Vivi dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, Luffy… I couldn't do anything."
Noah knelt beside her, placing his hands near Luffy's chest. Faint red light sparked between his palms as his Vector Manipulation kicked in. The bleeding slowed, then stopped. Luffy's breathing steadied.
Emma blinked. "How did you do that?"
Noah wiped the sweat from his forehead. "No idea… just tried something."
Luffy groaned and sat up, clutching his stomach. "I'm gonna beat the crap outta that sand guy."
"Sure," Noah said, standing up. "Just don't get stabbed again, yeah?"
Before Luffy could reply, heavy footsteps echoed down the alley. A group of Baroque Works agents appeared from both ends, weapons ready, blocking the exit.
Emma groaned. "Oh, great. We've got company."
A man stepped forward, smirking. "You didn't really think you'd get away that easy."
Emma's eyes widened. "Oh no… it's that guy we saw back on Little Garden!"
Noah tilted his head. "You mean the one that tried to blow up our boat?"
"Yeah, him!"
Vivi gasped. "Mr. 5…"
Luffy clenched his fists. "I don't have time for these idiots!"
Noah stepped in front of him, cracking his neck. "I'll clear the way. You go handle Crocodile."
Luffy blinked. "Thanks, mister!"
"You can just call me Noah."
"Okay then—thanks, Noah!" Luffy grinned, then charged past.
Mr. 5 shouted, "Stop him!"
But Noah was already moving. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The air rippled. Every Baroque Works agent in the alley shot straight up into the air like rag dolls, screaming. Noah flicked his finger down, and they crashed into the ground, shaking the walls.
Emma whistled. "You're getting scary good at that."
"Guess I'm learning fast."
Noah turned to Vivi. "Go after Luffy. He'll need backup."
Vivi hesitated. "Please… don't die, Noah."
Noah smirked. "It'll take more than a few morons to kill us."
Emma grinned, blades in hand. "Let's make it quick."
The last of the dust cleared. Only Mr. 5 stood tall, cracking his knuckles. His grin was sharp. "You two should've run when you had the chance."
Emma twirled her dual blades. "You talk too much."
Mr. 5 laughed and pulled a marble-sized object from his pocket. "You forgot what my Bomb-Bomb Fruit can do." He flicked it, and it exploded midair, sending shards of stone flying.
Emma ducked under the blast and dashed forward. "I didn't forget."
Mr. 5 swung his leg, his boot glowing. "Exploding Kick!"
The explosion shook the alley, throwing dust everywhere. Emma flipped backward, sliding across the cracked ground. "You missed."
He sneered. "Did I?" Another small bomb rolled at her feet.
Boom!
Emma hit the wall hard, smoke rising from her shoulder. She winced but stood tall, blood dripping from a small cut. "That all you got?"
Noah called out, "Emma, don't get blown up!"
"Working on it!" she shouted back.
Mr. 5 laughed again. "You're stubborn. I like that. Too bad you'll die."
He rushed forward, hand glowing. Emma spun low, slicing upward just as his arm reached her. Her blade cut clean through his wrist.
Mr. 5 screamed, falling back. "You—You—!"
"Should've stayed down." Emma crossed her blades and charged, slashing through him in a blur.
A final explosion of light and sound filled the alley—then silence.
When the smoke cleared, Mr. 5's head rolled across the dirt. His body dropped a second later.
Emma stood still, breathing hard, blades covered in soot and blood. "Told you not to mess with me."
Noah stepped beside her, dusting off his clothes. "Remind me not to make you mad."
Emma smiled faintly. "Too late for that."
Then…
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps echoed down the ruined alley.
Noah's eyes narrowed. "Someone's coming."
Emma tightened her grip on her swords. "Think it's more agents?"
"No," Noah said quietly. "This one sounds heavier."
The shadow at the end of the alley grew larger—someone strong was approaching.
Smoke came out of nowhere. It hit Emma and me so hard we flew out of the alley and crashed right in the middle of the street.
Groaning, I pushed myself up. "What the hell was that?"
Emma coughed, waving the smoke away. "No idea…"
A rough voice echoed through the haze. "Pirates killing pirates… rebels killing soldiers… and some secret group called Baroque Works."
A tall man stepped out of the smoke, two cigarettes in his mouth, wearing a long white coat with "MARINE" printed on the back. His eyes were sharp and cold.
"This guy…" I muttered under my breath.
Before I could say anything else, Smoker's arm turned into white vapor. In a flash, it shot forward, slamming into Emma and sending her flying backward.
She hit the ground hard but rolled back to her feet. "What was that!?"
Smoker exhaled a puff of smoke. "You pirates never learn."
Emma ran in and slashed with her dual blades, but they went straight through his body.
"Devil Fruit…" she hissed.
"Right," I said.
Smoker's smoke arms shot at us again. I grabbed Emma and leaped high into the air, landing on a rooftop.
Smoker laughed below. "You must have some kind of jump Fruit!"
"Not even close," I replied, setting Emma down.
I raised my hand toward him. "Even if your body's made of smoke… doesn't mean I can't hurt you."
"Gravity Crush."
The air shimmered. Smoker's body slammed into the street below with a loud crack, leaving a small crater in the ground.
"What the—?!" Smoker grunted, smoke spilling from his mouth.
Emma blinked. "That worked!?"
"Guess so," I said, panting slightly. "But we should run before he gets back up."
Without waiting, I scooped her up in my arms and jumped from roof to roof, using my Vector power to move faster. The city below was pure chaos—rebels, soldiers, and Baroque Works agents fighting everywhere.
I landed in the middle of it all and set Emma down. "Enough!" I yelled.
Everyone froze for a second—rebels, soldiers, agents—all staring at me.
I bent down and pressed my hand to the ground. "Gravity Crush!"
The earth trembled. One by one, everyone dropped to their knees or slammed face-first into the dirt, unable to move.
"That should hold them for a while," I said, standing back up.
But suddenly the air filled with smoke again.
Something hard struck my shoulder—it was a rod. Pain shot through my arm, and suddenly I felt weak. My power flickered out.
My knees buckled. "Why… do I feel so weak…?"
A voice answered from behind the smoke. "Because that's sea prism stone, kid."
I looked up. Smoker stood there, holding the rod that was stabbing into my shoulder.
"It's you," I growled.
He smirked. "Name's Smoker. Remember it."
Emma charged in, her blades flashing. She swung fast, forcing Smoker to step back and release me.
I gasped, feeling my strength slowly returning.
"You okay?" Emma asked quickly.
"Not sure… feels like my energy's gone."
Smoker took a long drag of his cigarette. "You're done, kid. Time's up."
He raised his weapon again—
But a loud pop! went off nearby.
Smoke exploded everywhere, covering the street.
"What the—!?" Smoker shouted.
A voice yelled from the fog, "Usopp Smoke Bomb—works every time!"
Emma didn't waste a second. She grabbed my arm and ran, dragging me through the smoke-filled street.
"Move, Noah!" she yelled.
I stumbled but managed to run beside her, the world spinning around me.
We darted over broken walls, heading toward the palace gates. The sound of battle faded behind us.
By the time we reached the entrance, I could barely stand. My vision blurred.
"Noah!" Emma said, shaking me.
I tried to smile. "Guess… I'm not that invincible after all."
My knees gave out, and I fell forward. Everything went black.
In the darkness, I saw flashes—my parents' faces, my friends from my old world, all smiling, all fading away.
I reached out a hand. "Wait…"
But they vanished into the light