By Your Side

Chapter 24

As I ran down the halls, I half hazardously threw open the doors I passed, not bothering to sneak around. I need to hurry and get this collar off and join the others.

I let out a frustrated groan as I threw open another door, finding nothing but an empty room. "Why's there so many damn rooms!?"

I took off down a flight of stairs, glancing at the paths I had to choose from. I took off to the left, and slinging open the closest door beside me. When I opened the door, it turned out to be a plain room with a bed, bedside table, and a mirror.

I stood there for a moment, staring at my reflection as it stared back at me. "Man, it would be a whole lot simpler if I could hop through the mirrors..." I sighed, stepping out and closing the door, as I remembered how Brûlée's mirror world.

———

Choppers P.O.V

As we all stood inside Bege's castle, he brought up a plan of escape by having Caesar carry his body to where our ship was, while Germa distracted Big Mom's crew that surrounded us.

As Germa and Caesar made their way out of Bege's castle, I looked around the room confused.

"Chopper, what's the matter?" Brook asked, looking down at me.

"Uh, Brook... where's (Y/N)? I don't see her." I asked, furrowing my eyebrows together as I began to worry. "You don't think she's still out there, so you?"

I looked up towards the Skelton as he glanced around the room as well, only seeing Bege's men, Sanji, Nami, and Luffy. "Oh dear... uhh Nami, we have a problem...!"

Brook exclaimed, causing the woman to turn her direction towards us. "What are you talking about?" Just as the words came out of her mouth, we felt a jolt, all of us almost losing our balance.

Brook and I ran to one of the windows, peering out of it to see we were flying away. Caesar must've grabbed Bege and took off. "We gotta turn back!" Brook shouted, turning to look at Nami over his shoulder.

"Why the hell would we do that?! If we do that now, we'll die!" Nami tried to reason with us, walking toward us with her hands on her hips. "There's no way we can face all of them."

I felt tears prick my eyes, gripping the ledge. "Nami we have to go back..."

It was silent for a moment before I felt hands on my shoulder, turning me around. I looked up, locking eyes with Nami's concerned ones. "Chopper what's wrong?"

I felt tears run down my face, "I s-should've noticed!" I sniffled before speaking up again. "I didn't know until we already made up the plan."

"Chopper, what're you talking about?" I glanced over to Sanji as he lit a cigarette. "Why do you want to turn back?"

I clenched my hands- er hooves- tightly. "Because-"

"Have you guys seen (Y/N) anywhere? I can't find her."

Nami and Sanji seemed to have realized what was going on now as Luffy asked the question, their bodies stiffened up.

I ran over to Luffy, clutching one of his legs. "Luffy, we left and didn't even notice she wasn't here!"

He glanced down at me, patting me on the head. I let go of his leg, backing up slightly as I wiped my face with my arm, wiping the tears off my face.

I watched as Luffy walked over to the window where, the others were, not saying a word. "Luffy?"

"I'm going back." He stated simply as he stared out the window.

"Are you crazy?!" Nami exclaimed, "I'm worried about (Y/N) too, but do you even have a plan? You go down there and get (Y/N), and then what? How do you plan on escaping?"

He didn't reply, put simply started to climb onto the ledge, preparing to jump. Before he could jump, Brook grabbed hold of him, as I ran and jumped onto the ledge, pushing him back.

"What are you doing?!" Luffy asked, struggling to get out of Brooks hold. "Let me go!"

"Luffy, wait..." Sanji spoke up, letting out a breath of smoke as he stared out the window. "I have an idea."

———

(Y/N)'s P.O.V

"Not here either..." I sighed as I closed the door, leaning my back against it. "At this rate the battle will be over before I find Big Mom's room."

I closed my eyes, tilting my head back until it hit the door. In the event that I don't find a key... I need to think of another way to get this collar off.

I recalled 2 years ago, when Rayleigh used Haki to remove the collars off of Camie and I. "That could work." I thought of how Jimbei, Sanji, and Luffy could use Haki. Maybe one of them could.

Well I don't think Sanji could, if so, he would've already taken off the ones around his wrists. So that leaves Jimbei and Luffy.

Problem is, that means I'd have to go back to the rooftop, where Big Mom is. I pondered my options laid out before me.

Keep looking for the key that might or might not be in Big Mom's room.

Rejoin the others up top and hopefully they can snap the collar off.

Or, head back to the Sunny, if I can find it, and have them take the collar off when they arrive.

"I don't know what to do...!" I groaned out, gripping my hair slightly. "No matter what I do, there is something that-"

I was cut off as I was thrown to the ground due to the castle shaking violently. "W-What the hell is going on...?" I sat on the ground, holding myself up with my arms to keep my balance as everything began to tilt to the side.

I glanced in front of me seeing, various things rolling to the right, pictures falling off the wall. "Don't tell me the building is collapsing!"

I heard a few shouts from down a hall, assuming it was people who were inside the building as well.

The further the building tilted, the more I began to slide to the side, until I completely lost my balance and slammed into the wall.

I noticed rubble from the ceiling falling and let out a groan. "Why can't anything ever be easy..." I slowly pulled myself to my feet, walking alongside the wall down the hall.

"AHHHHHH!"

Hearing a shout, I glanced out a window to my left as it got louder. I blinked a few times, trying to process what I saw pass by the window just now. "Was that... Big Mom?"

Shaking my head of the idea, I continued to make my way down the hall. I need to find a way of out her before it completely collapses.

I heard a crash behind me, causing me to turn my head. I squinted my eyes closed as dust clouded my vision, coughing slightly. When I opened my eyes, I was met with a pile of rubble blocking off the path behind me, right where I previously stood.

If I didn't move, that would've squashed me... Scared at the thought, I quickened my pace, desperate to get out. "This can't be happening..." What is going on up there that caused this building to collapse...?

As I was thinking that the building was collapsing due to the fighting, I, along with several others, were unaware of the fact that the buildings collapse was due to an explosion created by a certain Tamate Box from Fishman Island Big Mom obtained from us.

———
Published: 09/10/2022