STRONG(ER) WORLD Scene Fourteen

Scene Fourteen: Comeback

Meanwhile far from where the Straw Hats were, Shiki's island-ship was heading back to its port. Still outside, many of the pirates were looking on the island with impressed and excited looks. The ship sailed forward through the sky and soon crashed through the water surrounding Shiki's base-of-operations sailing much like the ship it was. The ship soon docked and the pirates walked off as they headed to Shiki's snow-covered palace for the meeting. Through the monitors, Shiki watched with great satisfaction of his plan finally coming to fruition.

"Our elites are gathering one after another… It's finally time, World Government… It's been twenty-two years since my legs last ached…" As Shiki spoke to himself, excited at the progress he had made today. Suddenly, those same pooting noises attracted his attention as Doctor Indigo entered the monitor room. Seeing Shiki was looking at him, Doctor Indigo began making motions trying to convey something to the man.

"I see… I got it." For once, Shiki seemed to actually understand what the blue haired doctor was trying to convey. "I'll go now." Shiki then stood up and walked out in the same hallway Doctor Indigo entered. The doctor watched with a straight face as he said nothing and blinked a few times. Then he finally reacted.

"HE UNDERSTOOD?!

As the snow fell on Shiki's base, the man walked out towards a familiar circle of trees that protected his base much like they did for Xiao's village. Wearing a gas mask, he calmly walked towards the trees only to stop just before entering. Looking around, some of the trees looked like they were blown up and damaged. As he continued to look around, he saw that many trees had dynamite planted near them and a fuse leading out to a center point. Shiki immediately knew what was going on.

"I see… You plan on letting the animals attack this place by destroying these trees…" Shiki then looked to side. There being held by two of Shiki's burly men, Nami had been caught and held down. Shiki then continued speaking. "You've planned this since the beginning, haven't you, Baby-chan?"

Nami was breathing hard, even though she had planned this, she had failed to realize that the trees were poisonous. She was not severely affected by Daft and was slowly sub-coming to the poisonous pollen. Shiki just continued to speak. "Despite all my effort complying with your conditions…"

Hearing Shiki, Nami raised her head up-patches of her skin green- as she spoke knowingly and angrily. "There's no way you'd listen to me… I don't want to see my hometown in ruin nor my nakama depressed from hearing this bad news….and most importantly I don't want to see my daughter cry."

Shiki walked up to Nami and grabbed her neck. The guards released her as Shiki head her high seemingly angered. "Don't be so hasty…" Shiki then shoved her into one of the Daft Green. Doing so, Nami's disease increased stiffing her body even more. Nami screamed in pain from both the disease and Shiki's harsh treatment while the man seemed to be enjoying.

"The powerful poison from these trees wasn't a part of your calculations, was it?" Shiki then relieved Nami from the tree, but continued to hold her high above. Despite being relieved from pain, Nami was still breathing heavily as the poison took its toll on her. However Shiki no longer cared as he spoke with much cruelty. "Pirates should not be concerned about their family nor their hometowns."

Shiki then turned around and summoned many metal pipes surrounding him and Nami as he continued to speak. "You'll only be misplacing your life if you cling onto those things. Ji-ha-ha-ha-ha." Shiki tossed her out and as she fell the metals pipes began crisscrossing past her body. While none of them damaged the woman, they made it impossible her to move or escape the prison Shiki had made for her.

"If you're unlucky enough to survive until the end of the meeting… I'll use you as my navigator for the rest of your life." As Shiki spoke of Nami's fate in his crew, Nami tried in vain to escape the pipes keeping her from moving. And still being in the grove of Daft Green her disease would definitely increase fast. Shiki soon finished as he repeated a familiar sentence. "I don't dislike cheeky woman…"

The man then began walking away as he laughed in his unique way. However she stopped and spoke one last time, deepening Nami's failure. "And hey, if you don't survive maybe I'll drop in to see your daughter. She'll make a great asset to my crew. Ji-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Nami's eyes widen as she watched Shiki leave her and his two men behind. She immediately tried again to get out with her newfound energy, but it was still useless. That man still wanted her daughter, and she still didn't understand why.

Now sometime later inside Shiki's palace, the Japanese-styled doors slid open by itself allowing Shiki to enter the large room. As he walked down the path in the room, captains from each of the pirate crews he had enlisted to join him sat in waiting for the man. All of them continued to wait patiently as they watched the man walk to his seat at the end of the meeting room. Once he reached his seat, he looked out seeing the impressive number of the pirate captains he had invited. He then spoke officially starting the meeting.

"Well done gathering here. We shall now commence the Shiki alliance ceremony. First of all, I don't appreciate traitors. Keep that in mind. Well then, let's depart to the Sea of Stratagems. To the tragic sea of East Blue!"

As the meeting began, something amazing was occurring outside. All of the individual islands that made up Merveille began moving towards the center island. All the animals saw what was going on, but were none the wiser as to why it was happening. Soon all the floating islands joined to make on super floating island floating high above where the pirate crews had converged. All of this was from Shiki's power, and can only spell doom for the unsuspecting East Blue.

As all the islands went to converge at the center island, whatever island that had the Thousand Sunny had a perfect aim at the big island. But what could this mean? With the whole remaining Straw Hats gathered in the ship, they set their plan into motion.

"Let's go, Franky."

"Got it." With a pull of a lever, a rumbling sound was made like preparing a cannon to fire. Franky once again spoke up, this time in warning. "Hold on tight. Coup de Burst!" From Sunny's rear, the engine that allowed Sunny to defy what no ship could possible to on its own; fly. It blasted Sunny straight forward and propelled the mighty vessel up the mountain in front of them using it as a ramp to reach the big island in view.

Back at the meeting, the pirate captains waited patiently as Doctor Indigo poured the ceremonial sake from the overly-large sake ceramic bottle. All the while his shoes made pooting noises as he moved from one pirate to the next

Outside Shiki's palace, many burly guards waited outside as to stop anyone from entering if the occasion came forth. However this would soon be the case. Two of them men looked up towards the shining moon wondering curiously what was in its shining path. Not a cloud, not a bird, but a ship with a lion head figure was hurdling towards them. As it neared closer to the palace, the Sunny's main sail unfurled giving the ship more push into Shiki sanctum. As the ship finally came down, thanks to being made of the toughest wood known to man it landed without a scratch as it skidded closer to the palace. It blew through the section of Daft Green and continued onward taking out many of Shiki's guards in the process. It finally stopped just outside of the palace amazing the guards that saw it fly in.

"For real?!"

"How dare you dock your ship on the royal palace?!"

"Who are you?!" As the guards shouted in vain, ten figures stood from the deck of the ship not answering and many of them holding or carrying something large. Immediately the guards knew they were screwed.

Back in the meeting hall, Doctor Indigo was pouring the last few captains there drinks unaware of what was happening outside. Once the doctor finished pouring to the last captain, Shiki spoke giving his grand speech to those assembled. "As you know, East Blue is the weakest of the five seas. No one will mourn its demise. Do as you wish with it."

Shiki then raised his own cup of sake as he bellowed loudly to his fellow captains as they waited drink thus completing the alliance. "The Golden Lion Pirates are complete!" All of the captains cheered in agreement with their new boss. As all of them prepared to take the first sips into their new alliance, one of Shiki's men burst in interrupting the drinking process as he shouted.

"Lord Shiki!"

"What do you want at a time like this?!" Now a bit irritated, Shiki turned to see one of his men come rushing from the side doors. As he ran up to him, he quickly explained himself.

"My deepest apologies, but I have an emergency." The man then ran up close to Shiki as he talked in a soft voice that only Shiki could hear. The golden haired old man was quickly surprised as he was told the news.

"Ten people? They are rushing in?"

"Well…"

While the man explained, the ten people had already beaten down on most of the guards outside and were already inside the palace. While not rushing in, the group of well-dressed intruders was quickly making their way to the meeting hall where Shiki and the captains were currently at. Shiki soon disregarded the man, as he looked back to the front of the meeting hall noticing someone was there on the other side. As the lights dimmed, three slashes destroyed one part of the door surprising the pirate captains and gaining their attention.

"What?" To the other door, a small foot broke through the screen instead of kicking it down like the owner of said foot intended. The captains seemed unimpressed by this motion as someone of the other said spoke.

"That's lame, man."

"That was totally uncool Uncle Usopp."

"This is how you do it."

"W-Wait a second." Not listening to the man, the other person kicked the door down taking the one who got his foot stuck with him. With the remaining door down, Shiki instantly recognized who the intruders were.

With Usopp getting his foot unstuck, he quickly joined the Straw Hats as the formed as a line with an opening in the middle. As all the Straw Hats waited, each member holding some sort of gun, three figures appeared from the blinding light behind two small ones on both sides of the taller one. These two small figures were Mika and Akio; Mika wearing a black velvet with red sash, a black choker with a small red rose around her neck and a pair of fine black shoes, and Akio wearing a nice suit-unbutton-with a blue tie. All three of them walked up with just as serious expressions as the rest of the crew all directed to their opponents.

As was quiet, even the wind blew silently. But it wasn't long before Shiki spoke up in disdain. "It's you guys… What a surprise."

The group didn't speak at first. Instead, all of them began walking forward the crew partially surrounding Luffy and the kids, the kids keeping close to Luffy. As the continued into the center of the meeting, Luffy spoke up speaking directly to Shiki. "I heard you're going to attack East Blue?"

"Well yeah."

"Is Nami alright?"

"She's lively." With the Straw Hats stopping in the center, Shiki spoke with a sinister grin not trying at all to fool the straw hat captain. All around them, Shiki's men snickered knowing what had happened to the orange haired navigator. The crew and kids quickly took notice knowing something was definitely wrong.

"Ji-ha-ha-ha-ha.  You look tough, but don't think you can make a difference with just eight people and two unarmed kids." The moment Shiki finished his sentence; all the screen doors from both sides and both levels were kicked down revealing even more well-dressed pirates were ready for action. Around the same time Doctor Indigo and the gorilla appeared by Shiki's side. However this did not frighten the Straw Hats, not even the kids batted in eye as they glared at Shiki. Said man then continued to speak.

"A stupid woman who believed that if she sacrificed herself, she would be able to protect her hometown… Together with a reckless suicide squad. Ji-ha-ha-ha-ha!" With Shiki's confident laugh, all the pirates too began to laugh. None of the Straw Hats reacted to their laughs as the waited patiently for them to calm down. Shiki was probably the first as he immediately eyed his new target of interest; Mika.

He raised his hand signaling all to be quiet and the pirates soon went quiet as ordered as Shiki spoke again. "Hey now, Little Baby-chan, why not come over to Uncle Shiki's team and have a really blast. You can replace your mother…you are far more worthwhile than she was, eh?"

The pirates' in-waiting got confused as they heard their boss wanting a child to join his crew. The pirate captains themselves also confused and a little bit concerned with Shiki's interest in the small child. The Straw Hats, though still remaining stoic, were also concerned with why Shiki wanted Mika, but what matter was that he couldn't have her; period. Both kids didn't speak up, which was especially hard for Mika who wanted to shout at the man. Luckily, she knew her father could to far better than her.

"Are you stupid?"

"Huh?"

"My little princess would never go for someone like you old man." Shiki looked annoyed at Luffy as he spoke with a sly grin. Hearing her father's comment, Mika smirked along with all the other Straw Hats. All of the pirates looked over to Shiki as he seemed almost furious with the group making such a claim.

But also…"Shiki and every enemy pirate looked back to the Luffy as he continued to speak with more seriousness. "Nami didn't sacrifice herself. She came here as the vanguard!"

Suddenly all the crew locked and loaded their guns as the pointed them out towards the crowd. Every member of the Straw Hats had a gun, or two, all except Mika and Akio and the covered behind Luffy ready to cover their ears. With every armed crewmate ready, Luffy spoke again as his gun was not out yet. "Brace yourself, Golden Lion…"

Shiki eyed the captain curiously as Luffy completed his sentence. "We're The Main Force!" The crew then open fired; the battle now begun. Who will win?