom he'd just been thinking about…

The other one was…

"Garp." He said, shocked to the core.

Father…

00000

I hope you enjoyed it! I wanted to add a lot more to this chapter, but it would've been TOO LONG. So next chapter will have the title this one would've had: And the End.