One Piece Fan Fiction / Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ The Ultimate Cruise ❯ To Defend a Dream—The Boy Who Will Become Pirate King ( Chapter 4 )

DISCLAIMER: I do not own One Piece, Teen Titans, or any characters or elements contained within. I believe these can be credited to the geniuses Eiichiro Oda [author and artist of OP], Marv Wolfman and George Perez [respective author and artist of The New Teen Titans comic of the eighties], and Glen Murakami and his talented crew [the staff of the Teen Titans animated series, the Titans version which this story is based off.] Thanks for developing these wonderful characters I have the pleasure of using in this story!

 

Any original characters, however, belong to Pivitor. Remember it!

 

 

The Ultimate Cruise:

One Piece meets Teen Titans

 

Chapter Four: To Defend a Dream—The Boy Who Will Become Pirate King

 

The doors to the kitchen swung as the cook walked through them. His whole body, even the fluffy white hat, drooped as tears streamed from his eyes. He was dragging a suitcase in one hand, and waving a little white flag in the other. He slowly moved past the bustling table in the otherwise abandoned restaurant, not bothering to dodge the chunks of flesh flying through the air.

 

Monkey D. Luffy's arms were flailing wildly as he shoved food into his mouth, completely ignoring the spray of meat raining across the room. His plate quickly emptied, and as his rubber hands grabbed nothing the young captain quickly noticed that there was no more food.

 

“That was fantastic! Now for the main course!” Luffy exclaimed. “More!” He held his plate into the air, tapping the side with a fork. The cook cast a final glance backwards, bursting into hysteric tears as he ran from the restaurant.

 

“Good riddance, crap cooker.” Sanji snarled, turning his nose from the lumps of food lying on his plate. “Honestly Luffy, you'll eat anything put in front of you.” The cook looked at his plate once more, contemplating whether he was hungry enough to eat this rubbish or not.

 

“So does that mean you're not going to eat it?” Luffy asked eagerly, not waiting for an answer as he launched his elastic arm across the table and grabbed Sanji's plate.

 

“I never said that!” Sanji exclaimed, leaping across the table and tackling his captain to the ground. “Remember, I haven't eaten in nearly a day either!” The two men wrestled across the floor of the restaurant, toppling tables and overturning chairs. Unfortunately for them, they had left the actual food sitting on the table. In one simple gesture, Raven's darkness flowed over the food, distributing it to the other people at the table.

 

“Sheesh, you'd think they were the starving children in India mom always used to talk about.” Robin sighed.

 

“Oh well,” Cyborg smiled, “more for us.” He tossed his plate into the air. It fell into his open mouth, and seconds later he spat the plate back on to the table.

 

A waitress peeked her head around one of the few tables left standing. Finally summoning the last of her courage, she ventured to the middle of the room and cleared her throat. “I'm sorry folks, but we're officially out of food now. I'm afraid you'll have to leave.” Luffy screamed as Sanji pushed him away, jumping to his feet and running to the waitress.

 

“Are you sure you want me to leave?” Sanji asked, a drop of hormone-inspired drool hanging from his chin next to his cigarette. “I'm sure we could do some cooking between us, if you get my drift.” The waitress tried to back away, nearly tripping over one of the overturned chairs. Suddenly, a black aura draped itself around Sanji's suit, pulling him into the air. He turned towards Raven, whose hand was enveloped in the darkness keeping him away from the cute waitress!

 

“This isn't funny!” Sanji exclaimed, struggling to escape his enchanted suit coat. Raven smiled, and a spark of black energy exploded at the end of his cigarette, snuffing out the flame. “I really don't like you.” The cook sighed, going limp. He knew when he was beaten. The Teen Titans and the Straw Hats left the restaurant, their mark indelibly left behind forever. Only Roronoa Zoro remained behind, eyeing his companions and waiting for their departure.

 

“If you need any help hanging the going out of business sign, just give me a call.” Zoro whispered once he was sure everybody had left. “I always need some extra money.” The waitress cocked her head, still trying to comprehend this entire day.

 

“ZORO! Are you coming or not?” Nami called.

 

“Dammit! She heard me!” Zoro exclaimed, starting to slink away from the waitress. “Remember, I need some money.” He called back to her.

 

“You better not be trying to make money behind my back!” Nami called again, her inherent greediness even apparent in her voice. “You still owe me for your new swords, remember?”

 

“Quiet woman!” the swordsman screamed as he left the building. “If we didn't need you to navigate I'd have sliced your greedy little head off ages ago!”

 

The poor little waitress turned her head to the wrecked dining room, nearly passing out at the sight of the damage. “This is the last time I serve pirates.” She sighed.

 

 

 

The little troop trudged through the coastal town on Iaona Island. Luffy walked happily in front of the rest, his arms resting across his shoulders and his gaze turned towards the beautiful blue sky. Now that he was filled up, he could enjoy the wonderful life he enjoyed as a pirate.

 

Nami's eyes darted down her long list. “Well, we've eaten well beyond our fill, but we still need a lot of supplies for the ship. Plus, we have to buy some lumber to repair the deck that our Captain so carelessly filled with holes.” She looked up, waving her finger as she counted her companions. “We should split up. Zoro: you, Cyborg, Sanji and Luffy should go get the lumber. The rest of us—”

 

“Look everybody!” Luffy exclaimed, pointing to a rooftop. Two humanoid silhouettes were standing on the edge. “Aren't those the weirdest wind-veins ever?” he asked.

 

“Yes, they are quite unique.” Starfire remarked. “Perhaps their odd shape is meant to scare away large, fluffy birds?” she suggested.

 

“Hey, I know!” Terra exclaimed. “Usopp, see if you can hit one!” Nami sighed, burying her face in her hands. With Captain ADD and his crew of pranksters, they'd never get any work done!

 

“Got it Terra!” The sniper responded, pulling his sling from the green sack hanging from his shoulder. He dropped a Pachinko ball into the back, pulling back and taking aim. “Pachinko Shot!” Usopp cried as he let it fly. His impeccable aim once again proved true as the marble-like ball bounced off of the silhouette's head. “See Terra? I hit it!” He exclaimed.

 

“Ouch!” The silhouette cried. Usopp's mouth dropped to the ground, and the coward quickly stashed his slingshot away.

 

“Did that wind-vein just talk?” Chopper asked. The little reindeer's eyes grew wide as he hid behind Nami's legs, not taking any chances. Both shadows leaped off the building, landing nimbly on the ground. The one Usopp hit walked forward, emerging from the darkness. He wore a strange get-up; his clothes were easiest described as pretty much what we would expect traditional pirates to wear in our world. However, he wasn't just a pirate. This guy had white paint on his face and a huge, round red nose.

 

“How's it going Luffy?” He asked, tipping his large, black pirate hat. “Long time no see!”

 

“Buggy the Clown!” Nami exclaimed, jumping a foot.

 

“And don't forget me.” The other silhouette said, revealing herself. She was wearing a white cowboy hat and a strange red dress. She was gorgeous, perhaps the most beautiful pirate on the sea. “What's up, Captain Handsome?”

 

“Not much, Alvida-sama.” Sanji answered, his grin covering his entire face. “Just the usual: cooking for these heat—”

 

“She wasn't talking to you, Sanji!” Usopp exclaimed, smacking the cook across the back of his head. “She said Captain Handsome; therefore, she must have been talking to me.”

 

Luffy ignored his infatuated crew. Captain Alvida's Devil Fruit induced beauty did nothing to his tiny brain. He had no intelligence for such things as love.

 

“So why are you guys back here?” Luffy asked. “Do you need me to kick your asses again?” He smiled, ready for a good fight.

 

“I can say with certainty that you never hit me there before; although I wouldn't mind it.” Alvida smiled. “You are the only man to have hit me anywhere, and I loved the pain. And for that I will follow you to the ends of the Earth.”

 

“You really are a freak.” Buggy laughed.

 

“You're no better!” Nami exclaimed. “When are you going to get over Luffy beating you and leave us alone?”

 

“Never!” Buggy cried. “I will not accept defeat by anyone who wears the hat of Shanks! That red-haired loser betrayed me, and you will pay the price for his insolence!”

 

“Um…what's going on here?” Beast Boy asked, completely lost as to the situation.

 

“Red-haired Shanks is one of the most famous pirates in the world. He was known for his straw hat. He passed that hat down to Luffy after Shanks saved his life, saying to return it when he became famous.” Nami informed them. “That clown, Buggy, was a former crewmate of Shanks long before he became a Captain. He claims that Shanks ruined his life by forcing him to eat the Devil's Fruit they found. He wants revenge on Luffy—as Shanks' protégé—for both that incident and his earlier defeat at Luffy's hands.”

“Wow.” Beast Boy gasped. “What about the pretty one?”

 

“That's Alvida.” Zoro said. “She's another Pirate after Luffy because of an earlier fight.”

 

“She used to be really ugly and fat.” Luffy laughed.

 

“Until the Devil's Fruit made her the picture of feminine perfection!” Sanji cried.

 

“Will you all shut up?!” Buggy screamed, finally bringing silence to the frenzy. “Can't I threaten Luffy without all these interruptions?!”

 

“All you're doing is insulting Shanks!” Luffy exclaimed. “If you want to fight me, just do it already! We have things to do!”

 

“Oi, now you want to work.” Nami sighed. “Figures. He'll be back to chasing shadows after this. What will I do with him?”

 

“What do you have to do?” Buggy taunted. “Become Pirate King? That'll never happen, kid. You're nothing compared to Shanks, and he couldn't do it! What makes you think you can possibly become Pirate King?”

 

“Stop it!” Luffy commanded, clenching his hands into tight fists.

 

“Face it! You're weak, Shanks is weak, and you'll fall to me right here right now!” Buggy cried, his voice booming as his eyes widened. The pirate-clown looked deranged.

 

“That's it! I'll kick your ass!” Luffy screamed. Suddenly, he was held back by a green glove. Robin walked forward, his cape flittering in front of the enraged rubber boy.

 

“You're despicable, Buggy.” Robin spat. His eyes narrowed into slits, a frown crossing his face. “You chase Luffy endlessly, only to insult his dream and his hero? Well, Luffy isn't the only one with a dream. He isn't the only one with a hero he would do anything to surpass and make proud!” Images of the Dark Knight flashed through the Boy Wonder's head. Starfire stepped backwards, a bit frightened. She had no idea Robin felt this way!

 

“What are you talking about?” Buggy asked, his head cocked to the side. “And just what makes you think you can stand up to me this way?”

 

“I'm talking about fighting you!” Robin exclaimed. He leaped into the air, his silhouette blocking the sun like an eclipse as he flipped through the sky. “For all those who have a dream, and for all those striving to prove something to somebody: I will take you down!” He began to fall towards the clown, thrusting his powerful fist in front of him. “I'll beat you right in your big red nose!”

 

“What?!” Buggy exclaimed.

 

“No!” Nami cried, jumping backwards. “I can't believe he mentioned the nose!” Veins seemed to explode on Captain Buggy's forehead. The enraged pirate snuck both hands into his jacket; as they came out, four daggers were positioned in each hand—one resting between each finger. Robin connected, his fist smashing incredibly straight into Buggy's nose. The two remained motionless for a second as the impact shocked through both of them; then, strangely enough, Buggy's head slipped right off of his shoulders.

 

“Oh no!” Robin exclaimed, jumping backwards. “I guess I hit him too hard.”

 

“Sure kid, think what you want.” Buggy's voice said. Robin jumped backwards, looking for the source. “But you'll be wishing you hit me harder!” The headless body leaped forward, swiping with both arms in an X-shaped pattern. Eight sharp daggers shredded though Robin's tunic, leaving scars across his stomach. The boy wonder grabbed his chest in agony, falling to his knees. Blood stained his forest-green gloves.

 

“You shall pay for hurting my Robin!” Starfire exclaimed, leaping over her crush. Her righteous-fury exploded within her, unleashing itself through her eyes in the form of a focused green beam of energy. It exploded on impact with the headless body, pushing it across the landscape. Shimmering Starbolts formed around of each of the alien girl's palms as she charged forwards, pelting the assaulter all the while.

 

Robin tried to pull himself to his feet, but another sharp pain knocked him right back to the ground. “Stay still.” Raven commanded, appearing at the boy's side—out of nowhere, as she usually did. She held out both hands, and a black field of sickly energy formed around them, spreading until it engulfed both fighters. The scars running across the teen's stomach receded, healing themselves due to Raven's mystical powers.

 

Chopper gasped at the amazing healing power; he wished he could do that! “You should stay back Robin!” He exclaimed anyway. “Your body might not be ready to fight again that soon after being injured!”

 

“I'm not staying back!” Robin exclaimed. “These guys have bothered you long enough! We'll take them down as payment for you guys helping us all this time! TITANS, GO!”

 

Starfire lunged forward, throwing another Starbolt. This time the headless body jumped above it. However, she followed up with one final beam from her eyes. As it was about to hit, however, a streak intercepted it. The Starbeam hit Alvida square in the stomach, dispersing all around her. She looked completely unharmed; in fact, a smile spread across the female pirate's face.

 

“I'm not going to let my partner get hurt.” She reminded Starfire. “My Devil's Fruit not only brought out my beauty, but it gave me skin that nothing can hurt! Any attack slips right off me, no matter what!”

 

Buggy's hand snapped off his wrist, flying past the Tamaranian and retrieving his head. It floated back, tossing the pirate's head back onto his neck and reattaching itself as well. “And my Chop Chop Fruit ability allows me to reassemble and assemble my body as I will!” Starfire's eyes grew wide as she marveled at their power; floating into the air a bit more, the five other Teen Titans assembled beneath her.

 

“I can't let Alvida block our attacks!” Robin exclaimed. “Cyborg, Beast Boy, Terra! Get her out of the way!”

 

 

 

“Do you think it's smart to let them fight alone?” Sanji asked, watching the remarkable fighting force known as the Teen Titans combat the two pirates.

 

“Why not?” Luffy asked. “Robin seemed real determined, and they're fun to watch.”

 

Zoro smiled a bit at his Captain's continued naivety. Then he started backing up, into the shadows of the street behind him. He was useless at this point anyway: Swords slipped right off of Alvida, and right through Buggy with no harm. In a second, Roronoa Zoro was gone.

 

 

 

“I'm on it Robin!” Terra exclaimed, thrusting both her arms into the air. Her hair began to stand on end as yellow energy billowed around her, flaring uncontrollably. “Man it feels good to be on land again!” She added as the energy moved, focusing around her palms. Rocks shot up all around Alvida, forming a cylindrical barrier. With a scream the Earth-mover shoved her arms to the side; the rock fortress followed suit, moving Alvida from her position shielding Buggy and out of Robin's way.

 

“Good job!” Robin complimented, not wasting a breath as he charged the rock's path and landed his steel-enforced boot straight into the collapsible pirate's gut. Buggy was sent flying and Robin leaped forward, Starfire and Raven swooping in behind.

 

Beast Boy charged forward, leaping into the air and rolling into a somersault. As he came out of it, he had already transformed into a Pterodactyl. The extinct green creature swooped down low, and Cyborg grabbed onto his legs, catching a free ride. Beast Boy flew over Alvida's prison, Cyborg's arm snapping and shifting into his dangerous Sonic Cannon.

 

“Eat this!” Cyborg commanded, launching off a fearsome blue blast into the rocks. It exploded as the blast hit home. “Booyah!” Cyborg exclaimed—however, his glee quickly disappeared as the smoke cleared. Alvida had not a scratch on her—in fact, even the smoke just seemed to be slipping right off her!

 

“Men are so pigheaded.” Alvida sighed. “I told them this would happen.” She heard a scream from above her, and looked up to see Cyborg dropping, both arms pulled far behind his head. As he hit the ground he threw them forward, hitting the lady pirate like a sledgehammer. Yet—as predicted—his Earth-shaking assault simply slipped down her, sending the cybernetic warrior straight onto his face.

 

Beast Boy was already following up his friend's assault, swinging his primate arms from behind. The limp punches didn't even seem to hit and instead sent the green baboon stumbling, as if he was tipsy. He quickly shifted down to a wolf, lunging and sinking his teeth straight into the gorgeous villain's arm. Of course, they didn't make it into the meat at all and instead slid off. The unexpected miss caused all four of Beast Boy's feet to fall from beneath him. Alvida threw her foot up, sending a high-heeled kick right into the poor little shape shifter's face.

 

“Hey!” Terra exclaimed, throwing her hands up as a rock beneath her dislodged itself from the ground and hurled itself—and her on it—straight towards Alvida. “Only I can hurt Beast Boy!” The lady turned and saw the incoming projectile. If she was worried, she didn't show it; Alvida leaped into the air, kicking off her left shoe with her right foot. Landing on the bare foot, she bent and let the rock hit her other foot. It did no harm whatsoever, and instead pushed her along on her frictionless bare foot.

 

“No Terra! Stop!” Cyborg exclaimed. Her rocky-ride pushed Alvida straight into him; she spun, sweeping her leg below the robot. Then she finally stood up straight, letting Terra's vehicle slip up her back like a ramp and straight into the air. The little Earth-mover scrambled frantically to get a firm hold on it as it tumbled out of control in the sky.

 

Hearing another sound, Alvida looked down to see a burst of fire explode from Cyborg's feet. Propelling him through the air, he landed a fierce uppercut straight into the lady's chin. Of course, it simply slipped straight up her deceptively-delicate looking neck. Captain Alvida's arm reached behind her coat and emerged carrying a surprise: a large, spiked club!

 

“Uh-oh. That's not go—” Cyborg never got time to finish his statement as the weapon collided with his metal midsection. He was sent tumbling across the plaza, but as he tumbled his two shoulders opened with a hiss, unleashing four missile pods! Alvida didn't flinch as the projectiles soared towards her, spewing smoke in their wake.

 

As the rock fell close enough to the ground, Terra flipped over it, landing and instantly thrusting her hands forwards. If their attacks couldn't hurt Captain Alvida, she knew of one force that still had effect on her! The missiles hit their mark—they had no effect, but served their purpose regardless. Alvida had been held still just long enough! With a tremendous scream, Terra threw her arms up into the air. The ground beneath the lady pirate imitated them, and a tremendous rock pillar burst from beneath Lady Alvida. It rose nearly thirty feet into the air, stranding Alvida on top a lonely plateau.

 

“Beast Boy!” Terra exclaimed, knowing he was their only hope for the plan to work. “Keep her there!”

 

The shape shifter pulled himself to his feet, still rubbing the puncture wound on his face. “I don't know what you're planning, but I'll do it anyway!” He ran forward, leaping into the air and becoming a mighty hawk as he soared up the side of the stone pillar.

 

“Thanks for the perfect slope!” Lady Alvida called, kicking her other shoe off and leaping into the air. “I'll get enough momentum this way to knock you all out in one attack! Slippery Slide!” However, just as she moved to slide down the side, the green hawk swooped up the edge, shifting into a massive gorilla the second it came within attacking distance. His massive hands grabbed Alvida. They slid right off, of course, but still managed to keep her up there. He landed and became a kangaroo, throwing killer punches left and right. The pirate shrugged them right off, spinning her club for another attack. Just before impact Beast Boy became a turtle, and was batted far into the air. He ended his flight by shifting into a Flying Squirrel, and the cute little creature waved his paw goodbye.

 

“Goodbye?” Alvida asked. Suddenly she got her answer in the form of two screams from below. Terra launched a yellow beam, and Cyborg another sonic blast. The two projectiles collided on opposite sides of the stone pillar, completely demolishing it. As Captain Alvida felt herself falling, she realized she had been duped. Their attacks could do nothing to her, but gravity sure could! Alvida fell the rest of the distance, landing on the ground with a thud—knocked unconscious by the impact. Cyborg and Terra both fell to their knees, exhausted. Beast Boy just floated to the ground, enjoying being a flying squirrel.

 

 

 

As Buggy was still flying from Robin's last kick, he whirled around for another roundhouse. “Chop Chop Evasion!” Buggy announced as his body split in half, his foot flying right through the two parts. The clown-pirate reconnected and threw himself forward, landing a skull-shattering headbutt. As Robin stumbled backwards Buggy lunged in with his daggers again.

 

“No you will not!” Starfire commanded, tossing a Starbolt at his hand. Buggy allowed his hand to be knocked off as the green energy tore it away. However, he then span and threw his other disconnected hand towards the alien girl.

 

“Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with other people's knives?” He asked. “Chop Chop Stab!” As his disembodied hand grew ever closer to Star's chest, Raven appeared behind her, waving her hand. A black strip of energy correspondingly appeared in front of her, blocking the daggers. Both hands flung backwards, reattaching themselves to the pirate's decorated arms. Robin pulled himself onto his feet, and the pirate-clown was faced by three enraged Teen Titans. With a laugh Buggy threw his arms to the side, tossing the daggers forward. Raven threw both hands forward, unleashing a wave of blackness that moved across the battlefield like a tsunami. Taking control of the daggers, they turned around and shot straight towards Captain Buggy. In only a second all eight weapons were protruding from his body.

 

Buggy looked down at the daggers sticking out of his chest and laughed. Breathing in, he puffed up his stomach and they popped right out. However, as he looked up Robin was already dashing in for an assault, the two girls following close. The pirate did a back flip, launching his feet like rockets in the process. They each soared into one of the females' stomachs, sending them flying backwards. Robin screamed, landing a punch in the clown's stomach as he was still recovering. His bare ankles skidded across the ground as the punch pushed him forward. “Chop Chop Slice!” Buggy yelled, ignoring the attack that just hit and instead splitting his body into three. A piece of his chest shot forward and hit the Boy Wonder hard in the gut, sending him tumbling across the battlefield on his back. His body then retracted, the three pieces of body reconnecting and topping off the roaming feet.

 

“You guys sure are fun!” Buggy exclaimed, pulling more daggers from his flashy jacket. “But I still have to fight Luffy! It's time to go down now!” He dashed forward, swinging wildly at Robin. The teen powerhouse propelled himself into the air—and over the assault—with his arm. Starfire rushed in under him, tossing more or her translucent green beams into the fight. Again Captain Buggy's body split in half, the Starbolts flying harmlessly through his chest. As he reconnected, he tried to dissect her instead.

 

“Starfire!” Robin exclaimed. Sending himself into a fierce spin, he pulled a Redbird projectile from his belt and hurled it with the pinpoint precision only he had. The whirling plastic boomerang hit its mark, blowing right past Buggy's hand and knocking the daggers right out. Buggy's jaw dropped; however, Starfire only laughed as she hurled her leg into the air, kicking the clown with her tremendous Tamaranian strength. Meanwhile, Robin pulled another Redbird from his belt. As he caught the first he stuck them together. Pressing a secret button, the two weapons combined together, creating a mighty red sword.

 

The Boy Wonder dashed forward, swinging the sword. Buggy was still landing, and never even noticed the impressive saber rip straight through his chest. However, the pirate just laughed as his entire arm detached, heading straight for Robin's chest. The Teen Titan quickly parried it with his sword, but as he did so Buggy completely reassembled himself and came in for another swipe. His four daggers met with the red weapon, and as the two fearsome warriors squared off, Buggy's other hand flew straight towards his opponent's back.

 

“Robin, watch out!” Starfire exclaimed. She couldn't block it in time!

 

“That's fighting dirty!” Robin complained. Keeping a firm grasp on his sword with one hand, he passed his other across his belt, accessing his staff. He twisted his body, holding Buggy back with the sword, and Buggy's hand off with his staff.

 

“Looks like I've got you cornered.” Buggy growled, a huge grin covering his white face.

 

“Not quite!” Robin exclaimed, moving his feet. With a ferocious spin he leaped into the air, completely twisting around. His sword, having gained more than enough momentum, shattered the daggers in his floating hand. As Robin's staff headed toward the rest of the pirate, it extended, planting its end right in Buggy's neck. The clown was hurled down an empty alley, slamming against a building at the end. As he came to, rubbing his head and swearing under his breath, he noticed the shadows in the alley retreating. They gathered around the hands of Raven, who was floating right above him. Showing no emotions, she thrusted her hands below her and sent the shadows piling on top of the pirate. Captain Buggy laid spread on the ground; it seemed at first he had been beaten, but he started to move again. It seemed he wasn't defeated yet.

 

With a frown, Raven shot further into the air. “Azarath…” She chanted, the force of the powers she was controlling blowing her cape into the air. “…Metrion…” Waves of dark energy emanated from her hands, undulating through the air like evil lightning. “…Zinthos!” She exclaimed. The darkness wrapped itself around an anchor and chain sitting on a nearby boat. Buggy screamed as he leaped to his feet, but sweeping her arms, the anchor crashed next to the pirate, knocking him into the sky. The chain, still covered in darkness, wrapped itself around every imaginable surface of Captain Buggy. It fell to the ground.

 

“Quick Robin, get him before he escapes!” She commanded. The other two Titans nodded, running forward. Starfire swooped down low, grabbing Robin and flying high into the air. She let go, leaving him to flip through the sky as she soared higher. The Boy Wonder pulled a disk of explosives from his belt and hurled it straight below him—right to where Buggy was resting. With his other hand he pulled a grappling hook from his belt—shooting it into a nearby building and using it to pull himself out of the line of fire. Starfire hovered directly above him.

 

“This is the end Buggy!” She exclaimed. The biggest Starbolt she had ever created formed on the end of her two hands. Screaming, she threw it below her. Buggy's eyes grew big as he frantically struggled to escape the grip of the chain. Even if just one part of him could escape out, he might still win! Alas, Raven's powers held him still just long enough. Robin's explosives and Starfire's Starbolt both hit home at the same moment, exploding in a blinding flash of green. As the green smoke cleared, Buggy was lying unconscious at the bottom of a large crater.

 

The mouths of the Straw Hats fell to the ground. “That was incredible!” Luffy cried, running onto the former battlefield and sweeping Robin off his feet. The other Titans collapsed onto their knees, exhausted. The Boy Wonder passed out in the rubberman's arms.

 

“Aww, he passed out.” Luffy sighed, slinging Robin over his shoulder. “Oh well, let's get him some food. That should make him feel better!”

 

“Oh no you don't!” Nami exclaimed. “He fought hard just to uphold your honor; we're going to treat him well!” Ripping Robin from her captain's arms, she laid him on the ground. “Chopper, you have the honors.” The little doctor nodded, pulling some instruments from his pink backpack. The reindeer doctor was now in.

 

 

 

Captain Smoker lowered his goggles, letting them fall back down his neck. He and Slade stood on a rooftop on the other side of the island. Slade also lowered his binoculars, snickering to himself.

 

“What's so funny?” Smoker asked, annoyed. “The entire purpose of me releasing Buggy and Alvida was so that you could see the Straw Hat's true power! The entire thing backfired!”

 

“True.” Slade admitted. “However, you instead got to witness the power of my enemies. Now you see the power I have been fighting against.” He laughed again. “You say that none of the Straw Hat's can stand to your smoke abilities, right?” The captain nodded. “Then with that on our side, and the Titans weakened, we should have no problem getting my stone back.”

 

“So you're saying we should strike now while they're still exhausted?” Smoker asked. This time Slade nodded. The Captain laughed. “That's fine with me. Tashigi! Call the troops.” He received no response. “Tashigi?” Smoker asked again, scanning the entire rooftop. His assistant was nowhere to be found.

 

 

 

Tashigi stormed down an empty street. She knew Zoro had to be around there somewhere; she had seen him leave the battle with her binoculars!

 

“It's no use hiding, Roronoa Zoro.” She growled. “You will pay for what you have done, one way or another!”

 

Next Time: The Foretold Arrival—Zoro vs. the Crystal Swordsman