The Clock Tower

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Vivi sniffles, "We need to find the person that is going to set off the explosion."

"Find the guy who is going to set off the explosion?" Usopp blurts out, not back on his feet as we stand in a circle. "How are we going to do that?"

"We don't have time to think with only ten minutes left."

"The blast will be three miles in diameter, so he has to be shooting from a mile and a half away, right?"

"No! Whoever is setting off the explosion is near the square. I am sure of it."

"Won't that mean he'll blow himself up too?"

"Do you expect anything less from that croc bitch?" Nami asks.

"He'd sacrifice his own people!?" Chopper gasps.

"He's disgraceful," Sanji says.

"It doesn't matter," I speak up. "We don't have to worry about him or what goes through his mind."

"Then we better-" Zoro starts but cuts himself off when he quickly unsheathes his sword.

Vivi and I cower together as Zoro stops the sword of a Baroque Work member and Sanji kicks them in the face.

"Holy shit," I breath out as my heart skips a beat.

"Found you princess!" a group of Baroque Work members shout as we turn to see them the large group evilly staring us down. "If we bring back your head, we are sure to all get big promotions!"

"The Billions!" Vivi exclaims.

Sanji and Zoro look at each other, and understanding floating between them.

"Ten minutes minus...how long is this going to take?" Sanji clenches his jaw.

"Let's not waste time talking," Zoro grits his teeth.

They both look back at the men who are ready to attack, "Two seconds."

"Come on princess!" I give her a tug to get us to start running.

"We're going ahead!" Nami shouts to the boys as the others burst into runs and Pell breaks into flight as a falcon.

"Scatter! Get out of this dust storm and scatter!" Usopp shouts.

With Vivi and my hand holding each other's tightly, we end up breaking off from the others together with Pell flying close to us. If anyone saw us, they might think that we were actually twins. Not that those kind of thoughts have any place on a battlefield that is about to explode in less than ten minutes now.

"Pell! Do you see anything!?" Vivi asks.

"I've checked all the rooftops nearby, but there's no sign of a bomb or cannon!" Pell answers.

"Is it possible that they could fire it from inside a building?" I look at Vivi then Pell.

"Interesting idea, Akari," Pell nods. "I'll search everything!" He banks steeply into the air.

"Sounds good!" Vivi and I keep running ahead.

"We are going to save, Alabasta, Vivi!" I look around at all the buildings. "We've made it this far, gone up against so many people, and we are not going to stop until we save Alabasta!"

She forces a smile onto her lips as the tears stream down her face.

After all we've been through in the last couple of days, both of us are not in the right shape to be running around as fast and as much as we are. I don't know how it happens, but both of Vivi's shoes fling off, causing her to skid across the stone street, tearing up both of her shins. She isn't able to let go of my hand quite in time, send me tumbling to the ground and scrapping both my elbows and knees. Both of us lying in the street as our wounds bleed.

"Well, I don't feel as bad about not getting hurt now," I let out a pained chuckle. "Damn, that hurts."

"Ah! A stray bullet!" Usopp screams as he rushes past.

"A big space," Vivi pushes herself up. "That's it!"

"What it! Smoke Star!" Usopp uses one of his slingshot bullets at a man.

"What place?" I ask, looking over at Vivi.

"It is big and secluded," Vivi looks over at me.

"No, you idiot! I am not with the rebels!" Usopp screams as he rushes past us.

"Usopp!" Vivi reaches out and grabs the boy by the nose to get him to stop.

"Oh, Vivi, Akari, did you guys find the bomb?" Usopp grimaces as he stops in front of us. "Oh geez, how did both of you get so bloody?"

"That doesn't matter," I wave him off.

"I figured it out!" Vivi screams. It has to be there! It has to be at the clock tower."

"Are you sure!?" Usopp shouts back.

"Yes, I'm positive!"

"Alright, I will call the others!" he starts rummaging through his bag. "Red Serpent Star!" he sends a flare straight up into the sky to announce where we are to the others. "Seriously, how did the two of you get all bloody?"

"We've been all bloody, but this fresh blood is from falling," I explain. "At this point, we are going to be fine as long as we get to the bomb in time."

"You're sure that is the place?"

"It has to be!" Vivi grabs my hand.

"I'll leave a note for the others, and then we can go."

"We're going on ahead, Usopp!" I shout as Vivi starts dragging me away.

"W-what!? W-w-wait!"

"Hurry!" Vivi and I shout as the boy stumbles before running after us.

We don't get far before a group of Baroque Work Billions step out in front of us. All of them with evil grins on their faces as they stare us down.

"It's the princess and her doppelganger! We found them!" A man shouts out as the group laughs. "Thanks for that note back there!"

"It's Baroque Works!" Vivi gasps.

"I tipped them off!" Usopp cries.

"We don't have time for this!" I sneer.

"Usopp! Noise!" He produces a small chalk board and runs his fingers down it.

Everyone lets out a screech of pain at the horrible noise, and even when we cover our ears, it doesn't seem to help as much as it should.

"Now is our chance!" Usopp grabs a hand of Vivi and mine, dragging us away as we break into a run.

"Hold it! Get back here!" The Baroque Work members call after us.

Vivi and I easily pass Usopp, letting go of his hand and grabbing each other's once again. I'm not sure why we keep clinging to each other, but it has helped to remind me of what all this means. This is all for Vivi to save her country. Every cut and scrab is nothing compared to the hurt that she has gone through the past few years. She's done more than a princess should ever have to. Now she's become one of my closest friends in a short amount of time, and I will make sure that she doesn't have to cry any more. She deserves to laugh without fear!

"Only a couple minutes left! Hurry!" I yell.

In the blink of an eye, all the Baroque Work Billions are taken out by the Navy, which means that we are now surrounded by the Navy. Except, they don't look interested in us at all. Their focus is on the Baroque Work members.

"Can we catch a break!?" I groan.

"Hurry!" Vivi changes our direction.

"Thanks?" Usopp calls back to the Navy.

"We are here to help you!" Tashigi looks back at us. She must be in charge while Smoker is away. "You have to stop the explosion! Now go!"

We don't waste any time as we get back to running where we need to be. The fighting of rebels and royal soldiers is all around us now, but we can't stop for any reason. We have to make sure that a bomb doesn't go off. The three of us are gasping for air as we push to keep up speed.

"We've lost a lot of time!" Vivi cries.

"But the Navy came to save us!" I shake my head. "Without them, it would have been a lot worse. I can't believe I am even saying that!"

Multiple men around us collapse on the edge of death, but we can't stop to help them. In order to save everyone, we can't stop to even think about a few.

"Don't look!" Usopp commands. "It will be worse if we don't stop the explosion!"

Vivi grimaces, "I know."

"We still have two minutes, a whole ninety seconds! We either all die, or we'll have won this!"

"We're all with you!" I add.

"Vivi! Akari! Usopp!" Nami's voice comes from the side, and we all look to see her riding Chopper in his reindeer form.

"Nami!" Vivi shouts.

"Chopper!" I smile.

Nami hops of Chopper as they get right up to us. "What's going on? Why did the Navy help us?"

"Did you find the bomber?" Chopper asks.

I nod. "It has to be a place where they can see to take aim, but also big enough that it isn't visible from the sky."

"Which means that they calculated that all this dust and smoke into their plan, which means I am positive where it has to be," Vivi says. "I can't think of anywhere else they could have put it. Under our noses this entire time. The bomber has to be up there! In the clock tower!" she points to the building in front of us.

"The clock tower?" Nami questions.

"That is a good place to get a good shot at the square," Chopper says.

"We only have a minute left, though," I look around at everyone. "That's not enough time to make it to the top!"

"I was hoping that Pell would..." Vivi doesn't finish her thought. No doubt thinking about where her falcon bodyguard is at this moment.

"We just have to use the stairs then!" Usopp shouts. "How do we get in?"

"Hey!" Sanji's voice fills the air, and we all look up to see the blood halfway up the clock tower. "Nami! Vivi! Akari!" His voice is full of love as he waves to us.

"What are you doing up there!?" We all exclaim in disbelief.

"Your note said clock tower! So I decided to climb up!"

"Hey!" Zoro's voice shocks us as we look to see him even further up the clock tower. "I've been looking for you all! What are you doing there!?"

"That's my line!"

"The Navy kept telling me to go north, north, so I climbed up."

"North and up are not the same thing at all!"

"Stop bickering you idiots!" I roll my eyes.

"Just climb up to the top!" Usopp screams.

"It won't work," Vivi says. "Neither of them can enter the clock tower from where they are right now. The only access is through a stairway on the first floor located in the far wall." Her grip on my hand has strengthened.

"Zoro could just smash through the walls-"

"And trigger the explosion. No, we have to use those stairs!" She gives me a tug to follow her.

"Wait! I have an idea!" Nami blurts out.

The sound of a man giggling and a frog letting out ribbits gets all to look all the way up to the top of the clock tower as the clockface opens. Two people are revealed to us. A woman wearing a terrible outfit where everything is made to look like a frog, and a man that looks like a mad scientist with the poofy white hair and long purple coat. They are clearly Baroque Work number agents, and they are the ones who are going to launch the bomb in thirty seconds.

"Who the hell are they!?" Nami and I question.

"Mr. 7!? Ms. Father's Day!?"

"There's no time!" I look at Nami. "What is your plan!?"

"Usopp, make a base over there," Nami points for him to be in front of the clock tower. "Vivi, get on Chopper's back, and Chopper, stand on Usopp!"

No time is waste as they get into position. Even if Usopp is looking back at us in fear.

"I'm unclear about what is going to happen," I lightly cross my arms over my stomach.

"If this doesn't work, we're dead!" Usopp whines.

"I know that!" Nami snaps back. "Shut up and stand still, will you!?"

"Why can't you just tell me your plan!?"

"You probably won't like it!" I suggest.

"Akari is right, and you're going to find out in a second!" Nami pulls out her Clima-tact.

"Fifteen seconds left!" I announce.

"The climate is calling for a typhoon! Cyclone tempo!" She chucks the Clima-tact straight at Usopp.

"Wait! That's only meant for parties! It is just for fun!" Usopp whines.

"Not today it isn't," I lightly giggle.

"The clock tower is the target!" Nami commands.

I'm not sure what happens, but the three are shot into the sky like the flare that Usopp shot off not that many minutes ago.

"Why are you coming up here!?" Sanji shouts.

"Chopper, go to Sanji! Jump now!" Nami commands.

"What!?" The three of them in the air exclaim.

It clicks in my mind what Nami has planned for them to do. "You're going to jump all the way to the top!"

"Sanji! You know what to do!" Nami shouts.

"Not a single moment to waste!"

"I think so!" Sanji response, stepping up onto the windowsill.

Chopper jumps off Usopp as Sanji takes the leap out the window. Then Sanji gives Chopper a boost with his kick to send them continuing on their way.

"Great job, Sanji!" Nami and I call out.

Usopp lands behind us, letting out a groan that is laced with pain.

"Zoro!" Chopper calls out.

Zoro jumps out the window as he unsheathes two of his swords, going to use them as the way to give Chopper and Vivi the last bit of boost that will get them to the top. If only the two weirdos standing up there didn't look down and completely spot them.

"No, they've been spotted!" Usopp and Nami cry out.

"If they shoot, they're dead!" I scream.

Sanji is in freefall as he watches is all happen above him. Zoro is giving some kind of directions to Chopper, but they are too high up to hear now.

"Seven seconds left!" Nami and I announce.

"Do something!" Usopp bawls.

Zoro flings Chopper and Vivi out of the way as the two Baroque Work agents shoot down at them. He is hit in order for the other two to make it safely.

Five seconds.

Chopper changes into his man form, and throws Vivi into the clock tower. Then he shrinks down to his cute form to avoid taking a hit from the agents.

Three seconds.

Sanji crashes down nearby, scrambling to stand up and watch as the two agents are flung out by Vivi. All of us holding our breath.

One second.

It feels like the entire world stops as the last second passes, and when nothing happens it feels like a relief. But none of us feel quite right.

Zoro crashes down on his back right next to us. "What about the bomb?" he coughs up some blood.

"You're alive?" Sanji looks down at him.

Chopper screams as he rushes over to us, heading right for my legs. "What happened?"

I place a hand on his hat, "Nothing."

"And that doesn't feel good," Zoro pushes himself into a sitting position.

"Where's Vivi?" Nami asks as she, Sanji, and Usopp look up.

"Bad news!" Vivi screams down to us as she leans out.

"Vivi!" We all happily exclaim.

"The bomb is on a timer! It is still going to explode!"

Everything shatters. All the work we've done to get to this point. To finally stop the worst attack of all. It doesn't mean anything because Crocodile had a plan even for this. Even though we have succeed, we have still failed.

"WHAT!?" We all blurt out.

"Shit!" Sanji grunts. "This is not fair! We stopped the bomber, so the bomb..."

"Its on a timer!" Chopper huffs.

"It is going to destroy the whole city!" Zoro says. "All the people are going to be killed. Including us!"

Nami and I harshly inhale.

"What are we going to do now!?" Usopp cries. "Was all the blood, sweat, and tears for nothing!"

"We tried so hard!" Vivi slams her fists into the cannon. "And it is going to end like this! Does your evil have no limit!? Is this all a joke!? CROCODILE!"

Pell, the falcon man that flew Luffy and I across the desert to get here, the one that has been injured through this all, who we sent to search for this bomb when we were all running away, flies into view and lands on the ledge of the opening that the clock face has left.

"Did you see that?" Usopp asks.

"That bird guy," Zoro mumbles.

"His name is Pell," I state, fear slicing through my heart.

Pell is talking to Vivi, but he's quick with his speech, because in the next moment, he's changing into his falcon form, grabbing the bomb out of the cannon, and flying high into the sky.

All of us gasp as we watch the man willing to sacrifice his life to save millions. To save his beloved princess. Even all the way up in the sky, the explosion has enough power to shake us down on the ground. The light blinding as we all look away.

"That bird guy..." Sanji, like all of us, is in shock.

"He saved the entire kingdom," Nami finishes.

"He died to save all these people," I blink away the tears.

"Hey," Usopp speaks up. "No way..."

After a moment of shocked silence, a battle cry rings out around us. All the men that were fighting get right back to it like they never stopped. Even after we saved them from the bomb, they are going to kill each other by fighting. They don't care that their lives were just saved. All they care about is killing the other side.

"STOP!!" Vivi cries out. The pain she's been going through evident in her voice. "Stop fighting. Stop fighting! Stop right now! Stop it! No more fighting!"

"Hey, don't just stand there!" Nami points at the boys. "Hit, kick, do whatever you need to in order to get them to stop fighting! We have to save as many people as possible! Hurry!"

"Vivi," I let the tears fall down my face.

"Stop! Please stop fighting! Stop!"

"We have to do something," Nami mumbles, placing her hands on Usopp's shoulders as her head hangs down.

I wipe the tears off my cheeks, grabbing a couple shurikens out of my bag. "Come on boys! We have to do our part!"

"Right!" Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper nod.

All of us dive right into the fight, but we aren't fighting back to hurt these soldier and rebels. We are doing what we can to knock them down without hurting them more than they have been. We are trying to save their

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