While Luffy and Reiju were reconnecting, Kinderella was showing the other girls around the castle. The Straw Hats were all shocked to find the central chamber of the castle was blanketed with snow and buffeted by the harsh winds. The ex-fiancée was about to shut the door only to spot the bird's nest perched on top of the front door. Nobody blamed her when she kept it open.
They were also shocked when they first met Chopper as he was off in one of the many small laboratories set up in the castle's halls. The reindeer was much more relaxed meeting them and was now excitedly showing off his medical books and experiments.
"Well, I'm one step closer to experiencin' everything," Desire sighed, "A talking reindeer doctor."
"Hush," Moodie said, "You'd know better than anyone all the strange things that pirates and crooks get involved in."
"Oh yeah, you guys ARE pirates!" Chopper blurted in the middle of his babbling, "What's your ship like? What adventures have you had? How'd you beat up that jerk Wapol?!"
"Like he was an oversized kickball!" Kinderella cackled, "Bastard's whole army got mopped across the floor in five seconds flat!"
The young doctor could only giggle sadistically, enough to make the ladies all wonder if Chopper had something personal against the king. The only real question the women now had was how Chopper's Devil Fruit worked.
"Oh, I was actually a normal reindeer! Then one day I ate the Human-Human Fruit, which let me walk on two legs and talk!"
"Not bad, kid. And if you're treating Reiju okay, then that's alright with me. By the way, you got a Transponder Snail anywhere? We need to let the rest of the crew know about Reiju."
"Oh, sure! It should be around here somewhere…" The reindeer then led them through more rooms, including the expansive kitchen and multiple bathrooms, until they found one sitting on a table. Moodie dialed in the number to Dalton's snail only to receive nothing but a dial-up tone.
"Huh, nobody picked up…"
"That's… Not promising," Desire groused, "They're supposed to be waiting for us. And speaking of which, why haven't we gotten a call? Dalton had Kureha's number so we oughta have heard something."
The sound of a door creaking open cut them off. The doctor herself walked in, muttering something about "that damn brat" before taking another swing of her plum wine.
"Alright, long story short, Reiju will be fine. Thanks to the antidote I gave her, the poison's progression has stopped. Give her about a day of bedrest and the proper nutrition and she'll be right as rain."
The Straw Hats breathed a collective sigh of relief, even as Kureha mentioned she would discuss her fee with Nami afterwards. Moodie and Desire looked at each other and gulped. They honestly weren't sure which one was scarier when it came to money.
A little bit later, Luffy was bundled up in his borrowed winter coat outside. Now that his crewmate was on the road to recovery, he was taking the time to appreciate the view. The Drum Rockies made Mount Corvo look like an anthill in comparison, and he was amazed that he could see the perimeter of the entire island beneath him.
That all changed when his Observation Haki rang out and he could sense it. Someone running up the cable car line leading back to the ground, and coming up fast. He walked over to the parked gondola and watched from inside it as a silhouette came into view. A woman in red was sprinting on the cable, with some kind of fabric harness keeping her secure.
He then ducked just in time as a knife of some sort shot through where his face just was, watching in shock as the woman who threw it flew above him seconds later. She lowered her sunglasses to wink at him before flying through the cable car's windows and landing on the mountaintop.
"My, my, Mr. Monkey D. Luffy, you're a very difficult man to find," she said, taking off her shades to reveal a pair of piercing green eyes staring at him, "You do have good taste in scenery, though."
"Thanks. Who are you and why'd you just try to kill me?"
The woman just chuckled. "Well, let's see… Wanted for 75 million beris, interfering with World Government-affiliated royalty, possible kidnapping charges… You're a bona-fide criminal, Luffy. You tell me."
The pirate just scowled. He figured it was only a matter of time before the Marines sent somebody higher up the food chain after him.
"Alright, so you wanna arrest me. But you do know who you're serving, right? That Wapol's way worse than I'll ever be."
"If you have a formal complaint, file a form like everyone else. As a member of Cipher Pol 3, my duty is to stop any immediate threats to the leader of a sanctioned nation when summoned. I may not like the man myself, but I'm only doing my job."
"Tch…" Luffy just scoffed. He had seen firsthand where that "I'm just doing my job" mentality led. His grandfather used it at every turn when it came to the less than savory aspect of his job.
The two rivals stood and stared at each other, the only noise being the howling wind all around them. Then, at once, they launched at each other.
"Shave!"
Luffy and Belle were locking hands in a second, the only sign they moved being the footprints in the snow and the sonic boom that launched around them. Belle blinked at seeing someone other than her and her men perform one of the Six Powers but she didn't have time to ask further. Luffy's foot swept at her ankles, forcing the CP agent to throw her arms up and jump out of the way.
"Silk Crochet: Heavyweight!" Belle's hands disappeared into strands of her signature fabric, wrapping around themselves multiple times to form large cream-colored boxing gloves.
"Heard you're a beast with just your fists!" she cajoled, "Care to prove it?"
Luffy just rolled his eyes but complied. He readied a Gum-Gum Pistol and aimed right at her face, but Belle swerved like an expert boxer and soon landed a right hook to the rubber-man's face.
Then her smile faltered when Luffy turned his head, like her fist wasn't there. He glared at her, hard enough to make her realize that she now had his full attention. His own punch soon slammed into her gut, sending Belle rolling through the snow until she crashed into the castle's outer wall.
"What's going on?!" Chopper yelled as he rushed outside, the rest of the Straw Hats sans Reiju along with him.
"It's a Cipher Pol agent here to capture me. Where's the doctor?"
"Tending to her patient," Moodie answered, "And that means she doesn't need any distractions from the likes of you."
Belle just chuckled as she stood up, spitting out a glob of blood before turning to see Kinderella glaring at her.
"I should've known Wapol would be enough of a fucking coward to call for someone. Didn't think he'd actually go for the professionals."
"Well, Miss, you can be pissy with your fiancé on your own time. All I'm here to do is make sure nothing bad happens to your king and-"
"WHAT?!" Chopper screeched, "You want to help Wapol?! Are you kidding?! WE should be the ones getting help! He's ruined our lives!"
If Belle was shocked by a walking, talking reindeer, she didn't show it. She just raised her arm, about to make another silken barricade, when she had to duck a rubbery fist from clocking her again.
"You can fight me all you want, but don't raise a hand against my friends. Hurt them, and you're gonna regret it."
"Heh, I was told you fancy yourself a man of valor. Very well then, 'Captain', let's see just what your crew is like…"
As Shiro ran through the snow-blanketed woods, miles outside of Cocoa Weed, he had to admit it. These Straw Hats were something special. Cipher Pol 3 were the highest level called on for private security matters by World Government nations. CP1 dealt with minor incursions, often just investigating civil disputes and disobedience. CP2 were for busting any local drug trade or underground insurrection group. But an all-out attack on a ruler, or anything urgent like a hostage situation? That was where they came in.
And as far as these ladies went, Shiro admitted it was only thanks to his keen Observation Haki that he still had a beat on them. They immediately split up and their footprints were being filled in by the falling snow.
Then, just as he was about to leap up for a better view, an echoing bang drew all his attention. Several more followed and the agent had to place a hand on his hat as he leapt, cartwheeled and weaved around several bullets… That seemed to turn corners and come back at him.
"Son of a-!" he grumbled after one close call too many calls, jumping out of range and then using Moonwalk to push himself above the canopy of pine needles.
He then looked to see Makino and Carmen soaring up to get him, both glaring as the latter shifted into her full-peacock form. He was shocked once again to see them both leap off the air, clearly using Moonwalk.
Both ladies soon fell through the air, kicking and striking at Shiro. As they hit the peak of their jump, Makino went in with a barrage of blows with each capped off with a burst of shotgun fire. The agent took a bad hit to the arm, forced to put some space between him and his quarry. His ended up barely landing on a tree branch.
"Okay, stay away from the one with green hair…" he muttered as he hastily wrapped his left arm in gauze, "Trying a punch a walking shotgun, not my best idea!"
He only got a brief reprieve as soon a storm of gem flechettes forced him to jump or become a pincushion. He launched several Tempest Kicks in the direction, making Kaya do the same. As soon as he saw the blonde touch down, he rushed in even as she summoned more glimmering shots.
"NOW!"
Shiro turned to the left just too late to see a massive rush of pink syrup sweep him off his feet. He just make out Honey Queen's smirking face in the miniature flood. He was only saved from drowning in sugary liquid by smashing face-first into a tree. As he coughed and sputtered, a resounding bang made him turn and see a .38 caliber bullet lodge into the tree trunk an inch from the tip of his nose.
"Now then, let's try to be a bit more diplomatic," Ban crooned, holding up her revolver, "Because it's pretty obvious by now you're no match for all five of us."
Shiro just rolled his eyes as he shuffled himself up to a seated position, leaning back against the tree. "Well, this is going to make the boss unhappy…"
"And what boss would that be?" Makino asked, keeping her foot on his outstretched leg. Just a little insurance that he wouldn't try anything if he didn't want that limb blown off.
"The World Government, who else could it be?"
The Straw Hats exchanged a moment of relief. They assumed he was an assassin sent by Crocodile. "Alright then. You're clearly no rank and file Marine. Let me guess… Cipher Pol?"
"Hehe, well done, your once-royal majesty. Yes, Shiro of Cipher Pol 3, as requested to assist one King Wapol of Drum. Something about your captain kidnapping his bride and causing havoc."
"Sir, by all accounts Wapol is the real villain here," Carmen argued, "He's rounded up and executed all the island's doctors, then held the rest as his own private medical staff so the populace has to beg him for medical attention."
"Look, we all know Wapol is a douchebag, but that's not my prerogative. We protect the leaders of affiliated nations, we go home and get a nice performance bonus. That's the long and short of it, so let's skip the morality chat and tell me your terms."
The ladies all looked at each other, Ban just shrugging. "We don't have any terms, sir."
That made Shiro blink. "Wait, what? You're not going to hold me hostage?"
"Um, no?" Kaya blinked, "No offense, but you don't really have anything we want."
"Then why the hell did just run for like five miles out in the forest if you could've beat me town?"
"Well, after trashing that inn, we figured it would be best to avoid collateral damage," Honey Queen said simply, "Although I ought to pay you back for almost killing me…"
He closed his eyes and braced himself. If these girls knew Six Powers, then there was nothing stopping her from giving him a Finger Gun straight to the heart. Any second her digit would plunge into his chest, ending him in seconds…
…Before his eyes flew open, squealing in pain as Honey Queen's heeled foot slammed down right between his legs. The other Straw Hats all winced in pain, even as Shiro slumped to the side.
"There! Now I'd say we're even."
"Point taken…" the agent squeaked, "Have a nice day…"
"Well, this could have gone better…" Makino sighed, "Come on, let's head back to the others in Bighorn. I just hope somebody found Kureha by now."
As the girls rushed back to Cocoa Weed so they didn't get lost among the evergreens, Shiro was grateful for the cold snow providing some small comfort to his manhood. It wouldn't help how humiliated he would be when this got back to Belle.
"Please tell me the others are doing better…"
As the people of Gyasta cowered in their homes, all three copies of Wick scoured the streets for Kuina's section of the crew. His Observation Haki might have been able to track one of them down easily, but five meant he had to split his focus even with his Devil Fruit.
He had to admit, these really were no riffraff. Everyone at Marineford knew Wapol was a cowardly, sniveling prat who would be nothing without his royal status. But alas, his island provided funds and was (as far as his higher-ups were concerned) leading the foremost source of medical research in the world.
When Wick arrived, he expected a bunch of pirates drunkenly attacking everyone and everything in sight while the captain was doing unspeakable things to the soon-to-be queen that would be round up without too much issue. Instead, not only did they split up, but they were proving annoyingly hard to pin down.
He then swatted away a bee, at least the third one he'd seen so far… And paused. What was a bee doing on a freezing cold island with no flowers?
He turned and fired an air bullet just in time to stop Kuina who was leaping at him, sword poised to decapitate him. He fired at her feet, forcing her to dance backwards until she jumped off the roof, and then sprinted down the alley. His gun was trained on her until a shadow cast over his eyes.
Wick looked up just to see Mikita crashing towards him. He fired up several shots but the air bullets plucked against her skin and shoes. Rather than smashing through the rooftop, she came to a stop and nearly smacked him with her parasol. Now it was her turn to use Paper Arts as she dodged and weaved around his shots long enough for Kuina to impale him through the stomach.
"Ghrk… Damn… Never gets easier…" Wick said before poofing into smoke. The two figured he had to have some sort of Devil Fruit to make copies of himself, but they never imagined one would just pop like a balloon.
Elsewhere, Sally was commanding a hail of bees to wall the other copy of Wick in while Alvida got up close and personal. Since the bullets didn't slide off her since they had no physical mass, they stung her bones hard enough to make her wince.
"Figures, the one gun that doesn't use bullets…" she grumbled before swinging her mace in a wide arc, forcing the agent to duck. He readied one gun at her knee only for a swarm to suddenly rush at him. While his air bullets blew up several dozen insects, dozens more were still buzzing about. Rather than panic, Wick leapt as high as he could to escape the bees.
"There you are!"
The agent turned just in time to see Carina flying up on and sending a sonic clap so loud that it sent the clone soaring out of town and all the way to the island's coast before poofing out of existence.
Once the volume-woman touched down, the Straw Hats gathered on the empty street. "Okay, so that takes care of one. Any others?"
"I stuck it to one, and since it wasn't a bloody mess that must have been a copy," Kuina reported, "So, where's the real one?"
"DUCK!" Mikita shouted, just in time as more air shots fired over them. They all turned to see Wick, both air-guns trained on them.
"Alright, you ladies have some explaining to do. That copy of mine saw a wrecked pirate ship at the coast right before he popped. When did you all call for backup?"
"Huh? We don't have any backup!" Alvida yelled, "And how did you see something your clone saw?"
"My Triple-Triple Fruit lets me make two identical copies. They retain everything from my equipment to my memories. And once they expire, I get all their memories. Makes it perfect for reconnaissance. So, I'll ask again, who did you call for backup?"
The girls all scratched their brains, especially as they saw Wick make two more copies. They'd be stuck in this cat-and-mouse game all day at this rate. That was when Sally had an idea.
"Describe what this ship looked like. Or did you catch what the jolly roger was?"
"A circular-shaped vessel with an unusually armored hull. The jolly roger had the same metal plates around a very wide mouth. Sound familiar?"
The girls all rolled their eyes. Of course, that bastard wouldn't know when to quit. Sally, however, then had an idea that made her smile like a cat that caught the canary.
"Why, good sir, we know the owner of that ship but it's no friend of ours. In fact, it happens to belong to King Wapol of Drum."
For the first time, the agents calm demeanor cracked. "That's preposterous! A royal pretending to be a pirate, that's nonsense! You all better be honest or I'm adding slander to your rep sheet."
The former queen just tittered, like this was all a funny misunderstanding. "Well, sir, if you don't believe us, then why not cross-reference the jolly roger with your superiors? As a Cipher Pol agent, I'm sure you have the means to contact the Marines at a moment's notice."
"Hmmmm… Fine. But pull anything funny, and more copies here will up the air-pressure on these guns to maximum."
The five all watched as the duo of fakes hopped down from the roof, firearms trained on them the whole time while the original pulled out a portable Transponder Snail and dialed his handlers.
A few minutes later, though, the agent went slack jawed. His clones immediately vanished as he shouted into the receiver, "WHAAAAAT?! The Tin Tyrant Pirates?! They've been raiding ships for months!"
"Affirmative. The description you gave matches their jolly-roger to a tee. They mostly still provisions from passing ships and then sink the boats afterwards. And you're telling me that King Wapol himself is apparently the captain of this vessel?"
"Based off of outside information, yes. However, I'll need to run recon to confirm this. This could potentially mean Wapol has violated the ISAP."
"Permission to deviate from mission granted. Find information that confirms Wapol's link to this pirate crew. Over and out."
Wick then hung up, turning to see that the Straw Hats bolted as soon as his clones were gone.
"Well, so much for getting the Queen of Goa back. Oh well, a World Government ruler becoming a criminal is far more important. And knowing Belle, she's too caught up fighting Luffy to notice anything…"
High atop the Drum Rockies, the Straw Hats ended up getting some unlikely assistance from Chopper/ The human-reindeer proved to be a decent fistfighter once he shifted into his "human" form, changing from a tiny fluffy biped to a hulking seven-foot-tall goliath complete with proper hands he curled into fists.
Now Belle stood with him and Luffy on one side while Moodie and Desire leveled a pair of guns and a baseball bat that was lying around. To many, four on one would be a terrifying prospect.
Belle's lipstick-coated smile made it clear she was waiting for a moment like this.
"Silk Crochet: Reaper!"
From the bands of silk that formed out of her arms came a massive four-foot long scythe, the fabric around the blade thin and gleaming like a razor. She spun the new weapon so fast that it blurred into a beige sawblade that she threw fast enough that it was only Desire's barrier that saved Moodie from being sliced in half.
Luffy rushed in with a roar, enraged as Belle summoned a second scythe. She swung and cleaved, the weapon's reach forcing Luffy back. He lashed out with Haki-fueled punches and kicks that made her arms shake with every hit of her blade, until he caught the tip in an Iron Body aided grip and ripped away.
"Gum-Gum Bazooka!"
Belle had to bend backwards, limbo-style, to dodge the double-handed attack only to spin aside as Moodie opened fire. As soon as the bullets stopped, Desire charged and tried to brain her with her wooden plank. A Finger Gun to the wrist stopped her before a blow to the solar plexus knocked her out. Moodie was about to fire again when a pair of Tempest Kicks sent her flying into the snow.
She then turned to Chopper, only to find him back in his smaller form.
"Weak Point – Identified!" he boasted before suddenly morphing into his full reindeer form. Belle leapt into the air only for Chopper's legs to swell before he swung with a kick to her ribs that made her gasp for air.
"Wh-What the hell?! How'd he know I had a bruise from my last mission?!" she panicked before Choppers forehooves now doubled in size before spiking her back to the ground like a red-colored volleyball.
As Belle abandoned her cracked sunglasses, she squinted through the snow to see Luffy's foot about to come down on her head. The agent threw herself backwards to safety only to find herself teetering on the edge of the mountain.
"Heh, not bad… No wonder they say no one under Captain should go after you," she chuckled, "Though I gotta wonder, why snatch up Kinderella?"
"Because she was miserable with Wapol. Are you really going to force a woman into a terrible marriage with a bastard like him?" Luffy scowled, the rest of his crew just as angry.
"Look, I was given very simple orders. Capture you and your crew, ship the royals back to their homes and everyone else to the nearest cell. If I start questioning every little thing, then nothing gets done."
"So that means she deserves to suffer?!" Chopper yelled, "If someone is hanging on the edge of a cliff, would you not save them just because of your damn orders?!"
"Kid, I'm not heartless. If she wants a divorce, then the World Government has rules for that."
"One, they're not married yet so she's technically free to do whatever she wants," Moodie pointed out, "And two, funny how few messy couples you hear about in the papers. Probably because they don't want to look anything less than perfect."
"Tch, you may have a point, but there's one thing you oughta remember…" Belle smirked as her entire body suddenly unraveled until only a single line of silk was left and zipped away. Everyone turned to see the agent now standing in the front door to the castle, with Kinderella bundled up like a mummy in her left arm. Her right hand formed a knife aimed at the future queen's throat. "…I'm a Cipher Pol. I spar with Vice Admirals for fun."
"Silk Crochet: Marionette," she boasted, "If that were really me, then you might've gotten lucky. Kudos to the reindeer for finding out where my one injury was."
Chopper grumbled. He reached under his hat and pulled out another golden ball, one he had eaten just before the fight started. According to him, they altered his unique Zoan-enhanced physiology to let him freely shift between multiple forms that could enhance his perception or boost his attack or defense.
"Now, let me try this again," she said smoothly, "You can either come with me peacefully or Wapol's bride to be is going to pay for it."
"The fuck?! So we're shitty for getting her out of a bad marriage, but you're gonna shank her?!" Desire exploded, "Who's the psycho now, you cunt?!"
"Nothing bad will happen as long as you come quietly! My associates oughta be hauling your friends in right about now, so why don't you all save me the trouble of AAAAAAH!"
Kinderella's bindings suddenly became undone as Belle stumbled, turning around to reveal several scalpels embedded in her back.
"Aw, don't be such a pansy!" Doctor Kureha yelled from the corridor behind her, "I made sure to avoid any vitals!"
"You… you do realize you're interfering with World Government business, right? I have every authorization to use lethal force against anyone assisting criminals like this."
"All that matters to me is you rummaged through my home, disturbed my patient, and now you're saying you support that tubby piece of shit that ruined this island."
Another scalpel flew right past Belle's head, inches away from embedding in her skull to land right in front of Chopper, his eyes shining in relief.
"And, worst of all, you attacked my son. Do that again, and I will make you beg for death."
"D-Doctorine…!"
"Well… If that's what you want, then I'll-!"
Belle had to stop as she caught a fist before it could slam into her teeth. Kinderella snarled at the agent as she ripped one of the scalpels free and tried to jam it in the agent's eye.
"Listen to me, you fucking stooge! I've spent the better part of the last several weeks debating whether or not to drown myself being near that fat fuck 24/7! And that man gave me the first reason to live since that Blackbeard took my entire family away! The family who, for the record, was the ONLY reason I wanted anything to do with Wapol since being his bride was the only way to get them all medical care! Now do everyone a favor and FUCK OFF!"
Belle grabbed her by the wrist, but the scalpel simply fell into Kinderella's other hand and was shoved straight into the agent's gut. Though the blade was tiny, it made her flinch long enough for Kinderella to back away.
"Oh, and one more thing," Doctor Kureha noted, "That patient of mine? I just gave her permission to get out of bed."
A roar shot through the entire castle as Reiju, in full lion form, bounded past the good doctor and ran Belle over, trampling her underfoot before turning to face her with a snarl. Pink ringlets of hair draped around her muzzle, fangs bared in rage.
"Step away from my Captain, NOW!"
"Oh, you must be 'Pride Queen' Reiju. Eh, I suppose I'll take care of you first…" Belle formed her silken scythe once again and charged in, the lioness roaring as she responded in kind. To the agent's credit, she held strong as Reiju slammed her paws against her weapon. The agent was about to counter only for something to slam into her thigh and sent her tumbling.
She turned to see Luffy's leg retract from a Gum-Gum Stamp before running in to attack again. Now Belle had to push her Observation Haki to keep up with a two-pronged assault between Reiju's pouncing and Luffy's elastic blows. She considered retreating into the castle only to find Kureha, Chopper, and the rest of Luffy's girls forming a wall between her and potential cover.
And between them, and all the energy Belle has spent getting up the mountain and fighting on and off for a while, the agent was starting to feel sluggish. She needed to end this now so that the backup could swoop in and capture the Straw Hats.
"Alright, I'll admit it, you're both pretty good… I didn't want to have to do this since I wanted to bring you in alive but y'all leave me no choice… Silk Regalia - Atalanta!"
The pirates watched as Belle's entire form exploded into strands of silk before slowly reshaping itself into something much larger. Strand by strand, Belle seemed to weave herself an entirely new body that stood over nine feet tall and was layered in so much extra muscle that it must have tripled her weight. Even her clothes had changed to look like ragged pelts stretched across vast biceps, pecs and abs. All of it is the same creamy beige as her other fabrications.
Luffy and Reiju both looked up at Belle's face, the only unchanged part of her, now sitting on top of this titanic body. Her glasses had flown off revealing a set of deep black eyes glaring down at them, her red hair and lips the only color.
"The last time I had to use this, it was to quell a military junta in the South Blue. Four hundred armed nutjobs in the jungle plotting to slit the ruling family's throat. I only brought back five for questioning."
Luffy and Reiju shared one glance before nodding.
"You're gonna have to try a lot harder to scare us."
"I've seen more frightening things in my pantry."
"Well then, before the inevitable happens, tell me one thing. Monkey D. Luffy, what do you hope to achieve by doing all this?"
The captain just smiled as he stared the government agent in the eye and declared, "I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"
Belle just nodded, the faintest hint of respect on her face. "Hmph, that's not a light claim. You're gonna have the whole World Government on your ass talking like that."
The massive construct lowered into a crouch, a massive spear forming around its hands. It seems Belle had complete control over her new body, especially as she charged ahead with her lance poised to gut Reiju.
The lion leapt into the air only to find the polearm extended dozens of feet in seconds. It was only thanks to Moonwalk that Reiju could move aside before she was skewered. Luffy tried to assist with a Gum-Gum Whip but Belle planted her spear and applied enough Armament Haki that her weapon turned black and Luffy had to recoil his foot and wince from the impact.
Reiju landed and shifted back to her half-lion form before redoubling her efforts, Luffy and her trying a pincer attack. Belle spun her halberd like a rotor blade, creating a gust of wind so fast that it made Reiju stop and have to plant her feet less she be blown away. Luffy managed to land a Gum-Gum Pistol to her back, but his fist barely dented the highly compacted silk.
"You're gonna have to try harder than that!" Belle suddenly lunged at him, the blunt end of her weapon slamming into his stomach and nearly making Luffy double over. But when she tried to pull back, she found her spear was stuck. Luffy's fingers dug into the fabric, glimmering with Armament Haki.
"And you're going to pay if you keep me from my dream!" With a mighty hoist, Luffy lifted Belle's entire silk-enhanced body off its feet and slammed the agent on her head. Belle's entire form shuddered as a pained groan escaped her clenched teeth before her entire construct disappeared from the shock.
"Well… Guess those militia creeps didn't try that…" Belle chuckled before getting up, "If I didn't have Iron Body, I might be down for the count…"
"Peru-Peru-Peru-Peru!"
Belle's eyebrows shot up as she answered her portable Transponder Snail, listening intently before grinning at Luffy.
"Well, it's your lucky day, 'your majesty.' Turns out you were even more right about Wapol being a scum-bucket than I thought. I've now got other business to take care of, so you're off the hook… For now."
And with a final flirty wink, the woman in red ran over the cable-car line and zip-lined back down the mountain to rendezvous with her squad leaving the Straw Hat Pirates a mix of confused, relieved and wondering how the others were doing.
"Uh, Doctor Kureha?" Reiju asked, "I know there's still the matter of payment but…"
"Go on, let's follow after them. I'm dying to see that fat bastard get his comeuppance. I'll bring the bill up with this 'Nami' girl afterwards. Chopper, let's go!"
The reindeer, already starry-eyed from seeing Luffy suplex Belle, ran ahead to the cable car as the rest of the Straw Hats piled in with Luffy pedaling them all down at max speed.
In sharp comparison to the other fights raging across Drum Island, Wapol and his cronies were hopelessly outmatched. Despite outnumbering the Nami's part of the Straw Hats and Dalton by dozens, they were dispatched with ease. The only minor issue was when Wapol used his Munch-Munch Fruit to merge Chess and Kuromarimo into a freaky fusion called Chessmarimo, the 'Strongest Warrior of Drum Kingdom.'
He fared the best out of everyone, lasting a full minute. Unfortunately, a hairy boxer and an archer fused together do not mean much when Custard can summon exploding cherries to stop him cold, Nojiko can restrain his limbs with evergreen tree roots and is free to get zapped by Nami, body-slammed by Clarisse and nearly gored by Dalton.
The only one left standing at this point was Wapol, his fists balled in indignant fury. "Get up, you bunch of slackers?! Is this how you fight for your king?!"
"Oh, shut up!" Nami yelled, "Why don't you try fighting us if you're that damn important?"
"Because that is beneath my status as a royal! Everyone knows that we're not meant to dirty our hands when it comes to issues!"
Hidden among the crowds of citizens cheering for the Straw Hats and booing Wapol now that his guards were no longer threatening them, Vivi grit her teeth hard enough to make sparks. It took everything she had to not slap that arrogant smirk off his face the longer he went attacking and belittling the crew that was trying so hard to get her home.
Right before she could potentially do that, further salvation came as Makino's group ran in from the east followed shortly by Kuina's group from the west. The already bedraggled guards now refused to even flinch as the Straw Hats' numbers tripled.
"Well, well, looks like you all had an easier time than we did," Mikita giggled, "Want me to flatten this creep into a pancake?"
"Tempting, but no," Ban said, her guns trained on him, "I'd prefer we just silence his fat gob with a bullet between his eyes."
"Wait a minute, aren't you from Frauce Kingdom?!" Wapol blinked, "What are you doing with these no-good pirates?!"
"Pot, meet kettle," a voice said from behind the crowd. Everyone turned to see Belle strutting back, albeit with a slight stumble in a few of her steps like she had taken a bad blow to the head. On her right was Shiro, also walking like something wasn't quite right between his legs. Wick, on her left, looked mostly fine other than the even more determined scowl on his face.
"What are you three doing?!" Wapol yelled, "You were supposed to eliminate the Straw Hats and rescue my fiancée!"
"Well, sir, it appears we have conflicting interests. Tell me, what have you been doing since you left Drum Kingdom weeks ago?"
The king bit his tongue, refusing to answer. The second she turned her eyes to the bedraggled servants now lying in the snow, the jig was up. They all confessed they were acting as a pirate crew up until today, flying under a jolly roger and looting ships primarily to feed their gluttonous "captain" Wapol.
"Well now, that means you are now in violation of International Statute Against Piracy, signed into law over 200 years ago due to an epidemic of corrupt royals running their own pirate operations as a means of performing covert warfare, illegal smuggling, or just generally being greedy pricks, states that any royal who willfully engages in acts of piracy forfeits his or her royal title and that means…"
Wapol gasped as Shiro clamped a set of Seastone cuffs over his tubby wrists, making him lose the ability to even keep himself upright. The people of Drum and the Straw Hats, including Luffy's group that was not far behind Belle, watched in delight as he and all his cronies were rounded up and shackled.
"Wapol, you are hereby under arrest for your crimes as captain of the Tin Tyrant Pirates. You are stripped of all royal titles, privileges, funds and protection granted by the World Government. You will be shipped directly to Enies Lobby for a trial after a more thorough investigation into your piratical activities. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court…"
"YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO ME! I'M THE ONE WHO CALLED YOU HERE! YOU WORK FOR ME, BITCH! I'LL-!"
Before he could protest anymore, a burly, furry fist drove him into gut and nearly made him vomit up whatever his last meal was. A right hook then smashed into his tin-plated teeth, buckling the armor as he fell fully onto the ground.
"THAT WAS FOR DOCTOR HIRILUK, BASTARD! I'VE BEEN WANTING TO DO THAT FOR YEARS! AHAAHAHAHAAHAHA!" Chopper shouted to the heavens, too filled with satisfaction to notice that he had just transformed from a "normal" reindeer into his "monster" form. He then looked around in panic only to be met by a wave of cheers from the people of Drum, the Straw Hats and Kureha rushing up to hug him in pride. Belle simply nodded as she dragged Wapol away, even as he screamed that the kingdom would fall apart without a leader.
"Since there is no current heir apparent to the Drum Kingdom line, be it any siblings, children, or other regents, the bloodline is considered dead. Furthermore, without any other bloodlines, the exact means of government may be decided by the island's next highest-acting governmental figure," Dalton proudly stated, having long since investigated that issue since Wapol's desertion.
"W-WAIT!" the deposed king squealed, now on his last legs as the Marine vessel that was supposed to bring reinforcements for Belle was now here to drag him away, "K-Kinderella, my queen! Please, you have to take over! You have to rule Drum in my place!"
The finely dressed woman, however, had the most vindictive, shit-eating smile imaginable as she looked back at him. "Oh? Can I? Weren't you the one who insisted that we can't just elope at sea like 'common bastards?' That we need to have a huge, traditional Drum wedding ceremony that takes weeks to prepare? And has to be done on 'the soil of your glorious ancestors?' That's why you insisted we come back to Drum so fast, right?"
"I… I… Well, um…"
"Weeeeell, guess what? We didn't have the ceremony, just like you wanted. And that means I'm not queen of anything. So, no, I cannot be a ruler of this kingdom. But, as thanks for being such good company to me, let me give you a little parting gift…"
She then marched up to Luffy, grabbed the captain by his collar, and locked him into a deep, passionate, kiss right in front of her now ex-fiancé, Luffy silently shrugging and returning the favor. The people hollered and laughed at Wapol's mortified face before Kinderella came up for air ten seconds later.
"…JERK OFF TO THAT IN YOUR CELL, YOU FLABBY WASTE OF SPACE! I'M GONNA GET FUCKED BY A REAL MAN, WHO'S GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES WHILE YOU ROT ALL ALONE! ENJOY BEING SOMEONE'S PERSONAL BODY PILLOW, LOSER!"
Wapol's final words before he was gagged were swearing eternal vengeance on Luffy, demanding to see the Five Elder Stars, all the typical ramblings of a spoiled-rotten brat finally not getting his way for once. He was soon drowned out by the celebrating people of the soon-to-be-renamed Drum Kingdom, tossing Luffy and Chopper on their shoulders while the rest of his crew were invited to dance, eat and be praised for their brave efforts. It took a while for the crew to even notice Reiju was on her feet once again, which only prompted even more partying.
The day after, once Reiju was forced back into bed under Kureha's care to finish her treatment, the Straw Hat Pirates were allowed to set sail. After much negotiating between the witch doctor and Nami, they had settled for Luffy bashing open the castle's armory so she have a little "something" set up.
In the meantime, the Going Merry and Mini Melody had been stocked with supplies and Reiju's supplements made by Chopper. The reindeer admitted he wanted to be a pirate, but he also had a responsibility he had to take care of for now. With the 20 MDs allowed to work on other patients, Kureha planned to transform the castle into a medical school to train the MDs and any new medicine men up to her standard.
And so, with a very eager Kinderella joining them, the Straw Hats set off from the newly named Sakura Kingdom.
But as they were leaving, with Chopper waving them off at the port, Kureha gave the signal. All of the cannons she had wheeled out from armory suddenly exploded, drawing the eyes of the entire island. They watched in amazement as the falling snow was suddenly splashed with pink, painting them to look like cherry blossoms.
The Straw Hats had heard the story from Kureha during the night's festivities. Of how the only other doctor besides her under Wapol's reign was an eccentric quack looking to cure all diseases. That man, Doctor Hiriluk, took a young Chopper in, gave him his name and hat, and first inspired him to be a doctor. He only met his demise when Wapol lied to him that he had a sick patient in his castle, but the quack was met with an entire army to end him. He instead took one final concoction that ended him before a poisonous mushroom could, wishing Chopper goodbye as he declared he lived a marvelous life.
Now as the pirates sailed away, they could clearly hear Chopper sobbing in relief at seeing his inspiration's other dream come true, the Straw Hats raised a glass in honor of their new friends and hoped that one day, the disease known as Imu would be wiped away as well.
And now, we can finally proceed to Alabasta! Crocodile is soon about to learn exactly who he's picked a fight with! Tune in next time!
The Straw Hat Pirates:
"Chaos" Monkey D. Luffy
Wanted for: 75,000,000
Captain
DF: Human-Human Fruit - Model: Nika (Publicly known as the Gum-Gum Fruit)
"Buckshot" Makino
Wanted for: 25,000,000
First Mate/Bartender
DF: Burst-Burst Fruit
"Steel Tide" Shimotsuki Kuina
Wanted for: 50,000,000
First Swordswoman
DF: Wait-Wait Fruit
'Meteorologist' Nami
Wanted for: 33,000,000
Navigator
DF: Nimbus-Nimbus Fruit
"Shrieking" Carina
Wanted for: 29,000,000
Treasurer
DF: Volume-Volume Fruit
"Sparkling" Kaya
Wanted for: 8,000,000
Nurse
DF: Gem-Gem Fruit
"Frigid" Moodie
Wanted for: 20,000,000
Deckhand/Seamstress
DF: Chill-Chill Fruit
"Hive Mind" Sally Isntoinette
Wanted for: 18,000,000 (ONLY ALIVE)
Deckhand
DF: Hive-Hive Fruit
"Pride Queen" Reiju
Wanted for: 45,000,000
Head Chef
DF: Cat-Cat Fruit - Model: Lion
"Bonnet Blue" Nojiko
Wanted for: 14,000,000
Groundskeeper
DF: Grow-Grow Fruit
"Iron Mace" Alvida
Wanted for: 25,000,000
Helmswoman
DF: Smooth-Smooth Fruit
"Wildfire" Carmen
Wanted for: 9,000,000
Sous Chef
DF: Bird-Bird Fruit - Model: Peacock
"Enforcer" Desire
Wanted for: 20,000,000
Street Hustler/Fighter
DF: Barrier-Barrier Fruit
"Heartless" Honey Queen
Wanted for: 12,000,000
Janitor
DF: Syrup-Syrup Fruit
"Stampeding" Clarisse
Wanted for: 23,000,000
Bodyguard/Fighter
DF: Rhino-Rhino Fruit
"Graviton" Mikita
Wanted for: 30,000,000
Patissier
DF: Kilo-Kilo Fruit
"Harvester" Charlotte Custard
Wanted for: 36,000,000
Second Swordsman
DF: Harvest-Harvest Fruit
"Royal Rounds" Ban Dedessinee
Wanted for: 17,500,000 (ONLY ALIVE)
Gunner
DF: Curve-Curve Fruit
Kinderella (NEW!)
Total Bounty: 489,500,000-