One Piece: Dream of Immortality-Chapter 534: Web of Conspiracy

"ROBIN-CHAN, SAVE ME!" Sanji's voice echoed throughout Onigashima.

"What?!" Pudding screeched to a sudden halt. "Why is my hubby calling for another woman?!"

"Perhaps it's a trick?" Reiju suggested. "Sanji shouldn't need any help, and it's strange that his voice is being broadcast.

"I've been kidnapped by lots of pretty women! We're on the third floor in the banquet hall! Sorry!" Sanji called out again.

"Nevermind, that tracks," Reiju sighed.

"Why isn't he calling for my help, though?!" Pudding harrumphed and stamped her foot, eliciting a pained "Oof!" from the beaten Beast pirate she was standing atop of. "I can help him more than that skank!"

"That's rude, Pudding. Robin is very nice to you... and hardly your competition for Sanji's affections for that matter," Reiju scolded.

At least Pudding had the decency to look a bit contrite.

"I suppose we could go rescue him first," Reiju offered.

Pudding didn't even pause to agree before she was taking off down the hall at a dead sprint.

"Somebody save me from these wacky pirates' antics..." Reiju followed after a moment's hesitation.

...

"Why'd you stop?" Reiju asked as she finally caught up to the younger woman. Pudding shouldn't be faster than she was, but apparently being head over heels in love gives you some kind of crazy speed boost?

"There's webs," Pudding said, her third eye peeking out from her bangs.

Reiju looked into the room. Certainly, there were some webs binding some hostages, including her brother. However, she didn't see any reason not to enter because of them.

So Reiju did the obvious and made to step into the room, only to get yanked back by Pudding.

"Didn't you hear me?!" Pudding hissed. "There's web all over the place, you'll get caught!"

"Hm?" Reiju swallowed her irritation and looked more closely, squinting her eyes.

Sure enough, when she angled her head the right way, thin and nearly invisible strands of web caught the light just right to glimmer in her sight.

"How sneaky," Reiju said. "How do you suggest we circumvent the obstacle, then?"

Reiju neglected to mention that there were a number of poisons in her repertoire that could eat through the organic webbing in seconds, allowing Pudding to have the spotlight.

"Right!" Pudding scratching her head as she wracked her brain for ideas. "Aha! One moment!"

Pudding raced off again, but returned soon after. "Hide!"

Reiju assented and allowed Pudding to pull her away. Soon after, a Beast pirate came racing towards the banquet hall.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! I can't believe I'm late for my wedding with Black Maria! How did I even forget?! Stupid, stupid!" He grumbled to himself.

Reiju had to suppress her instinct to laugh. "That is devilishly devious. Where do you even get memories like these?"

"Ah, well..." Pudding looked a bit sheepish at that. "Who needs to remember that they were late for their own wedding after the fact, right? Lots of people have used up memories like that just lying around, so I just... help myself."

"I'm here, darling! I forgot to set my alarm clock!" the Beast pirate charged into the banquet hall without hesitation.

"Go!" Pudding declared.

She and Reiju leapt forth to follow in the man's wake.

Thankfully, he was one of those Gifters. A bull's head had grown from his right shoulder and granted him the same sort of raw strength that you'd expect from the animal. He pushed through the sticky trap with sheer force, leaving a path for anyone to follow behind him.

"Oh, is the officiant not here yet? I guess I'm not really late then, huh? Haha," Bull-shoulder rubbed the back of his head.

Black Maria could only stare at the fool in mute confusion. Just what in the hell was he going on about?

Then she saw the two women slip into the room behind him and understood a bit of what was going on.

"Neither of you, is Nico Robin," Black Maria smiled and took a puff on her pipe.

"Who are you talking about, my love- BOOF!" Bull-shoulder was struck by one of Black Maria's enormous spider legs and smashed into the wall.

"Pudding?!" Sanji yelped. "... and Reiju, I guess."

"I could just leave, you know?" Reiju scoffed at her brother's tsundere act.

"Who said you could leave?" Black Maria chuckled. "I could use more hostages."

The various attendants in the room had shuffled around to partially block the exit, allowing them to close in if they attempted to flee.

"We aren't going anywhere until we've got my darling~ back!" Pudding declared.

"You're outnumbered and outmatched. What could you hope to accomplish here?" Black Maria snorted.

She didn't waste anymore words. Web fired from her spider abdomen towards the two would-be heroines.

Pudding dove out the way a little less gracefully than she'd like, but effective was effective. Reiju simply jumped, using her natural enhancements along with her RAID suit to bound over the sticky attack.

Reiju then bounded off the ceiling and straight into melee range with Black Maria. Despite the difference in their size, Reiju had some confidence that she could overpower the spider woman.

A confidence that may have been somewhat misplaced, as Black Maria was prepared for her with brass knuckles slipped onto his hands.

*BAM*

Reiju rolled with the strike, but was unable to easily change trajectory in midair. She took the blow on the chin and slammed into the floor hard enough to crack the wood.

"Reiju!" Sanji shouted in alarm.

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"Oh quit your worrying, little brother," Reiju hopped to her feet easily enough, wiping a bit of blood from her nose. "I've been hit harder before. If you don't want to see your precious sister take a punch, then don't get into avoidable trouble like this."

Sanji slumped in shame within his webby bindings.

"Besides, I'm not alone," Reiju smirked.

Black Maria suddenly remembered there were two others in the room. The three eyed freak was sneaking around behind her, but where was the third?!

She easily made Pudding retreat with a few jabs with her poisonous spider legs, but made sure to keep her eyes peeled for the third interloper.

Reiju and Pudding continued to harass her, the former to much greater effect than the latter. Reiju kept going for the frontal confrontation whilst Pudding kept trying to sneak up behind her, no doubt to stab her in the back.

"Where are you all hiding?!" Black Maria screamed, becoming increasingly paranoid.

How did she lose track of five people?!

Were they all ninjas?! Were they hiding in the ceiling, waiting for the perfect chance to assassinate her?! Her observation haki should be good enough to catch the average ninja, so were they all on par with Orochi's Fukurokuju?!

"Come out! I'll face you all at once, you cowards! I've fought eight on one before!" Black Maria growled, hoping that anyone would show themselves.

Why did she even think she could face nine foes by herself?! Even if she's one of the Tobiroppo, that's just foolish! Why aren't her attendants looking for the hidden threats?!

They were in on it, too, she realized. Just last week, she'd caught one of them slip something into her tea! They must all be in cahoots, all after her position in the Tobiroppo!

Pudding grinned with feral satisfaction as her memory manipulation sent Black Maria spiraling into madness.

'Devilishly devious, indeed' Reiju thought.