Too Far Back

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece :c

Another year, another chapter. Maybe this is just a yearly thing. Hah, I managed to get 90% of this done in one day and just didn't touch it for a few months.

Thanks for everyone still sticking with this odd-paced dream of mine-I couldn't have done it without you. This prologue's just a bit of travel bumps and fun to enjoy, but after this chapter part, things begin to get more..."interesting." Prologue's are coming to an end soon, but I'm kind of grateful-that's just a welcomed weight off my shoulders. Also, happy birthday me-July 28 baby.

Enjoy.

Chapter 6: A New Strategy

-xXx-

Prologue

All seemed right with the world. Birds were chirping, the bees humming, and the floral danced the waltz with Lady wind. The sky was blue and the ocean sparkled brilliantly. It was a gorgeous day outside at just the right temperature. Even the animals, big and small, were getting along well with one another. Well...

"AAAHH!"

Most of them.

...

Maybe it was the calmness of the sea, or maybe it was because the weather felt a little too nice, but something felt a little off-Nami just couldn't put her finger on it. Robin reassured her with a smile, "Are you alright, Nami?"

Nami brushed off the eerie feeling, but relayed her fears to Robin nonetheless, "Yeah, just something's bothering me."

They passed through brambles and Nami glanced behind her, "Ah, maybe I've just been out on the sea for too long that I think something's gonna pop out of that bush."

She pointed to the little shrub in front of her, and a rustle, on que, subsequently followed her statement. She flinched, but Robin knelt down next to the bush, waiting patiently as a small white rabbit slowly emerged.

Nami sighed in relief and Robin watched warmly as the little rabbit hopped quickly away. She stood up and led Nami through some overgrown grass. "You were right," she answered, and Nami just seemed somewhat relieved that it wasn't some giant raging bull or whatnot.

A loud shriek pierced their ears and both looked behind them out of instinct.

Nami stopped and gaped at Robin, "What...was that?"

Robin's still eyes focused on the path that led behind them. She recalled the shriek, "A scream?" she both asked and answered.

Another shriek, only this time, it was louder.

Nami felt goosebumps as she anticipated something. She let out a light chuckle to ease her nervous mind, "Probably an animal that got eaten by one of the monsters on the island…" The silence lingered when Robin didn't say anything. She gulped, "I'd hate to be whatever that was."

Robin watched as sounds of trees falling in the distance could be heard, and turning to Nami, it seemed as though she wasn't the only one who heard it.

"The sound is getting closer," Robin prepared her, and Nami shook it off.

"It's probably just the wind. Let's go this way, Rob-"

A giant green bear with antlers burst into the small clearing laid out behind Nami and Robin. In front of the giant bear was a little dot of brown fur that looked a lot like-

"CHOPPER?" Nami cried and burst into a sprint with Robin at her side.

Chopper was drenched in tears in his Walk Point form, running at pace with the two girls, "NAMI! ROBIN!" Oh, he was happy to see them.

"WHAT IS THAT THING?" Nami cried.

A roar sounded from behind them and both Nami and Chopper shrieked.

"I DON'T KNOW!"

"HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW?" Nami bonked Chopper on the head repeatedly, all the while, the poor reindeer sobbed in confession.

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

Nami nearly stumbled over a rock as the bear behind them seemed to get closer and closer. She yelled, "HOW DID IT COME TO THIS!?"

"I DIDN'T MEAN TOO!"

"LIAR!"

"NOOO!"

They made a sharp dive to the left, but the green bear with antlers about five stories tall made no intention of giving up the chase. It's eyes were wild with determination.

"WHY ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME?" Nami exclaimed, pushing Chopper off her side.

Chopper clung to her, "DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE-!"

"THIS IS YOUR PROBLEM!"

From a short distance away, an elegant stature of bones was sipping at tea by the sea shore, which he had made himself from what the forest provided. It was flavorful, but bitter all the same-he liked his tea with two sugars. But how would he know, he didn't have taste buds!

He sipped again, the tea falling on the ground below him, since he didn't have a stomach either. He let out a soft yo-ho-ho-ho, before lifting his cup for another sip.

A crash of bushes and Robin emerged, elegantly, Nami appeared, leaves in her hair as she spat out the remaining few. And a thin reindeer with thick antlers came out of the brush with a tree attached to his head. All were running and passed by him quickly.

He raised his cup, "Oh, Nami-san-"

"Good luck, Brook!"

He paused as they disappeared through the other side of the lingering trees. Good luck?

Trees crashed all around him and a sudden wind nearly swept him off the log he was sitting on. He looked up at a great green bear with long antlers the size of three trees put together, who looked down on him with great ferocity.

He attempted a smile, a friendly jester in greetings-but then he remembered that he can't smile since he doesn't have lips.

...

Robin watched both Chopper and Nami, who ran frantically towards the undergrowth. Being chased by a giant bear had been more fun than she expected, and although she was sure that she could somehow put a stop to it at any given time, she was keen on enjoying these fleeting adventures with her lively crewmates a little longer.

Nami was beginning to get out of breath so she slowed down her run, causing the others to slow down with her. She stopped, panting heavily, "Di-Did we lose it?"

"I...I think so." Chopper answered her, all eyes on the trampled trail behind them.

A loud smash and a bag of bones flew by them, along with a tree that had been uprooted from its spot. She could have sworn she saw that tree by the shore side-

Oh. They didn't lose the giant bear. The giant bear threw a tree at them. All these thoughts were running through her head and her legs weren't even moving! She broke into a sprint with a sharp yell followed by Robin and Chopper, who was the only one that yelled after her.

They caught up to Brook quickly, and breathless, Nami faced him, "WHY DID YOU LEAD THE BEAR TO US?"

"YOU LEAD THE BEAR TO ME!" Brook retaliated.

"WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" Chopper followed suit.

Nami felt a sudden resolve take over her, "Not if I can help it!"

She held her Clima Tact to the sky, a dark rumbling folded around her as solid grey clouds grew out of thin air. She shot a yellow beam into the sky, the bear still hot on their tail, but she felt somewhat fearless, even with its approach. And using that fearlessness to her advantage, she aimed the Clima Tact at the giant bear, lightning striking it with great velocity and fierceness. The four of them stopped and watched the spectacle. She felt like a leader, a natural born fighter-

The bear shook off the lightning like it tickled and lunged at them with even more rigor than before.

"IT DID NOTHING!" Nami exclaimed, pumping her arms now to gain speed.

Chopper spat, "I ALREADY TRIED ATTACKING IT!"
"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?"

"I'M SORRY!"

...Well, the four of them would be running for a while.

...

Franky hummed near the opposite end of the island, looking for both shipwrecks and devil fruits, he found this sidequest quite amusing. He kicked aside a small rock, watching as it skidded the water, measuring about five hops. He kicked another rock, a bigger one this time, and he kicked it a little harder. Seven hops.

A little pointy rock jutted from under the ground, just peering over the dirt and sand that surrounded it. Franky smirked and kicked it as hard as he could, only to be stopped by the little rock with great pain. He howled as the tiny rock nearly broke his foot and hopped on his good leg for a few seconds. Angry now, he gripped the little tiny rock with all his might, and pulled it upwards, revealing a giant boulder the size of a house. Giving a heave, he cocked back and threw the boulder over his head like a soccer ball in pure rage, but instead of going forwards...it went backwards. Ah...

...

"Oh, the clouds are dark again, Nami." Brook watched, covering his eyes as the giant bear was a little further away now.

Nami shielded her eyes against the sun, "Hey, what is-"

The boulder slammed down in between them with a piercing thud, sending Nami and Chopper ricocheting off the ground while Brook and Robin stumbled sideways. They all somehow landed neatly in front of the giant rock, despite their now being a massive house-sized boulder behind them. Maybe that would help-ah, the giant bear plowed right through it.

"AH, WHAT WAS THAT!?" Nami shouted.

Brook shrieked, "A BOULDER!"

Chopper gasped, "A SIGN FROM ABOVE!"

"WHAT ABOVE?" Nami hollered.

…

"Ah, Traf-guy! How about this one?"

Law watched him with tired eyes. For all his years of training, nothing could prepare him for...baby-sitting. "That's a normal banana." he managed, and Luffy inspected it, flabbergasted.

Thankfully, he already knew there was another devil fruit on the island. He heard it from a fearful pirate from a few months back, and in secrecy, managed to pinpoint the general area of its location by process of elimination. The only problem now was that he had to find it again.

He recalled the banana trees and pushed forwards with or without the childish Straw Hat captain.

Ignoring another idiot remark, he untangled some vines and squinted above at the towering green tree that stood before him.

This had to be it.

"Wait here." Law ordered, and began to climb the tree with ease, jumping from branch to branch. Luffy didn't obey because he heard, he obeyed because he found something more fascinating-possibilities for devil fruits. In one hand, he held a rotten apple and in the other, a large green pear. Now all he had to do was decide which one was the devil fruit by taking a bite out of each.

Law made it near the top when he saw it almost instantly-a gently swirled, large purple-pear hidden by the green leaves around it. Finally, he thought and with a smile, reached for it, "Found it."

-End Prologue-

-xXx-

"Come on men! What'cha waitin' around here for?"

The pirates charged forward, Ace's brother's cry fueling their rising force with the utmost rage and fighting spirit. The battlefield was aflame, both figuratively and literally. Sengoku stood atop the platform with contempt in his eyes while Whitebeard fought his contempt with satisfaction across the plaza on his ship.

Jimbei seemed lost, but nonetheless motivated as his mind continued to ring Sengoku's words constantly in his ears.

The Monster Trio pressed onward, as they had been doing since their own uniquely individual arrivals. With Jimbei at their side (and Buggy somewhere else), they were unstoppable. But, there were forces of which even they were unaware of, lurking in the shadows, and awaiting their call to be free to wreak havoc on both pirates and Marines alike.

The wall that had stood before them before stood crumbling now. Oars Jr. was still knocked unconscious under the rubble of the destruction he had caused merely an hour ago while the rest of the wall seemed like it was going to crack under any form of pressure.

Jimbei was first to feel a disturbance, an earthquake sensation under his feet. "Luffy-kun!" He called, and the three pirates looked to him knowingly.

Zoro readied his swords, while Sanji did the same, only lifting his leg in preparation. Luffy attempted to stabilize himself, with a, "Woah!" while Jimbei held his stance steady with sheer resolution and skill.

The ground shifted under their feet, and out sprouted moldy, rotten heads followed by the neck and body they were semi-attached to. Most were a colorless blue or a vomit green, and many had been missing a body part or two-most were absent of an eye. It wouldn't take a philosopher to recognize that these things were the undead brought alive.

Jimbei took a step back in surprise, "What are these things?"

Not even a moment passed and the surrounding area fell into an eerie silence. Eyes blinked at them and the group blinked right back. The ground no longer moved violently and the corpses stifled their savage growls when Sanji sauntered up to the first dead guy he made eye contact with. The cigarette dangled loosely from his lips and a low-leveled scowl assumed his previous unfaltering expression.

The rotten man in the ground growled back in a declarative response, but blinked when Sanji said nothing.

Unfazed, he clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Just put them back in the ground." Sanji caught the confused eye twitch of the zombie before raising his leg, "Here."

Hands in his pocket, he stamped his foot onto the zombie's forehead, pushing the green guy back into the hole in which he dug himself out of. It seemed like he got the idea from a past experience.

Luffy was a ways beside him, but understood his intentions. And with an "Oh," helped his own moldy friend back into his home-grave. Once in the ground, Luffy stepped back with a gleam of accomplishment.

Jimbei watched in amazement, but really, was there a need to be surprised anymore?

Sanji's zombie shot back up through the dirt with fierce eyes. "Hey!"

Zoro gripped his swords while a rising demonic aura encompassed him gradually. "Slicing them up is easier." he offered, and with a blink of an eye, all the ground zombies had retreated back into their holes without another growl.

There was a shriek from afar that caught the group's attention and a hoard of green and blue monsters came barreling their way, arms in the air as their howls deafened the hollers of pirate-Marine battle around them.

Zoro knelt down into a crouch, ready to spring forward while a soft flame licked coldly at Sanji's dress shoe, but no help was needed.

Jimbei drew his hands above his head, inhaling through his nose and exhaling with a heavy grunt that sent a massive wave at the hoard invasion. Wiped out completely, the zombies remained drenched and motionless on the ground.

Zoro stood up slowly while Sanji lowered his leg. "That works," he managed.

"Shishishishishi~"

And with that, a massive shadow appeared before them, larger and wider than any of them combined. An ugly toothy smile and a weird, hardy laugh later didn't have them taking too long to figure out who it was. Especially with the couple zombies cowering behind him.

The two groaned inwardly and Sanji let out a sigh of irritation, "Not again-"

"Jimbei! This isn't your fight, I was going to take on Straw Hat!" Moria stomped forward, his grinning eyes locked on the sea-man many feet below him.

Undaunted, Jimbei readied himself with a solid stance-a slow palm forward and fist pulled back to his waist. "I'm more than enough, Moria," he replied.

Moria wasn't the least surprised, but scoured the three Straw Hat pirates with a wide grin anyway. Without even making eye contact, he felt hot under their cocked fists, readied legs, and raised swords. A moment of silence passed that couldn't even be considered a second before he felt overwhelmed by the suffocating air around them. He couldn't handle the pressure of them anymore and faced Jimbei without letting on about his difficulty to meet the Straw Hats eye to eye, both arms wide and both eyes raised.

"Oh, you wanna fight me, Jimbei?" He let out a patronizing chuckle before he continued, "Shishishishi, I can't use my Zombie Warriors anyway, so I'll take you out first!"

Jimbei knew well that fatigue was building, especially for Luffy-kun, who had just broken into and escaped from Impel Down. He glanced over at the green-headed swordsman and the curly-browed chef, who were lowered in battle stances just as he was. He's never seen such raw strength before, other than the Admirals, Sengoku, and Whitebeard himself. He was stronger than him-no, a lot stronger than him, and that strength-he glanced up at Moria-was needed elsewhere. Taking that into consideration, there was only one option left.

He lowered his front hand, lifting it again sideways to block Luffy and the others from engaging with Moria, "Continue, Luffy-kun! Don't waste any more time here."

His resolve was evident and Luffy recognized his intention like he recognized the scent of freshly cooked meat out of an oven 20 miles off sea. He shot his fishman friend a look of confident trust and dependence. "Right! I'm counting on you."

And with that, he called Zoro and Sanji to his side, and the crewmates loyally followed their captain without another word or glance backwards.

Jimbei watched them leave with a glimmer of hope. If anyone was going to pull Ace free of those chains, it was those three. Never had he seen such credence in a group of pirates-no, they were a family; that was the answer.

"Where're you looking, Jimbei?"

The taunt drew Jimbei's attention back to his foe that stood a pale two stories above him. Nevertheless, he had no fear as he raised his hands again in an offensive stance. Corpses, like earlier, had begun to sprout all around him, gnawing on air as they gripped the ground miserably with their curled fingers, desperate to grasp flesh, or in this case, fish.

Moria let out another laugh, but this time, there was a reason for it. He had craftily had his Zombie Warriors dig underneath where the Sea-Knight was standing, and was prepared to attack him full force when he became unbalanced from the uneven earth. With his Zombie Warriors holding his legs-

Jimbei shot him a glance that made it seem as if he was going to shoot forward, but Moria reacted quickly, dodging neatly to the side. All the while, Jimbei had not moved an inch, his stare still focused on Moria entirely, no mockery intended at all. An annoyed frown replaced Moria's smile when he realized Jimbei's capabilities.

Nevertheless, he would have no fear. Reaching down, he took hold of a few shadows drifting off of Marine soldiers that had strayed a little too close to their battle. With a laugh, and the sound of metal scissors, the Marine's gasps were cut off and they collapsed to the ground, lifeless. Jimbei watched in distaste, but was more concerned about continuing to stall Moria for time.

The shadows seemed to dissolve in Moria's hand, his figure drastically growing from thereon to expand to twice as large as his previous size. Moria raised his arms in vigor, "Jimbei! Did you know I become even more powerful when I absorb people's shadows? Just try and fight me now!" He smiled widely at the hardened-faced fishman, who's stance carried more expression than spoken words themselves.

Jimbei didn't move. "You've gotten bigger," he admitted, lowering himself slightly to the ground, "But that's about all. Stolen techniques don't improve your own skills, Moria."

Moria smashed the ground with his feet, creating a sizable dent in the concrete below. He hissed sharply, "Shut up and see for yourself! Come at me then!"

Moria pulled apart the scissors swiftly, revealing two tainted swords in which he pulled to his right and left hands. Showing a brief demonstration of his skill by slashing air, Moria raised an inquisitive brow, "Shishishi! Time for you to give me your shadow, Jimbei!"

Jimbei didn't reply, but instead braced himself with a hard eye on his foe.

-xXx-

You felt them before you saw them. The Trio, that is. The Monster Trio. Luffy shot his fists forward, "Gomu-gomu no...bazooka!" and managed to clear the path ahead of them, only to frown upon more stubborn Marines closing in on their tight opening.

Now it was Zoro's turn. He shot past Luffy without a glance, Kitetsu and Shusui grasped firmly in his hands as he gripped the handle of the white Wado Ichimoji with just his teeth. With two swords high above his head, he flung himself head-first into a rolling spin, "Tiger Trap!"

Zoro dug his swords deep into the earth, creating an earthquake that succeeded a brief and inescapable explosion. Marines stumbled over each other, shouting in wild disarray as the ground churned upwards under their feet.

Sanji's cigarette burnt out as an aftermath of the great explosion that shook Marineford. An irritable "Hey!" was all he could manage with a furrowed brow and glowering frown.

He then flew forward in that split chaotic second and tagged in, nonetheless. Flipping over the moss-man with ease, who was bent over with his swords digging into the ground, Sanji managed to combust his leg into a scorching, untamed flame.

Marines were helpless, scattered across the ground like birdseed while the more unfortunate, who were a bit closer to the source of Zoro's attack, laid unconscious in varied embarrassing positions. Some were oblivious to the fate that would await them; most waited in dread for their inevitable doom.

Sanji bit hard on his cigarette with a fiery tension, "Diable Jambe..." he began, the closer Marines shouting and waving their hands in distress, "Wai-!"

"Joue Shot!"

While Zoro had managed to upheave the earth, Sanji put it right back in its place as his flame-engulfed leg split through the already spliced ground. Only, the fire and force from his attack churned the earth into dusty rubble, sending the conscious Marines grasping for anything they could hold onto, as they fell into a large pit of blackened ash, greater than the one Luffy had created with the help of Zoro and Sanji prior.

Amidst the flame, Sanji managed to relight the tip of his cigarette, and with an eager puff, promptly sent a cloud of smoke over the dirtied remains of the wiped out Divisions of Marines. Zoro rolled his shoulders and pulled the menacing Kitetsu to his right while Shusui glittered hungrily in his left. Straightening his back with a wordless grunt, he looked around.

More Marines-again.

More small fries-again.

Sanji seemed to understand the idiot green-man well, and without a bat of an eye, he too felt underwhelmed by the pawns of the Navy. Was this the great Sengoku's plan? Send their most expendable soldiers to their deaths in hopes of tiring them out? Two moves was all it took to rend hundreds of them helpless-imagine if they were serious. He was underestimating them, but he had to give it to the Navy Fleet Admiral-these soldiers were pesky, annoying, and relentless.

Luffy watched patiently as more soldiers shot wide-ranged bullets at him specifically, only to ricochet off his rubber-engineered body that sent the Navy men ducking and flying for cover. In the end, though, there was nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide on the far-stretched battlefield.

He had to think of something, and something fast. They couldn't stay here all day, wrestling with puppet Navy soldiers while they could be doing some serious damage closer to the platform. An idea presented itself, and like all of his good ideas, he knew that this one would change the tide of their situation.

"Zoro! Sanji!"

Zoro grunted in response, while Sanji looked up with a "Hm" after sending a powerful Flanchet Shoot to many Marine's stomachs, forcing them to either pass out immediately, or regret their lunch choice later.

Luffy punched aside two Marines with one blow, "I wanna try something!" He called, and the two comrades seemed rather interested to hear what he had to say.

"What have you got in mind?" Sanji asked, kicking aside a couple Marines and eyeing the stupid moss-head with disdain since he sliced some stray soldiers on his side.

"...I've been saving it for something like this!" Luffy answered, shouting a quick Gomu-gomu no Gatling Gun as more Marines poured into their vicinity. He dodged a thrown knife and hopped over a sword that was sliced at his feet, flipping into a kick that sent the young attackers barreling backwards. He continued to push onward with a smile, "I wish Franky, Usopp, and Chopper were here to help me!"

Zoro clicked his tongue in impatience, "What are you talking about?"

Sanji followed the moss-head's restlessness, "Do you have some sort of ace up your sleeve?"

Luffy blinked. Rolling up his sleeve, he scanned his arm, pondering for a moment before facing Sanji in perplexity like he was the dumbest person on the planet. Luffy squinted back at him, "Liar."

"It's an idiom, you moron!"

Zoro's eyes flashed and he pointed Kitetsu at the yellow guy, "What'd you call me?"

"Oh." Sanji blinked, baffled, sending three Marines flying, "You're an idiom too."

A shadow passed over Luffy's eyes and the air around him grew silent, "Let's try...Tactic 15."

Sanji tore his irked gaze away from Zoro and Zoro dropped his swords to his side as they all broke into a light run towards the platform.

Zoro caught up to Luffy's side, "Tactic 15?"

Some soldiers that had continued to throw whatever they had at him paused, whispering quietly amongst themselves.

"Straw Hat's got a plan?" One concerned Marine called from the back, watching his comrades near the front get torn apart by a combination of kicks and punches.

Near the front, a soldier stepped forward, "Is that bad?"

"Yeah, Todd."

A small pirate group watched the Trio's brutality from afar, hearing the Marine's startled query. "Hey, he got serious all of a sudden!" The scarred leader told his three buddies, who all turned and watched Straw Hat with expecting eyes.

Sanji fell in on Luffy's other side, managing to keep the narrow pathway before them clear with a fiery combination of kicks. "What's Tactic 15?" He asked again.

The anticipation was unbearable. Luffy looked up, his eyes glowing, "...docking."

They stopped running. A bird flew by, maybe two. Ah, docking. That...thing on Thriller Bark that they did because they were young and so innocent. They shivered-never again. There goes another bird-

"Are you serious?"

Sanji was disgusted, "No."

"I'd rather die." Zoro was stone-faced.

A curious pirate in the back raised his hand, "What's docking?"

That pirate was no longer alive.

Luffy huffed, facing his two nakama with eagerness, "Why not? Franky said it was useful!"

"Stop making jokes and use your thick skull for once!" Zoro knocked him on the head and Luffy let out a groan, desperate to try his brilliant idea.

"Usopp would definitely do it." He pleaded, but to no avail.

"There's no way I-" Sanji paused, his heart skipping a beat as a wonderful thought entered his head. Putting his hand to his chin, he weighed the pros and cons of the construction of Tactic 15: it may look stupid, but he could promptly locate and capture the ladies attention this way. He may be humiliated for life, but it was for the ladies. He may never live it down...but the ladies.

He made his choice, "Wait. ...this might be a good idea."

Zoro faced him, "I'll kill you."

"I'd die a happy man."

-xXx-

Smoker was otherwise busy with an unfair battle. Three on one, he glared dangerously at the pirates; they were unbelievably outmatched, but his mind was elsewhere. With an irritated grunt, he pulled the sea stone jutte to his side with his fist wound tightly at the other. He was tired of waiting. And by the looks of it, so was Sengoku.

His eyes flashed instinctively to the platform that held the Fleet Admiral, whose normally firm expression was more than slightly displeased.

Tashigi passed in front of him briskly, her green sword easily slashing one of the three running pirates that had managed to escape his grasp. Smoker's eyes narrowed in thought. He knew there was something about Straw Hat, and Sengoku finally confirmed his speculation after all this time. He was Dragon's son-that explained everything.

Preoccupied, Smoker's fist slammed down on a fragile pirate who assaulted him with warning of a battle cry, his head making a weird noise as it fell to the cement with a thud. It didn't make him feel any better though, and if anything, confirmation fueled his resentment even moreso. If he didn't do something about him now, the boy would find his 1 in a million chance, take it by the horns, and get the hell out of Marineford with Fire Fist Ace, his two logic-defying crewmates, and all of Whitebeard's loyal army at his side.

They may have stopped an Admiral, Smoker leaped sideways, his jutte knocking out a row of pirates with just a single blow. His anger bubbled furiously as he swung around to Tashigi, but it's been a while since they've faced me.

She was engrossed in another matter, her green sword held tightly with both hands, but at the call of her name, she ended the fight with two strikes and looked for the source. Upon recognizing Smoker in the air, she squinted at the noticeable wildness in his grey eyes that dulled with a rage she hadn't seen since Alabasta.

Smoker shot forward over the crowd of pirates blocking their path, his expression displeased, "Let's go, Tashigi!"

Tashigi was about to call to ask him what for, but he was far out of hearing distance already. She followed obediently, nonetheless, but upon nearly catching up to him on foot, sheathed her sword so she could run faster. She studied the crowds of figures beyond the row of pirates and recognized Navy soldiers in a large circle with rows and rows of persons in blue and white uniforms. There was only one conclusion that she could think of, and she didn't like where Smoker was going with this impetuous plan.

"Smoker-san!" she tried calling after him, "I thought we were to wait!"

Tashigi dodged a pirate's stray bullet and managed to disable the gun from an exasperated boy-pirate a few feet ahead of her. The boy sank back and surrendered himself, to which she nodded and continued to push forward.

Smoker's eyes observed the sight of small dancing dots in the distance. As he neared, three figures came into view among the hundreds of Marines that surrounded them. Two were huddled together while another one was further separated from the two. Smoker nearly bit off his cigarettes-maybe he could see them better because he was flying, but the element of surprise would no longer be possible. His eyes widened, Unless…

His eyes didn't wander back to Tashigi, who was right on his smoke tail, but instead gleamed towards the pearly clouds above, as he sped towards them, "Things have changed."

After arriving at a reasonable height, he paused mid-air, setting his glower on the boy-wonder in the flimsy hat. From then, he kicked up his speed tenfold, a sort of bullet falling from the sky as his pre-aimed destination would almost certainly preclude his target from escaping. If they couldn't react fast enough, then surprise didn't matter.

...

They were cornered. Or, well, that's what they wanted the poor Marines to think. Sanji shifted his back uncomfortably against the weight of the Marimo behind him. Both didn't particularly like this situation, but had to deal with it while Luffy was on his own.

A sudden feeling, a premonition-a strike through their hearts made their eyes shoot upwards from the source of their subconscious caution. They couldn't see anything yet, though, but that meant nothing to either of them. The Marines closed in tighter, but the matching pair of glowing red eyes never left the darkened sky stretched so dangerously above them.

"You feel that?"

"How could I not?"

A stronger sensation now, and both realized that the cloudy figure above wasn't actually clouds at all. It was coming at them fast. Really fast. He wasn't aiming at the duo, though-he was aiming at their captain.

It was only a split second until he was here. But that's all the time they needed.

Without warning, Sanji vanished entirely from Zoro's back, the Marines gawking at his ability to just completely disappear. Did...did they miss something? Zoro suppressed a rising smirk as the smoky figure unknowingly fell upon Luffy a hundred feet away.

The raven-haired boy looked upwards just in time, but couldn't react fast enough to block an incoming jutte from a flying torpedo. Instead, Sanji reappeared in that split second, much to the surprise of the surrounding onlookers, slamming his leg down on Smoker's outstretched hand, who avoided having his hand smashed by allowing his entire arm to lift into a light smoke. Regardless, the sea stone jutte fell from his grasp, and realizing what he just did, Smoker let out a, "Shit!" and swung around to block another incoming attack.

Zoro had already broken into a sprint from the moment the yellow guy disappeared. He had shattered the impenetrable wall of Navy soldiers with complete ease and was now a few feet away from Smoker and Luffy, who both gaped at him in both helpless and helpful shock. Flash-stepping forward, the jutte that had been falling landed on the cement in eight different pieces, but to eyewitnesses, the weapon wasn't even touched.

Zoro's blades were outstretched as he still darted towards him and Sanji, his scarlet eyes hungry. And while Smoker's attention was caught on the preying demon-eyed swordsman, Sanji had vanished from above him and came into view on the smoke-man's opposite side, his leg lifting in preparation.

All the while, Smoker couldn't take a moment to process any of this. He would be dead if he did. Only two seconds had gone by since he dived in an attempt to immobilize Straw Hat, and in that two seconds, two pirates had managed to render him defenseless in the face of a pincer attack. While the swordsman was nearly upon him from the front, the cook in the suit managed to side-step him and follow-up with a raised leg from behind. He was pinned. And there was nothing he could do about it.

However, he had forgotten about his female subordinate and her undying loyalty that followed. She hadn't stopped running since Smoker took off towards the circle of Marines, anxious to prove that she would be of use to him in the end. She had watched the whole jutte fall from the Navy captain's hand, yet it hit the ground in eight pieces. And she knew well that there was only one man capable of pulling off such great swords-work.

From there, Tashigi was completely powerless as the blond man took advantage of his crewmate's distraction, disappearing from the Navy captain's front all together. Only, he appeared half a second later behind him while Smoker's eyes, too slow to comprehend, desperately tried to catch up to his unmatchable speed. Roronoa Zoro thought he had taken the bait and was nearly upon him now, his three blades glittering marvelously. She was almost there! Tashigi was breathless, but if she could just-with one last breath-

A cling of iron rang about the battlefield. She leaped in front of Smoker, her blade outstretched as Zoro had cut down on the man with only Kitetsu, and much to his surprise, was taken aback when Tashigi had managed to block the blow, but at the cost of her own weapon. Her green sword shattered in two from his slash and she fell to the ground clumsily, Zoro's cold eyes watching her the whole way.

Smoker waited for his fate, knowing that he couldn't react in time, but when Tashigi jumped in front of him, he couldn't move. Luckily, her sword had managed to catch the demon's blade, but after falling to the ground, she seemed rather helpless against anymore attacks.

He tried calling after her, "Tashi-!" but was cut off when he bit his own tongue, missing the Collier Strike!, and could only piece together that he was now falling over from one of the hardest kicks to the head he's ever felt. Sanji smashed Smoker's head in the ground effortlessly, the cement cracking under the pressure of both his kick and the weight of Smoker's head.

Tashigi's eyes widened desperately as the blow seemed to nearly render him unconscious, "Smoker-san!"

Sanji's ears were like open doors, and hearing the distress of a woman in need, by his gentlemen's code, he had to go and save her. Turning to the call, despite the smoke-man slowly regaining his senses, his eyes struck upon gold-a beautiful lady with glasses that caught him off guard, "WOAH! A LADY!"

Zoro nearly threw his sword at the idiot, "Eyes on your opponent!" And with their eyes elsewhere, Tashigi took the chance to regain her composure and leap off the ground, confident to a point, but was dropped instantly. All her senses screamed at her to roll right, and she did, avoiding a massive tempered sword that was a mere centimeter off from slicing her ear. Trembling now, she opened her shut eyes and stared vulnerably up at the indifferent man they called Pirate Hunter, the Straw Hat's first-mate.

Smoker caught himself and reared up to blast the occupied cook with gritted teeth. The blow caught Sanji in the side, but even with the distraction, he had ample time to avoid a critical blow to the abdomen.

Smoker cursed with large eyes, "He's fast!"

A cigar fell from his lips as blood trickled down his cheek. Sanji twisted his head, sending a fiery kick headed straight towards Smoker's right side. The smoke-man managed to swing his arm up just in time, wincing in pain as he both felt and heard bones crack underneath the weight of the powerful blow.

Sanji flipped his body over and shot his left leg to the other side, but Smoker caught that one too.

"Right back 'atcha!" He smirked, and with no hesitation, announced his Collier Kick Course, and broke into a frenzy of countless kicks to Smoker's body.

Smoker grit his teeth as his eyes were struggling to keep up with the pace of the cook's kicks. A sudden blow to the head sent Smoker staggering down on one knee, but with rigor and sweat combined, he somehow still managed to block most of the hits targeted at his vital lower areas.

Sanji reared left and Smoker felt his hand come up in time, only to be reverted to the right side where the kick actually struck. He squinted, fighting consciousness and depth-perception as the blood in his eyes made it difficult to follow the path of flying kicks. These blows shouldn't even be touching him let alone beating him with his devil fruit power...unless these pirates had-Haki? What the hell are they?

Let's end this, Sanji decided in that instant, and with a massive swing of his right leg, he brought crashing down an axe kick that rendered Smoker speechless, as the Navy Captain spat out blood and collapsed promptly on the sullen ground.

Tashigi, witness to the action, yelled a battle cry as she scrambled to face her assailant with revenge engraved deep in her mind, only to find herself on the ground once again. She tried again-and failed. Once more, and this time, Zoro had enough, as he narrowed his eyes in irritation at the grounded whining woman.

She was acting immature, like an entitled brat who had no regard for consequences that followed thoughtless actions, and he was all the more reason embarrassed that he shared the title "swordsman" with this child.

He reversed his grip on both the handles of his blades so the swords' tips pointed downwards, the Kitetsu's uneven temper clearly visible by Tashigi's master eye.

He faced her clearly, "If you're prepared to kill, Copy-cat woman, then in turn, you always have to be prepared to be killed."

Without warning, he slammed both swords down, a short shriek escaping from the woman below him that was cut off by fear of impalement when he steadily removed his hands from both the blades.

Sanji forgot about the still-conscious smoke-man, eyeing the swordsman in front of him with worry and ferocity, "Oi!" But he nor the woman below heard the cook.

She froze, afraid to move an inch as Kitetsu, the cursed blade, protruded from the ground, handle up, three centimeters away from her right ear while Shusui was only two, a strand of short black hair sticking to the point of the blade. If she moved, there was worry of the cursed blade slicing on its own, accidentally falling on that thin neck of her's all by itself. She couldn't even check on Smoker, who was wordless as his body remained still against the cement. She felt the hot and cold stare of the swordsman above her, his glowing eyes piercing her like unseen swords ripping through her shoulder.

Zoro knelt down slowly, his voice dropping to a fierce, yet hoarse breath, "And you weren't ready."

Without another word, he stood up, his Wado Ichimoji now held well in his right hand. He walked over to the cook, who eyed him closely with disdain, however, Zoro's beads shot their own intense glare right back at those disdainful eyes, daring them to come closer. When no action was taken, he tore away his gaze in compliance and refocused on the task at hand. Looking back down at the sad smoke man, he pulled his great white sword to his side. To be conscious in the state the man was in said enough about his fighting spirit and determination, even if that end-goal was to kill his captain and their crew. That's why, out of respect for him and his recognizable good deeds in the past, he lowered his hands heavily on the handle of the sparkling pure sword.

Smoker could see two blurred figures above him, squinting in an effort to get a better picture. He would not go down, not yet. This fight wouldn't end so quickly unless he stopped breathing. Bunching all the strength he had left into his arms, he began to slowly regain his senses, helping himself up off the dirtied ground with a bloodied cough or two.

However, Zoro was already there to help him lie back down. With a single blow to the back of the head, all went blurry and Smoker fell to the ground for the last time. With one swift motion, Zoro pulled back his Wado Ichimoji and sheathed it entirely at his right hip before glancing back up at the cook.

He had knocked the Navy captain unconscious once more with the back of his sword, swiftly and cleanly. Anything else would have been disrespectful to the captain. He fought well, both brave and fearless, and in the end-does a fight against two overpowered time travelers count anyway? There would be no killing-there was no need to. One, it might disrupt the flow of time, as Nami had so graciously embedded in their minds. And two, mercy wasn't a weakness; by the swordsman's code, it could also mean the gift of acknowledgement-come fight me again when you're stronger, was what it meant. Zoro smirked-and that, was exactly what Mihawk did for him.

Luffy had managed to hold off many Marines, battered and bruised he was, but nonetheless winning, while the two of them had fought Smoker and Tashigi.

Sanji looked over the moss-head, his hair standing on end, "Hey, you didn't need to be so rough with a lady." His tone was eerily placid, and his slow stalk over would have given any other man chills.

Zoro's eyes narrowed at the inevitable remark, "This is war, what did you expect?"

Sanji passed him with no comment and instead approached the frightened woman, his arms out in ease as she wobbled slightly on her own two feet.

His expression saddened, "I'm sorry, madam. If it were any other circumstance, I would have teamed up with you to take down this stupid Marimo."

He held his hands over hers to stop the trembling, and peered over his shoulder a serious glare at the Marimo, who scoffed and turned away. Sanji held his gaze, "I'm still going to kick his ass though."

She was quivering, that much she could piece together. After all this time, nothing had changed. She was still weak. She was still helpless. And nothing...nothing was ever going to change that. She was a woman-always inferior to the towering man before her. Her face fell into her hands, tears pouring out of the little cracks in her fingers. She couldn't save Smoker-she couldn't save anyone. How did she plan on becoming a high-ranking officer of the Navy, proud to wear the Navy's white and blue, strong enough to face any opponent, and confident enough to prove to any man she was just enough an equal as any, if she couldn't even follow through with the most important point: having the strength to protect her own?

Sanji watched her, pity filling his eyes she helplessly leaned over Smoker, attempting to bring him to his senses with shakes. Sanji's fist shook beside him, and his morals seemed corrupted-a lady was crying beside him, and he could do nothing to comfort her.

Tashigi's quiet sobs gave rise to a new anger inside him, and facing the moss-headed idiot, he lowered his head. "I won't forgive you," his coal eyes readjusted, and the sounds of battle seemed deaf to his ears now, "for making a lady cry."

Zoro watched him carefully as he retrieved his two swords. He didn't glance down at the pitiful woman, "She's on the other side." He more-so stated the fact realistically rather than jeeringly, re-gripping Shusui with a steady hand.

"It doesn't matter." Sanji countered, "I'm gonna kick your ass."

Zoro pulled up beside Sanji and they began to walk side-by-side towards Luffy, who was now in Gear Second, smoke rolling off his shoulders with a red tint coloring his skin, and his back up against a towering Navy captain. He fitted Kitetsu in his right after adjusting Shusui once more in his left, his Wado Ichimoji still sheathed at his belt.

"You can try," he spoke finally, pausing for a moment as his wandering gaze lifted to the cook's, "after the war is over."

Sanji scoffed at the comment and pulled his fingers to his lips, "Don't tell me what to do, stupid Marimo." And following that, blew a puff of smoke into the crowd of Marines before them, the mood no longer completely tense as it had settled into more a friendly mutual hatred. The same as always.

Before they engaged, though, Zoro didn't like his response. And there was no way he was going to let that curly-browed love-cook have the last word. He tilted his head, "I wouldn't have to if you weren't so stupid, curly-idiot."

Sanji paused with a sneer in his lip, "What did you say?" He halted and faced the idiot green-head from the side, his eyebrows curling even more-so.

Zoro raised an eyebrow, a Huh? following before his eye twitched in hearing this idiocy, "I would've cut down the platform by now if I didn't have you slowing me down!"

"You're the one slowing me down!"

Marines around them looked to each other in confusion, as they were unsure if this was a trick to lure them in or not.

"If you didn't push me into the portal, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Sanji's eyes were aflame as he head-butted the swordsman, who headbutted him right back.

"Are you stupid? You're the one that pushed me in!"

"If you would've stayed still like I told you, the portal wouldn't have closed."

A soldier took a chance and lunged at Zoro, who lifted his head from Sanji's and without batting an eye at the soldier, rendered him no longer capable of movement. A solid thud followed the display of swords.

Sanji's eyes were dead-set on the ignorant Marimo, never leaving his stupid face once. Two Marines flanked him on either side-one had a longsword and the other a flintlock pistol. None a threat, of course. Sanji waited for the right moment to leap vertical, hanging in the air for but a moment with his Skywalk. A sword met one Marine's shoulder with a painful greeting while a bullet pierced the other's. Both fell over with pale faces and didn't get up again.

This was annoying. Sanji jabbed his heel into the dirt, grounding his reduced cigarette, "Nami-swan entrusted me with such an honor as to explore the unknown and report back to her." He faced the moss-man with all seriousness. Said moss-man almost puked. "It was love that guided me through the portal."

Slicing a bullet in half, his back now faced the cook, "Yeah, and it was probably your ugly mug that closed it back up."

"You-"

"Oi, where's Luffy."

"ACE!"

Both turned heads to the running boy followed by an entourage of not-so-friendly people.

Sanji pointed, "Found him. Follow me Marimo."

Taking off, the swordsman scoffed after him, "Like hell I will."

As they ran towards the horizon, their voices became more and more distant.

Go s-t-r-a-i-g-h-t. You got that?

A loud crack of metal followed by a seething, Huh? and another crack of metal. Maybe a scream or two, it was hard to tell from a distance.

Buggy shrank back behind his rock. Oh, was he glad to be back here.

He witnessed the blond cook go flying forwards, knocking the heads of three Marines that had attempted to ambush his captain. He taunted Roronoa again, Was that a no? Want me to spell it again?

Buggy sighed. Mr. 3 had managed to keep any stray pirates or Marines away from the shoreline with the ability of his, and the remaining members of his so-called fanclub did the rest of the work.

But, all this fighting and yelling just made him hungry. That and the longer this went on, the more likely he was going to die. He didn't like the idea and the idea didn't like him. If Whitebeard or the Navy Fleet Admiral decided to put on a full-frontal attack at some point, just because, then, well...he was screwed, since there was no hiding from that. A rock would help little to none when flying ice spears pierced metal and raging balls of fire fell from the sky. That would mean he would have to fight. More opportunities to die… Man, this day just kept getting worse.

-xXx-

Somewhere off in the distance…

"Noo, I'm so lost!"

He figured if he went the other way of the initial noises that the situation would somehow get better. Well, it didn't.

Usopp bent over in defeat-everything looked the same and he couldn't even remember which way he came from. There was something off about this island, but he just couldn't figure it out. "This is a bad dream! Morning, hurry up and come!"

He sighed and craned his neck, looking over his shoulder for any sign of hostile life. With narrowed eyes, he leaped forward and pointed Kabuto at the invisible enemy, swearing that he would aggress them by any means necessary if they attacked. Dropping his hands, he admitted defeat. "Ahh, I could really use Sanji or Zoro right now…"

He paused, realization striking him, "Oh, Nami pushed them in too."

"Does that mean they're here?" He looked around frantically, as if both Sanji and Zoro would be standing beside him. In his mind, a harsh, Sanji or Zoro-like whisper entered through one ear, Are you an idiot~?, and out the other.

Usopp pondered his options, but by addressing the most pessimistic of them all firstly, he put on his thinking cap. "What if they're dead… does that mean I'M DEAD?"

"AM I DEAD?" He tried to grasp the situation, "NOO, I HAD SO MUCH MORE TO DO!"

He threw off his little cap and covered his eyes with the palm of his hand, scouring the area as he seemed to settle down emotionally. "Is this Heaven? Wow, it doesn't look too good."

Realization more-so bashed him this time, as he fell back in cold comprehension.

"DOES THAT MEAN I'M IN HELL?"

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO LIE SO MUCH, I'M SORRY! TAKE ME BACK!" He was on the ground for a moment, but stiffened when another idea came to mind. It was a good one this time, he promised. And this idea was based on the sensation of other lifeforms on this weird, little messed-up island.

He took himself off the ground and gripped Kobuto in his left hand, his right hand over his sweating forehead in apprehension. "Oh, wait there's other people here too," he recalled, and squinted at the sudden appearance of blobs in the distance.

His eyes lifted. Hope! He was saved!

They wore blue and white colors from what he could make out, and they looked so tiny in the distance! They had to be good people!

With a skip in his step and a smile on his face, he waved towards them, "Well, I don't know them… but they're wearing friendly colors. I'll ask them if they've seen Zoro or Sanji!"

-xXx-

"ACHOO!"

Zoro glared at Sanji who looked up to him in disgust.

"Hey, don't go sneezing at the same time as me, shit-head." Sanji pointed, and Zoro took a step forward.

"You're the one who sneezed when I sneezed, Curly-brows."

Mr. 3 and Buggy were out of breath from following the Monster Trio from a safe distance, and yet, Mr. 3 had enough energy to shout, "This is not a good time to be sick!" from his spot near the sea that barely held any pirates or Marines.

Sanji didn't look to see who said that, "I don't know about that idiot, but I'm guessing someone's just talking about me." He kicked aside a Marine and stopped momentarily, his heart swooning at the sudden thought, "I hope it's Nami-swan~"

Zoro watched him with contempt, his swords clashing down on a poor Marine, who was swept aside by the sheer wind of his blades. He didn't look up, "Huh? They definitely were talking about me first."

"I don't think so, stupid swordsman!" Sanji discredited, turning to face the adamant swordsman, who watched him with narrowed eyes.

He pointed Shusui at him this time, "What was that, dumbass cook?"

The two pacifist pirates watched the two blockheads from afar along with their motley crew that shadowed them just as closely.

"What the hell…" Buggy sweat-dropped in defeat, "they're fighting over who sneezed first."

Mr. 3 rubbed the back of his head nervously, "That tells you as much as you need to know about their captain…"

…

Sengoku watched as an endless number of Marines swarmed the two newcomers and their boy-captain. The Marines welcomed fate with welcoming eyes and looked onwards at the three with adamance and resolve. This was a necessary step in achieving his overall plan. Revised within a matter of seconds, Sengoku was now keen on a new idea-distraction and diversion.

He nodded wordlessly to the two hooded sword carriers behind him, who made no move to confirm in acknowledgement.

His eyes were placid over the desperate three that had managed to tear apart his entire battle plan within a matter of minutes upon arriving. They had no idea.

First, there was the matter of the Impel Down escapees that disrupted the Navy's whole general organization and now this-two time travelers with enough strength to take on two Navy Admirals. This sort of incident was what they called "turning points" in wars-but this development just posed another obstacle in the plan that had to be worked around by Sengoku.

He raised his hand high above his head as he faced the executioners with expressionless eyes, the sky darkening as if it awaited in anticipation of the abrupt destiny tied to the Whitebeard 2nd Division commander. The headsman, to, raised their swords in accordance, the sun no longer taking a brilliant shine to their glittering Khopesh swords.

Initially he had leaked the false information about Ace's execution being hurried along in order to throw the pirates into disorder. That and another reason, but with the recent changes to the situation...that false information may just become another prophecy for the gospel of inevitability.

"Straw Hat!"

Luffy swung around to Buggy, who was peering over a rock from afar, his tiny hand pointed with urgency at the far execution platform. Ace's head was bowed over as two swords were readied high above his exposed neck.

Luffy's eyes widened and he balked in surprise as a Marine managed to scuff the side of his back. He knocked the Marine down in a vicious rage. Ace! His heart cried as he realized what was happening.

"Sanji!" Luffy's distressed voice carried a couple hundred feet to Sanji and Zoro's location near the Luffy-carved crater.

Sanji and Zoro stopped and quickly glanced at their captain before their eyes followed the path to the execution platform, where Sengoku stood tall, his arm raised and his back to the two executioners that had their swords raised above Ace's head. Garp stood next to him, but had his face lowered to the floor beside him, since he couldn't bear to witness the killing of a boy who he had thought of as his own son.

"Shit!" Sanji hissed in alarm and swung around to Zoro, who with firm eyes, already knew what he was going to say.

Without a single word between them, Sanji shot towards the swordsman, whose face was darkened by the sun. He pulled Kitetsu and Shusui in front of him as Sanji drew nearer. When the cook was upon him, Zoro swung his swords sideways with great force, allowing just enough time for the cook to softly, but quickly, step onto both Kitetsu and Shusui. And with a grunt from both of them, two pairs of bent knees, and a shared resolve between them that would never be spoken aloud, Zoro tossed his weight forward, sending a giant wave of force and wind behind the flying yellow-guy. Sanji managed to leap off of Zoro's swords, in that exact instant, with the same amount of force and drive, resulting in the ability to ride both his own and the swordsman's wind to the platform, at what seemed to be, the speed of light.

He was at the stage with the blink of an eye, faster than he expected, and faster than Sengoku certainly expected. The Fleet Admiral's eyes widened momentarily, as he had traveled quicker than any surrounding soldiers could visibly see. One bystander in particular, however, was no ordinary soldier.

Sanji felt a hard blow to his stomach and was abruptly cut off from his streamline to Ace by a tall man's foot in his gut, sending Sanji back a few feet in surprise. He floated on air now along with the Admiral guy with golden glasses and a tilted grin, much to his surprise.

The guy's glasses flickered under the dimming sun, "Oh, I can't let you go on the platform." He relayed, and Sanji spit to the side in annoyance.

"Not your choice." He retaliated and shot forward again, only to be stopped by a flash of blinding light and a long leg that blocked his own. A smirk from the other guy made him click his tongue in frustration and shoot a long glance at Luffy, who watched him in desperation. This was a problem.

…

"Marco."

Marco looked up at Pops with resolution in his dull eyes.

Whitebeard gripped his seat, "How fast can you fly to Ace's platform?" His tone was calm and his eyes were dead set on either Sengoku or Ace, he couldn't tell.

Marco's expression lowered and he let out a small chuckle as he rolled back his bloodied shoulder, "Less than three seconds tops." He replied.

Whitebeard let the words linger before a small smile edged at the corners of his mouth, "Then wait until Sengoku makes the call."

Marco looked up to the Old Man before scouring the battlefield before him. Sengoku's hand was raised high above his head to signal to ready the blades of the executioners, and Marco knew the moment he dropped it, that the execution would commence, and he would have to fling himself off of that boat and make it to the platform in under three seconds. The trust Pop's put on his shoulders was a heavy burden, and back breaking really, but it was one he was willing to carry across the sea with him. He watched Sengoku with ready eyes and nodded, "Alright, Pops."

…

Luffy was helpless on the ground. Even he knew there was no way he could make it in time-that's why he called upon Sanji, who could fly, and even he was stopped by the Admiral guy. Luffy panicked, breaking into a run and turning to tell Zoro to follow, but the swordsman already ran beside his captain, not needing a single word of order. However, the two didn't make it far.

Both felt a hard blow to the shoulder as an afro appeared in front of them and were sent falling backwards, a cold sensation rising up their necks. Zoro spun around in time and sliced both his and Luffy's parasitic shoulder-ice in half, landing on his feet a few meters backwards. Luffy was already face-to-face with the ice-guy aggressor, who's nonchalant expression seemed to mask his true intentions.

"Just give up." Aokiji uttered, his hands drawing to his side as an icy mist rose from both palms.

Zoro grunted and looked up to the flying cook who was also preoccupied with another admiral. So that's why he pulled back his Admirals. Zoro stared at the man on the platform briefly, before his eyes rested on the foe in front of him.

Luffy was not going to let this single obstacle stand in his way of saving Ace. The execution was sped up-now Ace was in real danger. Luffy shot forward in agitation, but was pushed aside by Zoro, who managed to shield him from a spiked ice attack with his Kitetsu. Luffy fell to the ground but quickly rose back up, fatigue beginning to wet his brow as his breathing became irregular.

"Don't rush in." Zoro explained it coldly to his younger captain, and gripped the Wado Ichimoji tighter than he had before, Kitetsu and Shusui ready at his side.

Luffy couldn't stand that he was helpless against the Admirals one on one, nor would he ever admit it. There was always a way, and he would find it. Right now, Ace was going to be killed if he didn't act! Right now he needs-!

A bright light blinded the plaza, and both pirates and Navy alike shield their eyes from what seemed to be the blazing sun. A laugh was heard at the top of Navy headquarters, and there, beyond the wall, stood a figure. His tall outline and mighty mask sat proud below his noble brow as he grasped his midnight staff with firm and wise hands.

The Navy stood dumbfounded, "Who-?"

The pirates squinted, "Huh? What is that…"

Sengoku stood livid atop the execution platform, his hand still raised as his teeth clenched in the utmost of rage, "Not another one!"

Sanji shivered with a feeling of familiarity. I know that voice, his mind recalled. Facing the figure mid-air, he ignored Kizaru and stopped, "Wait…"

Zoro's mind clicked, "Is that…"

Luffy couldn't process the shadowed figure against the sun, but Marineford looked to him in wonder, hope, and awe.

And as he stood with his eyes shaded and nose to the sea, his voice echoed across the battlefield, "It is I, Captain Usopp! If you don't surrender to me right now, I'll send out my 8,000 followers so that you'll have to beg for my mercy!"

-xXx-

And onto Chapter 7. Ah, I am so happy this is done. Very proud of it too. I changed this from Chapter 5 pt 2 to Chapter 6 because even though they were once two chapters, felt more like individual ones. This felt more of a "New Strategy" title since Sengoku's got his new plan figured out, and Usopp's here, and the whole "Tactic 15" was technically a strategy-so that's how that worked out. Oh, and I absolutely love Law's relationship with the Straw Hats-he adores the company so much.

Hope everyone's doing well, because this virus isn't going away anytime soon, but please, review-I love the feedback and suggestions ~Papa Sasuke