Hard Lines: Saving the Children.
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The sky was a dark and stormy, promising by the looks of it the calamity of torrential rain that might just consume both Islands. Zoro had come out on deck after seeing to Tashigi and looked back to the island. While he had been gone it seemed that Franky had taken quite a good beating, but he still seemed to be enjoying himself. And so Zoro left him to it and instead of staying on the ship he decided to go back into the mountainous fortress to find the others.
Ten minutes of later a massive cart appeared carrying pirates, samurai, children, navi soldiers, and Ceasar's helpers all the same. There was a great sigh of relief that followed them all as the tunnel behind them collapsed as they came to a stop.
At the sight of the extra reinforcement the two strangers that were fighting Franky decided to try and make a dash for it, but were thwarted by the skills of the navigator of the strawhats Nami, and the sharpshooter of the strawhats Usopp. Upon seeing their attempted escape, the Pirate Trafalgar Law separated their heads from their bodies intending on leaving a very clear message to whomever came after them.
It didn't seem long before everyone seemed to celebrating in the simply fact that they were alive and had not become one of the lost purple statues that had been force to be the fate of so many men that had followed just a few paces after them. While many others mourned in the loss of friends and brothers and in some ways the loss of trust in their once perceived hero of justice Caesar.
The Captain Monkey D. Luffy seemed extraordinarily carefree and happy (to all those who did not know him), and upon his orders a banquet was issued where all could eat to their hearts content. But the sweetness of victory and peace was short-lived.
'BANG!' 'BANG!' 'BANG!' 'BANG!'
"What the hell is that noise!?" Luffy mumbled as loudly as he could with meat still in his mouth.
Heads all turned to look in the direction of the sea. Off in the distance they could all see six battleships heading their way firing at the Island and coming closer by the minute.
"Oooooooooooaaaahhh!" Luffy grinned and pulled his strawhat back onto his head. "You think they want to fight!"
Usopp turned back round again to glance back at his well earned meal and then back out to this so-called new enemy. "More marines just showing up," He sighed, "I just can't take a break." and started gathering up all his food to take back with him onto the Thousand Sunny.
Luffy grinned. "Or maybe they were annoyed because they missed out on all the fighting." Luffy's eyes suddenly widened in alarm. "Or maybe they're after all our meat." He nodded to himself and started cracking his knuckles together. "I'll beat the crap out of any bastards that try to steal any o….!"
"IDIOT!" Nami punched him. "THEY CAN'T SEE FROM THAT DISTANCE WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND WHY WOULD THEY WANT TO FIGHT CESAR THEY WERE ON HIS SIDE!"
"WHAT!" Luffy turned back to Smoker. "YOU WERE FRIENDS WITH THAT GUY?"
The glare he received back was answer enough, but Smoker replied anyway. "YEAH RIGHT! AND I HEARD YOU WERE GOOD FRIENDS WITH CROCODILE BEFORE THE PRINCESS OF ALABASA PAID YOU TO TAKE HIM OUT!"
"What? Vivi?... WHAT IDIOT TOLD YOU THAT!" Luffy yelled.
"SOMEONE LIKE YOU!"
"We should send out a cease fire signal." Law spoke into the madness.
Smoker nodded, he had to get the message out somehow. 'Where was that den den Mushi? It would appear that Tashigi did get her message to head quarters out fast enough.'' He stood up and immediately looked around for his young Captain. 'Thinking of which, where is that girl? She should have been able to navigate her way out of the mountain by now. The gas had basically gone.' Smoker turned to bark orders out to his men and the children started to cry at the loud cannon fire.
"What's up Smokey?" Luffy asked noticing his hesitation.
Smoker seemed to be unbothered by the question as one of his men appeared with what he needed. He looked back up to the pirates. "I will allow you to escape, your work here has been commendable, but I will be taking the custody of missing children and Caesar.
Law raised his voice. "Caesar will be coming with us, that was the deal."
"Deals need to be changed from time to time." Smoker said. "It would be better for everyone here if the scum was dealt with by us."
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT CAEASR! BUT YOU'RE NOT TAKING THE CHILDREN! NOT AFTER WHAT YOU PEOPLE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN TO THEM!" Nami shouted.
"Hey!" one of the marines called out. "We would never have allowed this to happen to these kids if we had known what was going on here!"
"Yeah!" Shouted another, "Who do you think you are!? Caesar is more like a pirate than a marine."
"Shut up you idiots!" Zoro's low voice seemed to get everyone's attention. "It's a good deal. The Marines should take the kids. We could never fit them all on the Thousand Sunny for that long anyway."
Smoker nodded in appreciation to him, but Zoro c