Chapter 98: SUPER Cyborgs

Sorry for the re-upload, but it came to my attention that I mixed up an important name. I called Blackbeard "Edward Teach" rather than "Marshall D. Teach." Edward Teach was the Real World Blackbeard, not the One Piece equivalent. My bad.

Chapter 102:

Super Cyborgs and Other Things

Coby, in his Hybrid Mode, stared up at the massive foot that loomed over him. Despite his Zoan durability and his training with his sadistic teacher, Coby didn't think for a second that he could survive a stomp from Oars. With death looming over him, a sliver of his old personality slipped out.

"I'm sorry," he squeaked. Panicking, Coby shut his eyes, dropped his weapons, crouched down, and waited for the end with his hands over his head. Flashbacks of his life came to the forefront of his mind, when he was still small and defenceless on Alvida's ship. "I don't want the club, Lady Alvida!"

"Tower Climb!"

"Cien Fleur, Giganto Mano!"

"Strong Hitter!"

Coby's eyes snapped open at the sound of Oars' angry and pained scream. Looking up, he just caught the tail end of the attacks Zoro and Franky landed on the immobile leg Robin had in a monstrous-sized grip. Two slashes cut up Oars' hamstring while Franky had stabbed each end of the nunchucks into pieces of columns from the rubble to do more damage. Oars jumped back, ripping his leg from the giant hand Robin had bloomed and cradled it while hopping on his free leg.

"So this is my monster, eh?" Franky commented, spinning half of his giant nunchucks over his head. "Time to prove that the original's better. Strong Hitter!" Franky lashed out with his weapon again, catching Oars on his good ankle just as he jumped. The monster tilted, flailing his arms before crashing on his side.

"Z-Zoro-sensei..."

"What the Hell, Shrimp?" Zoro growled, looking at Coby from the corner of his eye. "I thought we got rid of all your cowardice."

"I thought I was going to die," Coby muttered before recalling something Luffy had told him so long ago. When they'd first met, actually.

"I'm not afraid to chase my dream. And if I die trying, then I die. That's it, but that's fine. I will become the King of the Pirates or die giving it my all. I'll have no regrets."

His gaze hardening, Coby grabbed his swords and grew back into his Hybrid Mode.

"Sorry about that. Let's go."

Nami and Grace panted as they ran through the maze-like corridors of Moria's crumbling mansion. One would think that it would have been easy to find their way to the colossal battle that had seen raging on the way, but the two had gotten lost in the uniform grey stone of the hallways.

"Goda dammit," Nami cursed, her hand pressing against a sharp pain in her side. Grace was out of breath beside her after running more in the last fifteen minutes than she had in the past year. "We need to warn them about Kuma. Where the Hell are they?" Grace didn't respond until she pulled out her pallet and painted both herself and Nami with a purple design.

"Color Trap: Pain-Killer Purple."

"Wow," Nami blinked, suddenly breathing easier. "That's amazing." The girl waved her off.

"We need to hurry and warn Co- I mean, everyone about Kuma." Grace blushed and tried to hide her face with her hat. Nami grinned like the cat that caught the canary.

"Don't think I missed that little slip of yours," she teased. "Now come on. Let's go!" The two started down the corridor pain free, but slowed down by a door at the other end.

"Foosfosfosfos," a voice from a doorway at the end of the hallway laughed. "Master Moria will be so proud of me!" Nami and Grace peaked around the edge of the doorway to see Hogback dancing around his lab table, three tiny zombies watching him with confused expressions.

"Shouldn't you get back to work, Doctor Hogback?" one of the small zombies questioned. Hogback froze, his head turning to stare at the zombie... Before he started dancing with wavy arms.

"I'm not going to do what you say just because you call me a doctor, you jerk!"

"That sounds entirely wrong coming from Hogback," Nami whispered with a scowl. She spun her Clima-Tact, building a layer if clouds by the ceiling. "We don't have time for this. You take the small ones, I'll get Hogback."

"Right." That established, the women rushed into the room, catching the zombies by surprise.

"Color Trap: Acid!"

"Thunderbolt Tempo!"

"Aaaaaggghh!"

Moria cackled as he watched over the battle beneath him, his rival pirates fading in and out as Oars kept them from fighting at full strength. The Warlord would admit, their teamwork was good, but that wouldn't help the them if one was knocked out as soon as another jumped back in. And with their captain out of the picture, they didn't stand a chance! Sure, they got a few good hits in, but that just proved how useful they would be...

Either as shadows or corpses, both were fine.

"Kiishishishishi-"

"Gecko Moria."

"-GAH!" Moria jumped, whirling around to face the man who had appeared behind him. "Dammit, Kuma! Do you have to do that?!"

"No."

Moria sighed at the simple answer before taking in a breath and leering at his fellow Warlord. "Fine, whatever. Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of the company of the only Warlord that sucks the government's dick?"

"The Gorosei have a message for you," Kuma answered, unfazed by the insult. "The Five Elder Stars wish to inform you that the Straw Hat Pirates are a particularly dangerous group. The Gorosei do not want to have to replace another Warlord due to their actions."

"Are you implying that I will lose to these rats?" the shadow-man demanded, getting in Kuma's passive face and gesturing out the window. "Look at them down there, scurrying for their lives!"

"I did not say you were unfit for the task. Also, I was told to inform you that a new Warlord has been chosen to replace Crocodile."

"Oh?" Moria backed up, standing comfortably now that he was talking to someone on his eye level. "So they finally found a replacement for that arrogant Logia? What's this new guy's name?"

"Marshall D. Teach," Kuma answered, "though he prefers to be called Blackbeard."

"Never heard of him," Moria scoffed.

"He had no bounty previously," Kuma explained, "however, he was able to provide the Gorosei with proof of his ability."

"Do tell."

"He gave them Whitebeard's Second Division Commander, 'Fire Fist' Portgus D. Ace."

"Godadamn, he's tough," Franky growled, wiping some blood from the corner of his mouth. Looking around what remained of the courtyard, he located his friends as quickly as he could. Amy was still out cold from before he, Zoro, and Robin had joined the battle and was resting in the room where Moria had taken his shadow. Chopper had made sure she was stable before jumping in to help, he was off toward Franky's right near Zoro, Brook, and Usopp, the Sniper protecting a barely-awake Merry. Off to the left, Franky saw Gin, awake now and his arms crackling with electricity, with Robin, Coby, and Sanji. "Guys! I think it's time we use Battle Formation Number 28!"

"Aye!" most of the guys and Merry responded. Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Merry, Chopper, and Gin ran over. Franky jumped, Zoro and Sanji latching onto his legs. Merry flipped up, attaching herself to Franky's head while Gin wrapped himself around the cyborg's back and hooked his arms and legs around Franky's torso. Usopp and Chopper in his Walk Point each docked into Franky's hands.

"Behold!" Franky shouted, striking a powerful pose. "The Franky Pirate 28! All systems go?"

"Right arm docked!" Usopp answered.

"Left arm docked!" Chopper confirmed.

"Legs good!" Sanji and Zoro responded.

"Power supply secure!" Gin called.

"Helmet on!" Merry nodded.

"..."

"Robin!" all the assembled pirates minus Sanji and Zoro called. "Where are the wings?!"

"I would rather die than become part of that," the woman answered, turning herself away from the "robot." "You all should be embarrassed and ashamed."

"Robin!" Usopp and Chopper cried, scandalized.

"No, it's fine," Franky shook his head. "This'll super work. Let's go!"

Running forward on Zoro and Sanji, Franky jumped to stab Chopper's horns into Oar's leg. The zombie cried out in imagined pain, swinging down to try to smack the pirates. Franky blocked with Usopp and Chopper, the two grunting as the seven were pushed back. "Franky" jumped again, flipping over the hand and sliding down across the knuckles. As he did so, Gin released enough power to burn Oars' skin and supercharge many of Franky's systems.

"Ow! I'm all fired up!" Franky launched himself and his 'parts' upward, using Coup de Poo periodically to keep their momentum up. The seven pirates reached Oars' face within seconds, Merry's horns smashing the titan's nose.

"Franky-Merry Rocket Headbutt!" Oars staggered back, Franky bringing up Usopp and Chopper to grab onto the undead's hair. "Double Monster Kick!" Swinging down, the cyborg pushed Zoro and Sanji into the zombie's broken nose where the two started delivering their own brand of pain. Sanji, with his leg on fire, began leaving burns along the left half of the behemoth's face while Zoro, Shusui unsheathed, cut a long, diagonal line across Oars' face from left temple to right of the chin.

"Well," Robin mused from the ground. "That worked better than I thought it would."

"I still think I would have been a better right arm than Usopp," Coby grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Yohohoho!" Brook laughed.

"RAAGH!" the zombie yelled, the air pressure blowing the pirates away and apart from one another. They all hit the ground hard, Usopp, Merry, and Franky were knocked out upon impact. Zoro, Sanji, Chopper, and Gin struggled to their feet.

"Why did we have to do such a stupid stunt?" Sanji complained as Chopper set to work checking over their downed comrades. Merry being knocked out from fall damage twice in such a short time could not have been good for her, nonhuman or otherwise. Even as Chopper tried to treat her wounds, Merry's body wavered and evaporated, her essence returning into her Heart and leaving her clothes, rope, and Heart behind.

"Chopper," Zoro grunted before the reindeer could start panicking. "Get them to safety." Chopper nodded, stuffing the klabautermann's clothes and Heart in his bag before throwing Usopp on top of Franky and dragging them away with his Heavy Point. Zoro turned to look at Robin, Brook, and Coby. "Who's out for good?"

"Ms. Valentine and Ms. Ship were both injured too much," Robin answered with a grimace. "Long-Nose and Franky have a chance of recovering, but I doubt it. We still don't know what happened to Captain."

"Dammit," the lightning-man spat out. "If this were the Don's shadow, I could understand losing. At least Oars can't stretch or has Franky's parts."

"Oh Goda, he did not," Coby paled.

"He did," Sanji and Zoro responded.

"Well, it seems we will inevitably meet our doom crushed under the heel of this titan after he learns to stretch or upgrade himself, our souls added to the already-large number of them crying out in pain from the Florian Triangle."

"Robin!"

"What did I-?" Gin began, only to be cut off when Oars fist slammed into him, crushing the Logia between the undead appendage and a broken wall. The problem with that?

Oars was still standing on the other side of the courtyard...

"And now I think we can add Mr. Devil to that list," Robin got out.

The titan's arm snapped into place, said titan looking at the the appendage with some confusion.

"Ow! That's weird. I don't remember being able to stretch."

"Kiiishishishi!" Moria laughed, the blue fabric of Oars' stomach pulling to the sides to reveal the control room within, Moria seated in the lone chair. "That would be because of my assistance, Oars."

"Wow, Master! That's amazing! That's Suuuuupppeer!" Oars struck Franky's iconic pose, jostling the Warlord in his stomach. "Ow! I'm like a robot!"

"Yes, yes," Moria grunted in displeasure, replacing himself on his seat. "Listen up, Oars. As long as I'm here inside you, you will be able to stretch like Straw Hat. I know you aren't use to it, but you'll have to make due."

"Sure!" Oars agreed with all of Franky's exuberance. "I just have to do it until I can get my super parts back! Ow!"

"Dammit," Coby growled. "This just got so much harder."

"Two options," Zoro responded, falling into his usual ready position. "We can try to take him down ourselves or try to stall him and wait for Luffy."

"Lets go for broke and try to take him down," Sanji responded, lighting a cigarette and breathing in a calming breath of smoke. "Might as well."

"As a zombie, Oars doesn't really feel pain," Robin observed. "However, he still receives damage."

"Most of Franky's attacks use his arms and gadgets," Coby added. "Without Franky's upgrades..."

"His arms are the only big problem," Zoro finished.

"Yohohoho! I shall assist you an any way I can!"

"Let's go!" Sanji announced just before thunder rumbled through the air and a bolt of lightning fell from the sky to shake the titan.

"Thunderbolt Tempo!"

"Nami-Swan!" Oars staggered from the sudden rush of electricity in his body, the movement shaking Moria inside him. Standing on the bridge near the edge of the courtyard stood Nami, dressed in some of Perona's clothes instead of the wedding dress, and Grace. The captain's wife stood with a smirk on her face at the results of her surprise attack.

Zoro's smirk mirrored the navigator's. "It looks like we're still getting started."

End of Chapter 102

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-SwordOfTheGods