Chapter 35

The heat of the burning lands distorted the air, creating mirages of fire and ash. But the roar of an engine cutting through the wasteland was very real.

"Smoke…" Luffy sniffed the air, his smile vanishing. "It smells like cigars."

A massive amphibious motorcycle—the Billower Bike—burst through a wall of flames, leaving a trail of white smoke in its wake. Riding it was a man with two cigars in his mouth, a jitte strapped to his back, and a coat lined with the fur of a sea king.

Vice Admiral Smoker. The White Hunter.

Behind him, a squad of G-5 Marines in gas masks stumbled through the ash, led by Captain Tashigi.

"Straw Hat!" Smoker roared, skidding the bike to a halt. "I knew you’d show up here!"

He stepped off the bike, his body partially turning into smoke. Then, his eyes locked onto the figure standing next to Luffy.

The woman in the black and red dress. The one with the mismatched eyes. The one whose picture hung in the "Fallen Heroes" gallery at Marineford.

Smoker’s cigars almost fell out of his mouth.

"You…" Smoker’s voice was a low growl of disbelief. "Commander Kurumi? I attended your funeral. Akainu said you were vaporized."

"The reports of my death were greatly exaggerated, Vice Admiral," Kurumi curtsied, lifting the hem of her dress. "Bureaucracy is so messy, isn't it?"

"Why are you standing with a pirate?" Smoker drew his jitte, the Sea Prism Stone tip glinting in the firelight. "Explain yourself. Or I'll bury you for real."

"I’m afraid I’m a freelancer now," Kurumi drew her black muskets. "And currently… I’m on a playdate with the rubber boy."

Smoke vs. Time

"Traitor!" Smoker launched himself forward.

White Blow!

His arm transformed into a dense column of smoke, rocketing toward Kurumi with the force of a hydraulic press.

"Luffy, stand back," Kurumi ordered.

She didn't dodge. She aimed her left pistol—the one representing the clock.

Zafkiel: Second Bullet – Bet (Slow).

She fired a shadow bullet into the oncoming smoke.

To everyone else, nothing happened. But to Smoker, his arm suddenly felt like it was moving through tar. The smoke particles decelerated drastically.

Kurumi casually sidestepped the slowed punch.

"Too slow, Smoker-san."

She pressed her right pistol—the one for damage—against his extended smoke arm.

Bang.

The Haki-infused bullet tore through the smoke, grazing his real arm hidden within the element.

"Guh!" Smoker grunted, retracting his arm. "You… you slowed down my smoke? How?"

"Time is relative," Kurumi smiled. "Even gas has to obey the clock."

"Don't get cocky!" Tashigi screamed, charging in with her katana. "Shigure!"

Clang.

Carmen intercepted her. The Flamenco Chef blocked the sword with her frying pan.

"Cooking utensils vs. a Meito?" Carmen laughed, her skin glowing hot. "Let's see whose steel melts first, glasses-girl!"

The Sniper's Net

The G-5 Marines raised their rifles. "Fire! Kill the traitor! Kill Straw Hat!"

From the deck of the Sunny, Laki leveled her white rifle. She didn't fire a bullet. She fired a small, weighted net.

Mosa Mosa no Mi: 100x Size.

As the net left the barrel, it expanded instantly. A net the size of a tennis ball became a net the size of a circus tent. It fell over the entire G-5 squad, pinning thirty men to the ground.

"What the hell?!" The Marines struggled. "This net is heavy!"

"Shandian craftsmanship," Laki muttered, reloading. "Don't struggle, or I'll make it heavier."

The Warlord Intervenes

The skirmish was heating up. Smoker was preparing to unleash his full Logia power, turning the area into a White Out. Luffy was cracking his knuckles, ready to join in.

Suddenly, the heavy steel doors of the research lab hissed open.

"Room."

A blue sphere expanded, covering the entire battlefield. The snow fell softly within the sphere, ignoring the heat outside.

Walking out of the lab was Trafalgar Law.

"Smoker-ya," Law said, his voice bored. "Straw Hat-ya. You're making too much noise."

"Law!" Luffy waved. "Tra-guy!"

"Trafalgar…" Smoker glared at the Warlord. "This is a restricted area. Why are you here?"

"It’s my vacation home," Law lied effortlessly. He looked at Kurumi. He saw the tension. "And it seems you've met my… associate."

"Associate?" Smoker looked between the dead Marine and the Warlord. "So you're all in bed together? Joker. The Warlords. The traitors. This whole island stinks of conspiracy."

Smoker turned into smoke entirely, spreading out to engulf everyone. "I'm taking you all in!"

Law sighed. He lifted his finger.

"Scan."

He located the Den Den Mushi on every Marine.

"Tact."

He levitated all the snails and crushed them. Communication cut.

"Now," Law drew his sword. "I can't let you report this."

The Shambles

Law swung his sword horizontally.

Amputate.

He cut the G-5 ship—which was lifted onto the ice nearby—in half.

Then, he pointed his sword at the group.

"Shambles."

Pop.

The world disoriented.

Kurumi felt a wave of nausea, but her Haki resisted the swap. She remained in her own body.

However, the nearby Straw Hats weren't so lucky.

Franky (in Chopper's body) punched the air. "SUPER?"

Nami (in Franky's body) screamed. "Why am I a robot?!"

Sanji (in Nami's body) looked down at his chest and immediately had a nosebleed. "THE DREAM IS REAL!"

Chopper (in Sanji's body) panicked. "I'm smoking! Why am I smoking?!"

"Chaos," Kurumi noted, holstering her guns. "Law, you have a twisted sense of humor."

"It buys us time," Law said, sheathing his sword. He looked at Smoker, who was preparing to fight Law seriously.

"Straw Hat-ya," Law called out. "Take your friends and run to the back entrance. I'll deal with the White Hunter. We have an alliance to discuss."

"Alliance?" Luffy tilted his head.

"Just go!" Kurumi grabbed Luffy’s collar (and Kin'emon's legs). "Trust the plan, Captain. If you stay, Smoker will keep us here until Caesar gasses the whole island."

Luffy looked at Kurumi, then at Law.

"Okay!" Luffy grabbed his confused, body-swapped crew. "Let's go!"

The Corridor of Truth

Kurumi led the Straw Hats (and her own crew) into the facility, leaving Law to fight Smoker outside.

They ran through the metallic corridors.

"So," Nami (inside Franky's massive cyborg body) lumbered alongside Kurumi. "You're the one who saved us at Sabaody? And Thriller Bark?"

"I dabbled," Kurumi said, checking the map on her wrist. "Nice body, by the way. Very… sturdy."

"Don't make fun of me!" Nami-Franky wailed. "I'm a delicate flower trapped in a tank!"

"We need to find the cooling room," Carmen said, looking at the pipes. "Caesar is likely hiding in the central control room, pumping gas into the B-Sector."

"Wait," Zoro stopped running. He looked at Kurumi. "Alliance. You said Law wants an alliance."

"Yes," Kurumi stopped. They were in a safe zone between sectors.

She turned to face the crew.

"Trafalgar Law plans to take down Kaido, one of the Four Emperors. To do that, he needs to destroy the SAD factory here on Punk Hazard. That factory produces the substance Doflamingo uses to make artificial Devil Fruits."

"Kaido…" Zoro grinned. "An Emperor, huh?"

"But there's a catch," Kurumi’s expression darkened. "Law thinks destroying the factory is enough to make Kaido kill Doflamingo. He’s wrong. Doflamingo is tenacious. If we stick to Law's plan, we die in Dressrosa."

"So what's your plan?" Usopp asked, trembling.

"We modify it," Kurumi said. "We don't just destroy the factory. We capture Caesar Clown. We make him our hostage. If we control the scientist, we control the supply chain. We force Doflamingo to come to us on our terms."

She looked at Luffy.

"Are you ready to kidnap a mad scientist, Luffy?"

Luffy punched his palm. "If he's a bad guy, I'll blow him away!"

"Good," Kurumi reloaded her guns. "Because here comes the Welcoming Committee."

The door ahead melted.

A massive blob of purple slime—Smiley—began to seep through the vents.

"Run!" Usopp screamed.

"No," Carmen stepped forward, her hands glowing white-hot. "I've always wanted to know… does slime sauté?"

"Carmen, don't eat that," Kurumi warned. "It's poisonous gas compressed into a Zoan fruit."

"Poison?" Luffy perked up. "I'm immune to poison!"

"Not this kind," Kurumi grabbed Luffy. "Move! To the central lab! The Mastermind is waiting!"