For the first time since they had known him, the Revolutionaries saw their leader thoroughly shocked. And not a single one of them was surprised; the half-digested forms of Luffy's sixteen crewmates seemed to run together, limbs sticking out at random, their eyes blank black sockets that seemed to weep black sludge if you looked at them too long, and their mouths open in silent screams. This macabre sculpture of agony and horror connected back to the gaping, monstrous head of the Lily Carnation. The cute flower was gone; all that remained was a bleached, spotted head drooling green slime, an expression of hunger on its face, and a tinkling giggle coming from its mouth, a sound more at home in a kids' puppet show than the horror before them.
"I can hear them…" Dragon quietly ground out. "They have no mouths… and yet they scream."
As one, the Revolutionaries blanched. And through it all, Omatsuri… just laughed. A dark, sadistic sound that reverberated through the bones and organs of all who heard it. It was quite clear that he was enjoying every second of this. Then, abruptly, he stopped and spoke a single word.
"Die."
The image snapped back towards Luffy, who was staring at Lily Carnation with a gaping, horrified expression that would have been comical in just about any other situation. But not this one. The horrific scene before them, the whispered agony coming over the speakers, the absolutely terrified expression on their Transponder Snail… it sucked up humour, consumed all emotion until nothing was left but deep, soul-crushing despair.
And that scream…
"LUFFY! RUN! THE ARROWS!"
The entire room gasped as they saw every arrow, every last one of the thousands of arrows scattered beneath the blood-red moon, begin to soar towards Luffy. And the worst part was that Luffy didn't run; he only slowly began to turn towards the storm of complete death that soared towards him. Actually, no. The worst part was the glimpse of his face that everyone caught. Dull. Lifeless. The arrows… they were merely finishing a job already complete. It was a face they were all far too familiar with.
And as one of their number took in the sight, something in his brain snapped, and he realized exactly what he was seeing.
"LUUUUUUUFFYYYYYYY!" Sabo screamed as the arrows struck.
-o-
Every man and woman in Makino's bar that had retained consciousness and found the courage to stay in earshot of the snail came to immensely regret that decision over the next full minute. The only sounds that filled the bar were the unmistakable din of thousands of arrows crashing to the ground, more every second, and Soundbite's agonized wailing. Then Omatsuri spoke again.
"Every single one of those arrows symbolizes a day of loneliness I endured after that storm. They are the number of the regrets I have suffered at suddenly losing every one of my beloved crewmates."
Nobody in the bar could they bring themselves to care as the Baron confirmed Soundbite's theory; all they could think of was that this man and his monster—no, these monsters, had killed Luffy. All of those arrows, and from Soundbite's wailing, they could only imagine how many of them Luffy had endured. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the sound of the hellish rain ceased, leaving only Soundbite's sobs to fill the numbing silence.
"LUFFY! LUFFY!"
Makino's lip bled from how hard she was biting it as tears streamed down her face, and not a single patron of the bar, not even Woop Slap, no matter how hard he dug his fingers into his own arm, had dry eyes.
"Luffy…"
-o-
"Have you had a glimpse of what I've endured?"
The sheer force that filled the room where the screen was broadcasting Soundbite's vision was suffocating. Borsalino was sweating bullets, a nervous look replacing his typical expression. Kuzan was shivering from the sheer chill of the willpower. Even Sakazuki was panting from the effort to stay conscious; only Sengoku and the immunized Transponder Snail were fully able to withstand the unbridled rage and agony of Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, and even then, Sengoku was sweating furiously, and the snail was only half-conscious.
Garp's fists were blackened, his teeth almost cracking from how much he was grinding them, and his eyes… looking into his eyes, every last Admiral and Vice Admiral knew the very meaning of fear.
"How dare you do this to my grandson…" he whispered with all the force of a tempest, earthquake, and firestorm rolled into one.
"Garp… you already know that we're going to invoke the greatest Buster Call in history on Omatsuri Island as soon as this broadcast ends," Sengoku stated, frowning heavily; for all that the Straw Hats had been thorns in his side, and for all that he thoroughly expected an order to leave Omatsuri Island alone from the Elder Stars due to the fact that its owner—and indeed, perhaps its sole living inhabitant—seemed to solely target pirates, no one deserved to go through what he was witnessing now. Absolutely no one.
"Buster Call? No… that's too hands-off," Garp snarled. "We can destroy the island after I've ripped that monster apart WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS!"
"As you wish, Garp," Sengoku consented; there could be no more just a course of action.
-o-
The submarine-ship of the Heart Pirates was deathly silent as its inhabitants stared at the sobbing snail before them.
There was no other noise to be heard, no monologuing, no screaming, just… sobbing. Tears of misery and desperation, bubbling up from the snail without end.
So frozen were they all that none made to stop Bepo when he silently stood up and started to shuffle towards the snail, reaching for the mic…
"Room, Shambles."
"GAH!"
When suddenly the silence was broken by a pained yelp, on account of Bepo and the previously-seated Penguin swapping places unexpectedly and Penguin falling on his ass.
"Captain…" the bear Mink started, glancing at his captain uneasily.
"Don't touch that Snail," Law ordered, never shifting from his position with his elbows balanced on his knees and his hands folded before his face.
"Law, look," Penguin sighed as he rubbed his aching posterior. "We know you've been eyeing the Straw Hats as potential allies, but they're done. Luffy got hit by… damn, I don't even know how many arrows—!"
"One-hundred seventy-four direct hits, sixty-six nicks," Law summarized emotionlessly.
Penguin took a moment to shiver before spreading his arms helplessly. "My point exactly, captain. I'm sorry, but he's—!"
"Not dead."
"Law—!"
"Both lungs punctured, stomach pierced numerous times, his small and large intestines as well, numerous lacerations to his muscular system, broken ribs, collar bone, humerus, radius, ulna—"
"Law, what are you—?!"
"Those are all the places he was hit." Law's crewmates froze at the statement. "Brain, heart, kidneys, spinal cord… any injuries to these locations would have been instantly fatal." Law's knuckles became white as he tightened his grip. "None of them were hit."
Everyone was silent until Bepo swallowed and raised his hand. "Aye, Captain, but—!"
"His body hasn't hit the ground, Bepo."
"—erk!" The mink and the crew as a whole stiffened in realization.
"His body. Has yet. To hit the ground," Law repeated tonelessly, his glare never leaving the sobbing snail. "Once it does, then it's hopeless. But until then…"
Suddenly, a minute, shuddering gasp so light it could have been a death rattle wafted over the connection, and the snail snapped its eyes open in shock. "LUFFY!"
"This. Isn't. Over."
-o-
"Not yet over…" Basil Hawkins muttered to himself as he fretfully re-shuffled his deck with shaking hands, his natural calm well and thoroughly broken. "How can it possibly not yet be over?" Once he finished mixing up his cards, he carelessly tossed them onto the table he was sitting at, staring at the results that showed up in bewildered confusion. "How… this is… inconceivable…"
"C-Captain?" one of his subordinates noted nervously, watching his captain's actions over his shoulder.
"The Four, Six, Nine and Queen of Wands," Hawkins read off, more to himself than his crew. "The Magician, The Chariot, Strength, the Wheel of Fortune, The Star itself…"
"W-What does it mean, captain?"
Hawkins scowled as he covered his mouth in thought. "All cards that indicate hope, victory, and positivity, forcing themselves to the top of the deck…" He then flipped over the deck he was holding and displayed the final card that would have been played. "While the Tower, the card of disaster, relegates itself to the bottom of the deck every time, all while reversing itself every time I look at it, to boot…"
"I'd say you're just not shuffling well, voodoo-man, but for once I actually agree with those parlour tricks of yours!"
The fortuneteller twitched at the familiar voice that broke his concentration and offhandedly glared at its source as he swept his cards back into his deck and started to shuffle again. "Kid."
The punk-styled pirate captain that was sitting at the counter of the bar, his almost-empty bottle nestled in a deep dent in the wood, glared daggers at the sobbing Transponder Snail that had everyone's attention. "You heard how hard that dumbass was fighting," Kid growled acridly. "If you think that a few arrows being stuck in him now will stop him, then you are dead wrong!" He punctuated the statement by splitting the bar with his fist.
Kid huffed heavily for a few seconds before holding out his hand to the slightly nervous barkeep, who promptly filled it with a full bottle.
"That moron's not dead yet," he growled with finality. "And I won't accept that he's actually lost until I see it with my own two eyes! WHO'S WITH ME!?" he roared, lifting his bottle up high, a motion that was reciprocated by his first mate and the rest of the crew.
As if in response to the show of support, someone spoke on the other end in a clear voice, that of a young girl.
"Don't lose! Mister Reindeer and the others are still calling you! 'Luffy, you can do it! Luffy, you can do it!' They're cheering for you! So… So don't lose!"
The voice echoed through the complete silence in the bar. Even Soundbite's sobbing stopped, though the snail's expression made it clear that he was only barely suppressing them. Then… another sound rang out across the connection.
-o-
Jewelry Bonney tensed furiously, her hands balling up in the tablecloth of the table she was sitting at, sweat pouring down her face.
Clicking and clacking echoed through the silent air, every sound as loud as a gunshot. Some were ignorable, wood against wood, arrows knocking against one another as Straw Hat moved… but others… metal against metal. Metal against bone.
Bonney had stopped eating long before things had gotten this bad, her appetite banished by the sounds of one of the best crews on the Grand Line self-destructing, but this…
Bonney bit into her lip, eyes starting to water at the sting of the bile creeping up her throat, beckoned ever closer by the horrendous clicking.
These noises, the images they conjured, threatened to bring up every meal she'd eaten in the past 24 hours.
And just when it seemed like she was about to lose the fight against her own body, another sound came across. A susurrus, like a breeze blowing through the branches of a dead tree, rustling nothing. Like wind brushing across the cold stone tombstones of a cemetery. Like the final breath of a dying man, giving up the fight against his fate. But none of those were fully accurate… for the sounds were coherent, a chorus of voices calling out in whispers a singular message.
"Luffy… Luffy… Luffy…"
Bonney froze as she heard the voices, coming so close, so close to completely and utterly emptying herself…
Before raising her fists and slamming them on the tabletop, she swallowed hard and forced every last speck of her stomach's contents back into place. The instant her airway was clear, she started to bellow furiously.
"COME ON, STRAW HAT!" she cried, causing her crewmates to jump in shock. "WHAT THE HELL KIND OF PATHETIC DISPLAY IS THIS?! YOU KICKED GOD'S FUCKING ASS, KICK THIS PSYCHO'S TOO! WIN, FUCKING DAMN IT! WIN!"
-o-
"YOU CAN DO IT, LUFFY! SHOW THAT BASTARD WHAT IT MEANS TO COME FROM MOUNT CORVO!" Dadan yelled. The rest of her boys were no less exuberant.
"RIP HIM TO PIECES, LUFFY!" Dogra snarled.
"POUND THAT BASTARD'S SMUG SMIRK SIX FEET UNDER!" Magra roared.
"GO, LUFFY!" came the raucous chorus that echoed through the entirety of Mount Corvo.
-o-
The swordmaster's outward quiet belied the anxiety he felt, clearly evidenced by the sweat on his face, serious enough that he hadn't even bothered to replace his glasses. But nobody else in the dojo had anywhere close to as much control as he did.
"GO, STRAW HAT, GO!" screamed one boy.
"SAVE ZORO! SAVE YOUR CREW!" bellowed another.
And much the same came from every other student. Koshiro's fists clenched as he forced himself not to join in just as exuberantly—or worse, to grab his sword and the nearest ship to go chop that island in half.
-o-
"COME ON, BOY!" Genzo roared as he tried desperately to leap to his feet.
"SHOW THE STRENGTH AND GUTS YOU HAD WHEN YOU BEAT ARLONG!" Nojiko yelled over her shoulder before returning her attention to pressing down on Genzo's shoulder and keeping him pinned in his bed. "And as for you, stay still! You suffered a heart attack, you need to rest if you want to get better!" She then leaned in close to Doctor Nako, who was on the other side of the bed and helping her fight to keep the de facto leader of Cocoyashi down. "He will get better, right?" she hissed beneath the cheers of the crowd outside.
"I'M FINE, I FEEL BETTER THAN I HAVE IN YEARS! NOW LET ME UP SO THAT I CAN CHEER PROPERLY! GO, LUFFY! BASH THAT BASTARD'S SKULL IN!"
"DO IT, BRAT, WIN!" Doctor Nako shouted out the door of his practice before scrabbling to strap down one of Genzo's limbs as he glared at the ex-soldier. "That's the pain medicine talking, Genzo, the only thing that will make you better is time!" He then leaned close to Nojiko. "Are you kidding? After having a heart attack at his age? He's lucky to be alive!" he whispered back.
"I'VE RESTED MORE THAN ENOUGH. WHAT I NEED IS TO BE ON MY FEET! NOW LET ME UP ALREADY! WHACK THAT WEED, STRAW HAT!"
"UPROOT IT AND SAVE MY SISTER, DAMN IT!" "Please, Genzo, we're only doing this because we care about you!" "Well, how bad is it then!?"
"End this nightmare, Luffy!" "Listen to Nojiko, Genzo, you shouldn't push yourself like this!" "WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO OPERATE!"
"HE'S PUSHING HIMSELF FOR NAMI, AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF I DO—WAIT, WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"…Whoops. Ah… hey, look, a fishman!"
"WHERE?!"
CRACK!
"Pretty colours…"
"…How often do you do that?"
"Almost every other week, and not all on him. Having a common phobia is useful! Now, back to business: KEEP GOING, STRAW HAT!"
-o-
"SAVE CAPTAIN USOPP! SAVE THE STRAW HAT PIRATES!" the Veggie Trio yelled, tears streaming down their faces from bloodshot eyes.
"FIGHT, LUFFY, FIGHT! WIN! YOU CAN DO IT!" Merry cheered, fans in hand.
"SAVE USOPP, LUFFY! SHOW THAT HE MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE IN FOLLOWING YOU!" Kaya screamed, fighting through her weakness.
And the entirety of Syrup Village shouted along with them.
-o-
Zeff was straining both of his legs as he sped through the restaurant, tirelessly filling the orders of the customers, preparing them, sending them to their tables, taking the payments and dishes, washing them, and repeating the process. Despite the sweat coursing down his face, so much so that his well-braided mustache was beginning to droop, he had no intention of doing it any other way except alone. And why was that, when they were in the middle of a massive rush despite the nauseous show they were listening to, and with no shortage of chefs?
"BEAT IT TO THE GROUND, STRAW HAT!" "POUND IT TO PIECES LIKE KRIEG'S ARMOR!" "PLUCK THAT THING'S PETALS!" "SAVE SANJI!"
Because the rest of his staff was busy cheering on the most incredible pirate he had seen since he retired. And considering the fact that he wanted nothing more than to do that cheering himself, he had little choice but to allow the rest of them to do it instead while he, the only one who was capable of keeping a level head through this, took care of the business.
"Win, Straw Hat, WIN!"
But that didn't stop him from hissing encouragements under his breath whenever he got a moment alone.
-o-
"SHOW WHAT THE WILL OF D. IS ALL ABOUT, STRAW HAT! SAVE YOUR CREW! SAVE MY SON!"
The humans watching paused briefly in their cheering to gape at Kureha, who had joined in after a few seconds of trembling silently, her expression ferocious and tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Doctor Kureha—" Dalton began in shock.
"FUCK MY VANITY, I'M PAST THE POINT OF CARING ABOUT DENYING IT!" Kureha roared. "MAKE THAT MONSTER PAY, STRAW HAT! DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON US NOW!"
Everyone else gaped for a moment more before they raised their own voices to the rose-colored heavens.
"GO, LUFFY!/GO, STRAW HAT!/YOU CAN DO IT!"
-o-
"GET THEM, STRAW HAT! YOU DEFEATED A WARLORD, DON'T LOSE TO AN OLD MAN AND A GLORIFIED WEED!" Cobra roared.
"SIRE, YOUR BLOOD PRESS—GAH!" Pell attempted to protest before wincing as Cobra rapped his official Royal Rod over his skull.
"DAMN MY BLOOD PRESSURE, MY LITTLE GIRL IS IN DANGER!"
"SIRE, THAT ROD IS AN ANCESTRAL HEIRLOOM DATING BACK TO—!" THWACK! "—YEOWCH!" Igaram cut himself off in favour of hopping around on his un-struck foot as he cursed up a storm.
"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I CARE HOW OLD THIS THING IS!? ALL I CARE ABOUT IS FENDING YOU JACKALS OFF SO THAT I CAN CHEER ON LUFFY! WIN, DAMN YOU, WIN!"
Kohza's eye twitched slightly as he peered around the doorway to the throne room. "And he is how old again?"
Chaka slapped a hand to his face with a groan as his commander in chief managed to nail his fellow Guardian with a well-placed gut shot. "On that fine, fine line that separates 'too old' and 'not old enough'." Nonetheless, he lowered his hand the following moment, a dark look on his face. "But quite frankly, I can hardly blame His Majesty under these circumstances. Straw Hat is making good on his promise to protect Vivi or die trying. And I hope beyond all hope that he's strong enough to make it through this." He then cocked an eyebrow at Kohza. "How come you're not panicking just as much as him, by the way?"
Kohza swallowed heavily as he redirected his gaze to the Transponder Snail with stoic silence, catching his best friend's whisper in the quiet pleas every time he strained his ears. "Because pleading acknowledges the possibility of defeat, which would mean that I'd have to accept that Vivi is gone…" His knuckles turned white as he gripped the doorframe. "And I just don't think that I'd be able to survive that."
-o-
"DON'T FALL TO SOMETHING LIKE THIS!" Wiper roared. "YOU'RE STRONGER THAN THAT, STRAW HAT, YOU CAN WIN!"
"SEND THAT DEVIL OF A PLANT BACK TO HELL WHERE IT BELONGS, LUFFY!" Gan Fall bellowed in agreement.
"COME ON, CAPTAIN! YOU CAN'T FALL, I HAVEN'T JOINED YET!" Aisa shouted at the top of her lungs.
"PIEEEEE! PIEEEEE!" Pierre screeched, regretting for the first time that he didn't have that embarrassing voice that the snail gave him anymore; he would give anything to voice his support.
"JULALALALA! JULALALALA!" Nola herself cried to the heavens, uncaring of whether she was understood or not. All she cared about was that she was losing her friends again, only this time she wasn't going to let it happen silently. This time… this time she would be heard.
CLAAAAAANG! CLAAAAAANG!
The rest of the inhabitants of the island worked tirelessly to ring the Fire of Shandora in support of Luffy, their cries of support singing out as much as the bell itself.
-o-
"DESTROY HIM, LUFFY!" Ace roared, sending up a pillar of flames that was almost biblical in scale.
"GIVE HIM HELL, STRAW HAT!" Squardo concurred, waving his sword in the air in agreement.
"ALL CANNONS, FIRE AT WILL!" Whitey bellowed at the Baby Transponder Snail she was holding, prompting her crew on her Tsarina to scramble to man the warship's copious armoury. "FILL THE AIR WITH AS MUCH NOISE AS YOU CAN! I DON'T CARE HOW FAR AWAY HE IS. WE ARE LETTING HIM KNOW WE ' RE RIGHT THERE WITH HIM!"
"AYE, CAPTAIN!" chorused the crew. And if it wasn't visible from Omatsuri Island, then enough people saw it that the world would soon know that certain followers of the strongest man in the world were supporting the rubber warrior.
-o-
"LUFFY, DON'T YOU DARE LOSE NOW!"
Every Revolutionary present in the Baltigo command center was staring at their Chief of Staff in stunned surprise as he practically throttled the nearest Transponder Snail. He had nearly blacked out upon seeing that many arrows had hit Luffy, though his scream beforehand was no small shock to everyone present.
Or rather, almost everyone.
"He's your younger brother, isn't he?" Dragon asked quietly.
Sabo's fingers cracked the snail's shell as he and the rest of the room looked at his leader. Slowly, he released the gastropod and forced his hands to his sides, his fingers digging into his palms and tears starting to fall down his face.
"And he hasn't changed a bit in the last ten years," Sabo confirmed. "He always does this, rushing into danger without even thinking. He never would have made it out of childhood if Ace and I hadn't been there."
"'Ace'?" Koala repeated numbly, her brain stalling as she tried to process what that meant. "Do you mean—!?"
"Better known nowadays as 'Fire-Fist' Ace of the Whitebeard Pirates," Sabo confirmed before snapping his attention back to the screen and gritting his teeth. "LUFFY, DON'T YOU DARE LOSE NOW! IF YOU DIE RIGHT AFTER I REMEMBER YOU, I'LL CRAWL INTO THE UNDERWORLD SO THAT I CAN KILL YOU AGAIN MYSELF!"
Dragon quietly turned away. And as soon as nobody could see his face, he allowed it to contort murderously.
'I know you won't lose, Luffy… but if you don't kill that monster for this, then I will.'
-o-
The entire island metropolis of Water 7 had fallen silent in response to the SBS broadcast, the horrors following the hope leaving every soul unable to speak, even as Straw Hat began stumbling. But at the moment the whispers of his crew began to come through…
"COME ON, STRAW HAT!"
The town suddenly jumped when Franky's voice boomed over the island like the voice of Poseidon.
It took Iceburg a second to get his wits back, but once he did, he stared up at the spout of water, blinking at the speck of a person he could see framed by the spout. "Huh… so he actually managed to get that water-based amplifier working. I just thought that was hot air."
Kalifa shakily readjusted her glasses. "Should I send some men to start dismantling it?"
"YOU MANAGED TO BEAT CROCODILE, AND YOU MANAGED TO BEAT GOD. ARE YOU REALLY GONNA LOSE TO A WEED!? BEAT THAT BASTARD, SHOW THE WORLD JUST HOW SUPER! YOU ARE!"
Iceburg was silent for a second before allowing himself a grim smirk. "Give him five minutes."
"SUPER!"
The mayor's eyes widened as he noticed a crack starting to trail up the glass of his windows. "Then tell them to do their worst."
-o-
"ANNIHILATE THAT EXCUSE FOR A FLOWER!" Marigold roared.
"CRUSH IT TO DUST, STRAW HAT!" Sandersonia screeched.
"LET THAT MONSTER FEEL THE PAIN IT INFLICTED, STRAW HAT LUFFY! SEND IT TO HELL!" Hancock screamed.
Even from the palace, the Gorgon Sisters' screams of support carried throughout the island. But it wasn't that strange that most of the Kujas failed to notice…
"GO, STRAW HAT!"/"WIN!"/"SAVE YOUR CREW!"/"KILL THAT MONSTER!"
Considering that they were no less vocal in their support. Even Elder Nyon was raising her voice for the first time in… basically forever. Yet, among a quieter minority closer to the snail, a small group of Amazons was on their knees, taking in every plea that they heard from the trapped group, a susurrus of support coming from their mouths. One of the warriors was particularly fervent at that.
"Quetzalcoatl, Apophis, Nagaraja, Set, Ouroboros, Asclepius. Great heavenly serpents, hear my pleas," Marguerite whispered, her head bowed and hands clasped in prayer. "I realize that our tribe has not worshipped any of you in countless generations, but nonetheless, I beg you: show this man your favour!" She shook her head desperately. "Whether or not most men are as evil as the Princess and her crew say, I know not, and at this moment I do not care. But this man… Luffy…" Tears slowly trailed from the Kuja's eyes in spite of her determination to hold them back. "Please, I beg of you… let him win… let him live."
The prayers continued in the same vein for a minute that took up an eternity, before all at once, they fell silent as the noises from the broadcast changed: Luffy wasn't moving anymore, but his quiet, pained breathing persisted, indicating that he was still alive in spite of it all, and the Baron's own breathing had accelerated dramatically. Then Daisy's voice came again.
"Yes, just like that! They're all with you, all the way!"
-o-
"Daisy, can you really hear their voices? Papa can't hear anything," Papa said, audible in the sudden absence of cheers.
"To tell you the truth, I heard everything you told Mister Reindeer, Mister Doggy, and Miss Fox behind that grave earlier this evening."
Papa gasped as Daisy continued. "My hearing is naturally adept. I can hear even the tiniest sound. But I pretended not to know. You're always trying so hard to keep us happy."
"…Daisy," Papa breathed, thunderstruck by his daughter's words.
"But I believe that you really are strong!"
A pause, and the snail's expression conveyed a single tear about to fall from a shocked face. But he blinked it away before it could leave his eye, his lip trembling for a moment. Then he smiled. "Of course," he said with more confidence than he had shown before. "Papa is strong!"
"Aww…" Tashigi crooned kindly.
"Is now really the time?" Smoker huffed with a cocked eyebrow.
"Forgive me for trying to find a speck of light and hope in all this darkness!" the ensign snapped at her superior, before promptly paling as she realized just what she'd said. "Ah, f-forgive me, sir?"
Meanwhile, over the connection, Soundbite seemed to be trying to out-cynical Smoker. "HEARTWARMING, truly! Now if only you'd do it later—!" There was suddenly a gurgling growl as the revived Transponder Snail's expression twisted into something monstrous. "WHEN YOU'RE NOT RISKING DRAWING THE DAMN MONSTER'S ATTENTION!?"
Smoker grimaced. "Damn it, that's not good."
Suddenly, without warning, the sound of running came across the broadcast, as well as one of the kids calling after their father.
"WHA—WHOA! Papa Tearoom grabbed the Baron's BOW AND ARROW! HE'S TAKING AIM!"
A sound of shaking, the arrow trembling against the bow, and then a gasp of shock and fear.
"FUCKING—! COME ON ALREADY, YOU CAME THAT FAR! FUCKING FINISH IT!"
The demonic plant's tinkling purr came across the connection, clearly setting its sights on Papa. And from the snail's expression, the older man was scared out of his wits.
"You can do it, Papa!" Daisy encouraged.
"Papa!" Rose and Rick agreed.
"Papa, shoot! Shoot!" Daisy urged.
"DO IT, OLD MAN, DO IT!"
"Come on, come on…" Tashigi pleaded as she clasped her hands desperately.
Papa cried out, a sound of equal parts desperation and determination. Then a snap as the arrow flew free. Whistling came across the connection for a few seconds…
And then the most graphic and grotesque sound they had heard for the last several years rang out. It was the clear sound of metal and wood piercing flesh, and guts spilling out of it, alongside the plant's weakening laughter. And it was music to their ears.
"AH! LILY! AH, LILYYYYY!" came the Baron's cry.
"YES!" Tashigi whooped as she threw her hands up victoriously. "HE DID IT!"
Smoker grinned viciously around his cigar. "Now they just need to finish the job."
"Y-Y-YES! YES YES FUCKING YES! PAPA TEAROOM DID IT! THE PLANT'S A PILE OF GUTS! AND—what the—I CAN HEAR EVERYTHING NOW—AND THE ARROWS ARE GONE! DISAPPEARED! LUFFY, DON'T FALL OVER YET!"
The disturbingly wonderful sound of plant guts and blood falling to the ground echoed out, followed by the Baron's voice.
"How could this happen to you?" he blubbered, sounding as though he was sifting through the guts. "But now, Muchigoro, my crew, my friends, they'll all…"
The sobbing subsided, and his voice became downright demented.
"Unforgivable… UNFORGIVABLE! I'LL—"
A loud splash drew everyone's attention. Omatsuri gasped in what sounded like horror. Then, with a scream of pure rage from Luffy, his fist connected with enough force to break the very air. The Baron's body was heard tumbling for several seconds before it finally subsided. A few more seconds of silence. And then…
"…He's dead," Soundbite said firmly. "The Baron. HE'S DEAD."
And just like that, the mood in the cabin swapped from joyous to utterly shocked.
"He… he actually did it? Luffy killed him?" Tashigi breathed.
Smoker was contemplatively silent for a moment before exhaling a cloud of smoke as he allowed himself to relax. "No… no, he didn't. Omatsuri died along with his crew. The only thing alive on that island was the plant. That… person was just another one of the ghosts it was keeping in existence."
Tashigi faced her superior with a neutral expression before exhaling. "…I'm not sure I would have been able to hold anything against Luffy for it even if he was alive," she admitted softly.
Smoker shook his head with a sigh. "You and everyone else in the world, Ensign." He gazed at the Transponder Snail hiccuping on the crate. "You and everyone else."
-o-
"How depressing," a sword-wielding old man said nonchalantly. "Such a useful pirate trap, not only dismantled but dismantled before it could remove one of our greatest thorns from our side in a permanent manner. What a waste."
"But possibly a waste we can salvage. We should see about recovering the parts remaining of that plant and sending it to Vegapunk," mused a relatively younger man whose hair yet remained blond. "If we could recreate the entity for ourselves, the benefits would be innumerable."
"Highly unlikely," sighed the tallest of the old men, whose beard and mustache were split into three different points. "I'm certain that Sengoku, sentimental fool that he is, has already issued the orders for a Buster Call on that island, and I have no doubts that he would disregard any orders to do otherwise." He grimaced and pinched the bridge of his nose as a familiar headache flared up in his skull. "At the least, Garp certainly would. And aside from that, if the earlier broadcast was any indication, it targeted pirates only for the sake of convenience. I have no doubt that the only reason it didn't consume Omatsuri was that he was a perfect pawn; as depressing as it is to lose such a convenient weapon, this would be a beast far too wild for us to hope to control properly."
The other four of the Elder Stars scowled but silently conceded the point nonetheless.
"Still, that being the case, perhaps we can use the fact that Straw Hat Luffy killed Omatsuri to our advantage," rumbled the one with a staff whose hair was styled in dreadlocks. "He hasn't killed before now, but now that he has, we can prove that he is no better than any of the other scum that roams the seas."
"That's equally doubtful," growled yet another, with birthmarks on his forehead, a large mustache on his face, and regret clear in his voice. "The world will no doubt sympathize with the surviving fool's plight, and rejoice in the demise of the man who had tortured him and so many others before him."
"Brief… the Baron…"
The five of them turned their attention back to the snail as Straw Hat's weakened voice rang out.
"He's gone now," Brief reassured him softly. "He'll never destroy another crew thanks to you."
"Hi… his crew…" he breathed. "Are… are they on… the island…?"
"What do you mean?" Brief asked in confusion.
"There's a large graveyard on this island," Papa spoke up. "That must be where the Baron buried his crew long ago."
Luffy inhaled several times before forcing out, "Please… bury him… with his crew…"
"STRAW HAT?!" Brief exclaimed.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Soundbite raged.
"After everything he's done? Why would you do such a thing?" Papa demanded.
"He… was alone in life. He… shouldn't be… alone in death. No one… deserves to be alone…" Luffy breathed.
A pause.
"Luffy…" Soundbite said in awe.
"Let… him be with his… crew."
Another pause.
"Mister Reindeer, Mister Doggy, and Miss Fox were right about you. You are a great man."
The atmosphere in the room was thunderous.
"Well, this is just perfect, isn't it?" the sword-wielder asked sarcastically.
The youngest of the five shook his head with a scowl. "Any chances of us turning the world against Dragon's son have just become nil. Perfect."
The mustachio's scowl matched his compatriot line for line. "I so very hate D.S…"
-o-
"Before I take his body…Soundbite? I think I remember you saying that your broadcast reaches the entire world, right?"
"Yeah?"
"May I…?"
"Take the speaker. SAY WHATEVER YOU WANT."
A short pause followed by the sound of fumbling with the microphone. And then…
"…People of the world. My name is Brief, Captain and sole member of the Toothbrush Mustache Pirates, and until today, unwilling inhabitant of Omatsuri Island. I had never thought it possible that I would be able to do this, but with the opportunity presented me now, I intend to share the truth of what this island truly was, utilizing what I have learned over my years as a prisoner here… and the final pieces I've put together today.
"Twenty-four years ago, a powerful pirate crew known as the Red Arrow Pirates was caught in a horrible storm. Their ship wrecked on this island, and the only survivor was Baron Omatsuri, the captain. On this island… he met a demonic, sentient plant known as the Lily Carnation, the flower of death and rebirth. The Lily attached to him in a form of symbiosis and used his memories to create golems of his former crew in exchange for food. Baron Omatsuri trapped himself in an illusion with his crew still alive and set up this entire island as a masquerade to lure crews to. The plants, the landscapes, the staff, the Baron's arrows… pure illusions, created by the Lily.
"He sent out the sole Eternal Pose for the island time and again. Each time, a new group of pirates came and were tested by his Ordeals. At the same time, their bonds and minds were poisoned by the Lily, its influence present throughout the entire island. And after they were broken, they were swallowed alive and digested. This is the fate that befell my crew; the Baron made me watch it, and he spared not one of them despite my pleas. Unable to escape, I made my home in the underground of the island, safe from the Baron. Over the years, I watched many crews come to the island and fall prey to the Lily, despite my efforts to save them. The only group of pirates to escape was the Tearoom Pirates."
A new voice took his place.
"I am… well, call me Papa. I am the captain of the Tearoom Pirates… and I confess that I was a coward until today. We escaped the Goldfish Catching game and went into hiding on the island when we could not escape. My crewmates, my children, gave me the strength that I needed to be strong today, and with their help, along with the help of the Straw Hat Pirates, I slayed the Lily Carnation."
Brief spoke again.
"Monkey D. Luffy of the Straw Hat Pirates is the only man ever to face everything that the Baron could throw at him and triumph. We played only a small part in his victory. Crucial, I confess… but small. He now lies here, exhausted and greatly injured, but having succeeded in saving his crew. All of them are still alive. He has triumphed, and no more crews will ever fall victim to this most horrible of fates. Yet, I ask that for those of you who listen, for all of the men and women who came to this island only to be broken and killed more cruelly than imaginable… may they rest in peace now that they have been avenged."
Sengoku frowned before slowly reaching for the snail.
"What are you doing?" Garp asked quietly.
"A number of things that I never would have expected to do in my life," Sengoku replied, dialling a specific number. A moment later, the snail on the other end picked up.
"Who's calling?" Soundbite mumbled, his usually perky and energetic voice subdued and weary.
"This is Sengoku, Fleet Admiral of the Navy."
Dead silence fell on both ends.
"By my authority as head of the Marines, I hereby grant complete amnesty to all remaining members of the Toothbrush Mustache Pirates and the Tearoom Pirates for any crimes committed to this date, for their role in ridding our world of a great evil. And to Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates…" He paused as he gathered his thoughts and prepared himself for what he was about to say. "While outright amnesty is, unfortunately, more than I can grant to a crew that has caused as much of a stir as yours, I would be willing to offer you the position of Warlord that has been vacant since Crocodile's dismissal. The Five Elder Stars would doubtless be furious at me offering the position to a D., of all people, but considering what you have done, I would, regardless, be willing… were it not for the fact that I'm certain that you have no interest in the position."
The image of Monkey D. Luffy smiled and let out a weak chuckle. "No way. I already told Whitebeard, the Pirate King can't have a boss."
"That's what I thought," Sengoku stated, a ghost of a smile on his face. "I'm sending a fleet to find that island and ensure that any lingering traces of that monster are obliterated, so I suggest that you leave as soon as you and your crew have recovered. Consider this warning my thanks."
Sengoku made to hang up the snail, but Garp reached out to take the speaker. The Fleet Admiral allowed him to take it, and he spoke.
"Luffy… it's Gramps," he said quietly, tears streaming down his face. "I saw and heard everything. You fought incredibly. I… I'm proud of you, and I'm so glad that you're still alive."
"Heh… thanks, Gramps. Me too. So, does this mean you're alright with me being Pirate King?"
"Tch… cheeky brat," Garp chuckled weakly. "We'll talk about that when I'm not too happy to think straight. Expect me to pay you a visit as soon as I'm done making sure that monster never comes back."
With that, he hung up the snail.
-o-
The six officers of Navarone remained silent as the sounds of the SBS slowly diminished, none on Omatsuri Island able to spare the thought that the broadcast was still going on, but nothing came through now apart from a welcome silence.
Finally, the red-haired man broke the silence, turning to his wife. "I believe that we've received all the indication we need, Jessica. Do you agree?"
The head chef of the base gazed at the fitfully sleeping Transponder Snail in the room for a moment before giving her husband a firm look. "Personally, Jonathan? Considering what we had to do to get to this point, I was ready to agree the moment I saw the proposition." She smirked wryly. "I'm glad some of your fisherman's patience has rubbed off on me over the years, because there's never going to be a better opportunity to change things than this."
Drake shot confused looks between the top two of G-8 in nervous confusion. "Ah… Excuse me, Commander, Chef Jessica, but… what are you talking about?" he asked in concern.
The married couple exchanged glances before focusing on the lieutenant commander. "Tell me, Drake: do you know the difference between a good Marine and a decent Marine?" Jessica asked.
Drake blinked, looking puzzled. "Uh… the difference in how well they do their jobs?"
"To an extent, that's true..." Jonathan nodded slightly as he conceded the point. "But... tell me, if I were to define it for you as such…" He opened a drawer in his desk, withdrawing the letter he had received from Cross and reading the significant section out loud. "'A good Marine follows his orders to the letter and sacrifices everything for the sake of Justice, while a decent Marine sacrifices everything for the sake of all… even Justice, if it comes down to it.'" He gave his officers a significant look. "If I were to define it like that… which would you want to be?"
The officers glanced at one another as they tried to think things over for a bit before ultimately snapping to attention. Drake, in particular, looked Jonathan dead in the eye as he folded his arms. "Obviously, I'd choose to be decent when you put it that way. Anyone in Navarone would say the same."
"Ourselves included," Cormac nodded, Holger and Henrick nodding in agreement as well.
"Then let me ask you something else: are you willing to prove it, even if it means risking your life at the hands of the ones you serve?" Jonathan asked, getting to his feet and staring his officers in the eyes one by one, his expression dead serious. "I've been asking myself that question ever since the Straw Hat Pirates left this base, and at this point, I've found my answer. Akainu alone is proof that the Navy isn't everything it should be; I tricked him into believing that I supported his brand of Justice, and that's the only reason I'm still alive. I'm going to see what I can do to put a stop to it. The question is… Drake, Cormac, Henrick, Holger, are you all with me?"
The four of them stood there, staring slack-jawed at their commanding officer. It was a testament to the men's loyalty, however, that it was only a few seconds before they snapped into salutes.
"I will follow the Justice that you see fit to follow, Vice Admiral Jonathan," Drake stated firmly.
"Sir!" the other three officers chorused as they snapped into uniform salutes.
"Good. Then let's find out what this is all about," Jessica said, dialling the number on Cross's letter into the Transponder Snail. A few rings later…
"Pisces," stated a female voice.
"Who am I speaking to?" Jonathan asked, ignoring the oddity of what she said.
"…Password?"
Jonathan blinked and glanced back at the note, only for Terry and Isaiah to earn his attention with their cries. The pair of them hastily wrote out a note, which Jonathan read out loud. "Um… Old Spice?"
The snail let out a sigh of relief before answering. "Correct. Vice Admiral Jonathan of Marine Branch G-8 on the island of Navarone?"
"Speaking. Also present are my officers, Lieutenant Commander Drake, Lieutenant Cormac, Ensign Henrick, and Chief Petty Officer Holger, and my wife, Navarone's head chef, Jessica."
"And what do you consider yourselves to be?"
"We are decent Marines, ma'am," Drake stated firmly, the other three echoing him.
"As he said," Jonathan stated. The snail smiled.
"You have no idea how happy and relieved I am to hear that," it sighed in relief, but then grimaced. "On the other hand, Cross is never going to let us hear the end of this one…"
A sterner expression came across the snail's face.
"It's a small price to pay for something like this, Tashigi. Vice Admiral Jonathan. I am Commodore Smoker, codename Cancer, one of the co-founders of the organization MI4…"
-o-
On a certain island in an ocean that most would consider to be the end of the world, a certain pirate crew was morosely sitting around. The SBS broadcast hadn't ended, but little but silence had come after the two amnestied pirate captains left to bury the Baron, to the point that their snail had fallen asleep, both to their and its great relief. None of the humans, though, had been able to fall asleep that night, still worried about the Straw Hat Pirates' fate; dead though the monsters were, Luffy was still heavily injured, and the rest of the crew had been in the midst of digestion. And so they were left to wait until dawn crept over the horizon.
"Aaaah…" the snail suddenly yawned, snapping all attention back to it as it slowly woke up and spoke in a voice that the world had feared (and hoped) was silenced. "Damn, that was a nice nap! I haven't slept so well in a while!"
"Tell me about it, Cross, I didn't think that the Merry could be… so… wait a second…" Nami's voice trailed off in confusion, rising in shock. "This isn't the Merry! Where are we!? And what the hell am I wearing anyway!?"
"You!? What about me!?" Vivi demanded. "I look like a porcelain doll, and—! And… Carue, why are you sniffing me?"
"Because fo' sahm weason, you smeww wike wiwacs and wivah weeds."
"Wait, what!? Desert Goddess Number 12!? I swore that I'd only ever wear this concoction on my deathbed, and even then they'd have to fight my undead corpse to get it on me!"
"Well, I, for one, think that it smells delightful on you, my dear princess~!" Sanji cried jubilantly.
"Maybe that's exactly why she doesn't want to wear it, shit-cook."
"REPEAT THAT, MOSS-FOR-BRAINS!"
"Rise and shine, boys, we've slept long enough! WAKE UP!" Boss barked, followed by four splashes in swift succession. "'Scuse me, I gotta go and teach these dipshits the penalties of sleeping in. Be right back!" And just like that, there was yet another splash.
"Will you guys please calm down already!? You're giving me a headache, my head's pounding for some reason!" Usopp pleaded desperately. "Also, has anyone seen my goggles!? I can't find them anywhere!"
"Mister Reindeer!" Daisy cried happily.
"Wha—AH!" came Chopper's voice, the sound of a young girl slamming into his furry body coming across the connection. "Uh, w-who are you and why are you hugging me?"
"I'm right there with you, Chopper," Su said, halfway between groaning and purring. "Conis seems really huggy right now!"
"I don't know why, I'm just so-o-oooo happy to see you-u-u…" Conis sobbed joyously.
"Ah… not to lay it in there…" Lassoo spoke up hesitantly. "But, ah, I feel a few quarts low. As in 'I feel like I laid down enough fire for a commando unit' low!"
"I don't mean to alarm anyone…" the mystery crewmate cut in. "But does anyone quite remember what occurred… last night, judging by the sun's position? Because for my part, I find myself sporting a frankly disturbing gap in my memories."
"Eh? Tsk, of course I remember, woman!" Zoro scoffed. "Last night, we… ah… we…" He slowly trailed off in realization. "Wow, I must have really gotten into some good shit last night."
"Now you see exactly why I don't drink! Besides my opinion that all alcohol tastes like piss to me, anyway."
"… You don't remember anything either, do you, Cross?" Nami blandly accused.
"Ah, ah, ah… SOUNDBITE!" the tactician yelped swiftly. "Soundbite sure as hell doesn't drink, and he hasn't said anything yet! Plus, if it's enemy action, with any luck, they'd have overlooked him so long as he was smart enough to clam up. Fat chance, I know, but hey, a guy can dream! So, what do you say, Soundbite? Anything you want… to… uh… are you alri—?"
"BWAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"GAH! WHAT THE HELL, SOUNDBITE!?"
"I-I'M SOOORRYYY!" Soundbite sobbed miserably, clearly a mess of tears and snot. "I-I-I'M JUST SO HAPPY Y-YOU'RE all aliiiive! E-ESPECIALLY AFTER WHAT HAPPENED TO Luffy..."
"Eh? Luffy?" Nami blinked in confusion. "What are you—Hey, wait, where is Luffy? Why hasn't he said anything?"
"Oh, I see him, he's over there! I'll go and wake him up!" Usopp offered. "Hey, Luffy, do you remember—? Eh? Luffy? Why are you covered… in… AGH! GUYS, LUFFY'S HURT ALL OVER, IT'S BAD!"
"WHAT!?" the crew chorused in shock.
"HELP, WE NEED A DOCTOR!" Chopper started to sob before transitioning to a roar.
"CRAZY OR SANE, EITHER WORKS, JUST GET TO WORK, CHOPPER!" Sanji ordered.
"AGREED! BEGINNING THE OPERATION!"
"Ah, Cross?" Conis interjected nervously. "Maybe you should hang up the SBS. I doubt your viewers would enjoy listening to more, well…"
"Eh? Hang up the—!? Wait, how long has this thing been on!?"
"With any luck? Maybe all night," Lassoo suggested. "Why don't you try asking the world? Maybe someone was willing to stay up long enough to tell us what the heck happened?"
"Yeah, that works. Alright, let's see... uh, hello, viewers. So, ah, Soundbite's bawling his eyes out, Luffy looks worse than after his fight with Foxy, and I would say that I feel like I've gone through a keg party, save that I don't have the headache to go with it… not to mention the fact that I never drink alcohol if I can help it in case of this exact scenario! Nobody seems to remember what happened last night, but it looks like the SBS has been running for a while… could anyone maybe call in and fill in the blanks for us?"
The captain reached for the device, dialled the number, and tapped his fingers against the receiver.
"Anonymous? Well, as long as someone can tell us… uh, anything, I guess. Alright, I think Soundbite's got the wherewithal needed to blur you, so go ahead and speak. Is there anything we can call you?" Cross asked.
"Let's just say I'm a friend," said Red-Haired Shanks, tears still falling from sheer joy and relief. "I… I suggest that you all settle in. This… this is quite the story."
And so it was.