Rocketman, Ten minutes from Enies Lobby
"The sniper king from Sniper Island?!" Luffy screamed in awe and wonder. He and Chopper's eyes sparkled, looking at the newcomer who boarded the train with Sanji.
"That's right! I am Sogeking, a friend of Usopp. He asked me to aid the Straw Hats in saving Nico Robin," proclaimed Sogeking, puffing out his chest. A black cape swayed behind him.
"I've never seen a real hero before," said Luffy, gawking at the cape.
Chopper jumped up and down. "Me neither but he must be a real hero because of the cape."
Sogeking nodded his head in agreement.
"Can I have your autograph?" squealed Chopper.
"It's Usopp," said Nami, the Square Sisters, Zoro, and Zambia. Minato studied Sogeking's mask.
"So, where is Usopp?" Luffy asked Sogeking.
"Oh, I'm sure he is fine. Let's forget about him and focus on saving Robin," replied Sogeking.
Sanji turned to Nami. "Before that, I have something to tell you guys."
He revealed the truth of Robin's hidden and tragic past, the horrors she's been through as an eight year old living with an eighty thousand berry bounty. How tired she is of running from the World Government and the constant threat of her existence.
Minato listened in silence, sitting on one of the train's benches.
Sanji lit a cigarette. "She doesn't want us to come rescue her."
"Who cares!" Luffy pumped his fist. "We are going."
Paulie entered their car, coming over from the head of the train. "About that, we need to come up with a plan."
He kneeled onto the floor and spread out a sheet of paper, on it was a drawn map of Enies Lobby. A short while later, the Straw Hats, members of the Franky Family, and the Galley-La surrounded the map like a campfire.
"I've only been here once to do maintenance on some broken tracks but here is our current location," Paulie pointed at a marked X out on the sea, a few blocks away from the Iron Fence which surrounded the whole island. Then he pointed at a second X on the map. "Here are the Gates of Justice at the back of the Island, to get there we must get to the Tower of Law."
'But to get there, we have to jump across the gaping hole from the floating island where the Courthouse was to get to the Tower of Law. I hope they can make it that far,' Minato noted inwardly.
"It's a straight shot through the island, which is going to be engulfed with enemies but I've recognized your strength," Paulie looked toward Luffy, then Zambia and the Franky Family. "We must save the Straw Hats stamina. The Franky Family and Galley-La will forge a path and when the time is right, they will remain on the Rocketman and fly across the Courthouse onto the Tower of Law."
"We've only got fifty men but we will do everything in our power to get the main gate open," Zambia added. He faced the Straw Hats. "Your main focus is to reserve your energy and take down the CP9."
"Got it," said Luffy, while the rest of the crew nodded.
"Look everyone, we are here, Enies Lobby," Over on the intercom, Kokoro interrupted. Everyone found a porthole to stare out. "And looming high into the sky was the Gates of Justice. If you wanna save that woman and Franky, you have to do it before they go through those gates. Criminals that step through those gates never come back!"
'Uh, where is he going?' Minato sensed Luffy rocket off the sea train toward the Iron Fence.
"Where is Luffy?" He asked to get the Straw Hat's attention to their missing captain.
Nami spun numerous times. "Huh? He was just here a second ago."
"Mr. Straw Hat!" One of the Franky Family shouted, pointing at the pirate who was preparing to leave them behind to invade one of the World Government strongholds completely on his own.
"Is that idiot serious?!" Paulie screamed. "We had a plan!"
"I knew it was doomed from the start," said Chopper, casually.
Nami shook her head. "He even said 'Got it.'"
'Was this behavior normal? I guess this is what she meant earlier about Luffy's reckless behavior.'
"Don't fall behind, Sodomu and Gomora!" Zambie commanded the two King Bulls and blew on a loud horn. "Climb that fence and charge through the main gate!"
Everyone else prepared as the two King Bulls pulled the Rocketman over the Iron Fence, once over the fence, the Franky Family and Galley-La foreman stormed the main gate. Shouts of adrenaline and loyalty to Franky fill everyone's ears, then the rumbling of cannons and piercing gun shots. Within five seconds, comrades begin to fall.
Awkwardly, Minato picked up the weapons of his choice, a flintlock pistol and a medium size sword. He headed toward the exit of Rocketman then Paulie cut him off.
"Naruto? You don't have to join us in the fighting. We know that–"
Minto interrupted him. "Don't. I am as frustrated as everyone else."
"I understand that but it's going to be extremely dangerous."
"I can take care of myself, don't worry about me. I'm not one of the strongest or fastest but my voice can be heard. I need to talk to Kalifa one last time," said Minato with resolve and unyielding determination.
Paulie prepared to rebuttal but held his tongue. "You're right. Ha, we will tell that bitch off together."
Minato held out his hand and he accepted the gesture as they shook hands.
'You're a good man, Paulie. I'm glad we got to meet and I feel bad about what I must do next.'
Paulie and Minato joined the chaos. He trailed behind Paulie, allowing him to do the fighting and clear the path; he alongside Tilestone and Peepley Lulu outmatched the Marine foot soldiers.
After five minutes of fighting, The King Bulls managed to push the Main Gate open. The Galley-La and Franky Family roared triumphantly as they celebrated achieving their mission.
Soon after, the earth began to rumble, some of the men lost their balance and fell to the floor from the violent shaking. Minato lost his own balance, tripping over a fallen corpse. Then, emerging from behind the massive gate doors were two giants. They swung their gigantic clubs, instantly killing twenty men and clobbering one of the King Bulls.
Now, with the two giant threats to stop them. The Marine forces surrounded them.
A spear pierced through Minato's chest. Before anyone can realize what happened, Minato was discarded and tossed aside by a Marine.
"Naruto!" Paulie screamed at the top of lungs, staring at Minato's dead body. He tried to rush toward the body but then another spear was thrusted at his direction. Slowly, the Marines began to tighten the circle, forcing Paulie to leave his friend's corpse on the ground. With eyes full of tears and anger, Paulie shouted for the last time. "Naruto!"
—Above Enies Lobby
Minato–wearing his rabbit mask– stood on top of hardened clouds. A black and yellow cloak fluttered in the wind as he stopped manipulating his Clone, putting an end to Naruto Uzumaki. Once the giants arrived and Minato fell to the floor, he manipulated space to create a double to fake his death. Iceberg's loyal assistant died in combat with no ties linking to what's about to happen next.
Using his observation haki, Minato watched the raid on Enies Lobby. The Rocketman soared over the main gate and crashed into one of the giants. Zoro and Sanji swiftly defeated the surrounding Marines, saving Galley-La and the Franky Family. The Straw Hats ravaged through the small island while riding the two King Bulls. Luffy distracted over thousands of marines and single handedly defeated them. As the chaos traveled away from the main gate, Minato manipulated the space around him and descended behind the gate.
He kneeled, pressing both hands on the floor. "SPACE-SPACE PORTAL!"
Minato's strongest teleportation technique in his arsenal because this allowed him to teleport up to twenty people and didn't leave behind a special mark. This Devil Fruit ability requires five whole minutes to activate but will remain forever.
With only a minute left before completion, a Marine squad of ten exited the main gate. Unable to move, Minato remained still, keeping his hands focused on the task. An outer yellow rim as his hands pressed into a black abyss, the hole was the size of shoulders. Not big enough.
"Hey!" One of the Marines shouted, aiming his marksmen rifle at the defenseless Minato. "What are you doing?"
"Uh. Gardening?" Minato said underneath the mask.
A second marine stepped into the officer's ear. "No, that's impossible. The gardener was here two days ago, he wouldn't be here again so soon."
"Yeah, you're–" Bubbles foamed from the guard's mouth as he lost consciousness. His eyes went white.
All ten guards were knocked unconscious by Minato's Conqueror's Haki.
'That should get someone's attention which means I have to put this ugly thing on.' Minato cursed to himself.
Minato finished the portal and rose to his feet, turning toward the Tower of Law. He summoned a kunai in his hand and pulled a different mask from the Essential Tool House. He spent the past day or two perfecting the design and shape of the cover.
A huge figure crashed into the dirt in front of him. A tall thin man in a red oval mask with high pointed shoulders, a CP0 agent.
"Who are you?" He asked, wondering if a person in such a strange get up could release Conqueror's Haki. After releasing his haki, Minato suppressed his presence.
Slowly, Minato turned. A piece of shaven painted wood was glued to his nose. "I am the King of Snipers, Sogeking!"
The man's mask tilted from right and left, wondering if the man had other comrades.
"A true hero!" Minato shouted, with a flick of the wrist, he tossed the kunai in front of him. 'SPACE--SPACE…'
"SORU!" The CP0 member blitzed toward Minato, the strength of his legs created a small crater in the ground. He thrusted a haki-infused hand, keeping his fingers straight like a spear.
Condensed space in the shape of a ball expanded on Minato's right palm. A small domain of Space with his absolute control and inside the air molecules stormed rapidly into a concealed vortex. Enraged and violent.
The hand rushed inches away from Minato's chest. "FIVE FINGER BALLISTA!"
Then in an instant, he vanished leaving a yellow orb of light. Minato teleported and caught the falling kunai behind the CP0 member. He spun as the black cape fluttered.
'LEVEL TWO: RASENGAN!'
Minato slammed the Space condensed vortex into the CP0's back and released the built up energy and tension. An explosion of wind and force penetrated the man's body and destroyed the ground beneath them. An attack that completely pulverized from the inside which destroyed the opponent's internal organs and bones.
Minato jumped out of the crater, leaving the dead CP0 member. He slammed his palms together and slowly separated them as a faint green substance appeared between his hands. It grew beyond his hands as a hovering bubble of Space. Mentally, he commanded the Space Bubble to encompass the damaged area of their fight.
"SPACE-SPACE RESTORATION."
Inside of the Space Bubble, the world went in reverse. The flown bits of dirt compacted together to remake the ground, healthy blades of grass grew, the surface area returned underneath the remaining dead CP0 agent as his clothings and destroyed mask were restored to perfect condition. With a hand placed on the corpse, Minato and the body vanished into the Essential Tool House.
Just behind the main gate on Enies Lobby, ten Marines slept as if nothing ever took place a few meters away from them. Nor did they know of the portal.