Chapter 96: Beginning of the End

Chapter 100:

The Beginning of the End

Moria

"SUUUUUPPPEEEEERRRRR!" Accompanying the shout was the sound of destruction, the giant freezer of Thriller Bark losing one wall to the fists of something far taller than any modern giant could ever hope to be. Striking the signature pose of someone, or something, else, Oars' fists crushed the stone where they met some resistance, such a thing not fazing him in the slightest. Moria cackled from the platform.

"Are you hungry, Oars?" the Warlord asked.

"Nah," the giant waved off, dropping his arms. "I'm really thirsty, though. Do you have any Cola, Master Moria?"

"We have quite a bit," Moria frowned. "Absalom favors that drink, but I'm afraid that that is nothing compared to a being your size. Oars, please look at your arm." Disappointed at the lack of Cola but following his master's orders all the same, the titan glanced at his left arm. On the inside were twelve posters.

"Oh wow," Oars rumbled. "That guy with the blue hair has an awesome hairstyle. How do you say that?" Oars squinted at the poster on the bottom far right. "Curbing Flanky?"

"Cyborg Franky," Moria corrected. "You needn't worry about him. The others, though, I need you to track down and take out. If you do that, I'll give you all the Cola you could ever want after we leave the Florian Triangle."

"You can super count on me, Master Moria!" the humongous zombie declared, turning to the already-broken wall and punching his way out. "I'm coming for you, Straw Hats!"

"Kiishishishi," Moria cackled. "This should be entertaining."

Luffy, Nami, Coby, and Grace

The moment two black blobs slammed into Coby and Grace, Nami decided it was time they contacted everyone. Grabbing her husband's arm and letting him spring backward from where he tried to keep running, Nami opened the shell over her baby den-den and waited.

BUDUP-BUDUP-BUDUP... BUDUP-BUDUP-BUDUP...CA-LICK

"Everyone here?"

"This is Robin. Mr. Swordsman is here as well."

"Amy here. Gin's good, too."

"It's great to hear your voice, Nami-swan! The shitty skeleton and I are both alive. (Though I am not! Yohohoho!)"

"Merry here! I kicked ass! (Language, Merry!) Uncle Usopp won, too."

"Ch-Chopper."

That last one came across as a sad squeak, tears leaking from the snail's eyes.

"What happened, Chopper?" Robin asked quickly. Chopper sniffed.

"We won, but Franky's gone! I think those mouse-spiders got him!"

"Great," Gin moaned. "That means there's another zombie out there for us to kill. Everyone has their shadows back right?"

"I don't," Chopper cried again. "Moria used it to bring back Hogback."

"Damn," Zoro scowled. "Is everyone else good?"

"We've got Coby and Grace's weapons and my shadow is back," Gin announced. "We're on the third floor right now."

"Luffy, Coby, Grace, and I are outside and heading back toward the castle," Nami responded. "Find a window and watch for us."

"SUUUUUPPPEEEEERRRRR!"

"I think we found Big Bro's shadow," Merry commented over Usopp's surprised squeak.

"That does not sound good," Coby muttered.

"It isn't," Brook responded. "I stumbled across it last time I was here. Moria had Hogback working on the body of a monster bigger than any giant I've ever seen. I fear he may have gotten tired of waiting to use it."

"Then it's a good thing we've got our own monsters," Nami shot back. "Two shadows are manageable. Robin? Zoro? Go find Chopper and make sure he can stay in the shade. Gin? Amy? Join us when we get to the castle. We'll go looking for Moria or the monster, whichever we find first. Merry? You can sense the crew, right?"

"Only when they're in my range," the klabautermann answered. "Based on my size, I'd guess maybe a quarter of a league."

"Then you and Usopp should rendezvous with us when we're close," Nami ordered before some crash echoed over the connection. "What was that?"

"Something exploded on the other side of the the building from us," Sanji answered. "I think we found Franky's monster."

"I'M COMING FOR YOU, STRAW HATS!"

"Correction," the cook muttered. "We definitely found Franky's monster."

"Follow it!" Luffy yelled. "We'll fight it together!"

"Or you guys will," Nami cut in. "If it's as big as that shout made it sound, neither Grace or I could do much. We'll try to track down Hogback and get Chopper's shadow back."

"C-Come on, guys," Usopp muttered. "Franky doesn't need his shadow that badly, does he?"

"Speak for yourself, Long-Nose," Amy scolded. "If we were fighting your shadow, we'd be done by now."

"Hey!"

"Enough!" Nami yelled. "We've got our plan! Go!" With that last order given, Nami cut off the connection and the group of four continued their trek toward the mansion. Said trek really wasn't that long, their only obstacle the entire way being the mostly-empty graveyard where Zoro had defeated Ryuma. Pushing past the gate and into the castle courtyard, Luffy, Nami, Coby, and Grace slid to a stop as Amy crashed down from above and Gin flashed into existence.

"Damn it," Amy muttered as Gin passed the youngest members their weapons. "Pinky's zombie put holes in my parasol. I'll have to get that fixed. Hopefully it still works the same way." She gave Coby a stink eye. "I blame you."

"We can deal with your displeasure later," Gin sighed as Coby meekly secured his swords on his back, failing to hide behind Grace no matter what he would claim afterward. "Can we please destroy this Warlord's career first?"

"Thank you!" the Zoan agreed.

"We're here!" The group turned to see a somewhat-ragged and waving Merry being chased by a frantic Usopp. The klabautermann slid to a stop, her chosen uncle faceplanting next to her as the girl snapped into a perfect Marine salute. "Going Merry and Uncle Usopp reporting for duty!"

"Perfect," Nami smirked before she turned to the rest of the assembled pirates. One hand snapped out, grabbing Luffy's face just before he could run off. "Now as you all know, Luffy has a sort of sixth sense when it comes to finding enemies-"

"Let me at 'em! Let me at 'em!"

"-so you all will follow him. Grace and I will try to track down Hogback and get Chopper's shadow back. Understood?" The group nodded. "Good. Let's go!"

"Yosh!" Luffy yelled, leaving a dust trail as Nami released him.

"Damn it, Don!" Gin shouted as the others took off to try to catch up. Nami and Grace stayed, watching them disappear into the dark.

"...Hogback isn't our real priority, is he?"

"Nope. I'm after the money!"

"Of course you are."

"Chopper!" Zoro shouted, wandering through the winding corridors of the mansion. Robin followed with an amused yet confused smile. She was trying to use her powers to bloom eyes to both look for Chopper and keep track of their progress through the hallways, but she would plant eyes at the next intersection only for the duo to never appear in their line of sight.

"Chopper! Where are you!" Zoro turned left down a stairwell that Robin swore wasn't there before, the swordsman walking along like random stairs were completely normal, which for the Grand Line, they probably were.

"Zoro!" a voice blubbered at the bottom of the stairs. "Robin!" The crew's doctor shot up from the base of the stairwell like a rocket, flinging himself at the archeologist. Robin, having been completely unaware of Chopper's proximity do to Zoro's ever-shifting path, still caught the reindeer in a hug that cradled the weeping Zoan.

"It's all my fault," Chopped cried. "He's gone because of me!"

"Who's gone?" Robin asked gently. "Do you mean Franky?"

"Yes! I looked away to examine Gin's zombie and then he was gone!"

"There there, Chopper," the woman cooed, stroking the weeping deer's head. "It's not your fault. You didn't know they were watching."

"But I should have!" the doctor argued. "They'd gotten me once already!"

"Shut up, Chopper," Zoro growled. "You aren't to blame. For all we know, they could've been targeting Franky from the start and would have taken him anyway. Now snap out of your moping and do something about it!"

Chopper sniffed, one hoof coming up to wipe away the leftover tears in his eyes. "R-Right," he muttered, sounding about as brave as Usopp in an uphill battle. "Th-They took Franky, so we just h-have to go get him back, right?"

"That's correct, Little Doctor," Robin nodded, placing the deer on Zoro's shoulders. Though he frowned at the action, Zoro did not argue. "Come with us, Chopper. Let's go show them the strength of the Straw Hat Pirates."

"Where'd that come from?" Zoro smirked over the last of the reindeer's sniffles.

"What can I say?" Robin shot back, gesturing to her tattoo. "Our captain just has that effect of people. It simply took a little longer to affect me."

"Whatever," the swordsman snorted. "Let's go find that bucket of bolts we call our shipwright and get his shadow back."

"Let's see," Oars rumbled to himself, rubbing his square jaw in thought as he stared at the wanted posters on his arm. "Master Moria said to ignore the cool guy with the blue hair, so I've got eleven pirates to find, four girls and seven guys. This'll be super easy!"

Stomping across the ground, Oars carefully avoided stepping on any part of the castle. That was, until he came across the broken wall where Chopper and Franky had fought Gin's zombie Tesla. His brow furrowed as he stood in a courtyard outside, staring at the cracks and holes.

"Now what super bastard broke this?" he muttered to himself, bending down to try to fix the building. The bricks were much too small, however, and the gigantic monster was unable to do anything but crush them. "Dammit! I'm super too big for this. Master Moria will be displeased."

"I'm coming for you, Franky!" a voice yelled through the wind, the sound reaching Oars' ears. The monster turned slightly to eye the approaching dust cloud where the voice was coming from.

"Who's Franky?" the zombie asked. "I'm Oars."

The thing making the dust cloud slid to a stop, the dust clearing to reveal a small human with a straw hat. Oars' brow lowered in recognition, his one, large eye focusing on the pirate's hat.

"...I've found you, Straw Hat!" the zombie bellowed. "I'm gonna take you back to Master Moria! Strong Right!" Oars shot his right arm toward the smaller pirate, the arm and fist stopping halfway to him. Though the fist did not hit Luffy, Oars' size allowed a burst of air to be displaced by the attack, blowing the pirate captain off his feet. Luffy tumbled backwards as the undead stared at his arm in confusion, tapping his right forearm his his left hand. "Shouldn't this thing separate?"

"Super-Big Bastard!" Luffy yelled, jumping to his feet. "Take this! Gum-Gum Pistol!" Luffy's arm stretched, shooting forward to hit the giant in the leg. Oars, however, didn't even notice. The giant stood fixated on his arm, trying to find and work robotic parts that weren't there.

"You did this, didn't you, Straw Hat?!" Oars bellowed, turning to glare at the pirate. "You stole my parts!"

"No I didn't!" the pirate yelled back. "You have Franky's shadow!"

"I don't know a Franky!"

"But we do!" Gin shouted, materializing above the giant monster with his tonfa raised and a ball of electricity the size of Luffy's Gum-Gum Balloon stretched between them. "Take this! 50-Million Watt Net!"

With a yell, the Logia user threw his attack at their gargantuan opponent, the ball stretching out into a net to cover the zombie's face. Oars screamed, crying out in shock as the electricity burrowed into his skin and burned his hair. Parts of his blond mane caught fire and one of his horns blackened, but the zombie remained otherwise unharmed.

"Don't touch my hair, bastard!" Oars roared, swatting Gin out of the air like a fly. The pirate plummeted into the mansion, one wall caving over him.

"Gin!" Luffy yelled.

"10,000 Kilogram Guillotine!" Amy announced, falling out of the air and her leg impacting Oars' burned horn. With a snap, the horn proper separated from the base, bouncing off of the zombie's shoulder before crashing into the ground. Oars cried out in pain, stumbling back as he clutched at the stump. Amy floated to the ground, being sure to steer clear of the stumbling zombie.

"Ragh!" Oars bellowed. "My horn! I'll super get you all for that!"

"We'll see about that! Shave! Unseen Disaster!" Coby's swords and horns stabbed into the monster's right heel, but with Oars' size, the attack was more like a bug bite. Picking up his leg, and the pirate with it, Oars made to squish the rosette with an open palm.

"Diable Jambe: Mutton Shot!"

"Aarg!" Oars screamed, fire blasting out from between his fingers. Sanji flipped out and away, the red glow on his leg dying before he touched down, Brook jumping down into the courtyard to join them. Oars gripped his arm, his hand smoking, not noticing Coby detaching himself. "I'm getting real tired of that fire!"

"Too bad!" Usopp yelled. "Special Attack: Firebird Star!" The coward's Phoenix attack soared toward the titan, impacting him right between the eyes. The fire dispersed as Oars cried out.

"Stop it, dammit! Strong Hammer!" With a yell, Oars massive right fist connected with the ground, caving it under his fingers. The pirates on the ground wobbled as the earth under their feet was displaced.

"Ha!" a small voice called, ropes wrapping around the giant's wrist. A white blob traveled up Oars' red arm, sure-footed as a mountain goat. The titan's lone eye narrowed, his left arm came up before launching down toward the white-haired girl.

"Merry!" Usopp screamed.

"No you don't!" Luffy yelled, his pink form appearing before the meteoric palm. "Gum-Gum Jet Gatling!" A cloud of steam burst from the captain's body as his arms seemed to multiply, not only stopping Oars' hand, but pushing it away as well. "Keep going, Merry!"

"Aye, Captain!" Merry continued up the titan's arm, using her ropes to swing her way up whenever she couldn't find any proper footing. The klabautermann landed in a crouch on Oars' right shoulder, the broken horn's base overshadowing her. As if in response, the monster ripped his fist out of the ground, stealing most of the stability the girl had.

"Cut him down!" Coby yelled from the ground behind Oars. "72 Caliber Phoenix!" Twin blasts of pressurized air shot at the legs of the titan, slicing through skin and muscle, but not quite doing enough damage.

"Strong Hammer!" Oars shouted, but instead of punching at the ground, his fist soared into the clouds overhead. "Take that, Ice-For-Brains!"

"What happened?" Amy questioned, staring up at the behemoth that was attacking the sky.

"Lullaby Parry," Brook announced from the monster's left shoulder, his violin held up to his chin. "Yohohoho! I've trapped him in an illusion! Please hurry!"

"Got it!" Merry answered, throwing a rope that wrapped around a lock of Oars' hair. She jumped into the air, pulling the rope back and rocketing toward the titan's face and spinning herself. Building up all the momentum she wanted, the klabautermann extended her leg which had become covered in thorns of wood. "Davy Jones' Peg Leg!"

A recreation of Sanji's Diable Jambe without the fire nailed Oars in the eye, shattering the illusion he was trapped in. The titan roared in pain, shaking his head to and fro. Brook was simply shaken off, but Merry had the unfortunate experience of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Oars' remaining horn smacking her out of the sky. The klabautermann crashed to the ground like a meteor, spitting up a mixture of blood and wood chips upon impact.

"Merry!" the crew yelled, Usopp rushing to the wounded girl. He was outpaced, however, Gin materializing into existence next to Merry's downed form and pulling her out of the battlefield with a crack of thunder. Oars continued to stumble, off balance, as Usopp's shaded eyes turned toward him. "You bastard! I'll knock you down a peg! Special Attack: Oil Spill!" Angered, Usopp fired several dozen pellets of slippery oil in quick succession at Oars' stumbling feet. The oil did as intended, stealing what balance Oars had and causing the Titan to fall.

"Timber!" Amy called, jumping into Luffy's hands as he fired a Gum-Gum Bazooka. The blonde was launched over the falling behemoth before she increased her mass as far as she could. A human woman with a mass of aproxamently 10,347 kilograms crashed into the back of Oars' head, more than doubling his current speed. The titan's face hit the ground with a shockwave, blasting everyone but Amy away from the sight of impact and causing the walls on the edge on the courtyard to crumble. All was still...

"Get up, Oars!" Moria's voice all but sang from above. "We're not done yet! Kiiishishishi!"

End of Chapter 100

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-SwordOfTheGods