Bridge of Hesitation, Outside the Tower of Law…
Minato–while intangible–descended from the top floor, down through the Tower of Law. He fell till his feet landed on the cement surface of the underground tunnel, the passage to the Bride of Hesitation.
Minato climbed the stairs leading to the Bridge of Hesitation's platform. A massive bridge once activated comes from the bottom of the ocean, welcoming criminals coming from the Tower of Law to enter the Gates of Justice.
He ascended the spirling stars with grace and casualness, keeping a dignified speed and presence. He wore the CP0 white robes and red mask. At the top, the last remaining CP0 agents sipped on hot tea as they waited for Nico Robin and Cutty Flam's arrival. They were the guardians of the Gates of Justice.
But due to Minato's interference, priorities have changed.
He reached the top of the stairs and the two CP0 agents, a man and woman sat their teacups on tiny plates and rose. The male agent's mask was white with a yellow protrusion where the nose and mouth would be like a plague doctor. The woman's mask was white that covered her whole face except for a hole for her mouth.
"Where is Gismonda?" The male CP0 agent asked, turning to face Minato.
"Dead," replied Minato.
Behind the woman's white robes, a set of wings spread from her back. Each wing harborded a multicolored pattern of beautiful feathers. Her toes sharpened into talons as she lifted off the wood. Then, she sang.
A harmonious relaxing tone. A humming lullaby echoed in Minato's eardrums, bones, and organs.
The male CP0's body grew exponentially, completely breaking the white robes that trapped his true self. His fingers morphed into razor sharp claws and he still managed to keep them in a fist. Even underneath the mask, Minato saw the iron beak.
'Is it too late to run?' Minato sighed. The woman hovered five feet off the ground diagonally to the left and the man stood in front of him on his right side.
The woman CP9 agent removed her mask, a gorgeous birdlike woman. Her lips vibrated as her song played. Annoyingly, Minato felt nothing, unable to react or analyze the situation. Even his protective barrier he kept around his body wasn't alarmed by any potential harm.
A set of thick yellow wings protruded from the male CP0's back which didn't hinder the man's arms. "Are you the Yellow Flash?"
'Running away is out of the question. Now, they must die.'
"N—"
'What?!'
In the blink of an eye, Minato's world shifted as if he were teleported to a different chaotic unnatural world. The Gates of Justice, the sunny sky, and even the sea were all gone.
He heard cryptic illusionary screams.
The sky sunken due to a dark and gloomy gray sun.
His feet stood amongst a dry and deprived wasteland that expanded for miles.
All changed except for his two opponents. The male CP0 agent was positioned in reverse to his previous position, contradicting memory. Instantly, Minato deduced this to be an illusion caused by the woman's singing.
Within the next blink, the male CP0 vanished with near instantaneous speed. He blitzed toward Minato's heart, a hand shrouded in black fog. Minato tracked him with his eyes, moving toward the left side of his body but his haki and the constant spacial bubble he keeps coated around him to detect anyone or anything moving within warned him of a different truth.
Minato focused, making his ears intangible to escape the effects of the woman's singing.
He felt for his spatial awareness, summoning a three pointed kunai and coating it with armament haki to protect the right side of his body, ignoring his eyesight. A sudden invisible impact crashed into the kunai, which brought Minato back to the clear sunny skies and the looming Gates of Justice to reality, however, the impact was too great.
The incredible force pushed him back, but before he was sent flying, Minato dropped the kunai. And after sailing a few feet in the air, he teleported back to the dropped kunai, directly in front of the male CP0 agent. Now with the kunai in hand, he slashed at the man's neck but he sliced through a gray mist.
The mist came to life, surrounding and suffocating Minato. He desired to coat himself with haki to break through the illusionary deception but something hard and fast entered his spatial awareness.
'SPACE- SPACE ABSORPTION!'
A thin spatial membrane coated Minato's body and then combined both conquerors and observation haki to dispel the illusionary effects and locate the flying woman. He broke the illusionary effect and found the flying siren. Once detected, he threw a kunai directly above him. His index and middle finger pressed together while folding the remaining fingers making a hand sign in his right hand.
'SPACE-SPACE RETURN TO SENDER!'
A bolt of lighting shot out of the tip of the kunai as it kept the same velocity before it was absorbed by the spatial membrane. The male CP9 agent appeared in front of the woman and caught the bolt of lightning with both hands, canceling the attack.
"How did he find me so quickly?" The woman's voice rattled in confusion and fear. Her feathers flapped erratically as it had a taste of his overwhelming haki. "We must flee, Zauel! It's really him, the Yellow Flash!"
"All the more reason to stay and finish the fight," the man named Zauel said, an authoritative voice drummed. He stabbed a finger in the woman's chest. The sky began to rumble as dark gray clouds loomed over them. The forever bright and sunny island, Enies Lobby turned to a shadowy night. "I will kill you myself if you stop singing again, we can still win. Regardless, he isn't going to allow us to leave."
Minato–with his ears off– sensed their mouths move which telegraphed their words by combining his devil fruit capabilities and observation haki.
He had to physically and mentally remind and strain himself from falling for the alluring woman. He never had the opportunity to meet the Snake Princess, Boa Hancock but Minato assumed her temptress abilities far surpassed her.
'I need to kill her quickly, her singing is the most fearsome ability I've ever encountered. The ability to time and alter reality to her bidding even with my ears not listening to the music. She even had the ability to alter my memory of future sight, rendering it useless.'
Through reading her lips, sensing her body movement, and the vibrations coming from her vocal cords could be felt on Minato's skin.
"BIRD-BIRD FRUIT MODEL: GARUDA WRATH STORM!"
A bright blue light pulsated within the dark clouds.
Minato aimed his right palm at them, a black and yellow vortex appeared in his hand. An exit gate from his Essential Tool House.
'It's time I get serious too.' Minato thought as hundreds of his specially marked kunai flooded out. He manipulated them to fly and surround the two mythical creatures. However, a strong gust of wind knocked the kunai away from getting close enough to teleport to.
'Did he control the whole sky? This is troubling.'
Minato tried to move his leg but it didn't budge. His body couldn't move.
'Huh?'
Zauel moved faster than before, forearms coated in blue lightning blitzing at the immobilized Minato.
At the same time, Minato's left fist moved on the woman's command, punching himself in the face. Before the lightning could strike he teleported to a nearby kunai.
Then, a rageful shower of lightning rained from the sky.
'Her song is keeping me from going intangible.'
'SPACE SPACE- SWALLOW DANCE!'
Minato became a pulsating flicker of yellow light, disappearing and reappearing dodging the strikes of lightning while evading Zauel's lightning talons. The constant bombardment of attacks and movement isn't allowing him to concentrate and perform his more advanced techniques. Especially while his body continued to sabotage himself, constantly punching himself in the face from the siren's enchanting music.
'Damn it's annoying to keep hitting myself like this. I need to calm down and eliminate her. '
"Have you ever felt your soul become so moved by music that you couldn't restrain yourself from moving?" The woman spoke while the rustle of her fluttering feathers operated as a bridge to the next chorus of the song. "My music is irresistible to the soul."
Minato's surroundings changed to a flowery and peaceful setting. A place without hate or war, a life without hiding from fear or the world burning around him. A world where Minato didn't need to become the Yellow Flash because in this sacred promised land; he wasn't necessary. A world where he was allowed to be a boy and read freely.
His body felt light and relaxed, warm and loved. He was drowning in an ocean filled paradise, the pressure of the bottom only filled him with more joy and happiness. Honey suffocated his lungs, ancient leaves of paper crowd his nose, and the wondrous calling of his parent's voices.
He didn't need to fight anymore. He didn't want to fight anymore. In here, everything was perfect.
"CHIDORI!"
Zauel's keen talons enhanced with blue lightning penetrated through Minato's body just below the collarbone. Even with his senses returning to normal, her control over his body remained as he was unable to feel the pain of incinerated and torn flesh.
"What?! I aimed for his heart," Zauel muttered in frustration. "It was as if I was pushed off my trajectory? What is your Devil Fruit?!"
"It doesn't matter," Minato answered. The protective spatial bubble around his body expanded and swallowed the entirety of Enies Lobby, activating his Devil Fruit Awakening. Thick black lighting of conquerors haki shot from his body. The atoms and molecules in the air shook with rage. His hand blurred, snatching the mythical bird's throat. "I am going to kill you both now."
—Kalifa's Bedroom, Tower of Law Fifth Floor…
Sanji opened a door and entered an expansive bedroom. The walls and furniture were decorated in pink.
"Robin-swan!"
A blonde woman in a revealing black coat and fishnets sat at a table, eating a pastry delight. "Sorry to disappoint but Robin isn't here. Hopefully, you don't mind if I take care of you instead. My name is Kalifa, pleasure to be in your presence."
"Mademoiselle!" Sanji's eyes changed into hearts and jumped onto the only available chair across from her. A rack of tiny desserts was placed in between them.
Seductively, her hand gestured for him to try one. Sanji obliged without hesitation, grabbing a pink scone with a strawberry jelly at the center. They shared glances as she retrieved another dessert of her own, together they ate while keeping eye contact.
A handkerchief patted her glossy lips as she swallowed. "Well, what do you think?"
Calmly, Sanji wiped the crumbs of his mouth. "Not bad."
"Really?" Her eyebrows flared with intrigue. "Explain."
"The excess sugar overpowered the natural sweetness of the fruit. If I were to replicate–" Sanji slammed his palms against the round table. "What am I doing? I don't have time for this, hand me the key!"
"Aw, but I was having such a nice time," Kalifa replied as she stood. "If only we had more time to ourselves…"
"Okay, maybe five more minutes." Sanji collapsed into the chair, folding a leg over the other knee. He reached for another dessert, then stopped. "No! Is this a Devil Fruit ability? I can't control myself."
"Uh, no." Kalifa raised her knee. "TEMPEST KICK!"
A flash of slicing light cut the table in half, Sanji twisted his body to dodge the attack. Then followed a barrage of thrusting kicks as her heels threatened to pierce his suit. He tapped danced around the kicks, maneuvering with ease.
"MOON WALK!" She kicked off the ground, flying in the air. A boot came crashing down. Sanji jumped out of the way as her foot cracked the floor. Kalifa spun on the floor, gaining speed before she lashed out another kick. "TEMPEST KICK!"
Sanji leapt forward, landing on his hands and then pushed off them to return to his feet. The woman prepared for another attack but he unleashed a kick of his own. Faster and much stronger directly at her head but he stopped inches away, the force blew her blonde hair.
"What's the matter? Hit me," Kalifa demanded.
Sanji's leg fell back to the ground. "A man never hits a woman."
"FINGER PISTOL!" Her finger blitzed into Sanji's chest, drawing blood as she pulled back her finger. A gray light emitted from between the woman's revealing chest. "You are too soft to be a pirate."
Sanji smiled. "It has nothing to do with being a pirate. I have morals."
"Pig!" Kalifa shouted, unleashing another finger pistol aimed at Sanji's head. He ducked underneath and grabbed the key. He dodged a barrage of finger pistols before retreating.
"Well, I must be going now." He twirled the key on his index finger, a goofy grin slapped on his face. His legs spun in a tornado as he dashed out the room.
"Coward!" Kalifa shouted, sprinting after him.
—Wolf's Room, Tower of Law…
Nami crept up on a snoring CP9 agent, he left his key laying unsupervised on the grass. Black and white glasses rested on his forehead and a scar passed through the left eye.
Her sandals gently pressed against the grass, quieting her footsteps as she approached in an attempt to steal the key without conflict. If need be, she prepared her Perfect Clima-Tact to defend herself.
The man shifted over, turning his back toward Nami.
'Chance!' Nami tiptoed faster and in three steps she would have reached the key but a rooster stepped in her path.
"Get out of the way," Nami whispered while waving her hands around to warn the animal. Instead the rooster stared at her and remained in place, directly in front of the key. Nami threatened the rooster with blue staff, pointing the tip at the undaunted rooster. A total of three times but it didn't budge.
The rooster locked eyes with Nami as if relishing in her torment.
'Don't you dare,' Nami thought as the rooster cleared its throat.
"Caw Caaaw!" The rooster crowed, stirring the CP9 agent awake. Nami smacked the rooster with the end of her staff to get it out of the way and dove onto the key. She heard the man yawn as he climbed to his feet.
Nami kicked her feet to put space in between them. She looked into her palms and it was empty, the key seemed to vanish out from her grasp.
"Looking for this?" The rough looking man rubbed his eyes and flashed a toothy grin. "You must be quicker than that."
'Stupid rooster! I am going to ask Sanji to cook it. No, that's not enough, I personally will boil it.'
"Since you are a beautiful young lady, I will give you another opportunity to steal this key." The man licked his teeth, walking to their right where a wooden bridge was built over a flowing river. He sat the key down on the grass and then returned to his original position. "I will give you a three second head start to run for the key. If you get it before I do, then it's all yours."
"You are just going to stab me in the back for it!" Nami shook her head, breaking the three part Clima-Tact and then twirling one section of the staff. Balls of red heated air flew out of one end and balls of blue cool air flew out the other, the hot and cool air collided creating mist.
"MIRAGE TEMPO!"
She swung the baton into the collected fog, bending the reflection of light to create two duplicates of herself. Three Nami mirages ran after the key and two Nami mirages ran for the door.
The old man vanished, sprinting toward the Nami's that ran for the door. "I'm not letting you escape!"
His claws slashed through mist and bended light as the mirages faded and evaporated to nothing. The real Nami hid amongst the mirages toward one of the keys. She secured the key while the man threw a fit.
—Bridge of Hesitation, Outside the Tower of Law…
Before Minato released his grip on Zauel's neck, he branded it with his special mark. Once released, he wisely retreated. The manipulating muse hit an abrupt end. The spatial barrier rapidly shrunk, switching colors from yellow to green to cover the hole on Minato's chest.
"SPACE-SPACE RESTORATION!"
Minato's flesh, blood vessels, and cartilage slowly repaired with the sacrifice of his spatial barrier and the ability to teleport. The wound would completely heal in five minutes but it didn't matter anymore, the main threat had ended.
The Siren's music had ended and she would not have the willpower to sing, probably ever again even if she were to live.
"Gaia, sing! We can't win without…" Zauel ended his train of thought, because they all knew it was futile to stand before a true conqueror. The warm sun penetrated through the dispersing darkness as Zauel fled.
Minato manipulated the space around him to float toward the frozen Gaia. She shook with unfathomable fear as her feathers withered and fell from grace, unable to withstand the overpowering imposed will of a conquer within Minato's Awakened Space, like an emperor in his throne room commanding his subjects.
Nonsense spewed from her lips. Uncontrollable spastic body movements as if she were struck by holy lightning due to her deep carnal instincts to flee took over but Minato's Conqueror's commanded her to remain frozen overridden her brain.
A kunai fell in his left hand.
Her eyes flashed wide as her eyelashes crumbled and fell. As she continued to nervously shake, the feathers rattled off her body like an autumn tree. A disgusting figure remained in front of him, a naked bird creature.
Minato sliced her head off.
"One down," he whispered, coldly.