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Steve's POV
We were walking to the Ice Castle to get our flag back and help Lil. It was cold walking across the icebergs but we managed.
"Robin." I said calling her attention "Is everything okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked.
"No you've just seemed kinda emotional the last few hours, the way you reacted to Lil especially. You've really taken a shine to her, haven't you?"
"She's a special girl." Robin said "To have such an interest in the natural world at such a young age. She reminds me of myself."
"There more to it than that." I said "The way you hugged her back in the infirmary, and the way you attacked the mom, those aren't like you at all."
"I grew up alone. My father died when I was young and I only meet my mother for a brief time. She's lucky enough to have parents. The way they treat her. It makes me angry." Robin said in a calm voice.
Lil's POV
"Get in there you brat!"
Mama had dragged me to the basement and thrown me in a cage cell there.
I got out of the tower and now I'm in a cell.
"You real lucky I don't tell you father about this. If I did he'd probably roast you and then I'd be out of those precious animals. Now I'm going back upstairs, you get no dinner for the next three days." Mama kicked me before she left "I'm gonna go teach those new friends of yours a lesson."
"They didn't do anything leave them alone. Mr. Steve and his friends saved me."
"Now you think you can make requests brat?" Mama spat "I think I'll keep this Steve, and that woman who had the nerve to attack me down here and use them as playthings. I'll make you watch as I beat them within an inch of their lives."
Steve and Robin. I'm sorry I got you involved.
The snail in Mama's pocket rang and she answered it "What?"
"They're at the front gate." Brindo's voice said.
"Well kindly let our guests in." she told him as she hung up and turned to me "Just you wait my little pod making machine, your friends will be joining you in your hell soon. Just remember you got them involved. And remember if they hurt the siblings in the fight then it will be your fault for bringing those people here."
The door into the holding cells opened and Papa was standing there.
What have I done? Why did I have to be born to parents like these…
Steve's POV
We had come up to an icy gate in front of a castle made of ice. Along the way we had to knock out a few polar bears that tried to get in our way.
"So do we just knock or bust it down?" Zoro asked.
The gate creaked and opened up providing us passage.
"I guess we've been invited in." Rose observed.
"We need to be careful." Nami said.
We walked through a garden full of carved ice sculptures and frosted trees.
"This place sure is pretty." Chopper said.
"It is quite the sight." I said "but the sun reflecting off them is downright blinding."
"You need sunglasses like mine bro." Franky said.
We opened the front door and let ourselves in. We came into a huge foyer made of ice, full of furniture and decorations. The foyer opened up into five different exits, three hallways forward, a staircase up and a staircase down.
"Which way do we go?" Wyper asked.
"Let's just split up." Zoro suggested "We can cover the most ground that way. We can find the girl and the flag easier that way."
"I'll take Nami, Robin and Rose!" Sanji swooned.
"No." they all said.
"We have enough people for a group of three and four groups of two." Usopp said.
I opted to take Robin with me, and Chopper wanted to come us and make a group of three. Zoro and Rose paired off to go downstairs. Wyper said he'd take Usopp with him up the stairs. Sanji wanted to go with Nami but I asked her to keep an eye on Luffy.
"I can't leave Luffy and Franky alone together, who knows what kind of trouble they'll get into. Just keep an eye on him."
That left the unique pairing of Franky and Sanji as the last group.
"This isn't fair I wanted one of the girls!" Sanji yelled.
"We'll have tons of fun together bro." Franky told him taking the left hallway.
"Luffy do you want the middle or the right?" I asked.
"I smell treasure this way." Nami said pointing down the right path "Come on Luffy."
"I guess that means we get the middle." Chopper said.
We headed off down the path in the center of the room. We passed a lot of statues of the weird egg-shaped guy. They all had plaques saying they were of the head of the house, Don Accino. There were paintings of the woman who took Lil; there was even one of Lil from when she was just a baby, there was also a wedding photo of Arbell and her husband, Salchow.
"They certainly enjoy their lifestyle." Robin said as we came into a larger room.
"So you've made it this far." The woman said turning around in her chair "most fortunate you split up and happened to choose my path."
"I knew I smelled someone familiar." Chopper said
"Where are Lil and our flag?" I asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Sena smirked "Your flag is right there." She pointed above the mantle "and I put Lil back in her cage."
"You call yourself a mother." Robin said "You treat you own daughter like an animal."
"She likes animals. A cage is perfect for her."
Chopper shifted into his Heavy Point and charged forward "You're terrible!"
"Now why did you change out of your cute deer form?" she said changing into a form that resembled Chopper's Walking Point "Know your place in the herd runt!"
The woman charged forward and flipped Chopper over her head with her horns.
"Chopper!"
The woman transitioned back into the Jumping Point-like form and ran and us "Hoof Breaker!"
the woman punched at us and Robin and I jumped apart to avoid her
"Ice Breaker!"Â the woman brought her hoof down on the ice near me and it cracked.
"My husband would like to meet you, I think Lil's down there? She's probably getting a lesson beaten into her." She smiled.
The ice under me shattered and I fell into a smaller hallway under the room.
"Steve!"
"I'm fine." I called out "You two can handle this right? I'm going to find Lil."
"You can count on me!" Chopper yelled.
"Leave her to us." Robin told me turning away from the hole in the floor "Good luck. Bring that sweet girl back."
As I walked down the ice hallway it started to get hotter and hotter. I had to take off my jacket because I was sweating. Soon the ice was gone and the walls were made of stone that was hot to the touch. Eventually the room emptied out into a large stone room with a couch and not much else. That fat man from the statues was lying out on the couch. Big beard, dumb cigar and all.
"Well hello." The man said "I'm Don Accino."
"I know who you are asshole." I said "Where is Lil?"
"The girl, she's right there." He pointed to the back corner.
I looked around the room and saw a steel cage, like the one Luffy had been in back when we met Buggy. Inside the cage was the girl I was searching for. She was covered in bruises and sweat.
"Lil!"
"You came!"
"Quite brat!" the man yelled "She's in there because she disobeyed me. She did that to herself."
"You're a monster." I said "What man treats his daughter that way!"
"A child needs to be punished when they break the rules their parent sets out."
"I can't stand parents like you, Family is a special thing and seeing people ruin it…nothing pisses me off more!" I said raising my head "I'll beat the crap out of you for treating her like that."
"Are you trying to tell me how to parent my own child?" he said standing up.
Mom, Dad would you do the same as me here?
"You're incapable of being the father Lil needs." I said "After I kick your ass I'll take her away from this place. I'll show her a real family. Since you're clearly incapable I'll be the father she needs!"
This girl…she needs me.
Lil's POV
"I'll beat the crap out of you for treating her like that!"
"Are you trying to tell me how to parent my own child?" Papa said standing up.
He got off the couch!
"You're incapable of being the father Lil needs." Steve said "After I kick your ass I'll take her away from this place. I'll show her a real family."
What is he saying? Is he trying to help me? I dragged them into this. Shouldn't he be upset that I caused trouble?
"Since you're clearly incapable I'll be the father she needs!"
He…wants…to…be my…dad.
"What are you saying?" Papa yelled.
"Lil are you hearing me!" he yelled.
"Yes."
"After I get you out of that cage you're part of my crew understand! From this day on you're my daughter!"
I started crying "Yes…Papa."
"Papa, I like it." He said with a smile.
He and Robin seemed close, I wonder if…
"Does that make Robin my new Mama?" I asked.
"Sure." He said "I think that'd make her very happy."
"So now you think you can take my business away!" the room began to get boiling hot and my old dad active his Devil Fruit powers.
He called me business; he didn't even call me his daughter. He didn't fight for me as family. I'm his flesh and blood and he threw me away.
"Be careful Papa!" I yelled "He has the powers of the Hot-Hot fruit!"
"I guess you could say things are about to heat up!" he joked.
"Ugh that was lame." I said.
If I can get out of this cage I can get to my purse on the desk over there. I won't be a burden I can help him.
Luffy's POV
"This place is no fun Nami." I mumbled "It's just a bunch of icy halls and rooms."
"These guys are bounty hunters Luffy." Nami said "They must have a ton of treasure lying around."
We opened the last door in the hall and entered a room full of treasure.
"Yahoo!" Nami yelled running up to the pile of gold.
"Lovely Crush Attack!"
I grabbed Nami and pulled her back as two guys slammed into each other at the location she was just in.
"That was close, thanks Luffy."
The two glowed blue and pushed apart from each other. Nami and I avoided this attack as well.
"We can keep this magnetic dance up all day." The twins said.
"Do you to have Devil Fruit powers?" I asked "Is that how you do that magnet trick?"
"No it's cause we're twins."
"Oh okay." I said.
"That makes no sense!" Nami yelled.
"We cannot let them have Lil, correct Campacino." The red shirt asked.
"Exactly Brindo." The blue one said.
"Then I guess I'll just have to beat you two up." I said "Because I already decided Lil was joining my crew."
"You plan to make our precious little sister into a pirate! Fat chance, Magnetic Love Bazooka!"
One of the brothers launched the other and me and Nami.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!"Â I punched the man in the gut and knocked him off course "Your powers are so cool! This is gonna be fun Nami! Hey do you think Steve and Rose can do that too since they're twins?"
"That's not how being twins works!" Nami just mumbled "I should have known this would happen. Come on Luffy let's go!"
"No way!" I told her "Besides don't you want that treasure?"
"Go get'em Luffy!" she said with stars in her eyes.
Franky's POV
"I can't believe I got stuck with you."
"Come one we're gonna have a SUPER time."
"Nami got to go with Luffy and Robin with Steve. Even Mosshead got a girl to go with him."
"Wow you're a real downer you know that." I told him.
We opened the door into a room that looked to belong to a couple of some kind.
"Who is that vision?" Sanji spun getting close to a large painting of the woman who had taken our flag; the plaque said her name was Arbell.
"That's the woman who stole the flag." I told him.
"She's gorgeous! If we get to keep Lil do you think she'll look like that someday?!"
"That's wrong on so many levels." I said.
"Do you think this is Arbell's room?" Sanji said.
"It's our room" a man said stepping out of the walk-in closet.
"What do you mean ours?" Sanji said slowly turning his head.
"I'm Arbell's husband, Salchow."
"Husband…Married…to a freak like you! Hell no!" Sanji yelled lighting up with the power of love.
"Whoa!" I said backing up.
"Let's go!" Sanji yelled.
The men pulled an icepick and hammer out from the closet "I'll carve the two of you like one of my statues."
Wyper's POV
"Are you sure it's safe up here?"
"Relax Usopp. We haven't seen anyone yet."
"That's what worries me." He explained.
We walked passed a case full of trophies.
"Well someone loves sports." I said "Never seen so many trophies.
"They're all awarded to someone named, Hockera." Usopp said "He must be good."
"That's probably the guy that froze the cook's foot." I said "remember he had that hockey stick."
"Yeah that makes sense." He said
A something nailed me in the back and froze my wings.
"Dammit that hurt! They're sensitive you know!" I yelled
"Wyper!"
"I'm fine Usopp, but we have company." I said turning around.
The guy we had been talking about was at the other end of the hallway.
"You're gonna regret that!" I yelled pulling my bazooka into my hand "White Hot Cone!"
"Wah!" the man jumped out a window to avoid the blast.
"He jumped out." Usopp said "Well that's good. Now we don't have to fight him."
I looked out the window and the guy was looking all smug skating around in the ice garden.
"Let's go Usopp!" I grabbed the man's arm and jumped out the window.
"What are you doing?"
"No one hurts my wings and gets away with it!"
Rose's POV
"It's cold down here." I said.
"I guess." Zoro mumbled.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Your brother and Luffy really want to let a little girl onto a pirate crew?" he said.
"Well when Steve and I were young and we traveled with our parents for a while." I explained "You're not changing their minds so don't bother. Is it me or is it getting colder the farther down we go?"
"Yeah it's practically sub-zero." He said.
The hall way opened up into a large area with an ice rink in the center. The woman who had taken our flag was skating around in the rink.
"She's talented." I said "She's so graceful on the ice."
The woman spun in place and got closer and closer to the ice and she crouched while spinning. She jumped up, landed and kept skating. She went over to a bench on the side of the rink and picked up a sword.
"Are you just going to watch or are you going to join me?" she asked.
"A swordsman." Zoro said.
"Skating is my preferred hobby." She explained "Sword play is a side endeavor."
"You don't fight women." I whispered "Leave this girl to me."
"You can't fight her with one arm." He said.
"Yes I can. Look what I did to the Helmeppo guy, I almost killed him."
"Who?"
A drop of water splashed onto my head. I looked up and the celling was dripping.
Condensation?
"I've got it." I told him.
I clicked my boots and knives came out. I bent them so they ran across the bottom of the shoe.
"Now I have skates. I can fight with them." I said.
I walked onto the rink and got my footing.
I'll show you I've still got it.
"I know you plan to take Lil with you." Arbell said "But I can't let my little sister walk away with strangers."
"What are you gonna do about it." Zoro said stepping onto the ice and falling like a dumbass.
"I'll make sure you don't leave my rink alive!"
She unsheathed her sword and went to cut the fumbling Zoro. I skated past and grabbed Zoro.
"Don't get on the ice if you can't skate!" I yelled at him.
"Ice Cutter!"Â Arbell slashed the ice and sent a wave of white dust at us.
I threw Zoro to the ice and turned in time to block a slash from Arbell. Arbell raised a foot to try and kick me with her skate, but the blade was blocked by one of Zoro's swords.
"I fight women." He said "I just don't cut them. Remember I fought that Copycat before."
"You talking about Tashigi?" I said pushing Arbell back.
Zoro struggled to get to his feet "Yeas sure, whatever."
Suddenly the celling cracked and shattered.
"Look what you did dumbass!" Franky yelled as he and Sanji fell into the rink.
"I forgot the floors were ice!" Sanji yelled.
"You stupid cook!" Zoro yelled.
"Arbell look out!" a man yelled as he landed in the rink and skated up to the woman and batted the falling ice away with a hammer.
"What did you do Sanji?" I asked helping him and Franky off the floor while Zoro attempted to get more than two feet without falling.
"This idiot kicked the floor and shattered the ice." Franky explained.
"Oh Rose!" Sanji cried "I'm so glad you didn't get hurt!"
Zoro face planted when he finally made his way over to us.
"You can't skate can you?" Franky said.
"Great job Mosshead."
"Can it Eyebrows!"
I looked back and Arbell and the man who fell from upstairs were making kissy faces at each other.
"Ah Salchow you're the best!"
"No fair!" Sanji yelled.
"Franky, Sanji get some skates and help me out." I told them "I can't fight two people with one arm and a pair of skates."
"I don't need skates." Franky said stepping onto the ice bare foot.
"I can't kick with skates on. I might hurt someone." Sanji said hopping over the rail "Hey jerk get your hands away from Arbell."
"Beat it creep." Arbell said.
"Rejected." We joked at Sanji's expense.
Salchow picked up his pick and hammer and Arbell grabbed her sword.
"Lil won't leave with you." They said.
"Just try and stop us." Franky said.