Free Heart

Ch 64 - I am Sharing Her Voice

"Keep going...Don't...give up...Keep...going..."

Emmy's breathy chant wavered with every new level she reached as she ran up and up the flight of stairs within the clock tower. Her legs were on fire and her shoes felt heavy but she couldn't stop. Time was not on her side, which is why she ran up the stairs from the back of the tower instead of the front. She had come from behind and there was just no time to check all the entrances for the correct route.

The panic growing exponentially within her bonds made her fully aware that the cannoneer had not yet been placated. She was sure her nakama were nearby if not on their way to stop it too but that didn't give her an excuse to slow down. In fact, she used the bonds to fuel her. The bond with the captain in particular.

An extreme rage consumed him and it was at a level that Emmy had never experienced from him or anyone else. The intensity of his fury was only beaten by the determination and focus it was directed on. It was definitely directed at Crocodile but Emmy understood Luffy's mindset without even being there with him.

They had to keep going for Vivi-sama. The princess hadn't given up on her country so they couldn't give up their fight.

Wham!

In Emmy's haste, her foot slipped on the last step and she fell forward on her hands and knees onto the landing at the top of the tower.

She stiffened for just a second and braced herself for any shouts of surprise or hostility from any cannoneer lurking in the room. When nothing happened, she hurriedly scanned the room and then sucked in a breath with what she saw.

A massive cannon stood right in the center of room, practically taking up the entire space. The tower was a perfect square with an identical glass clock on each of the walls. Each clock ticked loudly with each passing second. One clock face was opened out. At the base of the opened clock was the silhouette of two figures, one was in a skirt while the other was in a long jacket. The ticking sound had covered Emmy's fall so the two occupants had no clue of her presence.

A flickering light from the back of the room caught Emmy's eye. It was the fuse for the cannon and the fire was only inches away from impact. The first mate shot one more nervous look at two figures, making sure she was not spotted, and then raced to the fuse.

"Adjust! Ribbit-Ribbit Gun!" the skirt cackled to whoever she was targeting outside, "This is an unexpected catch!"

"Adjust! Yellow Gun!" the jacket smirked, "This is good! This is good! They're perfect prey!"

"You bastards! How dare you point guns at Vivi-chan!"

Vivi-sama!, Emmy thought with a gasp as she popped her head out from behind the cannon and shot a frantic out the opening but then her eyes went back to the fuse. If I save her, this cannon might go off...but if I don't...

"Chopper! I'll shoot you guys up anyway! I'll change the direction so you do something after that!" the swordsman's voice rang out from outside.

"Seven more seconds left!" came the cry of the navigator.

"HURRY! DO SOMETHING!" the sniper shrieked.

Her nakama's voice snapped Emmy's mind into gear. My nakama will handle the outside. Let me handle the inside.

With that new thought she took in a deep breath and then grabbed the fuse with her bare hands just as the gunmen pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Emmy's lips were sucked in and she bit down on top of them to keep herself from screaming out in pain. The fire seared into her palms while smoke billowed out between her fingers and stung her already watering eyes.