Chapter LII: The Law and the Lawless

Paulie of Dock 1 coughed up a wad of blood and collapsed to the floor. He swore under his breath. Whoever this guy was, he wasn't even serious enough about this fight to aim at his vitals. Despite that fact, Paulie could barely move with the numerous stab wounds to his arms and legs.

It had all happened so fast. Iceburg had retreated back to his office when there was an attack on the building. Windows had shattered, and the entire structure had seemingly been cut in half. The stairway leading to the bottom floor had collapsed, and the rest of the building looked like it was soon to follow. There was no other way in or out, save for his ropes. But for that he'd have to get past the intruders, and the chances of that were looking slimmer by the second.

"Damn it all," Paulie rasped. "Who...the hell are you people!?"

"Paulie, enough!" Iceburg shouted. "Tilestone and Lulu were beaten effortlessly! You can't win!"

"The hell I can't," he replied, struggling to his feet. "Like hell I'm going to let you get killed! If I can hold them until Lucci and Kaku get here, we'll stand a much better chance."

One of their adversaries began chuckling lowly at this. "I wonder if that will work out for you, Paulie," he spoke for the first time. It was a voice he didn't recognize. He brought his hands up to his head and removed the headpiece he was wearing, revealing the ever impassive face of Rob Lucci.

Iceburg and Paulie were numb with shock. "Lucci…?" Iceburg asked in disbelief.

"You bastard," Paulie seethed. "You could speak all along!?"

"As much as I'd like to answer all of your questions, I'm in a bit of a rush at the moment," Lucci said emotionlessly "Kaku, if you would?"

The figure next to him also revealed himself, showing that it was indeed Kaku. A moment later, Kalifa and Blueno also unmasked themselves. Paulie gritted his teeth. "Damn it...why…of all people…" Tears leaked from his eyes. "Why did it have to be you!? Despite everything, I've always thought of you as comrades!"

Although the other three were silent at this, Lucci answered easily. "You were the only one," he said coldly, before disappearing from sight and knocking out Paulie with a simple kick to the head.

Meanwhile, Kaku had grabbed Iceburg by the wrist. The man tried to break his grip, to no avail.

"Relax. I simply want you to confirm a theory of mine," Lucci said with a chilling smile.

Luffy inwardly cursed as he sensed what was happening in the city. There was nothing he could do to help Iceburg now without leaving Robin open to attack at the hands of a Marine Admiral. Even if he tried to take her with him, Aokiji would intercept him.

He knew that Maveric wasn't strong enough to hold off an admiral. Quite frankly, neither was he at the moment. So he stayed put. Luckily, Zoro was almost here. He just had to stall a bit.

"Monkey D. Luffy," Aokiji spoke up. "I'm sure you've already concluded that you can't help Iceburg. I wouldn't worry about it. I'm technically not supposed to meddle in the affairs of the Cipher Pols, but I've made it clear that I'd be...displeased if they did any lasting damage to Iceburg or his workers. Despite the fact that CP9 answers directly the the higher-ups, they know that I could still make their lives very difficult if they didn't comply."

"So, you're saying we should focus on you, then?" Mavric asked with a smirk that belied his apprehension.

"Well, let's hold off on that. You wouldn't stand much of a chance until his First Mate arrives anyway, as I'm sure you both know," Aokiji drawled.

Luffy was silent.

"What I want to know," Aokiji continued, "Is how you've already pushed us this far. To be forced to dispatch a Marine Admiral after a rookie pirate crew is, to put it bluntly, unprecedented. There have been instances where a Marine of such a rank may have acted of their own accord, but that would always be by choice. Your little stunt in the Alabastian waters has made it very clear what scale of force would be required to capture you all. So," he paused as a violent wind started to blow, and Zoro materialized next to his captain, "Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, how is it that two teenage rookies from East Blue are each stronger than some of our best Vice Admirals?"

Zoro scoffed. "I do a lot of pushups and situps."

Luffy smirked. "I drink plenty of juice."

Aokiji smiled wryly. "I suppose you're not going to tell me that easily," he said as Luffy raised his fists and Zoro unsheathed his swords. "Well, whatever it is, it doesn't change the fact that your crew scares the crap out of me. You won't be leaving here of your own accord. The same goes for you, Nico Robin."

Robin, who had been silent through it all, glared at the admiral in defiance. "Why did you even let me go all those years ago? Am I just some mistake on your track record that you're trying to cover up?"

Aokiji narrowed his eyes. "I could explain it to you, but it wouldn't change anything. I came here to end this once and for—"

He was interrupted by a Haki-imbued flying slash, courtesy of Zoro, which he was forced to dodge. It whizzed by the space where his throat had previously occupied, causing Aokiji to narrow his eyes.

"Let's skip the rest of your speech and get on with this," Luffy said as he, Zoro, and Mavric all got into ready positions.

"Ararara. So impatient. There was only one word left in my so-called speech," Aokiji said. "But very well."

"Robin!" Luffy shouted as ice began to coat the admiral's figure. "Sanji and the others are on their way! Find them and lay low until help comes!" Robin bit her lip, knowing full well the significance of what he was asking her to do, even if he didn't. And realizing she wouldn't be much help here, she turned and ran. Aokiji made no move to follow her.

As she looked back, the last thing she saw was Luffy and Zoro both charging the Admiral.

Iceburg grunted in pain as he continued to haul Paulie's dead weight to the window. He was aggravating his wounds, but he didn't care. He had been unable to rouse Paulie, as well as Lulu and Tilestone, which meant that he had to somehow get the three unconscious men out of the building before it collapsed. The chances of that weren't looking too good, seeing as he could barely carry one of them with his injuries.

Alternatively, he could make the jump out the window himself, and leave the three men behind. There was a chance he'd survive the three story fall if he landed on his legs. The other option was the building collapsing in on itself with all four of them still in it.

Well, there are worse ways to die, Iceburg thought sardonically as he sat down next to his three loyal workers. I just hope Franky and Nico Robin can avoid capture.

Suddenly, two cloaked figures jumped in through the window, seemingly using the same techniques that Lucci, Kaku, and Kalifa had. Iceburg sighed. Oh, what now? We're already dead as dirt.

It was to his surprise when the one figure grabbed both Lulu and Tilestone and hauled the two over his shoulders, and the other did the same with him and Paulie.

"What are you—"

"Relax," one of the figures said. "We're not with CP9. We're here to get you all to safety."

Having nothing to lose, Iceburg stayed silent as they each jumped out of the window. Iceburg braced for impact against the ground, only for their descent to be slowed before they reached it. Their two unknown saviors landed with grace.

"Iceburg-san!" a man shouted, getting the attention of the surrounding bystanders.

Soon, a crowd gathered around them, asking what had happened, and how the building had been destroyed.

"Who are these guys?" one man asked, referring to the two cloaked figures.

"It's ok, they saved our lives," Iceburg vouched, as his three workers were hauled onto a stretcher. They tried to do the same with him, but he refused. "Do you know what's happening with CP9? Is Franky OK?"

"The four CP9 agents are on their way to confront the Strawhat Pirates," the one that had spoken before answered. "They have yet to assault Franky. It is my understanding that their orders are to apprehend Nico Robin first." The other figure turned to the first, speaking for the first time.

"What should we do? We don't stand a chance against CP9 without Mavric," he said.

"The best we can do is make sure Franky knows the situation," the first answered. He turned to Iceburg. "If we take you there, can you explain what's happening to him?" he asked.

Iceburg nodded his consent, and for the sake of punctuality, he was thrown over the agent's shoulder again, much to his chagrin.

Sanji, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper were all making their way over to the east side of the island. Zoro had gone ahead of them, so they were now relying on Sanji to help them find the other crew members. Said chef was itching to speed up and see what was going on, but was reluctant to leave his other crew members behind. His brow furrowed as he tried to decipher the chaos that his senses were picking up on.

"What is it, Sanji-kun?" Nami asked urgently.

"They've split up," the chef stated. "Luffy and Zoro are fighting someone…"

"Do you recognize them?" Usopp asked.

"No, but whoever he is, he's monstrously strong. Normally I can't even sense people from this far away. But then this guy's aura appears out of nowhere, and I can feel it from halfway across the island."

"Will Luffy and Zoro be OK?" Chopper asked worriedly.

"I'm not worried about those two...they've never needed help before. But Robin-chan's gone off alone. She's headed towards us, but..." His brow furrowed as he focused his Observation Haki more. His eyes widened. "Shit. Guys, keep heading east until you find us. I'm going to need to pick up the pace."

And with that, he sped up to maximum speed, leaving the other three in his wake.

Robin was running as fast as her legs could carry her. Disparaging thoughts raced traitorously through her frantic mind. She hadn't felt this low in a long time. She had just left behind her crew members to face off against a Marine Admiral. And not just any Marine Admiral, but the one whose face made a recurring appearance in her nightmares. In the end, she was running. She was always running. The difference was that this time she had been ordered to, but was that really an excuse?

Run, Robin!

The voice from her most recent nightmare echoed through her mind again, and she grit her teeth. Logically, she still knew that running was the better option. Had she stayed, she would have been a liability for Luffy and Zoro, who were now in for the fight of their lives. But that wouldn't stop the treacherous whispers from the darker depths of her conscience.

It's always this way, isn't it? You're still the same. They may not abandon you when the waves get rough, but can you say the same for yourself?

Her breathing grew heavier than it normally would under such a mundane task as running.

Murderer. Betrayer. Demonspawn.

She was broken out of her thoughts as a swift wind came rushing towards her. She stopped in her tracks just in time, and the wind blade passed in front of her face. She turned and came face to face with Rob Lucci, along with three others, two of which she recognized from Galley-La company.

"Don't move. That was a warning shot," Kalifa said.

Robin crossed her arms to use her Devil Fruit, and immediately Iceburg's former secretary shot another Rankyaku at her, which she leapt to the side to dodge. As she did so, arms sprouted over her assailant. As she attempted a Clutch, however, Kalifa's muscles tensed, and Robin had to struggle to retain her grip as the woman attempted to break out of her hold. Numerous more arms sprouted around her, and slowly Robin was making leeway.

Or she would have been, if there weren't three others.

She realized she had to move, but still she was too slow to dodge the next Rankyaku had Kaku casually sent her way completely. It nicked her shoulder even as she leapt to the side. They were playing with her.

"Looks like you may have earned that bounty of 79 million after all," Kaku commented. He sounded genuinely impressed, but it was hard to tell. "Still, you shouldn't test us. You really don't stand much of a chance, to be honest."

Robin crossed her arms again in defiance, getting ready to clutch Kalifa before the woman could regain her bearings.

That was when Blueno blurred towards her.

Although she was taken aback by his speed, she was still able to switch targets in time to stop him in his tracks.

Or she would have been, if he hadn't literally disappeared into thin air.

"Air Door," said a voice from behind her. Immediately she spun around, but he was too close. He leapt out of the atmospheric dimensional pocket and aimed a kick at her head to incapacitate.

"Mutton Shot!"

Sanji materialized right in front of her, and his foot connected with Blueno's face. The heavy weight man was sent crashing into a building before plummeting into the water below.

Kalifa sighed. "I'll go get him," she volunteered, before using a quick Soru to go after the Devil Fruit user and jumping into the water.

"I wish I could say that was one down," Sanji said. "Are you alright, Robin-chan?"

"I'm fine," she replied, taking a moment to catch her breath. "Thank you, Sanji."

"That was a Soru," Lucci said, speaking for the first time since the four had arrived. "You," he said, addressing Sanji, "Where did pirate scum like yourself learn Rokushiki?"

"What the hell's that, you bastard?" Sanji asked mockingly. "I moved really fast. You about to tell me I broke the law?" He smirked. "It's like you said, I'm a pirate. So forgive me if I don't give a shit."

Lucci's eyes narrowed, and then he disappeared from Robin's sight. A shockwave spread out from the point of their clash. Sanji gritted his teeth in pain as he blocked Lucci's kick, but he quickly ducked under the follow up and thrust his foot upwards, kicking the agent in the chin. Lucci did a backflip and recovered, and Sanji was surprised to note that there wasn't a scratch on him.

Kalifa and Blueno now appeared next to Kaku, who was standing back and watching indulgently. Blueno, who had a large bruise on his face, was glaring at Sanji with an uncharacteristic intensity.

"Back off," Lucci said emotionlessly, causing Blueno to rethink his next action. "He's mine."

"Gomu Gomu no…" Luffy's fists blackened and ignited as he entered Gear Second again. "Red Hawk Storm!"

Aokiji shot forward in the form of a blizzard, weaving through the assault with all the evasiveness of an arctic wind. Luffy leapt backwards as the blizzard approached him, but Aokiji's hand materialized behind him, forcing him to jump above it and escape using Geppo. The blizzard followed him, and he quickly sent a jet gatling into it, only for Aokiji's Haki to overpower his own, rendering the attack fruitless. The blizzard surrounded him, and he felt the cold begin to seep into his body once again.

"Three Sword Style, Great Dragon Twister!" Zoro came back covered in minor frost burns and dispersed the blizzard with a large whirlwind of blades. Mavric took his chance and appeared behind him, aiming a shigan to the back of his head, but Aokiji dodged it and repelled him with a blast of frigid air.

He reformed on the ground as the three landed. Out of all of them, Mavric was looking the worst off, being covered in frost burns, but was still managing.

"Gomu Gomu no, Eagle Storm!" Aokiji dispersed again, gliding over the assault, only to realize it was just a feint as Luffy jumped up to meet him. "Red Hawk!" The attack hit head-on, and this time, solidified him. His Haki still protected him from the worst of it, and he grabbed Luffy by the throat, ignoring the minor burns. Ice began to coat Luffy's body, but before Luffy himself was frozen, Zoro intervened again, with three swords blackened and ablaze.

"Fire Dragon Dive!" As he descended upon Aokiji, his swords easily seared through him, only for the Logia to reform several meters away. A small gash could be seen on his shoulder. Mavric followed up with a Rankyaku, buying the other two more time, but his Haki wasn't strong enough to solidify the Admiral. Aokiji waved one arm and blew the Revolutionary away once again.

Luffy quickly broke off the ice that was covering him, using Life Return to warm up his body. As long as he wasn't completely frozen alive, he'd be fine. If he was completely frozen alive...well, he'd worry about that later.

As the three got ready again, Aokiji raised his arms, and a wave of ice shot outwards. Luffy and Zoro separated, both punching and slashing their way through ice as the blizzard intensified, and Mavric took flight above them. The entire area froze around them, but Luffy could tell Aokiji was being careful not to endanger the residents of Water 7. He allowed himself to be thankful for the small blessing that he was dealing with Aokiji and not Akainu. If he wanted, the admiral could freeze the entire island.

By now, all three combatants were slowly getting frostbite from the blizzard, which continued to pick up, but they pressed on, punching and cutting through ice projectiles and narrowly avoiding getting turned into ice sculptures. Despite his determination not to underestimate the two Strawhats like so many other Marines had, Aokiji had still been surprised by their prowess.

We need to get rid of this blizzard, Luffy thought. "Zoro!"

"Right!"

"Gomu Gomu no…"

"Three Sword Style…"

"3000 Caliber Phoenix Magnum!" The collaboration strike lit up the city block in shockwave of pressure and heat, causing a large amount of property damage and melting most the ice in the vicinity.

In the middle of the inferno, Aokiji's aura vanished, but the two stayed alert. "There's no way that was enough," Zoro muttered.

He was soon proven right as Aokiji materialized once again behind Luffy, looking disheveled but not deterred, and another wave of ice shot towards the rubberman. Zoro dashed towards them and brandished his swords at the Admiral, but was too late; the ice wave hit Luffy and froze him from head to toe.

"Three Thousand Worlds!" Aokiji simply phased through his attack like a specter. Zoro cursed as he gazed upon Luffy's frozen form. Even if he entered Asura now, there was no guarantee he could win. They had wanted to weaken Aokiji more before bringing out the big guns, but that plan had seemingly backfired.

Aokiji sent wave after wave of ice at Zoro, who did his best to parry them all, swords still ablaze. But soon he began to be pushed back, and the cold started seeping further and further under his skin. He sent numerous flying slashes in return, but Aokiji either phased through them or avoided them altogether. He was losing ground. Mavric descended upon Aokiji once more, attempting a point blank Rankyaku, but Aokiji caught his leg and froze it instantly, causing him to grunt in pain. He was seized by the throat, much the same way Luffy had been, and his blood quite literally ran cold. Zoro was suddenly there, cutting off Aokiji's arm and causing Mavric to be dropped to the ground, where he fell to one knee. Aokiji's arm reformed, revealing a small cut, but nothing more.

"Roronoa...I'm sorry in advance for this," Mavric panted as his entire body went numb. "But I think I'm at my...limit…" His eyes became unfocused and he collapsed into the ground, out cold.

Suddenly, an ungodly roar ripped through the air, and both remaining combatants looked to see the ice being blasted off of Luffy's body as a wave of pure willpower spread out from him.

Aokiji's eyes widened. "Conqueror's Haki…"

Luffy was breathing heavily as he tried to get his body temperature back to a manageable level. "You won't...get rid of me...that easily…"

Sanji was panting as he tried to ward off Lucci's assaults. He was giving as many hits as he got, but this guy had some technique that let him strengthen his body to the point where it was harder than steel. If he had been fighting that blade guy from Alabasta, he was confident his opponent would have been out cold by now.

Lucci grunted in annoyance as the pirate he was fighting avoided another hail of Rankyaku and, using Soru, landed another kick to his sternum. Black Leg wasn't as fast as him, but he was avoiding his attacks with surprising efficiency. It was as if he could predict his movements. He knew some Vice Admirals who could do the same thing, but a rookie pirate? He wasn't even one of the two that CP9 had been warned about.

"Sanji, Robin, hang on!" came Usopp's panicked voice as he, Nami, and Chopper realized what was going on. Before Sanji could warn him otherwise, he pulled out his modified slingshot and took aim at Lucci.

"Firebird Star!"

Lucci didn't even flinch as the flame bullet hit him in the side of the head, erupting into a large bird shaped inferno. When it cleared, he was standing calmly in the middle of the scorched ground, eyes still trained on Sanji.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding," Usopp bemoaned. "At least notice me!"

Lucci's eyes now moved toward the sniper, who swallowed thickly. "Or don't. Whichever."

"I wouldn't interrupt him," Kaku said from beside Blueno and Khalifa. "Once he gets like this, he has a one-track mind," he explained. "Still...part of our mission is to capture Nico Robin." He turned to the other two next to him. "Hey, let's leave Lucci to his little game and carry out our orders, shall we?"

Lucci growled at the wording. Kaku was the only one who got away with this shit around him, and for good reason. If nothing else, he respected strength. But really? Little game?

"Just get on with it," he said, causing the Strawhats to tense, as he engaged Sanji again.

"We won't let you take Robin!" Chopper shouted. He didn't know who these guys were, but he wasn't going to stand back and let them abduct one of their crewmates. Nami and Usopp were on the same page as they readied their weapons.

Blueno suddenly used a Soru to appear right in front of them. "Stay out of the way," he said calmly. "You're no match for us. To go against CP9 is to go against the World Government."

"You don't really get the whole 'pirate' concept, do you?" Usopp asked as he took aim at the agent.

"Kalifa, assist Blueno," Kaku ordered. "Nico Robin could give you some trouble, and we're on a tight schedule." The woman nodded and turned towards Nami, Usopp, and Chopper, only for arms to come out of the ground and grab her again. Robin, knowing the three Strawhats couldn't hold their own against two CP9 agents at once. Before she could do anything else, Kaku had appeared in front of her and kicked her, hard. The arms around Kalifa disappeared, and she gasped as she was sent careening into the air. She used her powers to form a net to catch herself, but grunted in pain when she hit it. That kick had bruised her ribs, and possibly fractured one. She had barely even seen it coming.

She heard a roar of fury that sounded distinctly like Sanji, and looked up to see the chef now pressing Kaku, completely ignoring Lucci. The difference between the two agents was clear; even winded, Sanji was putting a lot of pressure on him. Kaku gritted his teeth in pain as his Tekkai barely held up against a kick to his side.

It wasn't to last, however, as Lucci intervened again, landing a punch to Sanji's head that knocked him away. Blood dripped down his face, but he ignored it, and began spinning rapidly in a circle until his leg caught fire.

"Diable Jambe!" he shouted, before aiming a flaming kick at Kaku, which was intercepted by Lucci. The agent grunted as the heat bypassed his Tekkai, but he spun around and kicked Sanji away before giving chase using Soru.

Meanwhile, Chopper and Usopp were being overwhelmed by Blueno and Kalifa. Chopper quickly took a Rumble Ball before switching to Arm Point and charging at Blueno.

"Get out of my way!" Chopper growled, having seen Robin get hurt.

"Are you trying to intimidate me?" the heavyweight agent asked mockingly. "Your punches are weak," he said as he used Tekkai.

"Kokutei, Cross!" Chopper's hooves left an imprint in Blueno's torso, causing him to grunt in pain as he slid back a few feet. He looked up and glared at Chopper, before using Soru and aiming a kick at the Zoan user.

Chopper had just enough time to go into Guard Point, but it didn't do much good. The Rankyaku still pierced his arm and he was blown flying backwards. Usopp aimed another Firebird Star atBlueno, but it was dodged, and he received a heavy punch to the stomach. He gasped, coughing up blood, and sank to the ground. Blueno raised his leg for an axe kick that would crush Usopp's skull, but thinking quickly, Usopp absorbed the blow with an Impact Dial. Blueno's confusion cost him a precious second, which Usopp used to bring the dial up to Bluno's chest and press down. The assassin was immediately launched backwards, but did a roll on the ground to recover.

As he tried to puzzle out what had just happened, Chopper approached him in Walk Point. Blueno aimed a Rankyaku at the reindeer, but he switched to Jumping Point and leapt into the air. Blueno quickly followed using Geppo and punched him away again. As Chopper landed, he descended upon him and aimed a Shigan at his throat, but Usopp hit him with another Firebird Star, which threw off his aim enough for Chopper to jump back and recover.

Nami was being overwhelmed by Khalifa. She couldn't get enough of a reprieve from the woman's attacks to use Mirage Tempo, let alone hit her with any lightning, which took some time to charge. She was managing to fend off the attacks which her staff, but it wouldn't be long before she was hit, and she doubted she could withstand many of these attacks. Parrying a Shigan with her Clima-Tact, she coated the staff in electricity and swung it at the CP9 agent, but the attack was dodged effortlessly. Before she could react, a swift kick was aimed at the back of her head, knocking her unconscious.

Chopper panted heavily as he was now forced to face Blueno alone. Usopp had gotten in one more hit with the Impact Dial, but he had been knocked out shortly after. He gasped as he realized that his time limit for the Rumble Ball had just run out. Feeling he had no choice, he got ready to take the second one, but while he was focused on Blueno, Kalifa came up from behind him and aimed Rankyaku at his back. He groaned and fell forward. Blueno wasted no time and rendered him unconscious with a punch to the head as he fell.

Robin watched in horror as her crewmates were taken out one by one. Sanji had gotten a couple more hits in on Lucci with Diable Jambe, but Lucci had endured them, and now he was at his limit with the technique. To make things worse, Kaku still wasn't letting her join the fight.

"Stop!" she shouted suddenly, realizing that the other three could be killed now if this continued. "Enough. I'll go with you. Just leave them alive," she said desperately.

Kaku raised an eyebrow at the request, before turning to Lucci. "You know, we are running low on time. I didn't expect this much resistance from them. Besides, Admiral Aokiji made it clear that our only targets were Nico Robin and whoever had the blueprints."

Lucci sighed. "That man is much too soft. Fine." He turned to Sanji, who was down on one knee and trying to catch his breath. "Seeing as you've been beaten, I have no more business with you. Remember this defeat, and don't challenge us again." He turned his back on the chef, who struggled to his feet.

"Where do you think you're going, you government dog? I'm not done yet!" he insisted.

Lucci narrowed his eyes, before transforming into his Zoan hybrid form and disappearing using Soru. He kneed Sanji in the stomach, causing the chef to double over.

"That was in poor taste," the leopard man said quietly. "I'm not a dog, clearly."

He proceeded to backhand Sanji in the head, who finally blacked out as he hit a building.

The assassin group took out a pair of handcuffs and arrested the now docile Robin. None of them asked Lucci whether his conspicuous injuries needed attention. They knew better. As she was led away, Robin took one look back at the unconscious Strawhat Pirates.

Forgive me, everyone...