Climb the Clock Tower:

-x-

"Baroque Works?" a seedy-looking man repeated. He wore a cowboy hat and a jacket that read 'Baroque' and stood with a group of similarly dressed men while being questioned by a group of Marines. Meanwhile, the Rebel Army and the Royal Army continued to fight it out nearby. "I've never heard of such a company. Are you sure it exists? We're just ordinary citizens of Alabasta Mr. Marine. You wouldn't wanna hurt good citizens... just because there's a rebellion... would ya?"

SLISH! SLASH! The group of Baroque Works Billions fell to the ground and Tashigi stood over them with her sword extended.

"Wait! Sergeant Major!" one of the Marines protested, "They..."

"SHUT UP!" Tashigi interrupted. "Why were you hesitating, Marine? If you wait for proof you won't prevent anything! You should be able to tell who the enemy is immediately!"

"Yes, we're very sorry Sergeant," the Marine apologized while he and the others in the group all saluted Tashigi.

"We only have until four thirty," Tashigi thought to herself. "We're running out of time!" Tashigi looked towards the clock tower to check the time but found that one of the four faces had swung opened. She blinked in surprise. "The clock..." She adjusted her glasses and spotted the large cannon that was pointing out of the circular hole.

-x-

"Ribbitribbitribbit!" Ms. Father's Day laughed as she and Mr. 7 stood on the rim of the circular hole in front of the cannon. "Hey listen, Mr. 7, I think this is a very important mission that was assigned to us."

"I think you're absolutely correct about that, Ms. Father's Day," Mr. 7 agreed.

"And do you know what else?" Ms. Father's Day asked. "I bet we'll get big promotions for pulling this off successfully! Ribbitribbitribbit!"

"Ohahahahahaha!" Mr. 7 chuckled. "I do hope that is the planned reward! After all, this is quite a difficult mission when you think about it Ms. Father's Day. We're shooting a cannonball into the ground using such a big cannon! Ohahaha! So the reward should just as big! Ohahahahaha!"

The fools had no idea that the bomb they were about to fire would destroy everything in a three mile radius and that they were within a three mile radius of the explosion. They weren't going to be promoted for succeeding in their job, they were going to die in the explosion along with everyone else. Some reward.

The clock struck four twenty-nine, just sixty seconds left.

"Ribbit!" Ms. Father's Day called out. "It's almost time to go now Mr. 7!"

FSSSHH! Mr. 7 lit a match and held it up in front of him, "We're ready to fiiireeee!" he cheered.

Down below the two oblivious armies continued fighting. They had no clue that they'd all die in less than a minute if the Straw Hats didn't do anything to stop the two almost equally oblivious agents from lighting the cannon's fuse and firing the bomb into the square.

-x-

BAM! BAM! BAM! A cluster of Billions dropped to the ground just outside of the square courtesy of a hail of bullets from the one-armed Lieutenant Devo.

"RELOAD!" the Lieutenant ordered as he held his revolver to the side and snapped it opened. The used shells dropped to the ground while one of the Marines backing up the Lieutenant ran over and loaded another six bullets into Devo's revolver. Lieutenant Devo could still fire a gun with one hand but normally he would reload his own gun in fraction of the time it was taking the other Marine. Clearly, Devo's wound from Crocodile would always have a lasting impact.

"Men," Lieutenant Devo addressed the other Marines, "Look at the clock tower! If it swung opened with less than a minute left than that has to be where the bomb is." Devo's sharp eyes scanned through the fighting men in the square and focused on the base of the clock tower. "The Straw Hats are there trying to stop it! We'll back them up and keep any more of these guys from stopping them!"

"Yes sir!" the Marines chorused before they raced off towards the clock tower.

-x-

"Your Majesty, you might wanna come over there where it's safer," Y/N suggested as he and Nico Robin sat against the wall on one side of the Poneglyph Chamber in the hidden mausoleum. "No offense, but you're kind of old, if you're near me I can make sure you're not hit by any stray shots from those two."

King Nefertari Cobra stood on the other side of the room in front of a column. He nodded and abandoned the idea of destroying the tomb in favor of having faith that Luffy would finally defeat Crocodile.

As the King crossed the room to join Y/N and Nico Robin against the wall, Luffy and Crocodile stared down in the middle of the room.

"What is it that you think I do not understand, Straw Hat?" Crocodile growled as he questioned Luffy's last comment to him.

"RAAAAAHH!" Instead of answering, Luffy let out a loud roar and launched himself at Crocodile. SHOOM! Luffy fired his arm out at Crocodile but the Warlord slipped to the side and avoided the attack. SWOOSH! Luffy went flying passed Crocodile then landed on the ground and skidded barefoot across the stone floor until he finally stopped. Skkkeeessss... But then he immediately sprang back off of the ground and launched himself back at Crocodile. SHOOM! "RAAAH! GUUUUMMM GUUUUMMM GAATTLIIIINNG!" SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! Both of Luffy's fists shot out at Crocodile for a rabid-fire barrage of punches but the Warlord jumped away from Luffy and avoided them. SKISH!

"I don't think you understand," Crocodile said as he and Luffy stood and glared at each other. "You're going to die here very soon. The poison from my hook has entered your wound."

"UGGGHH!" Luffy suddenly groaned and staggered to the side. Crocodile had nicked him on the shoulder and the ankle during one of their previous exchanges. Those small cuts were enough to allow the deadly scorpion venom to enter Luffy's blood stream.

"You're body is probably becoming numb right now," Crocodile stated. "It doesn't matter whether you win or lose this fight! Your body definitely won't!"

Y/N, Cobra, and Nico Robin all glanced down at the only half empty vial of antidote in Y/N's hand. Y/N had already applied the antidote to the poison to his wound from Crocodile's poisoned hook and there was enough left to treat Luffy if he won the fight. But none of them could afford to tell him that or Crocodile would surely destroy the vial.

"He's been poisoned but he's still going," Nico Robin observed. She glanced at the pirate sitting beside her. "I'll admit that you got injected with more poison due to your wound from Crocodile being more severe but that poison kills even in incredibly small doses and he's had it in his blood stream for much longer that you did."

"A concentrated scorpion venom like that one is extremely deadly," King Cobra noted. "The fact that he's still standing speaks wonders for that young man's willpower and determination."

"Of course," Y/N agreed. "People wonder why I left the Whitebeard Pirates to follow him of all people. But once this is over you'll both understand why I wouldn't dream of pledging my loyalty to anyone else."

-x-

"Just thirty seconds until we fire!" Mr. 7 cheered. "Ohahahahahaha!"

"Ribbitribbt! Cannon aimed at the center of the palace square!" Ms. Father's Day announced.

The two agents cheered as Mr. 7 held the cannon's long fuse in front of him and lit it with a match. The cannon was now officially set to explode.

-x-

"NAMI!" Usopp exclaimed. "Just what the heck is it you're trying to do anyway?"

"You, Sanji, and Zoro are gonna launch them up to the top," Ayako informed him as she held up the canvas that depicted Nami's plan. "See... you're going to jump up and get them to Sanji, Sanji's gonna kick them up to Zoro, and Zoro's gonna launch them up to the top."

GULP! Usopp nervously swallowed as he stood nervously with Chopper perched on his shoulders in his Walk Point form and Vivi sitting on the reindeer's back.

"This had better work!" Usopp whimpered, "If it doesn't we're all gonna die!"

"Thanks Usopp!" Nami snapped sarcastically as she held her ClimaTact in front of her, "But I already know that! Now just shut up and stand there quietly."

"Maybe I'd be calm if I knew how you planned to get me from here all the way up to Sanji!" Usopp protested. "I can't jump that high! Especially with these two weighing me down!"

"You'll see how it's gonna work soon enough," Nami assured him. "Now get ready!"

-x-

"Ribbitribbitribbit!" Ms. Father's Day laughed. "Hey Mr. 7, since this is a very special occasion, I think we should do a count down!"

"Oh that's a good plan Ms. Father's Day!" Mr. 6 agreed, "A good plan, a very good plan! Sounds interesting! Ohahahahaha!"

-x-

"Forecasting: a cyclone!" Nami announced as she crossed two of the blue segments of her weapon together.

-x-

"HERE WE GO!" Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day cheered. "Countdown..." FFSSSSSHHHH... The long fuse began burning and the flame made its way towards the cannon.

-x-

"CYCLONE TEMPO!" Nami swung the Clima-tact and sent the two crossed segments spinning towards Usopp. WHING!

"But wait!" Usopp exclaimed as he remembered the 'technique', "Cyclone Tempo is just a silly boomerang to play with at parties!"

"JUST HEAD FOR THE CLOCK TOWER!" Nami shouted.

"Sorry Usopp," Ayako apologized as she averted her eyes.

WHAK! The spinning segments kept going until they smacked straight into Usopp's crotch. With his bow-legged stance it was a wide-opened target.

"GAAH!" Usopp shrieked. But the weapon's maker was caught off guard when it did something the weapon's wielder had discovered during her fight with Ms. Double Finger. WHOOOSH! The air that had been trapped in the pipes while they were spinning exploded upward straight into Usopp's crotch and sent the sniper rocketing up into the air with a high-pitched scream of both pain and surprise, "WAAAAAAAHHH!"

-x-

"FIFTEEN SECONDS!" Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day exclaimed.

-x-

"What the..." Sanji said as he watched Usopp come flying up towards him, "They're flying up?"

"CHOPPER! JUMP UP TO WHERE SANJI IS!" Nami shouted up to the reindeer.

"That's her big plan?" Vivi questioned. "To make it all the way up there piggyback like this?"

"SANJI, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, RIGHT?" Nami hollered up to the cook. "WE HAVE TO HURRY!"

"I think I get the idea but it's risky," Sanji replied as he stepped out onto the ledge of the third story window of the clock tower. "Oh well, I guess I just have to do it!"

"It's too late to turn back at this point," Vivi realized, "Tony let's do this!"

"Okay Vivi," Chopper agreed, "Now just hang on tightly!" WHUP! Chopper sprang off of Usopp and sent the already unconscious sniper plummeting back down towards Nami and Ayako while he and Vivi went flying up to Sanji.

-x-

Zoro stared down from on top of the fourth story of the clock tower and watched his Nakama approaching. "I see," the swordsman said out loud. "That's what they're doing."

-x-

SWISH! "CHOPPER! GET ON MY RIGHT LEG!" Sanji called out as he did a front flip out the window and held his right leg out to the rising reindeer. TMP! Chopper landed on Sanji's leg and the cook swung it upward and sent Chopper and Vivi flying up towards Zoro. SWOOSH! "HERE THEY COME, ZORO!"

"Good job so far," Nami commented as she watched her plan continue to unfold. She was completely oblivious to the battered sniper that had landed behind her.

"Usopp! Usopp!" Ayako called out as she knelt next to him. "Are you still alive?"

-x-

Zoro looked up over his shoulder at the opened clock that was on top of the tower portion of the clock tower three stories above him.

"So I just throw 'em to the top of that tower," Zoro resolved.

-x-

"TEEENN!" Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day called out.

-x-

SKISH! Zoro drew his swords and jumped out and spun around so he was upside down.

"NOT SWORDS!" Chopper shrieked when he saw what he had to land on.

"It's the flat of the blade!" Zoro reassured him. "Calm down!" Zoro crossed the two katanas over his chest and turn them so one of the flat sides faced up.

TMP! Chopper landed hooves-first on the cross blades.

"Got your footing?" Zoro asked as they started falling.

"Okay!" Chopper told him.

"EIIIGHT!" Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day's voices drifted down from up above them. They were now close enough to her heard... at least by the airborne trio.

"Careful, there's a couple of weirdos up there," Zoro warned the duo on his swords as they slowly started falling.

"Yes, I know them," Vivi replied.

"OH! HELLO THERE MS. WEDNESDAY!" Mr. 7 called out when he chanced a look down. THEY'D BEEN SPOTTED!

"Ribbitribbitribbit!" Ms. Father's Day laughed. "I'd recognize that little traitor to our company anywhere!"

-x-

"THEY NOTICED!" Nami screamed.

"THEY DID?" Usopp yelped as she shot back up.

"Oh no!" Ayako gasped.

-x-

"We're still in the air!" Zoro pointed out. The two agents not only had the high ground but the airborne Straw Hats had no way to dodge while stuck in mid air. "This is really bad! If they shoot at us we're finished!"

-x-

"Whatever it is you want, it can't be in this country!" Crocodile snapped as he glared at Luffy.

"Aren't I right? You're fighting for someone else's goal now! And how can there be any point in dying for that? If only you would just get rid of a friend or two you could easily avoid so many of these inconvenient problems! LOYALTY IS ONLY FOR IDIOTS AND WEAKLINGS!"

"He has no idea who he's talking to," Y/N said to King Cobra and Nico Robin. "Luffy's has the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met. There's nowhere he wouldn't go, no one he wouldn't fight, nothing he wouldn't do if it means helping someone that he considers friends. That's why he's my Captain. His strength of will is one thing but his loyalty is another entirely. He'd do anything for his Nakama and we'd do anything for him. That's why he's my Captain."

"Uggghh..." Luffy groaned as he struggled to keep standing despite the poison flooding his body. "Like I said, you really don't understand anything, do you? Vivi... is always telling people not to risk their lives... but she's the first to lay down her life to save others! If we don't help her... she'd die. You'll kill her."

"You still don't get it!" Crocodile growled. He and Luffy were completely different people and neither could seem to grasp the ideals of the other. "That's what makes her such a burden! Why not just ditch the Princess and save yourselves?"

"BECAUSE NONE OF US WANT VIVI TO DIE!" Luffy shouted. "BECAUSE HELPING EACH OTHER IS WHAT FRIENDS DO!"

Cobra and Nico Robin stared at the determined pirate in surprise but both with different reasons. Cobra because he was surprised to see someone so dedicated to helping his daughter. And Nico Robin because in her long lonely life she'd never met anyone with that kind of loyalty.

"And that's why none of us will leave her behind!" Luffy continued, "Or quit fighting you! As long as she doesn't give up on her country neither will we!"

"Even if that means all the rest of you end up dead?" Crocodile questioned.

"If we die, we die," Luffy replied. "That's all there is to it."

-x-

CLACK! "ADJUST RIBBIT-RIBBIT GUN FOR ATTACK!" Ms. Father's Day called out as she aimed her frog-shaped gun at Zoro, Chopper, and Vivi. "This is an unexpected catch!"

"Adjusting Yellow Gun!" Mr. 7 exclaimed as he trained his own yellow, square-barreled gun on the Straw Hats. "Ohahahaha! How nice, how nice, this is good! They are the perfect prey for us!"

-x-

"WHAT DO YOU BASTARDS THINK YOU'RE DOING POINTING YOUR GUNS AT MISS. VIVI!" Sanji yelled as he continued dropping the three stories to the ground.

-x-

"This isn't good!" Vivi exclaimed. "The two of them are a sniper team!"

"CHOPPER!" Zoro shouted. "I'll throw you guys up anyway! It'll change the direction but you'll have to figure something out!"

"WHAT DO I DO?" Chopper asked.

-x-

"SIX SECONDS!" Nami hollered up to him.

"JUST FIGURE SOMETHING OOOUUUUT!" Usopp wailed.

"I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Ayako shrieked.

-x-

FFSSSSS... The fuse kept burning and got closer and closer to the cannon.

"Chopper, Vivi, are you ready?" Zoro asked. "I'm sending you up!"

Chopper and Vivi both nodded.

"READY?" Ms. Father's day asked as she sand Mr. 7 and stood side-to-side with both of their guns pointed at their three targets.

"AND FIRE!" Mr. 7 exclaimed. BA-BANG! The agents fired and the rounds exploded out of their respective guns. Mr. 7's bullet was a cubed shaped pink die and Ms. Father's Day's was round, green frog.

WHING! Zoro lashed out with his swords and launched Chopper off of them causing the reindeer and the princess to fly up passed the descending bullets.

"Our bullets are set to crash into each other," Ms. Father's Day stated.

"And then they're going to explode!" Mr. 7 cheered. "Ohahahahahahaha!"

Mr. 7's die collided with Ms. Father's Day's frog and the two bullets sank into Zoro's chest. "GAAHH!" the swordsman let out a yelp of pain. Blood literally rained down from him.

-x-

"NOOO!" Nami screamed when she saw Zoro get hit.

"GAH!" Usopp shrieked while Ayako covered her eyes.

"THAT IDIOT!" Sanji shouted from one story above them. "HE'S HIT!"

-x-

"You ready Vivi?" Chopper asked while still flying upward from Zoro's throw.

"Just throw me with all your strength Tony!" Vivi replied.

While still flying upward, Chopper transformed into his Heavy Point form and with one hand threw Vivi up above him. "RAAAHH!" WHING!

With only five seconds left Vivi was sent flying up to the top of the tower.

"It's no use!" Ms. Father's Day said as she and her partner aimed their reloaded guns. CLACK!

"Locking!" Mr. 7 called out as they aimed their guns in front of them.

SWISH! Vivi went flying up passed the opened clock tower in blur. SWISH! Chopper came flying up after her and found himself floating level with the two agents.

"WHO'S THAT?" Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day wondered as they stared at the yeti that was floating front of them.

SWISH! With four seconds left, Chopper shank back down into his Brain Point from and started falling seven stories. He made the mistake of looking down which caused his graceful fall to change to a plummet. "WAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"WHERE'D MS. WEDNESDAY GO?" Ms. Father's Day demanded as she and Mr. 7 looked frantically out of the clock tower for any signs of the Princess.

"Oh, what now?" Mr. 7 complained.

The two of them hadn't noticed her because Vivi was flying up above them. Vivi reached into her robes for her weapons. "PEACOCK..." But she trailed off when she couldn't find them and had a sudden realization. "Oh no..."

"Hey Captain," Y/N called out back at the palace as he stood over Ms. All Sunday with his arms and legs bound by the jeweled chains that Vivi used for weapons. "Gimme a hand here?"

SWISH! Chaka transformed into his Jackal-Human Hybrid form and rushed at Y/N and drew his sword. SLASH!TINK-TINK-TINK! The severed chain from Vivi's Peacock Slashers dropped to the ground.

VIVI WAS UNARMED! SHE'D FORGOTTEN THAT SHE'D LOST HER WEAPONS!

Vivi's heart sank and a feeling of dread filled her. She'd come this far only to fail at the crucial moment where it really counted. Everything they'd sacrificed for had been for nothing because Vivi had forgotten something in the heat of the moment.

WHAP! "Kyahahaha! Gotcha!"

The feeling dread was instantly replaced with a weightless sensation as Vivi found herself floating with one of her savior's arms and an opened umbrealla overhead that was now keeping the two of them from falling.

"Sorry I'm late," Mana apologized.

-x-

"IT'S MANA!" Nami, Usopp, and Ayako cheered down on the ground.

TMP! Sanji landed on his feet and looked up into the air with hearts in his eyes. "MIIISS MAAAANAAAA!" he swooned.

-x-

SWISH! With three seconds left Mana spun around in mid air and threw Vivi passed the two agents and the cannon and into the opened clock tower. WOOOSH!

"MS. VALENTINE!" Ms. Father's Day exclaimed.

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING?" Mr. 7 demanded.

TMP! Mana landed in between them. "Haven't you heard yet?" she asked. "I quit." WHA-WHOMP! With one solid swing, Mana closed her umbrella, increased its weight and sent Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day flying out of the clock tower and falling down to the ground.

Vivi had been thrown passed the cannon into the back of the clock tower. She surged back up and sprinted towards the burning fuse.

With two seconds left the enemy was gone now they just had to deal with the bomb.

-x-

Hero:

-x-

"KUAHAHAHAHA!" Crocodile laughed. "You can talk as tough as you want and keep blathering on about friendship if you like but your body is still freezing up on you!"

"Ugghhh..." Luffy groaned. Despite his impassioned speech, the poison was still reeking havoc on his body. He was down on his knees and was gritting his teeth as he attempted to fight through the internal pain.

Y/N looked down at the antidote in his hand, "I'd give him the antidote if I didn't know that Crocodile would destroy it the second he noticed me approach him with it."

-x-

In that second, Vivi's life and the lives off all her friends, the Rebel Army, the Royal Army, the Marines and everyone in the kingdom flashed before her eyes.

-Childhood Flashback-

"Vivi!" the Sand Sand Band called out to the Princess from the courtyard outside the palace.

"Hey! Out of here you brats!" a guard snapped at the kids in the courtyard. "Did you sneak in through the shortcut again?"

"Gatekeeper!" one kid exclaimed.

"RUUUN!" Koza called out to the others before they took off running.

-x-

"Would the two of you please say something to the kids to keep them away?" the gatekeeper later asked Chaka and Pell.

"Hmm, sure," Pell agreed good naturedly.

-x-

"Vivi, going somewhere?" Pell asked the Princess later the same day when he caught her leaving the palace.

"The secret base," Vivi whispered to Pell.

"Right, well you have a good time," Pell told her. Behind him, Igaram was ducking behind a small palm tree and was using it for cover.

Vivi and Igaram left and Pell casually took a seat out in the courtyard and was joined by Chaka.

"So where did Princess Vivi go?" Chaka inquired.

"Oh, I can't tell you," Pell told him with a smile, "It's a secret."

"Haha," Chaka chuckled, "The clock tower, huh?"

The two warriors smiled as the stared up at the clock tower from down in the courtyard.

-End Flashback-

WHUMP! Vivi dove at the fuse and threw herself on top of it. FFFFSSSsssshhhh... Using her own body to smother the flame, Vivi finally ended the threat of the cannon.

Mana turned around and smiled, "KYHAHA...haha...ha...ha..." her laughter trailed off and she and Vivi stared at each other in horror.

-x-

Zoro continued dropping down towards the rest of the Straw Hats and Ayako with Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day falling behind him.

The group on the ground all stared up at the clock tower above them. They weren't dead so that was a good sign.

"It stopped... right?" Usopp asked.

-x-

Vivi and Mana stared at each other as they stood by the cannon. Now that the fuse was out and the two agents had been thrown out they could hear that the room wasn't silent as it should be.

Tick... tick... tick... tick... tick... tick... tick... An ominous ticking was coming from the barrel of the cannon.

"Oh no..." Mana gasped.

-x-

FWUMP! Zoro hit the ground hard and landed next to Sanji. "UGGGHH!" Zoro groaned loudly signifying that he's survived being shot by the bullets from the sniper pair. "KOFF! KOFF!"

"Oh, hey," the cook said to the swordsman. "You're still alive?"

"Yeah..." Zoro replied, "What happened with the cannon?"

-x-

"Uggghhhh..." a Marine groaned as he sat on the ground and massaged a huge lump on his head.

"WAAA-HAAA-HAAA!" Chopper cried as he ran away nursing a lump on his own head.

"Soldier, what the heck happened?" Lieutenant Devo asked as he stood over the Marine.

"Something fell from the sky and hit me," the Marine answered. "I've got no clue what it was."

"Hmm..." Devo said as he glanced down in the direction Chopper had gone. "Well... its four thirty and we're not dead. So I guess the Straw Hats managed to stop the bomb. It could've been one of them." Devo offered his hand to the Marine, "Get up, soldier, you did your part by giving that pirate a soft landing." The Lieutenant pulled the other marine up to his feet then looked back up at the clock tower.

-x-

Chopper kept running and eventually found the other Straw Hats and Ayako all standing together at the bottom of the clock tower. They were all purposely ignoring the fallen bodies of Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day that were lying on the ground in front of them. The two agents had fallen seven stories and were now partially embedded in the ground.

"What's the matter?" Chopper asked.

"Apparently something's gone wrong up there," Zoro told him.

"Vivi and Mana, we still haven't seen either of them," Nami elaborated.

"The bomb might not have exploded but Crocodile doesn't seem like the type to leave things to chance," Ayako supplied. "I think they ran into another problem.

"OH NO! YOU GUYS!" Vivi appeared and shouted down to them from the top of the tower.

"WHAT IS IT?" Nami yelled back up.

"THE CANNONBALL!" Vivi answered. "IT HAS A TIMING DEVICE ON IT! IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING IT'LL EXPLODE!"

The Straw Hats and Ayako all gasped in shock but as usual, Usopp's terrified reaction was the loudest. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

-x-

"A time bomb?" King Cobra repeated. "No!"

"Kuahahahahaha, I was very well prepared," Crocodile gloated. "You have to be willing to admit that much. The most successful missions always account for unforeseen circumstances... right Ms. All Sunday?"

"..." The former Vice President silently glared at him.

"In this case," Crocodile continued, "If something happened to happen to the cannoneers the cannonball will still explode on its own. The attack will only be delayed by a minute or so. Of course, I did originally want it to be shot into the center of the square but the cannonball is big enough that it should do plenty of damage from right where it is. Kuahahahahahahaha!"

"Bastard," Y/N growled.

"Do you have anyone on your crew that can handle that?" Nico Robin inquired.

"They'll think of something," Y/N replied.

"Not a chance, One Eye!" Crocodile retorted, "The only consolation I can offer you for your friends' imminent demise is that you and your damn Captain will soon be joining them soon enough."

"Grrrr..." Luffy weakly growled from down on the ground as he renewed his struggle against the poison that was still ravaging his body.

-x-

The Straw Hats and Ayako gaped up at the clock tower in shock.

Vivi and Mana stood inside the clock tower and stared in the barrel of the huge cannon at the bomb that was easily bigger than both of them and the timer that was ticking down on the front of it.

Tick... tick... tick... tick... tick... tick... tick...

Vivi heard Crocodile's words from earlier echo in her head.

"Stopping the rebellion, saving the kingdom, all those worthless ideas you've clung to for so long. In the end, they just created more victims for me."

Vivi watchd silently as Mana walked into the barrel of the cannon that was big enough for her to stand in and grabbed the bomb which was two times the size of her. Mana used her Kilo Kilo Fruit Powers to lower the big bomb's weight and carefully carried it out of the cannon and set it down on the ground outside of it.

Vivi stared at the ticking timer. There were only ninety seconds until it exploded.

"You're never going to save this country."

They'd worked so hard to just find the cannon and stopped the cannoners from shooting it. But Crocodile was still one step ahead of them and made them all look foolish for even trying to stop the explosion.

Tick... tick... tick... tick... tick...

-x-

"Damn it, this isn't right!" Sanji cursed. "Stopping the cannoneer should've stopped the attack."

"A timer?" Chopper repeated.

"Considering its power," Zoro commented, "even if it explodes from up there, it'll still kill all the people in the square and the city."

"Ahhh..." Nami gasped.

"THEN WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NOW?" Usopp demanded. "DOES THIS MEAN IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR US ALL ALONG FOR US TO STOP THE EXPLOSION FROM HAPPENING?"

-x-

Tick... tick... tick... tick... tick...

Vivi dropped to her knees and sobbed, "He made us spend all this time looking for it! He even announced the attack so we would do just that! WHY? JUST HOW FAR WILL CROCODILE GO TO MAKE FOOLS OF US ALL? It's not enough for him to tear this country apart! He has to mock us while he's doing it! CROOCOODIILEE!"

"I guess it's time for the fallback plan," Mana resolved. The blonde turned and stepped up onto the rim of the circular hole and stared down at the people gathered below. "HEY YOU LAZY BUM!" she shouted. "GET UP HERE AND DO SOMETHING!"

-x-

"Who's she talking to?" Zoro wondered.

"Me," a familiar voice said from behind them.

The Straw Hats and Ayako turned around and saw Mr. 3.5 standing behind them with his hands in his coat pockets.

"YOU!" Zoro, Nami, and Usopp shouted.

"Mana told me that you were having a problem with a bomb," Mr. 3.5 stated he pulled his hands out of his pockets and held them up to show he was unarmed, "Perhaps I can be of assistance?"

"Why should we trust you?" Zoro demanded. "Y/N gave you a chance and you threw it back in our faces!"

"You were happy enough to tell Crocodile everything he needed to know!" Nami pointed out, "Like we'd give you a chance to betray us again!"

"You'd sooner set the bomb off yourself then stop it!" Usopp snapped, "Because you'd conveniently survive the explosion."

"You've got a lot of nerve coming here and making requests, bastard!" Sanji growled.

"YEAH!" Chopper added in an attempt to sound tough like the others.

-Mr. 3.5 Flashback-

TMP! Mana landed on a rooftop and stared down at Mr. 3.5 as he laid down below her in the crater where she'd left him.

"Hey!" Mana called out. "Are you still alive down there? I need you for something!"

"What do you want now?" Mr. 3.5 growled, "Have you come to add insult to injury?"

"No," Mana answered. "Y/N and the Princess found out that Crocodile is planning on having a bomb fired into the square. According to them, it's supposed to be powerful enough to blow up everything within five kilometers. Since bombs are your area of expertise I thought that you might want to try your hand in getting rid of it."

"Why come to me?" Mr. 3.5 asked.

"How would you like a chance to be the hero that you once dreamed of being?" Mana countered. "There are a million people fighting in the square, if that bomb goes off all of them will die. How about you use your bomb powers to save people instead of destroying them for a change?"

"Ugghhh..." Mr. 3.5 groaned as he pushed himself back up to his feet. "Where is it?"

"No clue," Mana admitted, "Most likely near the square."

"Then we'd better get looking," Mr. 3.5 resolved.

"Kyahahahahaha!" Mana laughed, "That's the spirit!"

-End Flashback-

"My former partner was the one who finally managed to beat some sense into me," Mr. 3.5 explained, "I don't like the idea of all these people dying and I think I might be able to help. Mana brought me here to do something about it. Give me a chance and I'll take care of it."

"Give him a chance," Ayako spoke up. "Saving people from dying a firey death is an almost forgotten dream of his. If the bomb isn't stopped we're all going to die anyway. So the worst case scenario is: he doesn't stop it and we all die. But the best case scenario is: he'll manage to stop it and everyone will be saved."

"I guess we don't have time to pick and choose our saviors," Usopp reasoned.

"I like the scenario where we live better," Chopper admitted.

"You had a dream?" Sanji questioned.

"Now's not the time for that," Mr. 3.5 told him. "Either you trust me or you don't, which is it?"

"Obviously we don't," Nami admitted, "but we don't have any other choice."

Zoro drew his sword and pointed it at the bomb man. "If we die here, Luffy and Y/N will come for you once they finish Crocodile. And while you may survive the explosion, you'll wish you hadn't once they're through with you."

Ayako smiled at Mr. 3.5, "Go for it," she encouraged him.

The Bomb Man stepped passed the Straw Hats and over the bodies of Mr. 7 and Ms. Father's Day and walked up to the front of the clock tower. He spread his legs and placed one hand on the ground.

"BOMB... BOMB... BLAST OFF!" KA-BOOOM! The Bomb Man's feet exploded and he was propelled up all seven stories in an instant.

WHAP! Mana reached over the edge and caught Mr. 3.5's hand and swung him into the clock tower. The Bomb Man's feet had reformed so he landed lightly and walked up to the bomb.

"What do you think you're doing?" Vivi growled.

"I'm trying to help," Mr. 3.5 answered as he investigated the bomb.

"Princess, the others let him up because they trust him at least a little bit," Mana pointed out. "We don't really have any other options right now so give him a chance."

Vivi folded her arms across her chest and looked over at Mr. 3.5, "Well?" she asked.

"This thing's bigger than all three of us put together," Mr. 3.5 noted. "Crocodile wasn't lying when he told you how powerful this bomb is. It could easily wipe out everything within three miles. We have a minute left to get rid of it so there's no way we can get it out of the square in that little time. Our only option is to get it above the square so it's not in range."

"Do you have a plan?" Mana asked.

"Yes," Mr. 3.5 answered, "but it'll be tricky. If you can make it lighter I can carry it and blast up into the sky and let it blow up there. The only problem is, I'm not sure if all the explosions it'll take to get that high won't accidentally set it off prematurely."

"Fifty-three seconds left," Vivi pointed out. "We have to do something!"

-x-

CAAAWW!

On the ground the Straw Hats and Ayako stared up at the sky and saw a falcon fly overhead.

"Wait... was that?" Sanji wondered.

"I think it's the bird-man," Zoro answered as the falcon flew into the clock tower.

-x-

A shadow fell over Vivi, Mana, and Mr. 3.5 as Pell landed on the rim of the opened face of the clock tower and reverted back to his human form.

"Pell?" Vivi gasped.

"Wow, this place brings back so many memories," Pell commented, "The Sand Sand Band's super secret base."

"Pell listen!" Vivi exclaimed. "The bomb has a timer and it's going to go off at any moment!"

"You certainly were a mischievous little child, Princess Vivi," Pell continued as if she hadn't spoken. "You gave us no end of trouble with your pranks and disappearances."

"Is he gonna do what I think he's gonna do?" Mr. 3.5 asked.

"Probably," Mana answered.

-Pell's Flashback—

BOOM! An explosion rocked the grounds of the Royal Palace.

"IT'S PRINCESS VIVI! SHE'S GOTTEN INTO THE AMMUNITION BUNKER!" a frantic royal soldier exclaimed. A thick cloud of black smoke floated out the door of the ammunition bunker as the two soldiers rushed in. "HEY! WHAT'S HAPPENED? WHAT WAS THAT EXPLOSION?"

The source of the explosion was a coughing, soot-covered Princess Vivi.

"Princess Vivi, how many times have we told you not to go near the ammunition bunker?" the soldier scolded the Princess once they got her out. "You could've gotten hurt!"

Vivi looked passed the two soldiers to see Pell coming with another group of soldier behind him.

"Pell!" Vivi greeted him and sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "I was trying to make some fireworks but I messed up. I know it's the anniversary of the day you joined the army, so I—" SWAK! The Princess was cut off when Pell slapped her across the face.

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING?" one of the other guards demanded.

But Pell ignored him in favor of scolding Vivi, "I'VE TOLD YOU A HUNDRED TIMES! NEVER EVER COME NEAR HERE!"

SKUSH! Igaram burst out of a bush and yelled at Pell, "JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? HOW DARE YOU TOUCH THE PRINCESS! YOU'RE THROUGH! NO ONE DARES HURT HER!"

SKUSH! King Cobra popped out of the bush next to Igaram and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hold on, Igaram," the King attempted to calm the enraged Captain of the Royal Guard. He stared at Pell and Vivi for a moment. "It's fine..."

Pell knelt down in front of the Princess and now spoke softly, "It could have been much worse," he told her. "What if you were killed?"

It was clear that Pell cared for Vivi a great deal. The thought of her dying in an explosion like the one had had just happened terrified him.

-x-

"Higher! Go higher!" Vivi cheered later that evening. She was riding on Pell's back as the guard soared through the air over Alubarna in his Human-Falcon hybrid form.

"Vivi, I need you to promise me something," Pell requested. "Never tell the King about this."

"HAHAHA!" Vivi laughed as she felt the wind rushing through her hair and enjoyed the ride.

"He made it clear that I'm not supposed to do this," Pell continued, "He told me I'm never to go flying with you on my back."

"If you're scared fine," Vivi retorted with a cute pout, "But I'll never forgive you if you stop! Hahaha! After all, didn't you say, you'd do anything I wanted you to? Hahahahahaha!"

Pell's falcon beak contorted as he smiled at the happy girl riding on his back. When she was happy it made him happy.

"Hey Pell?" Vivi asked as the sun began setting and they flew over the desert.

"Yes?"

"You train for battle everyday," Vivi reminded him, "Why?"

"Because I'm a guard," Pell answered. "It's my duty to protect this country. I have to stay strong."

"So who will you be fighting?" Vivi asked.

"Who?" Pell repeated as he ascended higher up into the air. WOOSH! "I don't know. But I don't fight. I protect."

"They're different?" Vivi questioned.

"The serve different purposes," Pell explained as they made their way back to Alubarna.

"Hmm... I don't understand," the girl admitted.

-End Flashback-

"I'm so proud that I've been able to serve you all these years Princess," Pell told her. "Protecting the Nefertari Family has been an honor." Pell transformed back into his hybrid form and flew towards the bomb.

"Hey, hold on," Mr. 3.5 protested, "What are you doing?"

"I am the Falcon, the guardian spirit of Alabasta," Pell stated, "It's my duty to protect this Kingdom from any enemy no matter the cost."

"Uggh... you noble types get on my nerves," Mr. 3.5 complained. "You're just like that Dalton guy back on Drum Kingdom. Your love for your country is blinding you to the obvious solution. You don't have to sacrifice yourself to save the Kingdom. I'm a Bomb Man, I can survive being blown up, you won't."

"Aaah!" Vivi gasped when she realized what Pell's plan had been. Like Dalton back on Drum Kingdom, he was going to try to sacrifice himself to save his country.

"It is my duty to protect this country, not yours," Pell stated.

"Then help us save it," Mana told him. "I can make the bomb lighter and he can survive the explosion. We just need you to fly us up into the air."

"You're country needs you alive to help it recover from this disaster," Mr. 3.5 pointed out, "Don't throw your life away for no reason."

"Vivi, who are these people?" Pell asked. "Do you trust them?"

Vivi stared at Mr. 3.5. Just like he had for Dalton on Drum Kingdom, the Bomb Man was offering to blow up the problem here too so it wouldn't cost a local hero his life.

"Yes," Vivi answered. "You can trust them.

"Very well," Pell finally agreed.

With thirty seconds left on the timer Mana grabbed the bomb and lowered its weight to one kilogram. She and Mr. 3.5 grabbed onto it then Pell flew over and grabbed them both in his talons. WOOOSHH! Pell soared out of the clock tower with the two former agents and the ticking bomb in tow.

Vivi watched them go from the opening of the clock tower until they got so high she became a speck and was no longer visible.

Twenty seconds left... The Straw Hats and Ayako watched from the ground as the falcon rapidly pumped its wings and flew it and its cargo high up into the air.

Fifteen seconds left... Lieutenant Devo, Sergeant Major Tashigi, and the rest of the Loguetown Marines noticed the odd figure leaving the clock tower and stared up after it until it became too distant to see.

Ten seconds left... Pell flew out of the sand cloud that had been covering the square where the Rebel and Royal Aries were still fighting completely oblivious to what was going on above them.

"This is where I leave you," Mr. 3.5 announced. He adjusted his hold on the lightened bomb and pulled it away from Mana, "I've got it."

The blonde reached out and grabbed Mr. 3.5, "And I've got you," she told him. She lightened the Bomb Man's weight to two kilograms then swung him back and forth before finally throwing him and the bomb up into the air over her and Pell's heads.

"NOW DIVE!" Mr. 3.5 shouted down at them.

Five seconds left... Mana flipped onto Pell's back and the bird-man folded his wings in and pointed his beak straight towards the ground below as he dove back down into the sand cloud. Mana increased their weight to make them fall faster. SWOOOOOSSHHH!

Four seconds left... Mr. 3.5 coasted on Mana's throw before gravity took effect and he started falling. The two kilogram Bomb Man was left hanging off of the bottom of the one kilogram bomb, but that was just the position he wanted to be in.

Three seconds left... Mr. 3.5 clapped his feet together, "Bomb... Bomb... BLAST OFF!" KA-BOOOM! The Bomb Man's feet exploded and propelled him and the bomb even higher up into the air. If he looked down at this point he could probably see the entire east side of Sandy Island.

Two seconds left... "No one blows me up," Mr. 3.5 insisted. Then he did what he did best.

One second left... KA-BOOOOM! Mr. 3.5's entire body exploded for his Fullbody Blast and caused the bomb he was holding to go off as a chain reaction. KAAA-BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The explosion from the bomb engulfed the explosion from the Bomb Man and lit up a huge three mile area in the sky.

On this day, the Straw Hats, the Loguetown Marines, the Rebel Army and the Royal Army were all saved by the most unlikely of heroes.

-x-

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!!!