One Piece Fan Fiction / Teen Titans Fan Fiction ❯ The Ultimate Cruise ❯ The Invitation—Pirates Assist the Law…Just This Once ( Chapter 15 )

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 15: The Invitation—Pirates Assist the Law…Just This Once

 

The swarm of police officers kept their aim towards the mysterious rubber villain; despite already seeing their ineffectiveness—as the holes in their squad cars would prove—they could think of no other way to suppress this enemy.

 

Monkey D. Luffy had finished relieving himself ages ago and now leaned against the side of the building he had used as a toilet. The boy looked bored, staring into space as he dug his finger up his nose. He pulled it out, and after seeing that he found nothing special up there, he heaved a heavy sigh and again returned his gaze towards the law.

 

“Can I move yet?” Luffy asked. “This is taking forever, and I can find the Titans well myself.”

 

“NO!” the head officer exclaimed, his hands shaking as sweat poured down his body. “Like I said before, you need to wait there until the Titans come!”

 

Again Luffy groaned, balling his hand into a fist. “That was…” he tried counting on his fingers, “A long time ago! How long does it take them to go downstairs?! I can find them a lot quicker on my own!”

 

The officers exchanged curious glances about the downstairs statement, but their aim never wavered. Obviously tired of waiting for an answer, Luffy began picking at his ear instead.

 

Sirens wailed, growing louder as another cop car pulled up and joined the several already spread out to prevent Luffy's escape—although it seems their promise of the Titan's swift justice kept the criminal there for whatever reason. The new car swerved to a stop as an officer hopped out of the side, hoisting a giant weapon over his shoulder.

 

“I've got the missile launcher, sir!” he exclaimed.

 

“Thank god.” The first policeman sighed, finally letting his breath out. “At the first sign of danger be ready to use it.”

 

The officer with the deadly weapon nodded before pulling himself onto the roof of his squad car, leaning the launcher over his knee.

 

A frown crossed Luffy's face as he noticed the new arrival.

 

“See?” he asked, indignant. “Even that guy got here faster then the Titans. I'm going back myself and asking why they let such stupid people in the tower.” Turning away from the officers, Luffy stretched his arm back to make his departure.

 

The head officer panicked, fearing the worst. “Fire!”

 

Smoke poured from the weapon as a missile burst out of the nozzle, winding a path towards the rubberman. As it drew close, however, the projectile found itself frozen in its tracks by a stubborn field of black.

 

Meanwhile, the “criminal's” escape attempt was put to an end by a falling green hippo, which quickly brought Luffy crashing to the ground under its immense weight.

 

As the police force stared dumbfounded at the sight, Starfire floated in front of them. Raven followed, her hands immersed in the same energy that was holding back the missile.

 

“Stop!” Star commanded. “Please, do not hurt our friend!”

 

In one swift motion the hippopotamus shifted back into our own familiar green changeling. “Yeah, this guy's with us!”

 

The head officer raised an eyebrow in a confused expression. “This criminal is a friend of yours?”

 

With one sweep of her hands Raven blew her two teammates backwards, certain she didn't want to explain pirates, Slade's plans, and the theory of trans-dimensional travel to the police. “They mean that we have him taken care of. Have a good day, officers.”

 

“But…what about the missile?”

 

The Titans turned a blank stare to the still-steaming projectile Raven had frozen in midair.

 

“Don't worry, I'll take care of it!” Luffy cried, charging past Beast Boy and winding up his arm. Both Star and Raven began to cry for him to stop, but the rubberman paid them no attention as he threw his arm forward. “Rubber Pistol!”

 

Luffy's rubber appendage pushed the missile far into the stratosphere, where it promptly exploded—filling the sky with fire—as the rubberman's arm snapped back to place without a scratch.

 

“Well, I just hope it didn't hit a plane.” Beast Boy sighed.

 

 

 

Consciousness finally returned to the fallen Iso-jin; Ian's eyes slowly opened, and as his blurred sight so hesitantly returned to him he noticed Mother standing above him, hands clasped across her chest. Red energy flowed from her, enveloping the entire cave. He noticed the scar given to him by Zoro had vanished, and even all the successive damage done to Slade had vanished without a trace.

 

“Thank you, Mother.” Ian whispered as he rubbed his head, thankful for the Mother's abilities to use Iso-jin healing magic; she was the one who had taught Chiyu in the art.

 

However, his thoughts quickly turned to the sights around him as he set his eyes upon Slade's base of operations. They were in a cavern, quite similar to the one Slade had led them to back on the Grand Line, only the room was at least twenty times larger. Several platforms of rock changed the elevation across the room, and the walls were lined with expensive machinery. In several different locations the stone walls opened into a recess, where various catwalks and turning gears made their home.

 

“Nice place you've got here.” Ian said, obviously to Slade but at the same time he was looking nowhere near the madman. It needn't matter—Slade and the two Iso-jin leaders had already huddled together and were deep in conversation. It seemed the time for their plan to be unveiled was close-at-hand.

 

The crystal swordsman looked offended for a second, but then decided he would be better off if he didn't even know what was going on. He had the sinking feeling that it would only aggravate him further; he should just focus on getting to the end and helping restore glory to his island.

 

Of course, his plans to stay out of it were quickly demolished by the sight of Tashigi standing like a zombie, her pupils completely gone as one of the energy-connecting crystals hung from her neck.

 

“What's going on with her?!” Ian demanded as he charged into the discussion between the three villains.

 

Both Slade and the boy's father frowned at his intrusion, but Mother knew just how to handle her subordinate. “Exactly what you wanted,” she began. “She's going to be bait…I'm just making it easier for her to fight by controlling her.”

 

“Controlling her?” the boy asked.

 

“Well…not the best choice of words I suppose.” Mother admitted. “She's being animated by the great power's energy, and acting off of instinct only. Also, and more importantly, her powers are being amplified several times—perhaps to the point of surpassing you.”

 

Ian looked genuinely worried by this statement.

 

“Not to worry.” The old woman consoled him as she pulled another crystal from her blouse. “You all get one for the final confrontation. We're only bringing those twelve here to gather energy for us, after all.”

 

Ivan decided this is where he would jump in. “These crystals amplify our power, letting us fight longer and harder, while at the same time collecting the energy our enemies use against us—eventually bringing us to our goal of completely unleashing the great power!”

 

Ian grinned devilishly as Mother slipped a crystal around his neck. “And if I get to defeat Roronoa Zoro in the meantime…”

 

Slade seemed to share his sentiments. “Yes, destroying the Titans will only be the beginning to the power that stone can grant me.”

 

“So I take it we're ready for the end then, yes?” Mother asked.

 

“We are, but I don't know about our guests.” The terrorist told her. “Their invitation is being sent, but they're not due to arrive until tomorrow. They need to be at their best, after all.”

 

“Agreed. So that leaves only one thing doesn't it?” Again a simple statement by the eldest Iso-jin said wonders, and was met by a low snicker from Slade.

 

“Ah yes, the matter of my apprentice.” he replied. “Don't worry; she'll be ready to assist by the time they get here. Of that I promise.”

 

 

 

“So, what is this pizza stuff anyway?” Luffy asked. He and the three Titans accompanying him now sat around a table, outside at their favorite restaurant.

 

With a smile Beast Boy pointed at the table they were sitting at. It was shaped like a slice of pizza, as was the very restaurant itself. “It's a food; bread, covered in sauce, cheese, and toppings. Just like this table.”

 

The Titans were shocked to hear the sound of crunching; Luffy had begun biting the table. “I dunno, it doesn't have much flavor.”

 

A small explosion of black separated the rubberman from the table. “No, the table just looks like a slice of pizza.” Raven sighed exasperatedly.

 

“Anyway,” Beast Boy continued, “I'm getting a veggie pizza: green and sweet peppers, onions, pineapple and chunks of lettuce.” His three companions each shot him a disturbed look at the thought of lettuce on a pizza—or in Luffy's case, of lettuce in general.

 

“On mine I wish to have gravy and the butter of peanuts!” Star smiled.

 

Knowing Starfire as they did, they thought nothing of her response and turned their sights to Raven. “Black olives,” she responded with a huff, “LOTS of black olives.”

 

“I just want meat!” Luffy added.

 

“Then you'll want what I'm getting!” Cyborg exclaimed, appearing behind the rubberman. “Meat lovers: pepperoni, Italian and regular sausage, ham and bacon!”

 

Luffy's tongue fell to the table as hearts flashed in his eyes.

 

However, Raven didn't respond with the same enthusiasm. “Why don't you just put a live pig on the pizza?”

 

“Cyborg!” Starfire exclaimed, caring more for her friends then the pizza. “You have all finally made it!”

 

With a chuckle the mechanical man replied, “Yeah, but it sure was a struggle to get all eight of us in the T-Car.”

 

The T-Car was Cyborg's baby and the Titans' main form of transportation: a vehicle he had made himself. Like Cyborg, it was mostly white with portions painted metallic blue. Equipped with the latest gadgets, it was usually the best car on the road; however, the sight of seven heroes struggling to escape at the same time lessened the aura of glory surrounding a vehicle of even this caliber.

 

However, they finally did something right, falling out of the T-Car in a heap. Quickly jumping to their feet as if nothing had happened, the remaining Titans and Straw Hats made their way over to the table.

 

“Wow, this tower certainly is big!” Luffy exclaimed. “I can't believe you have to drive in it to get around!”

 

Robin looked confused as he plopped onto one of the benches. “What are you talking about? This isn't the t—”

 

His rebuttal was cut short by Raven and Nami both frantically signing for him to stop. After a moment's thought he realized what they were thinking: who wanted to explain something like that to Luffy?

 

“So, are we all ready for pizzas then?” Robin asked instead, ready to change the subject. He pulled a thick wad of money from his belt.

 

“But nobody's even asked us what we want yet!” Terra complained, speaking for all of the new arrivals.

 

In one blurred motion Nami had moved to Robin's side, hearts now pumping in her usually calm eyes. “I'm sure they'll make a good decision.” She held out her hand hopefully. “You know, Robin, I'll buy them if you want me to.”

 

Glares from both Zoro and Cyborg—probably ones that helped coin the phrase “If looks could kill”—brought the thief back to her senses. “Sorry,” she blushed as she slinked into her seat, “force of habit.”

 

However, Nami's eyes still followed the money as Robin waved his hands about, tallying votes and figuring out if they could even afford 20 meat lovers pizzas—which they couldn't, much to Luffy's chagrin.

 

Of course, some people couldn't care less about pizza.

 

“What do you mean you don't sell sake!?” Zoro demanded, pounding his fist upon the counter. The cashier slunk back, not sure how to explain the state's alcoholic beverage laws—until he remembered the phrase his manager kept repeating to him like a mantra: the customer is always right.

 

“Actually, we have some whiskey in the fridge in the back.” he told the green haired swordsman, who nodded eagerly. Hoping his manager would care more about a sale then about the loss of one of his beers, he stopped short as he remembered yet another requirement of his job.

 

“I'm sorry sir, but how old are you?”

 

“Nineteen,” Zoro answered, “But that the hell does that have to do with anything?”

 

The cashier took a step back, anticipating the response. “I'm sorry, but we can't serve you alcohol if you're under twenty-one.”

 

“What kind of bullshit rule is that?!” the swordsman exclaimed, driving his fist into the counter with such force that it crumbled beneath his mighty strength.

 

However, Zoro's tantrum was interrupted by a scream from his navigator. With a quick turn he noticed Robin's money being whisked out of his hand by a swift figure clad in black.

 

“That's one of Slade's minions!” Robin exclaimed as Nami turned pale at the loss of the cash. Then—in a red and green flash—the boy wonder chased after him, the two nearly instantly running out of sight.

 

With a slight stutter it was Chopper who finally spoke up. “S-should we try to help him?”

 

Any possible answer to his inquiry was halted by an explosion and the pink goop that consequently rained across the town. The Straw Hats looked in terror—and the Titans with an expression that neared mere annoyance—as the giant monster leered itself over the buildings. Several stories tall, the creature was comprised of that same pink goop, with about a dozen green, bulbous eyes emerging from the top. He opened his gigantic mouth, letting loose a shriek that shattered windows.

 

“It's Plasmus again!” Cyborg announced, his arm already shifting back into his Sonic Cannon.

 

“Again?!” Usopp cried in terror. “You've fought this guy more then once?!”

 

“Yes, several times in fact.” Starfire told him. Then she smiled as she added, “However, we always kick his butt!”

 

“Then we'll help this time, and he'll go down even faster.” Zoro proclaimed as he tied his bandanna onto his head, forgetting he ever needed some sake. Never one to be outdone by the seaweed-head, Sanji leapt to his feet and followed the Titans' charge.

 

Nami stared helplessly as her friends ran towards the new threat. “I'll…I'll guard our table!” she exclaimed, not knowing what else she could possibly do at the moment.

 

“Me too!” Usopp echoed.

 

“No you won't!” Nami roared, snapping together her staff and sending the coward flying with one mighty swing. “You'll help, and that's final!”

 

Usopp soared into the charging group of heroes, landing—fortunately for him—on the back of Tony Tony Chopper, who had taken his reindeer form for the charge. Beast Boy, meanwhile, shifted into the shape of a Pterodactyl, flying above his mechanical companion. Cyborg grabbed his leg, and the changeling lifted him high into the air and towards the looming pink threat.

 

Finally noticing the Titans, Plasmus let loose a shriek that told all within earshot that he was not happy to see them. Unfortunately, that shriek was accompanied by a shot of toxic green chemicals. Cyborg screamed as Beast Boy soared above it, diving in close to the bulbous monster. Aiming his arm, the mechanical Titan fired off several rapid-fire shots of sonic energy, blowing an equal number of holes through the creature.

 

Before Plasmus could even regenerate he was pelted by a harsh storm of green energy blasts. Starfire wouldn't let up in her vicious Starbolt assault, and the force of the attacks actually pushed the monster down the street. Not taking too happily to this turn of events, the blob opened wide and let loose several more streaks of deadly acid.

 

However, Starfire wouldn't let up; she was confident her teammates would be there to protect her. Of course she was correct, and as if on cue Raven appeared before her, taking control of Plasmus's attacks with one simple hand-motion. She then easily threw his attacks aside, and another swipe-of-hand covered a nearby car with a field of black, hurling it towards the giant pink monster.

 

Unfortunately, nobody had given a second thought to Plasmus's first spurt of acid, which was now rapidly hurling itself toward Chopper and Usopp. As Usopp screamed, Chopper shrank down to his true form—letting the sniper on his back fall to the ground with a thud—and pulled a small yellow ball from his backpack.

 

“RUMBLE!”

 

Chopper quickly moved to his Jumping Point, taking on its aerodynamic body and powerful legs; one slight tap to the ground sent him hurling over the acid. This reduced Usopp to hysterical tears as he curled into the fetal position.

 

“Tatsumaki!” Usopp looked up, and noticed that Zoro now stood before him, all three swords drawn. The force of the green-haired demon's attack had sent Plasmus's acid hurling in all directions, as if he had created a tornado. Before he could even thank him, Zoro dashed off.

 

Meanwhile, Plasmus let forth another primal scream; however, this one wasn't accompanied by spurting acid, but instead by the return throw of the car Raven had hurled into his stomach. The vehicle collided with the mid-air duo of Beast Boy and Cyborg, grounding both of them.

 

“Kokute Roseo!” Chopper cried as he used Plasmus's own attack against him, attacking while he was distracted. Taking on the outrageously bulked muscles of his Arm Point, he drove one supercharged hoof through the monster's head—to no avail. Barely paying him notice, one of the green bubbles atop the creature's head moved down, swallowing up the reindeer.

 

Luffy cried out, ready to rescue his friend, but was held back by his cook instead. “I could use a lift.” Sanji told him.

 

“Rubber Slingshot!” Luffy cried as his arm snapped forward—Sanji holding on for dear life. The cook let go and was propelled through the air and straight towards his crewmate's prison; letting loose a scream that no doubt translated to some French food Sanji plowed his foot through the bubble and freed Chopper. However, his flight didn't end, and he soared straight through a window and into a building.

 

Meanwhile, Luffy's attempt to riddle the beast's side full of rubber bullets was put to an end as his arm quickly became stuck in the pink muck. Fortunately for him, a quick swipe from Zoro freed Luffy—and that particular piece of muck—from Plasmus's side.

 

Chopper, reduced to his normal form—or Brain Point—pulled himself to his feet. “I found his weakness!” he cried. “He's a normal guy who becomes Plasmus when he's awake! We just need to put him to sleep!”

 

“Easier said then done.” Cyborg groaned. “Getting through the gunk to the man is a pretty hard feat.”

 

Meanwhile, Beast Boy had found something else to marvel over. “You can discover people's weaknesses?” Chopper nodded, adding that it was an ability he got from the Rumble Ball. “Awesome! That'll sure come in handy someday!”

 

“Enough talking!” Cyborg chastised them. “Fight!” As he commanded them he also hurled that same car towards the monolith once again. Still floating by the side of the now tiring Starfire, Raven noticed and followed suit, propelling an abandoned bus towards Plasmus.

 

Usopp smiled, realizing now was the time to add his attack. “Killer Move…Fire Star!” Unleashing a flaming projectile from his slingshot, it and the two vehicles hit home at the same time—and resulted in an unparalled explosion. Plasmus's entire head was decimated, slinging gunk across the buildings.

 

“Good thinking Usopp!” Beast Boy exclaimed. “Igniting the gasoline was the perfect idea!” Usopp nodded, dumbfounded—what dumb luck!

 

While the explosion knocked Starfire and Raven from the sky, it gave the ground troops their opening. Beast Boy charged as a rhinoceros, and Chopper followed by taking his Horn Point—dropping to all fours, this form let his six-foot antlers do the talking. However, as the bottom of Plasmus squirmed it also formed a mouth, spitting another stream of toxic liquid towards the shapeshifters.

 

As the two stopped, they were surprised to still be in one piece. “Are you guys okay?” Terra asked, her powers holding a wall of rock between the two and Plasmus. As they nodded, Terra screamed and clenched her fists; the wall of stone exploded, pelting the monster with razor-sharp pebbles.

 

“Uh, guys…you should look at this!” Usopp backed up, eyes wide in terror as he watched the chunks of Plasmus—sent flying by the explosion—start moving on their own. One moved close to the coward, moaning eerily.

 

It was instantly downed by the rock-shattering force of Sanji's foot. The chef twirled forward, instantly downing nearly a dozen more blobs. Not one to be surpassed by a love-cook, Zoro dashed forth, his three swords making mincemeat of just as many enemies. Terra followed suit, summoning spiky rocks directly beneath the self-moving refuse.

 

Meanwhile, both Starfire and Cyborg pointed towards Plasmus's unharmed bottom-half. With a scream it let loose a stream of acid; with two screams the Titans unleashed a combined blast of green and blue, tearing through the acid and slamming the monster into a building, shattering the concrete behind him. They had to finish him before he regenerated fully!

 

Usopp stuttered as five or six small blobs of Plasmus marched closer. “Caltrop Hell!” he cried as he pulled a sheet from his bag; flinging it, several dozen caltrops hurled out of it and towards the little monsters. The spiky, jack-like devices landed on the beasts—to no avail, as they puffed their chest and repelled the attack right back at Usopp. The sniper flinched, cowering at the threat.

 

“Azarath Metrion Zinthos!”

 

The marksman opened his eyes to the fantastic sight of his Caltrops suspended before him, in a field of black. “Thanks!” Usopp cried to Raven, floating above his shoulder.

 

“Actually,” Raven admitted, “I should be thanking you.” She thrusted both hands forward, and in a whirlwind of black the Caltrops spiraled forward. With Raven's force behind the spiky projectiles, they shredded the remaining minions in no time. Then, they simply floated back into Usopp's bag.

 

However, more trouble was being had with Plasmus's other half. It was obvious that Starfire and Cyborg were running out of energy, yet the monster showed no sign of slowing down yet!

 

“We need assistance!” Star cried fearfully.

 

“You got it!” Luffy cried from far in the air. Soaring above Plasmus, he thrust one leg into the air at a 90 degree angle; the leg stretched far into the stratosphere. “Rubber…” With the snap of a rubber band his leg flew down. “…AXE!” His leg landed in the middle of Plasmus, completely splitting the creature in half.

 

As Luffy's leg retracted back to its normal length, it could be seen that a shirtless, unconscious man had been hit by the rubberman's attack, and was now ground into the pavement. Plasmus was defeated.

 

“I thought you guys said he was weak!” Usopp exclaimed.

 

“He normally is.” Cyborg admitted. “I don't know what was with him today.”

 

“This was.” Terra said, pulling a yellow disk from Plasmus's chest. Despite Luffy's Herculean attack, it hadn't even been dented. An `S' adorned the front—a sign of Slade for sure. “I bet this was amplifying his power.”

 

As the others drew close around her, sparks flew from the device. Terra dropped it in fright, but nobody expected a hologram of Slade to appear as it hit the ground. Yet, that's exactly what happened.

 

 

 

Slade's minion—money still tucked in its belt—fired off a sparkling red blast of energy towards the Boy Wonder. Robin easily leapt above it, hurling a Redbird that shattered his opponent's blaster.

 

Then—becoming nothing but a red-and-green blur, Robin swiped the robot's feet from beneath him. However, it never hit the ground. Next, the Titan laid hold of the minion's arm, ripping it straight from its metallic socket, and bashed the machine across the head with its own arm. Following up with one final blow to the chest, Slade's minion short circuited as it finally landed with a thud, spewing sparks.

 

With a small growl Robin ripped the mask off of the creature, revealing a small viewscreen hidden inside the robot's head.

 

“Come on Slade,” Robin began as he pulled his money from the minion's belt, “Don't tell me you're resorting to petty theft.”

 

Slade's face appeared on the screen, chuckling slightly. “Of course not, Robin. I just needed your attention.”

 

“Why?!” he cried, slamming the robot's head against the ground. “What are you trying to do?!”

 

“Come now, Robin, calm down.” Slade commanded. “You know that can't hurt me.” The boy wonder let go of the robot's neck, trying to regain his composure. Slade wanted to see him flip out like this. “I'm simply sending you an invitation.”

 

Robin's face contorted. “An invitation? What about Plasmus?!”

 

“Oh, he's an invitation for the others.” The madman replied. “I just wanted to talk to you separately. I'm assuming by now Aqualad has already reported to you the location of my hideout.” Robin nodded, his eyebrows furrowed to the point of nearly touching. “Then I request the presence of the other Teen Titans, the Straw Hat Pirates, and yourself at my hideout, tomorrow at noon sharp.”

 

“Why should we?” Robin growled.

 

“If you want to keep this city in one piece, you'll come.” Slade threatened. “If you want your friends to ever get home again, you'll come. You have to come, Robin. It's your job.”

 

Robin slammed his fist against the pavement, knowing it was true. “What about my friends?! Why the separate invitation?!”

 

“It took you one minute to chase my minion down,” Slade began, seemingly ignoring the Titan's inquires, “and then only ten seconds to beat it senseless. That's a new record, Robin.”

 

“What are you talking about?!” the boy wonder screamed, losing the composure he struggled so valiantly to keep whenever Slade showed his face.

 

“My new apprentice could half that time, easily.” Slade smiled. “Tomorrow, Robin, you meet. It's time for the final game to begin, and I look forward to it.”

 

Slade's image disappeared from the screen with a small blip.

 

“Me too Slade, me too.” Robin said, rising to his feet. “It's about time we end this. Iso-jin, new apprentices, they mean nothing. I'm going to take you down myself, I swear it.”

 

Next Time: Slade's Apprentice—Begin the Final Confrontation!