FicWad

The door into the hallway burst open and the five pirates with their unconscious prisoner charged into the room. Law, in the lead, glanced around for any visible threats. No one was in the hallway. He pulled out the den den mushi and quickly made a call.

"Captain! What do you need?" Shachi asked on the other end.

"I need you to create a distraction out front to keep the guards occupied while we get these two out. The bigger the better." Something sounded like it was being jostled before Penguin answered him.

"Aye, Captain! Distraction is our specialty!" He laughed before handing up. Putting the snail phone away, he focused on the hallway around them.

"We came from the left." Summer stated, helping a struggling Liam through the door. She pointed down the one that was going the opposite direction. "The exit should be down that hallway...I think." Her face scrunched in concentration.

"It's the best we've got right now." Law said and took off down that direction. Bepo and Summer followed as quickly as they could, though still at a much slower pace than their captain.

Law took the gap between them to scout the upcoming hall, still suspicious that no one had tried to stop them yet. They weren't exactly trying to be stealthy at this point, but the lack of people in the mansion was highly unusual. Households as big as this were crawling with servants and noblemen.

Every hallway seemed to be identical, fitted with the dark wood floors and deep crimson persian rugs. The hideous green wallpaper was starting to give him a headache. The other two had arrived behind him and he nodded to the large double door at the end of the hall.

"That door should lead us to the main hall. Kill anyone you see, but don't put them at risk." Law said, nodding at the two injured crewmen they had risked so much to rescue. Summer took out one of her daggers, adjusting her grip on Liam. He was panting heavily. His eyes wouldn't focus, as if he were disoriented. He was paler than usual and slick with sweat.

"Liam, just hang in there, ok? We'll get you out of here." Summer whispered, just loud enough for Law to hear. Liam only nodded and took a deep breath.

"Go!" Said the captain and the pirates took off down the hall, making all the noise in the world and not caring one bit.

They pushed open the door and were surprised to find themselves in a grand hall, packed with people. Lords and ladies were dressed in the most formal of attire, fondling wine glasses and chatting noisily. The ceiling was adorned with glittering chandeliers, reflecting the light of candles on the wall and the jewelry of the rich women.

Sequined dresses and too-heavy makeup, shrill little giggles from the too-skinny ladies, fake-sounding laughs from the men who obviously enjoyed their food. It was all so sickening.

"I don't believe we've met…" "The food is absolutely wonderful tonight." I think I saw The Jenova family over by the staircase." "Darling, you look absolutely ravishing." People talked about things that they could never give a damn about.

The three out of place pirates hadn't even been acknowledged. A band played in the corner of the room, distracting those in the grand hall. Obviously some event was taking place, which made getting out of the densely packed room that much harder.

"I think we took a wrong turn." Summer panted, starting to feel the weight of her weak companion.

Releasing a huff of annoyance, Law raised his hand parallel to the ground. "Room." He muttered, and the blue sphere enveloped the room, startling the lords and ladies in attendance.

"What's going on?" "Is this the entertainment?" "Mrs. Winslow has absolutely outdone herself on the special effects this year." The chatter erupted, both in slight panic and wonder. Unsheathing his sword, Law glared at those around him. With one swift slice at the air, everyone was cut in half through their torsos.

The screaming began and glasses were dropped to the ground. Men yelled in outrage as they floated helplessly around Law's 'operating room.'

"My legs are gone!" People cried, flailing their arms around futilely. Several women fainted in midair, which Law would have found amusing had he not been so irritated by the setback.

"Come on." Law grabbed onto Summer's arm and guided them through the terrified guests, ignoring the lower halves that littered the floor. The trio darted through legs and made it to the second set of grand double doors.

On the other side, another longer hallway lay before them, this one bustling with servants and guards. They immediately turned to look at them, thinking them to be an angry guest. Upon seeing their strange outfits and an unconscious Mrs. Winslow slung over Bepo's back, they took up a cry and got hostile.

"Freeze! Release the Mrs. at once!" Guards pulled out guns and swords strapped to their belts.

"Someone call the marines!" A servant shouted, dropping their tray of tea onto the thick rug. They took off running but Summer was faster, darting through the guards and pouncing onto the back of the retreating servant with so much force, he was thrown into the wall face-first.

"Like hell you will." Her daggers flashed out in a second, slicing his throat before darting to the next opponent. Guards started to converge onto her, but her speed and weapons were too much. In a matter of a minute, everyone was lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Wiping off her daggers and sheathing them onto her belt, she jogged back over to Liam, whom she had gently told to sit against the wall, and helped him to his feet.

"What are we waiting for?" She asked Law, who hadn't moved after watching the deadly spectacle. Shaking his head with a smirk, he again took the lead down the hallway. He was careful not to slip on the slick floors.

The next few rooms were less populated and those that occupied them were much less willing to put their lives in danger. More often than not, they quickly dropped what they were doing and hid.

"Where the hell is the exit?" Summer panted, now struggling to run with a fully unconscious Liam on her shoulder. Somewhere between the grand hall and the hall they were in now, the pain had overtaken him.

Bepo was standing by the window, looking outside. "Captain, I think you should see this." Law quickly came over and glanced outside.

The street farther below was in chaos. The rest of the Heart Pirates were currently locked in battle with the front guards, and winning by the looks of it. In the fray, Law could see Shachi and Penguin beating guards over the heads with their wrenches.

"Well, that's certainly a distraction." Summer commented, readjusting her hold on Liam. Law noticed her discomfort but couldn't do anything to alleviate it.

"We're heading towards the front, but these halls are just getting us lost." Law muttered. Scowling, he searched the room as if it held the answers to his problem. He wanted to get back to the sub as soon as possible, especially with two severely wounded crew members, but the maze that was this house was making that impossible.

"Hmm...what about that?" Summer asked, pointing to something out the window above them. Looking up, Law noticed a thick cable attached to the roof of the building. Following the line, it ended on the ground outside the wall.

"A powerline?" He asked, not sure exactly what she was thinking. Her face took on a smirk.

"Ever been ziplining?" He looked at her as if she were crazy.

"Are you really serious?" She only grinned wider and gently lowered Liam to the ground by the wall. Taking her dagger, she smashed the window and used her blade to get rid of the jagged glass around the edges. A faint breeze drifted through, making Law realize just how hot the house was.

"Don't tell me you're scared." She said, unbuckling her belt. He eyed the cable outside with distrust. It didn't really look thick enough to support a person's weight. Picking up Liam from the ground, she put him over her shoulder and walked up to the window. Wrapping her belt over the top, she turned towards him.

"Meet you at the sub." She said with a little salute, then jumped out the window. Law watched in fascination and slight fear as she sailed through the air towards the ground. Somehow, she balanced Liam on her shoulder the whole way and managed to land lightly on her feet below. Once she was safely down to earth, she turned and waved at Law.

"That woman…" He muttered, watching as she took off into the alley without catching anyone's attention. Turning to Bepo, he wondered how the bear would make it down such a height. He seemed to read Law's mind.

"Don't worry, Captain. I'll find a way out downstairs." Hesitating only for a second, he nodded. He trusted his first mate wouldn't take any unnecessary risks. His blonde cook, however, was a different story. Bepo took off down the hall with his two passengers in tow. Turning back to the window, Law unstrapped his own belt and copied Summer's actions.

Before long, he was flying down the cable towards the ground at alarming speed. He hadn't realized it would go so fast and stumbled only slightly when he hit the ground. Taking a breath of relief, he put on his belt once more and ran to join the fight.

Summer took to the alleys to make her way back to the submarine. She didn't want to draw any unwanted attention from passersby and marines alike. Liam was starting to get painfully heavy on her shoulder but she pressed on anyway.

'His pain is much greater than yours.'

Glancing at her unconscious friend, she noticed that the lashes on his back were getting extremely red and irritated. The few on his chest and legs were dirty as well and she began to worry about infection. That would be the cruelest of irony. To have her nakama die after going through so much to get him back. She just hoped that fate wouldn't be a bitch today of all days.

Finding new resolve, she sped up a little as she zigzagged through the dusty back ways in the general direction of the sub, knowing that at some point she would emerge at the end of the city and in view of their vessel.

She only hoped she would make it in time.

Law ran up behind a guard and sliced through his back. The man cried out and dropped to the ground. Penguin, who had been his opponent, saluted at seeing him.

"Captain! Glad you could join us! Where's Summer-chan and Bepo?" He glanced around as if they would materialize out of the battle around them. Both men fended off attacks and pushed back.

"Summer-ya is bringing Liam-ya to the sub. Bepo had to find his own way out." Pausing to slash a man through his chest, he guarded Penguin's back against a man with a long sword. "As soon as you see Bepo, fall back to the sub. The log pose should be set. We'll set sail immediately."

"What about the plan?" He asked, referring to Kat's ransom. Law shook his head.

"There's no point now. We'll figure out what to do with her later!"

"Aye, Captain!" Penguin yelled, before running off to spread the word.