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"Shave Knuckle!" I sprinted forward and went to punch Lucci.
He blocked my attack and pushed me back. "Shave... GAH!"
"Steve!" Luffy yelled.
"CRAMP!" I screamed, grabbing my leg. Not now!
"That is what you get for using the Six Powers when you're not properly trained," Lucci said calmly. "Tempest Kick!"
Luffy pulled me out of the way of the incoming blast. Lucci hasn't even used his Devil Fruit yet; he's not taking me seriously.
"Straw Hat?!"
"Franky?!"
"You're fighting Lucci, huh? He's tough," Franky said, landing next to us. "Where's Nico Robin? I brought two of the keys. Do you need a hand?"
"No!" I told him. "I need you to go and get Robin. The others will surely have their keys by now. She can't go through that gate!" I said, standing up and rubbing my leg.
"You can get to her through the door," Luffy said. "We'll keep him busy so you can get passed."
"Super! Leave everything to me!" Franky yelled.
"I'm counting on you, Franky."
"Gum-Gum Pistol!"
Lucci slipped past the attack and delivered a series of strikes to Luffy's midsection.
"Franky, get to the door. Whip Gale-Force!" I rushed forward and threw my whips back, bringing them forward into Lucci. He barely budged. "Crush Elbow!"
I slid Lucci back and made room for Franky to get out of the room before he could be stopped. Hurry, please.
"I said you're not going anywhere." Lucci had finally shifted into his man-beast form.
"Jet Pistol!" Luffy's arm came out of nowhere and knocked Lucci back.
"Tempest Kick!" I shot a wave at Lucci and pushed him back further.
"Aren't you forgetting this is the form I used to fill you full of holes?" Lucci smirked.
"I had an excellent doctor," I told him.
"Shave! Finger Pistol!" Lucci flashed forward to try and stab me again.
"Jet Bazooka!" Luffy's hands crashed into Lucci's back and staggered him.
"Crow's Nest Kick!" My foot slammed into Lucci's face, knocking him over. "Franky, I'll leave rescuing Robin up to you. Don't let me down."
"I'll super! Fight for the power of love!" Franky said, running off.
"I have no more distractions," I told Lucci. "It's just you and us."
"I underestimated the two of you, but you seem to be out of breath. Your new techniques are working your bodies too hard."
"It doesn't matter what happens to me if Robin is safe. Shave!" I jumped behind Lucci. "Axe Handle!" I put my fists together and slammed them into Lucci's skull.
"Jet Whip!" Luffy knocked the disoriented Lucci off his feet with a leg sweep.
"Anchor Drop!" I swung my leg up and stomped my heel into Lucci's chest.
"Jet Spear!" Luffy appeared from above and drove his legs into Lucci.
"Whip Twister!" I wrapped my whips around Lucci's legs, spun, and threw him across the room.
"RRRRAAAHHHH!" Lucci stood up out of the pile of rubble, looking furious. "You two bugs are going to get squashed!"
"Hurry up!" Zoro yelled.
Usopp let off a hail of shots that took out men on the far side of the bridge.
"Incredible!" I cheered.
"Our sniper is the greatest! Take that, you bastards!" Sanji added.
"Is he singing?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.
"Franky!" Usopp called over the Den Den Mushi. "The other two keys are in that bag I just shot. That will complete the whole set. Delivery confirmed!"
"Mission accomplished," Sanji smirked.
"It'll only get tougher from here," Zoro told him.
"It's Franky! I unlocked the handcuffs!" a happy voice said over the Den Den Mushi.
"Nice!" Sanji replied.
"Hurry up and get over here!" Franky yelled.
"Come on, we gotta go, Usopp!" Sanji yelled.
There was a loud explosion in the distance.
"What was that?!" I asked, startled.
"That explosion broke the fence around the island," Zoro said.
"And now that the gates are open, the current changed, and the whirlpools stopped," Sanji added.
"Hurry up and get down here, Usopp, it's an emergency!" I yelled.
A cannonball flew past and blew up the top part of the tower, taking Usopp with it.
"USOPP!" Sanji and Zoro screamed.
"This isn't real," I said, trembling.
"Hey, Usopp! Come on!" Sanji yelled.
"Relax, he's fine!" Wyper said, landing next to us with Usopp over his shoulder. "You almost got killed; don't stare into space like that."
"Oh, thank God," I exhaled, picking up the Den Den Mushi. "Franky, Robin, we're fine, we'll be over there ASAP."
"Where's Nami?" Sanji asked.
"She went off with that old train conductor, the little girl, and Chopper," Wyper explained.
We headed down into the underground passageway and started making our way toward the Bridge of Hesitation. Usopp insisted we carry him because he was "too weak to move."
"Anyone else hear rushing water?" Usopp asked nervously.
"If this passage floods, we'll drown," Sanji said.
"Then let's hope it doesn't," I replied.
"ACK! I knew it!" Usopp yelled, pointing forward.
Nami, Kokoro, and Chimney were running toward us, trying to outrun a rushing tide. Zoro tried cutting the wall, but it was too hard.
"It's stronger than steel!" Zoro yelled in frustration.
"We don't have anywhere to go!" Wyper yelled as the wave crashed into us.
Crap, so this is how it ends, huh? I always thought I'd go out in a more violent way, like getting my head cut off in a fight. Not that I want that to happen, but it would at least make for a good story.
"It's gonna be fine. I won't let you die."
I felt like I was being pulled along. I looked forward and saw what was pulling us: that old lady's a mermaid!
"Moon Walk!"
"Jet Pistol!" Luffy avoided Lucci's attack and landed a hit of his own.
"I see it's doping. That truly is a technique for a rubber person. Your physical abilities may have increased, but your stamina can't keep up. That isn't a smart thing to do," Lucci warned. "You're hacking away at your life."
"That's better than losing something while it's right in front of my eyes," Luffy told him.
"And you," Lucci said, looking at me. "Using those techniques without proper training will tear your legs apart."
"So what? I'd give a few limbs to protect my friends. I will beat you, no matter what it takes."
"You've gotten your hopes up," Lucci taunted. "Did you not hear those explosions a few minutes ago? Those were the Marine warships. Soon your friends in the tower of law will die. And just in case someone is in the underground passage..." Lucci jumped into the air. "Tempest Kick!" The attack cut the wall. "Now seawater will flood the passage. I look forward to seeing how your wish to save everyone will come true now."
"What the hell did you just do?" I dashed forward. "Whip Hurricane!"
Luffy also came in and punched Lucci as I swung my whips.
"Double Finger Pistol!" Lucci stabbed us both and threw us back. "Moon Walk!" Lucci jumped up toward the upper floor to avoid the rising water.
"Luffy, we have to get higher, or you'll become nothing but dead weight."
Luffy grabbed a nearby ledge and went higher.
"This place has been completely sealed off," Lucci said. "It's only a matter of time till this room fills with water." Lucci jumped through the air and went through a hole in the ceiling.
"After him," I said.
Luffy threw his arms up, and we followed him into the next room.
"What happened to the pirates? What happened to the Franky Family and Galley-La? What happened to Nico Robin? I bet all these things are running through your minds. Go ahead and save them." Lucci smiled.
"I'm not taking my eyes off you," Luffy said. "No matter what, they'll survive."
"But if we let you go, you'll kill them without waiting a second," I added.
"You two really are cut out to be leaders. But!" Lucci dashed forward. "Would the same not happen if you two die?! Finger Pistol!"
Luffy ducked under the claw.
"Tempest Kick!" I shot a wave at Lucci.
"Tempest Kick: Leopard Tail!" Lucci's kick blew through mine and shredded Luffy and me. "And again!"
"Whip Binding!" I wrapped my whip around Lucci's leg to stop the attack. "I will protect my loved ones!"
"Gum-Gum Rifle!"
"Iron Body: Empty Tree!" Lucci puffed out his chest as Luffy's fist slammed into it, knocking Luffy off balance.
"If that had been you, it would have shattered your hand," he told me. "Finger Pistol!"
I flipped up and grabbed Lucci by the hair. "Figurehead DDT!"
As he was falling, Lucci let off another attack. "Flying Finger Pistol!"
The projectiles dug into Luffy before he could react.
"Gah!" Luffy cried out.
I slammed Lucci into the ground and ran toward Luffy.
"Tempest Kick!"
He got up so fast!
The wave slammed into my back and cut my skin.
"UGH!" I grunted in pain.
"It's time for another technique," Luffy told him, sticking his finger in his mouth. "Third Gear!" Luffy threw his arm back and inflated the other hand. "Bone Balloon!"
"It's the power of air that travels from bone to bone," I explained. "Now face the arm of a giant!"
"Giant Pistol!" Luffy's fist crashed into Lucci and broke the wall, throwing him outside.
I jumped up and ran across Luffy's arm. Lucci was suspended in the air and wide open.
"Whip Storm Force!" I sent the whips straight up and back down, spiking Lucci onto the deck of the nearby warship.
"Rocket!" Luffy flew out of the building and moved the air from his chest to his leg.
I attached my whip to Luffy's other leg and swung onto his back. "Bring it down!"
"Giant Axe!"
Lucci popped up nearby us and threw out a Tempest Kick. Luffy ducked under the attack, but Lucci changed into full animal form and bit into Luffy's shoulder.
"Get off!" I yelled, prying the jaws open.
The fangs dug into my fingers, and Luffy moved the air to his chest and blew Lucci off his body. Lucci landed back on the mast, and Luffy crushed it with a Giant Whip.
Lucci jumped into the air and appeared behind us. "Tempest Kick: Victory Eagle!"
The kick split the falling mast in two, but I managed to pull us away from it and not get cut in half.
"That was close," I said, catching my breath.
"Time's up!" Luffy yelled as the air started rushing out of his body.
I held his leg, and we flew back to the tower we were in before. I grabbed Luffy as we crashed into the floor.
"That technique is strong, but the side effects are too extreme," I told him. "We need to hide till you return to normal."
"Tempest Kick!" Lucci said, catching up to us.
"Ah!" The tiny Luffy and I got nailed with the attack.
"You pay a hefty price to use those abilities. Life Return: Sketch Form," Lucci's hybrid form shifted and became smaller.
How did he do that?
"Finger Pistol." Lucci picked up Luffy with one finger and slammed him into the wall.
I tried to get up and help him, but I couldn't move. Come on, not now! Please, legs, don't give out on me!
"Finger Pistol Spots!" Lucci was moving so fast it looked like he had a dozen arms.
"Whip Lash!" I swung from my spot on the ground and tripped Lucci, buying Luffy time to get back to normal.
"Now we're really getting started," Luffy and I told him, standing up.
"You scum!" Lucci snarled.